Search Results for: the voice

A few punks, a scruffy “Refugee” and the most sex-crazed chef on television are crashing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Punk rock pioneers the Ramones and Talking Heads, Southern rockers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and soul singer Isaac Hayes will lead the class of 2002 when they are inducted into the rock hall on March 18, organizers announced Thursday (December 13). Other artists recognized include ’60s icons Brenda Lee and Gene Pitney, guitar great Chet Atkins, and Stax Records co-founder Jim Stewart. Atkins, who crafted the sound of country music before moving on to record with Elvis… Read more »

After The Ramones hung up their jackets in 1996, Joey Ramone continued to work diligently writing and recording songs. Don’t Worry About Me, the result of these solo efforts, is already garnering recognition as his best work to date. Sadly, Joey succumbed to cancer in April 2001 at the age of 49. Producer, guitarist and long-time friend Daniel Rey worked alongside Joey on Don’t Worry About Me from day one. He recently completed final mixes on songs that hadn’t been mixed prior to Joey’s passing. Joey recruited world-class bassist Andy Shernoff (The Dictators) and split the drumming between Frank Funaro… Read more »

L.A. based independent record label Water Music Records has just signed a 2 album deal with former Arista/BMG artist Moodswings. The first album “Horizontal” from the group will be released in March through Universal Music & Video Distribution. It is a double album complete with remixes and brand new songs featuring Julie Cruise on vocals. Cruise has 4 albums on Warner Bros. and was the voice for David Lynch’s movie and soundtrack “Blue Velvet.” Englishman James Hood is the headliner of Moodswings who’s first album “Moodfood” sold more than 300,000 albums in the U.S. with more than a half-million worldwide.… Read more »

Sean “P. Diddy” Combs will be the voice of MTV’s AIDS Awareness Initiative on December 1st, World AIDS Day. Combs will host the half-hour documentary Staying Alive 3, which will also be broadcast on MTV’s international affiliates, ultimately airing in 139 countries. “More than ever before, we need to focus on what unites us, not divides us,” Combs said. “HIV and AIDS touches everyone, it kills without conscience, rich or poor, black or white, young or old. I hope the stories featured in MTV’s Staying Alive 3 help people understand the importance of tolerance and the struggle and courage of… Read more »

A decade ago, Tori Amos made a musical breakthrough with an autobiographical tale of rape called “Me and a Gun.” On her new album, Strange Little Girls, she again addresses the subject of female victimization – this time by turning Eminem’s fantasy about killing his wife inside-out. She does so without changing the lyrics to “’97 Bonnie & Clyde,” but by adopting the voice of his dead wife in the trunk of the car, just before her body is thrown in Lake Michigan. “‘Bonnie & Clyde’ is a song that depicts domestic violence very accurately, right on the money,” Amos… Read more »

From the lakes of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee, across the plains of Texas and from sea to shining sea, Americans are storming record stores for patriotic music, like Lee Greenwood’s country standard “God Bless the U.S.A.” Retailers said Wednesday that other in-demand artists include Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, Depression-era singer Kate Smith, and even Irish musicians U2 and Enya. The use of particular songs on television and radio fueled demand, said Dawn Bryant, a spokeswoman at Best Buy Co. Inc. -owned Musicland Group Inc., parent of the Sam Goody music retail chain. Greenwood’s Grammy-winning 1984 tune… Read more »

It’s been 25 years since he graced the tube as a cartoon Jackson, but the Associated Press, reports that Michael Jackson is returning to his “picture”-esque roots with his role in The Way of the Unicorn, The Endangered One. Jackson will be starring in The Way of the Unicorn as the voice of Sailor, an orphan who works with a poor litte rich girl and a gaggle of endangered species to rescue Earth. The movie is Jackson’s first appearance in a film of any kind in five years. Jackson, 42, last appeared in a theatrical release in the 1978 musical… Read more »

Had Russell Watson followed some early career advice, the classical tenor might be singing ‘N Sync-like pop tunes instead of arias. “I was told, ‘Oh Russell, join a boy band, leave the opera to the Italians,”‘ the 27-year-old Brit recalls hearing from agents. “That just made me more determined.” His determination has paid off handsomely. Watson, who is not classically trained and who got his start singing Meat Loaf and Lionel Richie songs in the pubs of Manchester, has become an opera sensation with the release of his debut disc, “The Voice.” Already a best-seller in Britain, the album has… Read more »

Despite the fact that Michael Jackson’s two anniversary shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden are being billed partially as a Jackson 5 reunion show, it looks like it might not be a family affair after all. Susan Blond Inc.’s Kiwan Anderson, a spokesperson for the Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration, the Solo Years event, tells allstar that the original Jackson 5 will reunite without Jermaine Jackson. “I am sorry Jermaine has chosen not to participate in this event,” says World Events I.I.C. President David Guest, the show’s organizer. “This is an event for Michael Jackson. It is a salute… Read more »

Hot on the heels of new releases from such established superstars as Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey, Virgin Records America is releasing seven key albums from developing artists the label hopes will follow in those multi-platinum footsteps. Ranging an eclectic musical spectrum from Pop-R&B to Urban-Alternative Rock to World Music, these artists reflect Virgin’s commitment to unique yet accessible music for which the label has become known. Forming the all-star rookie line-up are: Nikka Costa – All ears piqued when Tommy Hilfiger’s slick commercial hit TV screens last year, featuring that funky, rhythmic bassline from Nikka’s debut single “Like A… Read more »