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The X Factor (UK Series 1)
''The X Factor'' is a British television music competition to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a £1 million recording contract with the Syco Music record label. The first series was broadcast from 4 September to 11 December 2004. The competition was split into several stages: auditions, bootcamp, judges' homes and live shows, with Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne and Simon Cowell as judges. Kate Thornton presented the show on ITV, whilst Ben Shephard presented the spin-off show '' The Xtra Factor'' on ITV2. Auditions were held in Dublin, Newcastle, London, Leeds, Birmingham and Glasgow. Steve Brookstein won the series, with Cowell as the winning mentor. Brookstein went on to have some chart success, with runner-up group G4 achieving two platinum albums before splitting up in 2007, but reuniting in 2014. Selection process Applications and auditions Before the auditions, advertisements appeared on ITV, newspapers, and trade magazines, promising that the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kate Thornton
Kate Thornton (born 7 February 1973) is an English journalist and broadcaster, best known as the first presenter of ''The X Factor'' (2004–2006) and for presenting daytime shows including '' Loose Women'' (2009–2011) and '' This Morning'' (2009–2012). In 2010, she co-presented the first series of '' 71 Degrees North'' alongside Gethin Jones. Career Journalism In 1995, at 21 she became the youngest editor of pop magazine ''Smash Hits''. She left a year later, having been unable to prevent a further slide in sales of the magazine. In 1997, she became a Features Editor at the ''Sunday Times'', a post she held until 2001, and also a contributing Editor for magazine ''Marie Claire'', in which position she continued until 2003.Kate Thornton CV at Troika Talent< ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pop Idol
''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast, one in 2001–2002 and a second in 2003. An immense success when it launched in 2001, Maggie Brown in ''The Guardian'' wrote, "the show became a seminal reality/entertainment format once on air that autumn". Series judge Simon Cowell became a major public figure in entertainment, and the show produced instant No. 1 chart hits, including for the first series winner Will Young, whose single "Evergreen" was the fastest-selling debut in UK chart history and the best-selling song of 2002. ''Pop Idol'' was subsequently put on an indefinite hiatus after Simon Cowell announced the launch of ''The X Factor'' in the UK in April 2004. The show has become an international TV franchise since, spawning multiple ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maggie May
"Maggie May" is a song cowritten by singer Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton, performed by Stewart for his album '' Every Picture Tells a Story'', released in 1971. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 130 in The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2017, the Mercury Records single was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Background Written from Stewart's personal experience, "Maggie May" expresses the ambivalence and contradictory emotions of a boy involved in a relationship with an older woman. In the January 2007 issue of '' Q'' magazine, Stewart recalled: "Maggie May was a true story, about the first woman I had sex with, at the 1961 Beaulieu Jazz Festival." The woman's name was not "Maggie May"; Stewart has stated that the name was taken from " an old Liverpudlian song about a prostitute". The song was recorded in just two takes in one session. Drummer Micky Waller often arrived at recording sessions with the expectation that a drum kit would be provided and, f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cry Me A River (1953 Song)
"Cry Me a River" is an American popular song, written by Arthur Hamilton, first published in 1953 and made famous in 1955 with the version by Julie London. In 2001, the Julie London version of "Cry Me a River" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Origins and early recordings Arthur Hamilton later said of the song: "I had never heard the phrase. I just liked the combination of words... Instead of 'Eat your heart out' or 'I'll get even with you,' it sounded like a good, smart retort to somebody who had hurt your feelings or broken your heart." He was initially concerned that listeners would hear a reference to the Crimea, rather than "..cry me a...", but said that "..sitting down and playing the melody and coming up with lyrics made it a nonissue." A bluesy jazz ballad, "Cry Me a River" was originally written for Ella Fitzgerald to sing in the 1920s-set film '' Pete Kelly's Blues'' (released 1955). According to Hamilton, he and Julie London had been high school classmat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Try A Little Tenderness
"Try a Little Tenderness" is a song written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, and Harry M. Woods. Early versions It was first recorded on December 8, 1932, by the Ray Noble Orchestra, with vocals by Val Rosing. Another version, also recorded in 1932, was made by Charlie Palloy & his Orchestra. Ted Lewis (Columbia 2748 D) and Ruth Etting (Melotone 12625) had hits with it in 1933. Bing Crosby also recorded it on January 9, 1933, for Brunswick Records. A version by Bob and Alf Pearson was also released in 1933. The song appeared on Frank Sinatra's debut album, '' The Voice of Frank Sinatra'', in 1946 and on the 1960 album '' Nice 'n' Easy''. Otis Redding version A popular version in an entirely new form was recorded by soul artist Otis Redding in 1966. Redding was backed on his version by Booker T. & the M.G.'s, and Stax staff producer Isaac Hayes worked on the arrangement. Bowman, Rob (1997). ''Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records.'' New York: Schirmer Trade. . Pg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fly Me To The Moon
"Fly Me to the Moon", originally titled "In Other Words", is a song written in 1954 by Bart Howard. The first recording of the song was made in 1954 by Kaye Ballard. Frank Sinatra, Frank Sinatra's 1964 version was closely associated with the Apollo program, Apollo missions to the Moon. In 1999, the Songwriters Hall of Fame honored "Fly Me to the Moon" by inducting it as a "Towering Song". Background and composition In 1954, when "Fly Me to the Moon" was first presented to the public, Bart Howard had been pursuing a career in music for over 20 years. He played piano to accompany cabaret singers, but also wrote songs with Cole Porter, his idol, in mind. In the book ''Intimate Nights: The Golden Age of New York Cabaret'' James Gavin noted that Howard wrote the song "in response to his publisher's plea for a simpler song: why did he have to write such grandiloquent lyrics? 'In Other Words' talked about the verbosity of poets who 'use many words to say a simple thing'; 'hold my hand, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anyone Who Had A Heart (song)
"Anyone Who Had a Heart" is a song written by Burt Bacharach (music) and Hal David (lyrics) for Dionne Warwick in 1963. In January 1964, Warwick's original recording hit the Top Ten in the United States, Canada, Spain, Netherlands, South Africa, Belgium and Australia. In the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and New Zealand, Warwick's recording lost out to a version by Cilla Black. Black's single was a UK number-one hit for three weeks in February/March 1964 and was also the fourth best-selling single of 1964 in the UK, with sales of around 950,000 copies. Petula Clark also recorded "Anyone Who Had a Heart" in several foreign language versions for the international market. Clark reached No. 7 in France with "Ceux Qui Ont Un Coeur" in the spring of 1964, then No. 5 in Italy with "Quelli che hanno un cuore" that September. In October 1964, Clark reached No. 1 in Spain—for a two-week period—with "Tú no tienes corazón". English singer Mary May also recorded a version ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Landmark London
The Landmark London is a five-star hotel on Marylebone Road on the northern side of central London, England, in the City of Westminster. It was originally opened by the Great Central Railway, as the Hotel Great Central. As one of London's railway hotels, it declined after the advent of the motor car. It served as a military convalescent home during the Second World War, and later as the headquarters of the British Railways Board. It reopened as a hotel in 1993. History Early years The hotel was originally one of London's Victorian era railway hotels, the Hotel Great Central. It was first proposed by Sir Edward Watkin of the Great Central Railway, who envisaged Marylebone station, which the hotel was to serve, as the hub of an international railway that would run through a channel tunnel. Sir Edward's aspirations proved to be overly ambitious (not for the only time, as he was behind the Watkins' Tower, a failed attempt to outdo the Eiffel Tower), and after the Great Central ran ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angel Recording Studios
Angel Recording Studios Limited (also referred to as Angel Studios) is a British recording studio based in the eponymous recording and mixing complex in Islington, London. The company was incorporated by James Warren Sylvester de Wolfe on 5 December 1978. After ownership of the property transferred to third parties, the facility was closed at the end of 2019 and, after a transfer of ownership to Abbey Road Studios reopened in 2022. The building was originally constructed as a Congregational chapel in 1888, and is now Grade II listed. The premises were acquired by library music specialists De Wolfe Music in the late 1970s and opened in 1982. Since then, the studio has been used to record both commercially successful work such as Adele's 2011 album '' 21'' and numerous classical recordings. Location The studio is based on the corner of Upper Street (the A1) and Gaskin Street (formerly Church Street) in Islington, London, adjacent to St Mary's Church. The nearest tube station ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band in Western popular music and were integral to the development of Counterculture of the 1960s, 1960s counterculture and the recognition of popular music as an art form. Rooted in skiffle, beat music, beat and 1950s rock and roll, rock 'n' roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways. The band also explored music styles ranging from Folk music, folk and Music of India, Indian music to Psychedelic music, psychedelia and hard rock. As Recording practices of the Beatles, pioneers in recording, songwriting and artistic presentation, the Beatles revolutionised many aspects of the music industry and were often publicised as leaders of the Baby boomers, era's youth and soc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Midnight Train To Georgia
"Midnight Train to Georgia" is a song most famously performed by Gladys Knight & the Pips, their second release after departing Motown Records for Buddah Records. Written by Jim Weatherly and included on the Pips' 1973 LP ''Imagination'', "Midnight Train to Georgia" became the group's first single to top the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It also won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus and has become Knight's signature song. The song is sung from the perspective of someone whose lover, having failed to become a Hollywood star, is leaving Los Angeles to move back to Georgia, taking the titular "midnight train". The singer expresses her commitment to accompanying him to Georgia: "And I'll be with him (I know you will) / On that midnight train to Georgia". Background The song was originally written and performed by Jim Weatherly under the title "Midnight Plane to Houston", which he recorded on Jimmy Bowen's Amos Records. "It was based on a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)
"Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" is the debut single by Edison Lighthouse. The song reached the No. 1 spot on the UK Singles Chart on the week ending 31 January 1970, where it remained for a total of five weeks. It also became the first No. 1 single of the 1970s (not counting Rolf Harris's "Two Little Boys" which was a holdover from 1969). Background "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" was written by Tony Macaulay and Barry Mason and was first recorded by Geoff Turton as "Jefferson" but not released until years later. Tony Burrows recorded it next, with session musicians. The track entered the UK top 40 at No. 12 on 24 January 1970 – an unusually high new entry for a debut act. A week later, the song had climbed eleven places to No. 1, becoming the first new UK chart-topper of the 1970s. After a five-week stay at the top, it dropped to No. 4, replaced by "Wand'rin' Star" by Lee Marvin. Whilst at No. 1, Edison Lighthouse held off strong competition from Peter, Paul and M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
