Michael Masser
Michael William Masser (March 24, 1941 – July 9, 2015) was an American songwriter, composer and producer of popular music. Early life Born to a Jewish family in Chicago to Ester Huff and William Masser, he attended the University of Illinois College of Law. He became a stockbroker, but left to pursue his interest in music. Career Masser's first major composition hit, co-written with Ron Miller, was "Touch Me in the Morning", recorded by Diana Ross. He co-wrote several other hit songs in the 1970s and 1980s, including four made famous by Whitney Houston, "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "Saving All My Love for You", " All at Once" and "Greatest Love of All", originally recorded as "The Greatest Love of All" by George Benson for the 1977 film '' The Greatest''. Other Masser's songs by Benson are "In Your Eyes" (George Benson, Jeffrey Osborne), "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" (George Benson, Glenn Medeiros) and "You Are the Love of My Life" (George Benson and Roberta ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Rancho Mirage, California
Rancho Mirage is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal (part-time) population can exceed 20,000. Incorporated in 1973 and located between Cathedral City and Palm Desert, it is one of the nine cities of the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs area). It is home to and has been home to a number of celebrities, including Don Sutton, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jr., Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, Billie Dove and Gerald and Betty Ford. It is a low-density desert-resort community with resorts, golf courses, and country clubs in the Coachella Valley within the Colorado Desert section of the Sonoran Desert. It is nestled along the foothills of the Santa Rosa Mountains in the south and is located between the cities of Palm Springs and Palm Desert. It is adjacent to Cathedral City, Palm Desert, and Unincorporated Thousand Palms. It has been nicknamed "Playgroun ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Jeffrey Osborne
Jeffrey Linton Osborne (born March 9, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and lyricist. He is the former drummer and lead singer of the American R&B/soul group L.T.D., with whom he began his musical career in 1970. Biography Early life and family Osborne was born in Providence, Rhode Island. Born the youngest of twelve children which consisted of five brothers and six sisters, Osborne's family was musically inclined. Some of Osborne's siblings went on to have music careers as well; his brother Billy Osborne was his band-mate in L.T.D. Osborne's father, Clarence "Legs" Osborne, was a popular trumpeter who played with Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington. Osborne's father died in 1961 when Osborne was thirteen. L.T.D. Osborne began his music career in 1970 becoming a member of the American soul band "Love Men Ltd.", who would later become known as L.T.D. The band recorded hit singles such as " (Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again" (1977), "Concen ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Last Time I Saw Him (song)
"Last Time I Saw Him" is a 1973 song by Diana Ross, being a composition by Michael Masser and lyricist Pam Sawyer. The track was produced by Masser and released as the first single on December 6, 1973, from her album of the same name. Original version Michael Masser had also composed and produced the precedent solo Diana Ross single "Touch Me in the Morning", a dreamy ballad which had hit #1, but "Last Time I Saw Him" took a drastically different musical direction: AMG would note that on the "arguably campy" last-named track, arrangers Michael Omartian and Gene Page "throw in everything but the proverbial kitchen sink with a score that is all over the musical map from Dixieland-band jazz to banjo-pickin' and even an orchestrated string section", while ''Billboard'' would describe "Last Time I Saw Him" as "a light romp in the Tony Orlando and Dawn style." The song's narrator recalls how she saw her "honey" off on a Greyhound bus having given the man a large amount of money to es ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
It's My Turn (song)
"It's My Turn" is a song sung by American singer Diana Ross as the theme to the film ''It's My Turn''. With lyrics written by Carole Bayer Sager, and Michael Masser composing and producing, the song was released in September 1980 by Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ... as the lead single from the film's soundtrack. It was also the first single on Ross's compilation, '' To Love Again'' (1981). In the United States, the single peaked at number 9 on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts, and it rose to number 14 on the Soul chart. Chart performance References External links * Diana Ross songs 1980s ballads 1980 singles 1980 songs Songs with feminist themes Songs written by Carole Bayer Sager Songs written by Michael Masse ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Knight & the Pips, which included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and cousins William Guest and Edward Patten. Knight has recorded two number-one ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles (" Midnight Train to Georgia" and "That's What Friends Are For" which she did with Dionne Warwick, Sir Elton John and Stevie Wonder), eleven number-one R&B singles and six number-one R&B albums. She has won seven Grammy Awards (four as a solo artist and three with the Pips) and is an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Vocal Group Hall of Fame along with The Pips. Two of her songs ("I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight Train to Georgia") were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for "historical, artistic and significant" value. She also ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the hits "This Will Be", " Inseparable" (1975), and " Our Love" (1977). She returned as a pop singer on the 1987 album ''Everlasting'' and her cover of Bruce Springsteen's " Pink Cadillac". In the 1990s, she sang traditional pop by her father, resulting in her biggest success, '' Unforgettable... with Love'', which sold over seven million copies and won her seven Grammy Awards. She sold over 30 million records worldwide. Early life Natalie Cole was born at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles, California, to American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole and former Duke Ellington Orchestra singer Maria Hawkins Ellington, and raised in the affluent Hancock Park district of Los Angeles. Regarding her childhood, Cole referred to her family ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Miss You Like Crazy
"Miss You Like Crazy" is a song by American singer Natalie Cole, released as a single on March 15, 1989, from her 11th solo studio album, ''Good to Be Back'' (1989). Chart performance "Miss You Like Crazy" was a hit for Cole, becoming her fifth and last top-10 hit on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart when it peaked at number seven. The song topped both the ''Billboard'' R&B and Adult Contemporary charts in 1989, as well as reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the biggest hit of her career there. In Canada, the song peaked at number 19 for two weeks. "Miss You Like Crazy" is ranked as the 67th-biggest US hit of 1989 and the 20th-biggest UK hit, being certified silver in the latter region. Critical reception Jerry Smith from ''Music Week'' complimented the song as a "strong, sweeping ballad, where her soaring vocal talents are amply displayed among Michael Masser's dramatic and highly polished production." Colin Irwin from ''Number One'' wrote, "'Miss You Like ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
If Ever You're In My Arms Again
"If Ever You're in My Arms Again" is a 1984 song recorded by American contemporary R&B singer Peabo Bryson. Released as a single from his album '' Straight from the Heart'', the single peaked at number 6 on the R&B chart and was Bryson's first Top 10 single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at number 10 during the summer of 1984. It also spent four weeks at number 1 on the adult contemporary chart. Personnel * Peabo Bryson – lead vocals * Randy Kerber – acoustic piano, Yamaha DX7 * Paul Jackson, Jr. – guitars * Neil Stubenhaus – bass guitar * Carlos Vega – drums * Lee Holdridge – string arrangements and conductor * Michael Masser – rhythm track arrangements * Gene Page – rhythm track arrangements * Richard Marx – backing vocals * Deborah Thomas – backing vocals Charts Weekly charts Year-end charts In popular culture The song was used as a love theme for the Kelly Capwell and Joe Perkins characters on the daytime serial ''Santa Bar ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Peabo Bryson
Robert Peapo "Peabo" Bryson (born April 13, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for singing soul ballads (often as a duet with female singers) including the 1983 hit "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" with Roberta Flack. Bryson has contributed to two Disney animated feature soundtracks. Bryson is a winner of two Grammy Awards. Early years and career Born Robert Peapo Bryson in Greenville, South Carolina, Peabo Bryson spent much of his childhood on his grandfather's farm in Mauldin, South Carolina. His love for music stemmed from his mother, who often took the family to concerts of well-known African-American artists at the time. Bryson marked his professional debut at age 14, singing backup for Al Freeman and the Upsetters, a local Greenville group. It was Freeman's difficulty in pronouncing Bryson's French West-Indian name, Peapo, that led Bryson to perform as Peabo. Two years later, he left home to tour the Chitlin' Circuit with another local band, Moses Dill ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Tonight, I Celebrate My Love
"Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" is a romantic ballad written by lyricist Gerry Goffin with Michael Masser and recorded by Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack for their 1983 album of duets, '' Born to Love'', issued as the lead single. The track—produced by Masser—became a million-selling international hit. Overview "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" was one of two Michael Masser/ Gerry Goffin co-writes produced by Masser for the ''Born to Love'' album. Although the ''Born to Love'' sessions marked the first time either Peabo Bryson or Roberta Flack had been produced by Masser, Flack had previously recorded two Masser/ Goffin co-writes: "Independent Man" (album ''Roberta Flack''/ 1978) and "Stay With Me" (album ''Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway''/ 1980): also Masser's Ron Miller co-write "After You" was featured on Flack's 1977 album ''Blue Lights in the Basement''. Flack's first recording of a Gerry Goffin composition had been a remake of his earliest evocation of nocturnal inti ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Teddy Pendergrass
Theodore DeReese Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter. He was born in Kingstree, South Carolina. Pendergrass spent most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initially rose to musical fame as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. After leaving the group in 1976, Pendergrass launched a successful solo career under the Philadelphia International label, releasing five consecutive platinum albums (a record at the time for an African-American R&B artist). Pendergrass's career was suspended after a March 1982 car crash left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. Pendergrass continued his successful solo career until announcing his retirement in 2007. He died from respiratory failure in January 2010. Early life He was born Theodore DeReese Pendergrass on March 26, 1950, in Kingstree, South Carolina. He was the only child of Jesse and Ida Geraldine (née Epps) Pendergrass. Ida suffered six miscarriages before ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Hold Me (Teddy Pendergrass & Whitney Houston Song)
"Hold Me" is a ballad duet performed by Americans, American singers Teddy Pendergrass and Whitney Houston. The song was originally recorded solo by Diana Ross for her 1982 album Silk Electric under the title "In Your Arms", with slightly different lyrics. The version by Pendergrass and Houston appears on Pendergrass's eighth studio album ''Love Language (Teddy Pendergrass album), Love Language'' (1984) and Houston's Whitney Houston (album), self-titled debut studio album (1985). It was written by Linda Creed and Michael Masser, with production overseen by Masser. "Hold Me" was the first single release of Houston's career. In the US, the song became a top five hit on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, R&B singles chart and peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100, US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1984. It was a top thirty hit in Ireland, the Netherlands, and the Flemish region of Belgium. Ron Wynn of AllMusic highlighted this song on ''Love Language'' and he called it a good duet. With thi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |