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Shep Gordon
Shep E. Gordon (born October 18, 1945) is an American talent manager, Hollywood film agent, and producer. Gordon is featured in a 2013 documentary, '' Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon'', which was directed by Mike Myers. Life and education Gordon was born in 1945 in Jackson Heights, Queens. He obtained his B.A. in 1968 from the State University of New York at Buffalo in sociology. While attending, he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity. He attended The New School for Social Research for post-graduation work. He then moved to Los Angeles, California, taking on a job as a probation officer. Music career After being introduced to the band Alice Cooper by drummer Neal Smith's sister Cindy Smith, he and his partner Joe Greenberg began to manage the group in 1968. Gordon went on to represent Anne Murray, Blondie, Teddy Pendergrass, Luther Vandross, Ben Vereen, Burton Cummings, The Calloways, Difford and Tilbrook, Frankie Valli, Gary Wright, George Clinton, Gips ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jackson Heights, Queens
Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. Jackson Heights is neighbored by North Corona to the east, Elmhurst to the south, Woodside to the west, northern Astoria ( Ditmars-Steinway) to the northwest, and East Elmhurst to the north and northeast. Jackson Heights has an ethnically diverse community, with half the population having been foreign-born since the 2000s. The New York Times has described Jackson Heights as "the most culturally diverse neighborhood in New York, if not on the planet." According to the 2010 United States Census, the neighborhood has a population of 108,152. The site of Jackson Heights was a vast marsh named Trains Meadow until 1909 when Edward A. MacDougall's Queensboro Corporation bought of undeveloped land and farms. The Queensboro Corporation named the land Jackson Heights after John C. Jackson, a descendant of one of the original Queens families and a respected Queens entrepreneur. F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The New School For Social Research
The New School for Social Research (NSSR) is a graduate-level educational institution that is one of the divisions of The New School in New York City, United States. The university was founded in 1919 as a home for progressive era thinkers. NSSR explores and promotes what they describe as global peace and global justice. It enrolls more than 1,000 students from all regions of the United States and from more than 70 countries. History The New School for Social Research was founded in 1919 by, among others, Charles Beard, John Dewey, James Harvey Robinson, and Thorstein Veblen. In 1933, what became known as the University in Exile, had become a haven for scholars who had been dismissed from teaching positions by the Italian fascists under Benito Mussolini or had to flee Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Party. The University in Exile was initially founded by the director of the New School, Alvin Saunders Johnson, through the financial contributions of Hira ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gary Wright
Gary Malcolm Wright (born April 26, 1943) is an American musician and composer best known for his 1976 hit songs " Dream Weaver" and " Love Is Alive", and for his role in helping establish the synthesizer as a leading instrument in rock and pop music. Wright's breakthrough album, ''The Dream Weaver'' (1975), came after he had spent seven years in London as, alternately, a member of the British blues rock band Spooky Tooth and a solo artist on A&M Records. While in England, he played keyboards on former Beatle George Harrison's triple album ''All Things Must Pass'' (1970), so beginning a friendship that inspired the Indian religious themes and spirituality inherent in Wright's subsequent songwriting. His work since the late 1980s has embraced world music and the new age genre, although none of his post-1976 releases have matched the same level of popularity as ''The Dream Weaver''. A former child actor, Wright performed on Broadway in the hit musical '' Fanny'' before studying ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frankie Valli
Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer, known as the frontman of the Four Seasons beginning in 1960. He is known for his unusually powerful lead falsetto voice. Valli scored 29 top 40 hits with the Four Seasons, one top 40 hit under the Four Seasons alias the Wonder Who?, and nine top 40 hits as a solo artist. As a member of the Four Seasons, Valli's number-one hits include " Sherry" (1962), "Big Girls Don't Cry" (1962), " Walk Like a Man" (1963), " Rag Doll" (1964) and " December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" (1975). Valli's recording of the song "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" reached number two in 1967. As a solo artist, Valli scored number-one hits with the songs " My Eyes Adored You" (1974) and " Grease" (1978). Valli, Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi and Bob Gaudio the original members of the Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Difford And Tilbrook
Difford & Tilbrook are the songwriting team of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, known for their work as the principal writers for the new wave rock band Squeeze. In addition to playing guitar for the band, they are responsible for the group's many hits, including " Cool for Cats", " Up the Junction", " Another Nail in My Heart", " Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)", " Tempted" and "Annie Get Your Gun". They have both written independently outside the band, and together wrote the music for the British sit-com '' Girls on Top'' starring Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Ruby Wax and Tracey Ullman. Difford & Tilbrook was also the name under which the pair recorded and toured following the temporary break-up of Squeeze in 1982. That band reunited in 1985 after one self-titled album had been released from the pair. By 1993, Difford and Tilbrook were the only original members left in Squeeze. Difford left Squeeze in 1999, and the band toured without him before breaking up later that ye ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calloway (band)
Calloway is an R&B duo of Cincinnati, Ohio brothers Reggie (born on January 23, 1955) and Vincent (born on January 5, 1957) Calloway. They had a major hit in 1990 with " I Wanna Be Rich". Biography The brothers grew up around music with a father who played the trumpet, an uncle who played keyboards, and an aunt who sang opera. As teenagers, they began writing songs and forming bands, and when attending Kentucky State University, they formed Midnight Star, a synth- funk outfit that hit big in the early to mid 1980s. The Calloways were instrumental in orchestrating the band's 1983 multi-platinum breakthrough album, '' No Parking on the Dance Floor'', and Midnight Star would continue to experience mainstream success throughout the brothers' tenure in the group. After Midnight Star ran its course, the two left to focus on solo work. During their time with Midnight Star, they had also written and produced hits for acts like Klymaxx ("Meeting in the Ladies Room") and The Whispe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burton Cummings
Burton Lorne Cummings (born December 31, 1947) is a Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for leading The Guess Who during that band's most successful period from 1965 to 1975, and for a lengthy solo career. Cummings has been inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and has been cited as one of the most influential performers in Canadian rock music. He has also been named as an officer of the Order of Canada and Order of Manitoba. The Burton Cummings Theatre in Winnipeg is named in his honour. Career Early years Cummings was born and raised in Winnipeg by his mother and maternal grandparents, after his father left the family during his infancy. He attended St. John's High School but dropped out at age 17 to pursue a career in music; the school granted him an honorary diploma in 2010. In 1964 Cummings joined local R&B band the Deverons (not to be confused with an American group called the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ben Vereen
Benjamin Augustus Vereen (born October 10, 1946) is an American actor, dancer and singer. Vereen gained prominence for his performances in the original Broadway productions of the musicals ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', for which he received a Tony Award nomination, and '' Pippin,'' for which he won the 1973 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Early life Vereen was born Benjamin Augustus Middleton on October 10, 1946 in Laurinburg, North Carolina. While still an infant, Vereen and his family relocated to the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City. He was adopted by James Vereen, a paint-factory worker, and his wife, Pauline, who worked as a maid and theatre wardrobe mistress. He discovered he was adopted when he applied for a passport to join Sammy Davis Jr. on a tour of '' Golden Boy'' to London when he was 25. He was raised Pentecostal. During his pre-teen years, he exhibited an innate talent for drama and dance and often performed in local variety s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive Platinum albums and eight Grammy Awards, including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four different times. In 2004, Vandross won a total of four Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for a song recorded not long before his death, " Dance with My Father". Vandross worked as a backing vocalist in the 1970s, and appeared on albums by artists such as Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, Todd Rundgren, Judy Collins, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Ben E. King, Stevie Wonder, and Donna Summer. He later became a lead singer of the group Change, which released its Gold-certified debut album, ''The Glow of Love'', in 1980 on Warner/RFC Records. After Vandross left the group, he was signed to Epic Records as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Teddy Pendergrass
Theodore DeReese Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter. He was born in Kingstree, South Carolina. Pendergrass spent most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initially rose to musical fame as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. After leaving the group in 1976, Pendergrass launched a successful solo career under the Philadelphia International label, releasing five consecutive platinum albums (a record at the time for an African-American R&B artist). Pendergrass's career was suspended after a March 1982 car crash left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. Pendergrass continued his successful solo career until announcing his retirement in 2007. He died from respiratory failure in January 2010. Early life He was born Theodore DeReese Pendergrass on March 26, 1950, in Kingstree, South Carolina. He was the only child of Jesse and Ida Geraldine (née Epps) Pendergrass. Ida suffered six miscarriages before ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band co-founded by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the American new wave scene of the mid-1970s in New York. Their first two albums contained strong elements of punk and new wave, and although highly successful in the UK and Australia, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the U.S. until the release of '' Parallel Lines'' in 1978. Over the next five years, the band achieved several hit singles including " Heart of Glass," " Call Me," " Atomic," " The Tide Is High," and " Rapture". The band became noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles, also incorporating elements of disco, pop, reggae, and early rap music. Blondie disbanded after the release of its sixth studio album, '' The Hunter'', in 1982. Debbie Harry continued to pursue a solo career with varied results after taking a few years off to care for partner Chris Stein, who was diagnosed with pemphigus, a rare autoimmune disease of the s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anne Murray
Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray was the first Canadian female solo singer to reach No. 1 on the U.S. charts and also the first to earn a Gold record for one of her signature songs, "Snowbird" (1970). Murray is also well known for her Grammy Award-winning 1978 number 1 US hit " You Needed Me". She is often cited as one of the female Canadian artists who paved the way for other international Canadian success stories such as k.d. lang, Céline Dion, and Shania Twain. She is also the first woman and the first Canadian to win "Album of the Year" at the 1984 Country Music Association Awards for her Gold-plus 1983 album '' A Little Good News''. Murray has received four Grammys, a record 24 Junos, three American Music Awards, three Country Music Association Awards, and three Canadi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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