Happy Birthday STANLEY CLARKE (video)

#stanleyclarke #rockfile

Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and electric bass as well as for his numerous film and television scores. He is best known for his work with the fusion band Return to Forever, and his role as a bandleader in several trios and ensembles.

During the 1970s Clarke joined the jazz fusion group Return to Forever led by pianist and synth player Chick Corea. The group became one of the most important fusion groups and released several albums that achieved both mainstream popularity and critical acclaim. Clarke also started his solo career in the early 1970s and released a number of albums under his own name. His best known solo album is School Days (1976), which, along with Jaco Pastorius's self-titled debut, is one of the most influential solo bass recordings in fusion history. His albums Stanley Clarke (1974) and Journey to Love (1975) are also notable.

Clarke began with TV scores for ABC's short-lived series A Man Called Hawk and an Emmy-nominated score for Pee-wee's Playhouse. Clarke then moved on to work as a composer, orchestrator, conductor and performer of scores for such films as: Boyz n the Hood, the biographical film of Tina Turner What's Love Got to Do with It, Passenger 57, Higher Learning, Poetic Justice, Panther, The Five Heartbeats, Book of Love, Little Big League, and Romeo Must Die. He also scored the Luc Besson- produced/co-written action film, The Transporter, starring Jason Statham and a Michael Jackson video release directed by John Singleton entitled Remember the Time. In the 2000s, he composed music for the Showtime Network program Soul Food.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday GLENN SHORROCK (video)

#glennshorrock #rockfile

Glenn Barrie Shorrock (born 30 June 1944) is an English-born Australian singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of pop groups The Twilights, Axiom and Little River Band as well as being a solo performer.

The Twilights had eight consecutive national hit singles including "Needle in a Haystack" and "What's Wrong with the Way I Live". Axiom's top 10 hits were "Arkansas Grass", "Little Ray of Sunshine" and "My Baby's Gone". Little River Band had national and international chart success, including the Shorrock-penned "Emma", "Help Is on Its Way" and "Cool Change".

Shorrock was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 1991 and as a member of Little River Band in 2004. In May 2001 the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named "Cool Change" as one of the APRA Top 30 Australian songs of all time.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday COLIN HAY (video)

#colinhay #rockfile

Colin James Hay (born 29 June 1953) is a Scottish Australian musician and actor who made his mark during the 1980s as lead vocalist of the Australian band Men at Work, and later as a solo artist. Regarding his solo career, Hay stated, in 2011: "I feel like it's been building for the last fifteen or so years that I’ve been touring. It's slow and steady. It's been word-of-mouth. People see the show, like it, and tell their friends. It feels very organic."

Hay's music has been frequently used by actor and director Zach Braff in his work, subsequently leading to a career rebirth in the mid-2000s. Commenting on his younger fan base, Hay noted, "Most of them have an idea about Men at Work, but that's the subplot. They picked up on me since Scrubs, they're young enough they never heard of Men at Work. But I've found if people discover you they discover everything about you."

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday TERRI NUNN (video)

#terrinunn #berlin #rockfile

Terri Kathleen Nunn (born June 26, 1961), is an American singer and actress. She is best known as the lead vocalist of the new wave/synthpop band Berlin.

Nunn was born in Los Angeles, California. She joined Berlin in 1978 and temporarily left the group the following year to pursue an acting career. In 1981, she rejoined the group as the lead vocalist and soon forged her recording career in the band. Her greatest success in Berlin was the top-selling 1986 single "Take My Breath Away", the love theme in the film Top Gun. It reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. She sang other popular songs, including "Sex (I'm A...)", "The Metro", "You Don't Know", "No More Words" and "Masquerade".

Nunn acted in numerous television shows in the 1970s and '80s, including T.J. Hooker, Lou Grant and James at 15. She also unsuccessfully auditioned for the role of Princess Leia in Star Wars. She appeared in the 1978 film Thank God It's Friday. In 1979, she played a part in the short-lived CBS TV series, Time Express.

In 1985, Nunn left Berlin and recorded the song "Dancing in Isolation" for the film Better Off Dead. It was produced by Rupert Hine. In 1989, she performed a duet with Paul Carrack called "Romance", which was included on the soundtrack to the film Sing. In the early 1990s, she sang backup for The Sisters of Mercy. In 1991, she recorded and released a solo album entitled Moment of Truth, in association with Prince's Paisley Park producer, David Z.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday CHRIS ISAAK (video)

#chrisisaak #rockfile

Christopher Joseph "Chris" Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American rock musician and occasional actor.  

Isaak signed a contract to Warner Bros. Records in 1984 for his first album, Silvertone. One track from the album "Dancin" was Isaak's first music video featured on MTV and two tracks from this album, "Gone Ridin'" and "Livin' for Your Lover" featured in David Lynch's cult classic Blue Velvet. Isaak's second self-titled album, Chris Isaak, was photographed by fashion photographer Bruce Weber. Isaak's contract was renewed in 1988 when Warner Bros. moved him to their Reprise Records label. "Suspicion of Love" appears in the 1988 hit movie Married to the Mob starring Matthew Modine, Michele Pfeifer and Dean Stockwell.

Isaak's best known song is "Wicked Game". Though released on the 1989 album Heart Shaped World, an instrumental version of the song was later featured in the 1990 David Lynch film Wild at Heart. Lee Chesnut, an Atlanta radio station music director who was obsessed with Lynch films, played the vocal version and it became the station's most-requested song. Chesnut spread the word to other radio stations and the single became a national Top 10 hit in February 1991. It also reached No. 10 in the UK Singles Chart. The music video for the song was directed by Herb Ritts and was a MTV and VH1 hit; shot in black and white, it featured Isaak and supermodel Helena Christensen in a sensual encounter on the beach, caressing each other and whispering erotically in each other's ears. Another less-seen version of "Wicked Game" is directed by David Lynch and comprises scenes from the film Wild at Heart. "Wicked Game" featured as the backing music in the 2001 TV advertisement for the Jaguar X-Type in the UK. In 1995, Isaak split with longtime guitarist James Calvin Wilsey. That year's Forever Blue album and the accompanying tour featured Hershel Yatovitz on guitar.

In 1999, Isaak's "Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing" was featured in Stanley Kubrick's final film, Eyes Wide Shut. The song is on his 1995 Forever Blue album. The music video for the song is directed by Herb Ritts, it was shot in color and featured Isaak and French supermodel Laetitia Casta in a motel room. This was Isaak's second collaboration with Ritts.

Isaak composed a theme song for U.S. late-night television variety/talk show, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. In 2001, Isaak starred in his own television show, The Chris Isaak Show. It aired from March 2001 to March 2004 in the United States on the cable television network Showtime. This adult comedy show featured Isaak and his band playing themselves and the episode plots were based on fictional accounts of the backstage world of Isaak—the rock star next door. His track "Two Hearts" was featured in the closing credits of the 1993 film True Romance, directed by Tony Scott, written by Quentin Tarantino, and starring Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday ARTHUR BROWN (video)

#arthurbrown #rockfile

Arthur Brown (born Arthur Wilton Brown on 24 June 1942) is an English rock musician best known for his flamboyant theatrical performances, powerful wide-ranging operatic voice and his number-one hit in the UK Singles Chart and Canada, "Fire", in 1968.

Brown has been lead singer of various groups, most notably The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and Kingdom Come, followed by a varied solo career as well as associations with Hawkwind, The Who, Jimi Hendrix and Frank Zappa.

Though Brown has had limited commercial success, he has been a significant influence on a wide range of musicians and artists and due to his operatic vocal style, wild stage persona and concepts, he is considered a pioneer of shock rock and progressive rock and influential on heavy metal music.

Following the success of the single "Fire", the press would often refer to Brown as "The God of Hellfire" in reference to the opening shouted line of the song, a moniker that exists to this day.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday CURT SMITH (video)

#curtsmith #tearsforfears #rockfile

Curt Smith (born 24 June 1961, Bath, Somerset, England) is an English musician. He is best known for forming the band Tears for Fears, along with childhood friend Roland Orzabal. Also a solo artist, he has released four full-length albums.

Smith met Roland Orzabal when both were teenagers. They first formed a band in their teens, for which Smith taught himself to play bass guitar. They next formed the ska influenced band Graduate, who released their only album in 1980 achieving minor success in Europe.

Around this time, Smith and Orzabal also became session musicians for the band Neon. Fellow band members included Pete Byrne and Rob Fisher who went on to become the duo Naked Eyes.

After Graduate and Neon disbanded, Smith and Orzabal founded Tears for Fears in 1981. Their debut album, 1983's The Hurting, reached no.1 in the UK and produced three international hit singles – "Mad World", "Change", and "Pale Shelter" – each with lead vocals performed by Smith.

Their 1985 album Songs from the Big Chair was even more successful, yielding hits including "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" (with Smith again on lead vocals), "Shout," and "Head Over Heels" (which Smith co-wrote).

The duo spent the next several years recording their 1989 album The Seeds of Love, which proved to be another international best-seller. Smith's last single as a lead vocalist with the group (and his only lead vocal track on the album) was "Advice for the Young at Heart". Following another world tour, increasing tensions between himself and Orzabal prompted Smith to leave the band in 1991 and he moved to New York.

In 2000, routine legal paperwork obligations led to Orzabal and Smith's first conversation in nearly a decade. The two patched up their differences and, along with Smith's associate Charlton Pettus, began writing a new album – Everybody Loves a Happy Ending – released in 2004. Prior to this, "Mad World" was covered by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules for the soundtrack of film Donnie Darko. It was released as a single and reached no.1 in the UK during Christmas 2003. The single re-ignited interest in the group's earlier work and their 1992 Greatest Hits album was re-released and re-entered the UK Top 10 for several weeks, garnering its second UK platinum disc.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday HARRY NILSSON (video)

Harry Nilsson is forever intertwined with my childhood, The Point was huge for me. My parents were fans and introduced me to the Beatles favorite singer. Gone to soon, he is still one of my favorite artists. #rockfile

#harrynilsson #nilsson

Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), usually credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. He is known for the hit singles "Everybody's Talkin'" (1969), "Without You" (1971), and "Coconut" (1972). Nilsson also wrote the song "One" made famous by the rock band Three Dog Night. He was one of the few major pop-rock recording artists of his era to achieve significant commercial success without ever performing major public concerts or undertaking regular tours.

He received Grammy Awards for two of his recordings; Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Male in 1970 for "Everybody's Talkin'", a prominent song in the Academy Award-winning movie Midnight Cowboy, and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male in 1973 for "Without You."

For more details about his life, visit wikipedia

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday PRINCE (video)

#prince #rockfile

Prince Roger Nelson (born June 7, 1958), known by his mononym Prince, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actor. A major figure in popular music for over three decades, Prince is renowned as an innovator and is widely-known for his eclectic work, flamboyant stage presence and wide vocal range. Widely regarded as the pioneer of Minneapolis sound, Prince's music combines rock, R&B, soul, funk, hip hop, disco, psychedelia, jazz, and pop.

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Prince developed an interest in music at an early age, writing his first song at age seven. After recording songs with his cousin's band 94 East, 19-year-old Prince recorded several unsuccessful demo tapes before releasing his debut album, For You, in 1978 under the guidance of Manager Owen Husney. His 1979 album, Prince, went platinum due to the success of the singles "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover". His next three records, Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981) and 1999 (1982), continued his success, showcasing Prince's trademark of prominently sexual lyrics and incorporation of elements of funk, dance and rock music. In 1984, he began referring to his backup band as the Revolution and released Purple Rain, which served as the soundtrack to his film debut of the same name.

After releasing the albums Around the World in a Day (1985) and Parade (1986), The Revolution disbanded and Prince released the critically acclaimed double album Sign "O" the Times (1987) as a solo artist. He released three more solo albums before debuting The New Power Generation band in 1991. After changing his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol, also known as the "Love Symbol", in 1993, he began releasing new albums at a faster pace to remove himself from contractual obligations to Warner Bros; he released five records between 1994 and 1996 before signing with Arista Records in 1998. In 2000, he began referring to himself as "Prince" once again. He has released fourteen albums since then, including his latest, Art Official Age, released on September 30, 2014.

Prince has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. He has won seven Grammy Awards a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the first year of his eligibility. Rolling Stone has ranked Prince at number 27 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

I would love to post more/better videos but it seems all the classics have been pulled.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday TOM ARAYA (video)

#tomaraya #slayer #rockfile

Tomás Enrique "Tom" Araya Díaz (born June 6, 1961 in Viña del Mar, Chile) is a Chilean-American musician, best known as the bassist and vocalist of the American thrash metal band Slayer. Araya is ranked fifty-eighth by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Metal Vocalists of All Time.

Araya was employed as a respiratory therapist in the early 1980s and used his earnings to finance Slayer's debut album Show No Mercy. Much of Araya's lyrical content is about serial killers, a subject he finds interesting; his first lyrical contribution was the vampire-themed track "At Dawn They Sleep" from 1985's Hell Awaits.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday RICHARD BUTLER (video)

#richardbutler #psychedelicfurs #lsl #rockfile

Richard Lofthouse Butler (born 5 June 1956, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, England) is the lead singer of the Psychedelic Furs. He is also the founder and vocalist for the disbanded Love Spit Love. He currently resides in Beacon, New York.

Butler formed the Psychedelic Furs in 1977 with his bassist brother Tim Butler.

Joined by guitarist John Ashton, guitarist Roger Morris, drummer Vince Ely and sax player Duncan Kilburn, the band quickly ascended to the heights of all six members' rock careers. Its self-titled 1980 debut on Columbia Records and the 1981 Talk Talk Talk included 20 songs.

In the 1990s, he became the founder and vocalist of Love Spit Love, but by 2000 he said Love Spit Love had "gone into remission." His work with Love Spit Love can be heard on the hit syndicated television show Charmed. A truncated version of LSL's cover version of The Smiths' hit song "How Soon Is Now?" - recorded for The Craft soundtrack - plays during the Charmed opening credits. He also sang backing vocals, on "I Am Anastasia" by the American band, Sponge. Love Spit Love's "Am I Wrong" was the theme over the opening credits of the 1995 film Angus.

In 2001, The Psychedelic Furs reformed after a nine-year hiatus, and have toured worldwide since then.

In early 2006, Butler released the solo album titled Richard Butler, a collection of songs dedicated to his late father, Dr. George Butler, and also Jon Carin's father, Dr. Arthur A. Carin (Jon Carin was Richard Butler's collaborator on the release, co-authoring and arranging much of the music).

Initially trained as a painter, Butler has had gallery exhibitions in the US cities of New York City, Miami, and Florence, Italy. One of his works, "Girl With a Map," is the CD's cover art.

In 2014, Butler covered Charles Aznavour's "She" for the Gone Girl teaser trailer.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday LAURIE ANDERSON (video)

#laurieanderson #rockfile

Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson (born June 5, 1947) is an American experimental performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s. Throughout the 1970s, Anderson did a variety of different performance-art activities. She became widely known outside the art world in 1981 when her single "O Superman" reached number two on the UK pop charts. She also starred in and directed the 1986 concert film Home of the Brave.

Anderson is a pioneer in electronic music and has invented several devices that she has used in her recordings and performance art shows. In 1977, she created a tape-bow violin that uses recorded magnetic tape on the bow instead of horsehair and a magnetic tape head in the bridge. In the late 1990s, she developed a talking stick, a six-foot-long baton-like MIDI controller that can access and replicate sounds.

Anderson started dating Lou Reed in 1992, and was married to him from 2008 until his death in 2013.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday PETER TAGTGREN (video)

#petertagtgren #hypocrisy #rockfile

Alf Peter Tägtgren (born 3 June 1970) is a Swedish musician, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He is the founder, main songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist of the death metal band Hypocrisy as well as the industrial metal band PAIN in which he is the only member. He is also the owner of The Abyss recording studio.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday MIKE GORDON (video)

#mikegordon #phish #rockfile

Mike Gordon (born Michael Eliot Gordon June 3, 1965) is a bass guitar player and vocalist most recognized as a founding member and bassist for the rock band Phish. In addition to bass, Gordon is an accomplished banjo player, and is proficient at piano, and guitar. He is also a filmmaker (Rising Low, Outside Out) and author (Mike's Corner). He has released four solo studio albums.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday KERRY KING (video)

#kerryking #slayer #rockfile

Kerry Ray King (born June 3, 1964) is an American musician, best known as a guitarist for the American thrash metal band Slayer. He co-founded the band with Jeff Hanneman in 1981 and has been a member ever since.

King was born in Los Angeles, California. His father was an aircraft parts inspector, and his mother was an employee of a telephone company. Kerry attended Warren High School in Downey, CA and started learning guitar at Calvano's Music in South Gate.

In 1981 King was at a session trying out for the position of guitarist in a band. After the session was over Jeff Hanneman approached him and the two began playing Iron Maiden and Judas Priest songs with the session's drummer. King and Hanneman decided to start their own band.

King's trademark personal appearance and extensive tattoos were praised to such a degree by Blender magazine that they produced a tour of his body ink. King's acronym, KFK, was revealed to mean "Kerry Fuckin' King" in the January 2007 Issue of Guitar World. King currently resides in Corona, California.

source: wikipedia

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