21 May, 2012 (updated 3 minutes ago).
Lieutenant Mark Rosen from the LAPD confirms Whitney Houston died Saturday in her room on the fourth floor of the Beverly Hilton hotel. (Feb. 11) Subscribe to the Associated Press: bit.ly Download AP Mobile: www.ap.org Associated Press on Facebook: apne.ws Associated Press on Twitter: apne.ws Associated Press on Google+: bit.ly
whitney houston Lieutenant Mark Rosen Mark Rosen LAPD
The voice of a generation passes away at age 48. For more information, click here: abcnews.go.com
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whitneyhoustondies48.blogspot.com LEARN MORE OF WHAT HAPPENED!!! A Hollywood reports says that Whitney was set to make a performance tonight at the Clive Davis Gala ahead of tomorrow nights grammy awards. The reporter also says that Whitney was last seen at the Beverly Hills "Beverly Hilton" Hotel on Thursday. A crime lab is currently investigating the situation at the hotel where Whitneys body was found early this evening. The Beverly Hilton Hotel is the last place that Whitney was seen alive. http whitney houston died whitney houston death how whitney houston died the death of whitney houston what happened to whitney houston whitney houston dies at 48 whitney houston dead at 49 whitney houston found dead whitneyhoustondies48.blogspot.com Category
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Beverley Hills police detail being called to investigate singer's death. For more information, click here: abcnews.go.com
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Awards show is being re-worked to honor the passing of the legendary singer after she was found dead in hotel room. For more information, click here: abcnews.go.com
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According to the press... Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston died at age 48. The entertainer was pronounced dead at 3:55 pm (6:55 pm ET) at The Beverly Hilton despite resuscitation efforts, a police spokesman said. I happened to be making my way over to the Beverly Hilton Hotel covering the celebrity arrivals at a Clive Davis event. Then I got a text from a friend Whitney Houston passed away at the same hotel. This is personal footage I captured being there on this unfortunate day of Feb 11, 2012
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Lieutenant Mark Rosen from the Beverly Hills, Calif. Police Department confirms Whitney Houston died Saturday in her room on the fourth floor of the Beverly Hilton hotel. (Feb. 11)
Whitney Houston, Iconic Pop Star, Dies at 48. Houston's publicist confirmed the singer's death to ABC News. Her cause and location of death are not yet known. Six police cars were spotted in front of the Beverly Hilton hotel today, where Houston is believed to have been staying. gma.yahoo.com abcnews.go.com
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Los Angeles (CNN) -- Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston was found dead Saturday at a Beverly Hills, California, hotel, officials said. She was 48. The entertainer, whose incredible talent was discovered at an early age, was pronounced dead at 3:55 pm (6:55 pm ET) at the Beverly Hilton hotel despite resuscitation efforts, a police spokesman said. Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen said there were "no obvious signs of criminal intent" and that the cause of her death is being investigated. Houston's bodyguard found her body, said Courtney Barnes, publicist for hip-hop artist Ray J, who was dating the pop diva. According to her official website, Houston sold more than 170 million albums, singles and videos. But she also struggled with addiction problems over the years. Houston, whose hits included "The Greatest Love of All," died on the eve of the 54th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. She had performed as late as Thursday night at a pre-Grammy event in the area. A pre-Grammy party was scheduled Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton. Music producer Jimmy Jam, after conversations with those heading up to Sunday's night show, told CNN that he believes the event will change significantly -- including a tribute to the singer. The entertainer recently returned to a movie set for "Sparkle," a remake of the 1976 hit, which was loosely based on the story of The Supremes. It is scheduled be released nationwide in August, according to Sony Pictures. It was ...
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Whitney houston Found Dead At Beverly Hilton Hotel
Famous singer passes away; Details still unknown. For more information, click here: abcnews.go.com
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Six time Grammy Award Winner, Whitney Houston was found dead in her California Hotel Room Today (2/11/12) The lengendary Whitney Houston, Soulful Pop Star was in California to attend Clive Davis Annual Grammy Celebration on tonight 2/11/12 and had performed just nights before on stage with Kelly Pryce her very close friend. At the time she appeared to be fine according to those who spent the evening with her. Whitney was only 48 years old. The former Mrs. Bobby Brown is the mother of Bobbi Christina and daughter of Cissy Houston, Minister of music at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, NJ on Sussex Ave. Whitney was born and raised in East Orange, NJ then endeared as Pippy. We are at a major loss at this time as her musical contributions are endless. Whitney's voice is coined as the Greatest Voice of all times and I agree. May heaven smile upon her family and bless her tender soul! Whitney we will always love you and celebrate the mighty gift that God himself neatly stitched in your belly! Prayers to the family, friends and fans of the Legendary Whiteny Houston. See more at www.sonyaward.com www.harmonysuccess.com www.facebook.com/brandyourbrilliance sonya ward empowers read "fear is not my boss" by sonya ward
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PapaKrysta: RT @Welp_SheBlewIt: sorry :/ RT @ASmooveYungMan: Childish RT “@Welp_SheBlewIt: My texts looking like how they found Whitney Houston in the bathroom #Dead”
nirajustforyouu: RT @Welp_SheBlewIt: sorry :/ RT @ASmooveYungMan: Childish RT “@Welp_SheBlewIt: My texts looking like how they found Whitney Houston in the bathroom #Dead”
Welp_SheBlewIt: sorry :/ RT @ASmooveYungMan: Childish RT “@Welp_SheBlewIt: My texts looking like how they found Whitney Houston in the bathroom #Dead”
Welp_SheBlewIt: RT @ASmooveYungMan: Childish RT “@Welp_SheBlewIt: My texts looking like how they found Whitney Houston in the bathroom #Dead”
ASmooveYungMan: Childish RT “@Welp_SheBlewIt: My texts looking like how they found Whitney Houston in the bathroom #Dead”
_HeartlessYanna: RT @Welp_SheBlewIt: My texts looking like how they found Whitney Houston in the bathroom #Dead
Welp_SheBlewIt: My texts looking like how they found Whitney Houston in the bathroom #Dead
Marvin Macaraeg: What is the greatest love of all? according to Whitney Houston in one of the lyrics of her songs, she defined the greatest love of all as follows: I found the greatest love of all inside of me The greatest love of all is easy to achieve Learning to love yourself, it is the greatest love of all Would you agree that the greatest love of all is loving yourself? Maybe the world teaches that kind of thoughts, but let's see how our Savior defined the greatest love of all Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13) have you received this kind of love? is there someone willing to lay down his life for you? haha even your're a good person, there's no one willing to die for you right? but the Bible says: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) Jesus died for us, even though we are all sinners, He is willing to die just to save and redeem us from the fire of hell and give us new life. I will agree to Whitney that the greatest love of all is easy to achieve we have just need to accept and believe that Jesus is our Lord and Savior because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9) Have you received the greatest love of all? The greatest love of all Ptr. Jet Javier Church of God World Missions Philippines
Aaron Paul Blanca: Lady Gaga From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Lady Gaga Lady Gaga performing on The Monster Ball Tour in 2010 Background information Birth name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta Born March 28, 1986 (age 26) New York, New York, U.S. Genres Pop, dance, electronic Occupations Singer-songwriter, performance artist, record producer, dancer, businesswoman, activist Instruments Vocals, piano, keyboards Years active 2005–present Labels Def Jam, Cherrytree, Streamline, Kon Live, Interscope Website LadyGaga.com Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (/ˈstɛfəniː dʒʌrməˈnɑːtə/; born March 28, 1986), known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to focus on her musical career. She began performing in the rock music scene of Manhattan's Lower East Side, and was signed with Streamline Records by the end of 2007. During her employment as a songwriter for the record company, her vocal abilities captured the attention of recording artist Akon, who signed her to his label Kon Live Distribution. Lady Gaga came to prominence as a recording artist following the release of her debut album The Fame (2008), which was a critical and commercial success that topped charts around the world and included the international number-one singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". After embarking on the The Fame Ball Tour, she followed the album with The Fame Monster (2009), which spawned the worldwide hit singles "Bad Romance", "Telephone" and "Alejandro". The album's success allowed her to embark on the eighteen-month long Monster Ball Tour, which later became one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time. Her most recent album Born This Way (2011) topped the charts of most major markets and generated more international chart-topping singles, including "Born This Way", "Judas" and "The Edge of Glory". Besides her musical career, she involves herself with humanitarian causes and LGBT activism. Influenced by David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Madonna and Queen, Lady Gaga is recognized for her flamboyant, diverse and outré contributions to the music industry through her fashion, performances and music videos. She has sold an estimated 23 million albums and 64 million singles worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time and her singles are some of the best selling worldwide.[1] Her achievements include five Grammy Awards and 13 MTV Video Music Awards. Lady Gaga has consecutively appeared on Billboard magazine's Artists of the Year (scoring the definitive title in 2010), ranked fourth in VH1's list of 100 Greatest Women in Music, is regularly placed on lists composed by Forbes magazine and was named one of the most influential people in the world by Time magazine.[2][3] In 2012, Gaga was ranked at number four on Billboard's list of top moneymakers of 2011, grossing more than 25 million dollars.[4] Contents [hide] 1 Biography 1.1 1986–2004: Early life 1.2 2005–07: Career beginnings 1.3 2008–10: The Fame and The Fame Monster 1.4 2011–present: Born This Way 2 Artistry 2.1 Influences 2.2 Musical style 2.3 Music videos and performances 2.4 Public image 3 Philanthropy 3.1 HIV and AIDS 3.2 Born This Way Foundation 3.3 LGBT advocacy 4 Discography 5 Filmography 6 Concert tours 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links Biography 1986–2004: Early life Manhattan's Upper West Side, where Gaga grew up, has been an inspiration for many of her songs. Lady Gaga was born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta on March 28, 1986 in New York City to parents Cynthia (née Bissett) and Joseph Germanotta, an internet entrepreneur.[5][6] Descending from Italian and more distant French-Canadian roots, Gaga is the elder of two children.[7][8] Her sister, Natali, a fashion student, was born in 1992.[9][10] Despite her seemingly affluent upbringing in the family home in Manhattan's Upper West Side, Gaga has stressed that she did not come from a wealthy background, stating that her parents "both came from lower-class families, so we've worked for everything—my mother worked eight to eight out of the house, in telecommunications, and so did my father."[11][12] From the age of 11, Gaga – who was raised Roman Catholic – attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private all-girls Roman Catholic school on Manhattan's Upper East Side.[13][14][15] She described her academic life in high school as "very dedicated, very studious, very disciplined" but also "a bit insecure": "I used to get made fun of for being either too provocative or too eccentric, so I started to tone it down. I didn't fit in, and I felt like a freak."[16][17] Acquaintances dispute that she did not fit in at school. "She had a core group of friends; she was a good student. She liked boys a lot, but singing was No. 1," recalled a former high school classmate.[18] Gaga began playing the piano at the age of 4, went on to write her first piano ballad at 13, and started to perform at open mike nights by the age of 14.[19][20] Her passion for musical theatre brought her lead roles in high school productions, including Adelaide in Guys and Dolls and Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.[21] She also appeared in a very small role as a mischievous classmate in the television drama series The Sopranos in a 2001 episode titled "The Telltale Moozadell" in addition to unsuccessfully auditioning for parts in New York shows.[11][22] When her time at the Convent of the Sacred Heart came to an end, her mother encouraged her to apply for the Collaborative Arts Project 21 (CAP21), a musical theatre training conservatory at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.[11] After becoming one of twenty students to gain early admission, she eventually lived in an NYU dorm on 11th Street by the age of 17.[21] CAP21 prepared her for her future career focus in "music, art, sex and celebrity" where, in addition to sharpening her songwriting skills, she composed essays and analytical papers on art, religion, social issues and politics, including a thesis on pop artists Spencer Tunick and Damien Hirst.[20][23][24] With CAP21, she also tried out for and won auditions, including the part of an unsuspecting diner customer for MTV's Boiling Points, a prank reality television show.[11][25] But Gaga felt more creative than some of her classmates. "Once you learn how to think about art, you can teach yourself," she said. 2005–07: Career beginnings Gaga (right) performing with Lady Starlight (left) at Lollapalooza 2007 Gaga withdrew from CAP21 at 19, in the second semester of her sophomore year, deciding to focus on her musical career.[26] Her father agreed to pay her rent for a year, on the condition that she re-enroll at Tisch if unsuccessful. "I left my entire family, got the cheapest apartment I could find, and ate shit until somebody would listen," she remembers.[21] Settled in a small apartment on Rivington Street towards the summer of 2005, Gaga recorded a couple of songs with hip-hop singer Grandmaster Melle Mel, for an audio book accompanying the children's book The Portal in the Park, by Cricket Casey.[11][27] She also began a band called the Stefani Germanotta Band (SGBand) with some friends from NYU – guitarist Calvin Pia, bassist Eli Silverman, drummer Alex Beckham and booking manager Frank Fredericks – in September of that year.[11][21] The band played a mixture of songs: some self-penned alongside classic rock numbers like Led Zeppelin's "D'yer Mak'er".[11] Playing in bars like the Greenwich Village's The Bitter End and the Lower East Side's the Mercury Lounge, the band developed a small fan base and caught the eye of music producer Joe Vulpis.[11] Soon after arranging time in Vulpis' studio in the months that followed, SGBand were selling their extended plays Words and Red and Blue (both 2005) at gigs around New York while becoming a local fixture of the downtown Lower East Side club scene.[21] SGBand reached their career peak at the 2006 Songwriters Hall of Fame New Songwriters Showcase at The Cutting Room in June where Wendy Starland, a musician, appeared as a talent scout for music producer Rob Fusari. Starland informed Fusari – who was searching for a female singer to front a new band – of Gaga's ability and contacted her. With SGBand disbanded, Gaga traveled daily to New Jersey to work on songs she had written and compose new material with the music producer.[11] While in collaboration, Fusari compared some of her vocal harmonies to those of Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen.[28] It was Fusari who helped create the moniker Gaga after the Queen song "Radio Ga Ga". Gaga was in the process of trying to come up with a stage name when she received a text message from Fusari that read "Lady Gaga."[29] He explained, "Every day, when Stef came to the studio, instead of saying hello, I would start singing 'Radio Ga Ga'. That was her entrance song" and that the text message was the result of a predictive text glitch that changed "radio" to "lady". She texted back, "That's it," and declared, "Don't ever call me Stefani again."[29][30] The New York Post, however, has reported that this story is incorrect, and that the name resulted from a marketing meeting.[18] Gaga performing in a bar, sporting one of her earlier looks (2008) Although the musical relationship between Fusari and Gaga was unsuccessful at first, the pair soon set up a company titled Team Lovechild in which they recorded and produced electropop tracks and sent them to music industry bosses.[11] Joshua Sarubin, the head of A&R at Def Jam Recordings, responded positively and vied for the record company to take a chance on her "unusual and provocative" performance. After having his boss Antonio "L.A." Reid in agreement, Gaga was signed to Def Jam in September 2006 with the intention of having an album ready in nine months.[11] However, she was dropped by the label after only three months – an unfortunate period of her life that would later inspire her treatment for the music video for her 2011 single "Marry the Night".[31][32] Devastated, Gaga returned to the solace of the family home for Christmas and the nightlife culture of the Lower East Side.[11] She became increasingly experimental: fascinating herself with emerging neo-burlesque shows, go-go dancing at bars dressed in little more than a bikini in addition to experimenting with drugs.[11][14] Her father, however, did not understand the reason behind her drug intake and could not look at her for several months.[14][30] "I was onstage in a thong, with a fringe hanging over my ass thinking that had covered it, lighting hairsprays on fire, go-go dancing to Black Sabbath and singing songs about oral sex. The kids would scream and cheer and then we'd all go grab a beer. It represented freedom to me. I went to a Catholic school but it was on the New York underground that I found myself."[23] It was then when she became romantically involved with a heavy metal drummer in a relationship and break-up she likened to the musical film Grease: "I was his Sandy, and he was my Danny, and I just broke." He later became an inspiration behind some of her later songs.[33] During this time, she met performance artist Lady Starlight, who helped mold her on-stage persona.[34] Starlight explained that, upon their first meeting, Gaga wanted to perform with her to songs she had recorded with Fusari. Like SGBand, the pair soon began performing at many of the downtown club venues like the Mercury Lounge, The Bitter End, and the Rockwood Music Hall. Their live performance art piece was known as "Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue" and, billed as "The Ultimate Pop Burlesque Rockshow", was a low-fi tribute to 1970s variety acts.[35][36] Soon after, the two were invited to play at the 2007 Lollapalooza music festival in August that year.[37] The show was critically acclaimed, and their performance received positive reviews.[20][35] Having initially focused on avant-garde electronic dance music, Gaga had found her musical niche when she began to incorporate pop melodies and the glam rock of David Bowie and Queen into her music.[38] While Gaga and Starlight were busy performing, producer Rob Fusari continued to work on the songs he had created with Gaga. Fusari sent these songs to his friend, producer and record executive Vincent Herbert.[39] Herbert was quick to sign her to his label Streamline Records, an imprint of Interscope Records, upon its establishment in 2007.[40] Gaga later credited Herbert as the man who discovered her, adding "I really feel like we made pop history, and we're gonna keep going."[39] Having served as an apprentice songwriter under an internship at Famous Music Publishing, which was later acquired by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Gaga subsequently struck a music publishing deal with Sony/ATV.[41] As a result, she was hired to write songs for Britney Spears and labelmates New Kids on the Block, Fergie, and the Pussycat Dolls.[41] At Interscope, singer-songwriter Akon recognized her vocal abilities when she sang a reference vocal for one of his tracks in studio.[42] Akon then convinced Interscope-Geffen-A&M Chairman and CEO Jimmy Iovine to form a joint deal by having her also sign with his own label Kon Live, making her his "franchise player."[31][43] As 2007 came to a close, her former management company introduced her to songwriter and producer RedOne, whom they also managed.[44] The first song she produced with RedOne was "Boys Boys Boys", a mash-up inspired by Mötley Crüe's "Girls, Girls, Girls" and AC/DC's "T.N.T.".[30][44] Gaga continued her collaboration with RedOne in the recording studio for a week on her debut album and also joined the roster of Cherrytree Records, an Interscope imprint established by producer and songwriter Martin Kierszenbaum, after co-writing four songs with Kierszenbaum including the singles "Christmas Tree" and "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)".[41] Despite her secure record deal, she admitted that there was fear about her being too "racy", "dance-orientated" and "underground" for the mainstream market. Her response: "My name is Lady Gaga, I've been on the music scene for years, and I'm telling you, this is what's next."[15] 2008–10: The Fame and The Fame Monster Gaga performing at The Fame Ball Tour in 2009 By 2008, Gaga had relocated to Los Angeles in order to work extensively with her record label to complete her debut album and set up her own creative team Haus of Gaga, modeled on Andy Warhol's Factory.[30][45] The Fame was first released on August 19, 2008 to slow radio play. Gaga supported it by performing around Europe and in small gay clubs around the US in addition to being billed as a supporting artist on the North American leg of New Kids on the Block's reunion concert tour.[46][47] A sleeper hit, lead single "Just Dance" had preceded the album's release by four months but only hit the summit of the international charts in January 2009, provoking the instant success of the album, earning her first Grammy Award nomination (for Best Dance Recording) and becoming one of the best-selling singles worldwide.[46][48] Gaga achieved a greater unexpected success when "Poker Face", another sleeper hit, reached number one in most major music markets worldwide in early 2009, selling 9.8 million singles worldwide.[49][50] The follow-up single won the award for Best Dance Recording at the 52nd Grammy Awards over nominations for Song of the Year and Record of the Year. The Fame itself was nominated for Album of the Year while winning Best Dance/Electronica Album at the same ceremony.[51] Contemporary critics lauded the album, describing it as an exploration of her obsession with fame and the intricacies of a rich and famous lifestyle, noting its combination of genres "from Def Leppard drums and hand claps to metal drums on urban tracks", the inspiration drawn from 1980s synthpop and incorporation of dance music with clear hooks.[31] The Fame went to number one in Austria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and the UK and appeared in the top five in Australia, the US and 15 other countries.[52][53] It also stayed atop the Dance/Electronic Albums chart for 106 non-consecutive weeks and, since its release, has sold over 12 million copies worldwide.[54] The album's success spawned many 2009 honors including Billboard magazine's Rising Star award and the accumulation of 3 of 9 MTV Video Music Awards nominations, winning Best New Artist with the video for her single "Paparazzi" gaining Best Art Direction and Best Special Effects.[55][56] In addition to being an opening act on the Pussycat Dolls' Doll Domination Tour during the first half of 2009 in Europe and Oceania, she also embarked on her own six-month critically appreciated worldwide concert tour The Fame Ball Tour which ran from March to September 2009.[57][58] While she traveled the globe, she wrote The Fame Monster, an EP of eight songs released in November 2009. Each song, dealing with the darker side of fame from personal experience, is expressed through a monster metaphor. Making Gaga the first artist in digital history to have three singles (alongside "Just Dance" and "Poker Face") to pass the four million mark in digital sales, its lead single "Bad Romance" topped the charts in eighteen countries and reached the top two in the US, Australia and New Zealand while accruing the Grammy Awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Short Form Music Video.[59] The second single "Telephone", which features singer Beyoncé, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and became Gaga's fourth UK number one single; its accompanying music video, although controversial, received positive reception from contemporary critics who praised her for "the musicality and showmanship of Michael Jackson and the powerful sexuality and provocative instincts of Madonna."[60][61] Her following single "Alejandro" paired Gaga with fashion photographer Steven Klein for a music video similarly as controversial – critics complimented its ideas and dark nature but the Catholic League attacked Gaga for her alleged use of blasphemy.[62] Despite the controversy surrounding her music videos, they made Gaga the first artist to gain over one billion viral views on video-sharing website YouTube.[63] At the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, Gaga won 8 of her 13 nominations, including Video of the Year for "Bad Romance" (with "Telephone" also nominated), which made her the first female artist to be nominated twice for the award.[64][65] In addition, The Fame Monster garnered a total of six nominations at the 53rd Grammy Awards – equating to the amount of Grammy nominations her debut received – winning Best Pop Vocal Album and earning her a second-consecutive nomination for Album of the Year.[66][67] Gaga performing at The Monster Ball Tour in 2010 The success of the album allowed Gaga to start her second worldwide concert tour, The Monster Ball Tour, just weeks after the release of The Fame Monster and months after having finished The Fame Ball Tour.[68] Upon finishing in May 2011, the critically acclaimed and commercially accomplished tour ran for over one and a half years and grossed $227.4 million, making it one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time and the highest-grossing for a debut headlining artist.[69] Concerts performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City were filmed for a HBO television special titled Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden. The special accrued one of its five Emmy Award nominations and has since been released on DVD and Blu-ray.[70] Gaga also performed songs from the album at international events such as the 2009 Royal Variety Performance where she sang "Speechless", a power ballad, in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II; the 52nd Grammy Awards where her opening performance consisted of the song "Poker Face" and a piano duet of "Speechless" in a medley of "Your Song" with Elton John; and the 2010 BRIT Awards where a performance of an acoustic rendition of "Telephone" followed by "Dance in the Dark" dedicated to the late fashion designer and close friend, Alexander McQueen, supplemented her hat-trick win at the awards ceremony.[71] Other performances may have included her participation in Michael Jackson's This Is It concert series at London's O2 Arena. "I was actually asked to open for Michael on his tour," she stated. "We were going to open for him at the O2 and we were working on making it happen. I believe there was some talk about us, lots of the openers, doing duets with Michael on stage."[72] In 2009 she collaborated with consumer electronic company Monster Cable Products to create a pair of in-ear jewel-encrusted headphones titled Heartbeats. "They are designed to be the first ever fashion accessories that double as the absolute best sonically sounding headphones in the world," she commented.[73] Gaga also partnered with Polaroid in January 2010 as their Creative Director.[74] Excited about "blending the iconic history of Polaroid and instant film with the digital era," Gaga unveiled the first trio of new products called Grey Label: a pair of picture-taking sunglasses, a paperback-sized mobile printing unit and an updated version of the traditional Polaroid camera at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show.[75] But her collaboration with past producer Rob Fusari led to her production team, Mermaid Music LLC, being sued in March 2010 when he claimed that he was entitled to a 20% share of the company's earnings. Gaga's lawyer, Charles Ortner, described the agreement with Fusari as "unlawful" and declined to comment, but five months later, the New York Supreme Court dismissed both the lawsuit and a countersuit by Gaga.[76][77] In addition to such strife, Gaga was tested borderline positive for lupus, but claimed not to be affected by the symptoms. The revelations caused considerable dismay among fans, leading to Gaga addressing the matter in an interview with Larry King, saying she hopes to avoid symptoms by maintaining a healthy lifestyle.[78][79] 2011–present: Born This Way Gaga performing on the 2011 Good Morning America Summer Concert Series Gaga released her second studio album and third major release, Born This Way, on May 23, 2011. Described as a marriage of electronic music with metal, rock 'n' roll, pop and anthemic style melodies with sledge-hammering dance beats and referred to as an album "about what what keeps us up at night and what makes us afraid," Gaga characterized it as "something so much deeper than a wig or lipstick or a fucking meat dress" and, upon hearing it, Akon remarked that she is taking music to the "next level."[80][81] Upon release, the album received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised its range of different styles and her vocals.[82][83] Born This Way sold 1.108 million copies in its first week in the US, debuted atop the Billboard 200, and topped the charts in more than 20 other countries.[84] In addition to exceeding 8 million copies in worldwide sales, Born This Way received 3 Grammy Award nominations, including her third consecutive for Album of the Year.[85] In the months prior to its unveiling, Gaga released the singles "Born This Way", "Judas" and "The Edge of Glory" alongside promotional single "Hair". The eponymous lead single, first sung live at the 53rd Grammy Awards in a performance that saw Gaga emerge from an egg-like vessel, deals with self-acceptance regardless of race or sexual orientation. The single debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the 19th number-one debut and the 1,000th number-one single in the history of the charts.[86] It sold more than 3 million digital copies in the US by October 2011, becoming her eighth consecutive single to exceed sales of 2 million and, with worldwide sales of 8.2 million copies by November 2011, one of her five best-selling singles worldwide.[87] Critics noted artistic and cultural references and praised the concept of the song's accompanying music video, in which Gaga gives birth to a new race amidst surrealistic images.[88][89] The video for "Judas", in which Gaga portrays Mary Magdalene, and Biblical figures such as Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot are also featured, was criticized for its religious references but received acclaim for its overall delivery and praise from others who claimed that there was nothing offensive about it.[90] "Judas" also peaked within the top ten in several major musical markets, while "The Edge of Glory", first a commercial success in digital outlets, was later released as a single to critical appreciation, accompanied by a video which was notably stripped down from her usually "extravagant" efforts.[91][92] She released "You and I" and "Marry the Night" as the following singles from Born This Way. Although their "crazy and ambitious" videos were praised for their audacity, both songs failed to match the similar international success that their predecessors achieved.[93] Gaga continued her musical endeavors by pairing with veteran artists like Tony Bennett to record a jazz version of "The Lady Is a Tramp".[94] She also recorded a duet with Cher on a "massive" and "beautiful" track, which Gaga "wrote a long time ago, and I've never put it on one of my own albums for, really, no particular reason."[95] Gaga also lent her vocals to an original duet with Elton John for the animated feature film Gnomeo & Juliet. The song, "Hello, Hello", was released without Gaga's vocals but the duet version features in the film.[96][97] She also continued her live appearances throughout 2011, performing a one-of-a-kind concert at the Sydney Town Hall on July 13 in promotion of Born This Way and at the celebration of former US president Bill Clinton's 65th birthday, wearing a blond wig as a nod to the famous performance of Marilyn Monroe for John F. Kennedy and changing the lyrics to "You and I" specifically for the performance.[98] Televised appearances comprised her own Thanksgiving Day television special entitled A Very Gaga Thanksgiving which was critically lauded, attained 5.749 million American viewers, and spawned the release of her fourth extended play A Very Gaga Holiday.[99] Her second performance on Saturday Night Live saw her singing a selection of Born This Way songs alongside appearing in number of sketches with Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg.[100] In March 2012, Gaga was ranked at number four on Billboard's list of top moneymakers of 2011, grossing $25,353,039 dollars, which includes sales from Born This Way and her Monster Ball Tour.[4] In early 2012, Gaga stated that songs for a new album were "beginning to flourish" as she worked with producer Fernando Garibay, while the accompanying tour for Born This Way was materializing.[101][102] The Born This Way Ball Tour began on April 27, 2012, at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul, South Korea.[103] Artistry Influences Gaga's parents, who exposed her to artists like The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Elton John, had significant influence on her childhood and, presently, still do.[104] "I am a real family girl. When it comes to love and loyalty, I am very old-fashioned. And I am quite down-to-earth for such an eccentric person," she insists.[105] "I'm quite traditional in the family sense. I've always been that way."[104] According to Gaga, Joanne Germanotta – her aunt who died of lupus aged 19 – lives on through her and inspires all of her music and art.[106] Joanne's date of death is tattooed on Gaga's body and, despite dying 12 years before her birth, Gaga commented, "I really believe I have two hearts. I think I actually carry two souls in my body, and that I'm living out the rest of her life and her goodness – she died a virgin, she died never having experienced all these things that we all get to love and experience in our lives."[107] Another spiritual influence on Gaga has been the Indian physician, public speaker and writer Deepak Chopra. Labeling him a "true inspiration", she stated that "he's always reminded me to work in a life of service to my fans and to fulfill my vision and my destiny" in addition to thinking about Chopra when it comes to her work as a musician: "I want so much for it to go beyond the music for my fans."[108] Gaga performing in a plastic bubble dress (2009) Musically, Gaga takes influence from numerous musicians from dance-pop singers like Madonna and Michael Jackson to glam rock artists like David Bowie and Queen whilst employing the theatrics of artists like Andy Warhol and of her musical theatre roots in performance.[31][109][110] The Queen song "Radio Ga Ga" inspired her stage name: "I adored Freddie Mercury and Queen had a hit called 'Radio Gaga'. That's why I love the name [...] Freddie was unique—one of the biggest personalities in the whole of pop music," she commented.[18][109][111] Gaga receives regular comparisons to recording artist Madonna who admits that she sees herself reflected in Gaga.[112] In response to the comparisons, Gaga stated, "I don't want to sound presumptuous, but I've made it my goal to revolutionize pop music. The last revolution was launched by Madonna 25 years ago" in addition to commenting that "there is really no one that is a more adoring and loving Madonna fan than me. I am the hugest fan personally and professionally."[109][113] Like Madonna, Gaga has continued to reinvent herself and, over the years of her career, has drawn musical inspiration from a diverse mix of artists including Whitney Houston, Grace Jones, Cyndi Lauper, Blondie singer Debbie Harry, Scissor Sisters, Prince, Marilyn Manson, Yoko Ono, and Britney Spears.[114] Gaga has mentioned Spears in several interviews, and revealed, "Britney certainly doesn’t need any freakin’ tips from me! Britney Spears is the queen of pop. I was learning from her."[115] Gaga also paid tribute to Spears during the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards with the MTV Video Vanguard Award, adding that the pop singer "taught us all how to be fearless, and the industry wouldn't be the same without her."[116] Gaga has identified fashion as a major influence and has been stylistically compared to English eccentrics Leigh Bowery and Isabella Blow and to American recording artist Cher.[14][26][105][117] She commented that "as a child, she somehow absorbed Cher's out-there fashion sense and made it her own."[117] She has considered Donatella Versace her muse and the late British fashion designer and close friend Alexander McQueen as an inspiration, admitting that "I miss Lee every time I get dressed" while channeling him in some of her work.[14][78] Modeled on Andy Warhol's Factory, Gaga has her own creative production team, which she handles personally, called the Haus of Gaga, who create many of her clothes, stage props, and hairdos.[118] Her adoration of fashion came from her mother, who she stated was "always very well kept and beautiful."[6] "When I'm writing music, I'm thinking about the clothes I want to wear on stage. It's all about everything altogether—performance art, pop performance art, fashion. For me, it's everything coming together and being a real story that will bring back the super-fan. I want to bring that back. I want the imagery to be so strong that fans will want to eat and taste and lick every part of us."[26] The Global Language Monitor named "Lady Gaga" as the Top Fashion Buzzword with her trademark "no pants" a close third.[119] Entertainment Weekly put her outfits on its end of the decade "best-of" list, saying, "Whether it's a dress made of Muppets or strategically placed bubbles, Gaga's outré ensembles brought performance art into the mainstream."[120] Gaga made her runway debut at Thierry Mugler's Paris fashion show in March 2011 where she wore items from Nicola Formichetti's debut women's wear collection.[121] In June of the same year, she won the Council of Fashion Designers of America Award for Fashion Icon.[122] Time Magazine placed Gaga on their "All-Time 100 Fashion Icons List" amongst some of Gaga's inspirations such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, and the The Beatles, stating: "Lady Gaga is just as notorious for her outrageous style as she is for her pop hits. After all, Gaga, born Stefani Germanotta, has sported outfits made from plastic bubbles, Kermit the Frog dolls, and raw meat."[123] She has since devoted her time as a fashion columnist for V magazine, where she has written about her creative process, her studying of the world of pop culture, and her ability to tune into the evolution of pop-culture meme.[124] In August 2011 she sent to her 15 millions followers that she had at that time on Twitter, a quote about creativity from the book "Creativity"[125] by Osho,[126] which led journalists, on October 28, of the same year, on her arrival to India for the inauguration of a big Formula One motorsport event,[127] to ask her about her connection to him, to which Gaga said she was influenced by his work and that for her, "the creativity is the greatest way of rebellion": "Equality", she concluded, "is one of the most important things in my life".[128] Musical style "Just Dance" (2008) A 30-second sample of Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" featuring the chorus sung by Lady Gaga and Colby O'Donis in the range of B3 to C♯, backed by a synth marching beat. The song became her first international hit single and sold 7.7 million copies worldwide. Problems listening to this file? See media help. Continually experimenting with new musical ideas and images, Gaga's musical and performance style is the subject of much analysis and scrutiny from critics. She professes that she is "liberating" herself by constantly reinventing her sound and image, insisting that she has been drawn to such a practice since her childhood.[129] Vocally, Gaga possesses the range of a contralto and exhibits "overwhelming expression, instinctive vocal phrasing, '80s rock reminiscent chest belts and animalistic vocal ticks" while being able to move through 2.4 octaves.[130][131] Refusing to lip sync, Gaga – whose range is frequently compared to those of Madonna and Gwen Stefani – has manipulated her vocal style over the course of her career yet considers Born This Way (2011) "much more vocally up to par with what I've always been capable of."[132][133] In summation of her voice, Entertainment Weekly wrote, "There's an immense emotional intelligence behind the way she uses her voice. Almost never does she overwhelm a song with her vocal ability, recognizing instead that artistry is to be found in nuance rather than lung power."[134] Although her early lyrics have been criticized for lacking intellectual stimulation, "[Gaga] does manage to get you moving and grooving at an almost effortless pace."[135] She admits that her songwriting has been misinterpreted; her friend and blogger Perez Hilton articulated her message in a clearer way: "you write really deep intelligent lyrics with shallow concepts." Gaga opined, "Perez is very intelligent and clearly listened to my record from beginning to end, and he is correct."[136] "I love songwriting. It's so funny – I will just jam around in my underwear or I could be washing my dishes. I wrote several songs just at the piano," she confesses.[136] Gaga believes that "all good music can be played at a piano and still sound like a hit."[137] She has covered a wide variety of topics in her songs: while The Fame (2008) meditates on the lust for stardom, The Fame Monster (2009) expresses fame's dark side through monster metaphors. Born This Way (2011) is sung in English, French, German and Spanish and includes common themes in Gaga's controversial songwriting like love, sex, religion, money, drugs, identity, liberation, sexuality, freedom and individualism.[138][139] The structure of her music is said to echo classic 1980s pop and 1990s Europop.[140] Her debut album The Fame (2008) provoked The Sunday Times to assert "in combining music, fashion, art and technology, [Gaga] evokes Madonna, Gwen Stefani circa 'Hollaback Girl', Kylie Minogue 2001 or Grace Jones right now" and a critic from The Boston Globe to comment that she draws "obvious inspirations from Madonna to Gwen Stefani... in [her] girlish but sturdy pipes and bubbly beats."[141][142] Music critic Simon Reynolds wrote that "Everything about Gaga came from electroclash, except the music, which wasn't particularly 1980s, just ruthlessly catchy naughties pop glazed with Auto-Tune and undergirded with R&B-ish beats."[143] The follow-up The Fame Monster (2009), saw Gaga's taste for pastiche, drawing on "Seventies arena glam, perky ABBA disco and sugary throwbacks like Stacey Q" while Born This Way (2011) also draws on the records of her childhood and still has the "electro-sleaze beats and Eurodisco chorus chants" of its predecessor but includes genres as diverse as opera, heavy metal, disco, and rock and roll.[138] "There isn't a subtle moment on the album, but even at its nuttiest, the music is full of wide-awake emotional details," wrote Rolling Stone, who concluded: "The more excessive Gaga gets, the more honest she sounds."[139] Music videos and performances Gaga, recognized for her unconventionality, during a "blood soaked" performance (2010) With constant costume changes, backup dancers, and provocative visuals, Gaga's music videos are often described as short films.[144] "Being provocative is not just about getting people's attention. It's about saying something that really affects people in a real way, in a positive way," she professes.[144] Exploring bondage and sadomasochism in addition to highlighting prevalent feminist themes, "the three central themes that shape Lady Gaga's music videos are sex, violence, and power."[145] "Vaudevillian and carnal, Lady Gaga has got the knack of sending rape-like fantasies—in songs and videos that double as catch club hits—to the top of the charts," wrote one critic.[146] "Whether it is physical violence or sexual exploitation, these videos offer vivid depictions of male power over women's bodies," wrote another.[145] While she labels herself "a little bit of a feminist" (she rejects man-hating feminism) and asserts that she is "sexually empowering women,"[146] Gaga strives to empower young women to stand up for what they believe in.[145] She also attempts to liberate her fans so they can feel "less alone."[147] "She not only reiterates her assertion of total originality," professed pop critic Ann Powers, "but also finesses it until it's both a philosophical stance about how constructing a persona from pop-cultural sources can be an expression of a person's truth—a la those drag queens Gaga sincerely admires—and a bit of a feminist act."[148] In summation of her videos, Rolling Stone used the rhetoric: "does anyone look to a Lady Gaga video for restraint?"[93] Her performances are described as "highly entertaining and innovative"; the blood-spurting performance of "Paparazzi" at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards was described as "eye-popping" by MTV.[149] She continued the "blood soaked" theme during The Monster Ball Tour, in which she wore a revealing leather corset and was "attacked" by a performer dressed in black who gnaws on her throat, causing "blood" to spurt down her chest, after which she lies "dying" in a pool of blood. Her performances of that scene in England triggered protests from family groups and fans in the aftermath of a local tragedy, in which a taxi driver had murdered 12 people.[150] "What happened in Bradford is very fresh in people's minds and given all the violence which happened in Cumbria just hours earlier, it was insensitive," said Lynn Costello of Mothers Against Violence.[151] Her unconventionality continued at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards: performing in drag as her male alter ego, Jo Calderone, and delivering a lovesick monologue before a performance of her song "You and I".[152] Some have defended her flamboyant and provocative behavior. "Well, she's Lady Gaga," Chris Rock said. "She's not 'Lady Behave Yourself.' Do you want great behavior from a person named Gaga? Is this what you were expecting?"[153] As Gaga's choreographer and creative director, Laurieann Gibson provided material for her shows and videos for four years. However, the pair parted in November 2011; Gaga replacing her with Gibson's assistant Richard Jackson.[154] Gaga admits to being a perfectionist when it comes to her elaborate shows. "I'm very bossy. I can scream my head off if I see one light fixture out. I'm very detailed – every minute of the show has got to be perfect."[144] Public image See also: Lady Gaga on Twitter While Rolling Stone named Gaga the "Queen of Pop" in 2011, public reception of Gaga's music, fashion sense and persona are mixed.[155] Her status as a role model, self-esteem booster for her fans, trailblazer and fashion icon who breathes new life into the industry is by turns affirmed and denied.[156] Gaga's albums have received mostly positive reviews and critics have pointed out her unique place in pop music, the need for new movements in popular culture, the attention Gaga brings to modern social issues, and the inherently subjective nature of her art.[157] In view of her influence on modern culture and her rise to global fame, sociologist Mathieu Deflem of the University of South Carolina has organized a course titled "Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame" since spring 2011 with the objective of unravelling "some of the sociologically relevant dimensions of the fame of Lady Gaga."[158] When Gaga briefly met with US president Barack Obama at a Human Rights Campaign fundraiser, he described the interaction as "intimidating" as she was dressed in 16-inch heels making her undoubtedly the tallest woman in the room.[159] Gaga performing "Born This Way" at Europride in 2011. Contrary to her outré style, the New York Post described her early look as like "a refugee from Jersey Shore" with "big black hair, heavy eye makeup and tight, revealing clothes."[18] Gaga is a natural brunette; she bleached her hair blonde because she was often mistaken for Amy Winehouse.[6] She has nine tattoos on the left side of her body (her father has banned etchings on her right): a unicorn head with a ribbon wrapped around its horn that says "Born This Way"; a small heart with "dad" written inside it; several white roses; a treble clef; three daises; "Tokyo Love" with a little heart; "Little Monsters" written in cursive; a peace symbol, which was inspired by John Lennon, whom she stated was her hero; and a curling German script on her left arm quoting the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, her favorite writer, commenting that his "philosophy of solitude" spoke to her.[111][160] In a question posed about the necessary procedure to attach the prosthetics to give the unconventional appearance of recent horn-like ridges on her cheekbones, temples, and shoulders, Gaga responded, "They're not prosthetics, they're my bones." She also clarified that they were not the result of plastic surgery, believing such surgery to only be the modern byproduct of fame-induced insecurity to which she does not subscribe. The interviewer's further probing brought Gaga to the conclusion that they are an artistic representation of her inner inspirational light and part of the "performance piece" that is her musical persona: an inevitability of her becoming who she now is.[161] A wax sculpture of Gaga at Madame Tussauds London Towards the end of 2008, comparisons were made between the fashions of Gaga and recording artist Christina Aguilera that noted similarities in their styling, hair, and make-up.[14] Aguilera stated that she was "completely unaware of [Gaga]" and "didn't know if it [was] a man or a woman."[14] Gaga released a statement in which she welcomed the comparisons due to the attention providing useful publicity, saying, "She's such a huge star and if anything I should send her flowers, because a lot of people in America didn't know who I was until that whole thing happened. It really put me on the map in a way."[162][163] When interviewed by Barbara Walters for her annual ABC News special 10 Most Fascinating People in 2009, Gaga dismissed the claim that she is intersex as an urban legend. Responding to a question on this issue, she stated, "At first it was very strange and everyone sorta said, 'That's really quite a story!' But in a sense, I portray myself in a very androgynous way, and I love androgyny."[164] In addition to Aguilera's statement, comparisons continued into 2010, when Aguilera released the music video of her single "Not Myself Tonight". Critics noted similarities between the song and its accompanying music video with Gaga's video for "Bad Romance".[165] There have also been similar comparisons made between Gaga's style and that of fashion icon Dale Bozzio from the band Missing Persons. Some have considered their respective images to be strikingly parallel although fans of Missing Persons note that Bozzio had pioneered the look more than thirty years earlier.[166] While devout followers call Gaga "Mother Monster", Gaga often refers to her fans as "Little Monsters" which has been tattooed on "the arm that holds my mic" in dedication.[167][168] Her treatment of her "Little Monsters" has inspired criticism, due to the highly commercial nature of her music and image.[169] To some, this dichotomy contravenes the concept of outsider culture. Camille Paglia in her 2010 cover story "Lady Gaga and the death of sex" in The Sunday Times asserts that Gaga "is more an identity thief than an erotic taboo breaker, a mainstream manufactured product who claims to be singing for the freaks, the rebellious and the dispossessed when she is none of those."[170][171] Writing for The Guardian, Kitty Empire opined that the dichotomy "...allows the viewer to have a 'transgressive' experience without being required to think. At [her performance's] core, though, is the idea that Gaga is at one with the freaks and outcasts. The Monster Ball is where we can all be free. This is arrant nonsense, as the scads of people buying Gaga's cunningly commercial music are not limited to the niche worlds of drag queens and hip night creatures from which she draws her inspiration. But Gaga seems sincere."[172] Philanthropy Besides her career in music, Gaga has also contributed to various charities. For natural disasters, Gaga has helped various relief efforts. Although declining an invitation to appear on the single "We Are the World 25" to benefit victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, she donated the proceeds of her January 24, 2010 concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall to the country's reconstruction relief fund.[173] All profits from her official online store on that day were also donated. Gaga announced that an estimated total of US$500,000 was collected for the fund.[174] Hours after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11, 2011, Gaga tweeted a message and a link to Japan Prayer Bracelets. All revenue from a bracelet she designed in conjunction with the company was donated to relief efforts.[175] As of March 29, 2011, the bracelets raised $1.5 million.[176] However, attorney Alyson Oliver filed a lawsuit against Gaga in Detroit in June 2011, noting that the bracelet was subject to a sales tax and an extra $3.99 shipping charge was added to the price. She also believed that not all proceeds from the bracelets would go to the relief efforts, demanding a public accounting of the campaign and refunds for people who had bought the bracelet. Gaga's spokesperson called the lawsuit "meritless" and "misleading".[177] On June 25, 2011, Gaga performed at MTV Japan's charity show in Makuhari Messe, which benefited the Japanese Red Cross.[178] HIV and AIDS Gaga also contributes in the fight against HIV and AIDS, focusing on educating young women about the risks of the disease. In collaboration with Cyndi Lauper, Gaga joined forces with MAC Cosmetics to launch a line of lipstick under their supplementary cosmetic line, Viva Glam. Titled Viva Glam Gaga and Viva Glam Cyndi for each contributor respectively, all net proceeds of the lipstick line were donated to the cosmetic company's campaign to prevent HIV and AIDS worldwide.[179] In a press release, Gaga declared, "I don't want Viva Glam to be just a lipstick you buy to help a cause. I want it to be a reminder when you go out at night to put a condom in your purse right next to your lipstick."[180] The sales of Gaga-endorsed Viva Glam lipstick and lipgloss have raised more than $202 million to fight HIV and AIDS.[3] Born This Way Foundation Main article: Born This Way Foundation As a humanitarian, she has launched her own non-profit organization, the Born This Way Foundation, which focuses on youth empowerment and issues like self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring, and career development. "My mother and I have initiated a passion project. We call it the Born This Way Foundation," Gaga said in a statement about the foundation, which takes its name from the 2011 single and album. "Together we hope to establish a standard of Bravery and Kindness, as well as a community worldwide that protects and nurtures others in the face of bullying and abandonment." The foundation will work with a number of partners, including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The California Endowment and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.[181] She also jumped into the debate surrounding SB 1070, Arizona's recently-enacted anti-immigration law, after premiering her Born This Way song "Americano" on the Guadalajara stop of The Monster Ball Tour in Mexico, telling the local press that she could not "stand by many of the unjust immigration laws" in the US.[182] A devoted advocate for the LGBT community, Gaga is also an outspoken activist for LGBT rights worldwide.[183] On February 29, 2012, Gaga and Oprah Winfrey visited Harvard University to launch her Born This Way Foundation. LGBT advocacy Gaga delivers a speech at the 2009 National Equality March Gaga attributes much of her early success as a mainstream artist to her gay fans and is considered to be a gay icon.[184] Early in her career she had difficulty getting radio airplay, and stated, "The turning point for me was the gay community. I've got so many gay fans and they're so loyal to me and they really lifted me up. They'll always stand by me and I'll always stand by them. It's not an easy thing to create a fanbase."[185] She thanked FlyLife, a Manhattan-based LGBT marketing company with whom her label Interscope works, in the liner notes of The Fame, saying, "I love you so much. You were the first heartbeat in this project, and your support and brilliance means the world to me. I will always fight for the gay community hand in hand with this incredible team."[186] One of her first televised performances was in May 2008 at the NewNowNext Awards, an awards show aired by the LGBT television network Logo, where she sang her song "Just Dance".[187] In June of the same year, she performed the song again at the San Francisco Pride event.[188] After The Fame was released, she revealed that the song "Poker Face" was about her bisexuality. In an interview with Rolling Stone, she spoke about how her boyfriends tended to react to her bisexuality, saying "The fact that I'm into women, they're all intimidated by it. It makes them uncomfortable. They're like, 'I don't need to have a threesome. I'm happy with just you'."[33] When she appeared as a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in May 2009, she praised DeGeneres for being "an inspiration for women and for the gay community".[189] She proclaimed that the October 11, 2009 National Equality March rally on the National Mall was "the single most important event of her career." As she exited, she left with an exultant "Bless God and bless the gays,"[190] similar to her 2009 MTV Video Music Awards acceptance speech for Best New Artist a month earlier.[191] At the Human Rights Campaign Dinner, held the same weekend as the rally, she performed a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine" declaring that "I'm not going to [play] one of my songs tonight because tonight is not about me, it's about you." She changed the original lyrics of the song to reflect the death of Matthew Shepard, a college student murdered because of his sexuality.[192] Gaga addresses the crowd at SLDN's "Don't ask, don't tell" rally in 2010 Gaga attended the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards accompanied by four service members of the United States Armed Forces (Mike Almy, David Hall, Katie Miller and Stacy Vasquez), all of whom, under the United States military's "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy, had been prohibited from serving openly because of their sexuality.[193] In addition, Gaga wore a meat dress to the ceremony which was supplemented by boots, a purse and a hat that were all fabricated from the flesh of a dead animal.[194] Partly awarded in recognition of the dress, Vogue.com UK named her one of the Best Dressed people of 2010 while Time magazine's named the dress the Fashion Statement of 2010, it received divided opinions – evoking the attention of worldwide media but invoking the fury of animal rights organization PETA.[195][196][197] She denied any intention of causing disrespect to any person or organization and wished for the dress to be interpreted as a statement of human rights with focus upon those in the LGBT community, adding that "If we don't stand up for what we believe in and if we don't fight for our rights, pretty soon we're going to have as much rights as the meat on our own bones."[198] She later released three videos on YouTube urging her fans to contact their Senators in an effort to overturn the policy. In late September 2010 she spoke at the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network's "4the14K" Rally in Deering Oaks Park in Portland, Maine. The name of the rally signified the number – an estimated 14,000 – of service members discharged under the DADT policy at the time. During her remarks, she urged members of the U.S. Senate (and in particular, moderate Republican Senators from Maine, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins) to vote in favor of legislation that would repeal the DADT policy. Following this event, editors of The Advocate commented that she had become "the real fierce advocate" for gays and lesbians, one that Barack Obama had promised to be.[199][200] Gaga appeared at Europride, a pan-European international event dedicated to LGBT pride, held in Rome in June 2011. In a nearly twenty-minute speech, she criticized the intolerant state of gay rights in many European countries and described homosexuals as "revolutionaries of love" before performing acoustic renderings of "Born This Way" and "The Edge of Glory" in front of thousands at the Circus Maximus.[201][202] She stated that "Today and every day we fight for freedom. We fight for justice. We beckon for compassion, understanding and above all we want full equality now".[203] Gaga revealed that she is often questioned why she dedicates herself to "gayspeak" and "how gay" she is, to which, she told the audience: "Why is this question, why is this issue so important? My answer is: I am a child of diversity, I am one with my generation, I feel a moral obligation as a woman, or a man, to exercise my revolutionary potential and make the world a better place." She then joked: "On a gay scale from 1 to 10, I'm a Judy Garland fucking 42."[204]
Robert Morrison: If you have children in California public schools please keep them home and teach them why Harvey Milk was shot. Also teach them why John Lennon was shot. Then teach them why Whitney Houston was found dead in a bathtub. Tomorrow is a good day to call your kids in sick from the demonic liberalism of the public school system.
Jose Carrillo: Donna Summers dead age 63 tribute "I Will Always Love You" Donna Summers found dead age 63 Donna Summers dies May 17th, 2012 breaking news I Will Always Love You Tribute Whitney Houston funeral services live stream funeral time at New Hope Baptist Church New Jersey Saturday February 18th, 2012. Memorial tribute stars Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, and Kevin Costner will speak, performances. Cissy Houston, Bobby Brown, Bobbi Kristina Brown, Ray J, Brandy, Elton John, Clive Davis, Quincy Jones. CNN Whitney Houston Funeral Bobby Brown won't attend funeral Stars come out for Whitney Houston's funeral Whitney Houston funeral Private Family viewing on Friday evening Flag Controversy New Jersey Whitney Houston Tribute Performance I Will Always Love You Cover Whitney Houston Change the World Whitney Houston dead (1963-2012) Whitney Houston Cause of Death Whitney Houston Glee "I Will Always Love You"
Corey Dominick: The music world has lost another wonderful voice. Donna Summer was found dead earlier today and she was 63. First Whitney Houston and now Donna Summer. The world of entertainment will not be the same without them.
Dianne Cassell: BREITBART'S RED MURDER Written by Dr. Jack Wheeler Friday, 11 May 2012 [Note: this is a collaboration between me and Dagny D'Anconia. I am indebted to her for much of this -- JW] On February 9, 2012, in Washington DC, Andrew Breitbart told Sinclair News, "Wait ‘til they see what happens on March 1st." Yet, instead of the release of what he predicted would be "damning" evidence of Obama perfidy, what happened on March 1st was a horribly unexpected tragedy: Andrew Breitbart suddenly died. He was 43. The Coroner of Los Angeles County states he died of natural causes, specifically heart failure. Did he? A lot of people don't think so - especially when a coroner who participated in Mr. Breitbart's autopsy, Michael Cormier, died of arsenic poisoning on the very day the Coroner's Report was released (April 20). Conspiracy theorists had a field day - but it was all suspicion with no specifics. Until now. What you are about to read is going to completely blow you away. Here is how Andrew Breitbart could have been easily murdered, and who could have murdered him. First, let's watch this short video. It is an interview of Christopher Lasseter, the eyewitness who saw Breitbart collapse and die outside The Brentwood, a bar-restaurant in West LA. So, we know that Andrew Breitbart's face was bright red when he died. That is not the face of heart failure. Heart failure causes ashen, bluish or pale skin. That is a fact, and no amount of wishing Andrew Breitbart died of simple heart failure will make that stubborn fact go away. Given that he did not die of simple heart failure, and had alarmingly red skin, what are the necessary implications? Something must have caused the reddening. It was not alcohol, because he only had one glass of pinot noir prior to his death. But note also, that in addition to Breitbart's bright red face, the eyewitness saw a band of bloodless white skin around the top of his head. Several poisons cause a sudden reddening of the skin and a sudden collapse. Of them, there is one in particular that can cause this. Moreover, this one particular poison is readily available everywhere in America, without any order being made to a chemical supply house. I could get my hands on this substance in a matter of minutes in any neighborhood. Only 700 mg, less than three-quarters of a gram, are needed to cause death. It is odorless, tasteless, and highly soluble in water. There would be no trouble dissolving this in a glass of red wine. It is not stable in vivo and would be gone by the time the autopsy was performed. There are many other possible poisons which could also have been used, but this one in particular is very accessible. It's the propellant in your car's airbag. Automotive airbags contain tens of grams of sodium azide. How can less than a gram kill you? The lethal biochemistry is: "Azide inhibits cytochrome oxidase by binding irreversibly to the heme cofactor in a process similar to the action of carbon monoxide. Sodium azide particularly affects organs that undergo high rates of respiration, such as the heart and the brain." In the Symptoms of Sodium Azide Chemical Poisoning, note two: skin redness and reduced blood pressure. The latter could account for the "white band" above his bright red face. Sodium azide is especially toxic to the heart and hence causes a rapid extreme drop in blood pressure. Breitbart may not have had enough blood pressure to pump blood up to the top of his head, so that blood would drain down, and he would faint. If the heart stopped at that time, the poisoned blood would never be pumped to the top part of his head, hence the white band on top. Note that symptoms such as blisters are caused by exposure to dust and would not occur if it were drunk - say, in a glass of wine. So, what was Andrew Breitbart doing just before he died? Having a glass of wine with a stranger, a man whom he had never met before, at the bar of The Brentwood. The stranger was Arthur Sando. The New York Times identifies him as a mere "marketing executive," treating as a mere bystander. In fact, the stranger who just happened to have a glass of wine with Breitbart, then left the murder scene just before his collapse and death, has a very relevant and interesting past that has not been previously reported: Arthur Sando was a political person from the start, with a degree in Political Science and a "native of Washington DC." He started out as a news anchor, bouncing from one station to another back in the 1970's in Philadelphia and New York. In January of 1977 he landed a job as Press Secretary to a member of the House of Representatives. Presumably he was working for one of the 36 Democrat representatives who lost their position in January of 1981 in the election that brought Ronald Reagan to power. Thus when the Reagan Revolution arrived, he lost his job. He was immediately picked up by Turner Broadcasting as their first Public Relations Director. After that he was VP of Corporate Affairs at COMSAT, and then Senior Vice President at King World Productions and then Winstar Communications. After that he was named Senior Vice President at CBS Television Distribution from January 2001 to January 2007. This was certainly the big time for him. Apparently it was paved by his contacts working on the Democrat side of the House of Representatives. Sando is now 64, so in 2007 he was about 60 years of age when he left or was asked to leave his high level job at CBS. However, he kept somewhat active with his own consulting firm, helping arrange a tribute to Ted Turner last year. He also was a media representative for an old friend who had been a Turner and CBS executive. Quite often when someone has their own consulting firm it can be thought of as the same thing as "looking for a job". There were no more high level positions for him through the great recession. Eventually, in August last year, Sando took a job as VP of Corporate Communications at MonaVie. This was a substantial step down from his illustrious past. In fact, he was now working for an apparent pyramid marketing scheme run from Salt Lake City by Mormon executives. FEC records show these executives gave money primarily to Republicans. How the mighty have fallen! Having to work for Republicans for the first time, at a much lower level of prestige, and for a multilevel marketing operation that is widely thought to be a pyramid scam. I suspect he must have needed the money. Further evidence of needing money was his willingness to give an interview on Breitbart's death to an obscure on line news site, in an apparent trade for advertising for MonaVie. Immediately after the interview is an advertisement for MonaVie. In that interview he appeared nervous and ill at ease, with incongruent eye accessing cues. He could have been interviewed by CBS et al, but chose that obscure website. Also strange is his statement that he did not recognize Andrew Breitbart. "I couldn't place him." How could anyone "Well-versed in traditional and new media, has deep roots in television, maintains wide-ranging media contacts and keeps eye on big picture while attending to details," not recognize Andrew Breitbart? This is especially true of a politically connected person like Arthur Sando. He does not appear to be telling the truth. Arthur Sando's history paints a picture of a jealous, 4 year out of work lefty denizen of DC and media. It looks like he was forced to take a job with a Mormon pyramid scheme to pay the bills. He may have lost his cushy congress job long ago for some Democrat representative in the Reagan Revolution sweep. Talk about bitter! Andrew Breitbart epitomized and empowered the Tea Party Revolution. While Breitbart rose in wealth, stature and political success, Arthur Sando lived the opposite. And now Breitbart was about to unveil a video that would destroy Obama. This is not to accuse Mr. Sando of anything, much less murder. It is only a possibility that he could have slipped a tiny yet lethal amount of odorless, tasteless, soluble sodium azide into Breitbart's wine in those last critical minutes as Breitbart frequently checked his blackberry. Sando had motive, opportunity, connections, and no alibi for his being there. He claims he was just driving along home and stopped to have a drink there, for no particular reason, "on impulse." Thus he has no excuse, no alibi, for being there. But it is just a possibility, not an accusation. There was the waitstaff at the bar, other people were around who joined in a conversation with the famous Breitbart. Whoever it was, the sodium azide must not have been put in until there was little wine left in the glass. Since just 50 to 60 mg of the poison causes non-fatal collapse within 5 minutes, the full dose would have to be drunk in the last part of the glass or the collapse would happen before a full dose was administered. That also means the administration of the poison into the wine glass had to be within the last 5 minutes before his collapse. As Breitbart neared the end of his glass of wine, Arthur Sando paid his bill and left the bar. One or two minutes later Breitbart also paid and left, walked across the street in a normal manner, and then collapsed and died. Arthur Sando seems to be the only one with access to the glass of wine during that critical last few minutes. Remember that the facts are stubborn things. Breitbart did not die of simple heart failure. While the coroner's report stated death by heart failure, no coronary artery blood clot was found nor evidence of a stroke. His skin was bright red. We have a witness who repeatedly stated that he saw the red skin, with that band of blood-drained white skin above. Who else saw the red skin? You would think that the staff at the hospital he was taken to would have seen it. However, the hospital he was supposedly taken to (Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center) did not show his admission and at one point denied he had been admitted. Hospital staff would have recognized the signs of poisoning. However, it appears Andrew Breitbart's corpse was not taken inside there where it could be seen, red skin and all. Who else would have seen the red skin? The hospital referred inquiries to the Coroner's office. Michael Cormier was a technician in the Coroner's office whose job was to photograph corpses and autopsies as well as assist in them. He might have seen Breitbart's red skin. He might have taken photographs of Breitbart's skin. It was his job. A few days before the Coroner's report was to be released, Cormier had excruciating stomach pains and checked himself into the Kaiser Permanente hospital. They kept him for observation overnight and then released him the next day. Shortly thereafter he fell ill again and this second time he died. The apparent cause of death is arsenic poisoning. As he was incapacitated and dying the release of the coroner's report was announced for the next day. Thus Michael Cormier would not be able to object to anything in the report, nor would he be able to produce any photographs or other witnesses names. Cormier also had registered a DBA as an autopsy consultant. Exposing the story on Breitbart would have meant a lot of work for his consulting firm. Ed Winter, the Los Angeles Coroner's Assistant, has stated that Cormier had nothing to do with the Breitbart autopsy. Ed Winter is the person who made the "natural causes" announcement on Andrew Breitbart in just hours after Breitbart's death, and long before the autopsy could have been performed. (Recall that the cause of death for Whitney Houston took many weeks.) Ed Winter is also the man who claims that Breitbart was pronounced dead at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Ed Winter's job is to talk to the press on behalf of the Coroner's office. Thus Ed Winter has had a long string of celebrity overdose press conferences over the years. Indeed, Ed Winter is a Hollywood celebrity in his own right. The LA County coroner's office is unique in that it is the only one in the world to have its own tacky gift shop called Skeletons in the Closet. Does the Coroner's office have its own skeletons in the closet? How could they possibly miss the bright red skin of Breitbart? How could one of their own photographers die from poisoning, possibly after a second murder attempt when the first one failed? Andrew Breitbart said "Wait till they see what happens March 1st." "Breitbart told WND at CPAC that the not-yet released videos included footage of Ayers and Obama openly discussing revolution while Obama was a student at Harvard Law School." Yet what was actually released was something quite different and less inflammatory: Obama introducing a radical professor named Bell. "'The video did not seem as earthshattering as Breitbart initially claimed it to be, just weeks before the 43-year-old unexpectedly passed away at his home last Thursday,'" the New York Daily News observed. The bombshell was never able to be launched by Breitbart. Apparently someone could not let him get to the sunrise of March 1st to launch it. It might be more comforting to think Andrew Breitbart died of simple heart failure, but his bright red skin stands as mute testimony to the truth. As Sherlock Holmes/Conan Doyle stated "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." The collapse and resulting heart failure was due to poison, possibly the one that fits the symptoms and is easily available everywhere. One person in a position to administer it was a likely bitter, financially strapped, big media has-been, Democrat operative. Whoever administered the sodium azide was not, however, a lone wolf. Michael Cormier's murder points to others involved in Breitbart's Red Murder. At least now, conspiracy theorists have something to sink their teeth into.
Bernard L Clark: What The Ha-yell! Urban News and Entertainment Breaking News Celebrity Couples What The Ha-yell! Hip Hop Gossip May 16Pastor Marvin Winans Beaten and Carjacked in Detroit By WTH Staff | celebrity news, What The Ha-yell! Things are getting more and more real during the Great Recession. Pastor and gospel singer Marvin Winans was attacked and carjacked in Detroit on Wednesday at a gas station on the west side of the troubled city. The attack occurred in the Afternoon, and the assailants fled with Winan’s cash and his SUV. The 54-year old pastor was followed by four men who followed him inside the gas station and then attacked him while he was pumping the gas. He wasn’t seriously hurt, but did require medical attention. “I’m just saddened that it has come to this,” Winans told the Associated Press. “This kind of nonsense just has to stop. It’s just the savageness of what’s happening in the street.” Pastor Winans is the head of the Perfecting Church on Detroit’s east side, which has 4,500 members. He gave the eulogy for singer Whitney Houston earlier this year. Comments Cash AdvanceMedical InsuranceDebt settlement services Subscribe to What The Ha-Yell! Most CommentedMost ViewedNew Images Circulating May Complicate Trayvon Martin Case (377) Cry Me a River: White Girl Disgusted Because Black Guys Keep Hitting On Her (328) What the Hayell? Bishop Eddie Long Seeking to Get His Settlement Money Back (211) What The Ha-yell! Only 3 Good Black Men For Every 100 Women (172) CNN Correspondent Says the Words "F*cking N*gger" On the Air (157) Tyrese Kicked Out of Radio Station for Speaking Against Liquor Stores in Urban Communities (140) Whoa: Armed Neo-Nazis Now Patrolling Sanford in Preparation for Violence in Trayvon Case (101) Radio Show Host Compares Michelle Obama to Chewbacca from Star Wars (98) Kindergarten Girl Handcuffed by Police After Temper Tantrum (98) What The Ha-Yell? Old Spice Guy Doesn't Want Children With 'Nappy Hair' (66) Cry Me a River: White Girl Disgusted Because Black Guys Keep Hitting On Her (16 330) White Man Arrested for Having a Black Granddaughter (15 473) Sources Say Beyonce Had a Surrogate Mother (15 145) Dead Body Found in NFL Player’s Pool (12 893) Don Cornelius Was in Chronic Pain When He Killed Himself (11 629) Man Sought out Woman Willing to Give Him a Venereal Disease (11 238) What the Hayell? Bishop Eddie Long Seeking to Get His Settlement Money Back (10 174) Yes, Embarrassing: Man Hires Prostitute and His Daughter Shows Up (8 955) Cop Charged with Shooting Little Girl During Police Raid on Reality TV (8 558) Tyrese Kicked Out of Radio Station for Speaking Against Liquor Stores in Urban Communities (8 221) Recent Comments sally on Cry Me a River: White Girl Disgusted Because Black Guys Keep Hitting On Her Twinkie on Crack Kills: Woman Stabs Neighbor Over Two Dollars, Leaves Him For Dead Reginald on What The Ha-yell! Only 3 Good Black Men For Every 100 Women Shawty on What The Ha-Yell? Old Spice Guy Doesn’t Want Children With ‘Nappy Hair’ gunzNrosez on Cry Me a River: White Girl Disgusted Because Black Guys Keep Hitting On Her Recent Posts Pastor Marvin Winans Beaten and Carjacked in Detroit Thieves Breaking into Ambulances, Stealing Anxiety & Pain Medication FDA Approves Over the Counter HIV Test Baby Found in the Middle of the Street at Night Leads to Discovery of Horrific Murder Scene In Mississippi, Fake Cop Pulling Over Drivers and Shooting Them Dead Pages Advertising Copyrights Statement Disclaimer Archives May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 Return to top of page Copyright © 2012 | What The Ha-yell | Urban Gossip and Entertainment News You may also like- Church Security Guard, 84, Shot Dead During Bible Study [Video]NY Teen Beats Mother to Death With His Bare HandsChurch Sign Says Beyonce's Baby is the DevilYou're Kidding Me: Pastor Arrested on Child Pornography ChargesClose
Dimbaza Dumile: These accidental deaths & questionable suicides of public-figures began to have ominous signs early in the year. I first became suspicious with Don Cornelius, and then when Etta James & Whitney Houston passed away (abruptly) after that - I started to think there was a black conspiracy. Junior Seau's suicide was a shock, even though there were some warning signs. But when you think about it.. .looking at this Wikipedia page (http://bit.ly/IZNqXR), people-of-notoriety are dropping like flies ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
Darrell Lynn Jones: Tonya Thomas killed her kids Port Saint Johns, Florida - How many times have you heard a mother say that they brought them into this world and they would also take them out? 33-year-old Tonya Thomas did just that over the weekend. She pulled out a gun and murdered her 4 children in cold blood. One by one Pebbles Johnson, 17; Jaxs Johnson, 15; Jazlin Johnson, 13; and Joel Johnson, 12; were shot in a murder /suicide at the hands of their own mother. Three of the 4 children went to the neighbor’s house to tell them that they had been shot by their mother. Thomas called the kids back home and murdered them on sight before killing herself. Pebbles was found dead in the front yard. Pebbles Johnson almost 18 at the time of her death. At this time the mental capacity of the children and why they choose to return home after being shot by their mom is unknown. Earlier that morning around 1.am.Thomas sent a text to a family friend stating that she wants to be cremated with her children, but the text was not retrieved until later that morning well after the 4:30 a.m. murders had already occurred. The text is an indication that it was premeditated, Deputy Goodyear said. “A bad part of the investigation is that we may not get the why. Unless she left a note somewhere or told somebody, she may have taken it to the grave.” The shootings are the worst homicides to take place in Brevard County since 1987. Tonya Thomas is accused of killing her four kids, shown here, and then herself. Clockwise from top left: Pebbles Johnson, 17, Jaxs Johnson, 15, Joel Johnson, 12, Jazlin Johnson, 13. (Brevard County Sheriff's Office.) According to Goodyear, a neighbor heard gun shots. Minutes later two of the children arrived on his doorstep. One of the boys, police believe it was Joel, was covered in blood and told the neighbor his mom had shot them. The oldest child, Pebbles, could be seen walking back towards the family home, Goodyear said. The children’s mother came outside and lured the kids back into the house. “She was very calm, called them in,” Goodyear said. “She didn’t seem to be stressed or mad, just stepped out. She walked out and said ‘come home.’” The neighbors say that they called out to the children, begging them not to go back to the house. That was the last time they saw the children. The neighbors called police immediately who heard gunshots upon arrival. “We set up a perimeter, found the oldest girl lying in the yard and took her out to ambulance,” Goodyear said. EMTs pronounced Pebbles dead in the ambulance and a SWAT team was called for further investigation. Police say they heard another gun shot. Officers found the other three kids and Thomas all dead in the back of the house. Goodyear says the father of the family lives in Titusville, Fla., and hadn’t been home in a few months. The family has a history of domestic violence. In April, Jaxs threw a bicycle through a window in the house and threatened Thomas, according to a police report. Jax That next day, when she woke him up for school, he kicked and punched her repeatedly, the report said. She pushed back and they began to scuffle. Police were called later that day and police say neighbors often complained of hearing shouts and yells emanating from the house. Tonya Thomas booking photo Records also showed that Thomas was arrested in 2002 on a misdemeanor battery charge for striking the father of her children. The charge was later dropped. Two years earlier, she filed a domestic violence complaint against Joe Johnson, but that was dismissed after a hearing. Jamie Hudson, whose mother lives two doors down from the family, said the boys in the family were known to shoot BBs at a home across the street and had threatened to set it on fire. “It has been an ongoing problem on our street with them,” Hudson said. Goodyear said Jaxs Johnson had recently been arrested on a domestic violence charge. He said he didn’t know if the boy had been accused of hitting his mother or causing damage at the house. Austin Lewis, a 16-year-old classmate of Pebbles Johnson, said the family “had problems like everybody else but nothing that drastic.” He described Pebbles Johnson as “very loving and caring.” “Always with a smile,” Lewis said. “Didn’t let anything affect her. She was always in a good mood.” A pastor at the church the family attended described it as “normal stuff.” “I think he was punching some walls or something,” said Jarvis Wash, pastor of the Real Church in Rockledge, Fla. Wash said the family attended services last Sunday but had been absent for a few weeks before that. “I don’t know what could have happened in the past couple of days,” Wash said. “It’s a tragedy to the church and the community.” It has to be difficult being a young mom, trying to raise 4 teenage kids on your own with no male figure in the household…. This is truly sad in every way. ABC News/Fox News WRITTEN BY: MISS KISSY:: Queen of Answers | Goddess of Life | Purveyor of Truth |Half Geek, Half Barbie.. Follow @AskKissy on Twitter or FACEBOOK Miss Kissy View all posts by Miss Kissy Kissys website shareNew 1 0share0 Selena Gomez Stunned Us All! 5 Savvy Text Message Responses To Make Guys Crazy Katy Perry Stepped On Her Dress And... Bet You Haven't Seen All Her Pics! 5 Signs He Is Madly Deeply In Love With You Posts Related to MOM - Tonya Thomas Kills All 4 Of Her Kids In Murder/Suicide Police Handcuff & Arrest 6 Year Old Kindergartner Cause She Had a Temper Tantrum Police Handcuff & Arrest 6 Year Old Kindergartner Cause She Had a Temper Tantrum ... Teen At Trayvon Martin’s High School Kills Mom, Throws A House Party & Lives With Body For A Week Teen At Trayvon Martin’s High School Kills Mom, Throws A House Party & Lives With Body For A Week ... Zurana Horton Pregnant New York Woman Shot and Killed While Protecting Children Zurana Horton Pregnant New York Woman Shot and Killed While Protecting Children ... Lesbian Stripper Kiara Pollard, goes on the run after her 2 Kids Die in a Fire Lesbian Stripper Kiara Pollard, goes on the run after her 2 Kids Die in a Fire ... . 1 Comment emc2 May 16, 2012 at 9:22 AM So sad, my God!!! 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CEEE: THANK YOU MISS Murray!!!! you are the first one to be educated and reasonable about this s... maria: The whole timw he was with lauren he was still married, did he divorce that chick now ?... Anonymous: I hate Americans negatively assess the cultures of other black people around the world whe... Anonymous: Carmella I wasn't addressing you... Rebecca: Personally I think he sucks. I hope she does to you what you did to Lauren. Lauren, keep... Minnie: The Ghetto Speaks!... LOG IN Register Log in Entries RSS Comments RSS WordPress.org [Un]Subscribe to Posts CALENDAR May 2012 S M T W T F S « Apr 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Read more: http://www.askkissy.com/2012/05/16/i-brought-you-in-to-this-world-ill-take-you-out-tonya-thomas-kills-all-4-of-her-kids/#ixzz1v3CIFdIL
Maje ON Deck: hen Me. Girl: Oh. Girl: Okay Well I gtg. ... Boy: Bye. 2 Weeks later.The Boy Saw the girl On the News, she hung herself. She left a Note that Said "Age Shouldn't matter. I Will Always Love You." 1 Week later The boy Was On the news he hung himself to but he Wrote On the Wall And Said "I Was Wrong, Age Shouldn't Matter. You Were right. I Love You Forever And Always." If you believe that age shoudn't matter #REPOST this .... Or tonight the boy and the girl Will be Standing by Your bed..Or u will loose the One falling for You ♥ ♥ Stephanie Love ... ... Boy: ??? Girl: Do You like Me back? Boy: Well Uhm Your 2 years younger then Me. Girl: Oh. Girl: Okay Well I gtg. ... Boy: Bye. 2 Weeks later.The Boy Saw the girl On the News, she hung herself. She left a Note that Said "Age Shouldn't matter. I Will Always Love You." 1 Week later The boy Was On the news he hung himself to but he Wrote On the Wall And Said "I Was Wrong, Age Shouldn't Matter. You Were right. I Love You Forever And Always." If you believe that age shoudn't matter #REPOST this .... Or tonight the boy and the girl Will be Standing by Your bed..Or u will loose the One falling for You ♥ ♥ Like · · 3 minutes ago near Brooklyn · Options Stephanie Love Test Your Eyes!! Can u find the B(there are 2B's)? DON"T skip or ur wish wont come true... See Translation RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Once youve found the b Find the 1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII1III IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Once you found the 1.............. Find the 6 *****9999 *****9999 *****9999 *****9999 *****9999 *****9999 *****9999 *****9999 *****9999 *****9999 *****9999 *****9999 once youve found the 6... Find the N (it's hard!!) MMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMNMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMM once you've found the N... Find the Q... OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOQOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO make 2 wishes! > >> >>> OK, NOW THAT U MADE A WiSH, IT WILL COME TRUE.....ALL U HAVE 2 DO IS FORWARD TO 3 PEOPLE BUT IF YOU FORWARD TO MORE IT WILL HAPPEN SOONER Like · · 7 minutes ago near Brooklyn · Options Isaiah Michael Wilson added 2 new photos to the album Untitled Album. Like · · Share · 55 minutes ago · Lovely Roc likes this. 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Winston Scott: Stevland Hardaway Morris (born May 13, 1950 as Stevland Hardaway Judkins),known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist.Blind since shortly after birth,Wonder signed with Motown's Tamla label at the age of eleven,and continues to perform and record for Motown to this day. Among Wonder's best known works are singles such as "Superstition", "Sir Duke", "I Wish" and "I Just Called to Say I Love You". Well known albums also include Talking Book, Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life.He has recorded more than thirty U.S. top ten hits and received twenty-two Grammy Awards, the most ever awarded to a male solo artist. 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 2008, Billboard magazine released a list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists to celebrate the US singles chart's fiftieth anniversary, with Wonder at number five. Early lifeStevie Wonder was born in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1950, the third of six children to Calvin Judkins and Lula Mae Hardaway. Owing to his being born six weeks premature, the blood vessels at the back of his eyes had not yet reached the front and their aborted growth caused the retinas to detach.The medical term for this condition is retinopathy of prematurity, or ROP, and it was exacerbated by the oxygen pumped into his incubator. When Stevie Wonder was four, his mother left his father and moved herself and her children to Detroit. She changed her name back to Lula Hardaway and later changed her son's surname to Morris, partly because of relatives. Morris has remained Stevie Wonder's legal surname ever since. He began playing instruments at an early age, including piano, harmonica, drums and bass. During childhood he was active in his church choir. Discovery and early Motown recordings Ronnie White of The Miracles gives credit to his brother Gerald White for persistently nagging him to come to his friend's house in 1961 to check out Stevie Wonder.Afterward, White brought Wonder and his mother to Motown. Impressed by the young musician, Motown CEO Berry Gordy signed Wonder to Motown's Tamla label with the name Little Stevie Wonder. Before signing, producer Clarence Paul gave Wonder his trademark name after stating "we can't keep calling him the eighth wonder of the world". He then recorded the regional Detroit single, "I Call It Pretty Music, But the Old People Call It the Blues", which was released on Tamla in late 1961. Wonder released his first two albums, The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie and Tribute to Uncle Ray, in 1962, to little success. Music career (xxxx?) Early success: 1963–1971 By age 13, Wonder had a major hit, "Fingertips (Pt. 2)", a 1963 single taken from a live recording of a Motor Town Revue performance, issued on the album Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius. The song, featuring Wonder on vocals, bongos, and harmonica, and a young Marvin Gaye on drums, was a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts, making him the youngest artist to top the former in its history and launching him into the public consciousness. In 1964, Stevie Wonder made his film debut in Muscle Beach Party as himself, credited as "Little Stevie Wonder". He returned in the sequel released five months later, Bikini Beach. He performed on-screen in both films, singing "Happy Street," and "Happy Feelin' (Dance and Shout)," respectively. Dropping the "Little" from his name, Wonder went on to have a number of other hits during the mid-1960s, including "Uptight (Everything's Alright)", "With a Child's Heart", and "Blowin' in the Wind", a Bob Dylan cover, co-sung by his mentor, producer Clarence Paul. He also began to work in the Motown songwriting department, composing songs both for himself and his label mates, including "Tears of a Clown", a number one hit performed by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. In 1968 he recorded an album of instrumental soul/jazz tracks, mostly harmonica solos, under the pseudonym (and title) Eivets Rednow, which is "Stevie Wonder" spelled backwards. The album failed to get much attention, and its only single, a cover of "Alfie", only reached number 66 on the U.S. Pop charts and number 11 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary charts. Nonetheless, he managed to score several hits between 1968 and 1970 such as "I Was Made to Love Her"; "For Once in My Life" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours". In September 1970, at the age of 20, Wonder married Syreeta Wright, a songwriter and former Motown secretary. Wright and Wonder co-wrote the songs on the next album, Where I'm Coming From, which did not succeed in the charts. Reaching his twenty-first birthday on May 13, 1971, he allowed his Motown contract to expire. In 1970, Wonder co-wrote, and played numerous instruments on the hit "It's a Shame" for fellow Motown act The Spinners. His contribution was meant to be a showcase of his talent and thus a weapon in his ongoing negotiations with Gordy about creative autonomy. Classic period: 1972–1976 Wonder independently recorded two albums, which he used as a bargaining tool while negotiating with Motown.xxEventually the label agreed to his demands for full creative control and the rights to his own songs. The 120-page contract was a precedent at Motown and gave Wonder a much higher royalty rate.Wonder returned to Motown in March 1972 with Music of My Mind. Unlike most previous albums on Motown, which usually consisted of a collection of singles, B-sides and covers, Music of My Mind was a full-length artistic statement with songs flowing together thematically.Wonder's lyrics dealt with social, political, and mystical themes as well as standard romantic ones, while musically Wonder began exploring overdubbing and recording most of the instrumental parts himself. Music of My Mind marked the beginning of a long collaboration with Tonto's Expanding Head Band (Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil). Released in late 1972, Talking Book featured the No. 1 hit "Superstition", which is one of the most distinctive and famous examples of the sound of the Hohner clavinet keyboard.The song features a rocking groove that garnered Wonder an additional audience on rock radio stations.[citation needed] Talking Book also featured "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", which also peaked at No. 1. During the same time as the album's release, Stevie Wonder began touring with the Rolling Stones to alleviate the negative effects from pigeon-holing as a result of being an R&B artist in America.Wonder's touring with The Rolling Stones was also a factor behind the success of both "Superstition" and "You Are the Sunshine of My Life". Between them, the two songs won three Grammy Awards. On an episode of the children's television show Sesame Street that aired in April 1973,Wonder and his band performed "Superstition", as well as an original song called "Sesame Street Song", which demonstrated his abilities with the "talk box". Innervisions, released in 1973, featured "Higher Ground" (#4 on the pop charts) as well as the trenchant "Living for the City" (#8). Both songs reached No. 1 on the R&B charts. Popular ballads such as "Golden Lady" and "All in Love Is Fair" were also present, in a mixture of moods that nevertheless held together as a unified whole.Innervisions generated three more Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The album is ranked #23 on Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[ Wonder had become the most influential and acclaimed black musician of the early 1970s. On August 6, 1973, Wonder was in a serious automobile accident while on tour in North Carolina, when a car in which he was riding hit the back of a truck. This left him in a coma for four days and resulted in a partial loss of his sense of smell and a temporary loss of sense of taste. Despite the setback, Wonder re-appeared in concert at Madison Square Garden in March 1974 with a performance that highlighted both up-tempo material and long, building improvisations on mid-tempo songs such as "Living for the City".The album Fulfillingness' First Finale appeared in July 1974 and set two hits high on the pop charts: the #1 "You Haven't Done Nothin'" and the Top Ten "Boogie On Reggae Woman". The Album of the Year was again one of three Grammys won. The same year Wonder took part in a Los Angeles jam session which would become known by the bootleg album A Toot and a Snore in '74. He also co-wrote and produced the Syreeta Wright album Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta. On October 4, 1975, Wonder performed at the historical "Wonder Dream Concert" in Kingston, Jamaica, a benefit for the Jamaican Institute for the Blind. By 1975, in his 25th year, Stevie Wonder had won two consecutive Grammy Awards: in 1974 for Innervisions and in 1975 for Fulfillingness' First Finale.[citation needed] In 1975 he featured on the album It's My Pleasure by Billy Preston, playing harmonica on two tracks.[not relevant] The double album-with-extra-EP Songs in the Key of Life, was released in September 1976. Sprawling in style, unlimited in ambition, and sometimes lyrically difficult to fathom, the album was hard for some listeners to assimilate, yet is regarded by many as Wonder's crowning achievement and one of the most recognizable and accomplished albums in pop music history.The album became the first of an American artist to debut straight at #1 in the Billboard charts, where it remained for 14 non-consecutive weeks. Two tracks, became #1 Pop/R&B hits "I Wish" and "Sir Duke". The baby-celebratory "Isn't She Lovely?" was written about his newborn daughter Aisha, while songs such as "Love's in Need of Love Today" (which years later Wonder would perform at the post-September 11, 2001 America: A Tribute to Heroes telethon) and "Village Ghetto Land" reflected a far more pensive mood. Songs in the Key of Life won Album of the Year and two other Grammys. The album ranks 56th on Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. After such a concentrated and sustained level of creativity, Wonder stopped recording for three years, releasing only the 3 LP Looking Back, an anthology of his first Motown period. The albums Wonder released during this period were very influential on the music world: the 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide said they "pioneered stylistic approaches that helped to determine the shape of pop music for the next decade"; Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time included four of the five albums, with three in the top 90. Commercial period: 1979–1990It was in Wonder's next phase that he began to commercially reap the rewards of his legendary classic period. The 1980s saw Wonder scoring his biggest hits and reaching an unprecedented level of fame evidenced by increased album sales, charity participation, high-profile collaborations, political impact, and television appearances. When Wonder did return, it was with the soundtrack album Journey through the Secret Life of Plants (1979), featured in the film The Secret Life of Plants. Mostly instrumental, the album was composed using the Computer Music Melodian, an early sampler. Wonder toured briefly in support of the album, and used a Fairlight CMI sampler on stage.[30] In this year Wonder also wrote and produced the dance hit "Let's Get Serious", performed by Jermaine Jackson and (ranked by Billboard as the #1 R&B single of 1980). Hotter than July (1980) became Wonder's first platinum-selling single album, and its single "Happy Birthday" was a successful vehicle for his campaign to establish Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday as a national holiday. The album also included "Master Blaster (Jammin')", "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It", and the sentimental ballad, "Lately". In 1982, Wonder released a retrospective of his 1970s work with Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium, which included four new songs: the ten-minute funk classic "Do I Do" (which featured Dizzy Gillespie), "That Girl" (one of the year's biggest singles to chart on the R&B side), "Front Line", a narrative about a soldier in the Vietnam War that Stevie Wonder wrote and sang in the 1st person, and "Ribbon in the Sky", one of his many classic compositions. Wonder also gained a #1 hit that year in collaboration with Paul McCartney in their paean to racial harmony, "Ebony and Ivory". In 1983, Wonder performed the song "Stay Gold", the theme to Francis Ford Coppola's film adaptation of S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders. Wonder wrote the lyrics. In 1983, Wonder scheduled an album to be entitled "People Work, Human Play." The album never surfaced and instead 1984 saw the release of Wonder's soundtrack album for The Woman in Red. The lead single, "I Just Called to Say I Love You", was a #1 pop and R&B hit in both the United States and the United Kingdom, where it was placed 13th in the list of best-selling singles in the UK published in 2002. It went on to win an Academy Award for "Best Song" in 1985. The album also featured a guest appearance by Dionne Warwick, singing the duet "It's You" with Stevie and a few songs of her own. The following year's In Square Circle featured the #1 pop hit "Part-Time Lover". The album also has a Top 10 Hit with "Go Home." It also featured the ballad "Overjoyed" which was originally written for Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants, but didn't make the album. He performed "Overjoyed" on Saturday Night Live when he was the host. He was also featured in Chaka Khan's cover of Prince's "I Feel For You", alongside Melle Mel, playing his signature harmonica. In roughly the same period he was also featured on harmonica on Eurythmics' single, "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" and Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues". By 1985, Stevie Wonder was an American icon,[citation needed] the subject of good-humored jokes about blindness and affectionately impersonated by Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live.[citation needed] Wonder sometimes joined in the jokes himself such as in The Motown Revue with Smokey Robinson. He was in a featured duet with Bruce Springsteen on the all-star charity single for African Famine Relief, "We Are the World", and he was part of another charity single the following year (1986), the AIDS-inspired "That's What Friends Are For". He also played the harmonica on the album Dreamland Express by John Denver in the song "If Ever", a song Wonder co-wrote with Stephanie Andrews. He also wrote the track "I Do Love You" for The Beach Boys' 1985 self-titled album. Stevie Wonder also played the harmonica on a track called "Can't Help Lovin' That Man" from "Showboat" on "The Broadway Album" by Barbra Streisand. In 1986, Stevie Wonder appeared on The Cosby Show, as himself, in the episode "A Touch of Wonder". In 1987, Wonder appeared on Michael Jackson's Bad album on the duet "Just Good Friends". Michael Jackson also sang a duet with him titled "Get It" on Wonder's 1987 album Characters. This was a minor hit single, as were "Skeletons" and "You Will Know". In the fall of 1988, Wonder duetted with Julio Iglesias on the hit single "My Love", which appeared on Iglesias' album Non Stop.[citation needed] Later career: 1991–2001 Stevie Wonder at the Grammy Awards of 1990After 1987's Characters LP, Wonder continued to release new material, but at a slower pace. He recorded a soundtrack album for Spike Lee's film Jungle Fever in 1991. From this album, singles and videos were released for "Gotta Have You" and "These Three Words". The B-side to the "Gotta Have You" single was "Feeding Off The Love Of The Land", which was played during the end credits of the movie Jungle Fever but was not included on the soundtrack. A piano and vocal version of "Feeding Off The Love Of The Land" was also released on the Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal compilation. It is rumored that "Feeding Off The Love Of The Land" was originally intended for release on Fulfillingness' First Finale Volume Two, a project that has never been confirmed as completed. Conversation Peace and the live album Natural Wonder were also released in the 1990s. The former received its European launch at a high-profile March 1995 press conference in Paris, where Stevie mentioned how the tearing down of The Wall between East and West Berlin and the desire for a united Europe had played a significant part in the inspiration behind the album. In 1994, Wonder made a guest appearance on the KISS cover album KISS My Ass: Classic KISS Regrooved, playing harmonica and supplying background vocals for the song "Deuce", performed by Lenny Kravitz. In 1996, Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life was selected as a documentary subject for the Classic Albums documentary series. This series dedicates 60 minutes to one groundbreaking record per feature. The same year, he performed John Lennon's song "Imagine" in the closing ceremony of the Atlanta Olympic Games. The same year, Wonder performed in a remix of "Seasons of Love" from the Jonathan Larson musical Rent. In 1997, Wonder collaborated with Babyface for a song about abuse (domestic violence) called "How Come, How Long" which was nominated for an award.[citation needed] In December 1999, Wonder announced that he was interested in pursuing an intraocular retinal prosthesis to partially restore his sight.That same year, Wonder was featured on harmonica in the Sting song "Brand New Day". In 2000, Stevie Wonder contributed two new songs to the soundtrack for Spike Lee's Bamboozled album ("Misrepresented People" and "Some Years Ago"). Current career: 2002–present This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may only interest a specific audience. Please help relocate any relevant information, and remove excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia inclusion policy. (June 2011) In March 2002, Wonder performed at the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Paralympics in Salt Lake City. On July 2, 2005, Wonder performed in the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia. Wonder's first new album in ten years, A Time to Love, was released on October 18, 2005, after having been pushed back from first a May, and then a June release. The album was released electronically on September 27, 2005, exclusively on Apple's iTunes Music Store. The first single, "So What the Fuss", was released in April. A second single, "From the Bottom of My Heart" was a hit on adult-contemporary R&B radio. The album also featured a duet with India.Arie on the title track "A Time to Love". Wonder performed at the pre-game show for Super Bowl XL in Detroit in early 2006, singing various hit singles (with his four-year-old son on drums) and accompanying Aretha Franklin during "The Star Spangled Banner". Stevie Wonder at a conference in Salvador, Brazil, in July 2006In March 2006, Wonder received new national exposure on the top-rated American Idol television program. Wonder performed "My Love Is on Fire" (from A Time To Love) live on the show itself. In June 2006, Stevie Wonder made a guest appearance on Busta Rhymes' new album, The Big Bang on the track "Been through the Storm". He sings the refrain and plays the piano on the Dr. Dre and Sha Money XL produced track. He appeared again on the last track of Snoop Dogg's new album Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, "Conversations". The song is a remake of "Have a Talk with God" from Songs in the Key of Life. In 2006, Wonder staged a duet with Andrea Bocelli on the latter's album Amore, offering harmonica and additional vocals on "Canzoni Stonate". Stevie Wonder also performed at Washington, D.C.'s 2006 "A Capitol Fourth" celebration. On August 2, 2007, Stevie Wonder announced the A Wonder Summer's Night 13 concert tour—his first U.S. tour in over ten years. This tour was inspired by the recent passing of his mother, as he stated at the conclusion of the tour on December 9 at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Wonder performs during the final day of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.On August 28, 2008, Wonder performed at the Democratic National Convention at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. Songs included a previously unreleased song, "Fear Can't Put Dreams to Sleep," and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours". On September 8, 2008, Wonder started the European leg of his Wonder Summer's Night Tour, the first time he had toured Europe in over a decade. His opening show was at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. During the tour, Wonder played eight UK gigs; four at The O2 Arena in London, two in Birmingham and two at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester. Stevie Wonder's other stops in the tour's European leg also found him performing in Holland (Rotterdam), Sweden (Stockholm), Germany (Cologne, Mannheim and Munich), Norway (Hamar), France (Paris), Italy (Milan) and Denmark (Aalborg). Wonder also toured Australia (Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane) and New Zealand (Christchurch, Auckland and New Plymouth) in October and November. By June 2008, Wonder was working on two projects simultaneously: a new album titled The Gospel Inspired By Lula which will deal with the various spiritual and cultural crises facing the world, and Through The Eyes Of Wonder, an album which Wonder has described as a performance piece that will reflect his experience as a blind man. Wonder was also keeping the door open for a collaboration with Tony Bennett and Quincy Jones concerning a rumored jazz album. If Wonder was to join forces with Bennett, it would not be for the first time; Their rendition of "For Once in My Life" earned them a Grammy for best pop collaboration with vocals in 2006. Wonder's harmonica playing can be heard on the 2009 Grammy-nominated "Never Give You Up" featuring CJ Hilton and Raphael Saadiq. Wonder is presented the Gershwin Award for Lifetime Achievement by United States president Barack Obama.Wonder performed on January 18, 2009 at the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial. On Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009, Wonder performed the song "Brand New Day" with musician Sting. He performed his new song "All About the Love Again" and, with other musical artists, "Signed, Sealed & Delivered". On February 23, 2009, Wonder became the second recipient of the Library of Congress's Gershwin Prize for pop music, honored by President Barack Obama at the White House. On July 7, 2009, Wonder performed "Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer" and "They Won't Go When I Go" at the Staples Center for Michael Jackson's memorial service. On October 29, 2009, Wonder performed at the 25th anniversary concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Among songs with B.B. King, Wonder performed Michael Jackson's 'The Way You Make Me Feel', during which he became distraught and was unable to continue until he regained his composure. Wonder at the October 16, 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial dedication concertOn January 22, 2010, Wonder performed Bridge Over Troubled Water for the Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief event to help victims of the earthquake in Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010. On March 6, 2010, Wonder was awarded the Commander of the Arts and Letters by French Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterrand. Wonder had been due to receive this award in 1981, but scheduling problems prevented this from happening. A lifetime achievement award was also given to Wonder on the same day, at France's biggest music awards. His 2010 tour included a two-hour set at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, a stop at London's "Hard Rock Calling" in Hyde Park, and appearances at England's Glastonbury Festival, Rotterdam's North Sea Jazz Festival, and a concert in Bergen, Norway and a concert in Dublin, Ireland at the O2 Arena on June 24. In February 2011, the Apollo Theater announced that Stevie Wonder will be the next in line for the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame. The theater said that the singer will be inducted into the New York City institution's Hall of Fame in five months. On June 25, 2011, Wonder performed at the opening ceremony of the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece. On January 28, 2012, Wonder and Christina Aguilera gave a musical tribute at Etta James' funeral. Wonder played "Shelter in the Rain" and The Lord's Prayer while while Aguilera sang "At Last." Wonder performed at the February 19, 2012 memorial service for Whitney Houston at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. He changed some of the lyrics of his song Ribbon in the Sky in dedication to Ms. Houston. LegacyA prominent figure in popular music during the latter half of the 20th century, Wonder has recorded more than thirty U.S. top ten hits and won twenty-two Grammy Awards (the most ever won by a solo artist) as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also won an Academy Award for Best Song,and been inducted into both the Rock and Roll and Songwriters halls of fame. He has also been awarded the Polar Music Prize. American music magazine Rolling Stone named him the ninth greatest singer of all time. In June 2009 he became the fourth artist to receive the Montreal Jazz Festival Spirit Award. Stevie Wonder was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame in 2005. His hit recording of "Superstition" was selected as a Legendary Michigan Song in 2010. He has ten U.S. number-one hits on the pop charts as well as 20 R&B number one hits, and album sales totaling more than 100 million units. Wonder has recorded several critically acclaimed albums and hit singles, and writes and produces songs for many of his label mates and outside artists as well. Wonder plays the piano, synthesizer, harmonica, congas, drums, bass guitar, bongos, organ, melodica, and clavinet. In his childhood, he was best known for his harmonica work, but today he is better known for his keyboard skills and vocal ability. Wonder was the first Motown artist and second African American musician to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song for his 1984 hit single "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from the movie The Woman in Red.[citation needed] Classic periodWonder's "classic period" is generally agreed to consist of the concept albums he created in the early- to mid-1970s, peaking in 1976.Some observers see in 1971's Where I'm Coming From certain indications of the beginning of the classic period, such as its new funky keyboard style which Wonder used throughout the classic period. Some determine Wonder's first "classic" album to be 1972's Music of My Mind, on which he attained personal control of production, and on which he programmed a series of songs integrated with one another to make a concept album. Others skip over early 1972 and determine the beginning of the classic period to be Talking Book in late 1972, the album in which Wonder "hit his stride". ImpactWonder's songs are renowned for being quite difficult to sing. He has a very developed sense of harmony and uses many extended chords utilizing extensions such as ninths, elevenths, thirteenths, diminished fifths, etc. in his compositions. Many of his melodies make abrupt, unpredictable changes. Many of his vocal melodies are also melismatic, meaning that a syllable is sung over several notes. Some of his best known and most frequently covered songs are played in keys which are more often found in jazz than in pop and rock. For example, "Superstition", "Higher Ground" and "I Wish" are in the key of E flat minor, and feature distinctive riffs in the E flat minor pentatonic scale (i.e. largely on the black notes of the keyboard).[citation needed] Wonder played a large role in bringing synthesizers to the forefront of popular music. He developed many new textures and sounds never heard before.[citation needed] In 1981, Wonder became the first owner of an E-mu Emulator. Songs sampled by other musicians This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may only interest a specific audience. Please help relocate any relevant information, and remove excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia inclusion policy. (June 2011) Wonder has recorded with Jon Gibson, a Christian Soul musician, on a remake of his own song, "Have a Talk With God" (from the 1989 album Body & Soul), covered by Gibson in which Wonder plays harmonica.[64] The two men met in the early 1980s through a shared music agent (Bill Wolfer). Red Hot Chili Peppers covered "Higher Ground" in 1989 on their Mother's Milk album. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble covered "Superstition" and Wonder made a cameo appearance in the official music video for the song.[citation needed] De La Soul sampled "Hey Love" in their song "Talkin' Bout Hey Love" on their 1991 album De La Soul Is Dead. "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" was rendered by English band Incognito in 1992 and John Legend covered this song for the 2005 film, Hitch. George Michael and Mary J. Blige covered "As" in the late 1990s. In 1999, Salomé de Bahia made a Brazilian version of "Another Star". Tupac Shakur sampled "That Girl" for his hit song "So Many Tears".[citation needed] "Pastime Paradise" would become an interpolation for Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" while Will Smith would use "I Wish" as the basis for the theme song to his movie, Wild Wild West. The elements of "Love's In Need of Love Today" were used by 50 Cent in the song "Ryder Music", and Warren G sampled "Village Ghetto Land" for his song "Ghetto Village".[citation needed] Mary Mary did a cover of his song "You Will Know" on their 2002 album, Incredible. Australian soul artist Guy Sebastian recorded a cover of "I Wish" on his Beautiful Life album. In 2003, Raven-Symoné recorded a cover of "Superstition" for the soundtrack to Disney's The Haunted Mansion. In 2005, Canadian singer Dave Moffatt, from the group The Moffatts, sang the song "Overjoyed" from the In Square Circle album on Canadian Idol. Clay Aiken performed "Isn't She Lovely?" in the episode "My Life in Four Cameras" of Scrubs.[citation needed] Personal life Wonder has been married twice: to Motown singer Syreeta Wright from 1970 until their divorce in 1972; and since 2001, to fashion designer Kai Milla Morris. He has seven children from his two marriages and several relationships. Stevie met Yolanda Simmons when she applied for a job as his secretary for his publishing company.Simmons bore Wonder a daughter on February 2, 1975: Aisha Morris.) According to Stevie, the name Aisha is "African for strength and intelligence". After she was born, Stevie said "she was the one thing that I needed in my life and in my music for a long time. It was this in mind, she was the inspiration for his hit single "Isn't She Lovely." Aisha Morris is a singer who has toured with her father and accompanied him on recordings, including his 2005 album, A Time 2 Love. Wonder has two sons with Kai Milla Morris; the older is named Kailand and he occasionally performs as a drummer on stage with his father. The younger son, Mandla Kadjay Carl Stevland Morris, was born May 13, 2005, his father's 55th birthday. In May 2006, Wonder's mother died in Los Angeles, at the age of 76. During his September 8, 2008 UK concert in Birmingham, he spoke of his decision to begin touring again following his loss. "I want to take all the pain that I feel and celebrate and turn it around". Wonder's Taxi Productions owns Los Angeles radio station KJLH. Charting discography: Stevie Wonder discography Top 40 singlesYear Title Chart positions US US R&B US Dance US AC UK 1963 "Fingertips – Pt. 2" 1 1 – – – 1966 "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" 3 1 – – 14 "Blowin' in the Wind" 9 1 – – 36 "A Place in the Sun" 9 3 – – 20 1967 "I Was Made to Love Her" 2 1 – – 5 1968 "For Once in My Life" 2 1 – – 3 "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" 9 1 – – – 1969 "My Cherie Amour" 4 4 – – 4 "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" 7 5 – – 2 1970 "Never Had a Dream Come True" 26 11 – – 5 "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" 3 1 – – 15 "Heaven Help Us All" 8 2 – – 29 1971 "We Can Work It Out" 13 3 – – 27 "If You Really Love Me" 8 4 – – 20 1972 "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" 33 13 – – – "Superstition" 1 1 – – 11 1973 "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" 1 3 – – 3 "Higher Ground" 4 1 – – 29 "Living for the City" 8 1 – – 15 "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" 16 2 – – - 1974 "He's Misstra Know It All" – – – – 10 "You Haven't Done Nothin'" (with The Jackson 5) 1 1 – – 30 "Boogie On Reggae Woman" 3 1 – – 12 1977 "I Wish" 1 1 – – 5 "Sir Duke" 1 1 – – 2 "Another Star" 32 18 – – 29 "As" 36 36 – – – 1979 "Send One Your Love" 4 5 – – – 1980 "Master Blaster (Jammin')" 3 1 1 1 2 "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" 10 4 – – 11 1981 "Lately" – – – – 3 "Happy Birthday" – 17 – – 2 "That Girl" 3 1 – – 39 1982 "Do I Do" 7 2 – – 10 "Ebony and Ivory" (with Paul McCartney) 1 8 – – 1 "Ribbon in the Sky" – 9 – – – 1984 "I Just Called to Say I Love You" 1 1 – 1 1 1985 "Part-Time Lover" 1 1 1 1 3 "That's What Friends Are For" (with Dionne Warwick, Elton John and Gladys Knight) 1 1 – 1 16 "Love Light in Flight" 17 4 6 10 – 1986 "Go Home" 10 2 1 1 – "Land of La La" – 19 – – – "Overjoyed" 24 8 – 1 17 1987 "Skeletons" 17 1 20 – – 1988 "Get It" (with Michael Jackson) – 4 – – 37 "My Eyes Don't Cry" – 6 12 – – "You Will Know" – 1 – – – 1989 "With Each Beat of My Heart" – 28 – – – 1990 "Keep Our Love Alive" – 24 – – – 1991 "Fun Day (From "Jungle Fever")" – 6 – – – "Gotta Have You (From "Jungle Fever")" – 3 – – – 1992 "These Three Words" – 7 – – – 1995 "For Your Love" – 11 – 30 23 2005 "So What the Fuss" – 34 – 40 19 "From the Bottom of My Heart" – 25 – 7 – U.S. and UK albumsYear Album Chart positions US US R&B UK 1963 Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius 1 – – 1966 Up-Tight 33 2 – 1966 Down to Earth 72 8 – 1967 I Was Made to Love Her 45 7 – 1968 For Once in My Life 50 4 – 1969 My Cherie Amour 34 3 17 1970 Signed, Sealed, and Delivered 25 7 – 1971 Where I'm Coming From – 7 – 1972 Music of My Mind 21 6 – 1972 Talking Book 3 1 16 1973 Innervisions 4 1 6 1974 Fulfillingness' First Finale 1 1 5 1976 Songs in the Key of Life 1 1 2 1979 Journey through the Secret Life of Plants 4 4 7 1980 Hotter than July 2 1 2 1982 Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium 4 1 8 1984 The Woman in Red 4 1 2 1985 In Square Circle 5 1 5 1987 Characters 17 1 33 1995 Conversation Peace 17 2 8 1996 Natural Wonder – 88 – 1996 Song Review A Greatest Hits Collection – 100 19 2000 At the Close of a Century – 100 – 2002 The Definitive Collection 35 28 – 2004 Best Of Stevie Wonder: 20th Century Masters Christmas Collection – 90 – 2005 A Time to Love 5 2 24 2007 Number 1's 171 40 23 Awards and recognition Grammy Awards Wonder has won 22 Grammy Awards:as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award which he was presented in 1996. Year Award Title 1973 Best Rhythm & Blues Song "Superstition" 1973 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male "Superstition" 1973 Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male "You are the Sunshine of My Life" 1973 Album of the Year Innervisions 1974 Best Rhythm & Blues Song "Living for the City" 1974 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "Boogie On Reggae Woman" 1974 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Fulfillingness' First Finale 1974 Album of the Year Fulfillingness' First Finale 1976 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "I Wish" 1976 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Songs in the Key of Life[75] 1976 Best Producer of the Year* N/A 1976 Album of the Year Songs in the Key of Life 1985 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance In Square Circle 1986 Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (awarded to Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Wonder) "That's What Friends Are For" 1995 Best Rhythm & Blues Song "For Your Love" 1995 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "For Your Love" 1998 Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) (awarded to Herbie Hancock, Robert Sadin, and Wonder) "St. Louis Blues" 1998 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "St. Louis Blues" 2002 Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals (awarded to Wonder and Take 6) "Love's in Need of Love Today" 2005 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance "From the Bottom of My Heart" 2005 Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals (awarded to Beyoncé and Wonder) "So Amazing" 2006 Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals (awarded to Tony Bennett and Wonder) "For Once In My Life" From 1965 to 1980 a self-produced artist received one GRAMMY Award as an artist and an additional one as a producer in the Record of the Year and Album of the Year categories Other awards and recognition 1983: inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. 1984: received an Academy Award for Best Song for "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from the movie The Woman in Red. 1989: inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 1999: received the Polar Music Prize and Kennedy Center Honors. 2002: received the George and Ira Gershwin Lifetime Achievement Award at UCLA's Spring Sing.The same year, Wonder received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. 2004: received the Billboard Century Award. Also in 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Rock and Roll Artists of All Time. 2006: was inducted, as one of the first inductees, into the Michigan Walk of Fame. The same year, Wonder received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. 2008: Ranked at number five on "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists", making him as the third most successful male artist in the history of Billboard Hot 100 chart. 2009: Recipient of the second Gershwin Prize For Popular Song. 2009: Recipient of the Montreal Jazz Festival Spirit Award. This special award underlines a popular artist’s extraordinary contribution to the musical world. The Montreal Jazz Festival Spirit Award is in bronze. 2009: Named a Messenger of Peace by the United Nations.
Winston Scott: Stevland Hardaway Morris (born May 13, 1950 as Stevland Hardaway Judkins),known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist.Blind since shortly after birth,Wonder signed with Motown's Tamla label at the age of eleven,and continues to perform and record for Motown to this day. Among Wonder's best known works are singles such as "Superstition", "Sir Duke", "I Wish" and "I Just Called to Say I Love You". Well known albums also include Talking Book, Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life.He has recorded more than thirty U.S. top ten hits and received twenty-two Grammy Awards, the most ever awarded to a male solo artist. 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 2008, Billboard magazine released a list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists to celebrate the US singles chart's fiftieth anniversary, with Wonder at number five. Early lifeStevie Wonder was born in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1950, the third of six children to Calvin Judkins and Lula Mae Hardaway. Owing to his being born six weeks premature, the blood vessels at the back of his eyes had not yet reached the front and their aborted growth caused the retinas to detach.The medical term for this condition is retinopathy of prematurity, or ROP, and it was exacerbated by the oxygen pumped into his incubator. When Stevie Wonder was four, his mother left his father and moved herself and her children to Detroit. She changed her name back to Lula Hardaway and later changed her son's surname to Morris, partly because of relatives. Morris has remained Stevie Wonder's legal surname ever since. He began playing instruments at an early age, including piano, harmonica, drums and bass. During childhood he was active in his church choir. Discovery and early Motown recordings Ronnie White of The Miracles gives credit to his brother Gerald White for persistently nagging him to come to his friend's house in 1961 to check out Stevie Wonder.Afterward, White brought Wonder and his mother to Motown. Impressed by the young musician, Motown CEO Berry Gordy signed Wonder to Motown's Tamla label with the name Little Stevie Wonder. Before signing, producer Clarence Paul gave Wonder his trademark name after stating "we can't keep calling him the eighth wonder of the world". He then recorded the regional Detroit single, "I Call It Pretty Music, But the Old People Call It the Blues", which was released on Tamla in late 1961. Wonder released his first two albums, The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie and Tribute to Uncle Ray, in 1962, to little success. Music career (xxxx?) Early success: 1963–1971 By age 13, Wonder had a major hit, "Fingertips (Pt. 2)", a 1963 single taken from a live recording of a Motor Town Revue performance, issued on the album Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius. The song, featuring Wonder on vocals, bongos, and harmonica, and a young Marvin Gaye on drums, was a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts, making him the youngest artist to top the former in its history and launching him into the public consciousness. In 1964, Stevie Wonder made his film debut in Muscle Beach Party as himself, credited as "Little Stevie Wonder". He returned in the sequel released five months later, Bikini Beach. He performed on-screen in both films, singing "Happy Street," and "Happy Feelin' (Dance and Shout)," respectively. Dropping the "Little" from his name, Wonder went on to have a number of other hits during the mid-1960s, including "Uptight (Everything's Alright)", "With a Child's Heart", and "Blowin' in the Wind", a Bob Dylan cover, co-sung by his mentor, producer Clarence Paul. He also began to work in the Motown songwriting department, composing songs both for himself and his label mates, including "Tears of a Clown", a number one hit performed by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. In 1968 he recorded an album of instrumental soul/jazz tracks, mostly harmonica solos, under the pseudonym (and title) Eivets Rednow, which is "Stevie Wonder" spelled backwards. The album failed to get much attention, and its only single, a cover of "Alfie", only reached number 66 on the U.S. Pop charts and number 11 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary charts. Nonetheless, he managed to score several hits between 1968 and 1970 such as "I Was Made to Love Her"; "For Once in My Life" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours". In September 1970, at the age of 20, Wonder married Syreeta Wright, a songwriter and former Motown secretary. Wright and Wonder co-wrote the songs on the next album, Where I'm Coming From, which did not succeed in the charts. Reaching his twenty-first birthday on May 13, 1971, he allowed his Motown contract to expire. In 1970, Wonder co-wrote, and played numerous instruments on the hit "It's a Shame" for fellow Motown act The Spinners. His contribution was meant to be a showcase of his talent and thus a weapon in his ongoing negotiations with Gordy about creative autonomy. Classic period: 1972–1976 Wonder independently recorded two albums, which he used as a bargaining tool while negotiating with Motown.xxEventually the label agreed to his demands for full creative control and the rights to his own songs. The 120-page contract was a precedent at Motown and gave Wonder a much higher royalty rate.Wonder returned to Motown in March 1972 with Music of My Mind. Unlike most previous albums on Motown, which usually consisted of a collection of singles, B-sides and covers, Music of My Mind was a full-length artistic statement with songs flowing together thematically.Wonder's lyrics dealt with social, political, and mystical themes as well as standard romantic ones, while musically Wonder began exploring overdubbing and recording most of the instrumental parts himself. Music of My Mind marked the beginning of a long collaboration with Tonto's Expanding Head Band (Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil). Released in late 1972, Talking Book featured the No. 1 hit "Superstition", which is one of the most distinctive and famous examples of the sound of the Hohner clavinet keyboard.The song features a rocking groove that garnered Wonder an additional audience on rock radio stations.[citation needed] Talking Book also featured "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", which also peaked at No. 1. During the same time as the album's release, Stevie Wonder began touring with the Rolling Stones to alleviate the negative effects from pigeon-holing as a result of being an R&B artist in America.Wonder's touring with The Rolling Stones was also a factor behind the success of both "Superstition" and "You Are the Sunshine of My Life". Between them, the two songs won three Grammy Awards. On an episode of the children's television show Sesame Street that aired in April 1973,Wonder and his band performed "Superstition", as well as an original song called "Sesame Street Song", which demonstrated his abilities with the "talk box". Innervisions, released in 1973, featured "Higher Ground" (#4 on the pop charts) as well as the trenchant "Living for the City" (#8). Both songs reached No. 1 on the R&B charts. Popular ballads such as "Golden Lady" and "All in Love Is Fair" were also present, in a mixture of moods that nevertheless held together as a unified whole.Innervisions generated three more Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The album is ranked #23 on Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[ Wonder had become the most influential and acclaimed black musician of the early 1970s. On August 6, 1973, Wonder was in a serious automobile accident while on tour in North Carolina, when a car in which he was riding hit the back of a truck. This left him in a coma for four days and resulted in a partial loss of his sense of smell and a temporary loss of sense of taste. Despite the setback, Wonder re-appeared in concert at Madison Square Garden in March 1974 with a performance that highlighted both up-tempo material and long, building improvisations on mid-tempo songs such as "Living for the City".The album Fulfillingness' First Finale appeared in July 1974 and set two hits high on the pop charts: the #1 "You Haven't Done Nothin'" and the Top Ten "Boogie On Reggae Woman". The Album of the Year was again one of three Grammys won. The same year Wonder took part in a Los Angeles jam session which would become known by the bootleg album A Toot and a Snore in '74. He also co-wrote and produced the Syreeta Wright album Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta. On October 4, 1975, Wonder performed at the historical "Wonder Dream Concert" in Kingston, Jamaica, a benefit for the Jamaican Institute for the Blind. By 1975, in his 25th year, Stevie Wonder had won two consecutive Grammy Awards: in 1974 for Innervisions and in 1975 for Fulfillingness' First Finale.[citation needed] In 1975 he featured on the album It's My Pleasure by Billy Preston, playing harmonica on two tracks.[not relevant] The double album-with-extra-EP Songs in the Key of Life, was released in September 1976. Sprawling in style, unlimited in ambition, and sometimes lyrically difficult to fathom, the album was hard for some listeners to assimilate, yet is regarded by many as Wonder's crowning achievement and one of the most recognizable and accomplished albums in pop music history.The album became the first of an American artist to debut straight at #1 in the Billboard charts, where it remained for 14 non-consecutive weeks. Two tracks, became #1 Pop/R&B hits "I Wish" and "Sir Duke". The baby-celebratory "Isn't She Lovely?" was written about his newborn daughter Aisha, while songs such as "Love's in Need of Love Today" (which years later Wonder would perform at the post-September 11, 2001 America: A Tribute to Heroes telethon) and "Village Ghetto Land" reflected a far more pensive mood. Songs in the Key of Life won Album of the Year and two other Grammys. The album ranks 56th on Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. After such a concentrated and sustained level of creativity, Wonder stopped recording for three years, releasing only the 3 LP Looking Back, an anthology of his first Motown period. The albums Wonder released during this period were very influential on the music world: the 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide said they "pioneered stylistic approaches that helped to determine the shape of pop music for the next decade"; Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time included four of the five albums, with three in the top 90. Commercial period: 1979–1990It was in Wonder's next phase that he began to commercially reap the rewards of his legendary classic period. The 1980s saw Wonder scoring his biggest hits and reaching an unprecedented level of fame evidenced by increased album sales, charity participation, high-profile collaborations, political impact, and television appearances. When Wonder did return, it was with the soundtrack album Journey through the Secret Life of Plants (1979), featured in the film The Secret Life of Plants. Mostly instrumental, the album was composed using the Computer Music Melodian, an early sampler. Wonder toured briefly in support of the album, and used a Fairlight CMI sampler on stage.[30] In this year Wonder also wrote and produced the dance hit "Let's Get Serious", performed by Jermaine Jackson and (ranked by Billboard as the #1 R&B single of 1980). Hotter than July (1980) became Wonder's first platinum-selling single album, and its single "Happy Birthday" was a successful vehicle for his campaign to establish Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday as a national holiday. The album also included "Master Blaster (Jammin')", "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It", and the sentimental ballad, "Lately". In 1982, Wonder released a retrospective of his 1970s work with Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium, which included four new songs: the ten-minute funk classic "Do I Do" (which featured Dizzy Gillespie), "That Girl" (one of the year's biggest singles to chart on the R&B side), "Front Line", a narrative about a soldier in the Vietnam War that Stevie Wonder wrote and sang in the 1st person, and "Ribbon in the Sky", one of his many classic compositions. Wonder also gained a #1 hit that year in collaboration with Paul McCartney in their paean to racial harmony, "Ebony and Ivory". In 1983, Wonder performed the song "Stay Gold", the theme to Francis Ford Coppola's film adaptation of S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders. Wonder wrote the lyrics. In 1983, Wonder scheduled an album to be entitled "People Work, Human Play." The album never surfaced and instead 1984 saw the release of Wonder's soundtrack album for The Woman in Red. The lead single, "I Just Called to Say I Love You", was a #1 pop and R&B hit in both the United States and the United Kingdom, where it was placed 13th in the list of best-selling singles in the UK published in 2002. It went on to win an Academy Award for "Best Song" in 1985. The album also featured a guest appearance by Dionne Warwick, singing the duet "It's You" with Stevie and a few songs of her own. The following year's In Square Circle featured the #1 pop hit "Part-Time Lover". The album also has a Top 10 Hit with "Go Home." It also featured the ballad "Overjoyed" which was originally written for Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants, but didn't make the album. He performed "Overjoyed" on Saturday Night Live when he was the host. He was also featured in Chaka Khan's cover of Prince's "I Feel For You", alongside Melle Mel, playing his signature harmonica. In roughly the same period he was also featured on harmonica on Eurythmics' single, "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" and Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues". By 1985, Stevie Wonder was an American icon,[citation needed] the subject of good-humored jokes about blindness and affectionately impersonated by Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live.[citation needed] Wonder sometimes joined in the jokes himself such as in The Motown Revue with Smokey Robinson. He was in a featured duet with Bruce Springsteen on the all-star charity single for African Famine Relief, "We Are the World", and he was part of another charity single the following year (1986), the AIDS-inspired "That's What Friends Are For". He also played the harmonica on the album Dreamland Express by John Denver in the song "If Ever", a song Wonder co-wrote with Stephanie Andrews. He also wrote the track "I Do Love You" for The Beach Boys' 1985 self-titled album. Stevie Wonder also played the harmonica on a track called "Can't Help Lovin' That Man" from "Showboat" on "The Broadway Album" by Barbra Streisand. In 1986, Stevie Wonder appeared on The Cosby Show, as himself, in the episode "A Touch of Wonder". In 1987, Wonder appeared on Michael Jackson's Bad album on the duet "Just Good Friends". Michael Jackson also sang a duet with him titled "Get It" on Wonder's 1987 album Characters. This was a minor hit single, as were "Skeletons" and "You Will Know". In the fall of 1988, Wonder duetted with Julio Iglesias on the hit single "My Love", which appeared on Iglesias' album Non Stop.[citation needed] Later career: 1991–2001 Stevie Wonder at the Grammy Awards of 1990After 1987's Characters LP, Wonder continued to release new material, but at a slower pace. He recorded a soundtrack album for Spike Lee's film Jungle Fever in 1991. From this album, singles and videos were released for "Gotta Have You" and "These Three Words". The B-side to the "Gotta Have You" single was "Feeding Off The Love Of The Land", which was played during the end credits of the movie Jungle Fever but was not included on the soundtrack. A piano and vocal version of "Feeding Off The Love Of The Land" was also released on the Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal compilation. It is rumored that "Feeding Off The Love Of The Land" was originally intended for release on Fulfillingness' First Finale Volume Two, a project that has never been confirmed as completed. Conversation Peace and the live album Natural Wonder were also released in the 1990s. The former received its European launch at a high-profile March 1995 press conference in Paris, where Stevie mentioned how the tearing down of The Wall between East and West Berlin and the desire for a united Europe had played a significant part in the inspiration behind the album. In 1994, Wonder made a guest appearance on the KISS cover album KISS My Ass: Classic KISS Regrooved, playing harmonica and supplying background vocals for the song "Deuce", performed by Lenny Kravitz. In 1996, Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life was selected as a documentary subject for the Classic Albums documentary series. This series dedicates 60 minutes to one groundbreaking record per feature. The same year, he performed John Lennon's song "Imagine" in the closing ceremony of the Atlanta Olympic Games. The same year, Wonder performed in a remix of "Seasons of Love" from the Jonathan Larson musical Rent. In 1997, Wonder collaborated with Babyface for a song about abuse (domestic violence) called "How Come, How Long" which was nominated for an award.[citation needed] In December 1999, Wonder announced that he was interested in pursuing an intraocular retinal prosthesis to partially restore his sight.That same year, Wonder was featured on harmonica in the Sting song "Brand New Day". In 2000, Stevie Wonder contributed two new songs to the soundtrack for Spike Lee's Bamboozled album ("Misrepresented People" and "Some Years Ago"). Current career: 2002–present This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may only interest a specific audience. Please help relocate any relevant information, and remove excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia inclusion policy. (June 2011) In March 2002, Wonder performed at the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Paralympics in Salt Lake City. On July 2, 2005, Wonder performed in the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia. Wonder's first new album in ten years, A Time to Love, was released on October 18, 2005, after having been pushed back from first a May, and then a June release. The album was released electronically on September 27, 2005, exclusively on Apple's iTunes Music Store. The first single, "So What the Fuss", was released in April. A second single, "From the Bottom of My Heart" was a hit on adult-contemporary R&B radio. The album also featured a duet with India.Arie on the title track "A Time to Love". Wonder performed at the pre-game show for Super Bowl XL in Detroit in early 2006, singing various hit singles (with his four-year-old son on drums) and accompanying Aretha Franklin during "The Star Spangled Banner". Stevie Wonder at a conference in Salvador, Brazil, in July 2006In March 2006, Wonder received new national exposure on the top-rated American Idol television program. Wonder performed "My Love Is on Fire" (from A Time To Love) live on the show itself. In June 2006, Stevie Wonder made a guest appearance on Busta Rhymes' new album, The Big Bang on the track "Been through the Storm". He sings the refrain and plays the piano on the Dr. Dre and Sha Money XL produced track. He appeared again on the last track of Snoop Dogg's new album Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, "Conversations". The song is a remake of "Have a Talk with God" from Songs in the Key of Life. In 2006, Wonder staged a duet with Andrea Bocelli on the latter's album Amore, offering harmonica and additional vocals on "Canzoni Stonate". Stevie Wonder also performed at Washington, D.C.'s 2006 "A Capitol Fourth" celebration. On August 2, 2007, Stevie Wonder announced the A Wonder Summer's Night 13 concert tour—his first U.S. tour in over ten years. This tour was inspired by the recent passing of his mother, as he stated at the conclusion of the tour on December 9 at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Wonder performs during the final day of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.On August 28, 2008, Wonder performed at the Democratic National Convention at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. Songs included a previously unreleased song, "Fear Can't Put Dreams to Sleep," and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours". On September 8, 2008, Wonder started the European leg of his Wonder Summer's Night Tour, the first time he had toured Europe in over a decade. His opening show was at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. During the tour, Wonder played eight UK gigs; four at The O2 Arena in London, two in Birmingham and two at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester. Stevie Wonder's other stops in the tour's European leg also found him performing in Holland (Rotterdam), Sweden (Stockholm), Germany (Cologne, Mannheim and Munich), Norway (Hamar), France (Paris), Italy (Milan) and Denmark (Aalborg). Wonder also toured Australia (Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane) and New Zealand (Christchurch, Auckland and New Plymouth) in October and November. By June 2008, Wonder was working on two projects simultaneously: a new album titled The Gospel Inspired By Lula which will deal with the various spiritual and cultural crises facing the world, and Through The Eyes Of Wonder, an album which Wonder has described as a performance piece that will reflect his experience as a blind man. Wonder was also keeping the door open for a collaboration with Tony Bennett and Quincy Jones concerning a rumored jazz album. If Wonder was to join forces with Bennett, it would not be for the first time; Their rendition of "For Once in My Life" earned them a Grammy for best pop collaboration with vocals in 2006. Wonder's harmonica playing can be heard on the 2009 Grammy-nominated "Never Give You Up" featuring CJ Hilton and Raphael Saadiq. Wonder is presented the Gershwin Award for Lifetime Achievement by United States president Barack Obama.Wonder performed on January 18, 2009 at the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial. On Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009, Wonder performed the song "Brand New Day" with musician Sting. He performed his new song "All About the Love Again" and, with other musical artists, "Signed, Sealed & Delivered". On February 23, 2009, Wonder became the second recipient of the Library of Congress's Gershwin Prize for pop music, honored by President Barack Obama at the White House. On July 7, 2009, Wonder performed "Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer" and "They Won't Go When I Go" at the Staples Center for Michael Jackson's memorial service. On October 29, 2009, Wonder performed at the 25th anniversary concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Among songs with B.B. King, Wonder performed Michael Jackson's 'The Way You Make Me Feel', during which he became distraught and was unable to continue until he regained his composure. Wonder at the October 16, 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial dedication concertOn January 22, 2010, Wonder performed Bridge Over Troubled Water for the Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief event to help victims of the earthquake in Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010. On March 6, 2010, Wonder was awarded the Commander of the Arts and Letters by French Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterrand. Wonder had been due to receive this award in 1981, but scheduling problems prevented this from happening. A lifetime achievement award was also given to Wonder on the same day, at France's biggest music awards. His 2010 tour included a two-hour set at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, a stop at London's "Hard Rock Calling" in Hyde Park, and appearances at England's Glastonbury Festival, Rotterdam's North Sea Jazz Festival, and a concert in Bergen, Norway and a concert in Dublin, Ireland at the O2 Arena on June 24. In February 2011, the Apollo Theater announced that Stevie Wonder will be the next in line for the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame. The theater said that the singer will be inducted into the New York City institution's Hall of Fame in five months. On June 25, 2011, Wonder performed at the opening ceremony of the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece. On January 28, 2012, Wonder and Christina Aguilera gave a musical tribute at Etta James' funeral. Wonder played "Shelter in the Rain" and The Lord's Prayer while while Aguilera sang "At Last." Wonder performed at the February 19, 2012 memorial service for Whitney Houston at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. He changed some of the lyrics of his song Ribbon in the Sky in dedication to Ms. Houston. LegacyA prominent figure in popular music during the latter half of the 20th century, Wonder has recorded more than thirty U.S. top ten hits and won twenty-two Grammy Awards (the most ever won by a solo artist) as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also won an Academy Award for Best Song,and been inducted into both the Rock and Roll and Songwriters halls of fame. He has also been awarded the Polar Music Prize. American music magazine Rolling Stone named him the ninth greatest singer of all time. In June 2009 he became the fourth artist to receive the Montreal Jazz Festival Spirit Award. Stevie Wonder was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame in 2005. His hit recording of "Superstition" was selected as a Legendary Michigan Song in 2010. He has ten U.S. number-one hits on the pop charts as well as 20 R&B number one hits, and album sales totaling more than 100 million units. Wonder has recorded several critically acclaimed albums and hit singles, and writes and produces songs for many of his label mates and outside artists as well. Wonder plays the piano, synthesizer, harmonica, congas, drums, bass guitar, bongos, organ, melodica, and clavinet. In his childhood, he was best known for his harmonica work, but today he is better known for his keyboard skills and vocal ability. Wonder was the first Motown artist and second African American musician to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song for his 1984 hit single "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from the movie The Woman in Red.[citation needed] Classic periodWonder's "classic period" is generally agreed to consist of the concept albums he created in the early- to mid-1970s, peaking in 1976.Some observers see in 1971's Where I'm Coming From certain indications of the beginning of the classic period, such as its new funky keyboard style which Wonder used throughout the classic period. Some determine Wonder's first "classic" album to be 1972's Music of My Mind, on which he attained personal control of production, and on which he programmed a series of songs integrated with one another to make a concept album. Others skip over early 1972 and determine the beginning of the classic period to be Talking Book in late 1972, the album in which Wonder "hit his stride". ImpactWonder's songs are renowned for being quite difficult to sing. He has a very developed sense of harmony and uses many extended chords utilizing extensions such as ninths, elevenths, thirteenths, diminished fifths, etc. in his compositions. Many of his melodies make abrupt, unpredictable changes. Many of his vocal melodies are also melismatic, meaning that a syllable is sung over several notes. Some of his best known and most frequently covered songs are played in keys which are more often found in jazz than in pop and rock. For example, "Superstition", "Higher Ground" and "I Wish" are in the key of E flat minor, and feature distinctive riffs in the E flat minor pentatonic scale (i.e. largely on the black notes of the keyboard).[citation needed] Wonder played a large role in bringing synthesizers to the forefront of popular music. He developed many new textures and sounds never heard before.[citation needed] In 1981, Wonder became the first owner of an E-mu Emulator. Songs sampled by other musicians This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may only interest a specific audience. Please help relocate any relevant information, and remove excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia inclusion policy. (June 2011) Wonder has recorded with Jon Gibson, a Christian Soul musician, on a remake of his own song, "Have a Talk With God" (from the 1989 album Body & Soul), covered by Gibson in which Wonder plays harmonica.[64] The two men met in the early 1980s through a shared music agent (Bill Wolfer). Red Hot Chili Peppers covered "Higher Ground" in 1989 on their Mother's Milk album. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble covered "Superstition" and Wonder made a cameo appearance in the official music video for the song.[citation needed] De La Soul sampled "Hey Love" in their song "Talkin' Bout Hey Love" on their 1991 album De La Soul Is Dead. "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" was rendered by English band Incognito in 1992 and John Legend covered this song for the 2005 film, Hitch. George Michael and Mary J. Blige covered "As" in the late 1990s. In 1999, Salomé de Bahia made a Brazilian version of "Another Star". Tupac Shakur sampled "That Girl" for his hit song "So Many Tears".[citation needed] "Pastime Paradise" would become an interpolation for Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" while Will Smith would use "I Wish" as the basis for the theme song to his movie, Wild Wild West. The elements of "Love's In Need of Love Today" were used by 50 Cent in the song "Ryder Music", and Warren G sampled "Village Ghetto Land" for his song "Ghetto Village".[citation needed] Mary Mary did a cover of his song "You Will Know" on their 2002 album, Incredible. Australian soul artist Guy Sebastian recorded a cover of "I Wish" on his Beautiful Life album. In 2003, Raven-Symoné recorded a cover of "Superstition" for the soundtrack to Disney's The Haunted Mansion. In 2005, Canadian singer Dave Moffatt, from the group The Moffatts, sang the song "Overjoyed" from the In Square Circle album on Canadian Idol. Clay Aiken performed "Isn't She Lovely?" in the episode "My Life in Four Cameras" of Scrubs.[citation needed] Personal life Wonder has been married twice: to Motown singer Syreeta Wright from 1970 until their divorce in 1972; and since 2001, to fashion designer Kai Milla Morris. He has seven children from his two marriages and several relationships. Stevie met Yolanda Simmons when she applied for a job as his secretary for his publishing company.Simmons bore Wonder a daughter on February 2, 1975: Aisha Morris.) According to Stevie, the name Aisha is "African for strength and intelligence". After she was born, Stevie said "she was the one thing that I needed in my life and in my music for a long time. It was this in mind, she was the inspiration for his hit single "Isn't She Lovely." Aisha Morris is a singer who has toured with her father and accompanied him on recordings, including his 2005 album, A Time 2 Love. Wonder has two sons with Kai Milla Morris; the older is named Kailand and he occasionally performs as a drummer on stage with his father. The younger son, Mandla Kadjay Carl Stevland Morris, was born May 13, 2005, his father's 55th birthday. In May 2006, Wonder's mother died in Los Angeles, at the age of 76. During his September 8, 2008 UK concert in Birmingham, he spoke of his decision to begin touring again following his loss. "I want to take all the pain that I feel and celebrate and turn it around". Wonder's Taxi Productions owns Los Angeles radio station KJLH. Charting discography: Stevie Wonder discography Top 40 singlesYear Title Chart positions US US R&B US Dance US AC UK 1963 "Fingertips – Pt. 2" 1 1 – – – 1966 "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" 3 1 – – 14 "Blowin' in the Wind" 9 1 – – 36 "A Place in the Sun" 9 3 – – 20 1967 "I Was Made to Love Her" 2 1 – – 5 1968 "For Once in My Life" 2 1 – – 3 "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" 9 1 – – – 1969 "My Cherie Amour" 4 4 – – 4 "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" 7 5 – – 2 1970 "Never Had a Dream Come True" 26 11 – – 5 "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" 3 1 – – 15 "Heaven Help Us All" 8 2 – – 29 1971 "We Can Work It Out" 13 3 – – 27 "If You Really Love Me" 8 4 – – 20 1972 "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" 33 13 – – – "Superstition" 1 1 – – 11 1973 "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" 1 3 – – 3 "Higher Ground" 4 1 – – 29 "Living for the City" 8 1 – – 15 "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" 16 2 – – - 1974 "He's Misstra Know It All" – – – – 10 "You Haven't Done Nothin'" (with The Jackson 5) 1 1 – – 30 "Boogie On Reggae Woman" 3 1 – – 12 1977 "I Wish" 1 1 – – 5 "Sir Duke" 1 1 – – 2 "Another Star" 32 18 – – 29 "As" 36 36 – – – 1979 "Send One Your Love" 4 5 – – – 1980 "Master Blaster (Jammin')" 3 1 1 1 2 "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" 10 4 – – 11 1981 "Lately" – – – – 3 "Happy Birthday" – 17 – – 2 "That Girl" 3 1 – – 39 1982 "Do I Do" 7 2 – – 10 "Ebony and Ivory" (with Paul McCartney) 1 8 – – 1 "Ribbon in the Sky" – 9 – – – 1984 "I Just Called to Say I Love You" 1 1 – 1 1 1985 "Part-Time Lover" 1 1 1 1 3 "That's What Friends Are For" (with Dionne Warwick, Elton John and Gladys Knight) 1 1 – 1 16 "Love Light in Flight" 17 4 6 10 – 1986 "Go Home" 10 2 1 1 – "Land of La La" – 19 – – – "Overjoyed" 24 8 – 1 17 1987 "Skeletons" 17 1 20 – – 1988 "Get It" (with Michael Jackson) – 4 – – 37 "My Eyes Don't Cry" – 6 12 – – "You Will Know" – 1 – – – 1989 "With Each Beat of My Heart" – 28 – – – 1990 "Keep Our Love Alive" – 24 – – – 1991 "Fun Day (From "Jungle Fever")" – 6 – – – "Gotta Have You (From "Jungle Fever")" – 3 – – – 1992 "These Three Words" – 7 – – – 1995 "For Your Love" – 11 – 30 23 2005 "So What the Fuss" – 34 – 40 19 "From the Bottom of My Heart" – 25 – 7 – U.S. and UK albumsYear Album Chart positions US US R&B UK 1963 Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius 1 – – 1966 Up-Tight 33 2 – 1966 Down to Earth 72 8 – 1967 I Was Made to Love Her 45 7 – 1968 For Once in My Life 50 4 – 1969 My Cherie Amour 34 3 17 1970 Signed, Sealed, and Delivered 25 7 – 1971 Where I'm Coming From – 7 – 1972 Music of My Mind 21 6 – 1972 Talking Book 3 1 16 1973 Innervisions 4 1 6 1974 Fulfillingness' First Finale 1 1 5 1976 Songs in the Key of Life 1 1 2 1979 Journey through the Secret Life of Plants 4 4 7 1980 Hotter than July 2 1 2 1982 Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium 4 1 8 1984 The Woman in Red 4 1 2 1985 In Square Circle 5 1 5 1987 Characters 17 1 33 1995 Conversation Peace 17 2 8 1996 Natural Wonder – 88 – 1996 Song Review A Greatest Hits Collection – 100 19 2000 At the Close of a Century – 100 – 2002 The Definitive Collection 35 28 – 2004 Best Of Stevie Wonder: 20th Century Masters Christmas Collection – 90 – 2005 A Time to Love 5 2 24 2007 Number 1's 171 40 23 Awards and recognition Grammy Awards Wonder has won 22 Grammy Awards:as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award which he was presented in 1996. Year Award Title 1973 Best Rhythm & Blues Song "Superstition" 1973 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male "Superstition" 1973 Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male "You are the Sunshine of My Life" 1973 Album of the Year Innervisions 1974 Best Rhythm & Blues Song "Living for the City" 1974 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "Boogie On Reggae Woman" 1974 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Fulfillingness' First Finale 1974 Album of the Year Fulfillingness' First Finale 1976 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "I Wish" 1976 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Songs in the Key of Life[75] 1976 Best Producer of the Year* N/A 1976 Album of the Year Songs in the Key of Life 1985 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance In Square Circle 1986 Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (awarded to Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Wonder) "That's What Friends Are For" 1995 Best Rhythm & Blues Song "For Your Love" 1995 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "For Your Love" 1998 Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) (awarded to Herbie Hancock, Robert Sadin, and Wonder) "St. Louis Blues" 1998 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "St. Louis Blues" 2002 Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals (awarded to Wonder and Take 6) "Love's in Need of Love Today" 2005 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance "From the Bottom of My Heart" 2005 Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals (awarded to Beyoncé and Wonder) "So Amazing" 2006 Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals (awarded to Tony Bennett and Wonder) "For Once In My Life" From 1965 to 1980 a self-produced artist received one GRAMMY Award as an artist and an additional one as a producer in the Record of the Year and Album of the Year categories Other awards and recognition 1983: inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. 1984: received an Academy Award for Best Song for "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from the movie The Woman in Red. 1989: inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 1999: received the Polar Music Prize and Kennedy Center Honors. 2002: received the George and Ira Gershwin Lifetime Achievement Award at UCLA's Spring Sing.The same year, Wonder received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. 2004: received the Billboard Century Award. Also in 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Rock and Roll Artists of All Time. 2006: was inducted, as one of the first inductees, into the Michigan Walk of Fame. The same year, Wonder received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. 2008: Ranked at number five on "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists", making him as the third most successful male artist in the history of Billboard Hot 100 chart. 2009: Recipient of the second Gershwin Prize For Popular Song. 2009: Recipient of the Montreal Jazz Festival Spirit Award. This special award underlines a popular artist’s extraordinary contribution to the musical world. The Montreal Jazz Festival Spirit Award is in bronze. 2009: Named a Messenger of Peace by the United Nations.
Winston Scott: Stevland Hardaway Morris (born May 13, 1950 as Stevland Hardaway Judkins),known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist.Blind since shortly after birth,Wonder signed with Motown's Tamla label at the age of eleven,and continues to perform and record for Motown to this day. Among Wonder's best known works are singles such as "Superstition", "Sir Duke", "I Wish" and "I Just Called to Say I Love You". Well known albums also include Talking Book, Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life.He has recorded more than thirty U.S. top ten hits and received twenty-two Grammy Awards, the most ever awarded to a male solo artist. 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 2008, Billboard magazine released a list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists to celebrate the US singles chart's fiftieth anniversary, with Wonder at number five. Early lifeStevie Wonder was born in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1950, the third of six children to Calvin Judkins and Lula Mae Hardaway. Owing to his being born six weeks premature, the blood vessels at the back of his eyes had not yet reached the front and their aborted growth caused the retinas to detach.The medical term for this condition is retinopathy of prematurity, or ROP, and it was exacerbated by the oxygen pumped into his incubator. When Stevie Wonder was four, his mother left his father and moved herself and her children to Detroit. She changed her name back to Lula Hardaway and later changed her son's surname to Morris, partly because of relatives. Morris has remained Stevie Wonder's legal surname ever since. He began playing instruments at an early age, including piano, harmonica, drums and bass. During childhood he was active in his church choir. Discovery and early Motown recordings Ronnie White of The Miracles gives credit to his brother Gerald White for persistently nagging him to come to his friend's house in 1961 to check out Stevie Wonder.Afterward, White brought Wonder and his mother to Motown. Impressed by the young musician, Motown CEO Berry Gordy signed Wonder to Motown's Tamla label with the name Little Stevie Wonder. Before signing, producer Clarence Paul gave Wonder his trademark name after stating "we can't keep calling him the eighth wonder of the world". He then recorded the regional Detroit single, "I Call It Pretty Music, But the Old People Call It the Blues", which was released on Tamla in late 1961. Wonder released his first two albums, The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie and Tribute to Uncle Ray, in 1962, to little success. Music career (xxxx?) Early success: 1963–1971 By age 13, Wonder had a major hit, "Fingertips (Pt. 2)", a 1963 single taken from a live recording of a Motor Town Revue performance, issued on the album Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius. The song, featuring Wonder on vocals, bongos, and harmonica, and a young Marvin Gaye on drums, was a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts, making him the youngest artist to top the former in its history and launching him into the public consciousness. In 1964, Stevie Wonder made his film debut in Muscle Beach Party as himself, credited as "Little Stevie Wonder". He returned in the sequel released five months later, Bikini Beach. He performed on-screen in both films, singing "Happy Street," and "Happy Feelin' (Dance and Shout)," respectively. Dropping the "Little" from his name, Wonder went on to have a number of other hits during the mid-1960s, including "Uptight (Everything's Alright)", "With a Child's Heart", and "Blowin' in the Wind", a Bob Dylan cover, co-sung by his mentor, producer Clarence Paul. He also began to work in the Motown songwriting department, composing songs both for himself and his label mates, including "Tears of a Clown", a number one hit performed by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. In 1968 he recorded an album of instrumental soul/jazz tracks, mostly harmonica solos, under the pseudonym (and title) Eivets Rednow, which is "Stevie Wonder" spelled backwards. The album failed to get much attention, and its only single, a cover of "Alfie", only reached number 66 on the U.S. Pop charts and number 11 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary charts. Nonetheless, he managed to score several hits between 1968 and 1970 such as "I Was Made to Love Her"; "For Once in My Life" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours". In September 1970, at the age of 20, Wonder married Syreeta Wright, a songwriter and former Motown secretary. Wright and Wonder co-wrote the songs on the next album, Where I'm Coming From, which did not succeed in the charts. Reaching his twenty-first birthday on May 13, 1971, he allowed his Motown contract to expire. In 1970, Wonder co-wrote, and played numerous instruments on the hit "It's a Shame" for fellow Motown act The Spinners. His contribution was meant to be a showcase of his talent and thus a weapon in his ongoing negotiations with Gordy about creative autonomy. Classic period: 1972–1976 Wonder independently recorded two albums, which he used as a bargaining tool while negotiating with Motown.xxEventually the label agreed to his demands for full creative control and the rights to his own songs. The 120-page contract was a precedent at Motown and gave Wonder a much higher royalty rate.Wonder returned to Motown in March 1972 with Music of My Mind. Unlike most previous albums on Motown, which usually consisted of a collection of singles, B-sides and covers, Music of My Mind was a full-length artistic statement with songs flowing together thematically.Wonder's lyrics dealt with social, political, and mystical themes as well as standard romantic ones, while musically Wonder began exploring overdubbing and recording most of the instrumental parts himself. Music of My Mind marked the beginning of a long collaboration with Tonto's Expanding Head Band (Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil). Released in late 1972, Talking Book featured the No. 1 hit "Superstition", which is one of the most distinctive and famous examples of the sound of the Hohner clavinet keyboard.The song features a rocking groove that garnered Wonder an additional audience on rock radio stations.[citation needed] Talking Book also featured "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", which also peaked at No. 1. During the same time as the album's release, Stevie Wonder began touring with the Rolling Stones to alleviate the negative effects from pigeon-holing as a result of being an R&B artist in America.Wonder's touring with The Rolling Stones was also a factor behind the success of both "Superstition" and "You Are the Sunshine of My Life". Between them, the two songs won three Grammy Awards. On an episode of the children's television show Sesame Street that aired in April 1973,Wonder and his band performed "Superstition", as well as an original song called "Sesame Street Song", which demonstrated his abilities with the "talk box". Innervisions, released in 1973, featured "Higher Ground" (#4 on the pop charts) as well as the trenchant "Living for the City" (#8). Both songs reached No. 1 on the R&B charts. Popular ballads such as "Golden Lady" and "All in Love Is Fair" were also present, in a mixture of moods that nevertheless held together as a unified whole.Innervisions generated three more Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The album is ranked #23 on Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[ Wonder had become the most influential and acclaimed black musician of the early 1970s. On August 6, 1973, Wonder was in a serious automobile accident while on tour in North Carolina, when a car in which he was riding hit the back of a truck. This left him in a coma for four days and resulted in a partial loss of his sense of smell and a temporary loss of sense of taste. Despite the setback, Wonder re-appeared in concert at Madison Square Garden in March 1974 with a performance that highlighted both up-tempo material and long, building improvisations on mid-tempo songs such as "Living for the City".The album Fulfillingness' First Finale appeared in July 1974 and set two hits high on the pop charts: the #1 "You Haven't Done Nothin'" and the Top Ten "Boogie On Reggae Woman". The Album of the Year was again one of three Grammys won. The same year Wonder took part in a Los Angeles jam session which would become known by the bootleg album A Toot and a Snore in '74. He also co-wrote and produced the Syreeta Wright album Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta. On October 4, 1975, Wonder performed at the historical "Wonder Dream Concert" in Kingston, Jamaica, a benefit for the Jamaican Institute for the Blind. By 1975, in his 25th year, Stevie Wonder had won two consecutive Grammy Awards: in 1974 for Innervisions and in 1975 for Fulfillingness' First Finale.[citation needed] In 1975 he featured on the album It's My Pleasure by Billy Preston, playing harmonica on two tracks.[not relevant] The double album-with-extra-EP Songs in the Key of Life, was released in September 1976. Sprawling in style, unlimited in ambition, and sometimes lyrically difficult to fathom, the album was hard for some listeners to assimilate, yet is regarded by many as Wonder's crowning achievement and one of the most recognizable and accomplished albums in pop music history.The album became the first of an American artist to debut straight at #1 in the Billboard charts, where it remained for 14 non-consecutive weeks. Two tracks, became #1 Pop/R&B hits "I Wish" and "Sir Duke". The baby-celebratory "Isn't She Lovely?" was written about his newborn daughter Aisha, while songs such as "Love's in Need of Love Today" (which years later Wonder would perform at the post-September 11, 2001 America: A Tribute to Heroes telethon) and "Village Ghetto Land" reflected a far more pensive mood. Songs in the Key of Life won Album of the Year and two other Grammys. The album ranks 56th on Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. After such a concentrated and sustained level of creativity, Wonder stopped recording for three years, releasing only the 3 LP Looking Back, an anthology of his first Motown period. The albums Wonder released during this period were very influential on the music world: the 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide said they "pioneered stylistic approaches that helped to determine the shape of pop music for the next decade"; Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time included four of the five albums, with three in the top 90. Commercial period: 1979–1990It was in Wonder's next phase that he began to commercially reap the rewards of his legendary classic period. The 1980s saw Wonder scoring his biggest hits and reaching an unprecedented level of fame evidenced by increased album sales, charity participation, high-profile collaborations, political impact, and television appearances. When Wonder did return, it was with the soundtrack album Journey through the Secret Life of Plants (1979), featured in the film The Secret Life of Plants. Mostly instrumental, the album was composed using the Computer Music Melodian, an early sampler. Wonder toured briefly in support of the album, and used a Fairlight CMI sampler on stage.[30] In this year Wonder also wrote and produced the dance hit "Let's Get Serious", performed by Jermaine Jackson and (ranked by Billboard as the #1 R&B single of 1980). Hotter than July (1980) became Wonder's first platinum-selling single album, and its single "Happy Birthday" was a successful vehicle for his campaign to establish Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday as a national holiday. The album also included "Master Blaster (Jammin')", "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It", and the sentimental ballad, "Lately". In 1982, Wonder released a retrospective of his 1970s work with Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium, which included four new songs: the ten-minute funk classic "Do I Do" (which featured Dizzy Gillespie), "That Girl" (one of the year's biggest singles to chart on the R&B side), "Front Line", a narrative about a soldier in the Vietnam War that Stevie Wonder wrote and sang in the 1st person, and "Ribbon in the Sky", one of his many classic compositions. Wonder also gained a #1 hit that year in collaboration with Paul McCartney in their paean to racial harmony, "Ebony and Ivory". In 1983, Wonder performed the song "Stay Gold", the theme to Francis Ford Coppola's film adaptation of S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders. Wonder wrote the lyrics. In 1983, Wonder scheduled an album to be entitled "People Work, Human Play." The album never surfaced and instead 1984 saw the release of Wonder's soundtrack album for The Woman in Red. The lead single, "I Just Called to Say I Love You", was a #1 pop and R&B hit in both the United States and the United Kingdom, where it was placed 13th in the list of best-selling singles in the UK published in 2002. It went on to win an Academy Award for "Best Song" in 1985. The album also featured a guest appearance by Dionne Warwick, singing the duet "It's You" with Stevie and a few songs of her own. The following year's In Square Circle featured the #1 pop hit "Part-Time Lover". The album also has a Top 10 Hit with "Go Home." It also featured the ballad "Overjoyed" which was originally written for Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants, but didn't make the album. He performed "Overjoyed" on Saturday Night Live when he was the host. He was also featured in Chaka Khan's cover of Prince's "I Feel For You", alongside Melle Mel, playing his signature harmonica. In roughly the same period he was also featured on harmonica on Eurythmics' single, "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" and Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues". By 1985, Stevie Wonder was an American icon,[citation needed] the subject of good-humored jokes about blindness and affectionately impersonated by Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live.[citation needed] Wonder sometimes joined in the jokes himself such as in The Motown Revue with Smokey Robinson. He was in a featured duet with Bruce Springsteen on the all-star charity single for African Famine Relief, "We Are the World", and he was part of another charity single the following year (1986), the AIDS-inspired "That's What Friends Are For". He also played the harmonica on the album Dreamland Express by John Denver in the song "If Ever", a song Wonder co-wrote with Stephanie Andrews. He also wrote the track "I Do Love You" for The Beach Boys' 1985 self-titled album. Stevie Wonder also played the harmonica on a track called "Can't Help Lovin' That Man" from "Showboat" on "The Broadway Album" by Barbra Streisand. In 1986, Stevie Wonder appeared on The Cosby Show, as himself, in the episode "A Touch of Wonder". In 1987, Wonder appeared on Michael Jackson's Bad album on the duet "Just Good Friends". Michael Jackson also sang a duet with him titled "Get It" on Wonder's 1987 album Characters. This was a minor hit single, as were "Skeletons" and "You Will Know". In the fall of 1988, Wonder duetted with Julio Iglesias on the hit single "My Love", which appeared on Iglesias' album Non Stop.[citation needed] Later career: 1991–2001 Stevie Wonder at the Grammy Awards of 1990After 1987's Characters LP, Wonder continued to release new material, but at a slower pace. He recorded a soundtrack album for Spike Lee's film Jungle Fever in 1991. From this album, singles and videos were released for "Gotta Have You" and "These Three Words". The B-side to the "Gotta Have You" single was "Feeding Off The Love Of The Land", which was played during the end credits of the movie Jungle Fever but was not included on the soundtrack. A piano and vocal version of "Feeding Off The Love Of The Land" was also released on the Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal compilation. It is rumored that "Feeding Off The Love Of The Land" was originally intended for release on Fulfillingness' First Finale Volume Two, a project that has never been confirmed as completed. Conversation Peace and the live album Natural Wonder were also released in the 1990s. The former received its European launch at a high-profile March 1995 press conference in Paris, where Stevie mentioned how the tearing down of The Wall between East and West Berlin and the desire for a united Europe had played a significant part in the inspiration behind the album. In 1994, Wonder made a guest appearance on the KISS cover album KISS My Ass: Classic KISS Regrooved, playing harmonica and supplying background vocals for the song "Deuce", performed by Lenny Kravitz. In 1996, Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life was selected as a documentary subject for the Classic Albums documentary series. This series dedicates 60 minutes to one groundbreaking record per feature. The same year, he performed John Lennon's song "Imagine" in the closing ceremony of the Atlanta Olympic Games. The same year, Wonder performed in a remix of "Seasons of Love" from the Jonathan Larson musical Rent. In 1997, Wonder collaborated with Babyface for a song about abuse (domestic violence) called "How Come, How Long" which was nominated for an award.[citation needed] In December 1999, Wonder announced that he was interested in pursuing an intraocular retinal prosthesis to partially restore his sight.That same year, Wonder was featured on harmonica in the Sting song "Brand New Day". In 2000, Stevie Wonder contributed two new songs to the soundtrack for Spike Lee's Bamboozled album ("Misrepresented People" and "Some Years Ago"). Current career: 2002–present This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may only interest a specific audience. Please help relocate any relevant information, and remove excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia inclusion policy. (June 2011) In March 2002, Wonder performed at the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Paralympics in Salt Lake City. On July 2, 2005, Wonder performed in the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia. Wonder's first new album in ten years, A Time to Love, was released on October 18, 2005, after having been pushed back from first a May, and then a June release. The album was released electronically on September 27, 2005, exclusively on Apple's iTunes Music Store. The first single, "So What the Fuss", was released in April. A second single, "From the Bottom of My Heart" was a hit on adult-contemporary R&B radio. The album also featured a duet with India.Arie on the title track "A Time to Love". Wonder performed at the pre-game show for Super Bowl XL in Detroit in early 2006, singing various hit singles (with his four-year-old son on drums) and accompanying Aretha Franklin during "The Star Spangled Banner". Stevie Wonder at a conference in Salvador, Brazil, in July 2006In March 2006, Wonder received new national exposure on the top-rated American Idol television program. Wonder performed "My Love Is on Fire" (from A Time To Love) live on the show itself. In June 2006, Stevie Wonder made a guest appearance on Busta Rhymes' new album, The Big Bang on the track "Been through the Storm". He sings the refrain and plays the piano on the Dr. Dre and Sha Money XL produced track. He appeared again on the last track of Snoop Dogg's new album Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, "Conversations". The song is a remake of "Have a Talk with God" from Songs in the Key of Life. In 2006, Wonder staged a duet with Andrea Bocelli on the latter's album Amore, offering harmonica and additional vocals on "Canzoni Stonate". Stevie Wonder also performed at Washington, D.C.'s 2006 "A Capitol Fourth" celebration. On August 2, 2007, Stevie Wonder announced the A Wonder Summer's Night 13 concert tour—his first U.S. tour in over ten years. This tour was inspired by the recent passing of his mother, as he stated at the conclusion of the tour on December 9 at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Wonder performs during the final day of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.On August 28, 2008, Wonder performed at the Democratic National Convention at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. Songs included a previously unreleased song, "Fear Can't Put Dreams to Sleep," and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours". On September 8, 2008, Wonder started the European leg of his Wonder Summer's Night Tour, the first time he had toured Europe in over a decade. His opening show was at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. During the tour, Wonder played eight UK gigs; four at The O2 Arena in London, two in Birmingham and two at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester. Stevie Wonder's other stops in the tour's European leg also found him performing in Holland (Rotterdam), Sweden (Stockholm), Germany (Cologne, Mannheim and Munich), Norway (Hamar), France (Paris), Italy (Milan) and Denmark (Aalborg). Wonder also toured Australia (Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane) and New Zealand (Christchurch, Auckland and New Plymouth) in October and November. By June 2008, Wonder was working on two projects simultaneously: a new album titled The Gospel Inspired By Lula which will deal with the various spiritual and cultural crises facing the world, and Through The Eyes Of Wonder, an album which Wonder has described as a performance piece that will reflect his experience as a blind man. Wonder was also keeping the door open for a collaboration with Tony Bennett and Quincy Jones concerning a rumored jazz album. If Wonder was to join forces with Bennett, it would not be for the first time; Their rendition of "For Once in My Life" earned them a Grammy for best pop collaboration with vocals in 2006. Wonder's harmonica playing can be heard on the 2009 Grammy-nominated "Never Give You Up" featuring CJ Hilton and Raphael Saadiq. Wonder is presented the Gershwin Award for Lifetime Achievement by United States president Barack Obama.Wonder performed on January 18, 2009 at the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial. On Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009, Wonder performed the song "Brand New Day" with musician Sting. He performed his new song "All About the Love Again" and, with other musical artists, "Signed, Sealed & Delivered". On February 23, 2009, Wonder became the second recipient of the Library of Congress's Gershwin Prize for pop music, honored by President Barack Obama at the White House. On July 7, 2009, Wonder performed "Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer" and "They Won't Go When I Go" at the Staples Center for Michael Jackson's memorial service. On October 29, 2009, Wonder performed at the 25th anniversary concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Among songs with B.B. King, Wonder performed Michael Jackson's 'The Way You Make Me Feel', during which he became distraught and was unable to continue until he regained his composure. Wonder at the October 16, 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial dedication concertOn January 22, 2010, Wonder performed Bridge Over Troubled Water for the Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief event to help victims of the earthquake in Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010. On March 6, 2010, Wonder was awarded the Commander of the Arts and Letters by French Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterrand. Wonder had been due to receive this award in 1981, but scheduling problems prevented this from happening. A lifetime achievement award was also given to Wonder on the same day, at France's biggest music awards. His 2010 tour included a two-hour set at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, a stop at London's "Hard Rock Calling" in Hyde Park, and appearances at England's Glastonbury Festival, Rotterdam's North Sea Jazz Festival, and a concert in Bergen, Norway and a concert in Dublin, Ireland at the O2 Arena on June 24. In February 2011, the Apollo Theater announced that Stevie Wonder will be the next in line for the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame. The theater said that the singer will be inducted into the New York City institution's Hall of Fame in five months. On June 25, 2011, Wonder performed at the opening ceremony of the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece. On January 28, 2012, Wonder and Christina Aguilera gave a musical tribute at Etta James' funeral. Wonder played "Shelter in the Rain" and The Lord's Prayer while while Aguilera sang "At Last." Wonder performed at the February 19, 2012 memorial service for Whitney Houston at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. He changed some of the lyrics of his song Ribbon in the Sky in dedication to Ms. Houston. LegacyA prominent figure in popular music during the latter half of the 20th century, Wonder has recorded more than thirty U.S. top ten hits and won twenty-two Grammy Awards (the most ever won by a solo artist) as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also won an Academy Award for Best Song,and been inducted into both the Rock and Roll and Songwriters halls of fame. He has also been awarded the Polar Music Prize. American music magazine Rolling Stone named him the ninth greatest singer of all time. In June 2009 he became the fourth artist to receive the Montreal Jazz Festival Spirit Award. Stevie Wonder was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame in 2005. His hit recording of "Superstition" was selected as a Legendary Michigan Song in 2010. He has ten U.S. number-one hits on the pop charts as well as 20 R&B number one hits, and album sales totaling more than 100 million units. Wonder has recorded several critically acclaimed albums and hit singles, and writes and produces songs for many of his label mates and outside artists as well. Wonder plays the piano, synthesizer, harmonica, congas, drums, bass guitar, bongos, organ, melodica, and clavinet. In his childhood, he was best known for his harmonica work, but today he is better known for his keyboard skills and vocal ability. Wonder was the first Motown artist and second African American musician to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song for his 1984 hit single "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from the movie The Woman in Red.[citation needed] Classic periodWonder's "classic period" is generally agreed to consist of the concept albums he created in the early- to mid-1970s, peaking in 1976.Some observers see in 1971's Where I'm Coming From certain indications of the beginning of the classic period, such as its new funky keyboard style which Wonder used throughout the classic period. Some determine Wonder's first "classic" album to be 1972's Music of My Mind, on which he attained personal control of production, and on which he programmed a series of songs integrated with one another to make a concept album. Others skip over early 1972 and determine the beginning of the classic period to be Talking Book in late 1972, the album in which Wonder "hit his stride". ImpactWonder's songs are renowned for being quite difficult to sing. He has a very developed sense of harmony and uses many extended chords utilizing extensions such as ninths, elevenths, thirteenths, diminished fifths, etc. in his compositions. Many of his melodies make abrupt, unpredictable changes. Many of his vocal melodies are also melismatic, meaning that a syllable is sung over several notes. Some of his best known and most frequently covered songs are played in keys which are more often found in jazz than in pop and rock. For example, "Superstition", "Higher Ground" and "I Wish" are in the key of E flat minor, and feature distinctive riffs in the E flat minor pentatonic scale (i.e. largely on the black notes of the keyboard).[citation needed] Wonder played a large role in bringing synthesizers to the forefront of popular music. He developed many new textures and sounds never heard before.[citation needed] In 1981, Wonder became the first owner of an E-mu Emulator. Songs sampled by other musicians This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may only interest a specific audience. Please help relocate any relevant information, and remove excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia inclusion policy. (June 2011) Wonder has recorded with Jon Gibson, a Christian Soul musician, on a remake of his own song, "Have a Talk With God" (from the 1989 album Body & Soul), covered by Gibson in which Wonder plays harmonica.[64] The two men met in the early 1980s through a shared music agent (Bill Wolfer). Red Hot Chili Peppers covered "Higher Ground" in 1989 on their Mother's Milk album. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble covered "Superstition" and Wonder made a cameo appearance in the official music video for the song.[citation needed] De La Soul sampled "Hey Love" in their song "Talkin' Bout Hey Love" on their 1991 album De La Soul Is Dead. "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" was rendered by English band Incognito in 1992 and John Legend covered this song for the 2005 film, Hitch. George Michael and Mary J. Blige covered "As" in the late 1990s. In 1999, Salomé de Bahia made a Brazilian version of "Another Star". Tupac Shakur sampled "That Girl" for his hit song "So Many Tears".[citation needed] "Pastime Paradise" would become an interpolation for Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" while Will Smith would use "I Wish" as the basis for the theme song to his movie, Wild Wild West. The elements of "Love's In Need of Love Today" were used by 50 Cent in the song "Ryder Music", and Warren G sampled "Village Ghetto Land" for his song "Ghetto Village".[citation needed] Mary Mary did a cover of his song "You Will Know" on their 2002 album, Incredible. Australian soul artist Guy Sebastian recorded a cover of "I Wish" on his Beautiful Life album. In 2003, Raven-Symoné recorded a cover of "Superstition" for the soundtrack to Disney's The Haunted Mansion. In 2005, Canadian singer Dave Moffatt, from the group The Moffatts, sang the song "Overjoyed" from the In Square Circle album on Canadian Idol. Clay Aiken performed "Isn't She Lovely?" in the episode "My Life in Four Cameras" of Scrubs.[citation needed] Personal life Wonder has been married twice: to Motown singer Syreeta Wright from 1970 until their divorce in 1972; and since 2001, to fashion designer Kai Milla Morris. He has seven children from his two marriages and several relationships. Stevie met Yolanda Simmons when she applied for a job as his secretary for his publishing company.Simmons bore Wonder a daughter on February 2, 1975: Aisha Morris.) According to Stevie, the name Aisha is "African for strength and intelligence". After she was born, Stevie said "she was the one thing that I needed in my life and in my music for a long time. It was this in mind, she was the inspiration for his hit single "Isn't She Lovely." Aisha Morris is a singer who has toured with her father and accompanied him on recordings, including his 2005 album, A Time 2 Love. Wonder has two sons with Kai Milla Morris; the older is named Kailand and he occasionally performs as a drummer on stage with his father. The younger son, Mandla Kadjay Carl Stevland Morris, was born May 13, 2005, his father's 55th birthday. In May 2006, Wonder's mother died in Los Angeles, at the age of 76. During his September 8, 2008 UK concert in Birmingham, he spoke of his decision to begin touring again following his loss. "I want to take all the pain that I feel and celebrate and turn it around". Wonder's Taxi Productions owns Los Angeles radio station KJLH. Charting discography: Stevie Wonder discography Top 40 singlesYear Title Chart positions US US R&B US Dance US AC UK 1963 "Fingertips – Pt. 2" 1 1 – – – 1966 "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" 3 1 – – 14 "Blowin' in the Wind" 9 1 – – 36 "A Place in the Sun" 9 3 – – 20 1967 "I Was Made to Love Her" 2 1 – – 5 1968 "For Once in My Life" 2 1 – – 3 "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" 9 1 – – – 1969 "My Cherie Amour" 4 4 – – 4 "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" 7 5 – – 2 1970 "Never Had a Dream Come True" 26 11 – – 5 "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" 3 1 – – 15 "Heaven Help Us All" 8 2 – – 29 1971 "We Can Work It Out" 13 3 – – 27 "If You Really Love Me" 8 4 – – 20 1972 "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" 33 13 – – – "Superstition" 1 1 – – 11 1973 "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" 1 3 – – 3 "Higher Ground" 4 1 – – 29 "Living for the City" 8 1 – – 15 "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" 16 2 – – - 1974 "He's Misstra Know It All" – – – – 10 "You Haven't Done Nothin'" (with The Jackson 5) 1 1 – – 30 "Boogie On Reggae Woman" 3 1 – – 12 1977 "I Wish" 1 1 – – 5 "Sir Duke" 1 1 – – 2 "Another Star" 32 18 – – 29 "As" 36 36 – – – 1979 "Send One Your Love" 4 5 – – – 1980 "Master Blaster (Jammin')" 3 1 1 1 2 "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" 10 4 – – 11 1981 "Lately" – – – – 3 "Happy Birthday" – 17 – – 2 "That Girl" 3 1 – – 39 1982 "Do I Do" 7 2 – – 10 "Ebony and Ivory" (with Paul McCartney) 1 8 – – 1 "Ribbon in the Sky" – 9 – – – 1984 "I Just Called to Say I Love You" 1 1 – 1 1 1985 "Part-Time Lover" 1 1 1 1 3 "That's What Friends Are For" (with Dionne Warwick, Elton John and Gladys Knight) 1 1 – 1 16 "Love Light in Flight" 17 4 6 10 – 1986 "Go Home" 10 2 1 1 – "Land of La La" – 19 – – – "Overjoyed" 24 8 – 1 17 1987 "Skeletons" 17 1 20 – – 1988 "Get It" (with Michael Jackson) – 4 – – 37 "My Eyes Don't Cry" – 6 12 – – "You Will Know" – 1 – – – 1989 "With Each Beat of My Heart" – 28 – – – 1990 "Keep Our Love Alive" – 24 – – – 1991 "Fun Day (From "Jungle Fever")" – 6 – – – "Gotta Have You (From "Jungle Fever")" – 3 – – – 1992 "These Three Words" – 7 – – – 1995 "For Your Love" – 11 – 30 23 2005 "So What the Fuss" – 34 – 40 19 "From the Bottom of My Heart" – 25 – 7 – U.S. and UK albumsYear Album Chart positions US US R&B UK 1963 Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius 1 – – 1966 Up-Tight 33 2 – 1966 Down to Earth 72 8 – 1967 I Was Made to Love Her 45 7 – 1968 For Once in My Life 50 4 – 1969 My Cherie Amour 34 3 17 1970 Signed, Sealed, and Delivered 25 7 – 1971 Where I'm Coming From – 7 – 1972 Music of My Mind 21 6 – 1972 Talking Book 3 1 16 1973 Innervisions 4 1 6 1974 Fulfillingness' First Finale 1 1 5 1976 Songs in the Key of Life 1 1 2 1979 Journey through the Secret Life of Plants 4 4 7 1980 Hotter than July 2 1 2 1982 Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium 4 1 8 1984 The Woman in Red 4 1 2 1985 In Square Circle 5 1 5 1987 Characters 17 1 33 1995 Conversation Peace 17 2 8 1996 Natural Wonder – 88 – 1996 Song Review A Greatest Hits Collection – 100 19 2000 At the Close of a Century – 100 – 2002 The Definitive Collection 35 28 – 2004 Best Of Stevie Wonder: 20th Century Masters Christmas Collection – 90 – 2005 A Time to Love 5 2 24 2007 Number 1's 171 40 23 Awards and recognition Grammy Awards Wonder has won 22 Grammy Awards:as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award which he was presented in 1996. Year Award Title 1973 Best Rhythm & Blues Song "Superstition" 1973 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male "Superstition" 1973 Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male "You are the Sunshine of My Life" 1973 Album of the Year Innervisions 1974 Best Rhythm & Blues Song "Living for the City" 1974 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "Boogie On Reggae Woman" 1974 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Fulfillingness' First Finale 1974 Album of the Year Fulfillingness' First Finale 1976 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "I Wish" 1976 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Songs in the Key of Life[75] 1976 Best Producer of the Year* N/A 1976 Album of the Year Songs in the Key of Life 1985 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance In Square Circle 1986 Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (awarded to Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Wonder) "That's What Friends Are For" 1995 Best Rhythm & Blues Song "For Your Love" 1995 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "For Your Love" 1998 Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) (awarded to Herbie Hancock, Robert Sadin, and Wonder) "St. Louis Blues" 1998 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "St. Louis Blues" 2002 Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals (awarded to Wonder and Take 6) "Love's in Need of Love Today" 2005 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance "From the Bottom of My Heart" 2005 Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals (awarded to Beyoncé and Wonder) "So Amazing" 2006 Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals (awarded to Tony Bennett and Wonder) "For Once In My Life" From 1965 to 1980 a self-produced artist received one GRAMMY Award as an artist and an additional one as a producer in the Record of the Year and Album of the Year categories Other awards and recognition 1983: inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. 1984: received an Academy Award for Best Song for "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from the movie The Woman in Red. 1989: inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 1999: received the Polar Music Prize and Kennedy Center Honors. 2002: received the George and Ira Gershwin Lifetime Achievement Award at UCLA's Spring Sing.The same year, Wonder received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. 2004: received the Billboard Century Award. Also in 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Rock and Roll Artists of All Time. 2006: was inducted, as one of the first inductees, into the Michigan Walk of Fame. The same year, Wonder received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. 2008: Ranked at number five on "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists", making him as the third most successful male artist in the history of Billboard Hot 100 chart. 2009: Recipient of the second Gershwin Prize For Popular Song. 2009: Recipient of the Montreal Jazz Festival Spirit Award. This special award underlines a popular artist’s extraordinary contribution to the musical world. The Montreal Jazz Festival Spirit Award is in bronze. 2009: Named a Messenger of Peace by the United Nations.
Christopher Strunk: homociders, orgiers, bio-ethic homiciders, whitney houston was naked in a bath tub when found dead. a naked corpse is a sign of a gay homocider killer. rape each other hetero. jesus was kissed by judas a homo. do you go with jesus a celibate or judas a homo. what's michelle bachmann doing up there. republicans your gay goose is cooked. this women is a kook and a lot fun to listen to. but how far are her ramblings from pat robertson who blamed gay people for 911. obama has laid the bait and i bet there are a million of kooks ready to bite.
Damiano Songs: Whitney's family lands TV deal Whitney Houston's family will star in their own reality television show. The late pop icon's daughter Bobbi Kristina, mother Cissy, brother Gary, sister-in-law and manager Pat Houston and Pat's daughter Rayah will all feature in the series, called The Houston Family Choronicles, which has been picked up by Lifetime. Also scheduled to appear on the show are Houston's cousin Dionne Warwick and CeCe Winans, who performed with the singer on her hit track Count On Me. The programme will follow Houston's family as they face the world without the I Will Always Love You pop star after she was found dead in her hotel room bath tub in February. The network says the show will join the Houston family "as they take on their greatest challenge, supporting and guiding Bobbi Kristina as she faces the world alone, without the one person she relied on the most, her mother". Rob Sharenow, executive vice president of programming at Lifetime Networks, said in a statement: "The tragic loss of Whitney Houston left a void in the hearts of people all over the world, but certainly none more so than her beloved family. "In this series, the multi-generations of the Houston family will bravely reveal their lives as they bond together to heal, love, and grow." Lifetime plans to screen 10 episodes of The Houston Family Chronicles, which will air later this year. Pat revealed that she had been working with production company Simmons Shelley on a similar project, but Houston's untimely death changed the "direction" of the planned show. She said in a statement: "I have been working with Simmons Shelley over the past few years developing a project suitable for myself and our family. "The unexpected passing of Whitney certainly affects the direction of the show. However, it is my hope that others will be enlightened as they watch our family heal and move forward."
William Wills: I am sure you all think I am full of shit...a piece of shit. Well, Amy Philpot keeps good records. I received permission from Amy to spend a weekend in a hotel room alone to write. I said, "I have a loved one in need". I want to spend some time...please Amy." Of course she said, "Yes". I spent the time researching Whitney Houston, writing and listening to her sing...while writing I received an email that Whitney was just found dead in a hotel room alone...same day. This happens with me all the time. It use to startle me...it use to upset me...it use to make me crazy a little bit.....not any more. I was sad about some of the things people then said about Whitney. All I said was, "Thank you Whitney, I love you too", Sandy
Rima Isam Anabtawi: HEARTBREAKING
Jared Lerwick: This is how Brietbart was murdered. Jack Wheeler To The Point News So, we know that Andrew Breitbart's face was bright red when he died. That is not the face of heart failure. Heart failure causes ashen, bluish or pale skin. That is a fact, and no amount of wishing Andrew Breitbart died of simple heart failure will make that stubborn fact go away. Given that he did not die of simple heart failure, and had alarmingly red skin, what are the necessary implications? Something must have caused the reddening. It was not alcohol, because he only had one glass of pinot noir prior to his death. But note also, that in addition to Breitbart's bright red face, the eyewitness saw a band of bloodless white skin around the top of his head. Several poisons cause a sudden reddening of the skin and a sudden collapse. Of them, there is one in particular that can cause this. Moreover, this one particular poison is readily available everywhere in America, without any order being made to a chemical supply house. I could get my hands on this substance in a matter of minutes in any neighborhood. Only 700 mg, less than three-quarters of a gram, are needed to cause death. It is odorless, tasteless, and highly soluble in water. There would be no trouble dissolving this in a glass of red wine. It is not stable in vivo and would be gone by the time the autopsy was performed. There are many other possible poisons which could also have been used, but this one in particular is very accessible. It's the propellant in your car's airbag. Automotive airbags contain tens of grams of sodium azide. How can less than a gram kill you? The lethal biochemistry is: "Azide inhibits cytochrome oxidase by binding irreversibly to the heme cofactor in a process similar to the action of carbon monoxide. Sodium azide particularly affects organs that undergo high rates of respiration, such as the heart and the brain." In the Symptoms of Sodium Azide Chemical Poisoning, note two: skin redness and reduced blood pressure. The latter could account for the "white band" above his bright red face. Sodium azide is especially toxic to the heart and hence causes a rapid extreme drop in blood pressure. Breitbart may not have had enough blood pressure to pump blood up to the top of his head, so that blood would drain down, and he would faint. If the heart stopped at that time, the poisoned blood would never be pumped to the top part of his head, hence the white band on top. Note that symptoms such as blisters are caused by exposure to dust and would not occur if it were drunk - say, in a glass of wine. So, what was Andrew Breitbart doing just before he died? Having a glass of wine with a stranger, a man whom he had never met before, at the bar of The Brentwood. The stranger was Arthur Sando. The New York Times identifies him as a mere "marketing executive," treating as a mere bystander. In fact, the stranger who just happened to have a glass of wine with Breitbart, then left the murder scene just before his collapse and death, has a very relevant and interesting past that has not been previously reported: Arthur Sando was a political person from the start, with a degree in Political Science and a "native of Washington DC." He started out as a news anchor, bouncing from one station to another back in the 1970's in Philadelphia and New York. In January of 1977 he landed a job as Press Secretary to a member of the House of Representatives. Presumably he was working for one of the 36 Democrat representatives who lost their position in January of 1981 in the election that brought Ronald Reagan to power. Thus when the Reagan Revolution arrived, he lost his job. He was immediately picked up by Turner Broadcasting as their first Public Relations Director. After that he was VP of Corporate Affairs at COMSAT, and then Senior Vice President at King World Productions and then Winstar Communications. After that he was named Senior Vice President at CBS Television Distribution from January 2001 to January 2007. This was certainly the big time for him. Apparently it was paved by his contacts working on the Democrat side of the House of Representatives. Sando is now 64, so in 2007 he was about 60 years of age when he left or was asked to leave his high level job at CBS. However, he kept somewhat active with his own consulting firm, helping arrange a tribute to Ted Turner last year. He also was a media representative for an old friend who had been a Turner and CBS executive. Quite often when someone has their own consulting firm it can be thought of as the same thing as "looking for a job". There were no more high level positions for him through the great recession. Eventually, in August last year, Sando took a job as VP of Corporate Communications at MonaVie. This was a substantial step down from his illustrious past. In fact, he was now working for an apparent pyramid marketing scheme run from Salt Lake City by Mormon executives. FEC records show these executives gave money primarily to Republicans. How the mighty have fallen! Having to work for Republicans for the first time, at a much lower level of prestige, and for a multilevel marketing operation that is widely thought to be a pyramid scam. I suspect he must have needed the money. Further evidence of needing money was his willingness to give an interview on Breitbart's death to an obscure on line news site, in an apparent trade for advertising for MonaVie. Immediately after the interview is an advertisement for MonaVie. In that interview he appeared nervous and ill at ease, with incongruent eye accessing cues. He could have been interviewed by CBS et al, but chose that obscure website. Also strange is his statement that he did not recognize Andrew Breitbart. "I couldn't place him." How could anyone "Well-versed in traditional and new media, has deep roots in television, maintains wide-ranging media contacts and keeps eye on big picture while attending to details," not recognize Andrew Breitbart? This is especially true of a politically connected person like Arthur Sando. He does not appear to be telling the truth. Arthur Sando's history paints a picture of a jealous, 4 year out of work lefty denizen of DC and media. It looks like he was forced to take a job with a Mormon pyramid scheme to pay the bills. He may have lost his cushy congress job long ago for some Democrat representative in the Reagan Revolution sweep. Talk about bitter! Andrew Breitbart epitomized and empowered the Tea Party Revolution. While Breitbart rose in wealth, stature and political success, Arthur Sando lived the opposite. And now Breitbart was about to unveil a video that would destroy Obama. This is not to accuse Mr. Sando of anything, much less murder. It is only a possibility that he could have slipped a tiny yet lethal amount of odorless, tasteless, soluble sodium azide into Breitbart's wine in those last critical minutes as Breitbart frequently checked his blackberry. Sando had motive, opportunity, connections, and no alibi for his being there. He claims he was just driving along home and stopped to have a drink there, for no particular reason, "on impulse." Thus he has no excuse, no alibi, for being there. But it is just a possibility, not an accusation. There was the waitstaff at the bar, other people were around who joined in a conversation with the famous Breitbart. Whoever it was, the sodium azide must not have been put in until there was little wine left in the glass. Since just 50 to 60 mg of the poison causes non-fatal collapse within 5 minutes, the full dose would have to be drunk in the last part of the glass or the collapse would happen before a full dose was administered. That also means the administration of the poison into the wine glass had to be within the last 5 minutes before his collapse. As Breitbart neared the end of his glass of wine, Arthur Sando paid his bill and left the bar. One or two minutes later Breitbart also paid and left, walked across the street in a normal manner, and then collapsed and died. Arthur Sando seems to be the only one with access to the glass of wine during that critical last few minutes. Remember that the facts are stubborn things. Breitbart did not die of simple heart failure. While the coroner's report stated death by heart failure, no coronary artery blood clot was found nor evidence of a stroke. His skin was bright red. We have a witness who repeatedly stated that he saw the red skin, with that band of blood-drained white skin above. Who else saw the red skin? You would think that the staff at the hospital he was taken to would have seen it. However, the hospital he was supposedly taken to (Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center) did not show his admission and at one point denied he had been admitted. Hospital staff would have recognized the signs of poisoning. However, it appears Andrew Breitbart's corpse was not taken inside there where it could be seen, red skin and all. Who else would have seen the red skin? The hospital referred inquiries to the Coroner's office. Michael Cormier was a technician in the Coroner's office whose job was to photograph corpses and autopsies as well as assist in them. He might have seen Breitbart's red skin. He might have taken photographs of Breitbart's skin. It was his job. A few days before the Coroner's report was to be released, Cormier had excruciating stomach pains and checked himself into the Kaiser Permanente hospital. They kept him for observation overnight and then released him the next day. Shortly thereafter he fell ill again and this second time he died. The apparent cause of death is arsenic poisoning. As he was incapacitated and dying the release of the coroner's report was announced for the next day. Thus Michael Cormier would not be able to object to anything in the report, nor would he be able to produce any photographs or other witnesses names. Cormier also had registered a DBA as an autopsy consultant. Exposing the story on Breitbart would have meant a lot of work for his consulting firm. Ed Winter, the Los Angeles Coroner's Assistant, has stated that Cormier had nothing to do with the Breitbart autopsy. Ed Winter is the person who made the "natural causes" announcement on Andrew Breitbart in just hours after Breitbart's death, and long before the autopsy could have been performed. (Recall that the cause of death for Whitney Houston took many weeks.) Ed Winter is also the man who claims that Breitbart was pronounced dead at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Ed Winter's job is to talk to the press on behalf of the Coroner's office. Thus Ed Winter has had a long string of celebrity overdose press conferences over the years. Indeed, Ed Winter is a Hollywood celebrity in his own right. The LA County coroner's office is unique in that it is the only one in the world to have its own tacky gift shop called Skeletons in the Closet. Does the Coroner's office have its own skeletons in the closet? How could they possibly miss the bright red skin of Breitbart? How could one of their own photographers die from poisoning, possibly after a second murder attempt when the first one failed? Andrew Breitbart said "Wait till they see what happens March 1st." "Breitbart told WND at CPAC that the not-yet released videos included footage of Ayers and Obama openly discussing revolution while Obama was a student at Harvard Law School." Yet what was actually released was something quite different and less inflammatory: Obama introducing a radical professor named Bell. "'The video did not seem as earthshattering as Breitbart initially claimed it to be, just weeks before the 43-year-old unexpectedly passed away at his home last Thursday,'" the New York Daily News observed. The bombshell was never able to be launched by Breitbart. Apparently someone could not let him get to the sunrise of March 1st to launch it. It might be more comforting to think Andrew Breitbart died of simple heart failure, but his bright red skin stands as mute testimony to the truth. As Sherlock Holmes/Conan Doyle stated "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." The collapse and resulting heart failure was due to poison, possibly the one that fits the symptoms and is easily available everywhere. One person in a position to administer it was a likely bitter, financially strapped, big media has-been, Democrat operative. Whoever administered the sodium azide was not, however, a lone wolf. Michael Cormier's murder points to others involved in Breitbart's Red Murder. At least now, conspiracy theorists have something to sink their teeth into.
Nonkululeko Mtungwa: NEWS READER ON TV: Breaking News, Whitney Houston was found dead in her hotel room last night, the forensic team believe she might have commited suicide........''Julius Malema: HHA! I'd rather kill myself than commit suiide! Lol nyt frnds
Ian Puckett: Gays don't live over 40 because Whitney Houston was found dead and naked. Very sound logic.
Robyn Stewart: This woman is crazy. Why did they let her go on and on...among other things, she said "Whitney Houston was found dead naked in the bathtub..."
Beverly Hilton hotel employees tell TMZ ... Whitney Houston was found dead in the bathtub of her room. As we previously reported, a member of Whitney's ...
US police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of US pop star Whitney Houston whose body was found in a Beverly Hills hotel room yesterday ...
Whitney Houston, the soaring singer whose Grammy-winning, chart-topping career was ... Police in Beverly Hills, Calif., said the singer was pronounced dead at the ...
Police: Whitney Houston found dead in her hotel room (3:06) Feb. 12, 2012 - Lieutenant Mark Rosen from the Beverly Hill Police Department confirms Whitney Houston ...
Singer Whitney Houston has died at age 48, publicist Kristen Foster says. Sources said Houston died at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles this afternoon, US ...
Whitney Houston has been found dead at 48. ... Whitney Houston found dead Singer and actress found dead at 48-years-old
whitney houston, dead, illuminati, whitney houston dead, whitney houston death, whitney houston cause of death, whitney houston illuminati, 2012, broke, poor, whitney ...
Singer Whitney Houston, who reigned as one of the world's top pop stars in the 1980s and '90s but suffered from recurring bouts with drugs and alcohol, was ...
Please rest in peace Whitney, you will be missed by all. Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston died at a Beverly Hills, California, hotel at age 48 ...
Pop music icon Whitney Houston was found dead in a room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where she was to appear tonight at a Grammy pre-party with music industry ...
Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston was found dead Saturday at a Beverly Hills, California, hotel, officials said. She was 48. The entertainer, whose ...
Singer Whitney Houston has been found dead at the age of 48. The pop star known for her hits Saving All My Love for You, How Will I Know and The Greatest Love of All ...
Whitney Houston found dead, aged 48. Publicist confirms death of troubled soul singer, one of the world's best-selling artists at her peak in the 80s and 90s
LOS ANGELES: Grammy-winning pop legend and actress Whitney Houston was found dead Saturday in Beverly Hills, police said. She was 48. The shock news came as the ...
TROUBLED superstar Whitney Houston was found dead in a hotel room bath after two nights of heavy partying, it has been claimed.
![UPDATE] Coroner confirms Whitney Houston found in bathtub ...](http://img.ibtimes.com/www/data/images/full/2012/02/13/231844-whitney-houston-dead.jpg)
