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The Wiz (soundtrack)
''The Wiz'' is the original motion picture soundtrack album for the 1978 film adaptation of the Broadway musical ''The Wiz''. Although the film was produced for Universal Pictures by Motown Records' film division, the soundtrack album was issued on MCA Records as a two- LP collection (Universal was owned by MCA Inc. at the time). Chiefly produced by Quincy Jones, ''The Wiz'' soundtrack features non-sync cast performances by the stars of the film, including Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Theresa Merritt, Thelma Carpenter, and Lena Horne. Like many musicals of the period, the performances in the soundtrack album are not those used directly in the film, but pre/re-recorded by the same artists at an earlier and/or later date. Several differences are noted, including a missing line by Michael Jackson and a scat section by Nipsey Russell being dropped from the soundtrack version of " A Brand New Day", among others. The song "Is This What Feeling G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diana Ross
Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. They remain the best-charting female group in history, with a total of twelve number-one hit singles on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, including "Where Did Our Love Go", "Baby Love", "Come See About Me", and " Love Child". Following departure from the Supremes in 1970, Ross embarked on a successful solo career in music, film, television and on stage. Her eponymous debut solo album featured the U.S. number-one hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and music anthem "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)". It was followed with her second solo album, '' Everything Is Everything'' (1970), which spawned her first UK number-one single " I'm Still Waiting". She continued her successful solo career by mounting elaborate record-setting ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Wiz (film)
''The Wiz'' is a 1978 American musical adventure fantasy film directed by Sidney Lumet and produced by Rob Cohen. A reimagining of L. Frank Baum's classic 1900 children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' featuring an all African-American cast, the film was loosely adapted from the 1974 Broadway musical of the same title. It follows the adventures of Dorothy, a shy, twenty-four year old Harlem schoolteacher who finds herself magically transported to the urban fantasy Land of Oz, which resembles a dream version of New York City. Befriended by a Scarecrow, a Tin Man and a Cowardly Lion, she travels through the city to seek an audience with the mysterious Wiz, who they say is the only one powerful enough to send her home. Produced by Universal Pictures and Motown Productions, filming took place in Queens, New York from October to December 1977, with a cast starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson (in his feature film debut), Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Theresa Merritt, Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood. Horne advocated for human rights and took part in the March on Washington in August 1963. Later she returned to her roots as a nightclub performer and continued to work on television while releasing well-received record albums. She announced her retirement in March 1980, but the next year starred in a one-woman show, '' Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music'', which ran for more than 300 performances on Broadway. She then toured the country in the show, earning numerous awards and accolades. Horne continued recording and performing sporadically into the 1990s, retreating from the public eye in 2000. Early life Lena Horne was born in Bedford–S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thelma Carpenter
Thelma Carpenter (January 15, 1922 – May 14, 1997) was an American jazz singer and actress, best known as "Miss One", the Good Witch of the North in the movie ''The Wiz''. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, the only child of Fred and Mary Carpenter, and attended Girls' Commercial High School, where Susan Hayward was a few years ahead. Career As a child performer, Carpenter had her own radio show on WNYC in New York and won an amateur night at the Apollo Theatre in 1938, where she would be honored and perform nearly 60 years later on the 1993 all-star NBC-TV special ''Apollo Theater Hall of Fame'', hosted by Bill Cosby. She played such clubs as Kelly's Stables and the Famous Door on legendary 52nd Street, where she was discovered by John Hammond. She subsequently made her debut as a band vocalist with Teddy Wilson's short-lived orchestra in 1939, recording "Love Grows on the White Oak Tree" and " This Is the Moment" for Brunswick Records. She joined Coleman Hawkins' orche ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theresa Merritt
Theresa Merritt Hines (September 24, 1922 June 12, 1998), known professionally as Theresa Merritt, was an American actress and singer. She's known for her role in ''That's My Mama'' (1974-1975) and for her film roles in ''The Wiz'' (1978) and ''Billy Madison'' (1995). Career Born in Emporia, Virginia, Merritt appeared in many theatrical productions but gained fame later in life when she starred as Ma Rainey in ''Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'', for which she earned a Tony Award nomination, and ''The Wiz'', in which she replaced Mabel King as Evillene. She left ''The Wiz'', citing the role's harmful effect on her voice. She then starred in the television sitcom ''That's My Mama''. Merritt's other Broadway credits included ''Mule Bone'' (1991), ''Division Street'' (1980), ''Don't Play Us Cheap!'' (1972), ''The Crucible'' (1972), ''Trumpets of the Lord'' (1969), '' Golden Boy'' (1964), ''Tambourines to Glory'' (1963), and ''Carmen Jones'' (1943, 1945, 1947). She also toured with road co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mabel King
Mabel Elizabeth King (née Washington; December 25, 1932 – November 9, 1999) was an American actress and singer. She is known for her role as Mabel "Mama" Thomas on the ABC sitcom ''What's Happening!!'' from its premiere in 1976 until the end of its second season in 1978. King is also known for portraying Evillene the Witch, a role she originated in the stage musical ''The Wiz'' and reprised in Sidney Lumet's 1978 film adaptation. She recorded on the Rama Records and Amy Records labels. Early life King was born Mabel Elizabeth Washington in Charleston, South Carolina, the daughter of Rosalie Washington and Joseph Washington on Christmas Day 1932. She was raised in Harlem, New York where she eventually became a gospel and nightclub singer. Career Stage work She did not start acting until her mid thirties, in 1966, when she played the role of Maria in the national touring play of ''Porgy and Bess''. The following year she played the role of Ernestina in the Broadway musical ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ted Ross
Theodore Ross Roberts (June 30, 1934 – September 3, 2002) was an American actor who was probably best known for his role as the Lion in ''The Wiz'', an all-African American reinterpretation of ''The Wizard of Oz''. He won a Tony Award for the original 1975 Broadway production and went on to recreate the role in the 1978 film version which also starred Diana Ross (no relation), Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor, Nipsey Russell, and Lena Horne. Ross went on to appear in many films from including the role of Bitterman in the classic ''Arthur'' and on the television sitcoms ''Benson", "The Jeffersons'', '' What’s Happening Now", "The Cosby Show" and'' its spin-off ''A Different World''. His final role was in the 1991 movie ''The Fisher King .'' Biography Ross was born in Zanesville, Ohio, but his mother, Elizabeth Russell, a nightclub singer in the 1920s and 1930s, moved the family to Dayton when young Ross was seven. He loved the clubs on West Fifth Street—Dayton's answer to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nipsey Russell
Julius "Nipsey" Russell (September 15, 1918 – October 2, 2005)Nipsey J. Russell, born September 15, 1918, died October 2, 2005. Social Security Administration. ''Social Security Death Index'' (Death Master File).U.S. Census, January 1, 1920, state of Georgia, county of DeKalb, city of Atlanta, enumeration district 180, page 4-A, family 75, Julius Russell, age 1 year 4 months. was an American actor, comedian, poet, and dancer best known for his appearances as a panelist on game shows from the 1960s through the 1990s, including ''Match Game'', ''Password'', ''Hollywood Squares'', '' To Tell the Truth'', and ''Pyramid''. His appearances were often distinguished by short, humorous poems he recited during the broadcast, which led to his nickname "the poet laureate of television". He had one of the leading roles in the film version of ''The Wiz'' as the Tin Man. He was a frequent guest on the ''Dean Martin Celebrity Roast'' series and often appeared on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MCA Inc
MCA may refer to: Astronomy * Mars-crossing asteroid, an asteroid whose orbit crosses that of Mars Aviation * Minimum crossing altitude, a minimum obstacle crossing altitude for fixes on published airways * Medium Combat Aircraft, a 5th generation fighter aircraft in India's HAL AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft) program * Macenta Airport, Guinea (by IATA code) Biology and chemistry *MacConkey agar, a selective growth medium for bacteria *Monochloroacetic acid, carboxylic acid, manufactured by chlorinating acetic acid * Methylcholanthrene, a carcinogen * Methyl cyanoacrylate, an organic compound * Metabolic control analysis, analysing how the control of fluxes and intermediate concentrations in a metabolic pathway is distributed * Middle cerebral artery, one of the three major blood supplies to the brain Climate * Medieval Climatic Anomaly (Medieval Warm Period, also Medieval Climate Optimum), a notably warm climatic period in the North Atlantic region from about ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
LP Record
The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a vinyl (a copolymer of vinyl chloride acetate) composition disk. Introduced by Columbia in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry. Apart from a few relatively minor refinements and the important later addition of stereophonic sound, it remained the standard format for record albums (during a period in popular music known as the album era) until its gradual replacement from the 1980s to the early 2000s, first by cassettes, then by compact discs, and finally by digital music distribution. Beginning in the late 2000s, the LP has experienced a resurgence in popularity. Format advantages At the time the LP was introduced, nearly all phonograph records for home use were made of an abrasive shellac compound ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
De Passe Entertainment
de Passe Entertainment was an American film and television production company run by entertainment executive Suzanne de Passe. The company was founded by Berry Gordy Jr., in 1968, as Motown Productions, the film and television arm of Gordy's Motown Records label. In 2008, de Passe and Madison Jones started a successor company, de Passe Jones Entertainment. History Motown Productions' original focus was on the production of television specials for its star recording artists. These included '' TCB'' (1968) and ''G.I.T. on Broadway'' (1969), starring Diana Ross & the Supremes with The Temptations, '' The Temptations Show'' (also 1969), ''The Smokey Robinson Show'' (1970), ''Diana!'' (1971) starring Diana Ross, and ''Goin' Back to Indiana'' (also 1971) starring The Jackson 5. When Suzanne de Passe joined Motown in 1968, much of her work involved the production of these television specials. Motown's first television series was '' The Jackson 5ive'' (1971 - 1973), a Saturday morni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Motown Records
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, 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 ''motor'' and ''town'', has become a nickname for Detroit, where the label was originally headquartered. Motown played an important role in the racial integration of popular music as an African American-owned label that achieved crossover (music), crossover success. In the 1960s, Motown and its subsidiary labels (including Tamla Motown, the brand used outside the US) were the most of the Motown (music style), Motown sound, a style of soul music with a mainstream pop music, pop appeal. Motown was the most successful soul music label, with a net worth of $61 million. During the 1960s, Motown achieved 79 records in the top-ten of the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 between 1960 and 1969. Following the events of the 1967 Detro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
