http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/70s-Hits_Summary.html Would anybody in the world forget the 70’s and its music? Besides new genres such as disco that arose to enrich the diverse musical background, that decade was the perfect time for bands and artists such as The Beatles, Roberta Flack, John Denver, and Marvin Gaye to start developing their outstanding and successful careers. Although they began singing more than thirty years ago, their musical heritage is still enjoyed by the new generations. What is more, many of the current music stars have been influenced by this era and one of these artists. en-us http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_9130.html Mon, 24 Apr 2006 03:01:58 CST Edwin Starr was a soul music singer; he was born on January 21st, 1942 and died on April 3rd, 2003. Starr was widely recognized during the 70’s for his Norman Whitfield produced Motown songs which some like “War” were number one in different music charts of that epoch. Edwin began his career in 1957 when he created a doo-wop band called “The Future Tones”. For those times (the 60’s) he recorded his songs with the recording company Ric Tic and some years later with Motown in 1968.
The song that made him recognized was “Agent Double'O'Soul” that was released in 1965 and that was used in the soundtrack of the movie “James Bond”. During the next three years he recorded more songs and then he had an international chart topper with the single “25 Miles”. This song can be heard yet in old music radio stations. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_9088.html Mon, 24 Apr 2006 02:47:50 CST Earth, Wind and Fire (EWF) is an American funk band which was formed in 1969 in Chicago, IL. The band leader is Maurice White; the band is best recognized for songs like: “Reasons”, “After the Love Has Gone”, “September” and “Shining Star”. A curious note is that EWF became as the first black band that received the Madison Square Garden’s Gold Ticket Award for selling more than 1,000,000 tickets and also the Columbia Records Crystal Globe for selling more than 5 million albums outside the US. They also won the BET’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the ASCAP’s Rhythm andamp; Soul Heritage Award.
The founder of the band Maurice started playing the drums with another band called “Ramsey Lewis Trio” but then he decided to create his own group which was called “The Salty Peppers” (signed to Capitol Records).  Then Maurice moved with the group to Los Angeles, CA and changed the name to “Earth Wind and Fire”. By 1970 the group released their self titled debut that received good criticism but was not commercially successful. By 1972, EWF changed to CBS Records and launched the record “Last Days and Time”. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_9016.html Mon, 24 Apr 2006 11:32:34 CST B. J. Thomas is a country music singer. He was born in Hugo, OK on August 7th, 1942 but he grew up in Houston, TX. His real name is Billy Joe Thomas, but he became known as B. J. Thomas because his baseball coach called him like that. His father (Vernon Thomas) was a country music fan and B.J. liked it too. Early he started to play with a local band called “The Triumphs” and they released their first album entitled “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”.
B.J. reached his success after he started his solo career in 1968 and 1969 when he released his first hit singles named “Hooked on a Feeling” and “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”. By 1970 B.J. signed to Paramount Records and launched the disc called “Hey Won’t You Play” that contains his second pop single hit entitled “Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song”. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7770.html Wed, 12 Apr 2006 03:39:15 CST
Would you like to know about the life of The Carpenters? Here you will discover how they began their musical careers. The siblings, Richard and Karen, sing together their selected tunes. At twelve years old, Richard excelled at playing piano, while Karen developed progressively her skill for playing the drums. With the help of a friend, the Carpenters won a ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition at the Hollywood Bowl.

In 1969, they released their first album, ‘Offering’ and, the first single entitled "Ticket To Ride", was released from it the following year. From the single, "Close To You", the duo would create a name for themselves. Meanwhile their songs were a real success among the public, they took advantage of it while touring worldwide to promote their album and appearing on their own TV program, ‘Make Your Own Kind Of Music.’ Besides, they performed at the White House in 1974.

Although their career was very successful, it is not possible to say the same regarding their personal lives since Richard was addicted to sleeping tablets and Karen was suffering from the eating disorder, Anorexia Nervosa, for several years. Unfortunately, matters were even worse when she collapsed in the middle of a concert in Las Vegas, so that she was hospitalized for treating her. By 1979, Richard decided to receive rehabilitation, while Karen’s disease had dominated her, and her mother found her dead. These days, Richard continues writing, producing and touring. This is the story of a duo that once saw the sunlight and now it is only a memory of what would have been the future of two teens.  
http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7762.html Wed, 12 Apr 2006 03:28:59 CST
Helen Reddy entered into the music industry when she was a little girl. She comes from a well-known Australian business family, and once she moved to the United States, she signed a contract with Capitol Records. The release of her single, “I Am A Woman,” was first number one record, which gave her the opportunity to win a Grammy Award for her performance and this song is officially known as the anthem for the feminist movement.

Some of the top ten singles include “Leave Me Alone,” “Angie Baby,” “Delta Dawn” and "You And Me Against The World” on gold and platinum selling albums allowing her to have an international multi-media career. Thousands of fans have felt attracted toward her television specials in more than forty countries and her leading role in the Disney film, “Pete’s Dragon.”

Having strong basis on musical area, Helen decided to continue her theatrical roots with starring roles in productions of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Call Me Madam, and Anything Goes. The success of Helen does not limit to theatrical performances, but it extends to concerts and appearances with symphony orchestras. By 2000, she launched her first Christmas collection due to an arrangement with The Home Shopping Network.
http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7756.html Wed, 12 Apr 2006 03:06:37 CST
No matter where Billy Paul has to give a show, he is not going to change his way of performing and behaving because his main goal is to reach as many people as possible with his music. He was a twelve-year old boy when he started his singing career with some appearances on local radio shows.

The abilities to develop a vocal style were easily developed by listening to family’s collection of 78’s at home. Then, this would be useful to incorporate traces of Jazz, Randamp;B and Pop. Indeed, his passion for music far extends to family influence because his mother was constantly buying and colleting records from ‘Jazz At The Philharmonic Hall’ to Nat King Cole. Besides, he was willing to discover his inner technical skills. In order to get formal training, Billy went to Temple University, West Philadelphia Music School, and Granoff Music School.

Billy did not have to wait too long to get national recognition for having more than one music style such as rock and pop ballads. As a result, he appeared in concert with artists like Dinah Washington, Miles Davis, Nina Simone, Charlie Parker, Sammy Davis, Roberta Flack and the Impressions. Billy’s most successful single was “Me And Mrs. Jones,” which sold over two million copies, thus thousands of couples in love would name Billy. Thanks to the single. “Me And Mrs. Jones,” Billy won the coveted Grammy Award as well as multiple Ebby awards, the American Music Award, the NAACP Image Award and diverse keys and proclamations to cities across the United States. Besides his hits, his international tours have been simply fascinating among audiences in countries such as Latin American, South America and the United Kingdom. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7749.html Wed, 12 Apr 2006 03:00:03 CST
The most famous performer in the 70’s is John Denver, whom initially joined the Back Porch Majority, a nursery group for the renowned New Christy Minstrels. However, when he got tired of his role there, he decided to be part of the Chad Mitchell Trio, wherein he was recognized as a talented songwriter. Due to the disintegration of this group, Denver began his solo career in 1969.

Although his releases caught people’s attention, this singer really enjoyed popularity with “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” which was the beginning of a series of gold singles, as for example, the success of “Sunshine on My Shoulders” and “Annie’s Song". In 1974 and 1975, Denver appeared frequently on the country charts with the No. 1 hits “Back Home Again,” “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” and “I’m Sorry.”

In addition, he had a leading role in the 1977 hit comedy Oh, God! With George Burns and filmed a TV special, John Denver and the Muppets: A Rocky Mountain Holiday, in 1983. What seems interesting about this artist is his contribution to social causes such as ecology, wilderness protection, and world hunger and space exploration, instead of acting on stage. For him, it was more important to help to solve some of the world problems than making lots of money for himself.  Another of his dreams was to become an astronaut; that is why, he offered the Soviet space agency $10 million to be part of the Mir space station. He also reached two Top 10 country hits in the 1980s for “Some Days Are Diamonds (Some Days Are Stone)” and “Dreamland Express”. Denver together with Emmylou Harris sang on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s 1989 album Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Volume II.
http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7740.html Wed, 12 Apr 2006 08:15:41 CST
Knowing how Gilbert O’Sullivan began his artistic career may interest you if you love his music. Since he was a little child, he started developing his skills in music and art. By 1963, O’Sullivan wrote his first song, “Ready Miss Steady.” In 1967, he signed a five year contract with CBS; however, he soon changed to MAM Records due to the low quality of singles with CBS.

The major success for O’Sullivan is when “Nothing Rhymed” reached the first top 10 hits. As a result of this phenomenon, a dozen more hit singles were incorporated, ten of which achieved the UK Top 10, including four Top 5 albums such as Back To Front, I’m A Writer Not A Fighter, Himself, and A Stranger In My Own Back Yard. Another great achievement is to be recognized internationally because of his self-morose ballad, “Alone Again (Naturally)" from his album Himself, thus becoming a chart-topper and having six weeks at No.1 on the Billboard.

Besides, O’Sullivan released two UK chart toppers with the songs “Chair” and “Get Down,” which also entered into the U.S. Top 10. Unfortunately, not everything was as beautiful as O’Sullivan thought because he figured out that the label’s owner of MAM Records was greatly getting most of the benefits from his albums. For this reason, he had to take a temporal break in order to solve this legal problem. O’Sullivan returned with a new contract with CBS that allows him to reach top twenty spot in the UK with his single “What’s In A Kiss.”  Even though O’Sullivan does not have much fame nowadays, he still enjoys some success in Japan.
http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7705.html Tue, 11 Apr 2006 05:00:07 CST
To know what is going to happen when Clint Holmes is on stage; it is unpredictable since he usually does something extraordinary or unusual to keep the audience’s attention. In the same way, his powerful voice captivates the heart of many fans.

His musical talent flows through his veins because his father is an African-American jazz musician and his mother is a British opera singer. At the age of eight years old, his mother taught him classic vocal techniques at home, meantime his father showed him how to scat-sing in the jazz clubs. Thus, Clint learned from their parents the art of music through two different points of view.

The great opportunity of Clint to demonstrate his talent was when he performs, interviews guests, and interacts with his audience in a TV show for celebrities at “New York at Night.”  Clint’s numerous appearances on network TV programs include “Miss America Pageants,” “The People’s Choice Awards,” the "Emmy Awards,” and “The Parade of Stars.” From his most recent album, he explores his multiple sides as singer with songs like “Shouldn’t It Be Easy By Now” and “I Know What I Need.”

Holmes, the charismatic and multi-talented singer, is considered the Atlantic City’s Entertainer of the Year three times. Some of the events wherein he has participated are to be the featured performer at the Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden, to appear at The White House performing for President and Mrs. Bush and Vice President and Mrs.Quayle at “The National Literacy Honors.” Recently, he received the award as “Best Singer” in Las Vegas. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7685.html Tue, 11 Apr 2006 04:33:11 CST
From the age of four, Carole King has been considered a proficient pianist and a great songwriter in her early teens.  She has been considered one of pop music’s most successful songwriters since she has recorded works with different artists from the Beatles to Aretha Franklin, thus obtaining lots of recognition.

This couple wrote, arranged and produced hits for Little Eva and the Cookies. As time passing by, the duo Goffin/King developed sophisticated, personalized compositions such as “Going Back”, “Pleasant Valley Sunday” and “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman.” However, the end of her marriage with Goffin really affected her career. After moving to Los Angeles, she got married and decided to start a solo career in 1970 with Writer. King’s album “Tapestry” has sold over 15 million copies around the world and proposed its creator as a major figure in the singer-songwriter movement. Perhaps, it is a matter of luck or fate that she was not probably as successful as other artists did so. Nevertheless, she is well-known for her hits rather than for the number of awards it got.

When she was studying at Queens College, she met her future partner and husband Gerry Goffin, whose lyrical gifts coincide with King’s grasp of melody. Some of her singles include “The Right Girl”, "Queen of the Beach" and “Baby Sitting” before the recording “Oh Neil.” In spite of the fact that her record was not a hit, Don Kirshner was very impressed with such albums since he signed the Goffin/King team to his Aldon Music. King together with Goffin got success with the Shirelles, Bobby Vee and the Drfiters.