November 23, 2024
In addition, Rihanna is donating $100,000 to the NYC Food Bank. “It’s really difficult to see something so tragic going on and not be able to do anything about it,” she said in a recent interview. “There’s nothing you can control, it’s Mother Nature. It’s really sad what happened here.”
article via thegrio.com
Major Harris, a highly-respected R&B singer out of Philadelphia, is dead at the age of 65. Harris was known for his role as a member of the Delfonics, and for later achieving success as a solo artist. Harris passed Friday morning at a hospital in Richmond, VA. He died from congenitive heart and lung failure.
Harris started his career singing with doo-wop groups in the 1960s in Richmond, some of which included the Jamels,the Charmers, Frankie Lymon‘s the Teenagers and Nat Turner’s Rebellion.
In 1974, Harris launched a solo career with Atlantic Records, creating a string of hits, including “Love Won’t Let Me Wait.” His work has been sampled by quite a few contemporary groups, including Wu-Tang Clan, the Fugees and Notorious B.I.G., and resurrected in films like Quentin Tarantino‘s Jackie Brown. To learn more about his life and music, click here.
Mariah Carey is showing the world just how patriotic she can be. Yesterday the “One Sweet Day” singer posted photos of herself at a polling station as she cast her vote for the next U.S. President. Today, Mariah has released “Bring It On Home,” an inspirational song celebrating Obama’s re-election, joining Stevie Wonder and Will.i.am in the ranks of artists supporting the President through their music.
Mariah’s longtime producer Jermaine Dupri took to Twitter this morning to announce the release of the track. “NEW MARIAH CAREY SONG, SHE WROTE FOR OBAMA,BTW THIS IS THE REAL VERSION,” he wrote.
“Bring It On Home” is a throwback Mariah’s sound from the 90’s, as she is backed up by a choir while belts out the song’s lyrics. Mariah first performed the song at a fundraiser for Obama during the summer. Click here to hear the song.
R.I.P. Terry Callier, Chicago singer and songwriter, who in the 1970s developed an incantatory style that mingled soul, folk and jazz sounds around his meditative baritone (his most well-known song is “Occasional Rain”), then decades later was rescued from obscurity when his work found new fans in Britain. To learn more about his life and music, read the nytimes.com article about Callier here and watch his collaboration with English trip hop duo Massive Attack below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QvZK-kG030&w=560&h=315]
Queen Latifah is returning to daytime television with The Queen Latifah Show, a daily syndicated talk show which will air on CBS TV stations across the country starting in fall 2013, according to Deadline.com. Produced by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment, in conjunction with Latifah’s Flavor Unit Productions and Sony TV, this is Latifah’s second foray into daytime talk – the first occurring from 1999-2001 on the identically-titled The Queen Latifah Show. The new show intends to feature celebrity interviews, human interest stories, comedy, pop culture and musical performances. It is also expected to showcase Queen Latifah’s talents, blending comedy and music into her hosting duties.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson
Berry, a rock pioneer with early hits that included “Roll Over Beethoven,” ”Sweet Little Sixteen” and “Johnny B. Goode,” was in 1986 the first inductee into the Hall of Fame. To mark the American Music Masters award presentation, the rock hall has mounted a special exhibition with items including Berry’s stage clothes, a guitar and his 1958 Chess Records recording contract.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCbiHSOf9nc&w=560&h=315]
Musical legend and activist Stevie Wonder has released a new song entitled “Keep Moving Forward” in support of President Barack Obama’s re-election. Listen by clicking above.
But before it did, Jackson’s mother died when she was just four and she had to leave school in the fourth grade to help out at home. She had music though — the jazz bands that entertained the city and the gospel that healed souls, with some Bessie Smith in between. On Every Wednesday, Friday and four times on Sunday, when Jackson sang at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, the sound wafted out into the street so that, one imagines, sinners also could enjoy her energetic contralto voice.
According to reports, the legendary singing icon and Detroit native Aretha Franklin will sing the National Anthem at Game 5 on Monday, Oct. 29, at Detroit’s Comerica Park.
The Tigers will face the San Francisco Giants in the World Series, which begins today (tonight), Wednesday, Oct. 24.
Franklin will sing the national anthem before the start of Game 5 of the 2012 World Series Monday night (Fox, 8:07 p.m. ET), as the Detroit Tigers host the San Francisco Giants at Comerica Park.
Last year, the Queen of Soul opened Game 3 of the American League Championship Series with a soaring rendition of the song as the Tigers hosted the Texas Rangers. The home team won that game 5-2.
Also singing the anthem before games in this series are American Idol winner Phillip Phillips before Wednesday’s Game 1 in San Francisco and gospel star Marvin Winans before Saturday’s Game 3 in Detroit.
“One of the guiding philosophies of music is to find your own voice.”
— Thelonious Monk, jazz pianist, “‘Round Midnight” composer, known as the “Founding Father of Modern Jazz”