tagged w/ Singers
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The New York Times...
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August 22, 2011
Jerry Leiber, Prolific Writer of 1950s Hits, Dies at 78
By WILLIAM GRIMES
Jerry Leiber, the lyricist who, with his partner, Mike Stoller, wrote some of the most enduring classics in the history of rock ’n’ roll, including “Hound Dog,” “Yakety Yak,” “Stand By Me” and “On Broadway,” died on Monday in Los Angeles. He was 78.
The cause was cardio-pulmonary failure, said Randy Poe, president of Leiber & Stoller Music Publishing.
The team of Leiber and Stoller was formed in 1950, when Mr. Leiber was still a student at Fairfax High in Los Angeles and Mr. Stoller, a fellow rhythm-and-blues fanatic, was a freshman at Los Angeles City College. With Mr. Leiber contributing catchy, street-savvy lyrics and Mr. Stoller, a pianist, composing infectious, bluesy tunes, they set about writing songs with black singers and groups in mind.
In 1952, they wrote “Hound Dog” for the blues singer Big Mama Thornton. The song became an enormous hit for Elvis Presley in 1956 and made Leiber and Stoller the hottest songwriting team in rock ’n’ roll. They later wrote “Jailhouse Rock,” “Loving You,” “Don’t,” “Treat Me Nice,” “King Creole” and other songs for Presley, despite their loathing for his interpretation of “Hound Dog.”
In the late 1950s, having relocated to New York and taken their place among the constellation of talents associated with the Brill Building, they emerged as perhaps the most potent songwriting team in the genre.
Their hits for the Drifters remain some of the most admired songs in the rock ’n’ roll canon, notably “On Broadway,” written with Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and “Stand By Me” with Ben E. King. With Phil Spector, Mr. Leiber wrote the Drifters hit “Spanish Harlem.”
They wrote a series of hits for the Coasters, including “Charlie Brown,” “Young Blood” with Doc Pomus, “Searchin’,” “Poison Ivy” and “Yakety Yak.”
“Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” a 1954 hit written for the Robins, became the title of a Broadway musical based on the Leiber and Stoller songbook. In 1987, the partners were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller have written some of the most spirited and enduring rock ’n’ roll songs," the hall said in a statement when they were inducted. “Leiber and Stoller advanced rock ’n’ roll to new heights of wit and musical sophistication.”
Jerome Leiber was born on April 25, 1933, in Baltimore, where his parents, Jewish immigrants from Poland, ran a general store. When Jerry was 5, his father died and his mother tried, with little success, to run a small store in one of the city’s worst slums. When he was 12, she took him to Los Angeles.
It was while attending Fairfax High in Los Angeles and working in Norty’s Record Shop that he met Leonard Sill, a promoter for Modern Records, and confessed that he wanted to be a songwriter. After Sill urged him to find a pianist who could help him put his ideas onto sheet music he met Mr. Stoller through a friend, and the two began writing together
“Often I would have a start, two or four lines,” Mr. Leiber told Robert Palmer, the author of “Baby, That Was Rock & Roll: The Legendary Leiber and Stoller” (1978). “Mike would sit at the piano and start to jam, just playing, fooling around, and I’d throw out a line. He’d accommodate the line — metrically, rhythmically.”
Within a few years they had written modestly successful songs for several rhythm-and-blues singers: “K.C. Lovin’ ” for Little Willie Littlefield, which under the title “Kansas City” became a No. 1 hit for Wilbert Harrison in 1959.
In 1952, Sill arranged for Mr. Leiber and Mr. Stoller to visit the bandleader Johnny Otis and to listen to several of the rhythm-and-blues acts who worked with him, including Big Mama Thornton, who sang “Ball and Chain” for them. Inspired, the partners went back to Mr. Stoller’s house and wrote “Hound Dog.”
“I yelled, he played,” Mr. Leiber told Josh Alan Friedman, the author of “Tell the Truth Until They Bleed: Coming Clean in the Dirty World of Blues and Rock ’n’ Roll” (2008). “The groove came together and we finished in 12 minutes flat. I work fast. We raced right back to lay the song on Big Mama.”
In 1953 they formed Spark Records, an independent label, with Sill, but without national distribution it failed to score major hits. Atlantic Records, which had bought the Leiber and Stoller song “Ruby Baby” and “Fools Fall in Love” for the Drifters, signed them to an unusual agreement that allowed them to produce for other labels. The golden age of Leiber and Stoller began.
Their seemingly endless list of hit songs from this period included “Love Potion No. 9” for the Clovers (later a hit for the Searchers).
In the mid-1960s, Mr. Leiber and Mr. Stoller concentrated on production. They founded Red Bird Records, where they turned out hit records by girl groups like the Dixie Cups (“Chapel of Love”) and the Shangri-Las (“Leader of the Pack,” “Walking in the Sand”).
They sold the label in 1966 and worked as independent producers and writers. Peggy Lee, who had recorded their song “I’m a Woman” in 1963, recorded “Is that All There Is?” in 1969.
Mr. Leiber is survived by three sons, Jed, Oliver and Jake, and two grandchildren.
With Mr. Stoller and David Ritz, Mr. Leiber wrote a 2009 memoir, “Hound Dog: The Leiber & Stoller Autobiography.”
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PHOTO:
From left, Mike Stoller, Elvis Presley and Jerry Leiber at MGM Studios in 1957.The New York Times...
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August 22, 2011
Jerry Leiber, Prolific Writer of 1950s... more
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The New York Times...
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August 22, 2011
Nick Ashford, of Motown Writing Duo, Dies at 70
By BEN SISARIO
Nick Ashford, who with Valerie Simpson, his songwriting partner and later wife, wrote some of Motown’s biggest hits, like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough“ and “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing,” and later recorded their own hits and toured as a duo, died Monday at a hospital in New York City. He was 70 and lived in Manhattan.
Mr. Ashford had throat cancer and was undergoing treatment, but the cause of his death was not immediately known. His death was announced by Liz Rosenberg, a friend who is a longtime music publicist.
One of the primary songwriting and producing teams of Motown, Ashford & Simpson specialized in romantic duets of the most dramatic kind, professing the power of true love and the comforts of sweet talk. In “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” from 1967, their first of several hits for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, lovers in close harmony proclaim their determination that “no wind, no rain, no winter’s cold, can stop me, baby,” but also make cuter promises: “If you’re ever in trouble, I’ll be there on the double.”
Gaye and Terrell also sang the duo’s songs “Your Precious Love,” “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” and “You’re All I Need to Get By.” Diana Ross sang their “Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand,” and when she rerecorded “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough“ in 1970, it became the former Supreme’s first No. 1 hit as a solo artist.
“They had magic, and that’s what creates those wonderful hits, that magic,” Verdine White of Earth, Wind and Fire told The Associated Press after learning of his friend’s death. “Without those songs, those artists wouldn’t have been able to go to the next level.”
Nickolas Ashford was born in Fairfield, S.C., and raised in Willow Run, Mich., where his father, Calvin, was a construction worker. He got his musical start at Willow Run Baptist Church, singing and writing songs for the gospel choir. He briefly attended Eastern Michigan University, in Ypsilanti, before heading to New York, where he tried but failed to find success as a dancer.
In 1964, while homeless, Mr. Ashford went to White Rock Baptist Church in Harlem, where he met Ms. Simpson, a 17-year-old recent high school graduate who was studying music. They began writing songs together, selling the first bunch for $64. In 1966, after Ray Charles sang “Let’s Go Get Stoned,” a song Ashford & Simpson wrote with Joey Armstead, the duo signed on with Motown as staff writers and producers.
They wrote for virtually every major act on the label, including Gladys Knight and the Pips (“Didn’t You Know You’d Have to Cry Sometime”) and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (“Who’s Gonna Take the Blame”).
While writing for Motown, Ashford & Simpson nursed a desire to perform, which Berry Gordy Jr., the founder and patriarch of the label, discouraged. They left the label in 1973 and married in 1974.
Ashford & Simpson’s initial collaborations sold poorly, but by the late ‘70s, songs like “Don’t Cost You Nothing,” “It Seems to Hang On” and “Found a Cure” became hits on the R&B charts. Their biggest hit as a solo act was “Solid,” which reached No. 12 on the pop chart and No. 1 on the R&B chart in 1984.
They also continued to write hits for other people. “I’m Every Woman“ was a hit for Chaka Khan in 1978, and later for Whitney Houston on the soundtrack to the 1992 film “The Bodyguard.” In 1996, they opened the Sugar Bar on West 72nd Street in Manhattan, where they often presided over open mic nights. Recently, they received a songwriting credit on Amy Winehouse’s song “Tears Dry on Their Own,” which contains a sample from “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
Besides his wife, Mr. Ashford is survived by two daughters, Nicole and Asia; his brothers Paul, Albert and Frank; and his mother, Alice Ashford.
Ashford & Simpson toured throughout their career, their harmony and vocal interplay illustrating the passion of their lyrics and of their life together.
“When Ms. Simpson sits down at the piano and begins to sing in a bright pop-gospel voice, unchanged since the 1970s,” Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote in a review in 2007, “she awakens the spirit and tosses it to Mr. Ashford, whose quirkier voice, with its airy falsetto, has gained in strength from the old days. Soon they are urging each other on. By the time their romantic relay winds to a close, both are sweating profusely, and the audience is delirious.”
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PHOTO: Richard Termine for The New York Times
Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson performing in 2006 at the Regency Hotel in Manhattan.
.The New York Times...
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August 22, 2011
Nick Ashford, of Motown Writing Duo,... more
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Story by Jess Glass| Hood Watch Media Athens, Georgia Thursday August 18, 2011: A fiery crash on on I-75 in Monroe County Sunday night left one driver dead and the GBI has identified the victim.
The body of an unidentified woman killed in a multi-vehicle accident on I-75 southbound on Sunday, August 14, 2011 has been identified as Ebony Underwood, 23, of Dublin,a friend to Atlanta music producer Lord Hector Diono. This comes as Lord Hector Diono finishes a tribute single to his fallen friend of last year another female victim of sudden tragedy, Miss Lateaka T. Coston of Marietta, Georgia who died last year September 4, 2010 just days after her 29th birthday, of a massive heart attack. Monroe County Sheriff's Office deputies are continuing an investigation into the case but said that it appears that only three vehicles were involved in the crash. Around 9:46 Sunday night, a Dodge Dakota, driven by Craig Joseph Podell, 34, of Ames, Iowa, made an illegal lane change causing the Dodge truck to rear-end a roll-back wrecker driven by Chastity Hopper, 20, of Forsyth. The wrecker then hit the Buick Regal driven by Ms. Underwood. The wrecker and the Regal flipped over the guardrail and caught fire. Hopper and her passenger, Christopher Baxter, 27, were transported to the Medical Center of Central Georgia. Ms. Underwood's body was taken to the GBI Crime Lab in Atlanta. Mr. Podell refused medical treatment.
It is unknown whether seatbelts were in use at the time of the accident. Mr. Podell is being charged with failure to maintain lane and following too closely.
Funeral arrangements are set for Saturday August 20, 2011 it is not been made clear whether Lord Hector Diono will be attending the services but it has been made clear that our CEO is very upset about the senseless tragedy and our prayers and condolences go out to the family of Ebony Underwood. Story by Jess Glass| Hood Watch Media Athens,Georgia.
On Tuesday August 16, officers charged the driver who blamed the deadly wreck on an unknown vehicle - Atlanta public safety for Hoodwatch Media Atlanta | Examiner| Officers on Tuesday identified Ms. Underwood as the woman who died in a fiery crash on I-75 over the weekend.
According to music underground sources, Ebony Underwood, 23, was also an aspiring singer, with a deep soulful, and gospel background, and she was deeply devoted to her religious beliefs, she also recorded some music projects in Atlanta Georgia. Lord Hector Diono submitted he never worked with Ms. Underwood due to his grueling production schedule, and professional and legal obligations to Def Jam Music Group, but he recalled one song she recorded that during a freestyle session that she shared with him entitled "In the Studio".
Mr. Craig Joseph Podell, 34, of Ames, told police he was heading southbound on I-75 when he was hit by another vehicle near Pearidge Road, Monroe County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Ms. Allison Selman-Willis said.
Investigators have now determined no vehicle hit Mr. Podell’s Dodge Dakota and have charged him with failure to maintain lane and following too closely, Ms. Selman-Willis said.
Ms. Ebony Underwood, 23, of Dublin, died in the three-vehicle wreck that also injured Ms. Chastity Hopper, 20, of Forsyth, and her passenger, Mr. Christopher Baxter, 27, Ms. Selman-Willis said.
At 9:46 p.m. Sunday, Mr. Podell made an illegal lane change causing the Dodge truck to rear-end a Ms. Hopper’s roll-back wrecker, Ms. Selman-Willis said.
The wrecker then hit Ms. Underwood’s Buick Regal, The entire HWM family announces hope for the family and closest friends to Ms. Underwood that justice be served swiftly in this case.
by Jess Glass Hood Watch Media Athens, GeorgiaStory by Jess Glass| Hood Watch Media Athens, Georgia Thursday August 18, 2011: A... more
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Memphis, Tennessee -- The King of Rock ‘n Roll paid a visit to Graceland on the 34th anniversary of his death, bringing with him some advice for America’s current top pop star, Lady Gaga.
“I’m making more in a day as a ghost than most performers earn in a lifetime,” Elvis told a wide-eyed group of visitors to Graceland who were taking the 3:15 tour. “So I know a thing or two about pleasing the crowd and keeping every body happy over the long haul.”
Presley began with what he called his most important recommendation, advising Lady Gaga to stay true to her musical roots.
“In her case, that means singing, dancing, and even dressing like Madonna,” Presley said.
“My mama used to tell me that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” Elvis continued. “And as all those Elvis impersonators out there have shown, there can be big bucks in in it as well.”
The King of Rock proposed to the Queen of Schlock that she more carefully study videotapes of Madonna concerts and television appearances.
“Gaga goes off the rails when she tries to channel her inner originality,” Presley said. “My tip here is: don’t try to change the channel, honey, because that station is off the air.”
Asked his opinion of Lady Gaga’s singing ability, Elvis replied: “It’s nothing that cranking up the Autotune dial a few more notches wouldn’t fix. In my day, we didn’t have Autotune. We had talent.”
Elvis did praise Lady Gaga’s skills as a “note bandit,” capable of appropriating the right tune at the right time. “She knows a good song when she steals one.”
Before disappearing into the ether, Elvis provided his view on Lady Gaga’s publicity stunts. “That meat dress got her some attention. Who doesn’t like a rare skirt steak? But what is she going to do for an encore? I suggest a peanut butter and banana sandwich dress. Gaga can play the part of the white bread.”Memphis, Tennessee -- The King of Rock ‘n Roll paid a visit to Graceland on the... more
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CNN...
Argentine singer shot dead in Guatemala
By the CNN Wire Staff
July 9, 2011 5:23 p.m. EDT
Photo: Police stand near roses laid at the scene of Saturday's shooting of Argentine folk singer Facundo Cabral in Guatemala City.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu says Facundo Cabral died "for his ideals," report says
The singer was on a Latin American tour
Gunmen attacked his SUV as he made his way to the airport
A motive for the killing remains unclear
(CNN) -- Gunmen shot dead Argentine folk singer Facundo Cabral Saturday as his car made its way to the airport in Guatemala City, police said.
The singer's agent was also shot and is in stable condition in the hospital, said police spokesman Donald Gonzalez.
In Guatemala on a Latin American tour, Cabral, 74, left his hotel at 5:40 a.m. in a white SUV for an eight-minute ride to the airport.
Gunmen attacked the SUV -- at least 20 bullet holes could be seen on the Range Rover. Nothing was reported stolen from the vehicle, government spokesman Ronaldo Robles said.
Police found a brown Hyundai Santa Fe nearby containing bullet-proof vests and AK-47 magazines.
A motive for the killing of one of Latin America's best-known folk singers remained unclear. Robles said an investigation was underway.
"Adios amigo!" said Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman on Twitter.
Argentine folk singer Facundo Cabral, 74, gained fame as a protest singer.
Guatemalan Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu traveled to the site of the attack, where she wept and said the singer had died "for his ideals," according to Notimex, the state-run news agency in Mexico.
"I can't think of a single reason why Cabral was killed here in Guatemala. He came just to sing," Notimex reported she said.
Cabral was the latest victim in a wave of violence that has rocked Guatemala ahead of elections.
In a report last month, the International Crisis Group warned that the violence and unregulated campaign finance were putting the country's political institutions at risk.
Stephen McFarland, the U.S. ambassador to Guatemala, echoed that warning Saturday.
"I think this of course hurts Guatemala's image before the rest of the region and I believe that brings serious questions to the table about what can be done to prevent this from continuing," he said.
Guatemala's human rights ombudsman, Sergio Morales, expressed his condolences to Argentina.
"I ask authorities of this country that this crime not be left unsolved, to investigate," he said.
Ironically, Cabral, who said he was inspired by Jesus Christ and Mohandas Gandhi, was recognized in 1996 by the Organization of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as a "World Peace Messenger."
Cabral gained fame as a protest singer. His song, "No Soy De Aqui, Ni Soy De Alla" ("I'm Not From Here Nor There") was recorded in nine languages by stars including Julio Iglesias and Neil Diamond.
CNN's Claudia Dominguez and Moni Basu contributed to this report.CNN...
Argentine singer shot dead in Guatemala
By the CNN Wire Staff
July 9,... more
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Wane Enterprises is Looking for Talented Singers.. To showcase at
their..Friday Night Lights Singers Showcase & Comedy event Taking Place Friday April 22nd, 2011 In Manhattan NY. Attention Singers do not miss the chance to be apart of this thrilling event. Wane Enterprises is Connected within the music industry to indie & Major Labels. All Participants will have their performances archived on our..site and seen by our industry contacts.....
Can you sing,or can you SING ..For Full Info Click Link http://www.waneenterprises.com/news/678Wane Enterprises is Looking for Talented Singers.. To showcase at
their..Friday... more
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The father of Miley Cyrus, Billy, stated that Disney show had destroyed his family. Earlier Miley Cyrus was avoiding the questions about Hannah Montana on program ‘Late Night With Jimmy Fallon’. Questions were continuously asked to her if she can do comedy like Hannah Montana does. She pretended from giving a straightforward answer to this question. Instead she preferred to say that she missed to do stuffs like Hannah Montana. Miley is going to host her show ‘Saturday Night Live’ from this week.The father of Miley Cyrus, Billy, stated that Disney show had destroyed his family.... more
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Breaking News Updates Mr. Elton John and Mr. Leon Russell performed Hey Ahab on the Late Show with Mr. David Letterman. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 2011 inductees include some iconic artists, and now the ceremony will also boast some legendary presenters.Breaking News Updates Mr. Elton John and Mr. Leon Russell performed Hey Ahab on the... more
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Recently Complete News Updates Congresswoman Mrs. Mary Bono Mack has been caught on camera in a lurid scandal where another woman is apparently licking her breast.Recently Complete News Updates Congresswoman Mrs. Mary Bono Mack has been caught on... more
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Chuck Berry, 84, Collapses Onstage in Chicago However, Berry refused significant treatment and actually returned to the stage after 20 minutes.Chuck Berry had to be helped offstage last night (January 1) at a gig in Chicago after collapsing during his set.Chuck Berry, 84, Collapses Onstage in Chicago However, Berry refused significant... more
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Grammy Award Winning Artist Krayzie Bone of the rap/hip-hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony launches http://conquertheindustry.com
Where he takes on a new role as mentor and guide in a search for hot new talentGrammy Award Winning Artist Krayzie Bone of the rap/hip-hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony... more
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Salvia is well known for its hallucinogenic effects but so is Miley Cyrus who is well known for all those things which are forbidden for young ones.Salvia is well known for its hallucinogenic effects but so is Miley Cyrus who is well... more
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Latest News Updates See the latest snaps of Mr Justin Bieber, Beyonce, Cher and Ms Christina Aguilera. Ms Christina Aguilera is the latest celebrity targeted by hackers who obtained semi-nude photos of Aguilera and posted them online.Latest News Updates See the latest snaps of Mr Justin Bieber, Beyonce, Cher and Ms... more
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