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Matisyahu (born Matthew Paul Miller, June 30, 1979) is an American reggae musician.

Known for blending traditional Jewish themes with Reggae, rock and hip hop sounds, Matisyahu is most recognizable for his single "King Without a Crown", which was a surprise Top 40 hit, and for being an orthodox Jew. Since 2004, he has released two studio albums as well as one live album, two remix CDs and one DVD featuring a live concert, and a number of interviews. Through his short career, Matisyahu has teamed up with some of the biggest names in reggae production including Bill Laswell and duo Sly & Robbie.

Since his debut, Matisyahu has received positive reviews from both rock and reggae outlets. Most recently, he was named Top Reggae Artist of 2006 by Billboard as well as being named a spokesperson for Kenneth Cole.

Biography

Personal life

Matisyahu was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania; his family eventually settled in White Plains, New York. He was brought up a Reconstructionist Jew and sometimes performed under the alias MC Truth for MC Mystic's Soulfari band. He spent some time as a young man as a self-professed "deadhead," taking hallucinogens and following the rock band Phish on tour.

At 16, Matisyahu took part in a semester-long program that offers students first-hand exploration of Jewish heritage at the Alexander Muss High School in Hod Hasharon, Israel. His experiences there significantly affected his feelings towards Judaism eventually leading to his decision to adopt Orthodox Judaism, becoming a Baal Teshuva around 2001. Initially he found his way to the Carlebach Shul on the West Side of Manhattan. Matisyahu then found his way to Chabad of Washington Square. He finished high school at a wilderness program in Bend, Oregon. Following this seminal event, Matisyahu began playing with the Jewish band Pey Dalid.

From 2001 through most of his early career until July 2007, Matisyahu was a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic community in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York. However, as of 17 July 2007, he told the Miami New Times in an interview that he no longer "necessarily" identifies with the Lubavitch movement. In the interview, he stated that "...the more I'm learning about other types of Jews, I don't want to exclude myself. I felt boxed in." Additionally in the autumn of 2007 while on a family vacation spent primarily in Jerusalem's Nachlaot neighborhood he has expressed interest in another Hasidic sect, that of Karlin. As of November 2007 he has confirmed a preference to pray at the Karliner synagogue in Boro Park where the custom is to ecstatically scream prayers; however he continues to reside in Crown Heights because of his wife's affinity for the community.

Soon after his adoption of hasidism, Matisyahu began studying Torah at Hadar Hatorah, a yeshiva for returnees to Judaism where he wrote and recorded his first album. He counts Bob Marley, Phish, God Street Wine and Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach among his musical inspirations and gives credit to Rabbi Simon Jacobson's book Toward a Meaningful Life for the lyrical inspiration to Youth's title track. As part of his faith, he does not perform in concert on Friday nights in observance of the Jewish Sabbath. An exception to this occurred at a 2007 concert in Fairbanks, Alaska, which he allowed because the sun didn't set until 2am.

Matisyahu is married to Tahlia; the couple have two sons. He also has a younger sister named Julie.

Career

In 2004, Matisyahu, after having signed with JDub Records, a not-for-profit record label that promotes Jewish musicians, released his first album, Shake Off the Dust...Arise. At the time a relatively unknown musician, he did not rise to prominence until Bonnaroo 2005, when Trey Anastasio of the band Phish invited him a guest spot on his set. This would prove to be the event that launched his career.

His live album, Live at Stubb's, released in 2005, was recorded at a concert in Austin, Texas. This concert album, and Youth, his second studio album, both received critical and popular acclaim. Each album marks significant changes in Matisyahu's style, most markedly between Stubb's and Youth, when more rock music influences are evident. Since his second two albums became popular, Shake off the Dust has steadily risen in demand, fetching prices upwards of $30USD on online auction sites such as Ebay.

Throughout 2005 and 2006, Matisyahu toured extensively in the United States, Canada and Europe; and made a number of stops in Israel, including a performance as the supporting act for Sting in June 2006. In late 2006, Matisyahu released No Place to Be, a remix album featuring re-recordings and remixes of songs from all three of his earlier albums, as well as a cover of "Message in a Bottle" by The Police.

The live version of the song King Without a Crown, broke into the Modern Rock Top 10 in 2006. The accompanying video and album, Youth, produced by Bill Laswell, were released on March 7, 2006. On March 16, Youth was Billboard magazine's number-one Digital Album. In 2006, Matisyahu appeared once again at Bonnaroo, this time performing a solo set in front of an estimated crowd of over 10,000 people.

In Spring 2006, right before the release of Youth, Matisyahu cut ties with his managers at JDub Records, which resulted in some controversy due to Matisyahu's role in the founding of the label. Contrary to popular belief, JDub managed his act, but was not his record label.

In January 2007, Matisyahu performed in an impromptu concert at the Park City Film Music Festival in Park City, Utah, while in Park City for the Slamdance Film Festival. Matisyahu's music is part of the winning documentary film "Unsettled" which won at the 2007 Slamdance Film Festival.

In April 2007 it was confirmed that Matisyahu, along with Los Angeles based jam band Particle and British ska band The English Beat, would open for 311 on their Summer Unity Tour 2007. The tour ran from late June to late August and included shows all across the country.

In June 2007, Matisyahu played at the Waikiki Shell in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he received a triple encore. His opening bands follow in order of appearance were Madina Lake, Plain White T's and Yellowcard.

In July 2007, it was reported that Matisyahu had begun writing new songs for his third album. According to Billboard.com, Matisyahu's new album, entitled Light, is expected to be released sometime in early 2009.

In a 2008 rockumentary, Call+Response, headed by Justin Dillon, Matisyahu performed "Indestructible" and "Redemption Song" in support of the film's cause: a movement against current slavery and human trafficking.

Matisyahu has planns to release his new album, "LIGHT" April, 21 2009.

Artistic style

The music, developed partly with his backing band Roots Tonic has a unique sound, mixing reggae, traditional rap, and guitar solos typical of rock music. He sometimes performs with Kenny Muhammad, a Muslim beatboxer. Matisyahu's major label debut album was produced by avant-garde musician and producer Bill Laswell, with minor contribution by pop producers Jimmy Douglass and the Ill Factor.

Most of his songs are almost entirely in English with just a few words of Hebrew and Yiddish sprinkled in. His reggae vocal style is along the lines of traditional Rasta Roots stylings mixed with dub sound. The easiest comparison would be similar to the conscious and cultural sides of Buju Banton, Snow, Sizzla, Capleton, or Junior Kelly, but with the upbeat message of Luciano, Bushman and Everton Blender, and vocal dexterity of Barrington Levy. The production of the tracks draws from King Tubby, Augustus Pablo, Mikey Dread, and Linval Thompson. Similarities to the Foundation Sound of the late 1970s and 1980s would be accurate, and comparisons to Morgan Heritage likewise, would not be wrong.

However, he mixes in contemporary stylings of rap and beatboxing, similar to Sublime, as well as the traditional Hazzan style of Jewish cantors and Hasidic nigunim. The generally critical New York Times' Kelefa Sanneh notes that "His sound owes a lot to early dancehall reggae stars like Barrington Levy and Eek-a-Mouse." The Chicago Tribune's Kevin Pang has described a Matisyahu performance as "soul-shaking brand of dancehall reggae, a show that captures both the jam band vibe of Phish and the ska-punk of Sublime." Reviewers generally agree that Matisyahu may disappoint reggae purists, but acknowledge the unique blend of musical traditions that Matisyahu harnesses generally please the people who see his performances. Matisyahu's style has been compared to Jew da Maccabi, an Orthodox Jew from Florida who includes religious lyrics within a musical style derived from hip-hop. Matisyahu's style has also been compared to Jordan Chaviv, an Orthodox Jew from Canada whose lyrics are also inspired by Jewish teachings.

Matisyahu has stated that "All of my songs are influenced and inspired by the teachings that inspire me. I want my music to have meaning, to be able to touch people and make them think. Chasidism teaches that music is 'the quill of the soul.' Music taps into a very deep place and speaks to us in a way that regular words can't."

Origin of his name

Matisyahu is an Ashkenazi Hebrew and Yiddish pronunciation of the Biblical name Matthew (מתתיהו). The same Hebrew name corresponds to the name Mattathias -- which is sometimes used as a translation of the name of the 2nd century B.C.E. Jewish high priest of the Maccabees.

Matisyahu Miller explained the origin of his personal use of the name in an interview in Kosher Spirit Magazine (a publication by OK Kosher Certification) as follows: His full secular name is Matthew Paul Miller, and the legal Hebrew name he received at his brit milah (circumcision ceremony) at eight days of age was forgotten. In Hebrew school it was assumed to be Matisyahu because of the connection between Matthew and Matisyahu. The original certificate from the brit was later located and he discovered that the actual name given at the brit was the Yiddish name "Feivish Hershel". He was advised by his rabbis to continue using the Hebrew name that he had grown up with.

Touring members

Current

• Matisyahu - vocals (2000-present)
• Aaron Dugan − guitar (2004-present)
• Jason Fraticelli - bass guitar (2007-present)
• Rob Marscher - keyboards (2008-present)
• Skoota Warner - drums (2007-present)
• Daniel Sadownick - percussion (2006-present)

Former

• Jonah David − drums (2004-2007)
• Josh Werner - bass (2004-2007)
• Borahm Lee - keyboards (2006-2007)

Discography

Studio albums

Other releases

Singles

Guest appearances

• So Called - The So Called Seder: A HipHop Haggadah, JDUB Records, 2005

Track 3rd Cup: Yahu (also featuring Trevor Dunn)

• P.O.D. - Testify , Atlantic, 2006

Tracks Roots In Stereo and Strength Of My Life

• Ta-Shma - Come Listen, JMG, 2006

Track Rachamana

• C-Rayz Walz - The Dropping, Urchin Studios, 2006

Track Childhood (also featuring Kosha Dillz)

• Amnesty International/iTunes exclusive compilation Make Some Noise in support of Darfur

Matisyahu & Dub Trio track Watching The Wheels (like all songs on the compilation this is a John Lennon cover)

• Performed "Love Song" with 311 on many tour dates during 311's summer tour entitled the "Unity Tour" adding a verse of reggae based on the song "Jerusalem","Aish Tamid" or "Heights".
• Co-Wrote the song "Away with This" with Joseph Israel and performed it live on both 2/19/2005 in Austin, Texas at Stubb's and again on 12/8/2007 in Brooklyn, New York at the Warsaw Theater.
• Performed live with Infected Mushroom at Virgin Music Festival 2007 - Baltimore USA YouTube Video of event
• Performed "Indestructible," "Time of Your Song," "Dispatch the Troops," and others live with Minnesota-based jam band group Wookiefoot at the "Ripple Effect" free concert on September 02, 2008 on the State Capitol lawn outside of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN

Cover versions

• "Message in a Bottle" (The Police) - Album cover - Appears on his No Place to Be CD/DVD set
• "Rastaman Chant" (Bob Marley) - Live cover
• "Soul Rebel" (The Wailers) - Live a capella cover
• "Watching the Wheels" (John Lennon) - Album cover - Appears on Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
• "Zion Train" (Bob Marley) - Live cover
• "Morning Dew" (Bonnie Dobson) - Live Cover

TV and radio appearances

• Jimmy Kimmel Live (August 24, 2004)
• Last Call with Carson Daly (2004)
• Steve Harvey's Big Time Challenge (2004)
• The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (2005)
• Late Night With Conan O'Brien (2005)
• World Cafe (NPR) (July 29 2005)
• The Late Late Show (November 15 2005)
• mtvU Woodie Awards 2005 (November 2005)
• MTV 10 Spot (December 6 2005)
• MTVU : Uber (December 19 2005)
• Late Show with David Letterman (January 16, 2006)
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien (March 7 2006)
• Jimmy Kimmel Live (March 8 2006)
• CBS Sunday Morning (March 26 2006)
• WOCL Early 2006
• Guerilla Gig Live (March 31 2006)
• Later with Jools Holland (May 12 2006)
• Late Late Show with Pat Kenny (May 19 2006)
• Zane Lowe, BBC Radio 1 (May 31 2006)
• MTV LIVE, MTV Canada (June 12 2006)
• Bonnaroo, Manchester, TN (June 18 2006)
• Rock Werchter 2006, Belgium (June 29 2006)
• Lollapalooza, Chicago (August 5 2006)
• Austin City Limits Music Festival, Austin, Texas (September 17 2006)
• Soundcheck, WNYC, New York City, (December 11 2006) Listen
• The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (January 3, 2007)
• Jimmy Kimmel Live (January 4 2007)
• The Jewish Americans (PBS miniseries) (2008)

Awards

• 2006 Esquire's Esky Music Awards - Most Lovable Oddball in The magazine called him "the most intriguing reggae artist in the world."

See also

• Awake Zion- a documentary that compares reggae and Judaism

References

1. "Sean Paul, Matisyahu reggae's top acts in '06" Todd Martens for Reuters.
2. [1]"Matisyahu: Clothes Horse, Diversity Poster Boy" by Carolyn Slutsky for Jewish Week New York.
3. AskMen.com - Matisyahu Picture
4. Jewish MC rocks the mike and keeps it kosher Joan Anderman, 20 June 2004.
5. Matisya-Who? by Brian Blum at Shabbat Shalom; June 15, 2006
6. Matisyahu Tonight at Sound Advice Amphitheatre. 17 July 2007, Miami New Times Blog.
7. The Bob and the Baba. 09 October 2007, HaAretz Daily Newspaper Israel.
8. Matisyahu's New Spiritual Groove. 28 November 2007, The Jewish Week.
9. [2] Rolling Stone. New CDs: Matisyahu, Juvenile, by Peter Relic. 6 March 2006
10. Oy!Chiacgo Accessed July 4, 2008.
11. AIM Celebrity Interview
12. Matisyahu: Hasidic Hot Stepper Rolling Stone Magazine, Evan Serpick. Feb 24, 2006
13. Hasidic Reggae Singer Surprises His Managers. 14 March 2006, Ben Sisario, The New York Times.
14. Matisyahu Begins Writing New Album. 18 July 2007, Ultimate-Guitar.com.
15. Matisyahu Preps EP, Eyes '09 For New Album. 24 September 2008, Billboard.com.
16. http://www.callandresponse.com
17. Matisyahu - Reggae Review - New York Times
18. Jew Da Maccabi, Leslie Bunder. "Something Jewish" Dec. 19, 2005.
19. Jordan Chaviv - Biography - Jordan Chaviv - Biography - Jewish RAP, Jewish Hip Hop, Jewish Soul, Jewish RnB - Baal Teshuva - Blue Fringe - Gad Elbaz - Matisyahu - Palestinian rap - Palestinian music - Israeli - Jerusalem - Israel
20. Matisyahu's Passover, Chabad.org, April 2006.
21. M on M - Hasidic Reggae Superstar Kosher Spirit Magazine, Fall 2005.
22. Amazon listing for Album, Track 9. Released Jun 21, 2005.
23. Amazon listing for Album, Tracks 1 and 11. Released Jan. 24, 2006
24. Amazon listing for Album, Track 2. Released Sept. 19, 2006.
25. Internet Archive Setlist Live at The Funkbox on 2004-10-21
26. Internet Archive Setlist Live at 2004 Jewish-American Festival on 2004-09-05
27. Internet Archive Setlist Live at Toad's Place on 2007-12-02 (December 2, 2007)
28. The 2006 Esky Music Awards April 2006, Volume 145, Issue 4.

External links

Official

• Official website
• The Bridge - The Official Fan Club
• Official MySpace
• Official Video Site
• Concert Gallery

Additional

• The Jewish Channel's Review of Matisyahu's bio film
• Matisyahu at the Open Directory Project
• Matisyahu collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
• DVD: Matisyahu rocks the Holy Land
• Matisyahu: "Youth", a review-essay by Said Shirazi
• Article about Matisyahu in Russian
• Matisyahu On Camera Interview Uncut

Johnny Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 - September 12, 2003) was a Grammy Award-winning American country singer-songwriter. Cash is widely considered to be one of the most influential American musicians of the 20th century.

Cash was known for his deep, distinctive bass-baritone voice, the "freight train" sound of his Tennessee Three backing band, his demeanor, and his dark clothing, which earned him the nickname "The Man in Black". He traditionally started his concerts with the introduction "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash".

Much of Cash's music, especially that of his later career, echoed themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption. His signature songs include "I Walk the Line", "Folsom Prison Blues", "Ring of Fire", "Get Rhythm", and "Man in Black". He also recorded humorous songs, such as "One Piece at a Time" and "A Boy Named Sue", a duet with June Carter called "Jackson", as well as railroad songs such as "Rock Island Line."

He sold over 90 million albums in his nearly fifty-year career and came to occupy a "commanding position in music history".

Life

Heritage

Cash was of Scottish descent but he learned this only upon researching his ancestry. After a chance meeting with former Falkland laird, Major Michael Crichton-Stuart, he traced the Cash family tree to 11th century Fife, Scotland.

He had believed in his younger days that he was mainly Irish and partially Native American (he had been told he was one-quarter Cherokee). Even after learning he had no Native American ancestry, Cash's empathy and compassion for Native Americans was unabated. These feelings were expressed in several of his songs, including "Apache Tears" and "The Ballad of Ira Hayes", and on his album, Bitter Tears.

Early life

Johnny Cash was born J. R. Cash in Kingsland, Arkansas to Ray and Carrie (née Rivers) Cash, and raised in Dyess, Arkansas.

Cash was reportedly given the name "J.R." because his parents could not agree on a name, only on initials. When he enlisted in the United States Air Force, the military would not accept initials as his name, so he adopted John R. Cash as his legal name. In 1955, when signing with Sun Records, he took Johnny Cash as his stage name. His friends and in-laws generally called him John, while his blood relatives usually continued to call him J.R.

Cash was one of seven children: Reba Hancock, Jack, Joanne (Cash-Yates), Tommy, Roy, and Louise Cash Garrett. His younger brother, Tommy Cash, also became a successful country artist.

By the age of five, J.R. was working in the cotton fields, singing along with his family as they worked. The family farm was flooded on at least one occasion, which later inspired him to write the song "Five Feet High and Rising". His family's economic and personal struggles during the Depression inspired many of his songs, especially those about other people facing similar difficulties.

Cash was very close to his brother Jack, who was two years older. In 1944, Jack was pulled into a whirling table saw in the mill where he worked, and cut almost in two. He suffered for over a week before he died. Cash often spoke of the horrible guilt he felt over this incident. According to Cash: The Autobiography, his father was away that morning, but he and his mother, and Jack himself, all had premonitions or a sense of foreboding about that day, causing his mother to urge Jack to skip work and go fishing with his brother. Jack insisted on working, as the family needed the money. On his deathbed, Jack said he had visions of heaven and angels. Decades later, Cash spoke of looking forward to meeting his brother in heaven. He wrote that he had seen his brother many times in his dreams, and that Jack always looked two years older than whatever age Cash himself was at that moment.

Cash's early memories were dominated by gospel music and radio. Taught by his mother and a childhood friend, Johnny began playing guitar and writing songs as a young boy. In high school he sang on a local radio station; decades later he released an album of traditional gospel songs, called My Mother's Hymn Book. He was also significantly influenced by traditional Irish music that he heard performed weekly by Dennis Day on the Jack Benny radio program.

Cash enlisted in the United States Air Force. After basic training at Lackland Air Force Base and technical training at Brooks Air Force Base, both in San Antonio, Texas, Cash was assigned to a U.S. Air Force Security Service unit, assigned as a morse code decoder on Russian Army transmissions, at Landsberg, Germany. On July 3, 1954, he was honorably discharged as a staff sergeant. Then, he returned to Texas.

First marriage

While in Air Force training, Cash met Vivian Liberto on July 18, 1951 at a roller skating rink in San Antonio, Texas. A month after his discharge, on August 7, 1954, they were married at St. Anne's Catholic Church in San Antonio. They had four daughters together: Rosanne (born May 24, 1955), Kathleen "Kathy" (born April 16, 1956), Cynthia "Cindy" (born July 29, 1958), and Tara Joan (born August 24, 1961).

Career

Early career

In 1954, the couple moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he sold appliances while studying to be a radio announcer. At night he played with guitarist Luther Perkins and bassist Marshall Grant. Perkins and Grant were known as the Tennessee Two. Cash worked up the courage to visit the Sun Records studio, hoping to get a recording contract. After auditioning for Sam Phillips, singing mostly gospel songs, Phillips told him to "go home and sin, then come back with a song I can sell." Cash eventually won over Phillips with new songs delivered in his early frenetic style. His first recordings at Sun, "Hey Porter" and "Cry Cry Cry", were released in 1955 and met with reasonable success on the country hit parade.

Cash's next record, Folsom Prison Blues, made the country Top 5, and "I Walk the Line" became No. 1 on the country charts and entered the pop charts Top 20. Following "I Walk the Line" was "Home of the Blues", recorded in July 1957. That same year Cash became the first Sun artist to release a long-playing album. Although he was Sun's most consistently best-selling and prolific artist at that time, Cash felt constrained by his contract with the small label. Elvis Presley had already left Sun, and Phillips was focusing most of his attention and promotion on Jerry Lee Lewis. The following year Cash left the label to sign a lucrative offer with Columbia Records, where his single "Don't Take Your Guns to Town" became one of his biggest hits.

In the early 1960s, Cash toured with the Carter Family, which by this time regularly included Mother Maybelle's daughters, Anita, June and Helen. June, whom Cash would eventually marry, later recalled admiring Johnny from afar during these tours.

Outlaw image

As his career was taking off in the early 1960s, Cash started drinking heavily and became addicted to amphetamines and barbiturates. For a brief time, he shared an apartment in Nashville with Waylon Jennings, who was heavily addicted to amphetamines. Cash used the uppers to stay awake during tours. Friends joked about his "nervousness" and erratic behavior, many ignoring the warning signs of his worsening drug addiction. In a behind the scenes look at The Johnny Cash Show, Cash claims to have "tried every drug there was to try."

Although in many ways spiraling out of control, Cash's frenetic creativity was still delivering hits. His rendition of "Ring of Fire" was a crossover hit, reaching No. 1 on the country charts and entering the Top 20 on the pop charts. The song was written by June Carter and Merle Kilgore. The song was originally performed by Carter's sister, but the signature mariachi-style horn arrangement was provided by Cash, who said that it had come to him in a dream.

In June 1965, his truck caught fire due to an overheated wheel bearing, triggering a forest fire that burnt several hundred acres in Los Padres National Forest in California. When the judge asked Cash why he did it, Cash said, "I didn't do it, my truck did, and it's dead, so you can't question it." The fire destroyed 508 acres (2.06 km²), burning the foliage off three mountains and killing 49 of the refuge's 53 endangered condors. Cash was unrepentant: "I don't care about your damn yellow buzzards." The federal government sued him and was awarded $125,127. Johnny eventually settled the case and paid $82,001. Cash said he was the only person ever sued by the government for starting a forest fire.

Although Cash carefully cultivated a romantic outlaw image, he never served a prison sentence. Despite landing in jail seven times for misdemeanors, each stay lasted only a single night. His most infamous run-in with the law occurred while on tour in 1965, when he was arrested by a narcotics squad in El Paso, Texas. The officers suspected that he was smuggling heroin from Mexico, but it was prescription narcotics and amphetamines that the singer had hidden inside his guitar case. Because they were prescription drugs rather than illegal narcotics, he received a suspended sentence.

Cash was also arrested on May 11, 1965, in Starkville, Mississippi, for trespassing late at night onto private property to pick flowers. (This incident gave the spark for the song "Starkville City Jail", which he spoke about on his live At San Quentin prison album.)

In the mid 1960s, Cash released a number of concept albums, including Ballads Of The True West (1965), an experimental double record mixing authentic frontier songs with Cash's spoken narration, and Bitter Tears (1964), with songs highlighting the plight of the Native Americans. His drug addiction was at its worst at this point, and his destructive behavior led to a divorce from his first wife and canceled performances.

In 1967, Cash's duet with Carter, "Jackson", won a Grammy Award.

Cash quit using drugs in 1968, after a spiritual epiphany in the Nickajack Cave. June, Maybelle, and Ezra Carter moved into Cash's mansion for a month to help him defeat his addiction. Cash proposed onstage to Carter at a concert at the London Gardens in London, Ontario on February 22, 1968; the couple married a week later (on March 1) in Franklin, Kentucky. June had agreed to marry Cash after he had 'cleaned up'. Rediscovering his Christian faith, taking an "altar call" in Evangel Temple, a small church in the Nashville area, Cash chose this church over many larger celebrity churches in the Nashville area because he said that there he was treated like just another parishioner and not a celebrity.

Folsom Prison Blues

Cash felt great compassion for prisoners. He began performing concerts at various prisons starting in the late 1950s. These performances led to a pair of highly successful live albums, Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison (1968) and Johnny Cash at San Quentin (1969).

The Folsom Prison record was introduced by a rendition of his classic "Folsom Prison Blues", while the San Quentin record included the crossover hit single "A Boy Named Sue", a Shel Silverstein-penned novelty song that reached No. 1 on the country charts and No. 2 on the U.S. Top Ten pop charts. The AM versions of the latter contained a couple of profanities which were edited out. The modern CD versions are unedited and uncensored and thus also longer than the original vinyl albums, though they still retain the audience reaction overdubs of the originals.

In addition to his performances at U.S. prisons, Cash also performed at the Österåker Prison in Sweden in 1972. The live album På Österåker ("At Österåker") was released in 1973. Between the songs, Cash can be heard speaking Swedish, which was greatly appreciated by the inmates.

"The Man in Black"

From 1969 to 1971, Cash starred in his own television show, The Johnny Cash Show, on the ABC network. The Statler Brothers opened up for him in every episode; the Carter Family and rockabilly legend Carl Perkins were also part of the regular show entourage. However, Cash also enjoyed booking more contemporary performers as guests; such notables included Neil Young, Louis Armstrong, James Taylor, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton (then leading Derek and the Dominos), and Bob Dylan.

Cash had met with Dylan in the mid 1960s and became closer friends when they were neighbors in the late 1960s in Woodstock, New York. Cash was enthusiastic about reintroducing the reclusive Dylan to his audience. Cash sang a duet with Dylan on Dylan's country album Nashville Skyline and also wrote the album's Grammy-winning liner notes.

Another artist who received a major career boost from The Johnny Cash Show was songwriter Kris Kristofferson, who was beginning to make a name for himself as a singer/songwriter. During a live performance of Kristofferson's "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", Cash refused to change the lyrics to suit network executives, singing the song with its references to marijuana intact: "On a Sunday morning sidewalk / I'm wishin', Lord, that I was stoned."

By the early 1970s, he had crystallized his public image as "The Man in Black". He regularly performed dressed all in black, wearing a long black knee-length coat. This outfit stood in contrast to the costumes worn by most of the major country acts in his day: rhinestone suit and cowboy boots. In 1971, Cash wrote the song "Man in Black" to help explain his dress code: "We're doing mighty fine I do suppose/In our streak of lightning cars and fancy clothes/But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back/Up front there ought to be a man in black."

He and his band had initially worn black shirts because that was the only matching color they had among their various outfits. He wore other colors on stage early in his career, but he claimed to like wearing black both on and off stage. He stated that, political reasons aside, he simply liked black as his on-stage color. To this day, the United States Navy's winter blue service uniform is referred to by sailors as "Johnny Cashes," as the uniform's shirt, tie, and trousers are solid black.

In the mid 1970s, Cash's popularity and number of hit songs began to decline, but his autobiography (the first of two), titled Man in Black, was published in 1975 and sold 1.3 million copies. A second, Cash: The Autobiography, appeared in 1997. His friendship with Billy Graham led to the production of a movie about the life of Jesus, The Gospel Road, which Cash co-wrote and narrated. The decade saw his religious conviction deepening, and he made many evangelical appearances.

He also continued to appear on television, hosting an annual Christmas special on CBS throughout the 1970s. Later television appearances included a role in an episode of Columbo. He also appeared with his wife on an episode of Little House on the Prairie entitled "The Collection" and gave a performance as John Brown in the 1985 Civil War television mini-series North and South.

He was friendly with every United States President starting with Richard Nixon. He was closest with Jimmy Carter, who became a very close friend. He stated that he found all of them personally charming, noting that this was probably essential to getting oneself elected.

When invited to perform at the White House for the first time in 1972, President Richard Nixon's office requested that he play "Okie from Muskogee" (a satirical Merle Haggard song about people who despised youthful drug users and war protesters) and "Welfare Cadillac" (a Guy Drake song that derides the integrity of welfare recipients). Cash declined to play either song and instead played a series of more left-leaning, politically charged songs, including "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" (about a brave Native-American World War II veteran who was mistreated upon his return to Arizona), and his own compositions, "What is Truth?" and "Man in Black". Cash claimed that the reasons for denying Nixon's song choices were not knowing them and having fairly short notice to rehearse them, rather than any political reason.

Highwaymen

In 1980, Cash became the Country Music Hall of Fame's youngest living inductee at age forty-eight, but during the 1980s his records failed to make a major impact on the country charts, although he continued to tour successfully. In the mid 1980s, he recorded and toured with Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson as The Highwaymen, making two hit albums.

During this period, Cash appeared as an actor in a number of television films. In 1981, he starred in The Pride of Jesse Hallam. Cash won fine reviews for his work in this film that called attention to adult illiteracy. In 1983, Cash also appeared as a heroic sheriff in Murder In Coweta County, which co-starred Andy Griffith as his nemesis. This film was based on a real-life Georgia murder case. Cash had tried for years to make the film, for which he won acclaim.

Cash relapsed into addiction after being administered painkillers for a serious abdominal injury in 1983 caused by an unusual incident in which he was kicked and critically wounded by an ostrich he kept on his farm.

At a hospital visit in 1988, this time to watch over Waylon Jennings (who was recovering from a heart attack), Jennings suggested that Cash have himself checked into the hospital for his own heart condition. Doctors recommended preventive heart surgery, and Cash underwent double bypass surgery in the same hospital. Both recovered, although Cash refused to use any prescription painkillers, fearing a relapse into dependency. Cash later claimed that during his operation, he had what is called a "near death experience". He said he had visions of Heaven that were so beautiful that he was angry when he woke up alive.

Cash's recording career and his general relationship with the Nashville establishment were at an all-time low in the 1980s. He realized that his record label of nearly 30 years, Columbia, was growing indifferent to him and wasn't properly marketing him (he was "invisible" during that time, as he said in his autobiography). Cash recorded an intentionally awful song to protest, a self-parody. "Chicken in Black" was about Johnny's brain being transplanted into a chicken. Ironically, the song turned out to be a larger commercial success than any of his other recent material. Nevertheless, he was hoping to kill the relationship with the label before they did, and it was not long after "Chicken in Black" that Columbia and Cash parted ways.

In 1986, Cash returned to Sun Studios in Memphis to team up with Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins to create the album Class of '55. This was not the first time he had teamed up with Lewis and Perkins at Sun Studios. On December 4, 1956, Elvis Presley dropped in on Phillips to pay a social visit while Perkins was in the studio cutting new tracks, with Lewis backing him on piano. Cash was also in the studio and the four started an impromptu jam session. Phillips left the tapes running and the recordings, almost half of which were gospel songs, survived and have been released on CD under the title Million Dollar Quartet. Tracks also include Chuck Berry's "Brown Eyed Handsome Man", Pat Boone's "Don't Forbid Me", and Elvis doing an impersonation of Jackie Wilson (who was then with Billy Ward and the Dominoes) singing "Don't Be Cruel".

In 1986, Cash published his only novel, Man in White, a book about Saul and his conversion to become the Apostle Paul. He also recorded Johnny Cash Reads The Complete New Testament in 1990.

American Recordings

After Columbia Records dropped Cash from his recording contract, he had a short and unsuccessful stint with Mercury Records from 1987 to 1991 (see Johnny Cash discography).

In 1991, Cash sang lead vocals on a cover version of "Man in Black" for the Christian punk band One Bad Pig's album I Scream Sunday.

His career was rejuvenated in the 1990s, leading to popularity among a younger audience not traditionally interested in country music. In 1993, he sang the vocal on U2's "The Wanderer" for their album Zooropa. Although he was no longer sought after by major labels, Cash was approached by producer Rick Rubin and offered a contract with Rubin's American Recordings label, better known for rap and hard rock.

Under Rubin's supervision, he recorded the album American Recordings (1994) in his living room, accompanied only by his guitar. That guitar was a Martin dreadnought guitar - one of many Cash played throughout his career. The album featured several covers of contemporary artists selected by Rubin and had much critical and commercial success, winning a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Cash wrote that his reception at the 1994 Glastonbury Festival was one of the highlights of his career. This was the beginning of a decade of music industry accolades and surprising commercial success.

Cash and his wife appeared on a number of episodes of the popular television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman starring Jane Seymour. The actress thought so highly of Cash that she later named one of her twin sons after him. He lent his voice for a cartoon cameo in an episode of The Simpsons, with his voice as that of a coyote that guides Homer on a spiritual quest. In 1996, Cash released a sequel to American Recordings, Unchained, and enlisted the accompaniment of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, which won a Grammy for Best Country Album. Cash, believing he did not explain enough of himself in his 1975 autobiography Man in Black, wrote another autobiography in 1997 entitled Cash: The Autobiography.

Last years and death

In 1997, Cash was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease Shy-Drager syndrome. The diagnosis was later altered to autonomic neuropathy associated with diabetes. This illness forced Cash to curtail his touring. He was hospitalized in 1998 with severe pneumonia, which damaged his lungs. The albums American III: Solitary Man (2000) and American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002) contained Cash's response to his illness in the form of songs of a slightly more somber tone than the first two American albums. The video that was released for "Hurt", a song by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, fit Cash's view of his past and feelings of regret. The video for the song is now generally recognized as "his epitaph," from American IV; and received particular critical and popular acclaim.

June Carter Cash died on May 15, 2003, at the age of seventy-three. June had told Cash to keep working, so he continued to record and even performed a couple of surprise shows at the Carter Family Fold outside Bristol, Virginia. (The July 5, 2003 concert was his final public appearance.) At the June 21, 2003 concert, before singing "Ring of Fire", Cash read a statement about his late wife that he had written shortly before taking the stage. He spoke of how June's spirit was watching over him and how she had come to visit him before going on stage. He barely made it through the song. Despite his poor health, he spoke of looking forward to the day when he could walk again and toss his wheelchair into the river near his home.

Johnny Cash died less than four months after his wife, on September 12, 2003, while hospitalized at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. He was interred next to his wife in Hendersonville Memory Gardens near his home in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He was 71.

On May 24, 2005, Vivian Liberto, Cash's first wife and the mother of Rosanne Cash, and three other daughters, died from surgery to remove lung cancer. It was Rosanne Cash's fiftieth birthday.

His stepdaughter, Rosie (Nix) Adams and another passenger were found dead on a bus in Montgomery County, Tennessee, on October 24, 2003. It was speculated that the deaths may have been caused by carbon monoxide from the lanterns in the bus. Adams was 45 when she died. She was buried in the Hendersonville Memorial Gardens, Hendersonville, Tennessee, near her mother and stepfather.

In June 2005, his lakeside home on Caudill Drive in Hendersonville, Tennessee, went up for sale by the Cash estate. In January 2006, the house was sold to Bee Gees vocalist Barry Gibb and wife Linda Gibb and titled in their Florida limited liability company for $2.3 million. The listing agent was Cash's younger brother, Tommy Cash. The home was destroyed by fire on April 10, 2007.

One of Johnny Cash's final collaborations with producer Rick Rubin, entitled American V: A Hundred Highways, was released posthumously on July 4, 2006. The album debuted in the #1 position on Billboard Magazines Top 200 album chart for the week ending July 22, 2006. Enough of Cash's music was left to put together a posthumous album which he had helped plan. The album, American VI, is planned for release in 2008.

Legacy

From his early days as a pioneer of rockabilly and rock and roll in the 1950s, to his decades as an international representative of country music, to his resurgence to fame in the 1990s as a living legend and an alternative country icon, Cash influenced countless artists and left a large body of work. Upon his death, Cash was revered by the greatest popular musicians of his time.

Among Johnny Cash's children, his daughter Rosanne Cash (by first wife Vivian Liberto) and his son John Carter Cash (by June Carter Cash) are notable country-music musicians in their own right.

Cash nurtured and defended artists on the fringes of what was acceptable in country music even while serving as the country music establishment's most visible symbol. At an all-star TNT concert in 1999, a diverse group of artists paid him tribute, including Bob Dylan, Chris Isaak, Wyclef Jean, Norah Jones, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, and U2. Cash himself appeared at the end and performed for the first time in more than a year. Two tribute albums were released shortly before his death; Kindred Spirits contains works from established artists, while Dressed in Black contains works from many lesser-known artists.

In total, he wrote over a thousand songs and released dozens of albums. A box set titled Unearthed was issued posthumously. It included four CDs of unreleased material recorded with Rubin as well as a Best of Cash on American retrospective CD.

In recognition of his lifelong support of SOS Children's Villages, his family invited friends and fans to donate to that charity in his memory. He had a personal link with the SOS village in Diessen, at the Ammersee-Lake in Southern Germany, near where he was stationed as a GI, and also with the SOS village in Barrett Town, by Montego Bay, near his holiday home in Jamaica. The Johnny Cash Memorial Fund was founded.

In 1999, Cash received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Johnny Cash #31 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2003, Cash was named #1 in a list of the 40 Greatest Men of Country Music.

In a tribute to Cash after his death, country music singer Gary Allan included the song "Nickajack Cave (Johnny Cash's Redemption)" on his 2005 album entitled Tough All Over. The song chronicles Cash hitting rock bottom and subsequently resurrecting his life and career.

The main street in Hendersonville, Tennessee, Highway 31E, is known as "Johnny Cash Parkway".

On November 2 – November 4, 2007 the Johnny Cash Flower Pickin' Festival was held in Starkville, Mississippi. Starkville, where Cash was arrested over 40 years earlier and held overnight at the city jail on May 11, 1965, inspired Cash to write the song "Starkville City Jail". The festival, where he was offered a symbolic posthumous pardon, honored Cash's life and music, and was expected to become an annual event.

Portrayals

In 1998, country singer Mark Collie portrayed Cash for the first time in a short film, "I Still Miss Someone". Shot mostly in black and white, it attempts to capture a moment in time for Cash during his darkest years, the mid 1960s.

Walk the Line, an Academy Award-winning biopic about Johnny Cash's life starring Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny and Reese Witherspoon as June (for which she won the 2005 Best Actress Oscar), was released in the United States on November 18, 2005 to considerable commercial success and critical acclaim. Both Phoenix and Witherspoon have won various other awards for their roles, including the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy and Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, respectively. They both performed their own vocals in the film, and Phoenix learned to play guitar for his role as Johnny Cash. Phoenix received the Grammy Award for his contributions to the Walk the Line soundtrack. John Carter Cash, the only child of Johnny and June, was an executive producer on the film.

Ring of Fire, a jukebox musical of the Cash oeuvre, debuted on Broadway on March 12, 2006 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, but closed due to harsh reviews and disappointing sales on April 30, 2006.

Discography

The Johnny Cash discography chronicles the output of one of the most prolific recorded music artists of all time, country music singer Johnny Cash. His lengthy career, spanning 1954 to 2003, saw the release of countless albums and singles on several record labels. Over the years, Cash also collaborated with many of the industry's most notable artists, and received many awards and accolades from different organizations.

Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Cash_discography for Johnny Cash discography
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Cash_Sun_discography for Johnny Cash Sun discography

The Johnny Cash Sun discography details the music recorded by country music legend Johnny Cash and released on Sun Records. From late 1954 to July, 1958, Cash recorded for Sun, a label founded by Sam Phillips and located at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee.

Sun Records

Columbia Records

Cash recorded the bulk of his catalog with Columbia. Many of these albums feature previously released material paired with new material.

Independent label Gospel / Christmas albums

Mercury Records

Cash was signed with Mercury between 1987 and 1990, and recorded four albums of mostly new material, and also rerecorded many of his classic Sun and Columbia songs.

American Recordings

The American Recordings series is produced by Rick Rubin and contains the only newly-recorded material released after 1990. These albums are known for their relaxed, laidback feel and for featuring many covers and collaborations with other well-known artists. One song from these sessions, "A Satisfied Mind," was used in the Tarantino movie Kill Bill Volume 2 and has only been released on the soundtrack.

Awards and honors

Cash received multiple Country Music Awards, Grammys, and other awards, in categories ranging from vocal and spoken performances to album notes and videos.

In a career that spanned almost five decades, Cash was the personification of country music to many people around the world. Cash was a musician who was not tied to a single genre. He recorded songs that could be considered rock and roll, blues, rockabilly, folk, and gospel, and exerted an influence on each of those genres. Moreover, he had the unique distinction among country artists of having "crossed over" late in his career to become popular with an unexpected demographic, young indie and alternative rock fans. His diversity was evidenced by his presence in three major music halls of fame: the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (1977), the Country Music Hall of Fame (1980), and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1992). Only thirteen performers are in both of the last two, and only Hank Williams Sr., Jimmie Rodgers, and Bill Monroe share the honor with Cash of being in all three. However, only Cash was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the regular manner, unlike the other country members, who were inducted as "early influences." His pioneering contribution to the genre has also been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1996. Cash stated that his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, in 1980, was his greatest professional achievement.

In 2008, Johnny Cash was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.

Hall of Fame Inductions

• 1977 – Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
• 1980 – Country Music Hall of Fame
• 1992 – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Country Music Association

• 1968 – Album of the Year, At Folsom Prison
• 1969 – Vocal Group of the Year, with June Carter
• 1969 – Male Vocalist of the Year
• 1969 – Single of the Year, "A Boy Named Sue"
• 1969 – Album of the Year, At San Quentin
• 1969 – Entertainer of the Year
• 2003 – Music Video of the Year, "Hurt"
• 2003 – Single of the Year, "Hurt"
• 2003 – Album of the Year, American IV: The Man Comes Around

Grammy Awards

• 1968 – Best Country & Western Performance, Duet, Trio Or Group, "Jackson" (with June Carter Cash)
• 1969 – Best Male Country Vocal, "Folsom Prison Blues"
• 1969 – Best Album Notes, At Folsom Prison
• 1970 – Best Male Country Vocal, "A Boy Named Sue"
• 1970 – Best Country Song, "A Boy Named Sue" by Shel Silverstein
• 1970 – Best Album Notes (written by Cash) for Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline
• 1971 – Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, "If I Were A Carpenter", with June Carter Cash
• 1987 – Best Spoken Word or Non-musical Album, Interviews From the Class of '55 Recording Sessions, with Carl Perkins, Chips Moman, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Ricky Nelson, Roy Orbison and Sam Phillips
• 1995 – Best Contemporary Folk Album, American Recordings
• 1998 – Best Country Album, Unchained
• 1999 – Lifetime Achievement
• 2001 – Best Country Male Vocal, "Solitary Man"
• 2002 – Best Country Album, Timeless: Hank Williams Tribute (Cash contributed a cover of "I Dreamed About Mama Last Night")
• 2003 – Best Country Male Vocal, "Give My Love To Rose"
• 2004 – Best Short Form Video, "Hurt", directed by Mark Romanek
• 2006 – Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, "The Legend"
• 2008 – Best Short Form Video, "God's Gonna Cut You Down"

Americana Music Association

• 2002 - First Amendment Center "Spirit of Americana" Free Speech Award
• 2003 - Song of the Year (Artist), "Hurt"
• 2003 - Album of the Year, American IV: The Man Comes Around (Lost Highway)

MTV Awards

In 2003 the video for Hurt, which was a cover of a Nine Inch Nails song, was nominated for six MTV awards and won the Best Cinematography category.

Miscellaneous awards

• 1985 – Single of the Year, "Highwayman" (with The Highwaymen) – Academy Of Country Music
• 1989 – Living Legend – Music City News
• 1991 – The Spoken Word – Angel Award (Cash's reading of the New Testament)
• 2004 – Recorded Event Of The Year – International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)

References

1. "Johnny Cash's Story," Country Music Hall of Fame
2. Dalton, Stephanie. 15 Jan 2006. "Walking the line back in time." Scotsman.com. Retrieved 28 June 2007.
3. Cash, John R. with Patrick Carr. (1997) Johnny Cash, the Autobiography. Harper Collins. p.3.
4. Cash, Johnny. Cash: The Autobiography
5. Gross, Terry. All I Did Was Ask: Conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians, and Artists
6. Zwonitzer, Mark (2002). Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone, The Carter Family and Their Legacy in American Music. Simon & Schuster.
7. The Best of the Johnny Cash TV Show 1969-1971, Disc 1 (of 2), Reverse Angle Production, 2007
8. The good, bad and ugly of proposed uniforms. Navy Times. 4 October 2004.
9. Johnny Cash: The Rebel
10. Fretbase, The Guitars of Johnny Cash
11. Rolling Stone Magazine, The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, 2004 (bibliographic information is needed for this reference)
12. "Johnny Cash Final Performances Part 2". YouTube. Retrieved on 2008-07-06.
13. "Johnny Cash Final Performances Part 3". YouTube. Retrieved on 2008-07-06.
14. "Fire Reported at Johnny Cash Tenn. Home". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.
15. Johnny Cash profile at SOS Children's Villages
16. Johnny Cash profile at SOS Children's Villages - USA
17. Kristofferson, Kris. "31) Johnny Cash". Issue 946. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.
18. "The Immortals: The First Fifty". Issue 946. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.
19. "Mississippi town to honor the ‘Man in Black’". MSNBC. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.
20. "RHOF Inductees with Certificates". Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.
21. "Johnny Cash". Hit Parade Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.
22. Gross, Terry (2006). All I Did Was Ask: Conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians, and Artists. Hyperion. ISBN 1-4013-0010-3.
23. Millier, Bill. (retrieved September 7, 2004). Johnny Cash Awards. JohnnyCash.com.
24. Peneny, D.K. (retrieved September 7, 2004). Johnny Cash. The History of Rock and Roll.
25. Streissguth, Michael. Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece, Da Capo Press (2004). ISBN 0-306-81338-6.
26. Urbanski, Dave. The Man Comes Around: The Spiritual Journey of Johnny Cash. New York: Relevant Books. ISBN 0-9729276-7-0.
27. Cash, Johnny; Patrick Carr (1997). Cash: The Autobiography. Harper Collins. ISBN 0-06-101357-9.

Works published

• Cash, Johnny. Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975. ISBN 99924-31-58-X.
• Cash, Johnny, with Patrick Carr. Cash: The Autobiography. New York: Harper Collins, 1997. ISBN 0-06-101357-9.
• Cash, Johnny, with June Carter Cash. Love liner notes. New York: Sony, 2000. ASIN B00004TB8A.
• Turner, Steve. The Man Called Cash: The Life, Love, and Faith of an American Legend. Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 2004. (The Authorized Biography).

External links

• Official Website
• Official Johnny Cash Lost Highway Artist Page
• at the Country Music Hall of Fame
• at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
• at the Hit Parade Hall of Fame
• Johnny Cash at the Internet Movie Database
• Johnny Cash's sister Joanne talks to Philip Halcrow of The War Cry about life with Johnny
• Larry King's November 26, 2002 interview With Johnny Cash on CNN

Korn, occasionally typeset as KoЯn or KoRn, is an American rock band from Bakersfield, California, and is often credited with popularizing the nu metal genre. Along with other bands at the time, they have also inspired many nu metal and alternative metal bands throughout the mid 1990s and early 2000s.

The band's catalogue consists of nine consecutive debuts in the top ten of the Billboard 200, including a compilation album, Greatest Hits Vol.1, and their untitled eighth album, released on July 31, 2007. To date, Korn has sold over 30 million albums worldwide, including 16.5 in the U.S., whilst earning six Grammy nominations—two of which they have won.

History

Formation, Neidermeyer's Mind demo, Korn (1993–1995)

Korn formed after the group L.A.P.D. folded, due to singer Richard Morrill's drug addiction. Musicians Reginald Arvizu, Brian Welch, and David Silveria wanted to continue, and recruited guitarist James Shaffer and vocalist Corey Cinque and started a new band called Creep. Corey was soon dropped due to the band being dissatisfied with him.

In early 1993, the band took notice of vocalist Jonathan Davis after seeing his band Sexart and attempted to get him to join Creep. Davis initially did not want to join the band, but after consulting a psychic he decided to audition and then joined the band. The band soon changed their name to Korn (After Jonathan was recruited, they decided to get a new name. Jonathan suggested Korn as just a brainstorm, but everyone else liked it. So Jonathan got a Crayola crayon and wrote their logo in a child's handwriting, with a "K" instead of "C" and a backwards upper-case "R". Korn was born).

In April that year, the band began a working relationship with producer Ross Robinson, which led to their first demo tape entitled Neidermeyer's Mind. The band had problems getting signed during its first year, due to the 1990s rock scene, which was primarily grunge. After many attempts at a record deal, Paul Pontius from Immortal/Epic Records heard the band in a nightclub and was so impressed, he signed them on the spot. With a producer and a label, Korn started work on their self-titled debut album.

Musically, the album was a mix of both heavy metal, alternative rock, hip hop, and funk the latter elements encompassed in the rhythmic approach to the band's compositions. "Blind" was the first single from the album, which got a decent amount of airplay and attention. Once Korn saw a release on October 11, 1994, the band toured incessantly with no support from radio or video stations. They relied solely on their intense live shows, which created a large cultlike following of dedicated fans. It was through the effort of this fanbase that helped push Korn onto the Billboard 200, eventually peaking at #72 in 1996, with "Shoots and Ladders" being their first Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance.

On their first large tour, Korn opened for Danzig alongside Marilyn Manson. Other bands for which Korn opened in 1995 included Megadeth, 311, Fear Factory, Flotsam and Jetsam, and KMFDM. However, the first tour that widely exposed the band was opening for Ozzy Osbourne alongside the Deftones. After opening for lesser-known bands such as Dimestore Hoods, Sugar Ray (at the time), and Life of Agony, Korn returned to the studio to record a second album.

Life Is Peachy (1996–1997)

Korn teamed up with Robinson once again for their second album, Life Is Peachy, released on October 15, 1996. Musically, it was similar to the first album, but also showed more of a funk influence on tracks like "Porno Creep" and "Swallow". The album included two covers, War's "Low Rider", with Davis' bagpipes and Head on vocals, and Ice Cube's "Wicked", with guest vocalist Chino Moreno of Deftones.

To help promote their new album, Korn opened for Metallica, along with utilizing the Internet. Life Is Peachy sold more than 106,000 copies in its first week and reached #3 on the Billboard 200. The first single, "No Place to Hide", spawned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance. "A.D.I.D.A.S." was the second single and only music video, which also did well.

The band gained more popularity after co-headlining the Lollapalooza music festival in 1997 with Tool. However, Korn were forced to drop off the bill after Munky was diagnosed with viral meningitis. Also that year, Korn augmented their growing crossover appeal by collaborating with Los Angeles-based production and remix duo the Dust Brothers on the track "Kick the P.A.". This track appeared on the motion picture soundtrack of the film Spawn.

In late 1997, Korn formed their own record label, Elementree Records. The first signing was Videodrone, whose singer, Ty Elam, is credited for giving Jonathan Davis singing lessons. Orgy, however, released their debut album prior to Videodrone's, giving Elementree its first Platinum certification. Orgy's guitarist, Ryan Shuck, is known for playing alongside Davis and Elam in the band Sexart. Over the next few years, Korn signed other acts like rapper Marz and Deadsy.

Follow the Leader, mainstream success (1998–1999)

Prior to the release of the band's third album, Korn produced a weekly online TV show, KornTV, which documented the making of the record and featured special guests such as porn star Ron Jeremy, Limp Bizkit, and 311. The project also gave fans the chance to call in and ask the band questions, an approach that represented one of the first times a band utilized the Internet in such a way. Korn released their third album, Follow the Leader, on August 18, 1998, which featured a number of guest vocalists such as Ice Cube, Tre Hardson from the Pharcyde, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit and actor Cheech Marin on the hidden track "Earache My Eye" (written by Marin himself).

Korn launched a political campaign-style tour to promote the release of Follow the Leader. The tour took the group, on a chartered jet, all over North America to help promote Follow the Leader. They talked to fans and answered questions during special "fan conferences", which were organized at every stop along the tour route, and signed autographs. Jim Rose hosted the entire "Kampaign" tour.

The album was a complete success, debuting at #1 on Billboard with 268,000 copies sold, and spawning the singles "Got the Life" and "Freak on a Leash". They both exposed Korn to a wider, mainstream audience, with the music videos being mainstays on MTV's Total Request Live. "Got the Life" was the show's very first "retired" video, with "Freak on a Leash" reaching that same success months later. The singles also fared well on Billboard, with "Freak on a Leash" peaking in the top 10 of both Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock, the latter of which it spent 27 weeks on—more than any other Korn single to date.

"Freak on a Leash" won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form, and received a nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance. The video also earned nine MTV Video Music Awards nominations for Video of the Year, Best Rock Video, Breakthrough Video, Best Direction, Best Special Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Viewer's Choice. It eventually won two, for Best Rock Video and Best Editing. Follow the Leader is the band's most commercially-successful album, being certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA and having sold almost ten million copies worldwide.

The same year Follow the Leader was released, Korn started their own annual tour called the Family Values Tour. Korn headlined the highly-successful tour along with Incubus, Orgy, Limp Bizkit, Ice Cube, and Rammstein. A live CD and DVD were released and earned Gold and Platinum certifications, respectively. In 1999, Limp Bizkit headlined, along with Primus, Staind, The Crystal Method, Method Man & Redman, and Filter. Korn were not featured on the bill and instead only made surprise appearances at a few of the stops to perform "falling away from me" from "Issues". The tour took a break in 2000.

Issues (1999–2001)

The band's fourth album, Issues, produced by Brendan O'Brien, was released on November 16, 1999, featuring cover art designed by Alfredo Carlos, who won a contest held for the fans by MTV. Issues was released during a week of many highly-anticipated records. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with more than 573,000 copies sold, keeping Dr. Dre's long-awaited album 2001 and Celine Dion's greatest hits album from hitting #1.

To celebrate the album's release, the band performed the record in its entirety in front of a live audience at New York's historic Apollo Theater and broadcast the concert simultaneously across many radio stations. This performance made Korn the first rock band, and only the second predominantly white musical group, to ever perform at The Apollo, after the legendary Buddy Holly in the late 1950s. This special event featured the NYPD marching drum and bagpipe band conducted by Richard Gibbs as well as a group of back-up singers to enhance the more melodic choruses Davis used on the album.

Earlier that year, Korn had appeared on an episode of South Park, titled Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery, in which the first single from Issues, "Falling Away from Me", was premiered. Korn released two more singles from Issues, "Make Me Bad" and "Somebody Someone", both of which fared well on Billboard. Videos were shot for all three singles, with longtime friend Fred Durst directing "Falling Away from Me", and Martin Weisz directing a concept video for "Make Me Bad", as well as a performance video for "Somebody Someone", which featured the use of CGI effects. Every video was a staple on Total Request Live, two of which made it to retirement. Issues is considered by some critics to be less hip hop-influenced and closer to alternative metal than nu metal. It was certified 3x Platinum, following up the success of Follow the Leader.

Untouchables (2002–2003)

On June 11, 2002, after a year and a half of hard work and a long creative process, Korn re-emerged into the media spotlight with their fifth album, Untouchables. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 with 434,000 in sales. Sales were disappointing in comparison to the first four albums, as Untouchables has only been certified Platinum once. The band has blamed Internet piracy for the drop in sales, as an unmastered version of the album had leaked three months prior to its official release date.

The release of this album was preceded by a show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, a day prior to the album's release, broadcast digitally throughout U.S. movie theatres. Untouchables featured electronic beats, strings and various guitar effects the band had never used in an album before. The overall feel was drastically different from previous efforts, particularly tracks like "Alone I Break," "Hating," and "Hollow Life," which singer Jonathan Davis claims is one of his favorite Korn songs to this day.

The first two videos from Untouchables were directed by the Hughes Brothers (best known for their films, Menace II Society and From Hell). The first video, "Here to Stay," has the band playing inside a TV with a static background along with controversial news stories and world issues being presented. The song itself earned Korn a Grammy for Best Metal Performance, and would become their highest-peaking single on Billboard's Modern Rock chart. The second video, "Thoughtless", was a nod back to Davis' childhood as the character in the video (previously featured in the first Vanilla Coke commercial) is picked on and constantly beaten. The third video for Untouchables, "Alone I Break," was directed by Sean Dack, who won the honor of directing the video through an MTV contest.

Prior to their next album, Korn released a new single, "Did My Time" on July 22, 2003, which was used to promote the film and appeared on the soundtrack to Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. Angelina Jolie appeared in the Dave Meyers-directed video. "Did My Time" also gave Korn yet another Grammy nomination in the Best Metal Performance category.

Take a Look in the Mirror, Greatest Hits, Head's departure (2003–2005)

Take a Look in the Mirror, was released on November 21, 2003, four days earlier than originally planned. Korn produced the album themselves, and released "Right Now", "Y'All Want a Single", and "Everything I've Known" as singles. "Right Now" and "Everything I've Known" had animated music videos, whereas "Y'All Want a Single" featured Korn and a large group of fans destroying a record store. The album was an attempt by the band to return to its roots with a more raw and heavier sound. The album peaked at #9 on Billboard, selling over 179,000 copies in its first full week.

Korn released their greatest hits album, Greatest Hits Vol.1, on October 5, 2004. The album debuted at #4 on Billboard, selling more than 129,000 copies. It featured two cover songs as singles, and a compilation of the band's hits from the past 10 years. The first single was a cover of the song "Word Up!", which was originally made popular by the group Cameo. The second single was a medley of all three parts of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall". A remix of their hit single "Freak on a Leash" was also included as a bonus track. Special editions of the album included a DVD titled Korn: Live at CBGB featuring seven select songs from their November 24, 2003 show at CBGB.

Prior to Korn starting work on their next album, Brian "Head" Welch announced that he had "...chosen the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior, and will be dedicating his musical pursuits to that end," and was formally leaving Korn. Initial speculations that this was a hoax or practical joke were proven wrong; he has become highly spiritual, even being baptized in the Jordan River and speaking openly about his faith and conversion. This was the band's first official line-up change in their history.

See You on the Other Side, EMI/Virgin (2005–2006)

Upon completing their record deal with Sony, Korn partnered with EMI and signed to Virgin Records. As part of this innovative arrangement, Virgin paid Korn $25 million upfront in exchange for a share in the profits of their next two studio albums, including tours and merchandising. Virgin also received a 30 percent stake in the band's licensing, ticket sales and other revenue sources.

The band's first album for Virgin, See You on the Other Side, was released on December 6, 2005, and debuted on #3 on the Billboard 200, scanning close to 221,000 copies. The album managed to stay in the top 100 of the Billboard 200 for 34 consecutive weeks. The first single from the album, "Twisted Transistor", was accompanied by a comedic video directed by Dave Meyers in which rap stars Xzibit, Lil' Jon, Snoop Dogg, and David Banner portray Korn. The single itself peaked at #3 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks, Korn's highest entry thus far, and #9 on Modern Rock. The second single, "Coming Undone", had its performance-based video directed by Little X, who previously helmed only hip hop and R&B videos. See You on the Other Side is certified Platinum, and has sold over two million copies worldwide.

Korn held a press conference at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on January 13, 2006, announcing the See You on the Other Side Tour. 10 Years and Mudvayne were selected to open all dates of the trek, which kicked off in their hometown of Bakersfield, on what Mayor Harvey Hall officially declared as "Korn Day", February 26. The resurrection of their Family Values Tour was announced on April 18, 2006, which featured co-headliners Deftones, Stone Sour, Flyleaf, and Dir en grey on the main stage. Korn and Evanescence co-headlined the 2007 edition, with Atreyu, 2006 alumni Flyleaf, Hellyeah, and Trivium rounding out the main stage.

While promoting See You on the Other Side in Europe, Jonathan Davis was diagnosed with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a blood platelet disorder that hospitalized him for the weekend and prevented him from performing at the renowned Download Festival. The band still performed, with guest singers including Corey Taylor of Slipknot/Stone Sour fame, Skindred's Benji Webbe, and Avenged Sevenfold's M. Shadows. This led to Korn canceling the rest of their European bill for 2006, including the Hellfest Summer Open Air. It was originally unknown to the public what his ailment was, but the singer revealed in a letter to fans that he was "dangerously low on blood platelets and at a high risk of death from a hemorrhage if the problem was not treated". His illness did not affect the 2006 Family Values Tour.

Untitled album, MTV Unplugged, David Silveria's departure (2006–2008)

In early December it was announced that founding drummer David Silveria would be taking an indefinite “hiatus” from the band. Korn then performed at the MTV studios in Times Square on December 9, 2006, for the MTV Unplugged series, which was broadcast on February 23, 2007, through MTV.com and on March 2, 2007, across North American, South American, European and Asian MTV stations. In front of a crowd of approximately 50 people, Korn played a 14-song acoustic set complete with guest appearances by The Cure and Amy Lee of Evanescence. The performance was eventually cut down to 11 songs for the album, two of which did not air on MTV. Sales of nearly 51,000 brought MTV Unplugged: Korn to #9 in its first week out. The disc has yet to receive a Gold or Platinum certification because in comparison to all the other albums it was a serious disappointment.

Korn's untitled eighth album was released on July 31, 2007, debuting at #2 with 123,000 copies in its first week. The album has been certified Gold for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies. It also concludes Korn's unique deal with Virgin Records, and features touring keyboardist Zac Baird, giving the tracks a deeper, atmospheric sound. Drumming duties were left up to Terry Bozzio, Jonathan Davis, and Bad Religion's Brooks Wackerman, as well as Joey Jordison from Slipknot (who played for the band on live shows) as David Silveria went on a hiatus. "Evolution", "Hold On" and "Kiss" have been released as singles, with the former two charting on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks at #4 and #9, respectively.

Recent events (2008–present)

Korn was nominated, along with 31 other artists, for the Best of 2007 by Fuse in November 2007. They ended up making it to the final round, but lost to 30 Seconds to Mars by roughly 200,000 votes.

Ubisoft reported in October that "Korn has written and recorded an original song inspired by Ubisoft's upcoming Haze video game", simply entitled "Haze", which was released on April 22, 2008. As a first in the video game industry, "Haze" will be released and promoted as a full-fledged single and music video, not just as an exclusive download with the video game.

In 2008 The band played in Dubai for the annual Dubai Desert Rock Festival.

Korn performed their second leg of the Bitch We Have a Problem Tour in Australia, with drummer Ray Luzier of David Lee Roth and Army of Anyone fame, which was preceded by a Latin American and European run, plus festival dates in the United Arab Emirates and South Africa. Munky left the Bitch We Have A Problem Tour shortly after the beginning the European leg began due to his father becoming ill. Despite rumors that he was leaving the band, Shane Gibson has stated on Kornspace.com that his [Munky's] father had fallen ill and that Munky was not leaving the band, but Munky returned to the tour in Milan on February 23. This has been confirmed also as a video of Munky playing "Falling Away From Me" surfaced on Kornspace on Feb. 24th, filmed the night before. Due to Munky's return, Rob Patterson is no longer touring with Korn.

In an interview, Fieldy stated that Korn would be recording a new album sometime this year (2008), and that it would be a return to their heavy roots. He stated in the same interview that he would also be releasing a solo album of funk and jazz fusion pieces, as well as releasing his own book. The recording of the 9th album should take place sometime in November of 2008, with a Spring 2009 album release, Ray Luzier will take over drumming duties unless David Silveria comes out of his hiatus.

Korn released a new live DVD, Korn: Live in Montreux 2004, one of their performances with former guitarist Brian Welch on May 12, 2008. Additionally, a second greatest hits compilation titled, "Playlist: The Very Best of Korn" was released on April 29, 2008.

Jonathan Davis has stated at some concerts with the AIP tour and in some interviews, the interest of having Brian "Head" Welch back in the band, at a concert in Europe he told the audience "I miss that motherfucker and one day he will be back people". In an interview with Head, he said that he's "not ready to come back," while acknowledging that it's a possibility.

Korn recently contributed to the album Nightmare Revisited with a cover of the song, "Kidnap the Sandy Claws".

In a September post from Jonathan on MetalUnderground.com, Jonathan said that Korn would be taking a longer break. He assured that it wasn't a 'hiatus,' but merely a well-needed rest, while he works on his solo album.

Musical style and influences

Although Korn has sometimes been considered to be a part of the alternative metal and nu metal genres, they do not consider themselves to be a part of these genres. Jonathan Davis is quoted as saying:

"We've spawned a lot of clones, but let me explain... Well, I hate the nu metal term. We have always just been a band that rocks. We didn't like when people called us a metal band, we are just Korn. People just use these terms when they cannot describe something, but nu metal... when so many bands started making music that sounded like us, that is when nu metal was born. We don't have anything to do with it for real, I feel. I wouldn't wanna call Red Hot Chili Peppers a funk band, and we are not metal or nu metal, we are Korn. Nu metal is just a term that doesn't mean anything."

Discography

Studio Albums

Live Albums

Compilations

 Extended plays

 Singles

B-sides

 Videos

 Music videos

Band members

Current members

• Jonathan Davis – vocals, guitar, bagpipes, drums (1993–present)
• James "Munky" Shaffer – guitar (1993–present)
• Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu – bass (1993–present)

Previous members

• David Silveria – drums (1993–2006)
• Brian "Head" Welch – guitar, backing vocals (1993–2005)

Backup band

The backup band only plays live shows with Korn. None of the members of the backup band are considered official members of Korn. For most of 2005, they wore animal masks based on the See You on the Other Side artwork and black uniforms to help better distinguish them as the backup band. Throughout 2007, the members have performed unmasked but occasionally had their faces painted black and white with unique designs. Since the beginning of 2008, the back-up band plays without face paint, and with their ordinary clothes on instead of the black uniforms they had earlier.

Current members

• Kalen Chase – backing vocals, percussion (2006–present)
• Zac Baird – keyboards (2006–present)
• Shane Gibson – guitar (2007–present)
• Ray Luzier – drums (2007–present)

Previous members

• Rob Patterson – guitar (2005–2007, 2008)
• Clint Lowery – guitar (2007)
• Joey Jordison – drums (2007)
• Michael Jochum – percussion (2006–2007)

Reasons for Departures

• Mike Bordin - David Silveria sustained a wrist injury during their 2000 Sic and Twisted tour. Mike Bordin, drummer for Faith No More/Ozzy Osbourne, a good friend of Korn, filled in for Silveria in order to finish the tour. Bordin departed when Silveria recovered and returned to Korn in 2001.
• Brian "Head" Welch - left on February 22, 2005 to become a Christian, build an adoption center in India, and continue making music as a solo musician.
• David Silveria - Went on a "hiatus" in late 2006 to run his 2 restaurants and to spend time with his family. He is not officially out of the band yet, but it is highly unlikely that he will return.
• Rob Patterson - played with Korn for 11 months, but was fired after the MTV: Unplugged performance due to personal fallout with Munky. He resurfaced in the Korn world on January 16, 2008, the very same day that Munky went on a "hiatus." Rob played onstage alongside Shane Gibson, and is expected to play on the 2nd leg of the BWHAP tour. However, Patterson was no longer needed when Munky returned to the band on February 23, 2008.
• Terry Bozzio - initially brought in to play the drums for Untitled. However, after recording only 6 songs, he left Korn after they refused to give him a 25% share in the sales of Untitled and the title of being an official member of the band.
• Brooks Wackerman - was brought in to replace Bozzio, but could only record 4 songs on Untitled due to Bad Religion needing him to return.
• Michael Jochum - initially left because his parts were no longer needed. He returned with the band in early 2007 for Korn's 2007 European tour but left before 2007's Family Values Tour.
• Clint Lowery - had to leave Korn 1 month earlier than expected due to a family emergency.
• Joey Jordison - left because of his duty to record Slipknot's "All Hope Is Gone".
• Munky - left during early 2008 for personal and family reasons. It was said by Fieldy that he was to return in June and that he will join the band working on a new record in July. However, Munky returned much earlier than expected on February 23, 2008.

Status

None of the members of the backing band are official members of Korn. They are only live/session members. However, there has been talk about letting Zac Baird, Ray Luzier and Shane Gibson into the band as true members, but nothing has been set in stone yet.

 

References

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10. "Korn Frontman Shoots Videodrone Clip; Family Values CD/Video On Way". MTV (2000-01-25). Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
11. "Orgy Celebrate New LP In Rock 'N' Roll Style". MTV (2000-10-17). Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
12. "Korn To Do It Themselves On "Korn TV"". MTV (1998-03-02). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
13. "Korn Kicks Off Kampaign '98 In Los Angeles". MTV (1998-08-17). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
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15. "Hall of Fame". The TRL Archive. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
16. "Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
17. "42th Grammy Awards - 2000". Rock on the Net. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
18. "1999 MTV Video Music Awards". Rock on the Net. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
19. "Korn Asks Fans To Design Next Album Cover". MTV (1999-09-17). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
20. "Korn Tops Dre, Celine, Will Smith On Album Chart". MTV (1999-11-24). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
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22. "Korn To Premiere New Track During "South Park" Special". MTV (1999-10-11). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
23. "Issues review". All Media Guide. Retrieved on 2007-01-25.
24. "Korn Can't Kick Eminem From Top Of Billboard Chart". MTV (2002-06-19). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
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26. "Korn Whip Out Maggots, Flames, Crucifix-Emblazoned Dress At NY Concert". MTV (2002-06-11). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
27. "Korn Do 'Time' For Lara Croft". MTV (2003-06-11). Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
28. "Korn Releasing Take A Look In The Mirror Early Due To Leak". MTV (2003-11-17). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
29. "Jay-Z's Farewell Album Hasn't Said Goodbye To The #1 Slot". MTV (2003-12-03). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
30. "George Strait Tops Usher In Billboard Albums Chart Recount". MTV (2004-10-13). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
31. "Brian 'Head' Welch Leaves Korn, Citing Moral Objections To Band's Music". MTV (2005-02-22). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
32. "Eminem Scores Fourth #1 Bow With Curtain Call". MTV (2005-12-14). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
33. "Korn Announce Tour Dates While Surrounded By Dead Celebrities". MTV (2006-01-13). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
34. "Korn Rock Hometown, Have Street Named After Them On 'Official Korn Day'". MTV (2006-02-27). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
35. "Korn Resurrect Family Values Tour With Deftones, Stone Sour". MTV (2006-04-18). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
36. "Korn, Evanescence, Hellyeah Top Family Values Tour Bill". MTV (2007-03-26). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
37. "KORN Frontman To Sit Out U.K.'s DOWNLOAD Festival, Guest Singers To Step In". Blabbermouth (2006-06-10). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
38. "KORN: European Tour Officially Cancelled". Blabbermouth (2006-06-13). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
39. "KORN Frontman JONATHAN DAVIS: 'I Should Be Healthy To Play In A Few Weeks'". Blabbermouth (2006-06-12). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
40. "Notorious B.I.G. Is The Greatest: Hits LP Debuts At #1". MTV (2007-03-14). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
41. "Common Creams Korn, Coasts To First Billboard #1". MTV (2007-08-08). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
42. "Untitled Certified Gold". Kornspace. Retrieved on 2007-11-01.
43. "Korn Goes Experimental, Vents Anger On New Album". Billboard (2007-06-01). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
44. "KORN Is 'Having A Lot Of Fun' Working With Drummer TERRY BOZZIO". Blabbermouth (2007-01-09). Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
45. "Korn To Release Original Song For Ubisoft's Haze Video Game". Games Press. Retrieved on 2007-10-22.
46. "Ray Luzier Joins Korn". Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
47. "Korn to Play in United Arab Emirates.".
48. "Munky to Return to Euro Bitch We Have a Problem Tour".
49. Video Korn Bassist Fieldy Talks About Brian "Head" Welch new book - korn, bassist, fieldy, talks, book - Dailymotion Share Your Videos
50. BLABBERMOUTH.NET - KORN Singer Working On Solo Album; Ex-Guitarist Not Ready To Come Back

External links

• Official website
• Korn Music Club (Official fan club)
• Korn at MySpace
• Korn at Last.fm
• Korn at ilike

Robert James Richie (born January 17, 1971 in Romeo, Michigan), known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American musician and actor. He has sold over 23 million albums since the release of his debut album Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast in 1990.

Jive Records released him from his contract in 1991, and in 1992 he signed with Continuum Records. He released 1993's The Polyfuze Method and the 1994 EP Fire It Up!. Continuum Records didn't have the resources to push him and eventually went bankrupt. Kid Rock then started his own label in 1994 called Top Dog Records. After releasing demo tapes and working as a janitor to pay for studio fees, he released Early Mornin Stoned Pimp in 1996, which became a local smash hit. He held a special showcase concert, with only Atlantic Records showing up; they signed them to a record contract.

Richie released his major label debut in 1998, Devil Without A Cause, which sold 11 million albums behind the hit songs "Bawitdaba", "Cowboy", "I Am The Bullgod" and "Only God Knows Why." He released "History of Rock" in 2000, yielding the hit "American Bad Ass." In 2001 he was a tabloid headliner as he began dating actress Pamela Anderson. He released "Cocky" in 2001 and the crossover hit "Picture" with Sheryl Crow. He released a self-titled album in 2003 and "'Live' Trucker" in 2006.

In 2006, Kid Rock married Pamela Anderson, and divorced her 5 months later. In 2007, Rock N Roll Jesus revived his career; it was his first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, on the strength of its hit singles "So Hott","Amen" and "All Summer Long." The album was certified platinum by the RIAA on May 29, 2008. All Summer Long became his first Worldwide smash hit charting No 1 in Austria,Germany, and Switzerland. While placing in the Top 10 in Europe, UK, Sweden, The Netherlands and Ireland. The song made it to the Billboard Hot 100 despite the fact Kid Rock's catalog isn't available on Itunes. He and Rev Run of Run DMC fame will release an album together called "Running With The Kid", the date hasn't been determined. Kid Rock is backed by his 11 piece Twisted Brown Trucker Band formed in 1994.

Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast

Ritchie's career began at age 11 when he danced at a mall for the fun of it as a member of the b-boy group The Furious Funkers. After the success of Run DMC and The Beastie Boys, he bought a cheap belt-driven turntable and honed his craft. In high school, Ritchie DJed at parties for beer. He eventually joined Bo Wisdom of Groove Time Productions, in Mt. Clemens, Michigan for a few shows. It was then that he was given his stage name; club goers dubbed him with the moniker "Kid Rock" after they had enjoyed watching "that white kid rock."

In addition to DJing, Rock started rapping and joined hip hop group The Beast Crew comprised of The Blackman, Champtown, KDC, Crisp and Doc Rounce Cee. Rock also became friends with producer D-Nice of the legendary hip-hop group Boogie Down Productions. When Rock opened for BDP one night, D-Nice invited an A&R representative from Jive Records to see him perform. This meeting led to a demo deal, which developed into a full record contract. Against his parents' wishes, Rock signed the deal at the age of seventeen. Despite his new record deal, he had a falling out with The Beast Crew when he signed over fellow member Champtown (the two have since made amends). Rock later became part of the Straight From The Underground Tour, where he found himself alongside several heavyweights of rap including Ice Cube, Too Short, D-Nice, and Yo-Yo.

In December 1990, Kid Rock released his debut album Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast on Jive Records. The lead single "Yo Da Lin In The Valley" was banned by the FCC for its fixation on oral sex, and received at the time the largest non-commercial radio fine of all time at $23,700 fined to SUNY Cortland Radio. Because of this Jive sat on the record and then released Kid Rock from their roster in 1991.

Restarting on an independent label

In 1992, Kid Rock was picked up by an independent record label, Continuum Records, which released his second album The Polyfuze Method the following year. While the album saw some local college radio success at Central Michigan University with the track "Back From The Dead", the lead single, "U Don't Know Me", failed to chart, and the music video received little airplay on any major music video channels. After releasing an EP called Fire It Up! in 1994, Continuum went bankrupt and Rock was left again without a record deal.

Rock started his own label, Top Dog Records, and released monthly demo tapes dubbed The Bootleg Series, which featured demos of him and other up-and-coming rappers in the Detroit area. He signed on Curt Hauer, Dave Long, and the Cook twins to be his "Top Dog Interns". The interns would help him promote his shows and design his own merchandise line in the Detroit area. Around the same time, Rock formed his back-up band Twisted Brown Trucker, later recruiting Joe C, who he met at a 1994 concert, as part of the group. In 1995, Rock took a job as a janitor at Whiterooms Studios in order to pay studio fees. When he wasn't working, Kid would record the material that would eventually make up his fourth album, Early Morning Stoned Pimp. The album was released in 1996 and Rock sold 14,000 copies out of the trunk of his car and after concerts.

While Rock was now popular in Michigan and controlling his own label, he felt he needed to get attention from a major label. In December 1996, Lava/Atlantic Records A&R man Andy Karp, traveled to Cleveland to see Rock perform at a small club called The Grog Shop. On March 30, 1997, Rock performed a special showcase concert, with Jason Krause on guitar, to attract major label attention. While many of the major labels were invited, the only attendees were Karp and Lava President Jason Flom Lava/Atlantic Records. Following the performance, record executives said they loved him but expressed doubts about the strength of his material. Kid Rock returned to the studio and cut a six song demo tape; the first two were "Somebody's Gotta Feel This" and "I Got One For Ya". After hearing the two songs, Jason Flom supported Karp in signing Kid Rock to a record deal for $100,000, without even hearing the rest.

Devil Without a Cause

In 1997, Kid Rock added drummer/vocalist Stefanie Eulinberg to his band, joining Kenny Olson, Jason Krause, Jimmie Bones, Uncle Kracker, Mike Bradford, and Joe C. In August 1998, Atlantic released Devil Without a Cause behind the single "Welcome 2 The Party". Kid Rock went on the Vans Warped Tour to support the album.

"Welcome 2 The Party" was ignored by audiences and Devil sat on the shelves collecting dust for eight months. While sales nationwide lagged, his performance on the 1998 Warped Tour in Northampton, Massachusetts stimulated regional interest in Massachusetts and New England. This led to substantial airplay in the summer and fall of 1998 on rock staples in Massachusetts WLZX and WAAF. In December 1998, after meeting Carson Daly, he got an offer to perform on MTV Fashionably Loud in Miami, giving the nation its first taste of Kid Rock. From there MTV took him under their wing as he performed on MTV's Wanna B A VJ and was the DJ for TRL on the Spring Break Special as well as a judge on Say What Karaoke. This sparked him to gold status by April 1999.

In May 1999 he released the song "Bawitdaba" to radio outlets, and proceeded to blow up overnight. By June the album had gone platinum. Kid Rock went on the Limptropolis Tour with fellow rap-rockers Limp Bizkit and Staind in the same month, his first major tour. By the time he made his career defining performance at Woodstock 99 on July 27, 1999, he was double platinum. The following single "Cowboy" was an even bigger hit. It was an odd ball mix of southern rock and old school rap that found its way into the Top 40. Rock helped create one of the most memorable moments in MTV History with his 1999 Video Music Awards Medley with Run DMC and Aerosmith who rejoined to perform the seminal rap rock version of "Walk This Way", that revived Aerosmith's career in the 1980s. Rock's next single, the southern rock ballad "Only God Knows Why", became a top 20 hit on Billboard's Hot 100 Charts and a Top 10 on the Top 40 Charts. After the final single "Wasting Time" was released, Devil Without A Cause had gone seven times platinum and was nominated for three Grammy Awards. It was certified 11 times platinum by the RIAA on April 17, 2003.

The History of Rock

After reacquiring the rights to his early material in 2000, Rock released The History of Rock, a collection of remixed and re-recorded songs. The only new track, "American Bad Ass", sampled the Metallica track "Sad But True". The song was later used as pro wrestler The Undertaker's entrance song in the World Wrestling Federation.

In the summer 2000, Rock joined the Summer Sanitarium Tour with Metallica, Korn, Powerman 5000, and System of a Down. Kid Rock filled in for James Hetfield of Metallica to sing vocals of the songs "Enter Sandman", "Sad But True", and "Nothing Else Matters" and the turntables for "Fuel" for three shows after Hetfield injured his spine riding a jet ski on Lake Lanier the day before the Atlanta concert. Later that year, he joined Phish on stage for several cover songs at a concert in Las Vegas.

In early 2001, Rock inducted Aerosmith into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and performed "Sweet Emotion". The same year, Rock landed his first acting role in the David Spade white trash comedy Joe Dirt.

Cocky

In the spring 2001, Rock began dating Playboy playmate and actress Pamela Anderson, after the two met at a VH1 tribute to Aretha Franklin. By April 2002, he and Anderson were engaged, but the engagement was later called off. In November, Rock released Cocky, which was marketed as the official follow up to Devil Without a Cause. The first single, "Forever", featured his standard rap rock sound. The second single showed a glimpse of the future. "Lonely Road Of Faith", a country ballad, received some minor airplay on CMT. That was followed by the southern rocker "You Never Met A Motherfucker Quite Like Me". By November 2002 album sales lagged far behind "Devil Without A Cause".

However, the release of "Picture", a country-influenced duet with Sheryl Crow, introduced Rock to a wider audience. "Picture" was ultimately the most successful single on the album, and was eventually certified gold, with album sales reaching 5 million. Interestingly, neither his record company nor Sheryl Crow's wanted anything to do with "Picture" as a single. Allison Moorer remade the song for the single version after Rock released the song against his label's wishes. Once it began to climb the country charts, Sheryl Crow's label caved and the original version was released.

On December 14, 2001, CMT aired an episode of Crossroads featuring Rock with Hank Williams, Jr. The episode drew 2.1 million viewers, a record on CMT. At the end of 2002, Uncle Kracker left the band to pursue a solo career and Detroit underground rapper Paradime replaced him. Kid Rock also made his second movie, Biker Boyz, with Laurence Fishburne.

A New Direction

In 2003, Kid Rock returned with an eponymous album, almost stripping away the accustomed rap rock sound that he had created, opting for southern rock and country ballads instead. The album's lead single was a cover of Bad Company's "Feel Like Makin' Love". A media blitz accompanied the single capped off by the VH-1 special A Kid Rock Christmas, which aired on December 14, 2003. He released the country ballad "Cold And Empty" and the blues rocker "Jackson, Mississippi" as dual singles. He followed the same path with "I Am" and the David Allan Coe penned "Single Father". "Single Father" became his second charting country song.

Kid Rock was involved in the half time fiasco at Super Bowl 38 in Houston, Texas on February 3, 2005. He was criticized by war veterans, for his choice of wearing the American flag as a poncho.

Kid Rock was arrested later that month on assault charges for punching DJ Jay Campos in 'Christies Cabaret' strip club. Rock pled no contest and was sued for a million dollars by Campos. The following month, Kid inducted Bob Seger into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In September, Kid Rock filled in for Johnny Van Zant, the lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd on the band's hit Sweet Home Alabama at the Hurricane Katrina benefit concert.

Live Trucker

On February 28, 2006, Kid Rock released his first live album, Live Trucker, comprising songs from his homestand performances in Clarkston (on September 1, 2000, and August 26 through August 28, 2004), and Detroit's Cobo Hall (March 26, 2004). The album contained the last two performances of Joe C on "Devil Without a Cause" and "Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp", as well as Kid duetting with country star Gretchen Wilson on "Picture". Other highlights included "Only God Knows Why" and the medley of "Somebody's Gotta Feel This" and "Fist Of Rage" bridged by a thrash metal take on Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love". He brought Detroit's favorite son Bob Seger back from semi-retirement during his Super Bowl concerts on February 2 and 3, 2006. The two performed a rousing version of Seger's "Rock 'N' Roll Never Forgets" on both nights. Kid Rock would appear on Bob Seger's much anticipated, 10 years in the waiting, Face The Promise, as well as on a Vince Gill cover of "Real Mean Bottle", a tribute to country legend Merle Haggard.

Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson resumed their on-again, off-again relationship, culminating in a surprise wedding in July 2006 after it was reported Anderson was pregnant. They divorced 5 months later after Anderson reportedly had a miscarriage.

Rock N Roll Jesus

Rock N Roll Jesus was released on October 9, 2007. The album became Kid Rock's first album to go number 1 in his career, selling 172,000 copies in its first week. He made the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine for the second time of his career and appeared for the first time ever on Larry King Live to discuss the new album.

The album's lead single So Hott described as a strip club banger by Rolling Stone Magazine was his best charting rock song of his career, as it climbed all the way to Number 2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and Number 13 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks.

Amen was the second released single off the album peaking at No 11 on Mainstream Rock and No 27 on Modern Rock. Kid Rock boasted it was the greatest song he had ever written.

All Summer Long is the current single from Rock N Roll Jesus. The song was used as the WWE's theme song for the Backlash 2008. The song is a mash up of Warren Zevon's Werewolves of London and Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama. The song has become his biggest hit to date. Charting on every major U.S. and Canadian Chart (Outside of the Rap and R & B charts). As well as going No 1 in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The song has also placed in the Top 10 in Europe,Sweden,Ireland and the Netherlands. It is currently No 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 without the songs being available for download on Itunes.

"Rock N Roll Jesus" took home the award for Most Outstanding National Album at the 2008 Detroit Music Awards, the first time he has won that award since "Devil Without A Cause" in 1999.

Kid Rock is currently on his Rock N Roll Revival Tour. The tour has been done in a revue style with the J. Geils Band's Peter Wolf, The Allman Brothers' Dickey Betts and Rev Run of Run DMC all joining him on stage to perform their classic hits between Kid Rock's own hits. Lynyrd Skynyrd will co-headline the Rock and Rebels Tour starting in August.

Kid Rock and TBT cut a new song entitled "Warrior" for a National Guard commercial. It will be able to be downloaded in its entirety on the National Guard's website once the commercial airs.

Kid Rock played in the 2008 Buick Open Pro Am in Grand Blanc, Michigan, paired with John Daly.

In the works

Reverend Run has confirmed an album with Kid Rock called Running With the Kid, a play on Eric Clapton and B. B. King's Riding With The King collaboration. The release date is yet to be determined. Kid Rock will appear on Lil Jon's 2008 album, Crunk Rock and will also be on the track "Together Forever" with Trick Trick on his forthcoming album.

Kid Rock has stated for his follow up album to Rock N Roll Jesus he will be going back to his roots to make a hip-hop album, after his side project with Rev Run.

Twisted Brown Trucker

Twisted Brown Trucker is Kid Rock's band, formed in 1994, with Bob Ebeling in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The original lineup included Kenny Olson on lead guitar, Uncle Kracker on turntables, Jeff Hall and Andy Gould on guitar and Bob Ebeling on drums. The band's first involvement was on the 1994 demo of Dark & Grey. Trucker became both Rock's studio and live band in 1997. Dubbed by Kid Rock as "The Loudest Band In America Today", they are well known for their hodge-podge of genres, sometimes mixing many in a single song. The lineup went through a change up on Devil Without a Cause: Stephanie Eulinberg became the new drummer and Mike Bradford as the new bass player. Trucker since saw three major changes with Uncle Kracker going solo full-time in 2002, Kenny Olson leaving in 2005, and Smith Curry in 2006. The new 2007 line up includes Marlon Young (Lead Guitar);replacing Kenny Tudrick, Larry Fratangelo (Bongos and Percussion), Rayse Biggs (Trumpet) and David McMurray (Saxophone), who were with the 80's group Was (Not Was).

Kenny Olson went on to form a band called The Flask, who later switched singers and changed their name to Five Star Carnie.

Current members

• Marlon Young: Lead and rhythm guitar, slide guitar (2007-present)
• Jason Krause: Rhythm and lead guitar (1997-Present)
• Jimmie "Bones" Trombley: Keyboards, clavinet, harp, Jew's harp, programming, vocals (1995-Present)
• Stefanie Eulinberg: Drums, percussion, vocals (1997-Present)
• Aaron Julison: Bass guitar, vocals (2003-Present)
• Paradime: Turntables, vocals (2002-Present)
• Larry Fratangelo: Percussion, bongos (2007-present)
• Rayse Biggs and David McMurray: Horn section (2007-present)
• Barbera Payton, Stacy Plunk, Jessica Wagner : Vocals (2007-present)

Former members

• Uncle Kracker: Turntables, vocals (1997-2002)
• Kenny Olson: Lead guitar (1997-2005)
• Joe C: Vocals, rapping (1997-2000, deceased)
• Kenny Tudrick: Lead guitar (1997-1998, 2006-2007)
• Bob Ebeling: Drums, percussion (1997-1998)
• Mike Bradford: Bass guitar (1999-2001)
• Smith Curry: Steel guitar, dobro (2005-2006)
• Matt O'Brien: Bass (1997-1998)
• Chris Zuccaro: Drums, percussion
• Jeff Hall: Gutair (1994-1995)
• Andy Gould: Gutair (1994-1995)
• Lonnie Moxley:Bass (1995-1997)

Various musicians jammed with Kid Rock, appeared on recordings, and played live with him prior to the official forming of his Rock band in 1997.

Discography

Albums

Rock N Roll Jesus also peaked at #2 on the United World Chart.

Bootlegs And Demos

Singles

Guest Appearances

• 1990 Beastcrew's Chapter 1:He Don't Want Us No More

"Trick With The Dope Dealer"

"Letting You Know"

"Get Some Drawers"

• 1990 Double MC's Sex On The Brain-"Make It Nasty"
• 1992 Insane Clown Posse's Carnival Of Carnage-"Is That You"
• 1992 Champtown's Check It EP-"Armegeddon"
• 1997 Howling Diablos Its My Party EP-"It's My Party Live"
• 1997 The Paradox Expierment EP w Scott and Jason Krause -"Patterns"
• 1999 Methods Of Mayhem Self Titled-"New Skin"
• 1999 Run-D.M.C.'s Crown Royal-"School Of Old"
• 1999 Hank Williams Jr Stormy-"Naked Women And Beer"
• 1999 Eminem's Slim Shady LP-"Just Don't Give A Fuck"
• 2000 Kirk Dubbs Booze And Madness -"Drunk With The Devil" Skit
• 2000 Uncle Kracker's Double Wide-"Heaven"
• 2000 Robert Bradley's Time To Discover-"Higher", "Tramp 2"
• 2001 Hank Williams Jr Ameria Club Recordings-"The F-Word"
• 2001 Willie Nelson's Great Divide-"Last Stand In Open Country"
• 2002 Allison Moorer's Show-"Bully Jones" Live
• 2003 Lynyrd Skynyrd's Vicious Cycle-"Gimmie Back My Bullets" Remake
• 2004 Paradime's 11 Steps Down-"Foul Mouff"
• 2004 Kenny Wayne Sheppard's The Place Your In-"Spank"
• 2004 RL Burnside's A Bothered Mind-"My Name Is Robert Too"
• 2004 Willie Nelson's Angels And Outlaws-

"Shotgun Willie"

"A Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On"

"On The Road Again"

• 2005 DMC's Checks Thugs And Rock N Roll-"Find My Way"
• 2005 Gretchen Wilson's All Jacked Up Target Exclusive-"The Other Side Of Me"
• 2005 Troy Olsen's Self Titled-"Rock This Honky Tonk"
• 2006 Jerry Lee Lewis's Last Man Standing-"Honky Tonk Women"
• 2006 Bob Seger's Face The Promise-"Real Mean Bottle"
• 2006 Hemigod's Unreleased Album (They Broke Up)-"The Way It Should Be"
• 2007 R Kelly's Double Up-"Rock Star" also ft Ludacris
• 2008 Trick Trick's The Villian-"Together Forever" also ft Proof and Esham

Movie Soundtracks

• 1998 Strangeland - Fuck Off (with Eminem). (This song also appeared on Devil Without a Cause).
• 1999 South Park: The Movie - Kyle's Momma Is A Big Fat Bitch
• 1999 The Crow: Salvation - Warm Winter
• 1999 Ready To Rumble - Bawitdaba (Lower Than You Remix)
• 1999 Any Given Sunday - Fuck That
• 2000 Road Trip - Early Mornin Stoned Pimp
• 2002 Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle - Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (with Nickelback). (This is an Elton John cover.)
• 2001 Osmosis Jones - Cool Daddy Cool
• 2004 Torque - Forever

Compilations

• 1991 X Raps - Yo Da Lin In The Valley
• 1995 Detroit Rust City - Westside (later Renamed "Paid")
• 1997 Road Rash 3D Video Game-Somebody's Gotta Feel This
• 1999 Deep Porn - Fuck My Ass
• 1999 Mindless Self Indulgence - Bitches/Molly-Bitches (Kid Rock's Cock Rock Remix)
• 1999 Free Air Festival (Bawitdaba)
• 1999 Woodstock 99 The Red Disc (Bawitdaba)
• 1999 Bootleg Live On Air (Bawitdaba)
• 1999 WBCN Naked ( I Am The Bullgod Acoustic)
• 1999 Big Shiny Tunes Vol 1 (Bawitdaba)
• 1999 Big Shiny Tunes Vol 2 (Cowboy)
• 1999 Big Shiny Tunes Vol 5 (Only God Knows Why)
• 1999 Fox Presents Game Time (I Am The Bullgod)
• 2000 Jackyl And Hyde's The Badlands-Pimp Of The Nation Cost Cutter Remix
• 2000 WCW Mayhem - Blast (renamed from Shotgun Blast off EMSP)
• 2001 Concert For New York City-Pink Houses w John Mellencamp Live
• 2002 WWF Forceable Entry - Legs (Stacy Keibler's theme)
• 2003 Waylon Jennings Tribute-Luchenbach,Texas (Back To The Basics Of Love) w Kenny Chesney
• 2006 Humbolt Storms Vol 1-Kid Rock In Humbolt Skit
• 2008 National Guard Tribute- "Warrior"-Free Download Once Commercial Airs

Producer Credits

• 1990 Double MC Twinns "Sex On The Brain"
• 1992 Champtown's "Check It EP"
• 1994 Harms Way And The LSGH Clans 2 Track Demo Tape
• 1994 Harms Way And The LSGH Clans Kut Korners EP
• 1994 Harms Way And The LSGH Clans Chiato Diablo
• 1995 Thornetta Davis's "Sunday Mornings Music Coming Down"
• 1995 Hi Fi's-"Walking On Water"
• 2000 Uncle Kracker's-"Double Wide"
• 2002 Uncle Kracker's-"No Stranger To Shame"
• 2004 Uncle Kracker's-"72 And Sunny"
• 2006 Bob Seger's-"Face The Promise"

Tribute Albums And Audio Bio's

• 1999 Maxium Kid Rock
• 1999 Star Profile
• 2000 Atlantic Confediental
• 2000 A Tribute To Kid Rock
• 2002 Soundchoice Karoke Naughty And Nice Vol 1
• 2005 A Tribute To Kid Rock And His Roots
• 2007 A Bad Ass Bluegrass Tribute To Kid Rock
• 2007 A Lounge Tribute To Kid Rock
• 2008 The Lowdown

DVDs

• 1999 Loud Times Video Magazine
• 1999 The Devil Knows My Name
• 2000 Motorcity Motormouth
• 2003 ZZ Top's Chrome BBQ (Narrator)
• 2005 Tony Stewart's Smoke (Narrator)
• 2005 Willie Nelson's Angels And Outlaws
• 2007 Jerry Lee Lewis's Last Man Standing (Performer)
• 2007 Wal Mart Rock N Roll Jesus DVD
• 2007 Target Rock N Roll Jesus "Roll On With Kid Rock" Interview DVD

Live Bootlegs

• Unsung And Underrated
• High Voltage
• Woodstock 99
• Cause For The Devil
• In The Zone
• Absolutely Live
• Rockfest 2000

Tours

• 1989: Straight From The Underground Tour (with Ice Cube, Too Short,and D Nice)
• 1991: Unknown Titled Tour (with Esham)
• 1998: Lollapalooza Tour
• 1998: Vans Warped Tour
• 1998-99: White Thrash On Dope Tour (with Monster Magnet and Hed pe)
• 1999: Destroy Your Liver Tour
• 1999: Limptropolis Tour (with Limp Bizkit and Staind)
• 1999: European Tour (with Blink-182)
• 1999: Spread Your Legs Tour (with Powerman 5000, Professional Murder Music)
• 1999-00: Millennium Tour (with Metallica, Sevendust and Creed)
• 2000: Summer Saniturm Tour (with Metallica, Korn, System of a Down, Powerman 5000)
• 2000: The History Of Rock Tour (with Lit and Dope)
• 2001: The American Bad Ass Tour (with Buckcherry and Fuel)
• 2001: European Tour (with Guns N' Roses and Limp Bizkit)
• 2002: The Cocky Tour (with Tenacious D and Saliva)
• 2002: Girls Of Summer Tour (with Aerosmith and Run DMC)
• 2004: Rock N Roll Pain Train Tour (with Puddle of Mudd, Gov't Mule, Jerry Cantrell)
• 2005: Lazy Muthafuga Tour
• 2006: 'Live' Trucker Tour (with Ty Stone, Peter Frampton (opened in Detroit) and Whitestarr)
• 2007-2008: Rock N Roll Revival Tour (with Reverend Run, Dicky Betts, Peter Wolf,Lynyrd Skynyrd In A Revue Style)
• 2008: Rock N Roll Revival Tour: European Tour
• 2008: Rock N Rebels Tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd Opening

Filmography

• The Howard Stern Show (7 episodes, 1999-2004)
• Saturday Night Live (Musical Guest, 2000)
• The Simpsons (1 episode, 2000)
• Joe Dirt (2001)
• Osmosis Jones (Voice, 2001)
• Kid Rock: Lonely Road of Faith (2001)
• King Of The Hill (2002)
• Punk'd (1 episode, 2003)
• Biker Boyz (2003)
• Stripperella (Unknown episodes, 2003)
• CMT Outlaws (2003)
• South Park (2004)
• CSI: NY (1 episode, 2005)
• Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector (2005)
• Motorcycle Mania 3 (2005)
• Coors Light Mountain Jam (2005)
• Stacked (1 episode, 2002)
• The 2006 Billboard Music Awards (2006)
• Run's House (2007)

See also

• List of best-selling albums in the United States - RIAA certified list.

References

1. "RIAA Certifications for albums by Kid Rock". Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA.com).
2. Pamela Anderson, Kid Rock Tie the Knot - Marriage, Kid Rock, Pamela Anderson : People.com
3. Kid Rock Photos - Kid Rock News - Kid Rock Information
4. Many concerts to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims | Deseret News (Salt Lake City) | Find Articles at BNET.com

General

• http://www.atlanticrecords.com/kidrock/
• http://www.topix.net/who/kid-rock
• http://www.allmusicguide.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:h9fuxqr5ld6e
• http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/kidrock
• http://www.blog.toobig.net
• http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/kid_rock/artist.jhtml
• http://www.tv.com/behind-the-music/kid-rock/episode/668917/summary.html
• http://www.tv.com/kid-rock/person/3713/appearances.html
• http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=7099
• http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/kid_rock/artist.jhtml
• http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/07/12/kid-rocks-rock-and-roll-jesus-exclusive-sneak-peak/

External links

• Official site
• Kid Rock at MySpace
• The Kid Rock Congregation- The Official Fan Club for Kid Rock
• Kid Rock at Imeem.com
• Extreme Kid Rock
• Kid Rock Music Videos
• Kid Rock at the Internet Movie Database
• Kid Rock discography at MusicBrainz
• Kid Rock at Last.fm
• Kid Rock Interview on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos

Avril Lavigne Whibley (born September 27, 1984), better known by her birth name of Avril Lavigne (pronounced /ˈævrɨl ləˈviːn/), is a Canadian Grammy award-nominated rock singer, musician, fashion designer and actress. In 2006, Canadian Business Magazine ranked her the seventh most powerful Canadian in Hollywood.

Lavigne's debut album, Let Go, was released in 2002. Over 16 million copies were sold worldwide and it was certified six times platinum in the United States. Her second and third albums, Under My Skin (2004) sold 8 million copies and The Best Damn Thing (2007) currently over 5 million copies sold respectively, reached number one on the U.S. Billboard 200. Lavigne has scored six number one songs worldwide to date and a total of eleven top ten hits, including "Complicated", "Sk8er Boi", "I'm With You", "My Happy Ending", and "Girlfriend" which became #1 hits in the ARC Top 40. In December 2007, Lavigne was ranked at #7 in the Forbes "Top 20 Earners Under 25", with an annual earnings of $12 million. Currently, Avril Lavigne has sold about 30 million albums worldwide.

Background

Lavigne was born in Belleville, Ontario on September 27, 1984, the daughter of Judy and John Lavigne. Lavigne's birth name is usually pronounced in an anglicized way as above ("La-Veen"). In French, it is commonly pronounced /avʁil laˈviɲ/ (help·info)). Avril is French for "April", while la vigne means "the vineyard". Her French-Canadian parents are devoutly Baptist. She has an elder brother, Matthew, and a younger sister, Michelle. Lavigne's mother was the first to spot young Lavigne’s talent. At the age of two, Lavigne began singing along with her mother on church songs. The family moved to Napanee, Ontario, when Lavigne was five years old.

In 1998, Lavigne won a competition to sing with fellow Canadian singer Shania Twain on her first major concert tour. She appeared alongside Twain at her concert in Ottawa, appearing on stage to sing "What Made You Say That". She was discovered by her first professional manager, Cliff Fabri, while singing country covers at a Chapters bookstore in Kingston, Ontario. During a performance with the Lennox Community Theatre, Lavigne was spotted by local folk singer Steve Medd, who invited her to sing on his song "Touch the Sky" for his 1999 album Quinte Spirit. She also sang on "Temple of Life" and "Two Rivers" for his follow up album, My Window to You, in 2000.

At the age of sixteen she was signed by Ken Krongard, the artists-and-repertoire (A&R) representative of Arista Records, who invited the head of Arista, Antonio "L.A." Reid, to hear her sing at the New York City studio of producer Peter Zizzo.

She then completed work on her first album, Let Go. The Matrix, who worked extensively with Lavigne on the album, commented on her songwriting, saying, "We had a fabulous and unique experience with Avril, who was then a 16-year-old rapidly growing songwriter with tremendous raw talent. The songs were conceived on piano and guitar by four people: The Matrix (3) and Avril. Avril was instrumental in the songs' creation. We were all very close during the making of the record."

Music career

Let Go (2002–2003)

Let Go was released on June 4, 2002 in the United States, it has reached number two there and number one in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. This made Lavigne, at seventeen, the youngest female soloist to have a number-one album in the UK up until that time.

The album shows definite pop rock roots; however, alternative and post-grunge influences can be heard in some of the songs.

Just over one month after its release, Let Go reached multi-platinum status in late-August, and was certified triple platinum two weeks after. Before the end of 2002, just six months after its debut, it was certified four times platinum by the RIAA. It was the best selling album of the year for a female artist and for a debut album in 2002. As of December 2007 the album has sold 6.6 million copies in the U.S and more than 16 million worldwide.

Four singles from the album were released. The first single, "Complicated" went to number one in Australia, while reaching number two on the U.S. Hot 100, and it was one of the best-selling Canadian singles of 2002. Lavigne tied a record set by Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" when "Complicated" held the number one spot on the contemporary hit radio chart (which tracks air play on the radio) for eleven weeks in a row. "Sk8er Boi" reached the top ten in the U.S. and Australia, "I'm With You" reached the top ten in the U.S and the UK, and "Losing Grip" reached the top ten in Taiwan and the top twenty in Chile.

Lavigne was named "Best New Artist" at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, won four Juno Awards in 2003 (out of six nominations), received a World Music Award for "World's Best-Selling Canadian Singer", and was nominated for eight Grammy Awards, including "Song of the Year" for "Complicated" and "Best New Artist".

Under My Skin (2004–2006)

Lavigne's second album, Under My Skin, was released on May 25, 2004, in the U.S. It debuted at number one in the U.S., the UK, Germany, Japan, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Ireland, Thailand, Korea and Hong Kong and sold more than 380,000 copies in the U.S. in its first week. Lavigne wrote most of the album with Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, though some tracks were co-written by Ben Moody (formerly of Evanescence), Butch Walker of Marvellous 3, her former lead guitarist Evan Taubenfeld, and her former drummer Matt Brann. Kreviazuk's husband, Our Lady Peace front man Raine Maida, co-produced the album with Butch Walker and Don Gilmore.

This album has a stronger alternative feel, along with songs showing punk-pop edges (such as He Wasn't and I Always Get what I Want), or soft post-grunge sounds (Freak Out and Who Knows).

Lead single "Don't Tell Me" went to number one in Argentina and Mexico, the top five in the UK and Canada, and the top ten in Australia and Brazil. "My Happy Ending" went to number one in Mexico and it reached the top ten in the U.S. making it her third-biggest hit there, but third single "Nobody's Home" did not make the top forty in the U.S., and it only went to number one in Mexico and Argentina. The fourth single from the album, "He Wasn't", reached top forty positions in the UK and Australia, and was not released in the U.S. "Fall to Pieces" was released as the final single from the album, but did not do as well as previous singles.

Lavigne won two World Music Awards in 2004 for "World's Best Pop/Rock Artist" and "World's Best-Selling Canadian Artist". She received five Juno Award nominations in 2005, picking up three, including "Fan Choice Award", "Artist of the Year", and "Pop Album of the Year". She won the award for "Favorite Female Singer" at the eighteenth Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. Lavigne co-wrote "Breakaway" with Matthew Gerard, which was recorded by Kelly Clarkson for the soundtrack to the film The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004). "Breakaway" was later included on Clarkson's second album, Breakaway, being released as the album's first single. The song peaked inside the U.S. top ten and provided Clarkson with a substantial hit.

Lavigne went on a "Live and by Surprise" twenty-one city mall-tour in the U.S. and Canada, starting on March 4, 2004, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to promote Under My Skin. Each performance consisted of a short live acoustic set of songs from the new album. She was accompanied by her guitarist, Evan Taubenfeld. The venue in each city was not announced until forty-eight hours before the show. The tour was very popular and was successful in promoting the album. The set at Indianapolis on March 25, 2004, at Glendale mall included "He Wasn't", "My Happy Ending", "Don't Tell Me", "Take Me Away", "Nobody's Home", "Sk8er Boi", and "Complicated". Selections of this tour were released on the Avril Lavigne Live Acoustic EP, which was released in U.S. Target stores.

Lavigne was touring throughout most of 2005, and pursuing her acting and modelling careers. She represented Canada at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, performing her song "Who Knows" during the eight minutes of the Vancouver 2010 portion. The album has sold more than 8 million copies.

The Best Damn Thing (2007–present)

Lavigne's third album, The Best Damn Thing, was released on April 17, 2007 and debuted at number one in the U.S. The album was produced by Dr. Luke, Lavigne's husband Deryck Whibley, Rob Cavallo, Butch Walker and Lavigne. Travis Barker recorded drums for the record. The first single from the album was "Girlfriend", which became Lavigne's first single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. On Ryan Seacrest's radio show Lavigne said that "When You're Gone" would be the second single. Lavigne's third single from the album is "Hot".

This album has a high punk-pop influence, with punk rock guitar riffs and poppy choruses.

"Girlfriend" has been used as the theme song for the Japanese idol hosted talk show Cartoon KAT-TUN. On May 2, 2007, she made a guest appearance during the show. She played a game of darts with the KAT-TUN group.

Lavigne has been doing a small tour to promote The Best Damn Thing, with tickets available only to members of her fan club. She began the tour in Calgary, Alberta, and played for a crowd of around two hundred. This show was aired on television on April 2, 2007, on the CBC Network. The album had sold a total of 4.1 million copies worldwide in by December 2007. Avril is currently on the "Best Damn Thing" tour the duration of this tour lasts until August 13th 2008. (extension dates may occur)

Allegations of plagiarism and criticism of songwriting

On May 25, 2007, Lavigne, her co-songwriter Lukasz Gottwald, and her record label were sued by songwriters James Gangwer and Tommy Dunbar over claims that her song "Girlfriend" infringes on their 1979 song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", originally performed by The Rubinoos.

In June 2007, Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, with whom Lavigne wrote the majority of her second album, Under My Skin, spoke to Performing Songwriter magazine about Lavigne's songwriting, saying, "I mean, Avril, songwriter? Avril doesn't really sit and write songs by herself or anything. Avril will also cross the ethical line and no one says anything. That's why I'll never work with her again. I sent her a song two years ago called 'Contagious', and I just saw the tracklisting to this album and there's a song called 'Contagious' on it – and my name's not on it. What do you do with that? See, I won't [call the lawyers], I'll just tell you. Art should not be subject to that kind of controversy."

On July 6, Lavigne denied both accusations in an open letter on her website, claiming that she had "never heard the [Rubinoos] song in [her] life" and also that she is considering taking legal action against Kreviazuk with regards to her allegations, which she considers "damaging to my reputation and a clear defamation of my character".

On July 10, Kreviazuk made a full public apology and retracted the statements made in the aforementioned interview, saying "I would like to apologize for any misconceptions concerning Avril Lavigne, which may have resulted from statements I made in my interview with Performing Songwriter Magazine. It was not my intention to call Avril's songwriting ability or ethics into question. My statements and any inference from my statements, which call into question Avril's ethics or ability as a respected and acclaimed songwriter, should be disregarded and are retracted. Avril is an accomplished songwriter and it has been my privilege to work with her.". Kreviazuk and Lavigne share the same manager, Nettwerk Management.

In January 2008 Dubar and Gangwer dropped their lawsuit and retracted their allegations of plagiarism after the case was settled confidentially.

The song "I Don't Have to Try," also stirred up controversy. Similarities between this song and Peaches' 2003 song, "I'm the Kinda" has sparked further plagiarism speculations.

Other works

Covers

Lavigne recorded a cover of the John Lennon song "Imagine" as her contribution to the album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur. Lavigne has also covered The Goo Goo Dolls' mega-hit "Iris", actually performing a duet of the song with the band's lead singer and lyricist John Rzeznik at the Fashion Rocks concert in 2004, which was produced by Eric Book.

Other covers which were performed live include:

• "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan
• "No One Needs to Know" by Shania Twain
• "Basket Case" by Green Day
• "The Scientist" by Coldplay
• "All the Small Things" by blink-182
• "Chop Suey!" by System of a Down
• "Fuel" by Metallica
• "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett
• "You Were Mine" by Dixie Chicks
• "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer
• "Adia" by Sarah McLaughlin

Other appearances

• "Hundred Million" by the pop-punk band Treble Charger
• "Bethamphetamine (Pretty, Pretty)" by the hard rock singer Butch Walker
• Lavigne has also been featured in a comic series called Make 5 Wishes. She stars as herself, a pop star, who is idolized by the protagonist of the story.

Abbey Dawn

Abbey Dawn is a clothing line produced by Kohl's and designed by Avril Lavigne, scheduled to be released in the US in July. The line is named after Avril’s childhood nickname. Described as a "juniors lifestyle brand", the line will include hoodies and jeans with skull and zebra patterns similar to the artwork on Lavigne's album The Best Damn Thing.

Film career

Lavigne made her film debut in the animated film Over the Hedge, which is based on the comic strip of same name. She worked alongside William Shatner, Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Wanda Sykes, Nick Nolte and Steve Carell. She is also acting in the Richard Gere film The Flock, as the girlfriend of a crime suspect, and her third project was Fast Food Nation, based on her favorite book. Lavigne wrote and recorded a song titled "Keep Holding On" with Dr. Luke, for the Eragon film soundtrack; it was included on her third album, The Best Damn Thing. The song was released for digital download on November 28, and made its worldwide debut on radio on November 17. It reached the top spot on the Canadian top twenty. She also recorded the theme song for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.

Lavigne made a cameo in the film Going the Distance and also appeared in an episode of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, performing "Sk8er Boi" with her band.

It was reported by the British publication The London Paper that she recently landed a lead role in an upcoming film. "I've got a film role coming up - something you wouldn't expect from me, something deep and dark."

Filmography

Media image

In Lavigne's official MySpace page, she affirms that her music genre is Pop/Punk/Rock; but Allmusic and other reviewers consider her "Punk, Punk-pop, Pop/Rock, Alternative Rock, Alternative Pop-Rock, Modern Rock and Post-Grunge". The reason for the confusion appears to be for her punk-like appearance, however, she has frequently stated that she's "not punk", and that she never claimed to be. Lavigne said this despite her many claims to be a "skater punk" in her earlier years. Lavigne cites many early punk bands and figures as influences, but her music has little in common with 1970s punk rock.

Personal life

In the January 2003 issue of Seventeen magazine, she admitted to "snagging a bite of Matt's cheeseburgers every now and again." She said also she prefers not to eat meat, but will not say she's a vegetarian "in case anyone caught her eating meat".

Lavigne has a star tattooed on the inside of her left wrist that matches the style of the one used for her first album artwork. It was created at the same time as friend and musical associate Ben Moody's identical tattoo. In late 2004, she had a small pink heart-shaped tattoo featuring the letter 'D' applied to her right wrist, which represents her now husband Deryck Whibley.

In February 2004, she began dating fellow Canadian singer Deryck Whibley, the lead singer/guitarist of punk band Sum 41. On June 27, 2005, Lavigne and Whibley became engaged. Whibley proposed to Lavigne by surprising her with a trip to Venice, a gondola ride, and then a romantic picnic.

The couple married in a Catholic ceremony attended by about 110 guests on July 15, 2006 at a private estate in Montecito, California. When asked if they were ready for kids the couple said "not right now but somewhere down the road."

Avril once said in an interview that her favorite party song is "Hey Ya", by Outkast. She likes listening to Third Eye Blind, Oasis, Marilyn Manson, System of a Down and Blink-182, and loves especially the track "I Miss You". Asked what she would put on a mix tape to a boy she liked, Avril answered: "Iris", by Goo Goo Dolls. I'd put a few Coldplay and Oasis songs. Radiohead -- The Bends is one of my favorite albums."

Charities

Lavigne has been involved in a number of charities, such as Make Some Noise, Amnesty International, AmericanCPR.org, Camp Will-a-Way, Music Clearing Minefields, U.S. Campaign for Burma, Make-a-Wish Foundation and War Child. She has also appeared in ALDO ads with YouthAIDS to raise money to educate people worldwide about HIV/AIDS.

Lavigne worked with Reverb, a non-profit environmental organization, for her 2005 east coast tour.

Lavigne also covered 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' for War Child's Peace Songs compilation.

Avril Lavigne has also been taking part of the Unite Against Aids concert presented by ALDO in support of Unicef on November 28th at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec Canada. Special guest artists also includes Marie-Mai and Sarah McLachlan. Canada's #1 winner of the United Against Aids Video Contest, Sina Soksowath Var has won the contest with a total of 161 votes winning Avril's autographed album and photo.

Backing band

Current members

• Al Berry — bass guitar, backing vocals (2007 – present)
• Rodney Howard — drums, percussion, backing vocals (2007 – present)
• Stephen Anthony Ferlazzo Jr. — electronic keyboard, backing vocals (2007 – present)
• Jim McGorman — rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2007 – present)
• Steve Fekete — lead guitar, backing vocals (2008 – present)
• Sofia Toufa — backing vocals, dancer (2007 – present)
• Lindsay Bluafarb — backing vocals, dancer (2007 – present)

Past members

• Mark Spicoluk — bass guitar, backing vocals (April 2002 – September 2002)
• Jesse Colburn — rhythm guitar (2002 – January 2004)
• Evan Taubenfeld — lead guitar, backing vocals (2002 – September 2004)
• Craig Wood — rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2004 – January 2007)
• Matt Brann — drums, percussion (2002 – February 2007)
• Charlie Moniz — bass guitar (2002 – February 2007)
• Devin Bronson — lead guitar, backing vocals (2004 – 2008)

Soon after departing Lavigne's band, Taubenfeld formed The Black List Club, later signing up Bronson as lead guitarist.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Awards

Read more about Avril Lavigne Awards at WikiPedia: List of Avril Lavigne awards

References

1. 100 Greatest Classic/Modern Rock Female Vocalists
2. N2U Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin [ECD] reviews in Modern Rock - Sorted by Newest first- Buzzillions.com
3. melodic.net: Avril Lavigne - Let go
4. melodic.net: Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin
5. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gpfuxzy5ldhe
6. [1]
7. allmusic ((( The Best Damn Thing > Review )))
8. allmusic ((( Let Go > Overview )))
9. allmusic ((( Under My Skin > Overview )))
10. "I play the drums, I play the piano and of course I play the guitar[...]", MTV News - Avril Lavigne Announces Best Damn Tour Dates
11. "Avril Lavigne: The punk who became a princess" (in English). independent.co.uk (2007-04-22). Retrieved on 2008-06-27.
12. Alex Mlynek; Rachel Pulfer (August 14, 2006). "Power players: Canada's top actors", Canadian Business. Retrieved on 2007-06-27.
13. "Official Website of Avril Lavigne".
14. "RIAA Certification". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on 2006-10-02.
15. UWC 2007 End of Year Global Chart
16. "Avril Lavigne". Rock On The Net. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
17. [2]^{[dead links]}
18. Thorley, Joe (2003). Avril Lavigne : the unofficial book. London: Virgin. ISBN 1852270497.
19. Izon, Lucy. At 13 Avril Lavigne won a radio contest to perform with Shania Twain, Canada Cool (2006).
20. David Segal (January 14, 2003). "Avril Lavigne, Unvarnished", TeenHollywood.com.
21. Craig McLean (May 22, 2004). "Her debut album sold 14 million copies and provided a perfect antidote to Britney.", The Independent.
22. Lorraine Ali (December 30, 2002). "Anarchy On Mtv? Tough Gals, Rejoice", Newsweek.
23. "Go ahead, punkette", Daily Telegraph (2002-09-18). Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
24. Elysa Gardner (July 10, 2002). "Avril Lavigne skates straight to the top", USA Today.
25. Inside Her Life: The Middle Child People, June 30, 2005, last accessed May 25, 2008.
26. "Smells like teen spirit", The Guardian (7 March 2003).
27. Bill Lamb. "Avril Lavigne". About.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
28. "Nothing 'Complicated' About It...Avril Is Double Platinum!", RIAA (September 4, 2002).
29. "Chicks Rule!", RIAA (October 02, 2002).
30. "E = 2K2", RIAA (December 20, 2002).
31. Let Go - best selling album of the year
32. "Avril Lavigne Ends North American Run of Shows with Two Dates In Washington Beginning May 9" (in English). transworldnews.com (5/04/2008). Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
33. Avril Lavigne Official Website
34. "Avril Lavigne Trivia". tv.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
35. David Jenison (2004-06-02). "Avril "Skins" Usher", Yahoo! Music.
36. "Avril Lavigne Biography". The Canadian Pop Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
37. Corey Moss (2005-04-04). "Usher, Hilary Duff, SpongeBob Take Home Orange Blimps From Kids' Choice Awards", MTV News.
38. The Princess Diaries 2 DVD extras.
39. Ben Carbonaro (February 27, 2006). "Winter Olympics end with glittering closing ceremony", Sports Australia.
40. Kaufman, Gil (June 27, 2006). "Butch Walker Works With Avril, Hot Hot Heat, Says Solo LP Won't Be 'Emo-Tastic'", MTV News, MTV News. Retrieved on 2006-12-13.
41. AL Associated (February 13, 2007). "Special TV Taping". Press release.
42. Aidan Malley (July 3, 2007). "Apple sued for duping Apple TV image, hosting iTunes track", Apple Insider.
43. Bob Cannon (June 2007). "Next to ice hockey, Canada's greatest export may well be singer-songwriters" (PDF), Performing Songwriter, pp. 66–68.
44. Lavigne, Avril (2007). "To My Dear Media, Friends, and Fans". Avril Lavigne. Retrieved on 2007-07-07.^{[dead links]}
45. LeBlanc, Larry (July 10, 2007). "Kreviazuk Retracts Lavigne Songwriting Comments", Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
46. Nettwerk
47. Dunbar and Gangwer drop lawsuit
48. Songwriters 'Completely Exonerate' Avril Lavigne
49. "Did Avril Lavigne Bite a Peaches Track Too?", Rolling Stone (2007-07-10).
50. "Make some noise to save Darfur", Amnesty International (2007-06-25).
51. [Eric Book - Producer]http://ebentertainment.com
52. Official make5wishes Website
53. "Abbey Dawn: Avril Lavigne’s New Clothing Line" (in English) (2008-03-05). Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
54. "Avril Lavigne: Clothing Line is "Rock Glam"" (in English). usmagazine.com (2008-03-05). Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
55. "The Origin of Abbey Dawn!" (in English). Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
56. "Kohl’s Signs Avril Lavigne" (in English). wwd.com (2008-07-01). Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
57. Gil Kaufman (November 30, 2005). "Avril Lands A Role In Richard Gere Crime Drama 'The Flock'", MTV News.
58. "Keep Holding On" at Lavigne's official site^{[dead links]}
59. "Lavigne lands lead movie role", IrelandOn-Line (June 06, 2008).
60. "Avril Lavigne To Star In First Lead Movie Role" (in English). allheadlinenews.com (2008-06-05). Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
61. "Avril Lavigne Lands Movie Role" (in English). hollyscoop.com (2008-06-05). Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
62. "Avril moves into movies" (in English). thelondonpaper (2008-06-05). Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
63. Avril's appearance on Sabrina
64. http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/7985/avril001cl6.jpg
65. Annie Zaleski (May 21, 2004). "No longer punk’d, Avril Lavigne shows her passion", Boston Herald.
66. Seventeen Magazine, January 2003
67. Avril Lavigne: No Looking Back [3]
68. Late Late Show, June 19, 2007
69. "Avril Lavigne engaged", AskMen (June 28, 2005).
70. "Avril Lavigne Weds", SFgate.com.
71. "Avril Lavigne weds her Sk8er Boi, Whibley", CBC News (2006-07-16).
72. "Avril Lavigne Marries Sum 41 Frontman Deryck Whibley", FOX News (July 16, 2006).
73. "Q&A: Avril in Action", RollingStone (June 3, 2004).
74. "Reverb Projects". Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
75. [4]^{[dead links]}
76. Unite Against AIDS Concert
77. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself

External links

• Official site
• Avril Lavigne at the Internet Movie Database

Coldplay are an alternative rock band formed in London, England in 1997. The group comprises vocalist/pianist/guitarist Chris Martin, lead guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Will Champion. Coldplay have sold 32.5 million albums, and are also known for their hit singles, such as "Yellow", "The Scientist", "Speed of Sound", "Fix You", "Viva la Vida" and the Grammy Award-winning "Clocks".

Coldplay achieved worldwide fame with the release of their single "Yellow", followed by their debut album, Parachutes (2000), which was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Its follow-up, A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), was named NME's Album of the Year. Their next release, X&Y (2005), received a generally positive reception. The band's fourth studio album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008), was produced by Brian Eno and released again to largely favourable reviews. All of Coldplay's albums have enjoyed great commercial success.

Coldplay's early material was compared to acts such as Jeff Buckley, U2, and Travis. Since the release of Parachutes, Coldplay have drawn influence from other sources, including Echo and the Bunnymen Kate Bush and George Harriso on A Rush of Blood to the Head, Johnny Cash and Kraftwerk for X&Y and Arcade Fire and My Bloody Valentine on Viva la Vida. Coldplay have been an active supporter of various social and political causes, such as Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign and Amnesty International. The group have also performed at various charity projects such as Band Aid 20, Live 8, and the Teenage Cancer Trust.

History

Formation and first years (1996–1999)

The members of the band met at the University College London (UCL) in September 1996. Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland were the first members of the band, having met one another during their orientation week. They spent the rest of the college year planning a band, with their efforts culminating in a band called Pectoralz. Later, Guy Berryman, a classmate of the two, joined the band without considering what musical direction it was taking. By 1997, the group performed gigs for local Camden promoters at small clubs. By that time, the band had renamed themselves Starfish. Martin also had recruited his longtime school friend Phil Harvey, who was studying classics at Oxford, to be the band's manager.

The band's lineup was complete when Will Champion joined the band to take up percussion duties. Champion had grown up playing piano, guitar, bass, and tin whistle; he quickly learned the drums, despite having no previous experience. Eventually Tim Rice-Oxley, a mutual friend, permitted the band to use the name "Coldplay," which he had used for his band but then thought the name was "too depressing". Rice-Oxley was also offered the position as Coldplay's keyboard player, but he refused since he was already committed to the band Keane.

In 1998, the band released 500 copies of the Safety EP. Most of the discs were given to record companies and friends; only 50 copies remained for sale to the public. In December, Coldplay signed to the independent label Fierce Panda. Their first release was the three-track Brothers and Sisters EP, which they had quickly recorded over four days in February 1999.

After completing their final examinations, Coldplay signed to Parlophone for a five-album contract in the spring of 1999. After making their first appearance at Glastonbury, the band went into studio to record a third EP titled The Blue Room. 5,000 copies were made available to the public in October, and the single "Bigger Stronger", which received airplay on Radio 1, was establishing Coldplay. However, the recording sessions for The Blue Room were tumultuous. Martin kicked Champion out of the band but later pleaded with him to return, and because of his guilt, went on a drinking binge. Eventually, the band worked out their differences and put in place a new set of rules to keep the group intact. First, the band declared an all-for-one approach: Coldplay was a democracy, and profits were to be shared equally, taking a page from bands like U2 and R.E.M. Second, the band would fire anyone who used hard drugs.

Parachutes (1999–2001)

In March 1999, Coldplay focused efforts on their debut album, recorded at Rockfield Studios with producer Ken Nelson. They also played on the Carling Tour, which showcased up-and-coming acts. After releasing three EPs without a hit song, Coldplay scored their first Top 40 single, "Shiver". Released in March 2000, it reached a modest #35 on the UK Singles Chart and earned the band their first airplay on MTV. June 2000 was a pivotal moment in Coldplay's history: the band embarked on their first headlining tour, which included a triumphant return to Glastonbury. More notably, the group released the breakthrough single, "Yellow". The song shot to #4 on the UK Singles Chart and placed Coldplay in public consciousness.

Coldplay released their first full-length album, Parachutes, in July 2000, which debuted at #1 on the UK Albums Chart. Along with critical acclaim, Parachutes was sometimes criticised for bearing a strong resemblance to the music of alternative rock band Radiohead in their The Bends–OK Computer era. "Yellow" and "Trouble" earned regular radio airplay on both sides of the Atlantic. Parlophone originally predicted sales of 400,000 units of Parachutes; by Christmas, 1.6 million copies had been sold in the United Kingdom alone. Parachutes was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in September 2000.

Having found success in Europe, the band set their sights on North America, and Parachutes was released there in November 2000. The band embarked on a US club tour in early 2001, beginning with a show in Vancouver, Canada, which was coupled with appearances on Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and The Late Show with David Letterman. Whilst Parachutes was a slow-burning success in the US, it eventually reached double-platinum status. The album was critically well-received, earning Best Alternative Music Album honours at the 2002 Grammy Awards.

A Rush of Blood to the Head (2001–2004)

Coldplay returned to the studio in October 2001 to begin work on their second album, once again with Ken Nelson producing. A Rush of Blood to the Head was released in August 2002. The album spawned several popular singles, notably "In My Place", "Clocks", and the ballad "The Scientist".

Coldplay toured from June 2002 to September 2003 for the A Rush of Blood to the Head Tour. They visited five continents, including co-headlining festival dates at Glastonbury Festival, V2003 and Rock Werchter. Many shows included elaborate lighting and individualised screens reminiscent of U2's Elevation tour. During the extended tour, Coldplay recorded a live DVD and CD, Live 2003, at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion.

In December 2003, they were named by readers of Rolling Stone magazine as the best artist and the best band of the year. At that time Coldplay covered The Pretenders' 1983 hit "2000 Miles", which was made available for download on their official site. It was the top selling UK download that year, with proceeds from the sales donated to Future Forests and Stop Handgun Violence campaigns. A Rush of Blood to the Head won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album at the 2003 Grammy Awards. At the 2004 Grammy Awards, Coldplay earned Record of the Year for "Clocks".

X&Y (2004–2006)

Coldplay spent most of 2004 out of the spotlight, resting from touring, and recording their third album. In terms of particular musical influences for it, bassist Guy Berryman said, "We were listening to lots of different stuff during the early stages [of X&Y] from Bowie, Eno and Pink Floyd to Depeche Mode, Kate Bush and Kraftwerk. And U2 as we usually do." In May, Chris Martin and his wife, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, celebrated the birth of a daughter, named Apple.

X&Y was released in June 2005 in UK and Europe. This new, delayed release date had put the album back into the next fiscal year, actually causing EMI's stock to drop. It became the best-selling album of 2005 with worldwide sales of 8.3 million. The lead single, "Speed of Sound", made its radio and online music store debut on 18 April and was released as a CD on 23 May 2005. The album debuted at #1 in 22 countries worldwide and was the third-fastest selling album in UK chart history. Two other singles were released that year: "Fix You" in September and "Talk" in December. The latter is set to the melody of "Computer Love", which was released in 1981 by the German synthpop band Kraftwerk and had in the previous year been revived by Norwegian guitarist Erik Wollo. Despite the commercial success, the critical reaction to X&Y was less enthusiastic than that of its predecessor, with New York Times critic Jon Pareles describing Coldplay as "the most insufferable band of the decade", while others compared them to U2. Chris Martin later revealed that the negative remarks made him feel "liberated".

From June 2005 to July 2006, Coldplay went on their Twisted Logic Tour, which included festival dates like Coachella, Isle of Wight Festival, Glastonbury and the Austin City Limits Music Festival. In July 2005, the band appeared at Live 8 in Hyde Park, where they played a rendition of The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony" with Richard Ashcroft on vocals. In September, Coldplay recorded a new version of "How You See the World" with reworked lyrics to War Child's Help: A Day in the Life charity album. In February 2006, Coldplay earned Best Album and Best Single honours at the BRIT Awards.

Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2006–present)

The band began to work on their fourth studio album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, as early as December 2006, with Brian Eno and Markus Dravs as their producers. In addition, music producer Timbaland was rumoured to be collaborating. Coldplay took a break from recording and toured Latin America in early 2007, including shows in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. The band revealed that the album seemed to be shaping up with Hispanic influences, after having recorded in churches and other areas in Latin America and Spain during their tour. The group spent the rest of the year recording, mainly with Brian Eno.

Chris Martin described Viva la Vida as a new direction for Coldplay: a change from their past three albums, which they have referred to as a 'trilogy'. Martin has also revealed that this album features much less of his falsetto, and he has allowed his voice's lower register to take precedence. Some songs, such as "Violet Hill", contain distorted guitar riffs and bluesy undertones. "Violet Hill" was confirmed as the first single, with a radio release date of 29 April 2008. After the first play, it was freely obtainable from Coldplay's website from 12:15 PM (GMT +0) for one week (achieving two million downloads), until it became commercially available to download on May 6. "Violet Hill" entered the UK Top 10, US Top 40 (entering the Top 10 in the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart) and charted well in the rest of the world. The title track, "Viva la Vida", was also released exclusively on iTunes; it has since become the band's first #1 on the Hot 100 and also their first UK #1, based on download sales alone. On 16 June, Coldplay began their Viva la Vida Tour with a free concert at Brixton Academy in London. This was followed two days later by a 45-minute performance that was broadcast live from outside BBC Television Centre.

On 15 June 2008, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends topped the UK album chart, despite having been on sale for only three days. In that time, it sold 302,000 copies — making it "one of the fastest-selling records in UK history". By the end of June, it had set a new record for most-downloaded album ever. The band have said that they will release another album in late 2009, that will feature a collaboration track with Kylie Minogue, called "Lunar".

Musical style

Coldplay's musical style has been defined as alternative rock, being compared to Jeff Buckley and Oasis, while on their MySpace profile, Coldplay describes their musical style as "very heavy soft rock". The band's music has been called "meditative"; it "[reflects] on their emotions" and lead singer/songwriter Martin "endlessly examine[s] his feelings". Martin's lyrical wordplay has been called feminist, similar to Andrew Montgomery of Geneva.

The tone of the band's first studio album, Parachutes, was defined as melodic pop with "distorted guitar riffs and switching percussion". It was also described as being "exquisitely dark and artistically abrasive". In a review for A Rush of Blood to the Head, the songs were considered to contain "lush melodies and a heartbreak" and that they had a "newfound confidence." The music on X&Y has been considered to be "ruminations on Martin's doubts, fears, hopes, and loves."

Activism

Despite Coldplay's worldwide popularity, the band has remained protective of how their music is used in the media, refusing its use for product endorsements. In the past, Coldplay turned down multi-million dollar contracts from Gatorade, Diet Coke, and Gap, who wanted to use the songs "Yellow", "Trouble", and "Don't Panic" respectively. According to vocalist/pianist Martin, "We wouldn't be able to live with ourselves if we sold the songs' meanings like that." The song "Viva la Vida" was featured in a commercial for the iTunes Store, advertising its exclusive availability of the single as a digital download on iTunes. Coldplay is a supporter of Amnesty International. Chris Martin is also noted as one of the most visible celebrity advocates for fair trade, supporting Oxfam's ongoing Make Trade Fair campaign. Martin has been on trips with Oxfam to assess conditions, has appeared in its advertising campaign, and is known for wearing a "Make Trade Fair" wristband during public appearances, including at Coldplay concerts. The band were also filmed for Make Poverty History, clicking their fingers.

In the band's early years, Coldplay was also widely noted in the media for their claim to give 10% of the band's profits to charity. Bassist Guy Berryman said, "You can make people aware of issues. It isn't very much effort for us at all, but if it can help people, then we want to do it."

Discography

• Parachutes (2000)
• A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
• X&Y (2005)
• Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)

Compilations and live releases

• 2003: Live 2003
• 2007: The Singles 1999-2006

EPs

Singles

Music videos

Other releases

Notes

1. USA Today: Coldplay, singer Chris Martin hot to make fans happy. USA Today (2008-06-11). Retrieved on 2008-07-02.
2. Yahoo! Music: Coldplay chills out Peas, Stripes
3. Digital Spy: Coldplay album goes platinum in three days
4. (Roach 2003, p. 9)
5. (Roach 2003, p. 18)
6. (Roach 2003, p. 98)
7. (Roach 2003, p. 82)
8. (Roach 2003, p. 122)
9. Ali, Mehreen F. (2005-11-26). All That Is Cold play. Dawn. Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
10. (Roach 2003, p. 19)
11. (Roach 2003, p. 22)
12. Gundersen, Edna (2003-02-13). Coldplay searching for a balance. USA Today. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
13. Coldplay to Quit. Daily Star (2008-01-07). Retrieved on 2008-05-05.
14. (Roach 2003, p. 26)
15. (Roach 2003, p. 28)
16. Washington Post: Blue-Throated Warbler
17. (Roach 2003, p. 35)
18. (Roach 2003, p. 42)
19. (Roach 2003, p. 45)
20. (Roach 2003, p. 76)
21. Grammy Award Winners. Grammy Awards. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
22. Wener, Ben (2005-08-22). Still a few steps short of greatness. The Orange County Register. Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
23. Danby, Andrew (2003-09-04). Coldplay Go Live. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2008-04-25. “Concert album due in November”
24. Complete list of Grammy Award winners. USA Today (2003-02-24). Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
25. Maclean, Graeme. Changing the World at UKULA. Ukula. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
26. It's A Girl For Paltrow & Martin. CBS (2004-03-17). Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
27. BBC - Rock/Indie Review- Coldplay, X&Y. BBC (2005-11-20). Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
28. EMI shares hit by profit warning. BBC News (2005-02-07). Retrieved on 2008-04-23.
29. Coldplay's X&Y is 'album of year'. BBC News (2005-12-09). Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
30. Morford, Mark (2005-06-17). Is Coldplay The New Jesus? Martin & Co. make moms smile and girls swoon and offend no one in their quest to love all puppies. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
31. Sherwin, Adam (2005-04-30). Coldplay's new single breaks sound barrier. The Times. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
32. Pareles, Jon (2005-06-05). The Case Against Coldplay. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
33. Lamb, Bill (2005-06-05). Coldplay Discography. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
34. Digital Spy: Coldplay 'liberated' by X&Y criticism
35. The Daily Wrap 2005 ACL Music Festival. Austin City Limits. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
36. BBC - The Live 8 Event - Line Up and Artists. BBC. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
37. Brit Awards > 2006. BRIT Awards. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
38. Coldplay Reveal New Album Details, Timbaland Producing Ashlee Simpson, Courtney Love Blamed for Jack Osbourne’s Drug Problem. Rolling Stone (2007-09-10). Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
39. Cohen, Jonathan (2007-01-31). Coldplay Collects Singles For Vinyl Box. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
40. Serpick, Evan (2008-02-27). Coldplay at Work on "Something Different" for Upcoming Album - Chris Martin talks about trilogy and change.. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
41. News Ticker: Guns N’ Roses, Britney Spears, Coldplay. Rolling Stone (2008-04-21). Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
42. BBC News: Coldplay song downloaded 2m times
43. Coldplay giving away new single. BBC (2008-04-28). Retrieved on 2008-04-28.
44. Coldplay. Coldplay (2008-04-28). Retrieved on 2008-04-28.
45. The Billboard Hot 100
46. BBC News: Coldplay's new single tops chart
47. BBC Newsbeat: Coldplay make their live return
48. BBC News: Coldplay play open air gig at BBC
49. BBC News: New Coldplay album tops UK chart
50. Yahoo! Chart Watch: Viva La Download Or Death And All His CDs
51. Kylie collaboration - too sexy for Coldplay album
52. "Coldplay warms the renamed amphitheater", Sacramento Bee, 2003-05-30, p. TK17.
53. Parachutes review. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
54. Coldplay on MySpace. Retrieved on 2008-05-26.
55. X&Y review. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
56. A Rush of Blood to the Head review. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
57. "the state of coldplay" (2002-08-01). Q. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
58. (Roach 2003, p. 78)
59. (Roach 2003, p. 85)
60. Gundersen, Edna (2005-06-02). Catch Coldplay. USA Today. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
61. Bream, Jon. "Rockin' Politics 2005", Star Tribune, 2005-09-11.

References

• Roach, Martin (September 2003), Coldplay: Nobody Said It Was Easy, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0711998108

Further reading

• Spivack, Gary. Coldplay : Look at the Stars. ISBN 0743491963.

External links

• Official Site
• Coldplay at MySpace
• Coldplay at Last.fm
• Coldplay at NME

Stacy Ann Ferguson (born March 27, 1975), better known by her stage name Fergie, is an American pop/R&B singer-songwriter, actress, and rapper. She is a former member of the kids' television series Kids Incorporated, and the girl group Wild Orchid. Ferguson was also a co-host of the television show Great Pretenders. She is currently a vocalist for the hip hop/pop group the Black Eyed Peas, as well as a solo artist, releasing her debut album, The Dutchess, in 2006. The album has so far spawned three U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number one singles and five Top 5 hits, making The Dutchess the seventh album from a female artist to spawn five Top 5 hits.

Biography

Early life

Ferguson was born in Hacienda Heights, California, the daughter of Terri Jackson (née Gore) and Patrick Ferguson. She has one sister, Dana, who is an actress. Her parents are Roman Catholics of Irish, Scottish and Mexican descent. The daughter of devout Catholic schoolteachers, she was raised in a suburban area with strict Roman Catholic values while attending Mesa Robles Middle school and Glen A. Wilson High School. She is quoted as saying that as a child she was so hyperactive, doctors wanted to put her on Ritalin until her mom vetoed the idea. Through dance school, her mom found her an agent and voiceover work, providing the voices for Lucy and Sally in Peanuts cartoons. From 1984 to 1989, she spent summers performing chart hits on the TV show Kids Incorporated. All that time she was a straight-A student. She was even a spelling bee champion, as well as a Girl Scout.

Acting career

As a child actress, Ferguson appeared on the television program Kids Incorporated for several years with Renee Sands, who became a fellow member of Wild Orchid. On the show, the actress displayed her singing talents, singing Whitney Houston's "One Moment In Time". Ferguson was the voice of Sally Brown in two Charlie Brown specials: It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown (1984), and Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown (1985).

In July 2003, Ferguson had a guest role on the Rocket Power special, Reggie's Big Beach Break, on Nickelodeon; she voiced a fictitious pop music star named Shaffika. In March 2005, casting for Revolution Studios's big-budget remake of John Carpenter's The Fog was underway. Ferguson was set to return to acting in the role of lighthouse radio deejay Stevie Wayne (a part originated by scream queen Adrienne Barbeau). A last minute conflict arose, preventing her contract from closing and Ferguson left the project. The role eventually went to Selma Blair. Ferguson finally returned to acting in 2006, appearing as lounge singer Gloria in Wolfgang Peterson's remake of The Poseidon Adventure. She later appeared in 2007's Grindhouse.

Personal life

Ferguson is engaged to actor Josh Duhamel, who starred in the television show Las Vegas. They met, and began dating, in September 2004 when she and her band appeared on Duhamel's show (in an episode titled "Montecito Lancers", which aired on November 1, 2004). Ferguson and Duhamel purchased a house together in 2007.

In April 2007, she gave an interview in which she admitted that she went on a sex and drugs spree when she turned 18, saying: "I have had lesbian experiences in the past. I won't say how many men I've had sex with—but I am a very sexual person." In December 2007 when asked "Bisexuality and homosexuality are often either frowned or mocked upon in certain circles. Does that bother you?", she replied "No, it doesn’t bother me. I’m just me".

Ferguson was featured on Maxim's Hot 100 Women of 2006, and voted in at position #36. In 2007, she was voted in at #10.

Fergie has stated in several interviews that she is an avid user of hypnotherapy, which she used to overcome her crystal meth addiction and which she currently uses to relax when she gets stressed out.

Music career

Early works and the Black Eyed Peas: 1991-2005

Ferguson was a member of the female trio Wild Orchid, which she fronted with Stefanie Ridel and fellow Kids Incorporated star Renee Sandstrom. Wild Orchid released two albums, but after completing a third album, their record label declined to release it, and she left the group shortly thereafter. Her disappointment with Wild Orchid led to an addiction to crystal methamphetamine. In September 2006, Ferguson talked with Time about quitting her crystal meth addiction. "It was the hardest boyfriend I ever had to break up with," she says. "It's the drug that's addicting. But it's why you start doing it in the first place that's interesting. A lot of it was being a child actor; I learned to suppress feelings."

In 2003, the Black Eyed Peas were recording their third album, 2003's Elephunk, when will.i.am invited Fergie to try out for a song called "Shut Up". She got the gig and instantly bonded with the trio to record five additional songs on the album.

In the following spring, shortly before Elephunk came out, Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine had offered Ferguson a permanent spot to take over vocal duties and fill the spot left void by background singer Kim Hill, who had left the group in 2000. When will.i.am was asked to sum up his bandmates, he called Fergie the "body" of the group.

In 2005, Ferguson inadvertently urinated on stage during a performance at San Diego's Street Scene festival. Ferguson later commented on the incident: "I had a few drinks before the show, but I didn't think to go to the bathroom before we went onstage. We were jumping around...and my bladder just started."

Solo career: 2006-present

After two successful Black Eyed Peas albums, Ferguson began pursuing a solo career. Her first album, released on September 19, 2006, was entitled The Dutchess. The album's name is a misspelled variant of the former title of Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, with whom Ferguson shares a surname and popular nickname. The solo deal does not mean Ferguson is leaving the Black Eyed Peas, as she intends to remain with the group, alternating between the two duties. The album is similar in style to that of the Black Eyed Peas, as fellow Peas member will.i.am is the album's executive producer.

The Dutchess spawned six hits for Ferguson, beginning with "London Bridge", "Fergalicious", "Glamorous", "Big Girls Don't Cry" ,"Clumsy", and "Finally." Her second single, "Fergalicious", peaked at #2 on the Billboard Charts. "London Bridge" reached #2 on the United World Chart, while "Fergalicious" and "Glamorous" both made it to #4; the latters all reached #1 in the U.S. "Big Girls Don't Cry" became Ferguson's first worldwide #1 single, and is her most successful single to date. "Clumsy" was announced as the fifth single from The Dutchess after the major international success of "Big Girls Don't Cry". Ferguson scored her fifth consecutive Top 5 hit from The Dutchess after "Clumsy" reached a peak position #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, on 22 December 2007.

In addition to promoting her albums and singles, Ferguson appeared at Wembley Stadium on 1 July 2007, performing "Glamorous" and "Big Girls Don't Cry" in a concert for the late Princess Diana put on by her two sons Prince William and Prince Harry; the DVD of the concert was released 5 November 2007.

On November 18, 2007, Ferguson won the Pop or Rock "Favorite Female Artist" at the American Music Awards. In addition, her song "Big Girls Don't Cry" also earned Ferguson a Grammy nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance," of which she lost. In December 2007, Blender picked Ferguson as their woman of the year.

During the 2008 Idol Gives Back, Ferguson also did a performance duet with Ann Wilson of Heart. The two (with Nancy Wilson on guitar) performed "Barracuda".

The song "Labels or Love" was recorded for the upcoming Sex and the City movie soundtrack. In an Entertainment Weekly interview, director and writer Michael Patrick King stated that "it’s an entirely new song with lyrics, but it has the Sex and the City theme as the DNA — on steroids.”

Ferguson has also appeared on Nickelodeon's show Dance on Sunset. Ferguson has recently released an EP for download on iTunes featuring unreleased singles. The CD version was released on May 27, 2008.

Ferguson collborated with Japanese singer Kumi Koda on the song "That Ain't Cool". "That Ain't Cool" was featured on Kumi's single Moon, released on the 11 of June. The single debuted at #2 on the Oricon Weekly Single Charts.

Discography

Albume

2006: The Dutchess

• 1st studio album
• Released: September 19, 2006
• Re-Released: May 27, 2008
• Formats: CD, digital download

Singles

2006: London Bridge
2006: "Fergalicious" (feat. will.i.am)
2007: "Glamorous" (feat. Ludacris)
2007: "Big Girls Don't Cry"
2007: "Clumsy"
2008: "Party People" (with Nelly)
2008: "Labels or Love"

Featured singles

2007: "Impacto (Remix)" (Daddy Yankee feat. Fergie)
2008: "Beat It 2008" (Michael Jackson feat. Fergie)
2008: "Party People" (with Nelly)
2008: "That Ain't Cool" (Koda Kumi feat. Fergie)

Promo singles

2007: "Barracuda"
2007: "Pick it Up"
2007: "Big Girls Don't Cry" (Remix) (feat. Sean Kingston)

Other appearances

2004: "True" (will.i.am and Fergie)
2005: "Shut Up and Dance" (Shaggy featuring will.i.am and Fergie)
2006: "Won't Let You Fall"
2006: "Bailamos"
2006: "All Night Long" (Diddy featuring Fergie)
2006: "I'm Chillin'"(The Game featuring Fergie)
2007: "Glad You're Here" (Macy Gray featuring Fergie)
2007: "Barracuda"
2008: "Labels Or Love"

Music Videos

2006: London Bridge
2006: "Fergalicious" (feat. will.i.am)
2007: "Glamorous" (feat. Ludacris)
2007: "Big Girls Don't Cry"
2007: "Clumsy"
2008: "Labels or Love"

Guest Music Videos

2007: "Impacto (Remix)"
2008: "Party People"
2008: "That Ain't Cool"

Awards and nominations

Selected filmography

References

1. http://billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003633227 Billboard.com
2. CANOE - JAM! - Interview with hip-hop. rap, rock and roll, dance, classical, pop, and disco diva Stacy Ferguson
3. Details magazine on Gwen Stefani and Fergie at We’ve moved to www.racialicious.com - update your bookmarks!
4. Fergie Singer, age 32 | Independent, The (London) | Find Articles at BNET.com
5. Give Peas A Chance Article on Blender :: The Ultimate Guide to Music and More
6. Give Peas A Chance Article on Blender :: The Ultimate Guide to Music and More
7. Lindsey Lohan Digs Fergie's Handbags. Entertainment Tonight (2007-11-13). Retrieved on 2008-06-29.
8. The Fog Review - Read Variety's Analysis Of The Movie The Fog
9. Actor Josh Duhamel, Fergie Engaged. MSN (2007-12-26). MSN.com
10. Josh Duhamel Reveals His Pick-Up Line on Fergie. People (2007-06-19). People.com
11. "Duhamel is hot, but he calls Fergie bigger star", MSNBC, 2007-06-19.
12. FERGIE: I WAS A LESBIAN - Mirror.co.uk
13. Allhiphop.com "Fergie, Glamour Girl", Archna Sawjani, retrieved 1 January 2008
14. http://www.maximonline.com/slideshows/index.aspx?slideId=1941&imgCollectId=94&src=GM7070:MD Maximonline.com
15. http://www.maximonline.com/Girls/Fergie/slideshow/1134/47.aspx?src=GM7070:MD Maxim Magazine
16. http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/fergie%20goes%20hypnotic
17. http://www.dotspotter.com/news/710810_Fergie_Uses_Hypnotherapy_to_Fight_Meth_Urge
18. Fergie discusses her past problems Toronto.24hrs.ca
19. Give Peas A Chance Article on Blender :: The Ultimate Guide to Music and More
20. Touré (October 3, 2006). Fergie Dances With Herself. Rollingstone.com. Accessed October 7, 2007.
21. Fergie discusses the urination incident Askmen.com
22. http://abc.go.com/primetime/ama/index?pn=winners
23. "E! report about Fergie and Blender magazine", E!, 19 December 2007.
24. "Fergie Live on the Today Show", The Superficial, 2008-05-20.
25. http://rhythmzone.net/koda/info/release080611.html

External links

• Official website
• Official website of the Black Eyed Peas
• Stacy Ferguson at the Internet Movie Database
• Fergie on MySpace

Peter Heppner (born 1967 in Hamburg) was the lead singer for the German electronica/synth pop band Wolfsheim, and has collaborated with many other electronic music acts, such as Paul van Dyk, Schiller, and Goethes Erben.

Although he's been active in Wolfsheim since 1987, his first commercial success was in 1991 releasing the single "The sparrows and the nightingales". In 1998 he had a big charts success doing a song with 80's star Joachim Witt, releasing the single "Die Flut". In the years following, his notability as a singer increased. Collaborating with the electronic music project Schiller, he reached charts positions in 2004 with the songs "Dream of you" and "Leben... I feel you". In the same year, he released the song "Wir sind wir" together with Paul van Dyk. Although the song was controversial because of its message (which could be interpreted as nationalist), the artists recorded another version together with the Filmorchester Babelsberg for the Day of German Unity on October 3rd, 2005 in Potsdam. A more recent project with Mila Mar and Kim Sanders from Culture Beat spawned the single "Aus Gold", intended to support Afghanian poorhouses together with the Deutsches Rotes Kreuz.

His most recent to date collaboration is with previous Wolfsheim producer, José Alvarez-Brill, on the song "Vielleicht", which is featured on Alvarez-Brill's CD Alvarez Presents Zeitmaschine Remixed (2005).

Heppner will release a first solo-album later in 2008 through Warner Music Germany. The news was announced by the official Peter Heppner fanclub on December 24th, when the website went officially online. For Heppner it will be the first time he goes completely solo after having collaborated with such artists as Girl Under Glass, Umbra Et Imago, Joachim Witt, Schiller, Goethes Erben, Alice II, Paul van Dyk, Milu & Kim Sanders and with Jose Alvarez Brill.

James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount, February 22, 1974) is a British singer-songwriter whose debut album, Back to Bedlam, and single releases — especially the number one hit "You're Beautiful" — brought him to fame in 2005. His style is a mix of pop, rock and folk. Along with vocals, James Blunt performs a variety of instruments, including piano and guitar. He is signed to Linda Perry's independent American label Custard Records. Blunt won two BRIT Awards and two Ivor Novello Awards, and was nominated for five Grammy Awards in 2006. Blunt subsequently released his second album, All The Lost Souls, in 2007; this album was certified gold within its first week of release. The first single from his second album, "1973", was Blunt's first Global Number 1 in October 2007, beating "You're Beautiful" which peaked at Number 2 in the United World Chart.

Prior to embarking on a career in music, Blunt was an officer in the Life Guards, a reconnaissance regiment of the British Army, and served under NATO in Kosovo during the conflict in 1999. While posted to Kosovo, Blunt was introduced to the work of Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) (Doctors Without Borders), a humanitarian aid group best known for its emergency medical care in conflict-torn regions. Since then, Blunt has supported MSF by holding meet-and-greet auctions at many of his concerts.

Blunt's primary residence is now on the Spanish island of Ibiza, where he wrote many of the songs on his second album.

Early life

Blunt was born at a military hospital in Tidworth, Wiltshire, England, the first child born to Jane and Charles Blount. Blunt spent his early childhood living in England, Cyprus, and Germany, where his father, a Colonel in the British Army Air Corps, and military helicopter pilot, was posted at various times. He has two younger siblings. His father instilled in his son a love of flying, and Blunt earned his pilot's license at age 16. The Blount family has a long history of military service, dating to the 10th century.

At age seven, Blunt was enrolled at Elstree School, Woolhampton, then attended Harrow School (Elmfield House) on an army bursary. From Harrow School he gained an army-sponsored place at the University of Bristol, where he first studied Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering and then subsequently read Sociology. He graduated with a BSc(Hons) in Sociology in 1996.

Military career

As the British Army sponsored his university education, Blunt was obliged to serve a minimum of four years in the armed forces. Blunt trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He was commissioned as a subaltern (Second Lieutenant) in the Life Guards, a unit of the Household Cavalry, where he rose to the rank of Captain. One of his first assignments was to British Army Training Unit Suffield in Alberta, Canada, where his squadron was posted for six months in 1998 to act as the opposing army in combat training exercises.

In 1999, he served as an armoured reconnaissance officer in the NATO deployment in Kosovo. Initially assigned to reconnaissance of the Macedonia-Kosovo border, Blunt and his unit worked ahead of the front lines directing forces and targeting Serb positions for the NATO bombing campaign. He led the first squadron of troops to enter Priština, and was the first British officer to enter the Kosovar capital. His unit was given the assignment of securing the Priština airport in advance of the 30,000-strong peacekeeping force; the Russian army had moved in and taken control of the airport before his unit's arrival. As the first officer on the scene, Blunt shared a part in the difficult task of addressing the potentially violent international incident. There were less intense moments during Blunt's Kosovo assignment, however. Blunt had brought along his guitar, strapped to the outside of his tank. At some places, the peacekeepers would share a meal with hospitable locals, and Blunt would perform. It was while on duty there that he wrote the song "No Bravery".

A keen skier, Blunt captained of the Household Cavalry Alpine Ski Team, in Verbier, Switzerland, eventually becoming champion skier of the entire Royal Armoured Corps. He had extended his military service in November 2000, and after an intensive six-month army riding course was posted to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in London, England. During this posting, Blunt was interviewed about his responsibilities on the television programme "Girls on Top", a series highlighting unusual career choices. He stood guard at the coffin of the Queen Mother during the days of her lying in State and was part of the funeral procession on April 9, 2002. Blunt finally left the army on 1 October 2002 having served six years.

Music career

Early career

Blunt took piano and violin lessons as a child, but his first significant exposure to popular music was at Harrow School. There, he was introduced to the guitar by a fellow student, and started playing guitar and writing songs at age 14. At Bristol University, his graduate thesis was The Commodification of Image - Production of a Pop Idol; one of his main references for the thesis was Simon Frith, a sociologist and rock critic, and current chair of the Mercury Music Prize.

Blunt left the British Army in 2002 so that he could pursue his musical career. It was at about that time that he started using the stage name "Blunt", in part to make it easier for others to spell; "Blount" is pronounced the same way, and remains his legal surname. Shortly after leaving the Army, he was signed to EMI music publishers, and to Twenty-First Artists management. A record contract remained elusive however, with recording label executives pointing to Blunt's "posh" speaking voice as a barrier in class-divided Britain. Linda Perry, who was just launching her own Custard Records label in early 2003, heard Blunt's promotional tape when visiting London, and soon after heard him perform live at the South by Southwest Music Festival. Within a few days, Blunt signed a recording contract with Perry, and one month later he was in Los Angeles working with producer Tom Rothrock.

Back to Bedlam

Blunt recorded Back to Bedlam in 2003 with producer Tom Rothrock at Rothrock's home studio, using session musicians and performing on many different instruments himself. While in Los Angeles, he lodged with actress Carrie Fisher, whom he had met through the family of a former girlfriend. Fisher was very supportive of Blunt's aspirations, suggesting the name of the album and providing use of a bathroom in her home for Blunt to record the song "Goodbye My Lover". Back to Bedlam was finally released in the UK in October 2004.

The debut album from the unknown Blunt attracted little critical attention, and there were no published reviews from major UK music journals. His live performances, mainly in support of better known musicians, received somewhat mixed but generally favourable reviews. Blunt's lack of performing experience and inconsistent approach with audiences was commented upon, while his music was likened to that of Damien Rice and David Gray. In March 2004, with Blunt performing in the support role for Katie Melua in Manchester, Alex McCann of Designer Magazine wrote, "Blunt's ascendance is a dead cert and this time next year it isn't that far removed from reality to suggest that a number 1 album, Brit Award and countless accolade's [sic] will be his for the taking."

James Blunt's debut single in the UK was "High" (co-written with Ricky Ross of Deacon Blue). This song peaked below the Top 100 of the UK Singles Chart. However, the song was chosen to appear in a Vodafone commercial in Italy, and was a Top 10 hit in that country. Concert support slots for Elton John and Lloyd Cole and the Commotions in late 2004 and early 2005 followed, as did a band residency at London club 93 Feet East. In March 2005, his second single, "Wisemen," was released.

Blunt's third single "You're Beautiful" was his breakout hit. The song debuted at number 12 in the UK, and rose all the way to the number one position six weeks after its debut. The song also received massive airplay in the UK, which helped propel Back to Bedlam to number one on the UK Albums Chart. The extensive airplay ultimately led to Blunt and his co-writers being awarded the Ivor Novello Award for Most Performed Work. After the success of "You're Beautiful" in the UK, the song crossed over to mainland Europe, becoming one of the biggest hits of summer 2005 across the continent. In the U.S., "You're Beautiful" made its debut in the summer of 2005 on WPLJ, a prominent radio station in New York City, despite not having been released to radio yet. Once the song was released to radio stations in the fall of 2005, the song climbed into the Top 10 at three radio formats: Adult Contemporary, Adult Top 40, and Adult Alternative. Blunt became the first British artist to top the American singles chart in nearly a decade when his song "You're Beautiful" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2006; the last British artist to do so had been Elton John in 1997 with the song "Candle in the Wind 1997". "Goodbye My Lover" was released as the fourth UK single from the album in December 2005, and was later the second US single. The songs "High" and "Wisemen" were subsequently re-released in 2006. Blunt started off 2006 celebrating five BRIT Award nominations, going on to win Best British male solo artist and Best pop act categories, having already started an 11-month tour that would take him around the world.

There was extensive promotion in the United States starting in the fall of 2005, with Blunt making appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Eight of the songs on the album were featured in television shows (The O.C., Grey's Anatomy and many more), films (Undiscovered), and advertising campaigns (Hilton Hotels, Sprint telecommunications) throughout 2005 and 2006. Blunt performed "You're Beautiful" at the 49th Grammy Awards in February 2007, dedicating the song to the late Ahmet Ertegün of Atlantic Records, but he did not win in any of the five categories for which he had received nominations.

The album eventually sold 11 million copies and topped the album charts in 16 territories worldwide. It sold 2.6 million in the U.S. and was certified 2x platinum. In Britain the album was certified 10x platinum, sold over three million copies, and entered the Guinness Book of Records for the fastest selling album in one year. It was the best sold album in 2006 in the world.

In 2005, Blunt performed in 90 live shows, mainly across the UK and Europe, ending the year supporting Jason Mraz in a North American tour. The "Back to Bedlam World Tour" started off in January 2006, covering cities in Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, as well as three separate headline tours in North America, ending in November of that year. Not including promotional appearances, Blunt performed over 140 live shows in 2006. He enjoys the touring experience, saying in July 2006 that he and his band were having the time of their lives going to new places every day.

The videos for all of Blunt's singles released from Back To Bedlam feature symbolism and dark imagery. In the first video for "High", he is buried in a desert. In the first video for "Wisemen", he is kidnapped and taken hostage. In the video for "You're Beautiful", he alludes to suicide by jumping off a cliff into the sea. The re-release video for "High" then features Blunt running in a forest. The re-release video for "Wisemen" has Blunt burning identification papers, and then walking through a forest while he is on fire and in "Goodbye My Lover", he is the outsider in a love triangle, imagining the couple, a man and woman (played by Matt Dallas of Kyle XY and Mischa Barton of The O.C.) together.

Internet folk law has purveyed the rumour that in 2006 the name James Blunt was entered into the Dictionary of Cockney rhyming slang (a 'right James Blunt') in reference to the word cunt. Blunt is said to have responded, "John F. Kennedy got an airport named after him — I got my favourite part of the female anatomy".

Blunt appeared on an episode of Sesame Street which aired November 14, 2007 singing about Triangles to the tune of "You're Beautiful".

All the Lost Souls

Blunt's second studio album, All the Lost Souls, was released on 18 September 2007 in North America, one day after its release in the United Kingdom. It sold 65,000 units in its first week, and was certified gold in the UK after only four days. By the end of January 2008, the album had sold 600,000 copies in the UK, and 3.5 million copies internationally. Blunt completed the album's songs at his home in Ibiza in the winter of 2006–2007. He performed five of the ten album tracks during his 2005–2006 tours; lyrics, melodies, and harmonies were refined for the studio recording, on which his touring band played and Tom Rothrock worked as producer.

While Blunt’s first album received very little critical attention, critics from every major music publication, and newspapers around the world, weighed in on All the Lost Souls. Critics were polarized in their treatment of the album, with some panning Souls, while others were filled with praise. Eric Danton, of The Hartford Courant wrote that the album is "a collection so bland, it makes hardtack seem sumptuous", while Rolling Stone said that the album contains "forgettable ballads". Yet, in her review of the album, Kerri Mason of Billboard said Blunt "shows the abandon and confidence of a long-term artist, not just a one-hit wonder". And of the album, Mason wrote, "there is not a misstep throughout". Equally effusive, Liz Hoggard of The Observer wrote that "it’s impossible to resist Blunt’s troubadour yearning.” While not universally acclaimed, Blunt's second album stirred far more critical review — both positive and negative — than his debut. Only after the success of "You're Beautiful" did critics begin to take real notice of Blunt's debut album.

The first single from All the Lost Souls, "1973", was inspired by Blunt's nights out at Pacha, an Ibiza club, which opened in that year. The song became another hit for Blunt reaching number one on the World Singles Top 40, and reached the top in the Billboard European Hot 100 Singles chart. D.J. Pete Tong remixed "1973" and played the track during his set at Pacha over the summer of 2007. The second single, "Same Mistake", was released in early December 2007 but did not fare well in the UK charts, peaking at number 57. It was Number 1 in Brazil and a hit in many South American countries.  The third single from the album was "Carry You Home", released in March 2008, peaking at number 20 in the U.K charts and bringing the album back into the Top 10, six months after it's release.

In the end of 2007, Blunt worked with french rapper Sinik. They released "Je Réalise", which took elements of Blunt's song "I'll Take Everything", in France the same year. This was a top 3 hit.

Personal life

Blunt says that he has become closer to his family since his musical success; his father manages his finances, and his mother arranged for the purchase of his principal residence in Ibiza, where Blunt has holidayed since he was a teenager. Blunt also owns a chalet in the Swiss town of Verbier; in February 2007, he was named "godfather" of one of the town's new ski lifts.

Blunt was instrumental in introducing his sister to her eventual husband after offering her for "sale" on Ebay. She was having difficulty obtaining transport to a funeral in Ireland, and Blunt listed her as a "damsel in distress." The winner provided helicopter transportation. They subsequently began a relationship and eventually married.

The musician's social life has been the subject of significant commentary, particularly in the tabloid press; he is well known to enjoy nightclubbing and socializing with other celebrities. Blunt has, in the past, been romantically linked to Dixie Chassay, casting director for the Harry Potter films; Camilla Boler, musician and daughter of the late Stephen Boler; and supermodel Petra Nemcova. Blunt himself has found the degree of interest in his personal life to be bizarre, stating that "fame and celebrity is something that other people have constructed that I'm not really party to."

Philanthropy

Blunt has raised funds for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, through benefit concerts and by auctioning meet and greet opportunities at his own shows. He first encountered MSF medical care workers during his tour of duty in Kosovo, and was impressed with their work despite minimal support and limited security.

He also supports environmental causes, screening the trailer for An Inconvenient Truth at his concerts, and planting a tree for each advance sales concert ticket purchased through his designated website. On July 7, 2007, Blunt performed at the Live Earth concert at Wembley Stadium, London, and is the owner of one of two prototype electric cars made by Hybrid Technologies under a Space Act partnership with NASA.

Blunt, a former soldier, is also a patron of Help for Heroes, a charity aiming to raise money to provide better facilities to wounded British servicemen, and has also held benefit concerts for this charity.

Discography

Albums

• 2004: Back to Bedlam
• 2006: Chasing Time: The Bedlam Sessions (DVD/CD)
• 2007: All the Lost Souls

Awards

2005

• MTV Europe Music Awards - Best New Act
• Q Awards - Best New Act
• Digital Music Awards - Best Pop Act

2006

• NRJ Music Awards (France) - Best International Newcomer
• BRIT Awards - Best pop act and Best Male Vocalist
• ECHO Awards (Germany) - Best International Newcomer
• NME Awards - Worst Album
• MTV Australia Video Music Awards - Song of the Year for You're Beautiful
• Ivor Novello Awards - Most Performed Work and International Hit of the Year
• MTV Video Music Awards - Best Male Video and Best Cinematography
• World Music Awards - Best New Artist in the World and Biggest Selling British Artist in the World
• Teen Choice Awards (United States) - Choice Music Male Artist

2008

• ECHO Awards (Germany) - Best International Male Artist

Carlos Augusto Alves Santana (born July 20, 1947) is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-American Latin rock musician and guitarist. He became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which created a highly successful blend of salsa, rock, blues, and jazz fusion. Their sound featured his melodic, blues based guitar lines set against Latin percussion such as timbales and congas. Santana continued to work in these forms over the following decades, and experienced a sudden resurgence of popularity and critical acclaim in the late 1990s. Rolling Stone also named Santana number 15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time in 2003.

Biography

Early life and career

Carlos Santana was born in Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco, Mexico, with two brothers and four sisters and a father who was a mariachi violinist. Carlos began playing the violin at five years of age, occasionally performing with his father's mariachi orchestra. When his family moved to Tijuana when he was nine, he became interested in the guitar, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and blues music and soon was performing in bands in the Tijuana area. When his family emigrated to San Francisco, California, thirteen year old Carlos refused to leave, preferring his independence as a working musician. After being convinced to stay in San Francisco with his family, he graduated from Mission High School in 1965. Santana helped the family out by working as a dishwasher and grew to enjoy the San Francisco music scene, often sneaking into music promoter Bill Graham's Fillmore Auditorium to listen to his favorite musical artists, including Muddy Waters, and The Grateful Dead.

At the end of 1966, guitarist Tom Frazier wanted to form his new rock band. Frazier joined Santana (on guitar/vocals), Mike Carabello (on percussion), Rod Harper (on drums), Gus Rodriguez (on bass guitar), and Seattle native Gregg Rolie (on organ/vocals), to form the Santana Blues Band. Santana has maintained that it was he and Rolie who were the most serious about music and pursuing it further, while the others were only interested in hanging out and being part of the scene. Santana himself was not viewed by the group as the actual leader of the band that had his name. The group operated as a collective, as it would through the early 1970s. The name of the band was agreed upon due to a local musicians union requirement that there be a designated leader and a name. He met Stan 'Moon' Marcum who acted as the group's manager.

After a while the group came to be known simply as 'Blues Band'. At this time it comprised Carlos Santana, Rolie, David Brown on bass guitar, Bob 'Doc' Livingston on drums, and Marcus Malone on percussion. Santana's recording debut occurred as a guest on The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper.

There has always been speculation about how the band picked up its Latin influence, since ironically neither Santana nor Gregg Rolie had any affinity for the style in the first place. It is known they hung out often at San Francisco's Aquatic Park where conga players would get together and jam. Also, around this time Santana was exposed to other types of music for the first time in this creative, musically fertile city. Bay Area jazz guitarist Gabor Szabo became a favorite of Santana and featured congas on his 1966 album, Spellbinder.

Santana to Caravanserai

Santana was signed to CBS Records, and went into the studio to record their first album. They were not satisfied with the results, and realized changes needed to be made. This resulted in the dismissal of Livingston. Santana replaced him with Mike Shreive, who had a strong background in both jazz and rock. Marcus Malone was forced to quit the band due to personal problems and the band re-enlisted Michael Carabello. Carabello brought with him percussionist José Chepito Areas, who was already well known in his country, Nicaragua, and with his skills and professional experience, was a major contributor to the band.

Bill Graham, who had been a fan of the band from the start, convinced the promoters of the Woodstock Music and Art Festival to let them appear before their first album was even released. They were one of the surprises of the festival; their set was legendary, and later the exposure of their eleven-minute instrumental "Soul Sacrifice" in the Woodstock film and IJIIsoundtrack albums vastly increased Santana's popularity. Graham also gave the band some key advice to record the Willie Bobo song "Evil Ways", as he felt it would get them radio airplay. Their first album, simply titled Santana, became a huge hit, reaching number four on the U.S. album charts, and the catchy single "Evil Ways" reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1970, the group reached its early commercial peak with their second album, Abraxas, which reached number one on the album charts and went on to sell over four million copies. Instrumental in the production of the album was pianist Alberto Gianquinto, who advised the group to stay away from lengthy percussion jams and concentrate on tighter song structures. The innovative Santana musical blend made a number-four hit out of the English band Fleetwood Mac's "Black Magic Woman" and a number-thirteen hit out of salsa legend Tito Puente's "Oye Como Va". Carlos Santana, alongside the classic Santana lineup of their first two albums, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. He performed "Black Magic Woman" with the writer of the song, Fleetwood Mac's founder Peter Green. Green was inducted the same night.

However, Woodstock and the band's sudden success put pressure on the group, highlighting the different musical directions in which Rolie and Santana were starting to go. Rolie, along with some of the other band members, wanted to emphasize a basic hard rock sound which had established the band in the first place. Santana on the other hand, was growing musically beyond his love of blues & rock and wanted more jazzy, ethereal elements in the music which were influenced by his fascination with Miles Davis and John Coltrane, as well as his growing interest in spirituality and meditation. To further complicate matters, Chepito Areas was stricken with a near fatal brain hemorrhage, and Santana wanted the band to continue performing by finding a temporary replacement, (first Willie Bobo, then Coke Escovedo) while many in the band, especially Michael Carabello, felt it was wrong to perform publicly without Areas. Cliques formed and the band started to disintegrate.

Teenage San Francisco Bay Area guitar prodigy Neal Schon was asked to join the band in 1971, though at the time he was also invited by Eric Clapton to join Derek and the Dominos. Choosing Santana, he joined in time to complete the third album, Santana 3. The band now boasted a powerful dual lead guitar act that gave the album a tougher sound. The sound of the band was also helped with the return of a recuperated Chepito Areas and the assistance of Coke Escovedo in the percussion section. Even further still was the support of popular Bay Area group Tower of Power's horn section, Luis Gasca of Malo, and a list of friends who helped with percussion and vocals, injecting more energy to the proceedings. Santana 3 was another success, reaching number one on the album charts, selling two million copies, and producing the hits "Everybody's Everything" and "No One to Depend On".

But tension in the band continued. Along with musical differences, drug use became a problem, and Santana was deeply worried it was affecting the band's performance. Coke Escovedo encouraged Santana to take more control of the band's musical direction, much to the dismay of some of the others who thought that the band and its sound was a collective effort. Also, financial irregularities were exposed while under the management of Stan Marcum, whom Bill Graham criticized as being incompetent. Growing resentments between Santana and Michael Carabello over lifestyle issues resulted in his departure on bad terms. James Mingo Lewis was hired at the last minute as a replacement at a concert in New York City. David Brown later left due to substance abuse problems. A South American tour was cut short in Lima, Peru due to student protests against U.S. governmental policies and unruly fans. The madness of the tour convinced Santana that changes needed to be made in the band and in his life.

In January 1972, Santana, Neal Schon and Coke Escovedo joined former Band of Gypsies drummer Buddy Miles for a live concert at Hawaii's Diamond Head Crater which was recorded for a live album. The performance was erratic and uneven, but the album managed to achieve gold record status on the weight of Santana's popularity.

In early 1972, Santana and the remaining members of the band started working on their fourth album, Caravanserai. During the studio sessions, Santana and Michael Shrieve brought in other musicians: percussionists James Mingo Lewis and Latin-Jazz veteran, Armando Peraza replacing Michael Carabello, and bassists Tom Rutley and Doug Rauch replacing David Brown. Also assisting on keyboards were Wendy Haas and Tom Coster. With the unsettling influx of new players in the studio, Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon decided that it was time to leave after the completion of the album, even though both made spectacular contributions to the session. Rolie left and went home to Seattle, opening a restaurant with his father, and later became a founding member of Journey (which Schon would later join as well).

When Caravanserai did emerge in 1972, it marked a strong change in musical direction towards jazz fusion. The album received critical praise, but CBS executive Clive Davis warned Santana and the band that it would sabotage the band's position as a top forty act, even though over the years the album would achieve platinum status. The difficulties Santana and the band went through during this period were chronicled in Ben Fong-Torres' Rolling Stone cover story "The Resurrection of Carlos Santana".

Around this time Santana met Deborah King, whom he later married in 1973. She is the daughter of the late blues singer and guitarist Saunders King. They have three children: Salvador, Stella and Angelica. Together with wife Deborah, Santana founded a nonprofit organization called "The Milagro Foundation" that provides financial aid for educational, medical and other needs.

Spiritual journey

In 1972 Santana became a huge fan of the pioneering fusion band The Mahavishnu Orchestra and its guitarist John McLaughlin. Aware of Santana's interest in meditation, McLaughlin introduced Santana and Deborah to his guru, Sri Chinmoy. Chinmoy later accepted them as disciples in 1973 and Santana was given the name "Devadip" - meaning "The lamp, light and eye of God." Santana and McLaughlin recorded an album together, Love, Devotion, Surrender with members of Santana and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, along with percussionist Don Alias and organist Larry Young, who both had made appearances on Miles Davis' classic Bitches Brew in 1969.

In 1973 Santana, having obtained legal rights to the band's name, formed a new version of Santana, with Armando Peraza and Chepito Areas on percussion, Doug Rauch on bass, Michael Shrieve on drums, and Tom Coster and Richard Kermode on keyboards. Santana was later able to recruit jazz vocalist Leon Thomas for a tour of Japan, which was recorded for the live, sprawling, high energy fusion album Lotus. CBS records would not allow its release unless the material was condensed. Santana did not agree to those terms and the album was available in the US only as an expensive imported three-record set. The group later went into the studio and recorded "Welcome", which further reflected Santana's interests in jazz fusion and his commitment to the spiritual life of Sri Chinmoy.

Shifting styles in the 1970s

A collaboration with John Coltrane's widow, Alice Coltrane - Illuminations followed. The album delved into avant-garde esoteric free jazz, Eastern Indian and classical influences with other ex-Miles Davis sidemen Jack DeJohnette and Dave Holland. Soon after, Santana replaced his band members again. This time Kermode, Thomas and Rauch departed from the group and were replaced by vocalist Leon Patillo (later a successful Contemporary Christian artist) and returning bassist David Brown. He also recruited soprano saxophonist, Jules Broussard to the line up. The band recorded one studio album Borboletta which was released in 1974. Drummer Leon 'Ndugu' Chancler later joined the band as a replacement for Michael Shrieve, who left to pursue a solo career.

By this time the Bill Graham's management company had assumed the affairs of the group. Graham was critical of Santana's direction into jazz and felt he needed to concentrate on getting Santana back into the charts with the edgy, street-wise ethnic sound that had made them famous. Santana himself was seeing that the group's direction was alienating many fans. Although the albums and performances were given good reviews by critics in jazz and fusion circles, sales had plummeted.

Santana along with Tom Coster, producer David Rubinson, and Chancler formed yet another version of Santana, adding vocalist Greg Walker. The 1976 album Amigos, which featured the songs "Dance, Sister, Dance" and "Let It Shine", had a strong funk and Latin sound. The album also received considerable airplay on FM album-oriented rock stations with the instrumental "Europa (Earths Cry Heavens Smile)" and re-introduced Santana back into the charts. Rolling Stone magazine ran a second cover story on Santana entitled "Santana Comes Home".

The albums conceived through the late 1970s followed the same formula, although with several lineup changes. Amidst the ever-revolving door of personnel who came and left the band was percussionist Raul Rekow, who joined in early 1977 and remains to this day. Most notable of the band's commercial efforts of this era was a version of the 1960s Zombies hit, "She's Not There" on the 1977 release, Moonflower.

The relative success of the band's albums in this era allowed Santana to pursue a solo career funded by CBS. First, Oneness, Silver Dreams, Golden Reality in 1979 and The Swing of Delight in 1980, which featured some of his musical heroes: Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Tony Williams from Miles Davis' legendary 1960s quintet.

The pressures and temptations of being a high profile rock musician and requisites of the spiritual lifestyle which guru Sri Chinmoy and his followers demanded, were great sources of conflict to Santana's and his marriage. He was becoming increasingly disillusioned with what he thought was Chinmoy's often unreasonable rules imposed on his life, one being his refusal to allow Santana and Deborah to start a family. He felt too, that his fame was being used to increase the guru's visibility. Santana and Deborah eventually ended their relationship with Chinmoy in 1982.

The 1980s

More radio-oriented singles followed from Santana the band. "Winning" in 1981 and "Hold On" ( a remake of Canadian artist Ian Thomas's song) in 1982 both reached the top twenty. After his break with Sri Chinmoy, Santana went into the studio to record another solo album with Keith Olson and legendary R&B producer Jerry Wexler. The 1983 album revisited Santana's early musical experiences in Tijuana with Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love" and the title cut, Chuck Berry's "Havana Moon". The album's guests included Booker T. Jones, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Willie Nelson and even Santana's father's mariachi orchestra. Santana again paid tribute to his early rock roots by doing the film score to La Bamba, which was based on the tragically short life of rock and roll legend Richie Valens and starred Lou Diamond Phillips.

Although the band had concentrated on trying to produce albums with commercial appeal during the 1980s, changing tastes in popular culture began to reflect in the band's sagging record sales of their latest effort Beyond Appearances. In 1985, Bill Graham had to once again pull strings for Santana to convince principal Live Aid concert organizer Bob Geldof to allow the band to appear at the festival. The group's high energy performance proved why they were still a top concert draw the world over despite their poor performance on the charts. Personally, Santana retained a great deal of respect in both jazz and rock circles, with Prince and guitarist Kirk Hammett of Metallica citing him as an influence.

The band Santana returned in 1986 with a new album Freedom. Buddy Miles, who was trying to revive his music career after spending much of the late 1970s and early 1980s incarcerated for drug charges, returned for lead vocals. His onstage presence provided a dose of charisma to the show, but once again the sales of the album fell flat.

Growing weary of trying to appease record company executives with formulaic hit records, Santana took great pleasure in jamming and making guest appearances with notables such as the jazz fusion group Weather Report, jazz pianist McCoy Tyner, Blues legend John Lee Hooker, Aretha Franklin, Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, and West African singer Salif Keita. He and Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead later recorded and performed with Nigerian drummer Babatunde Olatunji, who conceived one of Santana's famous 1960s drum jams, "Jingo". In 1988 Santana organized a reunion with past members from the Santana band for a series of concert dates. CBS records released a 20 year retrospective of the band's accomplishments with Viva Santana.

That same year Santana formed an all-instrumental group featuring jazz legend Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano sax. The group also included Patrice Rushen on keyboards, Alphonso Johnson on bass, Armando Peraza and Chepito Areas on percussion, and Leon 'Ndugu' Chancler on drums. They toured briefly and received much acclaim from the music press, who compared the effort with the era of Caravanserai. Santana released another solo record, Blues for Salvador, which won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

In 1990, Santana left Columbia Records after twenty-two years and signed with Polygram. The following year, he made a guest appearance on Ottmar Liebert's album Solo Para Ti, on the songs "Reaching out 2 U" and on a cover of his own song, "Samba Pa Ti". In 1992, Santana hired jam band Phish as his opening act. He remains close to the band today, especially to guitarist Trey Anastasio.

Return to commercial success

Santana's record sales in the 1990s were very low and towards the end of the decade he was without a contract. However Arista Records' Clive Davis, who had worked with Santana at Columbia, signed him and encouraged him to record a star-studded album with mostly younger artists. The result was 1999's Supernatural, which included collaborations with Everlast, Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Cee-Lo, Maná, Dave Matthews and others.

The lead single was "Smooth", a dynamic cha-cha stop-start number co-written and sung by Rob Thomas, and laced throughout with Santana's guitar fills and runs. The track's energy was immediately apparent on radio, and it was played on a wide variety of station formats. "Smooth" spent twelve weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming in the process the last #1 single of the 1990s. The music video set on a hot barrio street was also very popular. Supernatural reached number one on the US album charts and the follow-up single, "Maria Maria", featuring the R&B duo The Product G&B, also hit number one, spending ten weeks there in the spring of 2000. Supernatural eventually sold over 15 million copies in the United States, making it Santana's biggest sales success by far.

Supernatural won nine Grammy Awards (eight for Santana personally), including Album of the Year, Record of the Year for "Smooth", and Song of the Year for Thomas and Itaal Shur. Santana's acceptance speeches described his feelings about music's place in one's spiritual existence. In 2001, Santana's guitar skills were featured in Michael Jackson's song "Whatever Happens", from the album Invincible.

In 2002, Santana released Shaman, revisiting the Supernatural format of guest artists including P.O.D. and Seal. Although the album was not the runaway success its predecessor had been, it produced two radio-friendly hits. "The Game of Love" featuring Michelle Branch, rose to number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent many weeks at the top of the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and "Why Don't You & I" written by and featuring Chad Kroeger from the group Nickelback (the original and a remix with Alex Band from the group The Calling were combined towards chart performance) which reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. "The Game of Love" went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

In August 2003, Santana was named fifteenth on Rolling Stone magazine's "List of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". In 2004, the magazine ranked him #15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Rock and Roll Artists of All Time.

In 2005, Herbie Hancock approached Santana to collaborate on an album again using the Supernatural formula. Possibilities was released on August 30, 2005, featuring Carlos Santana and Angélique Kidjo on "Safiatou".

Santana's 2005 album All That I Am consisting primarily of collaborations with other artists; the first single, the peppy "I'm Feeling You", was again with Michelle Branch and The Wreckers. Other musicians joining the mix this time included Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Kirk Hammett from Metallica, hip-hop/reggae star Sean Paul and R&B singer Joss Stone. In April and May 2006 Santana toured Europe where he promoted his son Salvador Santana's band as his opening act.

In 2007, Santana appeared, along with Sheila E. and Jose Feliciano, on Gloria Estefan's album 90 Millas, on the single "No Llores". He also teamed again with Chad Kroeger for the hit single "Into the Night."

On October 19, his wife of 34 years, Deborah, filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences".

In 2008, Santana is working with his old time friend, Marcelo Vieira, on his solo album "Marcelo Vieira's Acoustic Sounds", which is due to release in the end of the year. It features tracks such as "For Flavia" and "Across the Grave", the later one with heavy melodic riffs by Santana.

Equipment

Guitars

In the mid 1970s Carlos Santana endorsed a lot of musical equipment, including the Gibson L-6S, and Mesa Boogie amplifiers. He featured in several Gibson advertisements throughout the decade. Santana played a red Gibson SG Special with P-90 pickups at the Woodstock festival. He was also photographed playing a white Gibson SG Special and later the Yamaha SG-175B model; on "Supernatural," one of his more famous albums, he used a custom made PRS guitar for the majority of the tracks.

Santana currently endorses PRS Guitars, and is in fact one of Paul Reed Smith's first customers. He uses a Santana II model guitar using PRS Santana III pickups with nickel covers and a tremolo, with .009-.042 gauge D'Addario strings. His Signature Series models vary greatly from this in some cases, such as the Santana SE and Santana III guitars (which have ceased production). The Santana III has covered pickups instead, and no abalone stringers between the pickups (a feature unique to his official guitar). The Santana SE guitar has 22 frets,tremolo, a basic sunburst top, and a pickguard.

Santana's guitar necks and fretboards are constructed out of a single solid piece of Brazilian Rosewood, instead of the more traditional mahogany neck/Indian rosewood fretboard combination found in stock Santana models and other PRS guitars. The Brazilian Rosewood helps create the smooth, singing, glass-like tone that he is famous for.

Carlos Santana also uses a classical guitar, the Alvarez Yairi CY127CE with Alvarez tension nylon strings.

Effects

For the distinctive Santana electric guitar sound, Santana does not use many effects pedals. His PRS guitar is connected to a Mu-Tron wah wah pedal (or, more recently, a Dunlop 535Q wah) and a T-Rex Replica delay pedal, then through a customized Jim Dunlop amp switcher which in turn is connected to the different amps or cabinets.

Previous setups include an Ibanez Tube Screamer right after the guitar.

In the song "Stand Up" from the album Marathon, Santana uses a Heil talk box in the guitar solo.

Amplifiers

The huge, searing Santana lead guitar tone is produced by a humbucker equipped guitar (Gibson/Yamaha/PRS) into a small but powerful Mesa Boogie Mark 1 combo amplifier. More recently, Santana has also been using a custom built Dumble boutique amplifier with Tone Tubby Alnico hemp coned speakers; the sound is noticeably cleaner and, perhaps, less soul-tearing. For rhythm, he uses Marshall amplifiers for distorted rhythm ("crunch") and Fender Twins for clean rhythm [ref. The Best of Carlos Santana by Wolf Marshall].

To play the track "Europa", Santana uses the Mesa Boogie Mark 1 at full volume, marking a position in front of the amplifier's speaker that allows him to use the acoustic feedback to produce long sustained notes, like that of a bowed violin. For "Bella" and "Samba Pa Ti", he uses the Fender Twin Reverb. Although his guitar technician, Renee Martinez says " Sometimes, he’ll only use the Boogie for most of the night, or he’ll use all three amps at once."

Santana claims to have come up with the idea of a sustain control (the splitting of Gain & Master Volume controls) for the Mesa Boogie [ref. as above]. He also put the Boogie in Mesa Boogie: 'Santana exclaimed to Smith, "Shit, man. That little thing really Boogies!" It was this statement that brought the Boogie name to fruition.'

Specifically Santana combines a Mesa/Boogie Mark I head running through a Boogie cabinet with Altec 417-8H (or recently JBL E120s) speakers, and a Dumble Overdrive Reverb and/or a Dumble Overdrive Special running through a Brown or Marshall 4x12 cabinet with Celestion G12M "Greenback" speakers, depending on the desired sound. Shure KSM-32 microphones are used to pick up the sound, going to the PA. Additionally, a Fender Cyber-Twin Amp is mostly used at home.

Discography

Albums with the band Santana

• Santana (1969) US: 2x Platinum
• Abraxas (1970) US: 5x Platinum
• Santana III, (1971) US: 2x Platinum
• Caravanserai (1972) US: Platinum
• Welcome (1973) US: Gold
• Lotus (live) (1974)
• Borboletta (1974) US: Gold
• Amigos (1976) US: Gold
• Festival (1977) US: Gold
• Moonflower (1977) US: 2x Platinum
• Inner Secrets (1978) US: Gold
• Marathon (1979) US: Gold
• Zebop! (1981) US: Platinum
• Shango (1982)
• Beyond Appearances (1985)
• Freedom (1987)
• Sacred Fire: Live in South America (1993) US: Gold
• Spirits Dancing in the Flesh (1990)
• Milagro (1992)

Albums as a Solo Artist or in Collaborations

• Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles! Live! (1972; with Buddy Miles) US: Platinum
• Love Devotion Surrender (1973; with John McLaughlin) US: Gold
• Illuminations (1974; with Alice Coltrane)
• Oneness: Silver Dreams, Golden Reality (1979)
• The Swing of Delight (1980)
• Havana Moon (1983; with Booker T & the MGs, Willie Nelson, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
• Blues for Salvador (1987)
• Santana Brothers (1994; C.S. with Jorge Santana & Carlos Hernandez)
• Santana Live at the Fillmore (1997)
• Supernatural (1999) US: Diamond
• Shaman (2002) US: 2x Platinum
• All That I Am (2005) US: Gold
• Carlos Santana and Wayne Shorter - Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1988 (2007)

Official Compilations

• Santana Greatest Hits (1974)
• Viva Santana! (Remixed Hits, Live & Previously Unreleased Collection) (1988)
• Definitive Collection (Import) (1992)
• Dance of the Rainbow Serpent (3-CD Box Set) (1995)
• The Very Best of Santana (Single Disc Import) (1996)
• The Ultimate Collection (3-CD Import) (1997)
• The Best of Santana (1998)
• Best Instrumentals (Import) (1998)
• Best Instrumentals Vol. 2 (Import) (1999)
• The Best of Santana Vol. 2 (2000)
• The Essential Santana (2-CD 2002)
• Ceremony: Remixes & Rarities (2003)
• Love Songs (Import) (2003)
• Hit Collection (2007)
• Ultimate Santana (2007)
• The Very Best of Santana (Live in 1968) (2007)

Unofficial Releases

• Samba Pa Ti (1988)
• Persuasion (1989)
• Latin Tropical (1990)
• Santana (1990)
• The Big Jams 1991
• Soul Sacrifice (1994)
• Santana Jam (1994)
• With a Little Help from My Friends (1994)
• Jin-Go-Lo-Ba (1995)
• Santana Live (????)
• Jingo and more famous tracks (????)

Singles

• 1969: "Jingo" #56 US
• 1970: "Evil Ways" #9 US
• 1971: "Black Magic Woman" #4 US
• 1971: "Everybody's Everything" #12 US
• 1971: "Oye Como Va" #13 US
• 1972: "No One to Depend On" #36 US
• 1974: "Samba Pa Ti" #27 UK
• 1976: "Let It Shine" #77 US
• 1977: "She's Not There" #27 US, #11 UK
• 1978: "Well All Right" #69 US
• 1979: "One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)" #59 US
• 1979: "Stormy" #32 US
• 1980: "You Know That I Love You" #35 US
• 1981: "Winning" #17 US
• 1981: "The Sensitive Kind" #56 US
• 1982: "Hold On" #15 US
• 1982: "Nowhere to Run" #66 US
• 1985: "Say It Again" #46 US
• 1999: "Smooth" (featuring Rob Thomas) #1 US, #3 UK (charted in 2000)
• 2000: "Maria Maria" (featuring The Product G&B) #1 US, #6 UK
• 2002: "The Game of Love" (featuring Michelle Branch) #5 US, #16 UK
• 2003: "Nothing at All" (featuring Musiq Soulchild)
• 2003: "Feels Like Fire" (featuring Dido) #26 NZ
• 2004: "Why Don't You & I" (featuring Chad Kroeger) #8 US
• 2005: "I'm Feeling You" (featuring Michelle Branch) #55 US
• 2005: "Just Feel Better" (featuring Steven Tyler) #8 AUS
• 2006: "Cry Baby Cry" (featuring Sean Paul and Joss Stone) #71 UK
• 2006: "Illegal" (Shakira (featuring Carlos Santana) #4 ITA, EUROPE #8, #11 GER, #20 CAN, UWC #23, #34 UK,
• 2007: "No Llores" (Gloria Estefan (featuring Carlos Santana, Jose Feliciano and Sheila E.)
• 2007: "Into the Night" (featuring Chad Kroeger) #2 CAN, #5 SA, #5 Italy, #19 Germany , #26 US
• 2008: "This Boy's Fire" (featuring Jennifer Lopez with Baby Bash)
• 2008: "Fuego en el Fuego" (Eros Ramazzotti featuring Carlos Santana) #19 Spain

Videos

• Carlos Santana--Influences (video)
• Sacred Fire. Live in Mexico. (video & DVD)
• Supernatural (video & DVD)
• Viva Santana (DVD)
• Santana Live By Request (DVD)

References

1. The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time : Rolling Stone
2. Ruhlmann, William. Carlos Santana biography. All Music Guide
3. The Immortals: The First Fifty. Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone.
4. "Carlos Santana's wife of 34 years files for divorce" - CNN - November 2, 2007
5. Santana - Musician's Corner - Blue Guitar
6. Santana - Musician's Corner - Red Guitar
7. PRS Guitars - Santana III
8. Santana - Musician's Corner - Acoustic Guitar
9. His rig can be seen in a magazine article cited at T-Rex's website
10. "Carlos Santana Spreads the Gospel of Tone" by Darrin Fox, Guitar Player Magazine, June edition 2005.
11. Overview of Santana's old effects setup.

Sources

• Soul Sacrifice; The Carlos Santana Story Simon Leng 2000
• Space Between the Stars Deborah Santana 2004
• Rolling Stone "The Resurrection of Carlos Santana" Ben Fong Torres 1972
• New Musical Express "Spirit of Santana" Chris Charlesworth November 1973
• Guitar Player Magazine 1978
• Rolling Stone "The Epic Life of Carlos Santana" 2000
• Santana I - Sony Legacy Edition: liner notes
• Abraxas - Sony Legacy Edition: liner notes
• Santana III - Sony Legacy edition: liner notes
• Viva Santana - CBS CD release 1988; liner notes
• Power, Passion and Beauty - The Story of the Legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra Walter Kolosky 2006
• Best of Carlos Santana - Wolf Marshall 1996; introduction and interview

External links

• Official website
• Official Fan Club
• Milagro Foundation
• Santanamigos
• Transition, The Story of Santana
• 2006 Carlos Santana Interview
• (English) Carlos santana's videos and lyrics
• Carlos Santana lyrics organized by album from
• Santana's discography at Music City
• Carlos Santana profile at World Music Central
• Carlos Santana interview at Bmore Tunes

Tiësto (IPA: /tiɛsto/; born Tijs Verwest (IPA: /tɛɪs vɛɹʋɛst/) on January 17, 1969 in Breda, North Brabant, Netherlands) is one of the world's most famous trance DJs and producers in the electronic dance music scene. Although he has used many aliases in the past, he is best known for his work as DJ Tiësto. On his latest productions, however, he has dropped the "DJ" label and he is now known simply as "Tiësto", an alias which is an Italian twist on his childhood nickname.

His accomplishments include being voted "World’s No.1 DJ " 3 consecutive times by DJ Magazine from 2002 through 2004, the first DJ to play live on stage in front of a public audience at an Olympic Games at the 2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony in Athens, and a nomination for a Grammy Award in 2008, for his album Elements of Life.

Tiësto's motto is: "I feel the energy from the crowd and I try to give it back, to create a unity."

History

Early years (1985–2000)

Tijs Verwest had an interest for music since the age of twelve. When he was twenty he decided to dedicate more time to it and began DJing professionally at school parties and then moved on to become a resident DJ between 1985 and 1994 at several clubs in the Netherlands after his manager and friend Wilfred encouraged him. During these years, he produced hardcore/gabber tracks under aliases such as Da Joker and DJ Limited. However, it was at The Spock, a small club in Breda, where he was able to fine-tune his own style by playing in a separate room from 10 pm until 4 am on weekends. In the beginning of his carrier as DJ he mostly played new beat and acid house, and many Madonna songs because her music shows that she likes to dance. Before the release of her album there where already dancemixes like Vogue which was one of the songs of Spock. He was discovered by the GM of Rotterdam-based Basic Beat Recordings, Tiësto released his first of five mix CDs as a part of the label's Forbidden Paradise series.

In the mid-1990s, he started to produce trance, which led to his breakthough in 1995 when he started building mixed compilations, something nobody else did at that time. Tiësto describes his Magik (series) as part of his breakthrough, but since the labels only want their own songs in the deejay mixes, in 1997 he and Arny Bink co-founded Black Hole Recordings to support his work releasing a series of singles under various aliases. Black Hole Recordings and its sub-label Magik Muzik continue to sign Tiësto's vision of trance – producing musicians and DJs such as Cor Fijneman, Ton TB, and Mark Norman and also Joe Cheang. During this period, DJ Tiësto had been releasing the Magik series, which has had seven installments starting in 1997 and ending in 2001, after this Tiësto began releasing the In Search of Sunrise series, that is a compilation of Tiësto's mixes with tracks from other DJ's. In 1999, Tiësto joined forces with fellow Dutch deejay Ferry Corsten to create the trance based duo of Gouryella. To highlight the importance in the expansion of the trance environment at the time, there were 20 different CD releases of the 4 Gouryella tracks from 9 different labels. Since November 1999 he monthly performed as a resident in Gatecrasher at Leeds, one of the most popular clubs of England.  In 1999 he also played in a 12-hour set, being his longest lasting concert in Amsterdam.

Rise to fame (2000–2004)

Late in 2000, Tiësto decided to concentrate on his personal work and left Corsten by himself to write and produce Gouryella's next single with John Ewbank, the record company was demanding more tracks and neither Tiësto or Ferry could work together at the time. Tiësto introduced Armin van Buuren, Johan Gielen and Ferry Corsten to the mainstream with his first compilations and the In Trance We Trust (series). Summerbreeze became Tiësto's debute dj mix album in the United States with the help of a contract signed to Nettwerk. Summerbreeze featured his remix of Delerium's Silence, it spent four weeks in the United Kingdom's Top Ten chart, it reached number three in the Billboard dance chart and is still an epic track. In early 2001, Tiësto broke a world record by drinking "31 cans of Red Bull in 24 hours", he admitted he would never try and break it again.

Tiësto's fame started to rise in the early 2000s after his set at the first ID&T Innercity party (Live at Innercity: Amsterdam RAI), and the release of In My Memory, his first solo album released in 2001 which contained 10 singles. On February 2, 2002, Tiësto played nine consecutive hours during the second edition of the Dutch Dimension festival. On February 27 he was awarded a Zilveren ('Silver') Harp music award. The same year he also received a Lucky Strike Dance Award in the category Best DJ Trance/Progressive. In August he became part of Moby's Area2 Tour. For eighteen days he traveled through the United States with artists such as Moby himself, but also David Bowie and Busta Rhymes.  After Junkie XL's chart topping success with the Elvis Presley remix A Little Less Conversation, Tiësto releases a remix of the Elvis track Burning Love, he is then nominated for a Dance Award by the UK's Muzik Magazine in the category Best Radio 1 Essential Mix. In January 2003 Tiësto received the annual Dutch Popprijs ('Pop Award') during the Noorderslag festival. After touring with Moby, Tiësto remixed two songs from him, We Are All Made of Stars and Extreme Ways in the same year, having "We Are All Made of Stars" reach #13 in the Hot Dance Club Play.

His fame continued to skyrocket in the early 2000s following his six-hour "Tiësto Solo" sets which he performed without other DJs or opening acts. This idea, of one DJ playing alone to a large crowd, was brought to its pinnacle when Tiësto was the first DJ to hold a solo concert in a stadium; on May 10, 2003, he performed for over 25,000 people in Arnhem's Gelredome. This concert was later called "Tiësto in Concert", the event was an enormous success. He repeated the same type of concert the following year during two consecutive nights in late October. In addition to holding these two concerts for 35,000 of his fans, he held another concert for a crowd of 20,000 in Hasselt, Belgium the following week. DVDs of both his May 10, 2003 and October 30, 2004 concerts have been released, having the other DVD titled "Tiësto In Concert 2". The DVD's show the journey from the first idea to the main event, it features live performances by Andain, Dinand Woesthoff, and Jan Johnston. The event includes live music and dancers performing at different times throughout the set. The theme of the event is a mystical, musical journey around the world based on the theme of Magik.  It consists of 200+ minutes of performances with a second disc with special features, It includes a behind-the-scenes looking at The Making Of the event, the music video for his song "Traffic" and TV Commercials for the event. The second DVD has performance from Matt Hales from Aqualung and violin player DJ Mason, Micha Klein and the Bulgarian Children of Orpheus choir. During this period he was crowned as "No. 1. DJ in the World" by DJ Magazine (UK) in 2002, 2003, and 2004. In 2004 he released his second artist album Just Be, which featured his first single Traffic which is the first non-vocal track to reach number one spot in the Dutch national charts for 23 years. Tiësto and Kirsty Hawkshaw's production and single "Just Be" appeared in the Nip / Tuck: Original TV Soundtrack, and "Love Comes Again" was used in a Coca-Cola commercial in Holland. Tiësto's remix of the Kane song "Rain Down on Me" is featured in the game FIFA Football 2004. In support to his Just Be album, he played at Breda, Eindhoven, Utrecht, and Amsterdam, this stops were later named Tiësto - Just Be: Train Tour, this tour was not planned for people to know about it. On May 20, Ascension Day, when he got on the train in his hometown of The Hague to go to Breda, he was honored by the mayor and the citizens, he was then named an officer in the name of the royal family Oranje-Nassau.

Olympics Opening Ceremony

The Athens Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (ATHOC) asked Tiësto to perform at the Olympic Games, making him the first DJ to play live on stage at an Olympic Games at the 2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony in Athens for 90 minutes.

Tiësto flew to Athens in January 2004 to have a meeting with the ATHOC. The reason why they asked him to perform was because of his Tiësto in Concert DVD which caught their attention, he was asked to write more tracks based on his opening tune Adagio for Strings which could fit in with the Olympic spirit and combine the classical with the modern age; They also request him to play his own produced music. The first rehearsal was on Saturday 7, August for an empty stadium, the second rehearsal was on Sunday 8 with 35,000 volunteers, alot of the people recognized some tracks like Traffic and Adagio for Strings. The last rehearsal included almost 60,000 people in the stadium which was on Tuesday 10, there were some technical problems, the mixer broke down, the monitors dropped out a couple of times and the music in the stadium was not continuously on the right volume.

"The opportunity to perform my music for billions of people around the globe will be the greatest highlight of my life, I am honoured to be part of the biggest sports event in the world."

- said Tiësto about the ATHOC.

During the parade on Friday 13, all participating nations introduced their athletes which were over 10,500 in total and 80,000 in the public, only 75,000 knew about dance music. During the course of his performance the Dutch athletes started dancing in front of the DJ booth and had to be moved on by officials. The performance included new tracks produced especially for the Opening Ceremony and songs that were created to compliment the spirit and theme of the Ceremony. A condensed studio-recorded album of the songs played on the Olympic set was later released, including new songs especially composed for the occasion, entitled Parade of the Athletes in October 2004. In the liner notes, he noted the IOC requested to him that the music not contain any lyrics as they could be inadvertently misinterpreted.

Concerts and side work (2005-2006)

In January 6 Tiësto performed in an outdoor fundraiser in De Dam, Amsterdam, the event was free and many famous Dutch artists like Dinand Woesthoff, Bløf, Acda & De Munnik, Di-rect, Berget Lewis, Xander de Buisonjé and Trijntje Oosterhuiswere involved in it to provide financial aid to the people who suffered from the tsunami in Asia. All profits made of all TV commercials and live broadcast were given to the organisations collecting the relief funds. On April 16, 2005, Disneyland Resort Paris who had recently ignaurated the Space Mountain: Mission 2, had invited Tiësto to celebrate the launch of the ride by offering a live concert in Disneyland Park. Tiësto performed a special remix of the Space Mountain: Mission 2 soundtrack, as well as many of his own tracks. Tiësto's Space Mountain: Mission 2 Concert also featured French deejay Bob Sinclar, the park would re-open for Tiësto's fans so they could stay for the 3 hour concert. A sculpture of Tiësto was placed behind a turntable where Madame Tussauds visitors can mix Tiësto's music together with the man himself and he also won and Edison music award in the category Best Dance. The Dutch national soccer competition is the most viewed program on Dutch television, Tiësto is the first potential artist to become an inspiration to the programs directors which created a tune based on his performance in the Olympic Games. The tune "Match of the day" was played in all soccer stadiums before each match when the teams entered the field.

On August 20, 2005 Verwest took "Tiësto in Concert" to the United States when he played to thousands of fans in Los Angeles, California in the Los Angeles Sports Arena. For the second year in a row he performed live at a New Year's Eve/New Year's concert in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Orleans Arena to a sell-out crowd. Despite his four-city American tour being postponed due to the hurricane damage in New Orleans and Miami, playing such cities in the United States further expanded and cemented his popularity among more mainstream audiences. In the fall of 2005 he went on a very successful tour across Central and Eastern Europe where he played once in each country to crowds of 10,000 to 15,000 fans. Stops were made in Ukraine, Slovakia, Serbia, Macedonia, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Croatia, and Poland. Tiësto also performed at the UNITY festival in South Africa where he played a show at the Gallagher Estate Arena in Midrand, a suburb of Johannesburg, to over 18,000 fans. However, the United States tour that was part of "Tiësto in Concert" was dwarfed by his appearance at Sensation White in 2006 where he performed to over 45,000 people in the world's biggest dance event in Amsterdam, Holland. Even this was surpassed later in the same summer where some 250,000 people danced on Ipanema Beach, Brazil, the second largest concert in the history of mankind.

During 2005 he also made a small cameo appearance in the award-winning film It's All Gone Pete Tong as himself. He also contributed the song Goldrush to the PlayStation Portable futuristic racing game Wipeout Pure. BPM (magazine) has an annual poll in the United States which is unveiled in the WMC, in 2005 Tiësto took the No. 1 spot. On March 19, 2006, the Formula 1 circus took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. During the international grand prix Tiësto played with the official Renault F1 team pit party. Tiësto prepared a 5 hour set the Saturday night before the beginning of the race on Sunday. On June 10, 2006 Tiësto gave a free open concert of the Volvo Ocean Race in Rotterdam which lasted 75 minutes.

Walt Disney Pictures released Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and the soundtrack included the song He's a Pirate which Tiësto was asked to remix and produced a trance anthem as well as an orchestral remix with the original orchestral break. The Pirates Remixed contains the Tiësto remix, a Tiësto radio edit. The film opened in theatres nationwide on July 7, and the remix was released on July 4.  The song later became the first single in Tiësto album Elements of Life which was included as a bonus track, the song charted #7 in the Hot Dance Club Play chart of Billboard and #5 in the Netherlands Dutch Top 40.

In September Tiësto is diagnosed with pericardium, subsequently he had to cancel shows.

In April 2006 Tiësto was named the official worldwide ambassador for the Dance4Life foundation promoting awareness of HIV/AIDS. DJ Tiësto, as the foundation's ambassador has helped the organization with fundraising along with recording the track "Dance4life", which marks the beginning of "Elements of Life", his future album at this time. The foundation consists on a better way of living with safe sex in exchange of entertainment to the young crowd. The song charted #1 twice in the Bulgarian Singles Chart and #3 in the Dutch Top 40.

Elements of Life era (2007–present)

On April 6, 2007 Tiësto began presenting a new weekly two-hour radio show called "Tiësto's Club Life" on Dutch radio station Radio 538. XM Satellite Radio in the United States later started broadcasting the show on Channel 81 BPM as part of their "Global Domination" lineup on Saturday nights. The show is broadcast on Radio 538 on Friday nights between 22:00 CET and midnight and on BPM on Saturday nights between 8:00 PM EST and 10:00 PM EST. The first hour is also available as a podcast on the Radio 538 website and on iTunes audio podcasts.

On April 16th, 2007, Tiësto released his fourth studio album Elements of Life, the album moved 72,000 units in its April release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. In support of the album, he embarked on his Elements of Life World Tour. In December 2007 it was announced that the album was nominated for a Grammy Award, in the category "Best Electronic/Dance Album."  In 2007, on his Elements of Life World Tour, which has shows across the world, South and Latin America brought some of the biggest crowds on his January and February South American leg of the tour. On January 7th, he played to an amazing 200,000 people in the streets of Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro.On February 16 2007 he played in India at the Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad. Though this show had a low turn out of only 5000, it was his first show in Asia. Tiësto's performance at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark on November 10, 2007 was also sold out. On Valentine's day 2008, he performed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. On January 10th 2008, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf announced that Tiësto and his 19-year-old girlfriend Stacey Blokzijl are going to get married on October 10 2008. He proposed to her in December 2007 while they were visiting Mauritius. Until early 2006 Verwest had a relationship with the beauty contest winner Monique Spronk. The Elements of Life World Tour DVD was released in a party which was held on February 29th 2008 from 8PM - 3AM in London at the IndigO2 club.

With the successful release of Elements of Life Tiësto and fashion designer Giorgio Armani collaborated together on a limited edition Tiësto T-shirt available at Armani Exchange stores. His single "Sweet Things" comes with the shirt including an exclusive "A|X Remix" by Tom Cloud which shows the great influence Tiësto has in fashion culture. The charity raised over $300,000. Tiësto opened a new club-restaurant acquisition with Chinese cuisine, dance music and live entertainment on June 7, 2007 called Cineac. Tiësto inaugurated with his new Cineac Anthem called "Happy People". Guests are welcome to see various modern styles of music mixed by some known top DJs. It was later renamed "The Mansion".

Streamline Studios, an independent game developer and digital content provider for AAA videogames and Black Hole Recordings have formed Streamline Sound, a joint venture which will provide sound solutions for digital entertainment including the entire catalog of Black Hole's artists. The first work that Streamline Sound has contributed is on the massively multiplayer online role-playing PC game Sword of the New World: Granado Espada with 17 12" tracks, Forza Motorsport 2 which includes Tom Clouds' track Told You So and Hoopworld.

Tiësto and Reebok introduced the new 'Tiësto shoe' in November 2007. The shoebox comes with a special limited-edition Tiësto & Reebok CD, containing the Elements of Life album and the bonus disc. Only 1000 pair units were available for sale in Netherlands. Previously Tiësto & Reebok had released "Run the DJ Tiësto", which consisted of another shoe release with Tiësto as one of the designers. He now owns a line of Reebok RBK shoes and was recently tapped by Microsoft to launch its new Vista operating system for the Dutch market, placing him on par with Robbie Williams, who performed a similar duty in the United Kingdom. The partnership includes a Vista application built especially for Tiësto, which had more than a thousand downloads from his website a day during its first week of availability. It has a Tiësto toolbar for sorting, a plug-in application which allows fans to be informed with the DJ in real-time and get live alerts on gigs, appearances and new music. Tiësto introduced the application at the Jan. 29 Vista launch event in Amsterdam. His last three full-length releases broke the 70,000-unit mark, and 2003 2CD compilation "Nyana" recently hit 87,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

"It's the place to be when it comes to the most crazy and energetic parties"

- said Tiësto.

Tiësto anounced he will be the resident at Priviledge, Ibiza every Monday, starting on the 7th of July until the 22nd of September. The gigs consist of four hour sets in the style of his In Search of Sunrise (series). In 2007 he had released In Search of Sunrise 6: Ibiza which was inspired by the island. The residencies will also feature the performance of guest deejays, all selected by Tiësto, such as Chris Lake, Andy Duguid, Mat-Zo, Cosmic Gate, Alex Kunnari and Sander van Doorn. There will be exclusive appearances by Fonzerelli, and Airbase. In the backroom of Privilege, Riley & Durant will present Electric Playground, supported by Galaxy FM.

In April 28, Tiësto released Elements of Life: Remixed, a recompilation of the Elements of Life album with all songs except "He's A Pirate" being replaced by remixed versions, and "He's A Pirate being replaced by "No More Heroes", a joint production with mute performer trio Blue Man Group. The song is a remake of the song 'Heroes' in his previous album Parade of the Athletes.

In 2008, Tiësto announced his In Search of Sunrise: North American Summer Tour 2008, the tour will be presented by Armani Exchange on May 23rd and ending on July 4 at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival on Friday 13, June and ETD Pop Festival in San Fransisco. This tour is in support of his upcoming In Search of Sunrise (series) compilation, which is part of a sponsorship partnership, with exclusive apparel and a limited edition 3 CD set. An exclusive best of CD from the DJ’s own imprint Black Hole Recordings, called "10 Years of Black Hole Recordings" will be released later in the year. Armani will also sell an exclusive Tiësto branded tour T-shirt, and the artist will perform at three A|X in-stores during the tour. The tour is based on his previoulsy released In Search of Sunrise 6: Ibiza and his upcoming In Search of Sunrise 7: Asia compilation.

DISCOGRAPHY

Albums

During Tiësto's career, he has released three well known albums, after spending years searching for his personal style and working with deejays like Armin van Buuren (as Alibi) and Ferry Corsten (as Gouryella) he decided it was time to focus on his solo work. In 1997 with the help of Arny Bink, co-founder of Black Hole Recordings, Tiësto was able to compile various styles of electronic music like trance, techno and house.  Tiësto decided to create a sub-label, known as Magik Muzik; The label exclusively began releasing his personal work, later on he included the work of other acclaimed artists like Jes Brieden and Phynn. Magik Muzik considers the 2001 anthem "Flight 643", his artist album In My Memory, and tracks from Umek, Mark Norman and Mojado to be the best releases the label has had.

"Everything on Magik Muzik is what you'll find in my sets, which makes it more of my own little project."

- says Tiësto.

In My Memory produced five major hits in Tiësto's career, the album was released from 2001 to 2003. The singles which launched his career were Dallas 4PM, Flight 643, Obsession, Lethal Industry and Suburban Train. A remix album was released later on and it charted #12 in the US Hot Dance Club Play  After becoming the "No. 1 DJ in the world" according to DJMag for three consecutive years, he released in 2004 his second studio album, entitled Just Be. The album contained a number one hit: its single "Traffic" . "Traffic" was the first instrumental track to reach the top spot in his homeland of Holland in 23 years. The album also brought a new trance anthem known as Adagio for Strings, it is a remake of Samuel Barbers classical song Adagio for Strings which was adapted from its original format. By early 2004 Tiësto reached the peak in his career in Europe and had begun releasing his music in the United States and other countries from The Americas. In addition to this, a huge event made the release of the album Parade of the Athletes possible, as it was released worldwide in October 2004, it contains the music from Tiësto's set at the 2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony, and new tracks. Simultaneously, the title song of his Just Be artist album started to climb the lists was heard on the dancefloors everywhere. By the end of the year, he released an unmixed version of Parade of the Athletes, it featured the same tracks in its complete 12" versions.

Tiësto's latest work is his Just Be: Remixed album, which features many great remix hits from the Just Be album. In 2007 it was announced that Tiësto would release a new album, Elements of Life, the album was a great success and has currently released five singles, the album moved 72,000 units in its April release, according to Nielsen SoundScan . The acclaimed Elements of Life World Tour took place after the release of the album and was later on released as a DVD, titled Elements of Life World Tour DVD. His work with Elements of Life is not over yet, Tiësto has compiled a remix from every song of the album, originally dated to be released on January 29, 2008. It was first delayed to March 11, 2008, and later April 28, 2008. A Bonus Disc was only available only through the new digital download site of Black Hole Recordings on April 17.

The following list contains studio albums, remix albums and compilation albums produced by Tiësto:

• In My Memory (2001)
• In My Memory - Remixes (2002)
• Just Be (2004)
• Parade of the Athletes (2004)
• Parade of the Athletes: Unmixed (2004)
• Just Be: Remixed (2006)
• Elements of Life (2007)
• Elements of Life: Remixed (2008)

Compilations

Tiësto is best known for his Magik (series) and his In Search of Sunrise (series), his latest releases are In Search of Sunrise 6: Ibiza and In Search of Sunrise 5: Los Angeles, ISOS6 reached #46 in the Austria Albums Top 75 and ISOS5 reached #59. In 1995 Tiësto released Forbidden Paradise 3: The Quest for Atlantis, there is little known about if there where two other volumes of the Forbidden Paradise (series) but four other volumes were released since the first one. Tiësto has also worked on three "Lost Treasures" compilations, and two "Space Age" DJ mixes.

Tiësto's fame started to rise in the late 1990s after his set at the first ID&T Innercity party (Live at Innercity: Amsterdam RAI), and it continued to skyrocket in the early 2000s following his six-hour "Tiësto Solo" sets which he performed without other DJs or opening acts. He began releasing his magik series on 1997 and ended in 2001. His last three full-length releases broke the 70,000-unit mark, and 2003 2xCD compilation "Nyana" recently hit 87,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

In Search of Sunrise 7: Asia is Tiësto's upcoming compilation mix, It it set to be released on June 10, 2008, and to be followed by a North American Tour during all of June. In 2008, Tiësto announced his In Search of Sunrise: North American Summer Tour 2008, the tour will be presented by Armani Exchange on May 23rd and ending on July 4 at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival on Friday 13, June. This tour is in support of his upcoming In Search of Sunrise (series) compilation, which is part of a sponsorship partnership, with exclusive apparel and a limited edition 3 CD set. An exclusive best of CD from the DJ’s own imprint Black Hole Recordings, called "10 Years of Black Hole Recordings" will be released later in the year. Armani will also sell an exclusive Tiësto branded tour T-shirt, and the artist will perform at three A|X in-stores during the tour.

This list contains compilation albums and DJ mixes produced by Tiësto.

See also: Magik (series) and In Search of Sunrise (series)

From 1990s

• Forbidden Paradise 3: The Quest for Atlantis (1995)
• Forbidden Paradise 4: High as a Kite (1995)
• Forbidden Paradise 5: Arctic Expedition (1996)
• Lost Treasures: Isle of Ra (1996)
• Lost Treasures: Concerto for Sonic Circles (1996)
• Forbidden Paradise 6: Valley of Fire (1996)
• Magik One: First Flight (1997)
• Lost Treasures: Creatures of the Deep (1997)
• Forbidden Paradise 7: Deep Forest (1998)
• Space Age 1.0 (1998)
• Magik Two: Story of the Fall (1998)
• Magik Three: Far from Earth (1998)
• Global Clubbing: The Netherlands (1998)
• Space Age 2.0 (1999)
• Live at Innercity: Amsterdam RAI (1999)
• Magik Four: A New Adventure (1999)
• DJ's For Warchild (1999)
• In Search of Sunrise (1999)

From 2000s

• Magik Five: Heaven Beyond (2000)
• Magik Six: Live in Amsterdam (2000)
• Summerbreeze (2000)
• In Search of Sunrise 2 (2000)
• Revolution (2001)
• Puschkin Presents DJ Tiësto - Exclusive Black Hole Mix 2001 (2001)
• Magik Seven: Live in Los Angeles (2001)
• In Search of Sunrise 3: Panama (2002)
• Nyana (2003)
• World Leader (2003)
• Tiësto presents Magik Muzik (2004)
• Perfect Remixes Vol. 3 (2005)
• In Search of Sunrise 4: Latin America (2005)
• In Search of Sunrise 5: Los Angeles (2006)
• In Search of Sunrise 6: Ibiza (2007)
• In Search of Sunrise 7: Asia (2008)

Singles

This list contains singles by Tiësto, his aliases and co-productions, it does not contain singles which were remixed; For remixed singles look at Remixes section.

From 1990s

• 1994 "Extacy"
• 1994 "Spiritual Wipe Out" (as Da Joker)
• 1994 "Arabsession" (as DJ Limited)
• 1994 "In the Ghetto" (as Da Joker)
• 1994 "Trip To Heaven" (as T-Scanner)
• 1995 "The Kiss" (as DJ Yves & DJ Maikel)
• 1995 "666" (as Glycerine)
• 1995 "Porpoise" (as West & Storm)
• 1995 "In My Heart" (as Paradise In Dubs)
• 1995 "Knights of Hardcore" (as Hard Target)
• 1996 "Combat EP" (as DJ Yves & DJ Maikel)
• 1996 "Second Game" (as Tom Ace)
• 1996 "The Tube"
• 1996 "Blackspin" (as Passenger)
• 1996 "Mothaf**ka" (as Two Deejays)
• 1996 "Dans La Boîte" (as West & Storm)
• 1996 "When I Was A Sperm" (as TB X-press)
• 1997 "Blaze of Night" (as Hammock Brothers)
• 1997 "Gimme Some Sugar / Bleckentrommel" (as Tiësto, Montana & Storm)
• 1997 "Final Majority" (as Main Men)
• 1998 "Our Love" (as Roze)
• 1998 "Small Town Boy / Above The Clouds" (as Andante)
• 1998 "Never Enough" (as Clear View)
• 1998 "Subspace Interference" (as Control Freaks)
• 1998 "When She Left" (as Allure)
• 1998 "Flying Squirrel Problem" (as Drumfire)
• 1998 "E-Mocean" (as DJ Misja)
• 1998 "Endless Wave" (as Kamaya Painters)
• 1998 "Gouryella" (as Gouryella)
• 1999 "Rejected" (as Allure)
• 1999 "Sparkles"
• 1999 "Far From Over" (as Kamaya Painters)
• 1999 "Mirror" (as Stray Dog)
• 1999 "Walhalla" (as Gouryella)
• 1999 "Theme from Norefjell"
• 1999 "We Came" (as Vimana)
• 1999 "Lethal Industry"

From 2000s

• 2000 "Dreamtime" (as Vimana)
• 2000 "Tenshi" (as Gouryella)
• 2000 "Eternity" (as "Alibi")
• 2000 "Wonder? / Wonder Where You Are?" (as Major League)
• 2000 "No More Tears" (as Allure)
• 2000 "Wasteland" (as Kamaya Painters)
• 2000 "We Ran at Dawn" (as Allure)
• 2001 "Summerbreeze" (as Kamaya Painters)
• 2001 "Battleship Grey" (Feat. Kirsty Hawkshaw)
• 2001 "Groovy Traxxx Number Two" (as Main Men)
• 2001 "Suburban Train"
• 2001 "Urban Train"
• 2001 "Flight 643"
• 2002 "We Came" (with Ferry Corsten)
• 2002 "643 (Love's on Fire) (feat. Suzanne Palmer)
• 2002 "Obsession" (with Junkie XL)
• 2002 "In My Memory" (feat. Nicola Hitchcock)
• 2002 "Magik Journey"
• 2003 "Traffic"
• 2004 "Love Comes Again" (feat. BT)
• 2004 "Just Be" (feat. Kirsty Hawkshaw)
• 2004 "Dallas 4pm"
• 2005 "Adagio for Strings"
• 2005 "UR/A Tear in the Open" (feat. Matt Hales)
• 2005 "The Loves We Lost" (as Allure)
• 2006 "Dance4life" (feat. Maxi Jazz)
• 2007 "In the Dark" (feat. Christian Burns)
• 2007 "Break My Fall" (feat. BT)
• 2007 "Sweet Things" (feat. Charlotte Martin)
• 2008 "Somewhere Inside" (as Allure)

B-sides

This list contains B-Sides, produced by Tiësto, his aliases and co-productions.

• 1994 Getting Bored B-Side of "Spiritual Wipeout" (as Da Joker)
• 1994 Willow B-Side of "Spiritual Wipeout" (as Da Joker)
• 1994 Expanded B-Side of "Trip To Heaven" (as T-Scanner)
• 1994 Sunday Afternoon B-Side of "Trip To Heaven" (as T-Scanner)
• 1995 Get Up Our Dicks B-Side of "In The Ghettto" (as Da Joker)
• 1995 Speed Up San Francisco B-Side of "In The Ghetto" (as Da Joker)
• 1995 Come In Trance B-Side of "In My Heart" (as Paradise In Dubs)
• 1995 The Rich B-Side of "In My Heart" (as Paradise In Dubs)
• 1995 Bust It B-Side of "The Kiss" (as DJ Yves & Maikel)
• 1995 Eat A Dick B-Side of "The Kiss" (as DJ Yves & Maikel)
• 1995 I Came B-Side of "Combat" (as DJ Yves & Maikel)
• 1995 Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em B-Side of "Combat" (as DJ Yves & Maikel)
• 1995 Back 2 Basic B-Side of "Porpoise" (as West & Storm)
• 1995 Resonance B-Side of "Porpoise" (as West & Storm)
• 1995 Dans La Boite (DJ Tiësto Mix) B-Side of "Sunday Morning" (as West & Storm)
• 1995 Blue Memories B-Side of "Sunday Morning" (as West & Storm)
• 1995 Wicked B-Side of "Kinghts of Hardcore" (as Hard Target)
• 1995 Acid Thunder B-Side of "Kinghts of Hardcore" (as Hard Target)
• 1996 Fifi D'Lamboughino B-Side of "When I Was A Sperm" (as TB X-Press)
• 1996 Ooasis B-Side of "When I Was A Sperm" (as TB X-Press)
• 1996 F.A.H. B-Side of "Blackspin" (as Passenger)
• 1996 Get Down B-Side of "Real Mothafucka" (as Two Deejays)
• 1996 Da Robbery B-Side of "Real Mothafucka" (as Two Deejays)
• 1996 I'm Ready B-Side of "Second Game" (as Tom Ace)
• 1996 Spirit In My Soul B-Side of "666" (as Glycerine)
• 1996 Once Again B-Side of "666" (as Glycerine)
• 1996 I Wanna Be High B-Side of "Second Game" (as Tom Ace)
• 1996 Shandar B-Side of "The Tube"
• 1996 Long Way Home B-Side of "The Tube"

• 1997 Bleckentrommel B-Side of "Gimme Some Sugar" (as Tiësto, Montana & Storm)
• 1997 Proceed B-Side of "Final Majority" (as Main Men)
• 1997 Rejuvenation B-Side of "Final Majority" (as Main Men)
• 1998 Above The Clouds B-Side of "Small Town Boy" (as Andante)
• 1998 Gorella B-Side of "Gouryella" (as Gouryella)
• 1998 Cry For Love B-Side of "Never Enough" (as Clear View)
• 1998 Earth B-Side of "Blaze of Night" (as Hammock Brothers)
• 1998 Dwell Out In B-Side of "Blaze of Night" (as Hammock Brothers)
• 1998 Northern Spirit B-Side of "Endless Wave" (as Kamaya Painters)
• 1998 Outstream B-Side of "Endless Wave" (as Kamaya Painters)
• 1999 In Walhalla B-Side of "Walhalla" (as Gouryella)
• 1999 Cryptomnesia B-Side of "Far From Over" (as Kamaya Painters)
• 1999 Soft Light B-Side of "Far From Over" (as Kamaya Painters)
• 1999 When She Left B-Side of "Rejected" (as Allure), previously released as a single
• 2000 No More Tears B-Side of "We Ran At Dawn" (as Allure), previously released as a single
• 2000 Summerbreeze B-Side of "Wasteland" (as Kamaya Painters)
• 2001 Suburban Train B-Side of "Lethal Industry"
• 2001 Urban Train B-Side of "Suburban Train"
• 2001 Wonder Where You Are? B-Side of "Wonder" (as Major League)
• 2001 Flight 643 B-Side of "Urban Train", later released as an A-Side single
• 2002 Dreamtime B-Side of "We Came", (with Ferry Corsten)
• 2004 Magik Journey B-Side of "Dallas 4PM"
• 2004 Ancient History B-Side of "Just Be"
• 2004 Traffic B-side of "Love Comes Again", previously released as an A-Side single
• 2005 A Tear In The Open B-Side of "UR"
• 2006 Flight 643 B-Side of "Lethal Industry"

Music videos

This list contains official music videos by Tiësto, his aliases, co-productions and remixes.

• 1999 "Sparkles"
• 2001 "Flight 643"
• 2001 "Suburban Train/Urban Train"
• 2002 "Lethal Industry"
• 2004 "Love Comes Again"
• 2003 "Traffic"
• 2003 "Rain Down On Me (Tiësto Remix)"
• 2003 "Nyana"
• 2004 "Just Be"

• 2005 "Adagio for Strings"
• 2006 "He's A Pirate (Tiësto Remix)"
• 2006 "TV Commercial of Dance4Life"
• 2006 "Dance4life"
• 2007 "TV Commercial of Elements of Life"
• 2007 "In the Dark"
• 2007 "TV Commercial of In Search of Sunrise 6: Ibiza"
• 2007 "Break My Fall"
• 2008 "Ride (Tiësto Radio Edit)"

Live albums

• 1999 DJ Tiësto Live at Innercity: Amsterdam RAI
• 2003 We Can Not Get Enough! Dance Valley #9

Video albums

• 1999 DJ Tiësto Live at Innercity: Amsterdam RAI (VHS) #71 Dutch Charts
• 2001 Underground Trance - Special Appearance & Magikal Remake By Tiësto (DVD + 2 CD)
• 2003 Another Day at the Office (DVD)
• 2003 We Can Not Get Enough! Dance Valley #9
• 2003 Tiësto In Concert (2xDVD)
• 2004 Tiësto in Concert 2 (2xDVD)
• 2008 Elements of Life World Tour DVD (DVD & Blu-ray) #40 Germany Albums Top 50

Tribute albums

• 2005 Best & New 2005
• 2008 Tiësto: iTunes Essentials
• 2008 10 Years of Black Hole Recordings expected release

Remixes

This list contains remixes by Tiësto, his aliases and co-productions.

• 2008 Cary Brothers - Ride (Tiësto Extended Remix)
• 2008 Cary Brothers - Ride (Tiësto Radio Edit)
• 2008 Tiësto - Carpe Noctum (Fire Element Mix)
• 2008 Tiësto Feat. Maxi Jazz - Dance4life (Freedom Mix)
• 2007 Britney Spears - Piece Of Me (Tiësto Club Mix)
• 2007 Britney Spears - Piece Of Me (Tiësto Dub)
• 2007 Britney Spears - Piece Of Me (Tiësto Radio Edit)
• 2007 Seal - The Right Life (Tiësto Remix Edit)
• 2007 Seal - The Right Life (Tiësto Remix)
• 2007 Tegan and Sara - Back In Your Head (Tiësto Remix Edit)
• 2007 Tegan and Sara - Back In Your Head (Tiësto Remix)
• 2007 Justin Timberlake - LoveStoned/I Think She Knows (Tiësto Remix)
• 2007 JES - Imagination (Tiësto Remix)
• 2007 Imogen Heap - Hide & Seek (Tiësto In Search of Sunrise Remix)
• 2007 Snow Patrol - Open Your Eyes (Tiësto Remix)
• 2007 Tiësto Feat. Christian Burns - In the Dark (Tiësto's Trance Mix)
• 2006 José González - Crosses (Tiësto Remix)
• 2006 Tiësto Feat. Maxi Jazz - Dance4life (Slow Mix)
• 2006 Klaus Badelt – He's a Pirate (Tiësto Remix)
• 2006 Klaus Badelt – He's a Pirate (Tiësto Orchestral Mix)
• 2006 Klaus Badelt – He's a Pirate (Tiësto Radio Edit Remix)
• 2005 Michael Giacchino - Mission 2 (Tiësto Remix)
• 2004 BT Feat JC Chasez– The Force of Gravity (Tiësto Remix)
• 2004 Tiësto Feat. Kirsty Hawkshaw - Walking On Clouds (Instrumental Mix)
• 2004 Cirque Du Soleil – Mer Noire (Tiësto Remix)
• 2003 Cor Fijneman – Venus (Meant to Be Your Lover) (Tiësto Remix)
• 2003 Hampshire & Nysse – Eternal Voices (Tiësto’s Alternative Breaks Mix)
• 2003 Kane – Rain Down on Me (Tiësto Instrumental Mix)
• 2003 Kane – Rain Down on Me (Tiësto Vocal Mix)
• 2003 Madonna – Die Another Day (Tiësto Dedicated Remix)
• 2003 Radiohead – Street Spirit (Tiësto Remix)
• 2003 Skin – Faithfulness (Tiësto Instrumental Mix)
• 2003 Skin – Faithfulness (Tiësto Remix)
• 2002 Conjure One – Tears from the Moon (DJ Tiësto's In Search of Sunrise Remix)
• 2002 Junkie XL – Breezer (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2002 Kosheen – Hungry (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2002 Lost Witness – Did I Dream (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2002 Mauro Picotto – Pulsar 2002 (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2002 Moby – Extreme Ways (DJ Tiësto's Instrumental Mix)
• 2002 Moby – Extreme Ways (DJ Tiësto's Vocal Mix)
• 2002 Moby – We Are All Made of Stars (DJ Tiësto's Dub Mix)
• 2002 Moby – We Are All Made of Stars (DJ Tiësto's Full Vocal Mix)
• 2002 Elvis Presley - Burning Love (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2002 Paul Oakenfold – Southern Sun (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2002 Saint Etienne – Action (DJ Tiësto Remix)

• 2002 Saint Etienne – Action (DJ Tiësto Instrumental Remix)
• 2002 Svenson & Gielen – We Know What You Did (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2002 Roc Project – Never (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2002 Umek – Gatex (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2001 Abnea – Velvet Moods (DJ Tiësto In Search Of Sunrise Remix)
• 2001 Coast 2 Coast – Home (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2001 Dave Matthews Band – The Space Between (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2001 Delerium – Innocente (DJ Tiësto In Search Of Sunrise Remix)
• 2001 DuMonde – Never Look Back (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2001 Faithless – Tarantula (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2001 Jan Johnston – Flesh (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2001 Kid Vicious – Re-Form (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2001 Motorcraft – When Time Will Come (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2001 Schiller – Das Glockenspiel (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2001 Tiësto - Magik Journey (Tiësto's Old School Trance Mix)
• 2000 Aria – Willow (DJ Tiësto's Magikal Remake)
• 2000 Delerium – Silence (DJ Tiësto's In Search of Sunrise Edit)
• 2000 Delerium – Silence (DJ Tiësto's In Search of Sunrise Remix)
• 2000 DJ Jan – Blaxo (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2000 E.V.O. – The Sound of The Drums (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2000 Goldenscan – Sunrise (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2000 Green Court – Shining (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2000 Jaimy & Kenny D – Caught Me Running (DJ Tiësto's Summerbreeze Mix)
• 2000 Lunatic Asylum – Cabal (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2000 Sarah McLachlan – Sweet Surrender (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2000 SuReal – You Take My Breathe Away (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 2000 SuReal - You Take My Breathe Away (DJ Tiësto Instrumental Mix)
• 2000 Yahel – Open Your Mind (DJ Tiësto's Magikal Remake)
• 2000 Yahel – Voyage (DJ Tiësto's Magikal Remake)
• 2000 Yahel & Miss T– Going Up (DJ Tiësto's Magikal Remake)
• 1999 Airscape – L'esperanza (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 1999 Balearic Bill – Destination Sunshine (DJ Tiësto Dub)
• 1999 Balearic Bill – Destination Sunshine (DJ Tiësto Power Mix)
• 1999 Binary Finary – 1999 (Gouryella Remix)
• 1999 BT – Dreaming (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 1999 Moontribe – Dance of the Seventh Hill (DJ Tiësto's Power Dub)
• 1999 Scoop – Wings of Love (Magikal Remake)
• 1999 Signum – Coming on Strong (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 1999 Subtle By Design – Sirius (DJ Tiësto Remix)
• 1999 Topazz - New Millennium (Control Freaks Remix)
• 1998 Rene & Da Groove – You're So Beautiful (DJ Tiësto & Montana Beautiful Remix)
• 1998 Hybrid – Airless (DJ Tiësto's Magikal Remake)
• 1998 Nickelson – Aquaphonic (DJ Tiësto & DJ Kim Remix)
• 1998 The MacKenzie – Innocence (DJ Tiësto's Magikal Remake)
• 1995 West & Storm - Dans La Boîte (DJ Tiësto Mix)

Co-production

This list contains the names of the co-productions with Tiësto and other artists.

• "A3" (with DJ Montana)
• "Alibi" (with Armin van Buuren)
• "Andante" (with Arny Blink)
• "Clear View" (with Greg 'Storm' van 's Gravesande)
• "Control Freaks" (with Benno De Goeij and Piet Bervoets)
• "DJ Limited" (with Rob Verhoeven)
• "DJ Misja" (with Misja Helsloot)
• "DJ Yves & DJ Maikel" (with Yves Vandichel and Maikel van 't Hof)
• "Glycerine" (with Yves Vandichel)
• "Gouryella" (with Ferry Corsten)
• "Hammock Brothers" (with Cor Fijneman and Roland Kramer)
• "Hard Target" (with Greg Storm van's Gravesende)

• "Jedidja" (with Dennis Waakop Reijers)
• "Kamaya Painters" (with Benno De Goeij)
• "Main Men" (with Piet Bervoets)
• "Major League" (with Armin van Buuren)
• "T-Scanner" (with Greg 'Storm' van 's Gravesande)
• "Taxigirl" (with Dennis Waakop Reijers)
• "TB X-Press" (with Bjorn Wendelen)
• "Tiësto, Montana & Storm" (with DJ Montana & DJ Storm)
• "Two Deejays" (with Yves Vandichel and Maikel van 't Hof)
• "Vimana" (with Ferry Corsten) (Singles)
• "West & Storm" (with Greg 'Storm' van 's Gravesande)

Instruments

This list contains some intruments Tiësto used during the production of his first two studio albums In My Memory and Just Be, they were also used in his concerts according to an interview with Kylee Swenson of Night Shift.

Access Virus B, Virus C Synths
Akai MPC3000X
Akai S6000 samplers (2)
Alesis Andromeda A6 Synth
E-mu Vintage Pro, Proteus 2000 synths
Intel Pentium 4/3.2 GHz w/1,024 MB RAM
Korg Triton synth
KRK 8000-series monitors
Lexicon 480 rackmount reverb
Linn Electronics LinnDrum drum machine
Moog Music Minimoog Voyager synth
Pioneer CDJ-1000 CD Turntable

Pioneer DJM-600 mixer
Roland Alpha Juno 2, JD-900, JP-8000, JP-8080(2), MKS-80, XP-80, XP-3080 synths
Roland SDE-3000 digital delay
Roland TR-909 drum machine
Sony DMX-R100 48-channel digital console
Steinberg Cubase SX 2.0 software
TC Electronic M-One rackmount reverb
Technics SL-1200MK2 turntables (2)
Waldorf MircoWaveXT sound module
Yamaha CS6x, CS6R, FS1R synths
Yamaha MSS1 SMPTE/MTC converter

This list contains intruments Tiësto, Geert Huinink and Tom Pearce use in their Streamline Sound studio.

Yamaha 02R series II custom with AES/EBU and ADAT console
Stereo/Surround FL-FR JBL4435 monitoring
Surround RL-RR JBL4430 monitoring
Surround Centre JBL4425 monitoring
Surround LFE JBL4435 monitoring secondary as mono block
Computer system Apple / PC recording
Software Digidesign ProTools Bias Peak
Software Digidesign ProTools Roxio Jam
Focusrite outboard
Roland software plug in
Neumann microphone

Røde microphone
Beyer Dynamic microphone
Shure microphone
Sennheiser microphone
Oberheim synth
Roland synth
Korg synth
Kurzweil synth
Akai plus Native Instruments synth
Spectrasonics software synthesisers

List of Tiësto awards

Tiësto was the first DJ to hold DJ Magazine's "No. 1. DJ in the World" title for the three consecutive years: in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Other honours include countless national and international best DJ awards, being named Officer of the "Order of Orange-Nassau" by the Dutch Royalty, and being voted by the Dutch people as their 40th greatest citizen of all time. In 2007, he was awarded with the national dutch prize of the Golden Harp.

Awards

• 2000 DJMag Top 100 DJ Ranking: 24th (debut)
• 2001 DJMag Top 100 DJ Ranking: 6th
• 2002 Zilveren Harp Music Award
• 2002 Lucky Strike Dance Award
• 2002 DJMag Top 100 DJ Ranking: 1st
• 2002 Dutch Popprijs
• 2003 World Dancestar Award U.S.A.: Best International DJ
• 2003 ID&T Dutch DJ Award: Best Dutch DJ by professional jury
• 2003 ID&T Dutch DJ Award: Best Dutch DJ by audience
• 2003 Radio 538 Dance Award: Radio 538 Dutch Audience Edison
• 2003 TMF Award Holland: Best Dance Act National
• 2003 TMF Award Holland: Best National DJ
• 2003 TMF Award Belgium: Best Dance International
• 2003 MTV Europe Music Awards: Best Dutch Act
• 2003 BG Magazine Award: Best Club/Trance/Hardhouse DJ
• 2003 Mixmag Award: Best Resident Ibiza
• 2003 DJMag Top 100 DJ Ranking: 1st
• 2004 ID&T Dutch DJ Award: Best Dutch DJ by audience
• 2004 Buma/Stemra Sound of Silence Award
• 2004 TMF Award Belgium: Best International DJ
• 2004 World Music Award: World's best selling Dutch artist
• 2004 Ibiza DJ Award: Best International DJ Trance
• 2004 TMF Award Holland: Best National DJ
• 2004 TMF Award Holland: Best Dance Act National
• 2004 WMC Awards Miami: Best International DJ
• 2004 DJUK awards: best DJ
• 2004 DJMag Top 100 DJ Ranking: 1st
• 2005 3 FM Award: Best Dance Artist
• 2005 Release Dance Award: Best Trance/Progressive artist
• 2005 Release Dance Award: Best International DJ
• 2005 TMF Belgium: Best International DJ
• 2005 Dance Music Award Germany: Best Trance Artist
• 2005 WMC Awards Miami: Best Producer
• 2005 WMC Awards Miami: Best Hi-NRG / Euro track
• 2005 WMC Awards Miami: The Ortofon Best European DJ 2004
• 2005 WMC Awards Miami: Best Producer 2004
• 2005 TMF Award Holland: Best Dance National
• 2005 TMF Award Holland: Radio 538 single of the year
• 2005 TMF Award Holland: Lifetime Achievement
• 2005 Edison Music Award: Best dance album – Just Be
• 2005 DJMag Top 100 DJ Ranking: 2nd
• 2006 TMF Awards Belgium: Award for Lifetime achievement
• 2006 TMF Awards Belgium: Best Dance
• 2006 TMF Awards Belgium: Best remixer
• 2006 3 FM Awards: Best Dance Artist
• 2006 Canadian Golden Award (Tësto In Concert 2 DVD)
• 2006 DJMag Top 100 DJ Ranking: 3rd
• 2007 WMC Awards Miami: Best Progressive House/Trance Track (Dance 4 Life)
• 2007 WMC Awards Miami: Best Ortofon Global DJ 2006
• 2007 WMC Awards Miami: Best Full Length DJ Mix CD (In Search of Sunrise VOL.5)
• 2007 Radio 3FM Awards: Best Dance artist
• 2007 DJMag Top 100 DJ Ranking: 2nd
• 2008 BUMA golden harp award 2007
• 2008 Dutch BUMA export award
• 2008 WMC Awards Miami: Best Global DJ
• 2008 WMC Awards Miami: Best Full Length DJ Mix CD (In Search of Sunrise VOL.6)
• 2008 Beatport Music Awards: 2nd Best Trance Artist

Nominations

• 2002 Best Progressive DJ at the DJ Awards
• 2004 Best Trance DJ at the DJ Awards
• 2005 Best Trance DJ at the DJ Awards
• 2006 Best Trance DJ at the DJ Awards
• 2007 Best Dutch & Belgian Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007
• 2007 Best Dance at the TMF Awards
• 2008 Best Electronic/Dance Album at Grammy Awards for Elements of Life
• 2008 WMC Awards Miami: Best European DJ
• 2008 WMC Awards Miami: Best Producer
• 2008 WMC Awards Miami: Best Global Dance Record Label (Black Hole Recordings)

External links

• Official website
• Tiësto at MySpace
• Tiësto at Discogs
• Tiësto at the Internet Movie Database
• Tiësto discography at MusicBrainz
• Tiësto at Allmusic

Aylar Dianati Lie (Persian: آیلار دیانتی لی), born February 12, 1984 as Sharareh in Tehran, Iran; has gained celebrity status in Norway as a model and former pornographic actress.

Career

Aylar arrived in Norway as a two-year-old and was raised by Norwegian foster parents. She speaks Persian and Norwegian fluently, and some English.

In December 2004, Lie claimed to have had a sexual encounter with Robbie Williams. The claim was dismissed as false by Williams and his agents.

Aylar Lie contested at the Miss Norway pageant in 2004 but was disqualified from the contest when it was found she had appeared in pornographic movies. Remark: Candidates to the peagant must not have been pictured naked in a commercial production or publication.

In 2005, she participated in Big Brother (Sweden vs. Norway).

 She is a friend of swedish glamour models Marie Plosjö, Natacha Peyre and Elita Löfblad which all also appeared in her "Team Aylar" and in Lies documentary Aylar - Ett År I Rampelyset. Elita and Aylar met for the first time inside the Big Brother house in 2005 as they were both contestants on the show.

Her plans for 2006 included the promotion of her hand-picked team of models, called Team Aylar. The members of Team Aylar currently include: Elita Löfblad, Natacha Peyre, Marie Plosjö Charlotte Fredriksen, Linn Irene (Linni) Meister, Cathrine Aschim and Lisa Marie Winther. Aylar later kicked Meister out, due to her homemade pornographic movie with her former boyfriend Kristian Hilberg, which became public on the internet.

In 2006 she released a single, which was a cover of Sabrina's "Boys (Summertime Love)" hit from 1987. She also stars in the Basshunter video for the song "Now You're Gone".

Personal life

In January 2008, it was reported that Lie "can't return to her homeland because of death threats over her X-rated past". In 2008 she was granted an Iranian visa with Norwegian citizenship.^{[citation needed]}

ABOUT AYLAR: [RETRIVED FROM HER WEB SITE]

Aylar was born in Tehran, Iran in 1984, and came to Norway at the age of three. Due to a turbulent domestic situation she was taken away from her parents and grew up in foster care.

  All tough she moved from Iran at an early age, she has always felt strong ties to her Persian roots and great love for her foster parents as well as her biological parents.

Youth

Aylar has since she was a child always been interested in entertaining and performing such as singing and dancing. As a teenager she was member of several popular dance crews in Oslo, and enjoyed live performances.

At the age of 16 she was invited to Iran on holiday by her biological father. Her father had nearly lost contact with her, him living abroad in Iran. What started out as a short vacation in Iran to regain lost family ties, turned out to be a nightmare; she was kept back in Iran against her will for nearly two years.

After finally managing to escape out of Iran and back to Norway, a time of desperation started emerge.                                                  

She wanted to trace her roots, and this time regaining her lost contact with her biological mother in the US.

This decision was to change Aylar’s life for good.

Coming to the US after two years of suppression in Iran was not an easy transaction.

A time of desperation in Iran was to be prolonged in the US, and within a two month period, Aylar was plunged into a world dominated by drugs, pornography and abuse.

After nearly an overdose on drugs, she finally understood that the time had come to change her life if she wanted to stay alive. She returned back to Norway, seeking medical care and feeling the safety of her foster parents.

2004-2006

After medical treatment and gaining her self confident, she decided to enter the Miss Norway (Frøken Norge) pageant in the summer of 2004.

With her growing success in the competition, rumours started to spread about her past. Just as she made it among the top 10 finalists, the media got hold of the proof of her participation in adult entertainment which led to her being disqualified.

This was the first time the Miss Norway pageant had experienced such an event, and Aylar and her life story got an enormous media coverage.

Her disqualification and past being exposed in the media was an enormous personal setback.

Her dream of being a model combined with her experience from the US made it easy to enter the world of glamour modelling.

Within a very short period Aylar decided to get breast implants, and created the concept of her self as “Aylar” and brought together a team of beautiful and talented models in her “Team Aylar”. Soon she went on to quintessential of the word “glamour model” in Norway.

After dominating popular media in Norway by being one of the most interesting names of 2005 she finally wanted to take a step onwards, leaving the world of glamour and tabloids.

In 2005 she decided to remove her breast implants, and put the role of being a national tease on the shelf.

By the summer of 2006 she had made a cover song of the popular eighties pop song “Boys Boys Boys” and sold out six times platinum. What originally was supposed to be a summer gig, turned out to wet her appetite for following her dream of being an artist.

Today

Aylar is still on of the most popular figures in Norwegian media. She is without doubt the most debated and interesting persons on the scene, and she is currently using her popularity to strengthen her music carrier while she is working on her self biography that will come out this fall.

References

• Basshunter babe Aylar Lie can't return to Iran because of death threats over her X-rated past and videos | The Sun |HomePage|Showbiz|Bizarre
• Nettavisen article on Robbie Williams response to Lie's allegations
• http://pub.tv2.no/nettavisen/side2/kjendis/article462121.ece 
• http://pub.tv2.no/nettavisen/english/article267959.ece 
• http://pub.tv2.no/nettavisen/english/article267959.ece 

Cordozar Calvin Broadus, Jr. (born October 20, 1972), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as an MC in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of producer Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. His catch phrase is "-izzle," a style of slang invented by Frankie Smith and The Gap Band in the early eighties, and popularized in part by fellow rapper E-40.

His mother nicknamed him "Snoopy" as a child because of the way he dressed and because of his love of the cartoon Peanuts; he took the stage name Snoop Doggy Dogg when he began recording. He changed his name to Snoop Dogg in 1998, when he left his original record label Death Row Records and signed with No Limit Records.

Biography

Early life

Snoop Dogg was born in Long Beach, California, the son of Beverly Tate and Vernell Varnado, who was a singer and postal worker. Snoop Dogg began performing at an early age in Golgotha Trinity Baptist Church church and began rapping in sixth grade. He was playing piano at age five and doing plays. He credits this experience with helping him be comfortable performing in front of people and losing stage fright. Snoop Dogg attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School, and was later convicted for cocaine trafficking and served six month at the Wayside County Jail,(Snoop mentioned in his reality show, "Snoop Dogg's Father Hood", that his uncle was influential in his family moving to Los Angeles from Southern Mississippi, proving the rarely mentioned rumor that he was originally from there). Snoop Dogg was a member of a local Crips gang in Long Beach. Snoop Dogg's conviction caused him to be in and out of prison for the first three years after he graduated from high school. Snoop thus followed up on the homemade rap tapes that he had made with his cousin Nate Dogg and best friend Warren G (stepbrother of Dr. Dre of N.W.A). Originally, Snoop's and Nate's cousin Lil' 1/2 Dead was also part of the group, called 213, named after the Long Beach area code at the time. This was largely in homage to Richie Rich's group 415, which was named for the (then) area code of Oakland, California (now the area code of San Francisco and its northern neighbor Marin County). One of his early solo freestyle over En Vogue's "Hold on" had made it to a mixtape, which was heard by Dr. Dre, who phoned to invite him to an audition. Former N.W.A member The D.O.C. taught him how to structure his lyrics and separate the thematics into verses, hooks and chorus . Several of his cousins also became hip hop artists and Aftermath collaborators, including RBX, Joe Cool, and his cousins, Nate Dogg and Daz Dillinger. He's also the nephew of Soul/Gospel singer Willie Norwood and cousin of his R&B singing children Ray J and Brandy and he recently released "Smokin Trees" with Ray J and a duet with Brandy was pre-recorded for Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, but was not part of the album.

Death Row Records Years (1992-98)

Dr. Dre began collaborating with Snoop Dogg, first on the theme song of the feature film Deep Cover, and then on Dr. Dre's debut solo album The Chronic with the other members of his former starting group, Tha Dogg Pound. Snoop Dogg's contribution to The Chronic was considerable; the rapper's rhymes were as present as Dr. Dre's. The huge success of Snoop Dogg's debut Doggystyle was partially due to this intense exposure.

While recording Doggystyle with Dr. Dre in August 1993, Snoop Dogg was arrested in connection with the death of Phillip Woldermarian, a member of a rival gang who was fired at and killed in a gang fight. Snoop Dogg was defended by David Kenner, with his bodyguard McKinley Lee, while Sean Abrams (accompanying member in the jeep) was defended by Johnnie Cochran. Both Snoop Dogg and McKinley Lee were acquitted; Lee was acquitted on grounds of self-defense, but Snoop Dogg remained entangled in the legal battles around the case for three years. His video "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" with Tupac Shakur chronicled the difficulties each rapper was dealing with as a result of their unrelated but concurrent criminal prosecutions.

The Doggystyle album was released in November 1993 on Death Row Records and became the first debut album ever to enter the charts at #1, helping to fuel the ascendance of West Coast "g-funk" rap. The singles "Who Am I (What's My Name)?" and "Gin and Juice" reached the top ten most-played songs in the United States, and the album stayed on the Billboard charts for several months. Gangsta rap became the center of arguments for censorship and labeling, with Snoop Dogg often used as an example of violent and misogynistic musicians.

Doggystyle, much like The Chronic, featured a host of rappers signed to or affiliated with the Death Row label including Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, Nate Dogg and others. In 1995 Snoop Dogg and the Dogg Pound were featured on the Los Angeles Based hip-hop show "Street Vibe '95".

A short film about Snoop Dogg's murder trial called Murder Was the Case, was released in 1994, along with an accompanying soundtrack. However, by the time Snoop Dogg's second album, Tha Doggfather, was released in November 1996, the price of imitating (or sometimes just living) the "gangsta" life had become very evident. Among the many notable rap industry deaths and convictions were the death of Snoop Dogg's friend and label-mate Tupac Shakur and the racketeering indictment of Death Row co-founder Suge Knight. Dr. Dre had left Death Row earlier in 1996 due to a contract dispute, so Snoop Dogg co-produced Tha Doggfather with Daz Dillinger and DJ Pooh.

This album featured a distinct change of style as compared to Doggystyle. While the album sold reasonably well, it was not as successful, and it was widely believed that its quality suffered from Dr. Dre's lack of involvement. However, Tha Doggfather had a somewhat softer approach to the G-funk style, and Snoop Dogg used a less energetic and more charismatic type of rhyming style, which would be more widely incorporated and exercised later on in his career.

In the immediate aftermath of Dr. Dre's withdrawal from Death Row Records, realizing that he was subject to an iron clad time-based contract (i.e., that Death Row practically owned anything he produced for a number of years), Snoop Dogg refused to produce any more tracks for Suge Knight, other than the insulting "Fuck Death Row", until his contract expired.

No Limit (1998-2003)

Upon leaving Death Row Records Snoop was approached by a number of record labels. He eventually signed a contract with Master P's No Limit Records. No Limit was quite popular at the time, as Southern Hip Hop was going through a revival and beginning to dominate the charts in a way which had not been seen since Florida rap dominated the charts in the early 1990s, thanks to 2 Live Crew and Luke. Snoop shortened his name from Snoop Doggy Dogg to Snoop Dogg, and received a great deal of criticism for signing to the label.

Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told was the first album Snoop released at No Limit released in 1998. It received negative reviews, yet still sold well. Snoop put his stamp of the now ubiquitous "Dirty South" sound on this album. Similar to the group focus of Death Row Records, many other No Limit Records artists appeared on the album, and it was produced mostly in-house by Beats By The Pound. Snoop's next effort, No Limit Top Dogg, released in 1999, would re-unite Snoop with his mentor Dr. Dre for some highlight tracks and see a return to the G-funk style of his Death Row days; it proved to be a success in both ratings and sales, as the album embraced both old and new styles of West Coast hip hop along with assorted guests from the No Limit roster. Snoop Dogg followed this up with his last album on No Limit Records 2000's Tha Last Meal, which built upon the mixture of styles on No Limit. He also collaborated again with his old friends Nate Dogg and Warren G as part of 213. They released an album The Hard Way in 2004, which featured the single "Groupie Luv", and reached #4 in the U.S. Billboard 200 album charts.

Snoop Dogg released an autobiography in 2001 titled Tha Doggfather: The Times, Trials, and Hardcore Truths of Snoop Dogg, co-written with Davin Seay. In 2002, Snoop announced that he was giving up women and drugs. Later that year he released the album Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$, on Capitol Records which featured the hit singles and videos "From tha Chuuuch to da Palace" and "Beautiful" featuring guest vocals by Pharrell Williams.

On May 21, 2004, Snoop Dogg filed for divorce from his wife Shante Broadus, citing irreconcilable differences and seeking joint custody of their three children, Corde, Cordell, and Cori; they have since reconciled. At the age of 30, Snoop claimed that he gave up smoking weed, although many of his run-ins with the law since have found him in possession of marijuana.

Geffen Years (2004-present)

In 2004, Snoop signed to Geffen Records/Star Trak Entertainment both of which are distributed through Interscope Records; Star Trak was headed by the Neptunes, who produced several tracks for Snoop's 2004 release R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece. "Drop It Like It's Hot" (featuring Pharrell), the first single released from the album, was a hit and became Snoop Dogg's first single to reach number one. His third release was "Signs", featuring Justin Timberlake & Charlie Wilson, which entered the UK chart at #2. This was his highest entry ever in the UK chart. The album sold very well, and most of its singles were heavily played on radio and television.

Snoop Dogg's latest music is being featured on West Coast rap albums such as Laugh Now, Cry Later by Ice Cube and Cali Iz Active by Tha Dogg Pound. He is featured on 2 tracks from Cube's album including the single "Go to Church", and several tracks on Cali Iz Active. Also, his latest song, "Real Talk", was leaked over the Internet in the summer of 2006 and a video was later released on the Internet. "Real Talk" is a dedication to Tookie Williams and a diss to Arnold Schwarzenegger. His two other new songs are "Keep Bouncing" by Too $hort, Snoop Dogg & will.i.am; and "Gangsta Walk" by Coolio & Snoop Dogg.

Snoop Dogg's 2006 release, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, did well on its first week, debuting at #5, which has been his highest since 2000's The Last Meal. The album, and the second single "That's That Shit" featuring R. Kelly have been received good critical response so far. In the album, he collaborated in a video with E-40 and other West Coast rappers for his single "Candy (Drippin' Like Water)", the first Snoop Dogg song to contain elements of the hyphy sound from E-40.

In July 2007, Snoop Dogg also made history by becoming the first artist to release a track as a ringtone prior to its release as a single, "It's The D.O.G.". Currently Snoop Dogg is working with producer JT the Bigga Figga on a documentary DVD entitled Mandatory Business, which will feature the likes of Russell Simmons, Spike Lee, Xzibit, Young Buck and 50 Cent. There will also be a soundtrack released for the documentary. On 7 July 2007 Snoop Dogg performed at the German leg of Live Earth in Hamburg

Snoop Dogg had renewed his vows with his longtime wife Shante Broadus.

On Screen

In 2000, Snoop (as "Michael J. Corleone") directed Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle, a pornographic film produced by Hustler. This film, combining hip-hop with X-rated material, was a huge success and won "Top Selling Release of the Year" at the 2002 AVN Awards. Driven by this success, Snoop directed Snoop Dogg's Hustlaz: Diary of a Pimp in 2002 (this time using the nickname "Snoop Scorsese").

In 2002, Snoop hosted, starred in, and produced his own MTV sketch comedy show entitled Doggy Fizzle Televizzle.

Perhaps in conjunction with his entry into the x-rated world, Snoop claimed in a 2006 interview with Rolling Stone magazine that unlike other hip hop artists who've superficially adopted the pimp persona, he was an actual professional pimp in 2003 and 2004, saying "That shit was my natural calling and once I got involved with it, it became fun. It was like shootin' layups for me. I was makin' 'em every time." He goes on to say that upon the advice on some of the other pimps he knew, he eventually gave up pimping to spend more time with his family.

Snoop founded his own production company, Snoopadelic Films, in 2005. Their debut film was Boss'n Up, a film inspired by R&G starring Lil Jon and Trina.

In 2004, Snoop appeared on the Showtime series The L Word as the character "Slim Daddy", a combination of Slim Shady and Puff Daddy. He also notably played the drug dealer-turned-informant character of Huggy Bear, in the 2004 remake film of the 1970s TV-series of the same name, Starsky & Hutch. He appeared as himself in an episode of the Showtime series "Weeds," and made an appearance on the hit TV shows Entourage and Monk, for which he recorded a version of the theme, in July 2007. In 1998 Snoop had a cameo appearance in the film Half Baked as the "Scavenger Smoker."

In December 2007, his reality show Snoop Dogg's Father Hood premiered on the E! channel. Snoop Dogg joined the NBA's Entertainment League.

On March 30, 2008 he appeared at WrestleMania XXIV as a Master of Ceremonies for a tag team match between Maria and Ashley Massaro as they took on Beth Phoenix and Melina.

Legal issues

• On August 25, 1993, Snoop Dogg was arrested on suspicion of being an accomplice in the killing of reputed gang member Philip Woldemariam in Woodbine Park in the Palms district of West Los Angeles. Broadus' bodyguard actually pulled the trigger and claimed self-defense at the trial. Both were acquitted.

• A woman named Kylie Bell claimed that she was drugged and sexually assaulted by Broadus and four others. In December 2004, one month before Bell filed her suit against him, Snoop sued her, accusing her of extortion. Bell eventually dropped her lawsuit, and Snoop dropped his US$5 million countersuit against her. Snoop's publicist said "absolutely no money" was paid by the rapper in reaching a settlement.

• On April 26, 2006, Snoop Dogg and members of his entourage were arrested being turned away from British Airways' first class lounge. Snoop and his party were not allowed to enter the lounge because some of the entourage were flying first class, other members of the party were flying economy class. After the group was escorted outside, they vandalized a duty-free shop by throwing whiskey bottles. Seven police officers were injured in the fracas. After a night in prison, Snoop Dogg and the other men were released on bail on April 27, but he was unable to perform at the Premier Foods People's Concert in Johannesburg on the same day. As part of his bail conditions, he had to return to the police station in May. The group has been banned by British Airways for "the foreseeable future."

• On May 11, when Snoop Dogg appeared at a London police station, he was cautioned for affray under Section 4 of the Public Order Act for use of threatening words or behavior . On May 15, the Home Office decided that Snoop Dogg should be denied entry to the UK for the foreseeable future due to the fracas at Heathrow as well as his previous convictions in the United States for drugs and firearms offenses.

• Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, and The Game have been sued for assaulting a fan on stage at a May 2005 Auburn concert at the White River Amphitheatre. The accuser claims he was beaten by the artists' entourage while he was running up to touch Snoop. He alleges that he reacted to an "open invite" to come on stage. Before he could, Snoop’s bodyguards grabbed him and he was beaten unconscious by crew people, including the rapper and producer Soopafly. Snoop and The Game were included in the suit for not intervening to hold the fight. The lawsuit focuses on a pecuniary claim of $22 million in punitive and compensatory damages, battery, negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

• On September 27, 2006, Snoop Dogg was detained at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California by airport security, after airport screeners found a collapsible police baton in Snoop's carry-on bag. The baton was confiscated but Snoop was allowed to board the flight. He has been charged with various weapons violations stemming from this incident. When arrested, he told deputies the baton was a prop for a movie. Bail was set at $150,000, which Snoop has paid.

• Snoop Dogg was arrested again on October 26, 2006 at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California while parked in a passenger loading zone. Approached by airport security for a traffic infraction, he was found in possession of marijuana and a firearm, according to a police statement. He was transported to Burbank Police Department Jail, booked, and released on $35,000 bond. He faced firearm and drug possession charges on 12 December at Burbank Superior Court.

• He was again arrested on November 29, 2006, after performing on The Tonight Show, for possession of marijuana and a firearm.

• Snoop Dogg was arrested again on March 12, 2007 at 1:25 a.m CET after performing in a concert with P.Diddy in Stockholm's Globe Arena, Sweden. Snoop Dogg was arrested along with a woman after the pair reportedly "reeked" of marijuana. They were arrested and released 4 hours later after providing a urine sample. Pending results on urine will determine whether charges will be pressed. However the rapper denied all charges.

• Snoop Dogg's visa request to enter the United Kingdom was rejected by local authorities because of the Heathrow incident on March 24, 2007. A concert at London's Wembley Arena on March 27 went ahead with Diddy (with whom he toured Europe) and the rest of the show. However the decision affected four more British performances in Cardiff, Manchester, Nottingham and Glasgow and Budapest (due to rescheduling).

• On April 12, 2007, Snoop Dogg was sentenced to five years of probation for gun and drug charges. He is expected to continue touring.

• On April 26, 2007, the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship banned him from entering the country on character grounds, citing his prior criminal convictions. He had been scheduled to appear at the MTV Australia Video Music Awards on April 29, 2007. The ban was not lifted and Snoop Dogg was not able to attend. MTV Australia currently has a petition going to get him Australian citizenship.

• Snoop Dogg's many legal issues forced San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom to withdraw his plan to issue a proclamation to the rapper.

• Snoop is a friend of convicted socialite Charlotte Karin Lindström,they met at a event in Sydney,Australia. Snoop has talked do Lindström after her arrest.

Discography

SOLO

• 1993: Doggystyle
• 1996: Tha Doggfather
• 1998: Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told
• 1999: No Limit Top Dogg
• 2000: Tha Last Meal
• 2002: Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss
• 2004: R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece
• 2006: Tha Blue Carpet Treatment
• 2008: Ego Trippin'

Compilations

• Dead Man Walkin'
  • Released: October 31, 2000
  • Chart positions: 24 US Billboard 200, 11 R&B & Hip-Hop
  • U.S. Sales:
  • RIAA certification:
  • Singles:

• Snoop Dogg Presents...Doggy Style Allstars Vol. 1
  • Released: August 13, 2002
  • Chart positions: 19 US Billboard 200
  • U.S. Sales: 76,111
  • RIAA certification:
  • Singles: "Not Like It Was", "Falling Star"

• Welcome to tha Chuuch: Da Album
  • Released: December 13, 2005
  • Chart positions: 184 US Billboard 200
  • U.S. Sales:
  • RIAA certification:
  • Singles: "Real Soon", "Shake That Shit"

• Snoop Dogg Presents: Unreleased Heatrocks
  • Released: January, 2007
  • Chart positions:
  • U.S. sales:
  • RIAA certification:
  • Singles:

• Snoop Dogg Presents The Big Squeeze
  • Released: April 24, 2007
  • Chart positions: 71 US
  • U.S. Sales: 9600
  • RIAA certification:
  • Singles: "Hat 2 Tha Bacc"

Greatest hits

• Death Row: Snoop Doggy Dogg at His Best
  • Released: October 23, 2001
  • Chart positions: 28 US Billboard 200
  • U.S. Sales:
  • RIAA certification:
  • Singles:

• Tha Dogg: Best of the Works
  • Released: 2003
  • Chart positions: -
  • U.S. Sales: -
  • RIAA certification: -
  • Singles: -

• Snoopified
  • Released: September 28, 2005
  • Chart positions: 121 US Billboard 200
  • U.S. Sales: 119,747 copies
  • RIAA certification:
  • Singles:

Collaboration

• Dogg Food
  • Released: October 31, 1995
  • Chart positions: #1 U.S.
  • RIAA certification: 2x Multi-Platinum
  • Singles: "Let's Play House"

• Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz
  • Released: February 1, 2000
  • Chart positions: #8 U.S.
  • RIAA certification: Platinum
  • Singles: "G'd Up"

• Duces 'n Trayz: The Old Fashioned Way
  • Released: July 31, 2001
  • Chart positions: #4 U.S.
  • RIAA certification: Gold
  • Singles: "I Luv It"

• The Hard Way
  • Released: August 17, 2004
  • Chart positions: #4 U.S.
  • RIAA certification:
  • Singles: "Groupie Luv"

• Cali Iz Active
  • Released: June 27, 2006
  • Chart positions: #28 U.S.
  • RIAA certification:
  • Singles: "Cali Iz Active"

Guest appearances

1992

• "Deep Cover" (from the album Deep Cover (soundtrack))
• "The Chronic (Intro)", "Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everbody's Celebratin')", "Let Me Ride", "The Day The Niggaz Took Over", "Lil Ghetto Boy", "Nuthin' Nut A G Thang", "Deeez Nuuuts", Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat", "Stranded On Death Row", "A Nigga Witta Gun", "Bitches Ain't Shit" (from Dr. Dre's album The Chronic)

1994

• "Big Pimpin, "Dogg Pound 4 Life" (from the album Above the Rim (Original Soundtrack)

1995

• "Save Yourself" (from the album The Show (Original Soundtrack))
• "187um" (from the album One Million Strong)
• "New York, New York", "Cyco-Lic-No (Bitch Azz Niggaz)", "Smooth", "Do What I Feel", "If We All Fuc", "Some Bomb Azz Pussy" (from the Tha Dogg Pound album Dogg Food)

1996

• "All About U", "2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted" (from the album 2pac album All Eyez on Me)

1997

• Gettin' Funky feat. SWV from the album Release Some Tension
• Player's Way feat. Rick James from the album Urban Rapsody
• The Fatha Figure from the album Heat
• Freakly Tales from the album In Tha Beginning...There Was Rap (Sampler)
• Rough Rugged And Raw feat. Lady Of Rage & Dat Nigga Daz from the album Necessary Roughness
• Wanted Dead or Alive feat. 2Pac from the album Gridlock'd (Original Soundtrack)
• Out The Moon (Boom, Boom, Boom) feat. 2Pac, Hershey Loc, Tray Deee & Soopafly from the album Gridlock'd (Original Soundtrack)
• Off The Hook feat. Charlie Wilson, James DeBarge & Val Young from the album Gridlock'd (Original Soundtrack)
• Hollywood Bank Robbery feat. Tha Gang & Kurupt from the album Gang Related (soundtrack)
• Gangstas feat. Mystikal & Master P from the album Unpredictable
• Wa Just Wanna Party With You feat. Jermaine Dupri from the album Men in Black (film) OST
• Only In California feat. Mack 10 & Ice Cube from the album Based On A True Story

1998

• O.G. feat. Daz Dillinger from the album Retaliation, Revenge And Get Back
• Feel So Good feat. The Eastsiders from the album Ride OST
• Ghetto Fabulous feat. Mystikal & Charlie Wilson from the album Ghetto Fabulous
• Let's Go Do It feat. Mystikal & Silkk The Shocker from the album Ghetto Fabulous
• So Watcha Want feat. MC Ren & RBX from the album Ruthless For Life
• Who Got That Fire feat. Fiend & Master P from the album There's One In Every Family
• Medley For A feat. DJ Quik, Nate Dogg, AMG, 2nd II None, Hi-C & El from the album Rhythm-al-ism
• Soldiers, Riders, G's feat. Master P, Silkk The Shocker & Mystikal from the album MP Da Last Don
• Thug Girl feat. Master P & Silkk The Shocker from the album MP Da Last Don
• War Wounds feat. Master P, Silkk The Shocker, Fiend & Mystikal from the album MP Da Last Don
• Mama Raised Me feat. Master P & Soulja Slim from the album MP Da Last Don
• Snitches feat. Master P from the album MP Da Last Don
• Make Em Say Uhh #2 feat. Master P, Silkk The Shocker, Fiend & Mia X from the album MP Da Last Don
• Studio B feat. Gambino Family & Mo B. Dick from the album Ghetto Organized
• What's Ya Point feat. Mia X & Fat Joe from the album Mama Drama
• Ride One/Caught Up! feat. Kurupt from the album Caught Up OST
• Ghetto Life feat. Steady Mobb'n, Master P & Marvin Gaye from the album Black Mafia
• Light Green And Remmy feat. Steady Mobb'n from the album Black Mafia
• Turn Me Up feat. Steady Mobb'n from the album Black Mafia
• Never Leave Me Alone feat. Nate Dogg from the album G-Funk Classics, Vols. 1 & 2
• Friends feat. Nate Dogg & Warren G from the album G-Funk Classics, Vols. 1 & 2
• Puppy Love feat. Nate Dogg, Daz Dillinger & Kurupt from the album G-Funk Classics, Vols. 1 & 2
• Dogg Pound Gangstaville feat. Nate Dogg & Kurupt from the album G-Funk Classics, Vols. 1 & 2
• Gangsta Shit feat. Full Blooded from the album Memorial Day
• Protector's Of 1472 feat. Jermaine Dupri, Warren G & R.O.C. from the album Jermaine Dupri Presents Life In 1472
• Throw Yo Hood Up feat. Silkk The Shocker from the album Charge It 2 Da Game
• LBC Ant The ING feat. Mack 10 from the album The Recipe
• Lifestylez Of A G feat. Lifestyle Crew from the album Fakin' Da Funk The Soundtrack
• Gangsta Move from the album No Limit Soldiers Compilation: We Can't Be Stopped
• Hooked from the album I Got The Hook Up OST
• We Be Puttin It Down feat. Bad Azz from the album Word On The Street
• "Interlude", "Unify", "We're Unified" (from the album Kid Capri album Soundtrack to the Streets)
• Ball 'Till We Fall feat. Magic &Steady Mobb'n from the album Sky's The Limit
• Gangsta Gangsta feat. C-Murder from the album Straight Outta Compton: N.W.A. 10th Anniversary Tribute
• Message From Snoop Dogg from the album School Dayz
• Get Ya Girl Dogg feat. MC Eith & Jay-O-Felony from the album Straight Outta Cali
• Come And Get With Me feat. Keith Sweat from the album Still In The Game
• Woof! feat. Mac, Mia X & Big Ed from the album Shell Shocked
• My Old Ledy feat. Prime Suspects & Fiend from the album Guilty 'Til Proven Innocent
• Dying In My City feat. C-Murder & Magic from the album Mean Green: Major Players Compilation

1999

• Gangsta Talk feat. C-Murder from the album Bossalinie
• Ghetto Millionaire feat. C-Murder, Kurupt & Nate Dogg from the album Bossalinie
• Don't Be Foolish feat. Daz Dillinger & Kurupt from the album Foolish OST
• "Fuck You", "Still D.R.E.", "Next Episode", "Bitch Niggaz" feat. Dr. Dre & Devin The Dude from the album 2001
• We Will Rock You from the album Fox Sports Presents: Game Time!
• Dangerous MC's feat. The Notorious B.I.G., Mark Curry & Busta Rhymes from the album Born Again
• Crybaby feat. Mariah Carey from the album Rainbow
• G'd Up feaz. Tha Eastsidaz from the album G'd Up
• Get It Up feat. Silkk The Shocker from the album Made Man
• Suppose To Be Friend feat. Master P & Charlie Wilson from the album Da Crime Family
• It's A Beautiful Thing feat. C-Murder from the album Da Crime Family
• Throw It Up feat. Rappin' 4-Tay, Tray Deee & Roger Troutman from the album Introduction To Makin'
• "Represent Dat G.C.", "Neva Gonna Give It Up", from the album Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha
• Change Gone Come from the album Well Connected
• Life In The Projects from the album The P.J.'s Soundtrack
• White Boyz feat. T-Bo from the album White Boyz OST
• The Shaggy Show ft. Insane Clown Posse & Gangsta Fun from the album The Amazing Jeckel Brothers
• Doggs Ride feat. Lil' Italy & Don P from the album On Top Of Da World
• Wa Ain't Hard To Find feat. Lil' Italy & Mystikal from the album On Top Of Da World
• You Never Know feat. Warren G, Phast Bossi & Reel Tight from the album I Want It All
• Game Don't Wait feat. Warren G & Nate Dogg from the album I Want It All
• The War Iz On feat. Krayzie Bone, Kurupt & Layzie Bone from the album Thug Mentality 1999

2000

• G'd Up feat. Tha Eastsidaz from the album 3 Strikes OST
• Speak It On feat. The Comrads from the album Wake Up And Ball
• Bow Wow (That's My Name) feat. Lil' Bow Wow from the album Beware Of Dog
• Dogg Market feat. Brotha Lynch Hung from the album EBK4
• X feat. Xzibit from the album Restless
• D.N.A. (Drugs-N-Alkahol) feat. Xzibit from the album Restless
• Conditioner feat. Wu-Tang Clan from the album The W
• Get Your Mind Right Mami feat. Jay-Z from the album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia
• Bitch Please II feat. Eminem, Dr. Dre, Xzibit & Nate Dogg from the album The Marshall Mathers LP
• Concrete Jungle feat. C-Murder, Kokane, Goldie Loc & Tray-Deee from the album Trapped In Crime
• Down For My Down feat. C-Murder & Magic from the album Trapped In Crime
• Fuck A Bitch feat. DJ Clue & Kurupt from the album The Professional 2
• Just A Baby Boy feat. Tyrese & Mr. Tan from the album 2000 Watts
• You feat. Lucy Pearl & Q-Tip from the album Lucy Pearl
• The Game Is Cold feat. B-Legit from the album Hempin' Ain't Easy
• U Can't Fuck With Me feat. LL Cool J, Xzibit & Jayo Felony from the album G.O.A.T.
• When The Pain Inflict DJ Muggs featuring Snoop Dogg, Kurupt and Roscoe from the album DJ Muggs presents Soul Assassins chapter II.

2001

• Bring Back The G Shit feat. Kurupt & Goldie Loc from the album Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey
• On The Boulevard feat. Dr. Dre from the album The Wash OST
• The Wash feat. Dr. Dre from the album The Wash OST
• Figadoh feat. Benzino & Scarface from the album Rush Hour 2 OST
• Ditty Dum Ditty Doo feat. Nate Dogg & Tha Eastsidaz from the album Music and Me
• We From The LBC feat. Bad Azz from the album Personal Business
• No More Games feat. Prince Ital Joe & Nate Dogg from the album Thug Lifestyles
• Dat Whoopty Woop feat. Soopafly from the album Dat Whoopty Woop
• Up On Things feat. Fabolous from the album Street Dreams
• Pop Lockin feat. Silkk The Shocker & Goldie Loc from the album My World, My Way
• I Wish feat. Silkk The Shocker & Master P from the album My World, My Way
• Money 2 Fold feat. Bad Azz & Kurupt from the album Personal Business
• Dogghouse Ridaz feat. Bad Azz, Goldie Loc, Kokane & Suga Free from the album Personal Business
• Wrong Idea feat. Bad Azz, Kokane & Lil HD from the album Personal Business
• Cruisin' feat. Jadakiss from the album Kiss Tha Game Goodbye
• Yo' Sassy Ways feat. Warren G & Nate Dogg from the album The Return Of The Regulator
• Ladies And Gents feat. Angie Martinez from the album Up Close And Personal
• Crip Hop feat. Tha Eastsidaz from the album Baby Boy OST
• Smoke feat. Tha Dogg Pound & The Relativez from the album 2002
• Every Single Day feat. Tha Dogg Pound from the album 2002
• WCSR Kid Rock feat. Snoop Dogg from the album Cocky (2001)

2002

• "The Streets" (from the WC album Ghetto Heisman)
• "Losin' Your Mind" (from the Xzibit album Man Vs Machine)
• "What Y'All Want", "Poppin' Them Collars" (from the Krazy album Poppin' Collars)
• "That's Crazy (Remix)" (from the P.Diddy album We Invented the Remix Vol. 1)
• "Fine" (from the Tray Deee album The General's List)

2003

• In This Life... feat. Gangstarr & Uncle Reo from the album The Ownerz
• Intro feat. Daz Dillinger from the album DPGC: U Know What I'm Throwin' Up
• Do It Heavy feat. T-Nutty & Young Bop from the album The Last Of The Floheakinz
• Holidae Inn feat. Chingy & Ludacris from the album Jackpot
• Bosses feat. Down from the album California Cowboys
• Red Light - Green Light feat. Limp Bizkit from the album Results May Vary
• Get Ready feat. Ginuwine from the album The Senior
• P.I.M.P. (G Unit Remix) feat. 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks & Young Buck from the album Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
• We Get Around feat. Freeway from the album Philadelphia Freeway
• Hoes In My Room feat. Ludacris from the album Chicken-N-Beer
• Dance Wit Me feat. Marvin Gaye from the album True Crime: Streets of LA Soundtrack

2004

• Game Over.Lil Flip feat.The Game & Snoop Dogg from the album U Gotta Feel Me
• Vegitarian feat. Goldie Loc, Tray Deee & Kokane from the album The After Party
• Make U Scream feat. Cassidy from the album Split Personality
• The Way I Am feat. Knoc Turn'al from the album The Way I Am
• She Don't Know My Name feat. Nelly & Ronald Isley from the album Suit
• I Get High feat. Lloyd Banks & 50 Cent from the album The Hunger For More
• DPG Unit feat. Young Buck, 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Daz Dillinger & Soopafly from the album Straight Outta Ca$hville
• Shine feat. Jadakiss & DJ Quik from the album Kiss of Death
• The Mack feat. Bugzy from the album Bugzy
• Bitches Ain't Shit feat. Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz, Nate Dogg, Suga Free & Oobie from the album Crunk Juice
• Gold Diggers feat. Kenoe from the album Game Over
• I Wanna Thank Ya feat. Angie Stone from the album Stone Love
• We Some Dogs feat. Method Man, Kon Artis & Redman from the album Tical 0: The Prequel
• The Message feat. DJ Glaze of Foesum from the album The Lost Tapez
• True to the Game feat. DJ Glaze of Foesum from the album The Lost Tapez
• County Blues feat. DJ Glaze of Foesum from the album The Lost Tapez

2005

• I Got Game feat. Nate Dogg from the album Nate Dogg
• Don't Stop feat. Beanie Sigel from the album The B. Coming
• Pump Ya Brakes feat. Will Smith from the album Lost And Found
• Say Somethin' feat. Mariah Carey from the album The Emancipation of Mimi
• I Can Change feat. John Legend from the album Get Lifted
• Had To Call feat. Twista & Sleepy Eyed Jones from the album The Day After
• "Smokin' On Information" from the Layzie Bone album It's Not a Game
• Happy Summertime feat. R. Kelly from the album TP.3 Reloaded
• Caviar feat. Bow Wow from the album Wanted
• PYT feat. Warren G & Nate Dogg from the album In The Mid-Nite Hour
• Yes Sir feat. Warren G, Bishop Lamont & Franck Lee White from the album In The Mid-Nite Hour
• Get U Down Part II feat. Warren G, Ice Cube & B-Real from the album In The Mid-Nite Hour
• Sexy Gurl feat. Trina, Co & Money Mark Diggla from the album Glamorest Life
• Kronik feat. Lil' Kim from the album The Naked Truth
• Living The Life feat. The Notorious B.I.G., Ludacris, Faith Evans, Cheri Dennis & Bobby Valentino from the album Duets: The Final Chapter
• Buttons feat. The Pussycat Dolls from the album PCD
• Blackout feat. Mashonda from the album January Joy
• Gangsta Zone feat. Daddy Yankee from the album Barrio Fino en Directo
• Pump ya brakes feat. Will Smith from the album Lost and found

2006

• Keep Bouncin (Too $hort feat. Snoop Dogg & Fergie) from the album Blow The Whistle
• Gangsta Walk (Coolio feat. Snoop Dogg) from the album Return of the Gangsta
• Don't Run From Me (Chino XL feat. Snoop Dogg) from the album Confirmation
• That Girl feat. Pharrell from the album In My Mind
• So Fly feat. Suga Free & Katt Williams from the album Just Add Water
• So Fly (Remix) feat. Suga Free, Mannie Fresh & Katt Williams from the album Just Add Water
• Go To Church feat. Ice Cube & Lil' Jon from the album Laugh Now, Cry Later
• You Gotta Lotta That feat. Ice Cube from the album Laugh Now, Cry Later
• Hollywood Divorce feat. OutKast & Lil Wayne from the album Idlewild
• I Wanna Love You feat. Akon from the album Konvicted
• California Vacation feat. The Game & Xzibit from the album Doctor's Advocate
• Pac's Life Remix feat. 2Pac, T.I. & Chris Starr from the album Pac's Life
• Play On Playa feat. Nas from the album Hip Hop Is Dead
• Get Low Black Ty feat. Too $hort, Kurupt and Snoop Dogg from the album Alter Ego
• Roll the Dice Black Ty feat. Snoop Dogg and Kurupt from the album Alter Ego

2007

• "Hi-Definition" (from the Lupe Fiasco album "The Cool")
• "Welcome to tha Hood" (from Hood of Horror O.S.T.)
• "Tha Turnaround", "Number 1", "Talented" (from the Soopafly album Bangin Westcoast)
• "Running Your Mouth" (from Greatest Hits (The Notorious B.I.G. album))
• "Thou Shallt Not Kill" (from the Mobb Deep album The Infamous Archives)
• "I Ain't Fucking with U" (from the Young Buck album Buck the World)
• "What a Job" (from the Devin the Dude album Waitin' To Inhale)
• "Merry Jane" (from the Redman album Red Gone Wild)
• "Vibe Wit' A Pimp", "Bucc'm", "Pull Ya' Draws Down" (from Tha Dogg Pound album Dogg Chit)
• "Everybody Know me" (from the Paul Wall album Get Money, Stay True)
• "My 64" (from the Mike Jones album The American Dream)
• "In It For The Money" (from the Lumidee album Unexpected)
• "Double Up" (from the R. Kelly album Double Up)
• "Not a Criminal (remix)" (from the Chamillionaire album Ultimate Victory)
• "Ghetto" (from the Kelly Rowland album Miss Kelly)
• "Speaker" (from the David Banner album Greatest Story Ever Told)
• "Walka Not a Talka" (from the Mýa album Liberation)

2008

• "I'm Still Pimpin'" (from the Tony Yayo album I Am 50's Tax Write-Off)
• "Party On" (from the Mistah F.A.B. album Da Yellow Bus Rydah)
• "Old School" (from the Lyfe Jennings album Lyfe Change)

Filmography

• Half Baked (1998) as Scavenger Smoker
• Caught Up (1998) as Kool Kitty Kat
• Ride (1998) as Mente
• Documentry of Shawn (1998) as Shawn's Retarded Friend Brian
• Da game of life (1998)
• Whiteboys (1999) (cameo) (also song "Whiteboys")
• Crime Partners 2000 (2001)
• Baby Boy (2001) as Rodney (Gold)
• Training Day (2001) as Blue
• Bones (2001) as Jimmy Bones
• The Wash (2001) as Dee Loc (also executive producer)
• Old School (2003) as Himself (Cameo)
• Pauly Shore Is Dead (2003)
• Malibu's Most Wanted (2003) (voice)
• Starsky & Hutch (2004) as Huggy Bear
• Soul Plane (2004) as Antonio Mack
• The L.A. Riot Spectacular (2005) (narrator)
• Boss'n Up (2005)
• The Tenants (2006)
• Hood of Horror (2006) (also executive producer)

Documentaries

• The Show (1995) (himself)
• Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel: The Life of an Outlaw (2002) (himself)
• It's Black Entertainment (2002) (himself)
• The Real Cancun (2003) (reality show) (himself)
• Letter to the President (2005) (narrator)
• DPG Eulogy (2006) (documentary) (himself)

Animation movies

• Volcano High (2001) (voice in English-dubbed version)
• Racing Stripes (2005) (voice)
• Arthur and the Invisibles (2006) (voice) (also song "Go Girl")
• Futurama: The Wild Green Yonder (2008) (guest star)

Direct-to-video

• Murder Was the Case (1994) (video) as Himself (Platinum)
• MP Tha Last Don (1998) as Bar Patron
• Da Game of Life (1998) as Smooth
• I Got the Hook Up (1998) (Cameo) as Bar Patron
• The Wrecking Crew (1999) as Dra-Man
• Hot Boyz(aka Gang Law) (1999) as C-Dawg - #2 Top Video Rentals '99-'01 ($5 million from rentals)
• Urban Menace (1999) as Preacher
• Tha Eastsidaz (2000) as Killa Pop (also executive producer) (2X Platinum)

Pornographic movies

• Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle (also executive producer)
• Girls Gone Wild: Doggy Style (2002) as himself
• Snoop Dogg's Hustlaz: Diary of a Pimp (2002) (also executive producer)
• Snoop Dogg's Buckwild Bus Tour (also executive producer)
• Sex in the Studio (guest appearance)

TV series appearances

• Weeds as himself
• Las Vegas as himself
• Just Shoot Me as himself
• Playmakers as Big E (episodes 10-11)
• King of the Hill as "Alabaster" a white pimp
• Futurama as himself (actual voice not provided)
• The Steve Harvey Show as himself
• Robot Chicken as himself (actual voice not provided)
• South Park though he didn't provide an addititonal voice for his cartoon character in the episode Here Comes the Neighborhood
• Where My Dogs At? as himself (no voice assistance)
• Doggy Fizzle Televizzle self-hosted sketch show on MTV
• The L Word as Slim Daddy (episodes 9-10)
• Monk as Murderous ("Mr. Monk and the Rapper")
• Chappelle's Show as Dangle the puppet, and himself
• The Boondocks as himself in the fictional sequel to Soul Plane.