|
Close To You (The Carpenters Album)
''Close to You'' is the second studio album by the American music duo the Carpenters, released on August 19, 1970. In 2003, the album was ranked No. 175 on ''Rolling Stone''s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list. The album contains the hit singles "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and " We've Only Just Begun". The success of the title track earned Carpenters an international reputation. The album topped the Canadian Albums Chart and peaked at #2 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' albums chart. It was also successful in the United Kingdom, entering the top 50 of the official chart for 76 weeks during the first half of the 1970s. The album and its singles earned Carpenters eight Grammy Award nominations including Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Carpenters won the Best New Artist and Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus for the album. Background and song information According to ses ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Carpenters
The Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen Carpenter, Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (musician), Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinctive soft musical style, combining Karen's contralto vocals with Richard's harmonizing, arranging, and composition. During their 14-year career, the Carpenters recorded 10 albums along with many singles and several television specials. The siblings were born in New Haven, Connecticut, but moved to Downey, California, in 1963. Richard took piano lessons as a child, progressing to California State University, Long Beach, while Karen learned the drums. They first performed together as a duo in 1965 and formed the jazz-oriented Richard Carpenter Trio along with Wesley Jacobs, then formed the Middle of the road (music), middle-of-the-road band Spectrum. Subsequently the two signed as The Carpenters to A&M Records in 1969; they achieved major success the following year with the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grammy Award For Song Of The Year
The Grammy Award for Song of the Year is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. The Song of the Year award is one of the four most prestigious categories at the awards (alongside Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Album of the Year), presented annually since the 1st Grammy Awards in 1959. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide, the award is presented: If a winning song contains samples or interpolations of existing material, the publisher and songwriter(s) of the original song(s) can apply for a Winners Certificate. Song of the Year is related to but is conceptually different from Record of the Year or Album of the Year: * Song of the Year is awarded for a single or for one track from an album. This award goes to the songwriter who actually wrote the lyrics and/or melodies to the song. "Song" in this context means the song as composed, not its recording. * Record of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rod Stewart
Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 120 million records worldwide. His music career began in 1962 when he took up Street performance, busking with a harmonica. In 1963, he joined Jimmy Powell (singer), the Dimensions as a harmonica player and vocalist. In 1964, Stewart joined Long John Baldry and the All-Stars (band), All Stars before moving to the The Jeff Beck Group, Jeff Beck Group in 1967. Joining Faces (band), Faces in 1969, he also launched a solo career, releasing his debut album, ''An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down'', that year. Stewart's early albums were a fusion of rock, folk music, soul music, and Rhythm and blues, R&B. His third album, 1971's ''Every Picture Tells a Story'', was his breakthrough, topping the charts in the UK, US, Canada and Austr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tim Hardin
James Timothy Hardin (December 23, 1941 – December 29, 1980) was an American folk music and blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. In addition to his own success, his songs " If I Were a Carpenter", " Reason to Believe", " Misty Roses" and " The Lady Came from Baltimore" were hits for other artists. Hardin was raised in Oregon and had no interest in school, withdrawing before graduating high school, and joining the Marines. After his discharge, he moved to Greenwich Village and Cambridge, where he played and recorded several albums. He also performed at the Newport Folk Festival and at Woodstock. He struggled with drug abuse throughout most of his adult life and his live performances were sometimes erratic. He was planning a comeback when he died in late 1980 from an accidental heroin overdose. Early life and career Tim Hardin was born in Eugene, Oregon to Hal and Molly Hardin, who both had musical backgrounds. His mother was a violinist and concertmaster of the Portlan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Bettis
John Gregory Bettis (born October 24, 1946) is an American lyricist and songwriter whose songs have sold more than 250 million records worldwide, recorded by some of the most prominent artists of the late twentieth century. His work crosses many musical genres. He is best known for his long-running collaboration with Richard Carpenter of The Carpenters, co-writing hits such as “ Top of the World,” “ Yesterday Once More,” “ Only Yesterday,” and “ Goodbye to Love.” Bettis also wrote chart-topping songs for artists including Michael Jackson (“Human Nature”), Whitney Houston (“One Moment in Time”), Madonna (“ Crazy for You”), the Pointer Sisters (“Slow Hand”), and George Strait (“ Heartland”). Over his career, Bettis has earned two Emmy Awards, and nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and multiple Grammy Awards. His songs have appeared on the soundtracks of major motion pictures, and he co-wrote theme songs for television series such ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ralph Carmichael
Ralph Carmichael (May 27, 1927 – October 18, 2021) was an American composer and arranger of both secular pop music and contemporary Christian music. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of contemporary Christian music. Early life and career Carmichael was born in Quincy, Illinois, the son of a Pentecostal minister. As a teenager, Carmichael played violin with the San Jose Civic Symphony. At seventeen, he enrolled at Southern California Bible College (now Vanguard University) to become a preacher like his father, grandfather, three uncles, and five cousins. He started a campus men's quartet, as well as ensembles and mixed groups of all kinds, blending jazz and classical music techniques with gospel songs and hymns. His bands were unwelcomed at many churches, and he was not allowed to store his baritone saxophone on campus because of its associations with big band music. After college, Carmichael's band received mixed reactions from the Christian community. One church asked th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crocker National Bank
Crocker National Bank was an American bank headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was acquired by and merged into Wells Fargo Bank in 1986. History The bank traces its history to the Woolworth National Bank in San Francisco. Charles Crocker, who was one of The Big Four of the Central Pacific Railroad and the head of construction for the western half of America's first transcontinental railroad, acquired a controlling interest in Woolworth for his son William Henry Crocker. The bank was renamed Crocker Woolworth National Bank, later Crocker National Bank. In 1925, Crocker National merged with the First National Bank of San Francisco, founded by James D. Phelan, to form Crocker First National Bank. In 1956, Crocker First National Bank merged with the Anglo California National Bank (established by Herbert Fleishhacker) to form Crocker-Anglo Bank. In 1963, Crocker-Anglo Bank merged with Los Angeles' Citizens National Bank, to become Crocker-Citizens Bank. and later ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roger Nichols (songwriter)
Roger Stewart Nichols (September 17, 1940 – May 17, 2025) was an American composer and songwriter. He was a multi-instrumentalist who played violin, guitar, bass guitar and piano. Background Roger Stewart Nichols was born in Missoula, Montana, on September 17, 1940, but grew up in Santa Monica, California, where his family had moved shortly after his birth. Both of his parents were musicians, and he inherited their interest in music from an early age, playing the violin as a child and later starting a band. After graduating from Santa Monica High School, he enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he played basketball under head coach John Wooden. However, he dropped out of college after two years to pursue music. Career Nichols co-wrote many songs with lyricists Paul Williams, Tony Asher, and Bill Lane. Asher and Nichols co-wrote several songs on Nichols' debut album ''Roger Nichols and the Small Circle of Friends'' (A&M Records, 1968) which was produced ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Recording Industry Association Of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/or distribute approximately 85% of all legally sold recorded music in the United States". RIAA is headquartered in Washington, D.C. RIAA was formed in 1952. Its original mission was to administer recording copyright fees and problems, work with trade unions, and do research relating to the record industry and government regulations. Early RIAA standards included the RIAA equalization curve, the format of the stereophonic record groove and the dimensions of 33 1/3, 45, and 78 rpm records. RIAA says its current mission includes: #to protect intellectual property rights and the First Amendment rights of artists #to perform research about the music industry #to monitor and review relevant laws, regulations, and policies Between 2001 and 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hal David
Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David was born and raised in New York City, a son of Austrian Jewish immigrants Lina (née Goldberg) and Gedalier David, who owned a delicatessen in New York. He is the younger brother of American lyricist and songwriter Mack David. David attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn and studied Journalism at New York University. Career David is credited with popular music lyrics, beginning in the 1940s with material written for bandleader Sammy Kaye and for Guy Lombardo. He worked with Morty Nevins of The Three Suns on four songs for the feature film '' Two Gals and a Guy'' (1951), starring Janis Paige and Robert Alda. They also wrote the classic Christmas song I Believe in Santa Claus which was recorded by The Stargazers in 1950. In 1956, David began workin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burt Bacharach
Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Starting in the 1950s, he composed hundreds of pop songs, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. Bacharach's music is characterized by unusual chord progressions and time signature changes, influenced by his background in jazz, and uncommon selections of instruments for small orchestras. He arranged, conducted, and produced much of his recorded output. More than 1,000 different artists have recorded Bacharach's songs. From 1961 to 1972, most of Bacharach and David's hits were written specifically for and performed by Dionne Warwick, but earlier associations (from 1957 to 1963) saw the composing duo work with Marty Robbins, Perry Como, Gene McDaniels, and Jerry Butler. Following the initial success of these collaborations, Bacharach w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hal Blaine
Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. His drumming is featured on 150 US top 10 hits, 40 of which went to number one. Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Blaine moved with his family to California in 1943 and began playing jazz and big band music before taking up rock and roll session work. He became one of the regulars in Phil Spector's de facto house band, which Blaine nicknamed " the Wrecking Crew". Some of the records Blaine played on include the Ronettes' single " Be My Baby" (1963), which contained a drum beat that became widely imitated, as well as works by popular artists such as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, Neil Diamond, and the Byrds. Blaine's workload declined in the 1980s as recording and musical practices changed. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
