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Jim West (guitarist)
James West (born December 18, 1953), also known as Jim "Kimo" West, is a Canadian guitarist best known for working with "Weird Al" Yankovic. He auditioned for Yankovic after being introduced by Steve Jay and the two have worked together ever since. West can be heard and seen on all of Yankovic's videos, albums, and concerts since 1983. West is also a composer for film and television and produced a number of CDs for independent artists. He has released fourteen solo slack-key guitar albums. He performs regularly at concerts and festivals. Biography West was born in Toronto, Ontario on December 18, 1953, and grew up in Tampa, Florida. At age 12, he started playing guitar. By age 16, he was playing professionally in various Florida rock bands, including at least one with Steve Jay. In the early 1980s, he came to Los Angeles, where Jay introduced him to "Weird Al" Yankovic. Currently, West resides in the Los Angeles area, but spends several months a year in Hawaii. He retains h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor of the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration of 9,765,188 people (as of 2021) surrounding the western end of Lake Ontario, while the Greater Toronto Area proper had a 2021 population of 6,712,341. Toronto is an international centre of business, finance, arts, sports and culture, and is recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world. Indigenous peoples have travelled through and inhabited the Toronto area, located on a broad sloping plateau interspersed with rivers, deep ravines, and urban forest, for more than 10,000 years. After the broadly disputed Toronto Purchase, when the Mississauga surrendered the area to the British Crown, the British established the town of York in 1793 and later designat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Off The Deep End
''Off the Deep End'' is the seventh studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released in 1992. This album was the first album self-produced by Yankovic, after six albums with Rick Derringer. Recorded between June 1990 and January 1992, the album was a follow-up to the unsuccessful soundtrack to Yankovic's 1989 film '' UHF''. ''Off the Deep End'' and its lead single "Smells Like Nirvana" helped to revitalize Yankovic's career after a lull following his last hit single, "Fat", in 1988. The musical styles on ''Off the Deep End'' are built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the newly arisen grunge movement. Half of the album is made up of parodies of Nirvana, MC Hammer, New Kids on the Block, Gerardo, and Milli Vanilli. The other half of the album is original material, featuring many "style parodies", or musical imitations of existing artists. These style parodies include imitations of specific artists like the Beach Boys, Jame ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grammy Award For Best New Age Album
The Grammy Award for Best New Age Album is presented to recording artists for quality albums in the new-age music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position". Originally called the Grammy Award for Best New Age Recording, the honor was first presented to Swiss musician Andreas Vollenweider at the 29th Grammy Awards in 1987 for his album ''Down to the Moon''. Two compilation albums featuring Windham Hill Records artists were nominated that same year. The record label was founded by William Ackerman, later an award nominee and 2005 winner for the album ''Returning''. From 1988 to 1991 the category was known as Best New Age ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
61st Annual Grammy Awards
The 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 10, 2019, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys hosted. During her opening monologue, Keys brought out Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, each of whom spoke about the impact that music had on their lives. The ceremony recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, which ran from October 1, 2017, to September 30, 2018. Nominations were announced on December 7, 2018. Dolly Parton was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two days prior to the Grammy Awards on February 8, 2019. Kendrick Lamar received the most nominations, with eight. Donald Glover, Childish Gambino and Kacey Musgraves tied for the most wins of the night with four each. Childish Gambino did not attend the Grammys and became the first major award winner to be absent from the ceremony since Amy Winehouse in 2008. "Thi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the music industry worldwide. It was originally called the Gramophone Awards, as the trophy depicts a gilded gramophone. The Grammys are the first of the Big Three networks' major music awards held annually, and is considered one of the four major annual American entertainment awards, alongside the Academy Awards (for films), the Emmy Awards (for television), and the Tony Awards (for theater). The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4, 1959, to honor the musical accomplishments of performers for the year 1958. After the 2011 ceremony, the Recording Academy overhauled many Grammy Award categories for 2012. History The Grammys had their origin in the Hollywood Walk of Fame project in the 1950s. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stepping Out (Diana Krall Album)
''Stepping Out'' is the debut studio album by Canadian singer Diana Krall, released in 1993 by Justin Time Records. It has since been reissued several times on Justin Time, as ''Stepping Out: The Early Recordings'' on GRP Records, and as a vinyl record through Barnes & Noble. Track listing * Note: early editions omit On the Sunny Side of the Street meaning those copies have a running time of 54:15. Personnel Credits adapted from the liner notes of the 2000 reissue of ''Stepping Out''. Studios * Kingsound Studios (North Hollywood, California) – recording * Group IV Recording Studios (Hollywood, California) – recording * Studio Tempo (Montreal) – mixing Musicians * Diana Krall – vocals, piano ; arrangements * John Clayton John Clayton may refer to: Arts and entertainment Writing *John Clayton (architect) (died 1861), English architect and writer *John Bell Clayton and Martha Clayton, John Bell Clayton (c. 1907–1955), American writer *John Clayton (sportswriter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill Dana (comedian)
William Szathmary (October 5, 1924 June 15, 2017), known as Bill Dana, was an American comedian, actor, and screenwriter. He often appeared on television shows such as ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', frequently in the guise of a heavily accented Bolivian character named José Jiménez. Dana often portrayed the Jiménez character as an astronaut. Early life Dana was born William Szathmary in Quincy, Massachusetts, the youngest of six children born to Joseph and Dena Szathmary. He was of Hungarian Jewish descent. He took his stage name "Dana" after his mother's first name "Dena" as he felt "Szathmary" was unpronounceable. Dana benefited from the expertise of an older brother, Arthur, who was fluent in several languages and gave his sibling his second entry into foreign languages. The first was growing up in a polyglot neighborhood where Spanish and Italian were among the languages spoken and having a Hungarian immigrant for a father. Another older brother was Irving Szathmary, compo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Tropical Botanical Garden
The National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) is a Hawaii-based not-for-profit institution dedicated to tropical plant research, conservation, and education. It operates a network of botanical gardens and preserves in Hawaii and Florida. History In the early 1960s a group approached the U.S. Congress to charter a tropical botanical garden on U.S. soil. In 1964, Public Law 88-449 was enacted which chartered the Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden (which would later be changed to National Tropical Botanical Garden). The group is a not-for-profit non-governmental institution holding a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code. The mission of the NTBG is to enrich life through discovery, scientific research, conservation, and education by perpetuating the survival of plants, ecosystems, and cultural knowledge of tropical regions. This mission would be achieved through: a network of diverse gardens and preserves in Hawai`i and Florida, each with significant biologica ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mandatory Fun
''Mandatory Fun'' is the fourteenth studio album by American musician "Weird Al" Yankovic. The self-produced album was released by RCA Records in the United States on July 15, 2014, and was the final album on Yankovic's recording contract. Yankovic had previously released ''Alpocalypse'' in 2011 and was touring in support of it when he first spoke of his next record. When he began to work on ''Mandatory Fun'', Yankovic found himself listening to older acts, many of which he stylistically spoofed on the album. Recorded at studios in Los Angeles and Massachusetts from 2012 to 2014, ''Mandatory Fun'' contains twelve songs, which include parodies of songs by Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke, Iggy Azalea, Lorde and Imagine Dragons. It also features original songs in the form of pastiche, imitating the styles of the Pixies, Cat Stevens, Foo Fighters, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Southern Culture on the Skids. Yankovic composed the originals first and wrote the parodies last to allow them t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alpocalypse
''Alpocalypse'' is the thirteenth studio album by American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on June 21, 2011. It was the seventh studio album self-produced by Yankovic. The musical styles on the album are built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the late 2000s and early 2010s. The album's first single, "Whatever You Like", was released almost two and a half years prior to the release of the album, and the single peaked at number 104 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album's final single, "Perform This Way", was released digitally on April 25, 2011, but failed to chart. Prior to the release of ''Alpocalypse'', Yankovic released the EP '' Internet Leaks'' (2009); this was an experiment in using the Internet as a way to release music in an efficient and timely manner. All of the tracks released on ''Internet Leaks'' would later be re-released on ''Alpocalypse''. The album was preceded by a minor controversy after Yankovic sought Lady Gaga's permissi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Straight Outta Lynwood
''Straight Outta Lynwood'' is the twelfth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on September 26, 2006, the title drawing inspiration from hip hop group N.W.A's '' Straight Outta Compton''. It was the sixth studio album self-produced by Yankovic. The musical styles on the album are built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the mid-2000s. The album's lead single, " White & Nerdy", is a parody of Chamillionaire's hit single "Ridin'". The single debuted at #28 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and peaked at #9 the following week; "Canadian Idiot", a parody of Green Day's " American Idiot", also charted, peaking at #82. The album contains three further parodies, based on " Confessions Part II" by Usher, " Do I Make You Proud" by Taylor Hicks, and ''Trapped in the Closet'' by R. Kelly. The other half of the album is original material, containing many "style parodies"—musical imitations of existing artists, such as Brian Wilson, Rage Against the Machine, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Poodle Hat
''Poodle Hat'' is the eleventh studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on May 20, 2003. It was the fifth studio album self-produced by Yankovic. The musical styles on the album are built around parodies and pastiches of pop of the early-2000s. The album's lead single, "Couch Potato", is a parody of "Lose Yourself" by Eminem. The single failed to chart, although the album's song "eBay" (a parody of "I Want It That Way" by Backstreet Boys) eventually peaked at 15 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles in 2007. The album featured five parodies. Aside from the aforementioned "Couch Potato" and "eBay", the album also spoofs "Hot in Herre" by Nelly, " Complicated" by Avril Lavigne, and " Piano Man" by Billy Joel. The album includes six original songs, featuring many "style parodies", or musical imitations of existing artists. These style parodies include imitations of specific artists like Ben Folds, Beck, and Frank Zappa. A polka medley of popular songs was also included on the al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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