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Ray Stevens
Harold Ray Ragsdale (born January 24, 1939), known professionally as Ray Stevens, is an American country and pop singer-songwriter and comedian, known for his Grammy-winning recordings "Everything Is Beautiful" and "Misty", as well as novelty hits such as "Gitarzan" and "The Streak". Stevens has received gold albums for his music sales and has worked as a producer, music arranger, and television host. He is also an inductee of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, the Christian Music Hall of Fame, and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Early life Harold Ray Ragsdale was born on January 24, 1939, in Clarkdale, Georgia. He is the elder of two sons born to Willis Harold Ragsdale (1915–2001) and Frances Stephens Ragsdale (1916–97). He has a younger brother, John, who was an actor and writer. John died in 2020 at the age of 75. While attending high school, Stevens formed his first band, a rhythm and blues group named The Barons. Follow ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe South
Joe South (born Joseph Alfred Souter; February 28, 1940 – September 5, 2012) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Best known for his songwriting, South won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1970 for " Games People Play" and was again nominated for the award in 1972 for "Rose Garden". Career South had met and was encouraged by Bill Lowery, an Atlanta music publisher and radio personality. He began his recording career in Atlanta with the National Recording Corporation, where he served as staff guitarist along with other NRC artists Ray Stevens and Jerry Reed. South's earliest recordings have been re-released by NRC on CD. He soon returned to Nashville with The Manrando Group and then on to Charlie Wayne Felts Promotions. (Charlie Wayne Felts is the cousin of Rockabilly Hall of Fame Inductee and Grand Ole Opry Member, Narvel Felts.) South had his first top 50 hit in July 1958 with a cover version of the b-side of The Big Bopper's hit sin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Fool On The Hill
"The Fool on the Hill" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 EP and album '' Magical Mystery Tour''. It was written and sung by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The lyrics describe the titular "fool", a solitary figure who is not understood by others, but is actually wise. McCartney said the idea for the song was inspired by the Dutch design collective the Fool, who derived their name from the tarot card of the same name, and possibly by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The song's segment in the '' Magical Mystery Tour'' television film was shot separately from the rest of the film and without the other Beatles' knowledge. Accompanied by a professional cameraman, McCartney filmed the scene near Nice in France. In 1968, Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 recorded a cover version of the song that reached the top ten in the US. By the late 1970s, "The Fool on the Hill" was one of McCartney's most widely recorded ballads. A solo demo and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galt MacDermot
Arthur Terence Galt MacDermot (December 18, 1928 – December 17, 2018) was a Canadian-American composer, pianist and writer of musical theater. He won a Grammy Award for the song " African Waltz" in 1960. His most-successful musicals were ''Hair'' (1967; its cast album also won a Grammy) and '' Two Gentlemen of Verona'' (1971). MacDermot also composed music for film soundtracks, jazz and funk albums, and classical music, and his music has been sampled in hit hip-hop songs and albums. He is best known for his work on ''Hair'', which produced three number-one singles in 1969: " Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In", "Good Morning Starshine", and the title song "Hair". Biography MacDermot was born in Montreal, the son of Canadian diplomat Terence MacDermot and Elizabeth Savage. He was educated at Upper Canada College and Bishop's University (Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada). He received a bachelor's degree in music from Cape Town University, South Africa, and made a study of African musi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gerome Ragni
Gerome Ragni (born Jerome Bernard Ragni; September 11, 1935 – July 10, 1991) was an American actor, singer, and songwriter, best known as one of the stars and co-writers of the 1967 musical '' Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical''. On June 18, 2009, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Early life Born Jerome Bernard Ragni in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was one of ten children in a low-income Italian-American family. He attended suburban Scott Township High School, where he appeared in various school productions. He attended Georgetown University and The Catholic University of America. At Catholic, he discovered an interest in theater, and began studying acting with Philip Burton. Ragni made his acting debut in Washington, D.C. in 1954, playing Father Corr in ''Shadow and Substance''. He continued to act whenever he could find work. In 1963, he appeared in the New York production of ''War'' at the Village South Theatre, for which he won the Barter Theatre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Rado
James Alexander Radomski (January 23, 1932 – June 21, 2022), known professionally as James Rado, was an American actor, playwright, director, and composer, best known as the co-author, along with Gerome Ragni, of the 1967 musical ''Hair''. He and Ragni were nominated for the 1969 Tony Award for best musical, and they won for best musical at the 11th Annual Grammy Awards. Early life Rado was born to Alexander and Blanche (Bukowski) Radomski on January 23, 1932, in Los Angeles and was raised in Irondequoit, New York and Washington, D.C.Hair the Musical , The Show , Creatives: James Rado hairthemusical.co.uk. Retrieved August 8, 2010 In college, Rado majored in Speech and Drama and began writing songs. He co-authored two musical shows at the |
Aquarius (song)
"Medley: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)" (commonly called "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In", "The Age of Aquarius" or "Let the Sunshine In") is a medley of two songs written for the 1967 musical ''Hair'' by James Rado and Gerome Ragni (lyrics), and Galt MacDermot (music), released as a single by American R&B group the 5th Dimension. The song spent six weeks at number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop singles chart in the spring of 1969 and was eventually certified platinum in the US by the RIAA. Instrumental backing was written by Bill Holman and provided by session musicians commonly known as the Wrecking Crew. The actual recording was novel at the time, being recorded in two cities, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and being mixed down to a final version later. The song listed at number 66 on ''Billboard''s "Greatest Songs of All Time". History The recording was led by veteran American producer and engineer Bones Howe, who had previously worked with the 5t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Settle
Michael Ward Settle (born March 20, 1941) is an American songwriter, journalist, broadcaster and singer. Settle began his musical career as a solo singer and a member of The New Christy Minstrels. His debut solo album ''Folk Sing Hallelujah'' (1961) as Mike Settle and the Settlers, received good reviews and the title track " Sing Hallelujah" was covered on singles by several artists in Europe, and a hit for Judy Collins (1967). His song "Settle Down (Goin' Down That Highway)" was recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary on their 1963 album, ''Moving'', and was its second single. Settle is best known as a member of Kenny Rogers and The First Edition between 1967 and 1970. While he was with the group he composed a number of songs, including "But You Know I Love You" (a No. 19 pop hit in 1969), as well as "It's Gonna Be Better", "The Last Few Threads Of Love" and "Goodtime Liberator", among many others. He was later a member of the group Running Bear and Goldstein which recorded the ori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his career. He was known for his deep, calm bass-baritone voice, the distinctive sound of his Tennessee Three backing band characterized by train-like chugging guitar rhythms, a rebelliousness coupled with an increasingly somber and humble demeanor, free prison concerts, and a trademark all-black stage wardrobe which earned him the nickname "The Man in Black". Born to poor cotton farmers in Kingsland, Arkansas, Cash rose to fame during the mid-1950s in the burgeoning rockabilly scene in Memphis, Tennessee, after four years in the Air Force. He traditionally began his concerts by simply introducing himself, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash", followed by "Folsom Prison Blues", one of his signature songs. His other signature songs include "I Walk the Lin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kristofferson (album)
''Kristofferson'' is the debut album of singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson, which was produced by Fred Foster and released in June 1970 by Monument Records. After working a series of temporary jobs, Kristofferson became a helicopter pilot for oil companies in the Gulf of Mexico. While he worked, he wrote songs and pitched them to singers around Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee during his free time. Kristofferson's songs were recorded by country singers Roy Drusky, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roger Miller and later he persuaded Johnny Cash to try his material. Cash invited Kristofferson to perform with him at the Newport Folk Festival, after which Fred Foster signed Kristofferson to Monument Records as a songwriter and recording artist. Foster included on the sessions Kristofferson's material that other artists had already recorded including "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", "Help Me Make It Through the Night" and "Me and Bobby McGee", as well as his new compositions. The arrangements of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are "Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night", all of which were hits for other artists. In 1985, Kristofferson joined fellow country artists Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash in the country music supergroup The Highwaymen, which was a key creative force in the outlaw country music movement that eschewed the traditional Nashville country music machine in favor of independent songwriting and producing. As an actor, Kristofferson is known for his roles in ''Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid'' (1973), ''Blume in Love'' (1973), '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' (1974), '' A Star Is Born'' (1976) (which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor), ''Convoy'' (1978), '' Heaven's Gate'' (1980), '' Lone Star'' (1996), ''Stagecoach'' (1986), and the ''Blade'' film trilo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
