This week in rock history, Pink Floyd released their debut single, Led Zeppelin ran into some trouble with the von Zeppelin family, Janet Jackson launched her Rhythm Nation World Tour, Whitney Houston’s signature song set a Billboard record and President Obama gave Stevie Wonder the highest honor in American pop music.
February 27, 1967: Pink Floyd release their first single
Before they floated a pig over Battersea Station and constructed The Wall, Pink Floyd made a curious debut. Their first single, "Arnold Layne," was a messy, psychedelic preamble to their great career – and if the lyrics were any indication, it seemed to concern a roving transvestite underwear thief pillaging their native Cambridge, England.
The single cracked the U.K. Top 20 and the Netherlands Top 30, giving the group their first shot of fame – one of the many drugs that singer-guitarist Syd Barrett would soon come to endorse. In 1968, he was replaced by his school friend David Gilmour for all concert duties and was fired from the band two months later.
source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/week-in-rock-history-whitney-houston-sets-a-billboard-record-20120227
Showing posts with label Whitney Houston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Whitney Houston. Show all posts
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Adele wins 4 early Grammys; Foo Fighters five
LOS ANGELES - British soul singer Adele won four early Grammys on Sunday, including song of the year for her smash hit "Rolling in the Deep," in a show that began on a somber note with a prayer for late pop superstar Whitney Houston.
Adele, whose album "21" was among the smash hits of 2011, took the stage and thanked her doctors, who performed surgery on her throat last year. "Seeing as it's a vocal performance I need to thank my doctors, I suppose, who brought my voice back," she said.
Aside from surgery, the British singer has enjoyed a stellar year. Her sophomore album "21" has sold more than 6.3 million copies in the U.S. and broken many sales records, including spending 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart.
She has thrilled fans singing about personal heartbreak in a raw, soulful manner in singles including "Rolling in the Deep," "Someone Like You," which earned her a second Grammy for best solo pop performance, and "Set Fire to the Rain."
Adele also sang for the first time in front of a public audience since her operation, belting out a rendition of "Rolling In the Deep." She earned a standing ovation and basked in the limelight.
Rockers Foo Fighters were the other big winners early in the show, picking up five Grammys in rock music categories, including best rock performance for their hit "Walk."
"This is a great honor because this record was a special record for our band. Rather than go to the best studio ... we made this one in my garage with some microphones and a tape machine," said frontman Dave Grohl. "It shows that the human element of making music is what's most important."
But as jubilant as the audiences was for Adele and as much as Foo Fighters rocked the house, the Grammys audience was equally serious about the death of Houston on Saturday in a Beverly Hills hotel room.
Host LL Cool J took the stage and offered a prayer for Houston, her fans and her family. "Although she is gone too soon, we remain truly blessed by her musical spirit," he said.
Organizers played a video of Houston performing her hit "I Will Always Love You" from a previous Grammy show. Later, actress and singer Jennifer Hudson, who won an Oscar for her role in movie musical "Dreamgirls," is expected to perform the same song in a tribute to the singer.
Many winners
Grammy organizers give out awards in more than 75 categories and many early winners mentioned Houston. Singer Melanie Fiona, who won with Cee Lo Green for traditional R&B performance for "Fool For You," said she was inspired by Houston.
"Whitney Houston, I would not be standing up here if not for you," Fiona said. Backstage, she told reporters her mother had rocked her in the cradle to Houston's songs when she was a baby.
Major winners included Jay-Z and Kanye West for best rap performance with their song, "Otis" from the album "Watch the Throne," but they failed to show up to claim their prize. Chris Brown won the Grammy for best R&B album "F.A.M.E.," and Lady Antebellum took home best country album with "Own the Night."
Rousing performances came from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Chris Brown, Coldplay and Rihanna, Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson, and Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt sang a duet of "A Sunday Kind of Love" from Etta James, who also died in 2012.
Country singer Taylor Swift picked up two awards for her song "Mean," about people she felt had wronged her, and DJ Skrillex won two Grammys for best dance recording and top dance/electronica album with "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites."
Rapper Kanye West earned seven nominations, but was shut out of the top categories, paving the way for Adele to be the night's big winner - or surprise loser if she fails to overcome competition. Along with his rap performance trophy, West won a second award for best rap album with "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy."
Still to come were top awards including best album where Adele's "21" faces rockers Foo Fighters and their hit "Wasting Light," Lady Gaga with "Born This Way," Bruno Mars and his "Doo-Wops & Hooligans," and pop star Rihanna with "Loud."
Adele also figures prominently among nominees for record of the year where "Rolling in the Deep" squares off against rockers Bon Iver and "Holocene," Bruno Mars for "Grenade," Mumford & Sons with "The Cave," and Katy Perry for "Firework."
One poignant moment came early in the day when Mitch and Janis Winehouse, parents of late singer Amy Winehouse who died of excessive drinking in 2011, accepted the award for best pop duo or group performance - Amy and Tony Bennett - "Body and Soul."
"Long live Whitney Houston. Long live Amy Winehouse and long live Etta James," referring to the "At Last" singer who died earlier this year. "There's a beautiful girl band up there." — Reuters
source: gmanetwork.com
Adele, whose album "21" was among the smash hits of 2011, took the stage and thanked her doctors, who performed surgery on her throat last year. "Seeing as it's a vocal performance I need to thank my doctors, I suppose, who brought my voice back," she said.
Aside from surgery, the British singer has enjoyed a stellar year. Her sophomore album "21" has sold more than 6.3 million copies in the U.S. and broken many sales records, including spending 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart.
She has thrilled fans singing about personal heartbreak in a raw, soulful manner in singles including "Rolling in the Deep," "Someone Like You," which earned her a second Grammy for best solo pop performance, and "Set Fire to the Rain."
Adele also sang for the first time in front of a public audience since her operation, belting out a rendition of "Rolling In the Deep." She earned a standing ovation and basked in the limelight.
Rockers Foo Fighters were the other big winners early in the show, picking up five Grammys in rock music categories, including best rock performance for their hit "Walk."
"This is a great honor because this record was a special record for our band. Rather than go to the best studio ... we made this one in my garage with some microphones and a tape machine," said frontman Dave Grohl. "It shows that the human element of making music is what's most important."
But as jubilant as the audiences was for Adele and as much as Foo Fighters rocked the house, the Grammys audience was equally serious about the death of Houston on Saturday in a Beverly Hills hotel room.
Host LL Cool J took the stage and offered a prayer for Houston, her fans and her family. "Although she is gone too soon, we remain truly blessed by her musical spirit," he said.
Organizers played a video of Houston performing her hit "I Will Always Love You" from a previous Grammy show. Later, actress and singer Jennifer Hudson, who won an Oscar for her role in movie musical "Dreamgirls," is expected to perform the same song in a tribute to the singer.
Many winners
Grammy organizers give out awards in more than 75 categories and many early winners mentioned Houston. Singer Melanie Fiona, who won with Cee Lo Green for traditional R&B performance for "Fool For You," said she was inspired by Houston.
"Whitney Houston, I would not be standing up here if not for you," Fiona said. Backstage, she told reporters her mother had rocked her in the cradle to Houston's songs when she was a baby.
Major winners included Jay-Z and Kanye West for best rap performance with their song, "Otis" from the album "Watch the Throne," but they failed to show up to claim their prize. Chris Brown won the Grammy for best R&B album "F.A.M.E.," and Lady Antebellum took home best country album with "Own the Night."
Rousing performances came from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Chris Brown, Coldplay and Rihanna, Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson, and Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt sang a duet of "A Sunday Kind of Love" from Etta James, who also died in 2012.
Country singer Taylor Swift picked up two awards for her song "Mean," about people she felt had wronged her, and DJ Skrillex won two Grammys for best dance recording and top dance/electronica album with "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites."
Rapper Kanye West earned seven nominations, but was shut out of the top categories, paving the way for Adele to be the night's big winner - or surprise loser if she fails to overcome competition. Along with his rap performance trophy, West won a second award for best rap album with "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy."
Still to come were top awards including best album where Adele's "21" faces rockers Foo Fighters and their hit "Wasting Light," Lady Gaga with "Born This Way," Bruno Mars and his "Doo-Wops & Hooligans," and pop star Rihanna with "Loud."
Adele also figures prominently among nominees for record of the year where "Rolling in the Deep" squares off against rockers Bon Iver and "Holocene," Bruno Mars for "Grenade," Mumford & Sons with "The Cave," and Katy Perry for "Firework."
One poignant moment came early in the day when Mitch and Janis Winehouse, parents of late singer Amy Winehouse who died of excessive drinking in 2011, accepted the award for best pop duo or group performance - Amy and Tony Bennett - "Body and Soul."
"Long live Whitney Houston. Long live Amy Winehouse and long live Etta James," referring to the "At Last" singer who died earlier this year. "There's a beautiful girl band up there." — Reuters
source: gmanetwork.com
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Fans: Whitney Houston's music spanned an era, breaking barriers and records
(CNN) -- Another musical titan whose soaring voice ruled the charts for decades has fallen.
Whitney Houston joins an august list of the departed since Michael Jackson's death nearly three years ago.
"First there was MJ, then there was Heavy D and now Whitney," said Shaun Jones, 47, of Titusville, Florida, adding that he jumped out of bed in disbelief when he heard news of Houston's death.
Rapper Heavy D died last year, as did Nick Ashford, who was one half of the Motown duo Ashford and Simpson.
And in late 2010, singer Mary Christine Brockert, better known by her stage name Teena Marie, died in her sleep.
"It's shocking ... all these people are legends. A lot of them are dying too young. It's crazy."
Pop icons such as Houston enjoyed staggering success through the 1980s and into the 1990s, and served as role models to a generation of singers today.
Announcements about their deaths are always almost followed by tributes from younger pop stars acknowledging how much influence they've had on their careers.
"Icons from that era stood out," Jones said. "They had distinct voices -- I can always tell when a song is by Whitney -- they made music back then."
Stunned celebrities who gathered for pre-Grammy festivities in Los Angeles expressed their shock Saturday night as fans worldwide paid tribute to the singer whose music spanned borders and generations.
"I remember dedicating some Whitney songs while writing letters to girls in my high school," said Mark Keith Muhumuza, who lives in Kampala, Uganda.
The 26-year-old said his favorites included "The Greatest Love of All" and "I Will Always Love You," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the second-longest reign in the chart's history.
Houston's decorated music career included smash hits such as "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," six Grammys and a slew of Billboard and American Music Awards. She also appeared in movies such as "Bodyguard" and "The Preacher's Wife."
"She was fresh, her music just drove everybody to want to dance," Jones said. "We all knew she was gonna be somebody -- I can't believe she's gone."
While she ruled as the queen of pop in the 1990s, a rocky personal life tainted her skyrocketing success.
Her marriage to Bobby Brown and their tumultuous years were marred by allegations of drug abuse and domestic violence. The pair starred in a reality show, "Being Bobby Brown," an unflattering look at their challenges as couple.
"Despite her personal setbacks, I never stopped believing in Whitney," Jones said. "It hurt me, and I'm sure it hurt a lot of fans. ... But she was trying to turn her life around. People always remember the bad things, but I am going to remember her for the good things."
Like Jones, her fans say they will focus on her legacy as a singer and the happy memories she brought to their childhoods.
"I can still remember riding with my sister as a teenager and first hearing, 'I Will Always Love You' on the radio. It was the most beautiful song that I had ever heard. It was breathtaking," said Traci Nichols of Bowie, Maryland. "Whenever I had a bad moment, I would play Whitney's CDs and sing along with them, and then, I would immediately feel better. I still do this because her music continues to uplift me."
She had a mesmerizing voice and a perfect poise, Nichols said, a trait that made fans feel connected to her.
"When I was a kid, she was the one I wished I could be -- supremely talented, gorgeous, amazing effortless performances, and she looked like she was having so much fun," said Marina Nelson, a San Francisco resident. It's a shame she didn't have a happier life while her music provided the soundtrack for so many fun times when I was growing up."
Nichols plans to do her part to ensure that despite Houston's untimely death, her legacy will live on.
Come Monday, she will discuss the legendary singer's appeal with her 11th-grade students.
source: CNN
Whitney Houston joins an august list of the departed since Michael Jackson's death nearly three years ago.
"First there was MJ, then there was Heavy D and now Whitney," said Shaun Jones, 47, of Titusville, Florida, adding that he jumped out of bed in disbelief when he heard news of Houston's death.
Rapper Heavy D died last year, as did Nick Ashford, who was one half of the Motown duo Ashford and Simpson.
And in late 2010, singer Mary Christine Brockert, better known by her stage name Teena Marie, died in her sleep.
"It's shocking ... all these people are legends. A lot of them are dying too young. It's crazy."
Pop icons such as Houston enjoyed staggering success through the 1980s and into the 1990s, and served as role models to a generation of singers today.
Announcements about their deaths are always almost followed by tributes from younger pop stars acknowledging how much influence they've had on their careers.
"Icons from that era stood out," Jones said. "They had distinct voices -- I can always tell when a song is by Whitney -- they made music back then."
Stunned celebrities who gathered for pre-Grammy festivities in Los Angeles expressed their shock Saturday night as fans worldwide paid tribute to the singer whose music spanned borders and generations.
"I remember dedicating some Whitney songs while writing letters to girls in my high school," said Mark Keith Muhumuza, who lives in Kampala, Uganda.
The 26-year-old said his favorites included "The Greatest Love of All" and "I Will Always Love You," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the second-longest reign in the chart's history.
Houston's decorated music career included smash hits such as "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," six Grammys and a slew of Billboard and American Music Awards. She also appeared in movies such as "Bodyguard" and "The Preacher's Wife."
"She was fresh, her music just drove everybody to want to dance," Jones said. "We all knew she was gonna be somebody -- I can't believe she's gone."
While she ruled as the queen of pop in the 1990s, a rocky personal life tainted her skyrocketing success.
Her marriage to Bobby Brown and their tumultuous years were marred by allegations of drug abuse and domestic violence. The pair starred in a reality show, "Being Bobby Brown," an unflattering look at their challenges as couple.
"Despite her personal setbacks, I never stopped believing in Whitney," Jones said. "It hurt me, and I'm sure it hurt a lot of fans. ... But she was trying to turn her life around. People always remember the bad things, but I am going to remember her for the good things."
Like Jones, her fans say they will focus on her legacy as a singer and the happy memories she brought to their childhoods.
"I can still remember riding with my sister as a teenager and first hearing, 'I Will Always Love You' on the radio. It was the most beautiful song that I had ever heard. It was breathtaking," said Traci Nichols of Bowie, Maryland. "Whenever I had a bad moment, I would play Whitney's CDs and sing along with them, and then, I would immediately feel better. I still do this because her music continues to uplift me."
She had a mesmerizing voice and a perfect poise, Nichols said, a trait that made fans feel connected to her.
"When I was a kid, she was the one I wished I could be -- supremely talented, gorgeous, amazing effortless performances, and she looked like she was having so much fun," said Marina Nelson, a San Francisco resident. It's a shame she didn't have a happier life while her music provided the soundtrack for so many fun times when I was growing up."
Nichols plans to do her part to ensure that despite Houston's untimely death, her legacy will live on.
Come Monday, she will discuss the legendary singer's appeal with her 11th-grade students.
source: CNN
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