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Artists Bios
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Norah
Jones
Norah Jones exploded
onto the music scene in early 2002 as a major new talent. Signed to
Blue Note Records, her debut album Come Away With Me crossed musical
borders from Jazz to Soul to Folk-based pop. Even before its
release, Rolling Stone Magazine and Entertainment Weekly named her
one of the top new artists of 2002. By December 2002, Norah had
spent 39 weeks on the Billboard Top 20 (peaking at number six),
astonishing given the nature of her music. A worldwide sensation,
Come Away With Me has achieved multi-platinum status in North
America, Europe, Australia and Asia and received a total of 8 wins
at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards.
In 2004, Norah
released her second album Feels Like Home to even greater critical
and audience response. In its first week alone, Feels Like Home sold
over 1,022,000 copies and solidified her status as a unique talent
whose artistry crosses stylistic, generational & cultural
boundaries.
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Melissa
Etheridge
Showcasing a tough-as-nails vocal style,
highly personal lyrics and sweat-soaked attitude to spare,
Melissa Etheridge has earned numerous Grammy Awards, the
respect of her peers and legions of adoring fans.
Neither cancer nor her efforts to install a new
administration in the Oval Office during the 2004 election has
slowed down this superstar powerhouse one bit. Only 6 months into
2005 and Melissa has been named one of Time Magazine's Most
Influential People and her Janis Joplin tribute duet with Joss Stone
was considered the highlight of this year's Grammy's. |
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Joe
Perry
Founding
member, principle co-songwriter and electrifying lead
guitarist of Aerosmith, Joe Perry has achieved permanent
iconic stature in the pantheon of Rock. His blistering licks
and riffs are responsible for creating Rock Classics, such
as "Walk This Way" and helped the group sell more
than 100 million albums, snag four Grammy's and be inducted
into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
In
addition to his work with Aerosmith, Perry has released two
critically acclaimed solo albums, started his own label, Roman
Records and created some tasty licks you can eat with his "Rock
Your World" brand of hot sauces.
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Bill
Wyman
Author, astronomer, Blues aficionado and, oh
yeah, The Rolling Stones’ bassist for over 30 years, Bill
and his mates helped define Rock music, Rock attitude and
Rock style. Mick
and Keith may be credited as the composers of “Jumpin Jack
Flash” and “Bitch,” but it was Wyman who chiseled
their unforgettable bass riffs into Rock history.
In addition to recording over 30 Stones albums and
relentlessly touring the world as a member of what is still
unarguably "The World's Greatest Rock & Roll
Band," Bill has released several solo albums and formed
the critically acclaimed Jazz/Blues band, The Rhythm Kings.
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George
Clinton
The “Father of Funk” and "Godfather
of Urban Music" is without a doubt, the funkiest
individual on the planet.
By experimenting with rhythm, melody and harmony in
the 70's, George and his band Parliament, led popular music
into a decidedly different direction of his own design.
Clinton’s groundbreaking Rock outfit, Funkadelic,
fused psychedelic guitar distortion, bizarre sound effects,
and rants to dance beats and booming bass lines that became
the defined the term “funk.” And his live shows, well
they're legendary.
George continues to shake things up. He
claimed his latest victory in court as he was awarded
control of four of his groundbreaking albums.
An early and active supporter of Rap and sampling,
Clinton’s insistent beats can be heard in hits by Dr. Dre,
De La Soul, Snoop Dogg, Tone Loc, Geto Boys, Xclan and Yo-Yo,
among countless others.
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Jonatha
Brooke
Singer, songwriter, guitarist, chanteuse,
Jonatha Brooke’s signature blend of Folk and Pop music has
made her a hit with fans, AAA and alternative programmers.
As a solo artist since, 1995, after the break up of
her first band, The Story, Jonatha writes, produces and
performs songs that are as accessible as they are
sophisticated.
Though she began her professional life as a major label
artist, she assumed control of her career in 1999 with the
formation of her own label, Bad Dog.
Throughout her career, Brooke has earned the respect
of a diverse group of musicians and producers who’ve
worked with her in recent years, including Neil Finn,
Michael Frante, Mitchell Froom, Marcus Miller and others.
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Chris
Thile
Nickel Creek's virtuoso multi-instrumentalist
and songwriter began his career as a child prodigy. His
prodigious mandolin picking skills delighted audiences
around the world and enabled him to release two successful
solo albums while he was still in his teens. Nominated 4
times, his band Nickel Creek, finally won a Grammy for Best
Contemporary Folk Album this year.
Having mined Bluegrass, Pop, Rock and Jazz
with the band, Thile recently expanded these stylistic
horizons on his recent solo record, “Deceiver.”
Given his youth and apparent desire to discard
convention, Thile, like his sometime collaborators Bela
Fleck and Edgar Meyer, is among the few contemporary
musicians who seem poised to reinvent and re-imagine the
possibilities of music and song for the next generation.
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Terence
Blanchard
Jazz trumpeter and
composer extraordinaire, Terence Blanchard is one of today's most
celebrated and influential Jazz artists. Tutored by Ellis Marsalis,
whose son Wynton later recommended Terence to be his replacement in
Art Blakely's esteemed Jazz Messengers, he has earned Grammy, Emmy,
and Golden Globe award nominations and a reputation for shaping the
future of Jazz.
Blanchard nimbly
mixes elements of Hard Bop, mainstream Jazz, World Fusion, Acoustic
and sound effects, helping to make Jazz relevant and exciting for
both new and old fans. Acclaimed for his work touring with Lionel
Hampton and then the Jazz Messengers, Blanchard is even more
successful as a solo artist. He has written over 30 film scores
including Malcolm X, Mo' Better Blues, Barbershop, Gia, Clockers and
Jungle Fever. His 2003 release, Bounce and his 2005 Flow, have been
hailed as master works by a master artist.
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Paquito
D'Rivera
Paquito, the son of
world famous musician Tito D'Rivera, began as a child prodigy in
Cuba, playing both the clarinet and the saxophone with the Cuban
National Symphony Orchestra. Versatile and musically restless,
Paquito founded several experimental groups as a young man including
the innovative Irakere, whose explosive mixture of Jazz, Rock,
Classical and traditional Cuban music astounded audiences throughout
America and Europe, earning Paquito and the group their first Grammy
nominations and Grammy.
Since defecting from
Cuba, many more awards, honors and Grammy's have followed for his
work with various symphonies and for more than 30 solo recordings of
Jazz, Bebop and Latin music. In addition to his extraordinary career
as an instrumentalist, Paquito is also recognized as an accomplished
composer and cross-cultural ambassador. Using intricate
changes and a multitude of "voices" his compositions
expertly meld Classical, Traditional Jazz, Afro-Cuban, Caribbean and
Latin influences into unforgettable modern music.
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Sara Lee
Bassist and
Singer/Songwriter Sara Lee was first discovered playing electric
bass in London by Progressive Rock hero Robert Fripp. A potent and
innovative player, Lee began playing with Fripp and his all male
band the League of Gentlemen, which led to recording and touring
gigs with Robyn Hitchcock, Gang of Four, Ryuichi Sakamoto and the
Thompson Twins.
After she moved to
the US, her reputation for delivering "good grooves and staying
in the pocket" earned her a solid career as a "bass
slut" making music with the B-52s, the Indigo Girls, Joan
Osbourne, Fiona Apple and Ani DiFranco. Deciding to step into the
spotlight, Righteous Babe Records released Lee's first solo album,
Make It Beautiful, in 2000 showcasing her funky pop style and
songwriting skills.
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Hubert
Sumlin
Literally learning at the feet of the late,
great Howlin Wolf, Blues guitarist, Hubert Sumlin is a
living legend. Lord knows, he has played with them all and inspired
many (Keith Richards and Eric Clapton are just two of his
many disciples). Hubert's playing is original, personal and
recognizable, capable of breaking your heart or making it
soar. His work on Howlin' Wolf's mid-1960's recordings such
as “Built For Comfort,” “Shake For Me,” “300
Pounds of Joy,” “Louise,” “Goin’ Down Slow,”
“Killing Floor,” and “Wang Dang Doodle are seminal
recordings that are built to last.
At the ripe, young age of 73, he continues to tour -
domestically and internationally - as a bandleader and in
all-star tributes to Howlin' Wolf.
His much- anticipated Muddy Waters tribute album,
“About Them Shoes” was conceived and produced by Keith
Richards and features Richards and other greats including
Levon Helm and Eric Clapton.
It was released to great critical acclaim earlier
this year.
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Andrew
W.K.
The classically
trained, "Party Til You Puke" rocker, Andrew W.K.'s loud
blend of Metal, Pop and Dance is pulsating, pumping and
party-perfect. Extolling the virtues of extreme hedonism, Andrew
W.K.'s theatrical anthems artfully capture what it feels like to be
young, full of life and mayhem.
Leaving a trail of
assorted Detroit Punk and Metal bands in his wake,
including the beloved Pterodactyls, W.K. released his first solo
EPs, in early 2000, and his first major label release, "Party
Hard" in 2001 earning him devotees on both sides of the
Atlantic. Fans in the UK particularly delight in W.K.'s campy sound
and style, inspiring critical raves from NME and Kerrang! as well as
hysteria at his live shows and prime slots on major tours.
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