Happy Birthday STEVIE WONDER (video)

#steviewonder #rockfile

Stevland Hardaway Morris (born May 13, 1950, as Stevland Hardaway Judkins), known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. A child prodigy, he became one of the most creative and loved musical performers of the late 20th century. Wonder signed with Motown's Tamla label at the age of 11 and has continued to perform and record for Motown as of the early 2010s. He has been blind since shortly after birth.

Among Wonder's works are singles such as "Superstition", "Sir Duke", "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and "I Just Called to Say I Love You"; and albums such as Talking Book, Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life. He has recorded more than 30 U.S. top ten hits and received 25 Grammy Awards, the most ever awarded to a male solo artist, and has sold over 100 million albums and singles, making him one of the top 60 best-selling music artists. Wonder is also noted for his work as an activist for political causes, including his 1980 campaign to make Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday a holiday in the United States. In 2009, Wonder was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace. In 2013, Billboard magazine released a list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists to celebrate the U.S. singles chart's 55th anniversary, with Wonder at number six.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday DAVE GAHAN (video)

#davegahan #depechemode #rockfile

David "Dave" Gahan (born 9 May 1962) is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the baritone lead singer for the British electronic music band Depeche Mode since their debut in 1980. He is also an accomplished solo artist, releasing albums in 2003 (Paper Monsters) and 2007 (Hourglass). Though his bandmate Martin Gore continues to be the main Depeche Mode songwriter, Gahan has contributed a number of songs to the band's most recent albums, Playing the Angel (2005), Sounds of the Universe (2009) and Delta Machine (2013). Three of these songs were released as singles, including "Suffer Well" in 2006, "Hole to Feed" in 2009 and "Should Be Higher" in 2013. In 2012, he also contributed lyrics and sang lead vocals on the Soulsavers album The Light the Dead See. Q magazine ranked Gahan no. 73 on the list of the "100 Greatest Singers" and no. 27 on "The 100 Greatest Frontmen".

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday BILLY JOEL (video)

#billyjoel #rockfile

William Martin "Billy" Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American pianist, singer-songwriter, and composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States. His compilation album Greatest Hits Vol. 1 & 2 is the third best-selling album in the United States by discs shipped.

Joel had Top 40 hits in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, achieving 33 Top 40 hits in the United States, all of which he wrote himself. He is also a six-time Grammy Award winner who has been nominated for 23 Grammy Awards throughout his career. He has sold more than 150 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time.

Joel was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (1992), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1999), and the Long Island Music Hall of Fame (2006). In 2001, Joel received the Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2013, Joel received the Kennedy Center Honors, the nation's highest honor for influencing American culture through the arts. Except for the 2007 songs "All My Life" and "Christmas in Fallujah", Joel stopped writing and releasing pop/rock material after 1993's River of Dreams. However, he continues to tour, and he plays songs from all eras of his solo career in his concerts.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday PHILIP BAILEY (video)

#philipbailey #earthwindandfire #rockfile

Philip Bailey (born May 8, 1951) is an American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter, percussionist and actor, best known as one of the longtime members of the band Earth, Wind & Fire. Noted for his four-octave vocal range and distinctive falsetto register, Bailey has won seven Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as a member of Earth, Wind & Fire. Bailey was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame for his work with the band.

Bailey has released several solo albums. Chinese Wall from 1985, which received a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male, included the global hit, "Easy Lover", a duet with Phil Collins. "Easy Lover" won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Overall Performance in a Video in 1985 and was Grammy nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals.

source: wikipedia

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Happy Birthday CHRIS FRANTZ (video)

#chrisfrantz #talkingheads #rockfile

Chris Frantz (born Charlton Christopher Frantz, May 8, 1951) is an American musician and record producer. He was the drummer for both Talking Heads and the Tom Tom Club.

1970s at the Rhode Island School of Design. They formed a band called the Artistics, which evolved over time into Talking Heads. Frantz also convinced his girlfriend Tina Weymouth to join the band as bass guitarist. They were married in 1977.

Members of the Compass Point All Stars family, Frantz and Weymouth formed the Tom Tom Club in 1980, which kept them busy during a fairly long hiatus in Talking Heads activity. Weymouth, Frantz, and Jerry Harrison reunited as The Heads for a one-off album called No Talking, Just Head in 1996, featuring a rotating cast of vocalists, including Debbie Harry.

He and Weymouth produced the Happy Mondays' 1992 album, Yes Please! and the Scottish group Angelfish's self-titled album. Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth recently contributed backing vocals and percussion for Damon Albarn's alternative rock virtual band, Gorillaz.

He is ranked number 12 in Stylus Magazine's list of the 50 greatest rock drummers.

He currently has a radio program on 89.5 WPKN out of Bridgeport, Connecticut.

source: wikipedia

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