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Music Box Dancer
"Music Box Dancer" is an instrumental piece by Canadian musician Frank Mills that was an international hit in the late 1970s. It features an arpeggio, arpeggiated piano theme in C-sharp major (enharmonic to D-flat major) designed to resemble a music box, accompanied by other instruments playing a counterpoint melody as well as a wordless chorus. (Most modern piano music sheets have the song in the key of C major.) Mills wrote and recorded "Music Box Dancer" in 1974, but it did not become a Single (music), single until December 1978. By Christmas of that year, it was in the top ten of many European and Asian pop music charts. Released as a single in the United States in January 1979,''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990'' - it reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart on the week ending May 5, and also reached #3 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart and #47 on the Canadian pop chart. The single also did well in Australia, reaching #14 on the Austral ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Mills
Frank Mills (born June 27, 1942) is a Canadian pianist and recording artist, best known for his solo instrumental hit "Music Box Dancer". Early life and education Mills was born in Montreal, Quebec. He was raised in Verdun, Quebec and started playing piano at the age of three. His family was musical and his mother also played piano and his father sang tenor. By the time he was 17 both his parents had died of cancer. Mills attended McGill University for five years. At McGill, he initially studied engineering, but eventually switched to the Department of Music. He entertained his Delta Upsilon fraternity brothers with songs from ragtime to Bob Dylan (a new musician at the time). The fraternity piano had thumbtacks on every hammer and produced a unique sound. Career In the late 1960s, Mills became a member of The Bells. He left the band in 1971 just before it had international success with the single " Stay Awhile." Mills worked as a pianist for CBC Television and recorded his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
One-hit Wonder
A one-hit wonder or viral hit is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music performers with only one hit single that overshadows their other work. Some artists dubbed "one-hit wonders" in a particular country have had great success in other countries. Music artists with subsequent popular albums and hit listings are typically not considered a one-hit wonder. One-hit wonders usually see their popularity decreasing after their hit listing and most often do not ever return to hit listings with other songs or albums. Music industry In ''The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders,'' music journalist Wayne Jancik defines a one-hit wonder as "an act that has won a position on henational, pop, Top 40 record chart just once." This formal definition can include acts with greater success outside their lone pop hit and who are ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
101 Strings
101 Strings Orchestra was a brand for a highly successful easy listening symphonic music organization, with a discography exceeding 150 albums and a creative lifetime of around 30 years beginning in 1957. 101 Strings had a trademark sound, focusing on melody with a laid-back ambiance most often featuring strings. Their LPs were individualized by the slogan "The Sound of Magnificence", a puffy cloud logo and sepia-toned photo of the orchestra. The 101 Strings orchestra included 124 string instruments, and was conducted by Wilhelm Stephan. The orchestra's famous official photograph was taken in the Musikhalle Hamburg. History Miller and rock and roll Record label mogul David L. Miller came to prominence by releasing the first Bill Haley & His Comets’ records in 1952–1953 on his own Essex label (followed by Trans-World, then Somerset Records). In this capacity, Miller played a role in the creation of rock and roll. Miller and 101 Strings Following the rise of mood music (prac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Last
James Last (, ; born Hans Last; 17 April 1929 – 9 June 2015), also known as Hansi, was a German composer and big band leader of the James Last Orchestra. Initially a jazz bassist (Last won the award for "best bassist" in Germany in each of the years 1950–1952), his trademark "happy music" made his numerous albums best-sellers in Germany and the United Kingdom, with 65 of his albums reaching the charts in the UK alone. His composition "Happy Heart" became an international success in interpretations by Andy Williams and Petula Clark. Last is reported to have sold an estimated 200 million albums worldwide in his lifetime (figures vary widely, for example ''British Hit Singles & Albums'' (2006) reports 100 million at that time), of which 80 million were sold by 1973 - and won numerous awards including 200 gold and 14 platinum discs in Germany, the International MIDEM Prize at MIDEM in 1969, and West Germany's highest civilian award, the Bundesverdienstkreuz (Or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eric Robertson (composer)
Eric Nathan Robertson (born 6 April 1948) is a Scottish composer, organist, pianist, and record producer who has been primarily active in Canada. A two time Gemini Award winner, he has composed more than 60 film scores and written music for a number of television series in Canada and the United States. He has also written a considerable amount of choral and organ music, sometimes with instrumental or symphonic accompaniment. His works display a strong influence of Ralph Vaughan Williams, Charles Wood, and William O. Minay, the latter of whom he studied with for over 30 years. He has also produced and played on numerous commercial albums by a variety of artists and released several of his own albums of popular songs and film themes under the name ''Magic Melodies''. Life and career Born in Edinburgh, Robertson began his musical training in organ, piano and music theory in his native city where he was a pupil of E. Francis Thomas, Eric Reid, and William O. Minay. In 1963, at t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roger Williams (pianist)
Roger Williams (born Louis Jacob Weertz; October 1, 1924 – October 8, 2011) was an American popular music pianist. Described by the ''Los Angeles Times'' as "one of the most popular instrumentalists of the mid-20th century", and "the rare instrumental pop artist to strike a lasting commercial chord," Williams had 22 hit singles–including the chart-topping " Autumn Leaves" in 1955 and "Born Free" in 1966–and 38 hit albums between 1955 and 1972. He was a Navy boxing champion, played for nine U.S. Presidential administrations, and had a gold Steinway & Sons grand piano model named in his honor. Biography Weertz was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to the Rev. Frederick J. Weertz (1891–1980), a Lutheran minister, and Dorothea Bang Weertz (1895–1985), a music teacher. The family moved to Des Moines, Iowa, before his first birthday. He first played the piano at age three. In high school he became interested in boxing, mainly at his father's insistence, and returned to music only af ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Clayderman
Richard Clayderman (; born Philippe Pagès , 28 December 1953 in Paris) is a French pianist who has released numerous albums including the compositions of Paul de Senneville, Olivier Toussaint and Marc Minier, instrumental renditions of popular music, rearrangements of movie soundtracks, ethnic music, and easy-listening arrangements of popular works of classical music. Early life Clayderman learned piano from his father, an accordion teacher. At the age of twelve, he was accepted into the Conservatoire de Paris, where he won great acclaim in his later adolescent years. Financial difficulties, precipitated by his father's illness, forestalled a promising career as a classical pianist. In order to earn a living, he found work as a bank clerk and as an accompanist to contemporary bands. He accompanied French singers such as Johnny Hallyday, Thierry Le Luron, and Michel Sardou. "Ballade pour Adeline" In 1976, he was invited by Olivier Toussaint, a French record producer, and his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Floyd Cramer
Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American pianist who became famous for his use of melodic "half step" attacks. He was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His signature playing style was a cornerstone of the pop-oriented "Nashville sound" of the 1950s and 1960s. Cramer's "slip-note" or "bent-note" style, in which a passing note slides almost instantly into or away from a chordal note, influenced a generation of pianists. His sound became popular to the degree that he stepped out of his role as a sideman and began touring as a solo act. In 1960, his piano instrumental solo, " Last Date" went to number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop music chart and sold over one million copies. Its follow-up, " On the Rebound", topped the UK Singles Chart in 1961. As a studio musician, he became one of a cadre of elite players dubbed the Nashville A-Team and he performed on scores of hit records. Biography Cram ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cash Box (magazine)
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online magazine with weekly charts and occasional special print issues. In addition to the music industry, the magazine covered the amusement arcade industry, including jukebox machines and arcade games. History Print edition charts (1952–1996) ''Cashbox'' was one of several magazines that published record charts in the United States. Its most prominent competitors were '' Billboard'' and '' Record World'' (known as ''Music Vendor'' prior to April 1964). Unlike ''Billboard'', ''Cashbox'' combined all currently available recordings of a song into one chart position with artist and label information shown for each version, alphabetized by label. Originally, no indication of which version was the biggest seller was given, but from October 25, 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stations that are members of the Adult Contemporary radio panel. The chart debuted in ''Billboard'' magazine on July 17, 1961.Hyatt, Wesley (1999). ''The Billboard Book of Number One Adult Contemporary Hits''. New York City: Billboard Books. . Over the years, the chart has gone under a series of name changes, being called Easy Listening (1961–1962; 1965–1979), Middle-Road Singles (1962–1964), Pop-Standard Singles (1964–1965), Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks (1979–1982) and Adult Contemporary (1983–present). Chart history The ''Billboard'' Easy listening chart, as it was first known, was born of a desire by some radio stations in the late 1950s and early 1960s to continue playing current hit songs but distinguish themselves from be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billboard (magazine)
''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music industry. Its music charts include the Hot 100, the 200, and the Global 200, tracking the most popular albums and songs in different genres of music. It also hosts events, owns a publishing firm, and operates several TV shows. ''Billboard'' was founded in 1894 by William Donaldson and James Hennegan as a trade publication for bill posters. Donaldson later acquired Hennegan's interest in 1900 for $500. In the early years of the 20th century, it covered the entertainment industry, such as circuses, fairs, and burlesque shows, and also created a mail service for travelling entertainers. ''Billboard'' began focusing more on the music industry as the jukebox, phonograph, and radio became commonplace. Many topics it covered were spun-off ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Recorded Music NZ
Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Music NZ is open to any owner of recorded music rights operating in New Zealand, inclusive of major labels (such as Sony, Universal and Warner Music Group), independent labels and self-released artists. Recorded Music NZ has over 2000 rights-holders. Prior to June 2013 the association called itself the "Recording Industry Association of New Zealand" (RIANZ). RIANZ and PPNZ Music Licensing merged and renamed themselves "Recorded Music NZ". Recorded Music NZ functions in three areas: * member services (the New Zealand Music Awards, the Official New Zealand Music Charts, music grants and direct services to artists and labels) * music licensing (undertaken independently or, in most cases, via OneMusic, a joint licensing venture between Reco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
