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Keith Barnhart
Keith Lee Barnhart (born October 6, 1962) is an American composer, keyboardist, and audio engineer commonly referred to as "Plex". Although most of his credits are as a session musician on nearly 100 major label albums, most of his career earnings came from composing for: TV & Radio, library music, and popular song. Life and career Early life and education Barnhart was born and raised in Huntington, West Virginia to adoptive parents. He has one son, Byron (born 1996) from a previous marriage. His parents put a piano in his bedroom at age 5 and by age 7 he was performing Beethoven by ear. By age 8 he was performing in local talent contests. In elementary school, he was part-time accompanist and tuned the guitars and auto-harps for the class. The music teacher, Caroline Gillespie (married to big-band conductor Mel Gillespie) fostered Barnhart's abilities and got him an audition, at the age of 10, to study with Marshall University music professor Paul Jennings who made an exception in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Definition The term is descended from Latin, ''compōnō''; literally "one who puts together". The earliest use of the term in a musical context given by the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' is from Thomas Morley's 1597 ''A Plain and Easy Introduction to Practical Music'', where he says "Some wil be good descanters ..and yet wil be but bad composers". 'Composer' is a loose term that generally refers to any person who writes music. More specifically, it is often used to denote people who are composers by occupation, or those who in the tradition of Western classical music. Writers of exclusively or primarily songs may be called composers, but since the 20th century the terms 'songwriter' or ' singer-songwriter' are more often used, particularl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Mardin
Joe Mardin (born Yusuf Mardin) is a Turkish-American music producer, arranger and engineer from New York City. He is a Berklee College of Music graduate and is the son of the Turkish American producer Arif Mardin. Joe Mardin is also a conductor, songwriter and drummer. Along with his father, Joe Mardin co-produced Queen Latifah, ''The Dana Owens Album'', '' Joy A Holiday Collection'', a Christmas album by singer/songwriter Jewel (he shared several roles on both albums including conductor, arranger, engineer, programming and orchestration), and the debut album of blind singer, songwriter, guitarist Raul Midón entitled '' State of Mind''. He also produced Raul Midon's second album for Manhattan Records, which came out in September 2007. Mardin was a co-composer for "Caught in the Act" on Chaka Khan's '' I Feel For You'' album. His conducting credits include Whitney Houston's, '' Whitney: The Greatest Hits'' album He produced the documentary '' The Greatest Ears in Town: The A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Duran Duran
Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger Taylor (Duran Duran drummer), Roger Taylor the following year the band went through numerous personnel changes before May 1980, when they settled on their most famous line-up by adding guitarist Andy Taylor (guitarist), Andy Taylor and lead vocalist Simon Le Bon. When Duran Duran emerged they were generally considered part of the New Romantic scene. Innovators of the music video, Duran Duran were catapulted into the mainstream with the introduction of the 24-hour music channel MTV. The group was a leading band in the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US in the 1980s. Photographer Denis O'Regan, who captured the band during their 1984 tour, commented "Duran Duran in America was like Beatlemania." The band's first major hit was "Gi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nu Shooz
Nu Shooz is an American R&B group fronted by husband-and-wife team of John Smith and Valerie Day, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Nu Shooz released four albums in the U.S. during the 1980s. Their third album, '' Poolside'', brought the group's sound to a wider audience. Career Nu Shooz formed in 1979 in a lineup that originally featured 12 members. This incarnation of the group released its debut album, ''Can't Turn It Off'', in 1982. Although the album saw limited success, the band continued on, paring its lineup down to seven members over the next several years. Nu Shooz originally released the single " I Can't Wait" in Portland in April 1985 on Poolside Records. The original session occurred at Cascade Recording in Portland in the fall of 1984 and was also featured on the band's sparsely distributed second album, ''Tha's Right'', in 1985. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, five of which became No. 1 albums; he has had 14 platinum albums and 15 gold albums. Alpert is the only musician to hit No. 1 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 as both a vocalist ("This Guy's in Love with You", 1968) and an instrumentalist ("Rise", 1979). Alpert has reportedly sold 72 million records worldwide. He has received many accolades, including a Tony Award, and eight Grammy Awards, as well as the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2006, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Alpert was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Barack Obama in 2013. Early life and career Herb Alpert was born and raised in the Boyle Heights section of Eastside Los Angeles, California, the younger child ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kurtis Mantronik
Kurtis el Khaleel (born Graham Curtis el Khaleel, September 4, 1965), known by the stage name Kurtis Mantronik, is a Jamaican-born hip hop and electronic-music artist, DJ, remixer, and producer. He was the leader, DJ, and keyboardist of the influential 1980s hip hop and electro-funk group Mantronix. He currently lives in South Africa where he has produced and remixed house and techno music tracks by artists such as India, Junior Senior, Kylie Minogue, Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, Michael Gray, Victoria Beckham, Liberty X, and Mim. Mantronik was influential in the development of hip hop music: notably, he laid the foundations for Southern hip hop genres such as Miami bass and trap music, and helped popularize the Amen break. Early years and Mantronix era (1984–1991) Mantronik was born in Jamaica to a Syrian father and a Jamaican mother. He emigrated to Sherwood Park, Alberta Canada with his family at the age of 7, before eventually settling in New York City. It ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Pleasure Principle (song)
"The Pleasure Principle" is a song recorded by American singer Janet Jackson for her third studio album, ''Control'' (1986). A&M Records released it as the sixth single from ''Control'' on May 12, 1987. Written and produced by Monte Moir, with co-production by Jackson and Steve Wiese, the song is an "independent woman" anthem about taking control of a personal relationship by refusing to settle for loveless materialism. Musically, "The Pleasure Principle" is an R&B song built around a dance beat. The photograph for the single cover was shot by David LaChapelle. The song has been included in two of Jackson's greatest hits albums, '' Design of a Decade: 1986–1996'' (1995) and '' Number Ones'' (2009). "The Pleasure Principle" received positive reviews from music critics and was a modest commercial success. In the United States, it peaked at number 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming her first single to not reach the top-ten since "What Have You Done for Me Lately". Howeve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreography became a catalyst in the growth of MTV, enabling her to rise to prominence while breaking gender and racial barriers in the process. Lyrical content which focused on social issues and lived experiences set her reputation as a role model for youth. The tenth and youngest child of the Jackson family, she began performing at the MGM Grand. She starred in the variety television series ''The Jacksons'' in 1976 and went on to appear in other television shows throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, including '' Good Times'', ''Diff'rent Strokes'', and '' Fame''. After signing a recording contract with A&M Records in 1982, she became a pop icon following the release of her third and fourth studio albums ''Control'' (1986) and ''Rhythm Nation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roberta Flack
Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the Billboard Magazine, ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song", "Feel Like Makin' Love (Roberta Flack song), Feel Like Makin' Love", "Where Is the Love (Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway song), Where Is the Love" and "The Closer I Get to You", the latter two duets with Donny Hathaway. Flack is also noted for her influence on the subgenre of contemporary R&B called quiet storm, along with her interpretations of songs by various songwriters, such as Leonard Cohen and members of the Beatles. Flack was the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in two consecutive years: "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" won in 15th Annual Grammy Awards, 1973 and "Killing Me Softly with His Song" won in 16th Annual Grammy Awards, 1974. Early life Flack was born in Black Mountain, North Carolina, to parents Laro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award nominations, 28 Grammys, and a Grammy Legend Award in 1992. Jones came to prominence in the 1950s as a jazz arranger and conductor before working on pop music and film scores. He moved easily between musical genres, producing pop hit records for Lesley Gore in the early 1960s (including " It's My Party") and serving as an arranger and conductor for several collaborations between the jazz artists Frank Sinatra and Count Basie in the same time period. In 1968, Jones became the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "The Eyes of Love" from the film '' Banning''. Jones was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score for his work on the 1967 film ''In Cold Blood'', making him the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live performances to become a studio-only band, opting to record with a revolving cast of session musicians. ''Rolling Stone'' has called them "the perfect musical antiheroes for the seventies". Becker and Fagen played together in a variety of bands from their time together studying at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. They later moved to Los Angeles, gathered a band of musicians, and began recording albums. Their first album, ''Can't Buy a Thrill'' (1972), established a template for their career, blending elements of rock, jazz, Latin music, R&B, bluesAllMusic Steely Dan: Biography and sophisticated studio production with cryptic and ironic lyrics. The band enjoyed critical and commercial success through seven studio album ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marie Denise Pelletier
Marie Denise Pelletier (born 3 April 1960) is a francophone Canadian singer. She served as President of Artisti, a copyright collective for music artists operated by Quebec's l'Union des artistes (UDA). Biography While studying literature and cinema at the CÉGEP de Rosemont, Pelletier developed her song technique under veteran Quebec singer Lucille Dumont. In 1982, she won honours at the Granby Festival of song and also first place in a CKMF-FM contest for song talent. In 1985, she recorded a 45 RPM vinyl single entitled "Échec et Mat" (Checkmate) before beginning studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Upon returning to Quebec, she was offered the role of Stella Spotlight in the second Quebec production of the rock opera '' Starmania''. In 1986 Pelletier composed and recorded her first album ''Premier Contact'' which received a nomination as "Discovery of the Year" at the Félix Awards. In 1987, she recorded an album based on ''Starmania'' then proceeded to reco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
