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Good afternoon. I've been everywhere man, but I've…

Never Been To Spain
Three Dog Night Lyrics

Well I never been to Spain
But I kinda like the music
Say the ladies are insane there
And they sure know how to use it
They don't abuse it
Never gonna lose it
I can't refuse it, umm

Well I never been to England
But I kinda like the Beatles
Well I headed out for Las Vegas
Only made it out to Needles
Can you feel it
Must be real it
Feels so good
Woah it feels so good

Well I never been to heaven
But I've been to Oklahoma
Woah they tell me I was born there
But I really don't remember
In Oklahoma, not Arizona
What does it matter
What does it matter

Woah I never been to Spain
But I kinda like the music
Say the ladies are insane there
And they sure know how to use it
They don't abuse it
Never gonna lose it
I can't refuse it, woah

Well I never been to heaven
But I've been to Oklahoma
Well they tell me I was born there
But I really don't remember
In Oklahoma, not Arizona
What does it matter
What does it matter.

Well, there's our riddle man. Welcome back, Try. We,of course, love those three dogs, day or night. <smile> Have you ever been to Virginia?

I'm playing this one, folks, because I want to correct a mistake that I noticed on a test:


Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Writer, lead vocal: Paul McCartney


Desmond has a barrow in the market place
Molly is the singer in a band
Desmond says to Molly-girl I like your face
And Molly says this as she takes him by the hand.
Obladi oblada life goes on bra
Lala how the life goes on
Obladi Oblada life goes on bra
Lala how the life goes on.

Desmond takes a trolly to the jewellers store
Buys a twenty carat golden ring
Takes it back to Molly waiting at the door
And as he gives it to her she begins to sing.

In a couple of years they have built
A home sweet home
With a couple of kids running in the yard
Of Desmond and Molly Jones.

Happy ever after in the market place
Molly lets the children lend a hand
Desmond stays at home and does his pretty face
And in the evening she's a singer with the band.

And if you want some fun-take Obladi blada.

It's just that…

Neither One Of Us
(Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)
Gladys Knight & The Pips

It's sad to think we're not gonna make it
And it's gotten to the point where we just can't fake it
But for some ungodly reason we just won't let it die
I guess neither one of us wants to be the first to say goodbye.

I keep wondering what I'll do without you
And I guess you must be wondering that same thing too
So we go on together living a lie
Because neither one of us wants to be the first to say goodbye.

Everytime I find the nerve to say I'm leaving
Old melodies get in the way
Lord knows it's only me that I'm deceiving
When it comes to saying goodbye that's a world I just can't say.

There can be no way this can have a happy ending
So we just go on hurting and pretending
And convincing ourselves to give it just one more try
Because neither one of us wants to be the first to say
Farwell my love, goodbye.

Goodbye is better than nothing, Try.

Who are you tonight, listeners?


They call her the lady of the night
She's a woman of the world
and easy-living girl with love for sale
that's what they call her the lady of the night
no one seems to know her name
and even less about the place from where she came
Every evening when the night is close at hand
you'll find the lady on the rue d'Avignon
In a half lit hotel doorway the lady advertises warmly
It's just a job but she'll do the best she can
Don't try to change this lady of the night
She's a lot like you and me
and less than what she seems to be
(She is the lady of the night)
and easy-living girl
She's a woman of the world
with lots of loving for sale
lady lady of the night
Round here they call her the lady of the night
In a perfumed hotel room
shadows dance upon the wall and fade at dawn
She's no beginner this lady of the night
Never try that funny stuff
'cause lady can be tough
be warned!
(She is the lady of the night)
She's a lot like you and me
and never just what she seems
no one seems to know her name
or the place from where she came.

Reminds me of "Love for Sale."

She probably came from…

My World
Bee Gees

Don't shed a tear for me
No, it's not your style
If you're not here by me
Then it's not worthwhile.

My world is our world
And this world is your world
And your world is my world
And my world is your world
Is mine.

I've been crying, I'm lonely
What do I do to have you to stay
I've needed you to cry on
I've written to you nearly every day.

My world is our world
And this world is your world
And your world is my world
And my world is your world
Is mine.

Don't shed a tear for me
That's not your style
If you're not here by me
It's not worthwhile.

My world is our world
And this world is your world
And your world is my world
And my world is your world
Is mine.

I've been crying, I'm lonely
What do I do to have you to stay
I've needed you to cry on
I've written to you nearly every day.

My world is our world
And this world is your world
And your world is my world
And my world is your world

Incidentally, that last song was by Donna Summers.

Well, Try. Seems as though it's just the two of us again.<smile> So it must be the world, I guess.

FOREIGNER Song Lyrics

Two Different Worlds
(From the album "AGENT PROVOCATEUR")

I know this girl, she's always on my mind
She lives in her world and I live in mine
I should forget about her and I've tried
Lord knows I've tried
But I want to know her, and here's the other side

I've got someone waiting for me every night
She's the only one I've ever loved
And it's been that way for the longest time
She's the one that makes my world go right
And it tears me in two because I know where I'll be tonight

I think she knows it
I think she knows

Two different worlds, two different worlds
One that belongs to me, one could be wrong for me
Two different worlds, two different worlds
Oh, two different worlds

Is she that different or is it the thrill of someone new
Strung out on her, I need her love
I need it bad, and I know, I know it's true
I'm the one that lies awake alone
I know, she's the one that makes me stray from home

And I know it
Yeah, I know it

Two different worlds, two different worlds
One that I may regret, one that I can't forget
Two different worlds, two different worlds
Oh, always two different worlds

No, I can't explain this emptiness
No, I know I can't go on like this
Two different worlds, two different worlds

Two different worlds
I live in two different worlds
One that I may regret, one that I won't forget
Two different worlds
But I can't live in both, I know
One world I must let go

I am dedicating this to a 26 year old co-worker, who died last Thursday. She was our assistant manager, and I had come to look on her as my fourth daughter. Don't know the cause of death.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TURN AROUND by Belafonte, Alan Greene, Malvina Reynolds

Where are you going my little one little one
Where are you going my baby my own
Turn around and you're two
Turn around and you're four
Turn around and you're a young girl
Going out of the door

Turn around
Turn around
Turn around and you're a young girl
Going out of the door

Where are you going my little one little one
Little durndel and petticoats
Where have you gone
Turn around and you're tiny
Turn around and you're grown
Turn around and you're a young wife
With babes of your own

Turn around
Turn around
And you're a young wife
With babes of your own

Where are you going my little one little one
Where are you going my baby my own

Oh, edgar. I feel inadequate to respond. Just let us know when you know, Texas. That is a wonderful song, and one that I have come to appreciate, buddy.

My goodnight song and also a dedication to your co-worker:


SUNRISE SUNSET Lyrics

Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?
I don't remember growing older,
When did they?

When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he grow to be so tall?
Wasn't it yesterday when they were small?

Sunrise sunset, sunrise, sunset,
Swiftly flow the days,
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers,
Blossoming even as they gaze...

Sunrise sunset, sunrise, sunset!
Swiftly fly the years,
One season following another,
Laden with happiness and tears...

One season following another,
Laden with happiness and tears.

From Letty with love and empathy

Good morning, WA2K listeners and contributors. Today is lovely with no threat of impending disaster as yet.

Thanks to Calamity Jane, I found a new vocalist. Wasn't able to hear her as my equipment isn't sufficient to tune in. Keep in mind, that this girl is ELEVEN YEARS OLD.

For big Jane and little Jane:

Bianca Ryan
(by Jennifer Holliday)

And I am telling you
I'm not going.
You're the best man I'll ever know.
There's no way I can ever go,
No, no, no, no way,
No, no, no, no way I'm livin' without you.
I'm not livin' without you.
I don't want to be free.
I'm stayin',
I'm stayin',
And you, and you, you're gonna love me.
Ooh, you're gonna love me.

And I am telling you
I'm not going,
Even though the rough times are showing.
There's just no way,
There's no way.
We're part of the same place.
We're part of the same time.
We both share the same blood.
We both have the same mind.
And time and time we have so much to share,

No, no, no,
No, no, no,
I'm not wakin' up tomorrow mornin'
And findin' that there's nobody there.
Darling, there's no way,
No, no, no, no way I'm livin' without you.
I'm not livin' without you.
You see, there's just no way,
There's no way.

Tear down the mountains,
Yell, scream and shout.
You can say what you want,
I'm not walkin' out.
Stop all the rivers,
Push, strike, and kill.
I'm not gonna leave you,
There's no way I will.

And I am telling you
I'm not going.
You're the best man I'll ever know.
There's no way I can ever, ever go,
No, no, no, no way,
No, no, no, no way I'm livin' without you.
Oh, I'm not livin' without you,
I'm not livin' without you.
I don't wanna be free.
I'm stayin',
I'm stayin',
And you, and you,
You're gonna love me.
Oh, hey, you're gonna love me,
Yes, ah, ooh, ooh, love me,
Ooh, ooh, ooh, love me,
Love me,
Love me,
Love me,
Love me.
You're gonna love me

Quite a mature motif for someone so young.

Good day WA2K.

Today's birthday celebrities - Isabel Sanford; George Montgomery; Rebecca DeMornay's 44th; and Ingrid Bergman

Well, thank goodness, listeners. There's our Raggedy with a delightful montage of celeb's. Thanks, PA.

I think Ingrid may have been in a movie with Boyer, but I'll have to check on that one. Hope our hawkman will be along later. He is our info guy.

For our Raggedy. Remember this, honey?

Pat Benatar-Wuthering Heights

Out on the wiley, windy moors, we'd roll and fall in green
You had a temper like my jealousy, too hot, too gready
How could you leave me, when I needed to possess you
I hated you, I loved you too
Bad dreams in the night
You told me I was going to lose the fight
Leave behind my

Wuthering, Wuthering, Wuthering Heights
Heathcliff, it's me, I'm Cathy, I've come home
I'm - so cold, let me in your window
Heathcliff, it's me, I'm Cathy, I've come home
I'm - so cold, let me in your window


Ooh, it gets dark, it gets lonely
On the other side from you
I pine a lot, I find the lot falls through without you
I'm coming back love, cruel Heathcliff
My one dream, my only master

Too long I roam in the night
I'm coming back to his side to put it right
I'm coming home to

Wuthering, Wuthering, Wuthering Heights
Heathcliff, it's me, I'm Cathy, I've come home
I'm - so cold, let me in your window
Heathcliff, it's me, I'm Cathy, I've come home
I'm - so cold, let me in your window

Ooh, let me have it, let me grab your soul away
Ooh, let me have it, let me grab your soul away
You know it's me, Cathy

Heathcliff, it's me, I'm Cathy, I've come home
I'm - so cold, let me in your window
Heathcliff, it's me, I'm Cathy, I've come home
I'm - so cold, let me in your window
Heathcliff, it's me, I'm Cathy, I've come home
So cold

I've never heard that Pat Benatar number, Letty, but I like the lyrics.

Angela Lansbury made her screen debut in, and Ingrid got an Oscar for, Gaslight with Charles Boyer. Boyer was a mean cuss in that one.

Ingrid Bergman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Born 29 August 1915
Stockholm, Sweden
Died 29 August 1982
London, England, UK

Ingrid Bergman August 1915 - 29 August 1982) was a three-time Academy Award-winning Swedish actress.

Early career

Bergman was born on 29 August 1915, in Stockholm, Sweden. When she was three years old, her mother died. Her father passed away when she was thirteen. She was afterwards raised by relatives.


Ingrid Bergman studied at the Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm. Her first film role was a small part in 1935's Munkbrogreven (English title, The Count of the Old Town), although it is believed that she had previously been an extra in the 1932 film Landskamp).

After a dozen films in Sweden and one in Germany (including En kvinnas ansikte which would later be remade as A Woman's Face with Joan Crawford), Bergman was signed by Hollywood producer David O. Selznick to star in the English language remake of her 1936 Swedish language film, Intermezzo (1939). It was an enormous success and Bergman became a star, described as "Sweden's illustrious gift to Hollywood".

Hollywood career

After completing one last film in Sweden and appearing in three moderately successful films in the United States, Bergman joined Humphrey Bogart in the 1942 classic film Casablanca, which remains her most recognizable role.

That same year, she received her first Academy Award nomination: Best Actress in For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943). The following year she won the Best Actress award for Gaslight (1944). She received a third consecutive nomination for Best Actress with her performance as a nun in The Bells of St. Mary's (1945). She would receive another Best Actress nomination for Joan of Arc (1948), a film produced by Howard Hughes which Bergman had championed since her arrival in Hollywood.

She also starred in the Alfred Hitchcock films Spellbound (1945), Notorious (1946), and Under Capricorn (1949).


Between motion pictures, Bergman also appeared in several stage plays, including a version of the ([1]) Joan of Arc story.

Relationship with Rossellini

In 1949, Bergman met Italian director Roberto Rossellini. She fell in love with him while performing in his film Stromboli (1950). Bergman left her husband, Dr. Aron Petter Lindström and their daughter, Pia Lindström, for Rossellini.

They married on 24 May 1950, and had three children, a son named Roberto Ingmar Rossellini, and twin daughters, Isabella Rossellini, who is a famous actress and model, and Isotta Ingrid Rossellini. The affair caused a scandal; Bergman, who was pregnant at the time of the marriage, was branded as "Hollywood's apostle of degradation" and forced to leave the States. Over the next few years, she appeared in several Italian films for Rossellini, including Giovanna d'Arco al rogo (1954), a remake of Joan of Arc. The Rossellini-Bergman marriage ended in divorce on 7 November 1957.

Back in the United States, anger over her private life continued unabated, with Ed Sullivan at one point infamously polling his TV show audience as to whether she should be forgiven.

Return to Hollywood

With her starring role in 1956's Anastasia, Bergman made her post-scandal triumphant return to Hollywood and won the Best Actress Oscar for a second time. She would continue to alternate between performances in American and European films for the rest of her career and also made occasional appearances in television dramas such as a 1959 production of The Turn of the Screw for Startime for which she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress.

Bergman received her third Academy Award (and first for Best Supporting Actress) for her performance in Murder on the Orient Express (1975), but she publicly declared at the Academy Awards telecast that year that the award rightfully belonged to Italian actress Valentina Cortese.

In 1978, she played in Ingmar Bergman's Höstsonaten (Autumn Sonata) for which she received her seventh Academy Award nomination and made her final performance on the big screen. Bergman plays a celebrity pianist who returns to Sweden to visit her neglected daughter, played by Liv Ullman. The film was shot in Norway. It is considered by many to be among Ingrid's best performances.

Bergman was honored posthumously with her second Emmy Award for Best Actress in 1982 for the television mini-series A Woman Called Golda, about the late Israeli prime minister Golda Meir. It was her final acting role. One of her co-stars in this mini-series was Leonard Nimoy.

Autobiography

In 1980, Bergman's autobiography, titled simply My Story, was published (with the help of Alan Burgess). Through the book she attempted to reach out to her fans and proceeded to tell the tale of her childhood, stories about the making of the various movies she appeared in, her all too few stage roles, her marriages and subsequent divorces, people who stood by her, the Rossellini scandal, life as a celebrity, etc. Apart from her narrative, there is some transitional input from Alan Burgess.

Death

Bergman died in 1982 in London, England following a long battle with breast cancer on her 67th birthday. Her body was cremated in Sweden and her ashes scattered with a part kept to be interred in the Norra begravningsplatsen in Stockholm. She was honored posthumously by Ingmar Bergman.

Legacy

For her contributions to the motion picture industry, Ingrid Bergman has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6759 Hollywood Blvd. She contines to be a cultural icon, most notably for her role in Casablanca, but also for her career as a whole, and for her innocent beauty. She is considered by many to be one of the foremost actresses of the 20th Century.

Skills

Bergman could speak Swedish, German, French, English and Italian fluently, which caused fellow actor John Gielgud to say "She speaks five languages, and can't act in any of them."[citation needed]

George Montgomery
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

George Montgomery (August 29, 1916 - December 12, 2000) was an American painter, sculptor, furniture craftsman, and stuntman who is best known as an actor in western style film and television.


Born George Montgomery Letz to Ukrainian immigrant parents in Brady, Montana, he was the youngest of fifteen children. He was raised on a large ranch where as a part of daily life he learned to ride horses and work cattle. Letz studied at the University of Montana but because he was more interested in a career in film, he left after a year to go to Hollywood. At Republic Pictures, his cowboy skills got him stunt work and a small acting part in the 1935 western film, The Singing Vagabond. He followed this with several more bit parts and additional stunt work using his own name George Letz in mostly low-budget films. He was frequently cast in western films starring their number one box office draw, the singing cowboy, Gene Autry. Elevated to more important secondary roles, in 1938 George Letz appeared as one of the five rangers in The Lone Ranger. He remained with Republic Pictures until 1940 when he signed with 20th Century Fox who dropped the Letz from his name, billing him as George Montgomery.

At 20th Century Fox, Montgomery appeared in more westerns including with Cesar Romero in The Cisco Kid and the Lady in 1940 and the starring role with jazz musician Glenn Miller in the 1942 musical Orchestra Wives that marked the non-credited debut of an aspiring actress named Dale Evans. The following year, Montgomery starred opposite Betty Grable in the Walter Lang directed film, Coney Island. However, World War II interrupted his film career when he joined the United States Army Air Corps in 1943. On December 5th of that year he married Dinah Shore with whom he would have two children during a marriage that lasted until 1962. In 1963, Montgomery's private life made media headlines when his housekeeper was charged with a failed attempt to kill him. Allegedly suffering from a fanatical attraction to her employer, the deranged woman planned to shoot Montgomery then take her own life.

As a boy, George Montgomery had developed excellent craftsmanship with wood and as an adult pastime he began building furniture; first for himself and then for a few friends. His skill was such that his hobby became a full-fledged cabinetmaking business, employing as many as twenty craftsmen and expanding into prop making for Columbia Pictures during the 1940s. For his set design work on the 1941 film, Ladies in Retirement, he was a co-nominee for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction.

Montgomery oversaw the furniture making business for more than forty years and expanded his interest to house design that saw him involved with the building of eleven homes for friends and family. His artistic instincts also included learning how to sculpt in bronze. Self-taught, he sculpted upwards of fifty bronze busts including those of John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Gene Autry, Randolph Scott, and future U.S. president, Ronald Reagan. His sculpture of ex-wife Dinah Shore and their children is at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California home to the LPGA Dinah Shore Golf Tournament.

Through to the early 1970s, Montgomery acted regularly in films and made guest appearances on a number of television shows, including the popular western drama, Bonanza. For two seasons in 1958 and 1959 he also starred in his own television series, Cimarron City. After a career that included more than eighty feature films, Montgomery retired in 1972, making only two more minor appearances in film until his death at his home in Rancho Mirage, California in 2000.

After cremation, Montgomery's ashes were divided and interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City) near Palm Springs, California near his home and at the Highland Cemetery in Great Falls, Montana near his birthplace.

For his contribution to the television industry, George Montgomery has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6301 Hollywood Blvd

That's it, Raggedy. All I can recall is that Boyer was the bad guy. Sister again?

I knew you would like the lyrics. Sorry that the web misspelled "greedy"

Isabel Sanford
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Isabel Sanford (August 29, 1917 - July 9, 2004) was an American actress most famous for her role as Louise "Weezie" Jefferson on the CBS television sitcoms All in the Family (1971-1975) and The Jeffersons (1975-1985).

She was the first African-American actress to win a Lead Actress Emmy (she won an award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1981), and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Sanford, after a period of working in the theatre during the early 1960s, made her film debut in the 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, playing the critically acclaimed role of the maid Tillie Binks. She caught the attention of major Hollywood players, including Norman Lear, who cast Sanford in the role of Louise Jefferson. Sanford and her TV husband, Sherman Hemsley, were very popular as the Jeffersons, but were mostly typecast by the roles. After the series was cancelled in 1985 Sanford was mostly limited to guest TV appearances and cameo appearances in movies, appearing in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Dream On, Roseanne, Living Single, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, In the House and The Steve Harvey Show, as well as the extremely short-lived 1992 CBS Hearts Are Wild (similar to Love Boat). She also did voice acting for The Simpsons in her final television appearance before her death, as well as advertisements for Denny's and Old Navy.

Sanford died on July 9, 2004 of natural causes at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 86.

Charlie Parker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia





Charles "Bird" Parker, Jr. (August 29, 1920 - March 12, 1955) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Early in his career Parker was dubbed Yardbird (there are many contradictory stories of its origin). It was later shortened to Bird and remained Parker's nickname for the rest of his life and inspiration for the titles of his works, such as "Yardbird Suite" and "Bird Feathers". The New York City nightclub Birdland was named after him, as were the George Shearing song "Lullaby of Birdland" and the Weather Report song "Birdland."

A persistent myth, repeated by many reputable sources, including the Encyclopedia Britannica, is that Christopher was Parker's second Christian name.

Parker is commonly considered one of the greatest jazz musicians. In terms of influence and impact, his contribution to jazz was so great that Charles Mingus commented, "If Bird were alive today, he would think he was living in a hall of mirrors." [citation needed] Bird's talent is compared almost without argument, to such legendary musicians as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, and his reputation and legend as one of the best saxophonists is such that some critics say he was unsurpassed; jazz critic Scott Yanow speaks for many jazz fans and musicians when he suggests that "Parker was arguably the greatest saxophonist of all time."[1]

A founding figure of bebop, Parker's innovative approach to melody, rhythm and harmony have exerted an incalculable influence on jazz. Several of Parker's songs have become standards of the repertoire, and innumerable musicians have studied Parker's music and absorbed elements of his style.

Parker also became an icon for the Beat generation, and was a pivotal figure in the evolving conception of the jazz musician as an uncompromising artist and intellectual, rather than just a popular entertainer. At various times, Parker fused jazz with other musical styles, from classical (seeking to study with Edgard Varèse and Stefan Wolpe) to Latin music (recordings with Machito), blazing paths followed later by others.

Biography

Childhood

Memorial to Charlie Parker at the American Jazz Museum at 18th and Highland in Kansas CityCharlie Parker was born in Kansas City, Kansas and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He was the only child of Charles and Addie Parker. There is no evidence that Parker showed unusual musical talent as a child. As a small boy (possibly 3-4 years old), he may have sung in the church choir. Parker's father presumably provided some musical influence; he was a pianist, dancer and singer on the T.O.B.A. circuit, although he later became a Pullman waiter or chef on the railways.

Parker began playing the saxophone at age 11 and then at age 14 he joined his school's band. Groups led by Count Basie and Bennie Moten were the leading Kansas City ensembles, and doubtlessly influenced Parker. He continued to play with local bands in jazz clubs around Kansas City, Missouri, where he perfected his technique with the assistance of Buster Smith, whose dynamic transitions to double and triple time certainly influenced Parker's developing style. In 1937 Parker joined pianist Jay McShann's territory band [2], and was able to tour with him to the nightclubs and other venues of the southwest region of the USA, as well as Chicago and New York City [3][4]. Parker made his recording debut with McShann's band.

NYC

In 1939, Parker moved to New York City. He pursued a career in music, but held several other jobs as well. One of these was as bus-boy (dishwasher) in a restaurant where famous pianist Art Tatum was playing at the time. (Parker's later playing was in some ways reminiscent of Tatum's, with dazzling, high-speed arpeggios and sophisticated use of harmony.)

In 1942 Parker left McShann's band and played with Earl Hines for eight months. The early history of bebop is difficult to document because of a strike by the American Federation of Musicians which meant that there were no official recordings in most of 1942 and 1943. Nevertheless we know that Parker was one of a group of young musicians who congregated in after-hours clubs in Harlem such as Minton's (Minton's Playhouse) and Monroe's. These young iconoclasts included trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, pianist Thelonious Monk, guitarist Charlie Christian and drummers Max Roach and Kenny 'Klook' Clarke. It was Monk who summed up their approach in the famous quote: "We wanted a music that they couldn't play" ?- "they" being either the (mostly white) bandleaders who had taken over and profited from swing music or unwelcome fellow musicians wishing to jam with Parker, Gillespie and others. In his time in NYC, he also learned much from notable music teacher Maury Deutsch [5]

Bebop

By now, Parker was emerging as a leading figure in the nascent bebop scene. According to an interview Parker gave in the 1950s, one night in 1939, he was playing "Cherokee" in a jam session with guitarist William 'Biddy' Fleet when he hit upon a method for developing his solos that enabled him to play what he had been hearing in his head for some time, by building chords on the higher intervals of the tune's harmonies. In reality, the birth of bebop was probably a more gradual process than this story reports.

Early in its development, this new type of jazz was rejected and disdained by many older, more established jazz musicians, whom the beboppers in response called "moldy figs." However, some musicians, such as Coleman Hawkins and Benny Goodman, were more positive about its emergence. It wasn't until 1945 that Parker's collaborations with Dizzy Gillespie had a substantial impact on the jazz world. One of their first (and greatest) small-group performances together was only discovered and issued in 2005: a concert in New York's Town Hall on June 22, 1945 (now available on Uptown Records).

On November 26, 1945 Parker led a record date for the Savoy label, which was once marketed, during the LP era, as the "greatest Jazz session ever". Although this may have been hyperbole, the Savoy sessions produced an astounding collection of recordings ?- in spite of Dizzy Gillespie having to deputize on piano for some of the tracks. Among the tracks recorded during this session are "Ko-Ko" (based on the chords of "Cherokee"), "Now's the Time," "Billie's Bounce," and "Thriving on a Riff."

Shortly afterwards, a trip to Los Angeles by the Parker/Gillespie band to fulfill an engagement at Billy Berg's club was less than successful. Most of the band soon decided to return to New York. Parker though, stayed in California, where his extravagant lifestyle was to catch up with him.

As a teenager, he had developed a morphine addiction while in a hospital after an automobile accident, and subsequently became addicted to heroin, which was to plague him throughout his life and ultimately contribute to his death. Parker's heroin habit caused him many problems with missed gigs and getting fired for being high. In order to keep his "buzz" going he would frequently resort to busking on the streets. Parker's addiction unfortunately created the impression (for many musicians of his era) that his musical genius was somehow related to his drug use. For about a decade following Parker's death, jazz was closely associated with narcotics, and many musicians began using drugs, partly in imitation of their musical idol.

Although he produced many brilliant recordings during this period, Parker's behavior became increasingly erratic. Heroin was difficult to obtain after his dealer was arrested, and Parker began to drink heavily to compensate for this. A recording of "Lover Man" for the Dial label from July 29, 1946 provides evidence of his condition. Reportedly, Parker could barely stand during the session and had to be physically supported by others in order to keep him positioned properly against the microphone. Some, including Charles Mingus, consider it among his greater recordings despite its technical problems. Nevertheless, Bird hated the recording and never forgave his producer Ross Russell for releasing the sub-par record (and re-recorded the tune in 1953 for Verve, this time in stellar form, but perhaps lacking some of the passionate emotion in the earlier, flawed attempt).

A few days after the "Lover Man" session, Parker was drinking in his hotel room when he set fire to his mattress with a cigarette, then ran through the hotel lobby wearing only his socks. He was arrested and committed to Camarillo State Hospital, where he remained for six months.

Coming out of the hospital, Parker was initially clean and healthy, and proceeded to do some of the best playing and recording of his career. Before leaving California, he recorded "Relaxin' at Camarillo," in reference to his hospital stay. He returned to New York and recorded dozens of sides for the Savoy and Dial labels that remain some of the high points of his recorded output. Many of these were with his so-called "classic quintet" that included trumpeter Miles Davis and drummer Max Roach. The highlights of these sessions include a series of slower-tempo performances of American popular songs including "Embraceable You" and "Bird of Paradise" (based on "All the Things You Are").

Parker's soaring, fast, rhythmically asymmetrical improvisations could amaze the listener; nevertheless close inspection shows each line to hold a complete, well-constructed phrase with each note in place. Parker's harmonic ideas were revolutionary, introducing a new tonal vocabulary employing 9ths, 11ths and 13ths of chords, rapidly implied passing chords, and new variants of altered chords and chord substitutions. His tone was clean and penetrating, but sweet and plaintive on ballads. Although many Parker recordings demonstrate dazzling virtuoso technique and complex melodic lines ?- the early "Ko-Ko" is a superb example ?- he was also one of the great blues players. His themeless blues improvisation "Parker's Mood" represents one of the most deeply affecting recordings in jazz, as fundamental as Armstrong's classic "West End Blues", from only twenty years before.

Stardom

By 1950, much of the jazz world was under Parker's sway. His solos were transcribed and copied; legions of saxophonists imitated his playing note-for-note (in response to these pretenders, Parker's erstwhile bandmate Charles Mingus titled a song "If Charlie Parker were a Gunslinger, There'd Be A Whole Lot of Dead Copycats" featured on the album Mingus Dynasty.) In this regard, he is perhaps only comparable to Louis Armstrong: both men set the standard for their instruments for decades, and very few escaped their influence.

In 1953, Parker was invited to perform at Massey Hall in Toronto, Canada, where he was joined by Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Bud Powell and Max Roach. Unfortunately, the concert clashed with a televised heavyweight boxing match between Rocky Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott and as a result was poorly attended. Thankfully, for the sake of posterity, Mingus recorded the concert, and the album Jazz at Massey Hall is often cited as one of the finest recordings of a live jazz performance.

One of Parker's longstanding desires was to perform with a string section; he was a keen fan of classical music. When he did record and perform with strings, some fans thought it was a "sell out" and a pandering to popular tastes. Time demonstrated Parker's move a wise one: Charlie Parker with Strings sold better than his other releases, and his version of "Just Friends" is seen as one of his best performances. In an interview, he considered it to be his best recording to date.

Parker was known for often showing up to performances without an instrument and borrowing someone else's at the last moment. At one venue he played on a plastic Grafton saxophone; later, saxophonist Ornette Coleman used this brand of plastic sax in his early career.

Parker died while watching Tommy Dorsey on television in the suite at the Stanhope Hotel belonging to his friend and patroness Nica de Koenigswarter. Though the official cause of death was pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer, his death was doubtlessly hastened by his drug and alcohol abuse. The 34-year-old Parker was so haggard that the coroner mistakenly estimated Parker's age to be between 50 and 60.

Parker left a widow, Chan Parker, a daughter, Kim Parker, who is also a musician, and a son, Baird Parker, who died in the Vietnam War.

The mythic Charlie "Bird" Parker

The legend "Bird Lives" first appeared as graffiti in New York City subways, a few hours after Parker's passing. For this, the poet Ted Joans is usually credited.

In Julio Cortazar's short story El perseguidor (The pursuer) from his book Las armas secretas (The secret weapons) the fictional characters are Johnny Carter (Charlie Parker), Lan (Chan) and Marquess Tica (Baroness Nica de Koenigswarter) and Lover Man session is remembered as Amorous session.

A Far Side cartoon entitled "Charlie Parker's private hell" shows him locked in a recording booth while the devil pipes in nothing but new age music.

Charlie Parker has been an inspiration to many people including John Coltrane, Michael Brecker, Jaco Pastorius, and Yo-Yo Ma.

Memorials

The Birdland night club was named after him.
Deeply touched by Charlie Parker's death, Moondog wrote his famous "Bird's lament" in his memory. Moondog affirmed that he had met Charlie Parker in the streets of New York and that they had planned to jam together.
Lennie Tristano's overdubbed solo piano piece "Requiem" was recorded in tribute to Parker shortly after his death. It begins with a classically-tinged introduction, and then turns into a slow blues that gradually accumulates layers of overdubbing ?- one of the earliest experiments in jazz with multiple overdubbing.
In New York City, Avenue B between 7th and 10th Streets is named Charlie Parker Place. Parker had lived in an Avenue B townhouse between 9th and 10th streets.
The Californian ensemble "Supersax" has harmonized many of Parker's improvisations for a five-piece saxophone section, which to many listeners bring new life to them, whereas others consider the arrangements as somewhat constructed.
Saxophonist Phil Woods recorded a tribute concert for Parker, and in an interview stated that he thought Parker had said everything he needed to say.
A biographical song entitled "Parker's Band" was recorded by Steely Dan on their 1974 album Pretzel Logic.
Charlie Parker is also mentioned in a song by Jethro Tull called "From a Dead Beat to an Old Greaser"
The Weather Report's 1977 Jazz Fusion track and highly acclaimed Big Band Standard "Birdland" was a dedication by bandleader Joe Zawinul to both Charlie Parker and the New York 52nd Street Club itself. The piece also featured Jaco Pastorius playing Electric Fretless Bass (Pastorius had made a name for himself when he included on his debut solo album an astounding rendition of the Charlie Parker and Miles Davis standard 'Donna Lee', no doubt a tribute to the late genius himself).
The avant-garde trombonist George Lewis released Homage to Charles Parker in 1979, an album that offers a unique combination of electronic music and the blues.
In 1984, legendary modern dance choreographer Alvin Ailey created a piece entitled "For Bird--With Love" in honor of Parker. The piece chronicles his life, from his early career to his failing health.
A biographical film called Bird, starring Forest Whitaker as Parker and directed by Clint Eastwood, was released in 1988.
A memorial to Parker was dedicated in 1999 in Kansas City at 17th Terrace and the Paseo, next to the American Jazz Museum featuring a 10-foot tall bronze head sculpted by Robert Graham.
Parker's performances of "I Remember You" and "Parker's Mood" were selected by Harold Bloom for inclusion on his short list of the twentieth-century American Sublime.
TISM's The White Albun (2004) contains a song titled "Tonight Harry's Practice Visits The Home Of Charlie "Bird" Parker". The song focuses on celebrity resentment and the possibility that taking drugs, like Parker did, will make the otherwise dull celebrities more interesting. The title of the song refers to Australian television show Harry's Practice and, more specifically, the segment where Dr. Harry Cooper would visit a celebrity, in this case, the visit is to Charlie "Bird" Parker's house.
In 2005, the Selmer Paris saxophone manufacturer commissioned a special "Tribute to Bird" alto saxophone, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Charlie Parker (1955-2005). This saxophone will be built until 2010, each one featuring a unique engraving and an original design.
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Charlie ParkerIn August each year, there is a Charlie Parker Festival at Tribes Gallery in New York ( 285 third street, NY, NY 10009 ) in celebration of his life and career.

Dinah Washington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Dinah Washington (August 29, 1924 - December 14, 1963) an American blues, jazz, and gospel singer. Because of her strong voice and emotional singing, she is known as the "Queen of the Blues".

Biography

Washington was born Ruth Jones in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; her family moved to Chicago while she was still a child. As she was growing up in Chicago, she played piano and directed her church choir. Later, she studied in Walter Dyett's renowned music program at DuSable High School. For a while, she split her time between performing in clubs as Dinah Washington while singing and playing piano in Salle Martin's gospel choir as Ruth Jones.

Her penetrating voice, excellent timing, and crystal-clear enunciation added her own distinctive style to every piece she undertook. While making extraordinary recordings in jazz, blues, R&B and light pop contexts, Washington refused to record gospel music despite her obvious talent in singing it. She believed it wrong to mix the secular and spiritual, and once she had entered the non-religious music world professionally, she refused to include gospel in her repertoire.

Washington began performing in 1942 and soon joined Lionel Hampton's band. There is some dispute about the origin of her name. Some sources say the manager of the Garrick Stage Bar gave her the name Dinah Washington; others say it was Hampton who selected it.

In 1943, she began recording for Keynote Records and released "Evil Gal Blues", her first hit. By 1955, she had released numerous hit songs on the R&B charts, including "Baby, Get Lost", "Trouble in Mind", "You Don't Know What Love Is" (arranged by Quincy Jones), and a cover of "Cold, Cold Heart" by Hank Williams. In 1958 she made a well-received appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival.

With "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" 1959, Washington won a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Performance; the song was her biggest hit, reaching #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The commercially driven album of the same name, with its heavily reliance on strings and non-vocal choruses, was slammed by jazz and blues critics as being far too commercial, not keeping with her blues roots. Despite this, the album was a huge success and Washington continued to favor more commercial, pop-oriented songs rather than traditional blues and jazz songs. Along with a string of other hits, she followed this with "September In The Rain", which reached number 35 in the UK in November 1961 and #23 in the US. In 1960, she also had two top 10 hit duets with Brook Benton: "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" and "A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall In Love)". She also dealt in torch songs; her rendition of The Platters' "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" was well-regarded.

What set Dinah Washington apart from her contemporaries was her extraordinary diction and phrasing. To this day, there hasn't been an equal, although many have tried to recreate the Dinah Washington experience. Her voice can still invoke a chill in many a modern listener.

She was married seven times, and divorced six times while having several lovers, including Quincy Jones, her young arranger. She was known to be imperious and demanding in real life, but audiences loved her. In London she once declared, "...there is only one heaven, one earth and one queen...Queen Elizabeth is an impostor", but the crowd loved it.

During her marriage to football player Dick "Night Train" Lane, she died from an accidental overdose of diet pills and alcohol at the age of 39 in 1963. She is interred in the Burr Oak Cemetery, Alsip, Illinois.

Elliott Gould
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Elliott Gould (born Elliott Goldstein on August 29, 1938) is an American actor.

Gould was born in Brooklyn, New York to Lucille and Bernie Goldstein, Eastern European Jewish immigrants. He graduated from the Professional Children's School, and was one of the most prominent American film actors in the early 1970s, best known for playing Trapper John in Robert Altman's satirical 1970 film MASH. Time magazine placed him on one of its covers in 1970, when he was at the brief height of his long career, calling him a "star for an uptight age".

Other notable film roles include Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, A Bridge Too Far, Capricorn One, and The Lady Vanishes. Gould joined such distinguished company as Humphrey Bogart and Robert Mitchum when he played the detective Philip Marlowe in Altman's 1973 film The Long Goodbye. He hosted Saturday Night Live six times, his final time being the first episode of the now-disastrous Jean Doumanian season (season 6) in November of 1980, where he was shocked to find that the original cast and producer had left and a new cast and producer had taken their place. He has never hosted after that, but has appeared in a season 16 (1990-1991) episode hosted by Tom Hanks where Hanks is welcomed into the Five-Timers club, a society for celebrities who have hosted SNL five times or more. Also in 1980, Gould filmed two movies for Disney studios, The Last Flight of Noah's Ark and The Devil and Max Devlin, in which he co-starred with Bill Cosby.

His career slowed down after a series of critical and commercial flops in the mid to late 1970s, but he has remained steadily employed in supporting and character roles in television and movies, including a recurring guest role on Friends as Jack Geller, the father of Monica and Ross Geller. He appeared in an episode of the popular television series Touched by an Angel where he played a concentration camp survivor. Gould received critical praise for his role as an aging mobster in Warren Beatty's 1991 film Bugsy. In addition, he appeared in American History X as the boyfriend of Edward Norton's character's mother. He also co-starred in the popular "caper" film Ocean's Eleven (2001) and its sequel Ocean's Twelve (2004), and soon Ocean's Thirteen (2007).

Michael Jackson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Birth name Michael Joseph Jackson
Born August 29, 1958
Origin Gary, Indiana

Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958) is an American musician and entertainer whose successful music career and controversial personal life have been at the forefront of pop culture for the last quarter-century.

Jackson began his musical career at the age of seven as the lead singer of The Jackson 5 and made his first solo recordings in 1971 while remaining a member of the group.[1] He began a full-fledged solo career in 1979 and formally parted with his siblings in 1984.[2] In his solo career, Jackson recorded and co-produced the best-selling album of all time[3] Thriller, with worldwide sales over 51 million, received thirteen Grammy awards[4] and charted thirteen number-one singles in the U.S. Throughout his four-decade career, Michael Jackson has been awarded numerous honors, including the World Music Award's Best-selling pop male artist of the Millennium, and he is a double-inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (once as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1997, and again in 2001 as a solo artist.)[5] He is also a member of the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.

From 1988 to 2005, Jackson lived on his Neverland Ranch property, on which he built an amusement park and private zoo for economically disadvantaged and terminally ill children. His frequently held sleepover parties received disparaging media coverage after it was revealed that children frequently shared his bed. These occurrences came to light first when he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993. His sleepover parties were brought into the spotlight again in 2003 during the infamous Living with Michael Jackson TV Documentary. This resulted in Jackson being tried and acquitted of more child molestation allegations and several other charges in 2005.


Biography

Early life and career: 1966-1980
Main articles: The Jackson 5 and Off The Wall

The cover to Michael Jackson's 1971's Got to Be There.Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, the second youngest brother of seven and the eighth of ten by Joseph and Katherine. Jackson began his career early first singing at a school recital around the age of five and joined his older brothers as a percussionist in the then known The Jackson Brothers. In 1966, after taking co-lead singing duties with brother Jermaine, the group's name was changed to The Jackson 5. The group played local clubs and bars, building up a following and eventually signing a contract with Motown Records in March 1969. The group hit stardom with their first four singles charting at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Jackson also released and charted many solo hit singles as part of the Jackson 5 franchise including the hits "Got to Be There", "Ben", and a remake of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin".

The group's sales declined after 1973, and the group chafed under Motown's strict refusal to allow the Jacksons creative control or input. In 1976, the group signed a new contract with CBS Records (first joining the Philadelphia International division and later moving over to Epic Records). Upon learning that the Jackson 5 had signed a contract with another label, Motown sued the group for breach of contract.

As a result of the legal proceedings, which were complicated by the fact that Jermaine Jackson had just married the daughter of Motown president Berry Gordy, the Jacksons lost the rights to use the "Jackson 5" name and logo and also lost Jermaine, who wanted to stay in Motown. They changed their name to simply "The Jacksons" featuring youngest brother Randy in Jermaine's place, continued their successful career, touring internationally, and releasing six albums between 1976 and 1984.

In 1978, Jackson starred as the scarecrow in The Wiz with former-labelmate Diana Ross playing Dorothy.[6] The musical film's songs were arranged by famed producer Quincy Jones, who established a partnership with Jackson during the film's production and agreed to produce his first solo album in four years. Off the Wall, released in 1979, was a worldwide hit, and became the first album in history to spawn four top-ten hits, including "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock With You".[7] The album went on to sell 20 million copies worldwide[8], establishing Jackson as a musical force without his brothers. After the success of Off the Wall, Jackson began work on his second album with Jones.


The Thriller era: 1982-1985
Main article: Thriller (album)

The original album cover to 1982's Thriller.In 1982, Jackson released his second Epic album, Thriller, which became the best-selling album in music history with more than 51 million copies sold worldwide. The album spawned seven hit singles, including "Billie Jean" (which was the first music video by a black artist to receive regular airplay on MTV), "Beat It" and the album's title track which was accompanied by a revolutionary music video. The thirteen-minute "Thriller" was critically acclaimed, and massive airplay lead to it being packaged with the featurette "Making Michael Jackson's "Thriller" on VHS, where it became the best-selling music home video ever.[9] Thriller spent 37 weeks at number one and remained on the Billboard album chart for 122 weeks. It was eventually certified 27x Platinum in the United States.[10]

In 1983, whilst performing "Billie Jean" at the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever concert Jackson debuted what could now be construed as his signature move?-the moonwalk.[11] The media began paying more attention to this new, publicity-courting Jackson and his new-found superstar status and wealth allowed him to reap financial rewards. In 1983 he started a sponsorship deal with Pepsi-Cola, and as part of the deal Jackson agreed to star in a commercial. While filming a Pepsi Light commercial with his brothers in 1984, before a live audience at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, his hair caught on fire when a pyrotechnic effect went wrong. Jackson suffered serious burns on his scalp, which required skin grafts.[12] Later in 1984, Jackson won eight Grammy awards. Seven were for the critically acclaimed Thriller (album). Jackson also won a Grammy for the E.T. Storybook that year, breaking the record for the most Grammy awards won in a single year.[13] Reuniting with his brothers, Jackson then helped to write the Victory album and performed and starred in the successful Victory Tour that summer.

On May 14, 1984, Jackson was invited to the White House and was personally thanked by then-President Ronald Reagan at a White House ceremony for donating his song "Beat It" for use in Drunk Driving Prevention television and radio PSAs [14].


Bad and controversies: 1985-1990

Main articles: We Are the World, Captain EO, Bad (album), and Physical appearance of Michael Jackson
Jackson continued his charity work in 1985 by co-writing (along with Lionel Richie) the hit single "We Are The World". The charity single helped to raise money and awareness for famine in East Africa and brought Jackson his first taste of perception in the media as a humanitarian [15].


Jackson in the video for Beat It.Controversy also followed when Jackson purchased shares in the ATV Music Publishing (Lennon's estate and McCartney also co-owned), making himself the majority shareholder. The ATV Music Publishing company owned the rights to most of The Beatles' songs. The move angered close friend and song co-writing partner Paul McCartney, who was interested in purchasing the Beatles catalog for himself and felt betrayed by Jackson's actions. Ironically, it was McCartney who advised Jackson on the merits of song ownership.[16] Their creative co-writing ended after this event. Following this controversial business deal, tabloid stories of Jackson sleeping in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to stall the aging-process, and an allegation claiming Jackson attempted to purchase the bones of the Elephant Man inspired the pejorative nickname "Wacko Jacko"[17]. The name "Wacko Jacko" would come to be detested by Jackson.

In 1986, Jackson starred in the George Lucas/Francis Ford Coppola 3-D film Captain EO.The film lasted just 17 minutes but with cost estimates between U.S. $17 million and $30 million, it was at the time the most expensive film ever produced on a per-minute basis. However this was a seemingly logical extension of Jackson's habit of starring in expensive, critically acclaimed entertainment music videos. It was commercially successful and made a great deal of money. In the USA the Disney theme parks hosted Captain EO. Disneyland featured the 17 minute 3D film in tomorrow-land from September 18, 1986 until April 7, 1997. Also featured in Walt Disney World in Epcot from September 12, 1986 until July 6, 1994.

Later in 1987 Jackson released Bad. This was his third album for the Epic record label, and final album with producer Quincy Jones.[18] With high expectations after the success of Thriller, Jackson had complex ideas for the album. He initially wanted to make the album 30 tracks long, but Jones cut this down to 10. He also wanted the title track to be a duet with fellow pop superstar Prince, but that idea fell through after the two had creative differences over lyrical content and Prince refused the project. Prince also stated later that he thought the song would be a hit whether he was in it or not.

Bad spawned seven hit singles [19]. In comparison to Jackson's previous work, Bad had lower sales. Numerous critics have said that this was due to the stripping down of the epic nature of Jackson's work. Bad was still a huge commercial success. The number one singles off the album are: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty Diana". The album was supported by a world tour which lasted for over a year and visited 15 countries, and for which Jackson insisted on a personal bus, plane and helicopter to be available to him all at the same time[20][21].

Jackson hired film director Martin Scorsese to direct the video for the album's title track.[22] When the 18-minute music video debuted on TV, it sparked a great deal of controversy as it was apparent that Jackson's appearance had changed dramatically.[23] Although Jackson's skin color was a medium-brown color for the entire duration of his youth, his skin had been becoming paler gradually since 1982, and had become a light brown colour. This was now so noticeable that the entire press, not just tabloids, took out widespread coverage on it and some tabloid stories claimed that Jackson had bleached his own skin. Jackson, however, claimed that his changing skin color is due to the skin disorder vitiligo whilst on The Oprah Winfrey Show.[24] In the interview Jackson states that his skin was first overall black with white spots which he used to put make-up on in order to hide it. But later, some time after Thriller his skin became increasingly white with black spots, for that reason he started using white make-up in order to cover the black spots.


Oprah Winfrey speaking with Michael Jackson on The Oprah Winfrey Show.Another significant reason for the change in appearance was the use of plastic surgery. Despite a number of surgeons' claims that Jackson has undergone multiple nasal surgeries as well as a forehead lift, thinned lips and cheekbone surgery[25], Jackson wrote in his 1988 autobiography Moon Walk that he only had two rhinoplastic surgeries and the surgical creation of a cleft in his chin, while attributing puberty and diet to the noticeable change in the structure of his face.[26]

The success Jackson achieved during this period in his career led to him being dubbed the "King of Pop", a nickname which he continues to be referred to by his fans. There are various conflicting reports as to the origin of this nickname although according to Jackson it was conceived by actress and long-term friend Elizabeth Taylor as she presented Jackson with an "Artist of the decade" award in 1989, proclaiming him "the true king of pop, rock and soul". Additionally, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this period saw Jackson enjoy "a level of superstardom previously known only to Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Frank Sinatra."[27]


Dangerous and further career: 1991-1994

Main articles: Dangerous (album), 1993 child molestation allegations against Michael Jackson, and Michael Jackson marriages and children
In 1991, Michael Jackson released Dangerous. The major hit from Dangerous was "Black or White", which was accompanied by a controversial music video featuring scenes of a sexual nature, violence and racism. The video was banned on most music-television channels until the scenes of violence and sex enacted by Jackson breaking windows and simulating masturbation were edited out of the video.[28]

On February 10, 1992 MTV kicked off its first global sweepstakes with "My Dinner with Michael." Winners from around the world attended a dinner party hosted by Michael Jackson on the set of his music video "In the Closet." Later that year, a biopic, The Jacksons: An American Dream debuted on ABC based on the true story of the rise of The Jackson 5 who later changed their name to The Jacksons.

Named for his humanitarian single "Heal the World", Jackson founded the "Heal the World Foundation" in 1992. The charity organization brought underprivileged children to Jackson's Neverland Ranch, located outside Santa Ynez, California, to go on rides and amusements Jackson had built on the property after he purchased it in 1988. In late 2002, however, it had net assets of just $3,542 and reported $2,585 in expenses, mostly for "management fees," according to the latest available tax filings. The foundation has been suspended in California since April 2002 for failing to file annual statements required of tax-exempt organizations, said John Barrett, spokesman for the state Franchise Tax Board.[29] In January 1993 Michael Jackson performed during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII. It drew the largest viewing audience in the history of American television.

Jackson was reported to be inviting or allowing children to sleep over at Neverland. This practice came under scrutiny in 1993 when allegations of child molestation were brought against Jackson. That year, Jordan Chandler, the son of former Beverly Hills dentist Evan Chandler, represented by civil lawyer Larry Feldman, accused Jackson of child sexual abuse. On December 22 Jackson responded to the allegations via satellite from his Neverland compound, and claimed to be "totally innocent of any wrongdoing." On January 25, 1994, Jackson settled out of court with the accuser for an undisclosed sum, reported to be $20 million, and was not charged.[30]

After the allegations were settled in 1994, Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley. The marriage was severely criticized by the media and lasted less than two years. However, the pair started to meet in late 1992 and they kept meeting up to February 1998, so the whole affair lasted about five years. Despite some comments questioning the validity of this union, Presley has always maintained that they both shared a married couple's life during their time together and were sexually active.[31]


HIStory and Blood on the Dancefloor: 1995-2000
Main articles: HIStory and Blood on the Dance Floor

Jackson in the video for "They Don't Care About Us".In 1995, Jackson released HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book 1.[32] The first disc, HIStory Begins, was a fifteen-track greatest hits album (in 2001, HIStory Begins was re-released on its own as Greatest Hits - HIStory Vol. I), while the second disc, HIStory Continues, contained fifteen new songs. The first single released from the HIStory album was "Scream", which reached the top 5 on the Billboard hot 100. The music video for Scream is currently the World's most expensive music video ever. [33] On September 7, 1995 at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards Jackson and Janet Jackson won three awards for the song "Scream," from HIStory. They Don't Care About Us" was the fourth single released from HIStory in April 1996, and like most things from the HIStory project also caused controversy - this time over anti-Semitic lyrics. The song contained the lyrics "Jew me, sue me" and "kick me, kike me." After significant pressure from the Jewish community, later releases changed the verse to the same-sounding "do me, sue me" and "kick me, hike me." It is said that this is because of his numerous legal troubles, with Jewish lawyers sometimes defending those making allegations against him, most notably Larry Feldman, attorney for Jordan Chandler in the 1993 child sexual molestation case.

To promote the album, Jackson embarked on the successful HIStory World Tour.[34] On November 14, 1996, during the Australian leg of the tour, Jackson married his dermatologist's nurse Deborah Jeanne Rowe, with whom he fathered a son, Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr. (who publicly goes by the name "Prince"), and a daughter, Paris Katherine Jackson. Jackson and Rowe were divorced in 1999. Jackson later said that Rowe wanted him to have the children as a "gift".[35] The paternity of Michael Jackson's children has been heavily debated by the public. Because Michael is black and Rowe is white, the children are biracial. Michael has always maintained that his first two children were conceived naturally. However the tabloid The Sun made two controversial claims about Jackson's parentage: first, that Jackson conceived his first child via artificial insemination using his own sperm and, second, that the second child, Paris, was conceived in and named after Paris, France, where Jackson had gone to console Rowe for his having taken her first child, and all parental rights , from Rowe.


At the 1996 Brit Awards Jackson performed the track Earth Song, dressed in white and surrounded by worshipping children and an actor portraying a Rabbi. Jackson proceeded to make Christ-like poses whilst lifted into the air by a crane with a wind machine blowing back his hair. Pulp lead singer Jarvis Cocker and his friend Peter Mansell mounted a stage invasion in protest. Cocker leapt onstage, pretended to expose his rear, danced and sat back down. In response to the ensuing media scrutiny of the action, Cocker responded, "My actions were a form of protest at the way Michael Jackson sees himself as some kind of Christ-like figure with the power of healing... I just ran on the stage and showed off... All I was trying to do was make a point and do something that lots of other people would have loved to have done if only they'd dared".[36]


The cover of Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix.In 1997, Jackson released an album of new material coupled with remixes of hit singles from the "HIStory" album titled Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix.[37] The album's five original songs were named ("Blood On The Dance Floor", "Is It Scary?", "Ghosts", "Superfly Sister" and "Morphine"). Of the new songs, three were released globally, including the title track which reached number-one in the UK.[38]. Other single releases from the album included "Ghosts", and "Is It Scary?", which were songs based on a film Jackson created that year titled "Ghosts".[39] The shortfilm, written by Michael Jackson and Stephen King and directed by Stan Winston, features impressive special effects and dance moves choreographed to original music written by Michael Jackson.[40] The music video for "Ghosts" is over 35 minutes long and is currently the Worlds Longest Music Video.[41] Jackson dedicated the album to Elton John, who reportedly helped him through his addiction to painkillers, notably morphine.

In 1998, Doctor Steven Hoefflin, a high-profile Hollywood plastic surgeon alleged to have operated on Jackson's nose, reportedly advised him against further surgery.


Invincible, Berlin and Martin Bashir: 2001-2003

Main articles: Invincible (album) and Living with Michael Jackson
Jackson's latest album Invincible was released in October 2001[42] and debuted at number-one in thirteen countries. The singles released from the album include "You Rock My World," "Cry," and "Butterflies". Jackson also recorded a charity benefit single entitled "What More Can I Give" which was never released to retail. Just before the release of Invincible, Jackson informed Sony Music Entertainment head, Tommy Mottola, that he was not going to renew his contract, which was about to expire in terms of supplying the label with albums of full-new material for release through Epic Records/SME. In 2002, all singles releases, video shootings and promotions concerning the Invincible album were cancelled. Because of this, Jackson made allegations about Mottola not supporting its African-American artists. Jackson referred to Mottola as a "devil" and "racist" who used black artists for his own personal gain. He cited that Mottola called Jackson's colleague Irv Gotti "fat nigger". Sony issued a statement stating that they found the allegations strange, since Mottola was once married to biracial pop star Mariah Carey. Carey herself seemed nonchalant about Jackson's claims on Larry King Live.[43] Despite Jackson blaming Mottola for the failure of Invincible, the critical consensus held that his first new album in a decade was thoroughly mediocre music.

In November 2002, Jackson traveled to Berlin to accept an award for his humanitarian efforts. He was surrounded by fans outside his room at the Hotel Adlon who were chanting in approval of the singer. According to the pop star, they also called out to see his baby. In response, Jackson brought his son onto the balcony, holding him in his right arm with a towel over the baby's head, apparently to protect his identity. Jackson briefly extended the baby over the railing of the balcony. This raised concern as some perceived his actions as child endangerment. Jackson quickly returned the child to the room.

After watching media coverage of the Berlin event, a California attorney and radio talk show host, Gloria Allred, wrote a letter to California's Child Protective Services, asking for an investigation into the safety of the three Jackson children. She also spoke on CNN about the subject. Because Child Protective Services does not make their investigations public, it is not known whether any action was taken as a result of Allred's letter.

When a reporter asked Jackson what he thought of Allred's complaints, he remarked "Ah, tell her to go to hell." (Allred responded, "While Michael Jackson wants me to go to hell, I want him to go to parenting class.")[8][9] But shortly thereafter, Jackson issued a written statement about the incident, saying, "I made a terrible mistake. I got caught up in the excitement of the moment. I would never intentionally endanger the lives of my children."

In a subsequent interview with Martin Bashir in 2003, Jackson said that the media were wrong in their comments about him being irresponsible with his children, "I love my children," he explained. "I was holding my son tight. Why would I throw a baby off the balcony? That's the dumbest, stupidest story I ever heard."

In 2003, a controversial documentary titled Living with Michael Jackson and including exclusive interviews with Michael Jackson about his personal life was shown to an international television audience.[44] British journalist Martin Bashir and his film crew filmed Jackson for 18 months, also capturing his controversial behavior in Berlin (see above). One particular part of the documentary, which stirred controversy and raised a significant level of concern, showed Jackson holding hands with then 13-year-old cancer victim Gavin Arviso, and admitting to sharing his bedroom with him (but not in the same bed) as well as sharing his bed (non-sexually) with other children. Jackson felt betrayed by Bashir and complained that the film gives a distorted picture.[45] He fought back by releasing his own documentary, filmed simultaneously by his own personal cameraman, who caught Jackson's full explanations on the topics of plastic surgery, the "baby dangling" incident, and his relationships with children.

In June 2003, Jackson's friend, notable actor Marlon Brando, signed a half-acre plot of land on his island Tetiaroa to Jackson, in gratitude for Jackson hosting a party for Brando's daughter, Nina, then aged 13 [46].


Trial, acquittal and the aftermath: 2003-2006

Main articles: People v. Jackson, Michael Jackson post trial lawsuits, and I Have This Dream

Police mug shot of Michael Jackson taken in 2003.In November 2003, Michael Jackson and Sony Records released a compilation of his number one hits on CD and DVD titled "Number Ones". The compilation has sold over six million copies worldwide to date.[47] On the album's scheduled release date, while Michael Jackson was in Las Vegas filming the video for "One More Chance" (the only new song included in the "Number Ones" compilation), the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department raided Neverland Ranch and issued an arrest warrant for Jackson on charges of child molestation.[48] Jackson was accused of sexual abuse by Gavin Arviso, who appeared in the "Living with Michael Jackson" documentary earlier that year. The allegations later led to a 2005 trial in which Jackson was found not guilty of all charges.[49]

Marlon Brando, who was known to be a user of the internet[50] informed Jackson on February 8, 2004 that the declarations made by Jordy Chandler relating to the 1993 child molestation allegations had been published on the internet site The Smoking Gun when Jackson was about to start an interview with journalist Ed Bradley for 60 Minutes. Jackson immediately left the studio and did not conduct the interview.[51]. Jackson also attended Brando's memorial service in 2004 along with Sean Penn, Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty. Also on August 6, 2004, Man In The Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story debuted on VH1 starring Flex Alexander as the King of Pop.

Rapper Eminem parodied new allegations raised against Jackson by Gavin Arviso in his music video for Just Lose It in 2004. The clip caused controversy and fueled Jackson himself to make a statement. Steve Harvey and Stevie Wonder also made pro-Jackson comments regarding the video. [citation needed]

The People v. Jackson criminal case began in Santa Maria, California during the spring of 2005.

On June 10, Jackson's publicist Raymone Bain was fired [52]. Jackson's now-defunct website cited that ""MJJ Productions regretfully announces the termination of Raymone Bain and Davis, Bain and Associates". Bain denied being fired and later continued to make unofficial statements for the singer?-despite no longer being contacted or paid by the singer or MJJ Productions.

On June 13, Jackson was acquitted of all ten charges, including four additional lesser ones. CNN later reported that one of the jurors, Ray Hultman, believed he had committed child sex crimes in the past but there was not enough evidence to prove it[53], and he and another juror announced impending books on their experiences in the trial.

In September 2005, Contact Music reported that Ray Hultman, one of the People v. Jackson jurors took legal action against the publisher of his book on his experiences in the trial, claiming heavy portions were plagiarised from a Vanity Fair article. Hultman also stated he felt "threatened" by the jury foreman Paul Rodriguez and regretted acquitting Jackson[54].

After being acquitted of the child molestation charges, Jackson relocated to the Gulf island of Bahrain, where he reportedly bought a house formerly owned by a Bahrain MP.[55] Jackson allegedly spent his time in the Gulf writing new music, including a charity single dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Katrina entitled, "I Have This Dream". Ciara, Snoop Dogg, R. Kelly, Keyshia Cole, James Ingram, Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine, Shanice, the Reverend Shirley Caesar and The O'Jays all reportedly lent their voices to the charity song. After many delays, the single was not released, despite being announced on 13 September 2005. At the time, Jackson's spokesperson, Raymone K. Bain, said the list included Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, James Brown and Lenny Kravitz. These artists later appeared to be no longer participating. [56]

In 2006, allegations of sexual assault were leveled against Jackson by a man who claims Michael Jackson molested him, intoxicated him with drugs and alcohol, and forced him to undergo unnecessary cosmetic surgery. Michael Jackson's lawyer Thomas Mesereau, who successfully defended him against allegations of child molestation in 2005, said "the charges are ridiculous on their face. They will be vigorously defended."[57]

In addition to Jackson's personal troubles, he has also dealt with problems of others posing as him. Jackson has a wide range of performance and personal impersonators?-ranging from worldly successful body doubles to performers. In the United States alone, the likes of E'Casanova and Edward Moss have played Jackson in films Back to the Future 2 and Scary Movie 3, respectively. Moss also covered the role of Jackson in the E! network's courtroom reenactments. Other impersonators like to keep Jackson's image clean, and impersonator Joby Rogers has turned down roles that defame Michael Jackson's image. The Connecticut impersonator (who is signed as the Michael Jackson) has said to have turned down roles playing Jackson in handcuffs or in other negative situations. According to his website, Rogers continues to portray a late-1980s Michael Jackson in a stage play, Ken Davenport's The Awesome 80's Prom, in New York, Chicago, Minneapolis and formerly, Baltimore (local impersonator Matt Macis played Jackson there).


Visionary and Tokyo: 2006 - Present

In February 2006, Jackson's label released Visionary - The Video Singles, a box set made up of twenty of his biggest hit singles, each of which will be issued individually week by week over a five-month period.[58].


The Visionary box set.An appeals court ruled on February 15, that a lower court improperly terminated Deborah Rowe's parental rights to her two children with pop star Michael Jackson, opening the door to a possible custody battle between the singer and his ex-wife.[59] The retired judge, Steven M. Lachs, acknowledged in 2004 that he failed to have state officials do an independent investigation into what was in the best interests of the children.[60][61] Jackson's lawyer, Thomas Mesereau, who previously represented Jackson, is not representing Jackson in this case.[62]

On March 9, 2006, California state labor officials closed the singer's Neverland Ranch and fined him $69,000 for failure to provide employment insurance. The state "stop order" bars Jackson from "using any employee labor" until he secured required workers' compensation insurance. In addition to being fined $1,000 for each of his 69 workers, Jackson is liable for up to 10 days pay for those employees who now are no longer allowed to report to Neverland for work. [63] Thirty Neverland employees have also sued Jackson for $306,000 in unpaid wages. [64] Jackson was told if he did not pay these wages by a deadline, he would be fined an extra $100,000. Jackson's employees were paid by the deadline.

Hot on the heels of this payment, Jackson's spokesperson announced on March 16, 2006 that Jackson was closing his house at Neverland and had laid off some of the employees but added that reports of the closing of the entire ranch were inaccurate.[65] There have been many reports of a possible sale of Neverland, but nothing tangible has been reported yet.

In a move named by Jackson's advisors as "refinancing," it was announced on April 14, 2006 that Jackson had struck a deal with Sony and Fortress investments. In the deal Sony may be allowed to take control of half of Jackson's 50% stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing (worth an estimated $1 billion) which Jackson co-owns. Jackson would be left with 25% of the catalogue, with the rest belonging to Sony.

In exchange, Sony negotiated with a loans company on behalf of Jackson. Jackson's $200m in loans were due in December 2005 and were secured on the catalogue. Jackson failed to pay and the Bank of America sold them to Fortress investments, a company dealing in distressed loans. However, Jackson hasn't as yet sold any of the remainder of his stake. The possible purchase by Sony of 25% of Sony/ATV Music Publishing is a conditional option; it is assumed the singer will try to avoid having to sell part of the catalogue of songs including material by other artists such as Bob Dylan and Destiny's Child. As another part of the deal Jackson was given a new $300 million loan, and a lower interest rate on the old loan to match the original Bank of America rate. When the loan was sold to Fortress investments they increased the interest rate to 20%. [66] None of the details are officially confirmed. An advisor to Jackson, however, did publicly announce he had "restructured his finances with the assistance of Sony." [67]

On April 18, 2006, Michael Jackson signed a management deal with English music producer Guy Holmes. Holmes is the recently appointed CEO of Two Seas Records, with whom Jackson has signed a recording contract for one album. The album is set for a fall 2007 release.[68]

On May 27, 2006, Michael Jackson accepted a Legend Award at MTV Japan's VMA Awards in Tokyo. It was his first major public appearance since being found not guilty in his child molestation trial almost a year earlier. The award was honoring his influence and impact in music videos in the last 25 years. Following the award ceremony, Jackson also made an appearance on SMAPxSMAP. It was later reported that Jackson is planning to adopt a Japanese orphan.[69] The Katrina Charity Single still remains unreleased.

On June 27, 2006, Jackson announced plans to launch The Michael Jackson Company, Inc. replacing the now defunct MJJ Productions. Jackson also announced his spokesperson, Raymone Bain, be named general manager. Jackson has severed ties with his long-time accounts and business managers, Bernstein, Fox, Whitman, Goldman & Sloan. Also with Bahrani attorneys Qays Zu'bi and Grahame Nelson, and Gut Records executive, Guy Holmes.

In 2006 F. Marc Schaffel, a former associate of Jackson filed a suit for millions of dollars allegedly owed to him after working with Jackson on an unreleased charity record and documentaries. Florida businessman Alvin Malnik, who had advised Jackson appeared in court and stated that Jackson appeared to be bewildered by financial matters. Schaffel claimed to have made frequent loans to the singer totalling between $7m and $10m (£4m-£5.5m). Schaffel had received an urgent plea from Jackson for $1m (£550,000) so that Jackson could buy jewellery for Elizabeth Taylor so that she would agree to sign a release for her involvement in a Fox special [70].

These Court proceedings also brought to light unsuccessful projects planned with the actor Marlon Brando, including a dual interview at the actor's private island near Tahiti, and a DVD on acting [71]. Brando's son Miko Brando, a long time bodyguard and assistant to Jackson stated "The last time my father left his house to go anywhere, to spend any kind of time, it was with Michael Jackson,", "He loved it ... [He] had a 24-hour chef, 24-hour security, 24-hour help, 24-hour kitchen, 24-hour maid service.". [72].

On Friday July 14, 2006, the jury awarded Schaffel $900,000 of the original $3.8 million he sued Jackson for, which Schaffel later reduced to $1.6 million, and finally to $1.4 million.[73] The Jury also awarded Jackson $200,000 plus interest of the $660,000 that Jackson claimed he was owed by Schaffel. The trial revealed that Schaffel had been dismissed after Jackson learnt of his past work as a director of gay pornography. Schaffel claimed that Jackson "once wanted him to go to Brazil to find boys for him to adopt", but later modified the statement to ""children" to expand Jackson's family".[74] [75]

On July 31, 2006, a federal judge allowed a $USD48 million claim against Jackson and one of Jackson's trusts for unpaid fees and breach of contract. All parties were ordered to reappear in court in September. [10]

On 25 August 2006, bushfires hit Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch, burning out 16 hectares and coming within 500 metres of the main residence at Neverland. Jackson was not at Neverland at the time of the fire.