Mega Music Talent

Posts Tagged ‘concert’

Until November 1969, Carole King was known only as a songwriter. She wrote 22 Top 40 hits for artists such as Aretha Franklin and The Monkees. She penned music to classics such as “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” a #1 hit sung by the Shirelles, and The Drifters’ “Up on the Roof.” Since that time, King has gone on to achieve huge success as a solo recording artist. She has sold multi-platinum albums, won several Grammy® Awards, and been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Over 1,000 artists have recorded her 400 compositions, resulting in 100 hit singles, many of which have reached the #1 spot on the charts. King is still regarded as the most successful songwriter in the history of popular music.

King became interested in music at the age of four, when she started playing the piano. She started her first band the Co-sines while in high school. She was known well enough at the time that Neil Sedaka had a hit song dedicated to her entitled “Oh! Carol.” King went on to co-write songs with her first husband Gerry Goffin. Their collaboration yielded hits like “Don’t Bring Me Down” sung by The Animals and “I’m Into Something Good” sung by Herman’s Hermits. In 1962, their song “Loco-Motion” went to #1.

Tomorrow Records was the name of King and Goffin’s first label. King went on to form a band called the City in 1968. The band included Danny Kortchmer who was formerly of Flying Machine, a group that featured James Taylor as its vocalist. The City recorded one album entitled Now That Everything’s Been Said. Some of the songs on this album were successfully re-recorded by other artists, including “You’ve Got a Friend” which was covered by Taylor. Read the rest of this entry »

Make no mistakes about it-Kid Rock is proud of his white trash background. Through his music and fashion sense, he’s celebrated the trailer park-pimp look, and is probably the first (and possibly the only) artist to ever pull it off.

And pull it off he has. Kid Rock has been a major chart success over the past decade. It actually took him a decade to jumpstart his career, beginning in 1990 with Grit Sandwiches For Breakfast, a rap album. White rappers have always been a novelty, from Vanilla Ice to Snow, and sadly, this probably only worked against Kid Rock-whose real name is Robert Ritchie-despite his talent. His first three records all received lukewarm reviews (at best), but that didn’t deter the Kid from trying to run with the big guys in the rap scene. Kid’s records reveled in the 2 Live Crew-style party raps of the early ’90s. He was bad, bawdy and he didn’t mince words.

He also didn’t score any major hits. But that all changed in 1998 with the release of the record that made Kid Rock a star. Devil without a Cause revamped his image. He took on the persona of the high-rollin’, hard-rockin’ character that his fans grew to know through videos for songs like “Bawitdaba.” The creation was a perfect marriage of Kid’s white trash upbringing and the hip-hop loving, tough talking MC he had been tried to turn himself into in the early ’90s. Perhaps it was this mix of both “white” and “black” cultures that made him more acceptable to audiences than one hit wonders like Vanilla Ice and Snow. Regardless of the reason why, “Bawitdaba” and “Cowboy” helped Rock establish himself, and turned his nationwide smash, Devil Without a Cause, into top selling record that turned platinum almost a dozen times.
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What could be a better birthday present to a 16-year-old than a brand new Porsche? Not many things could top that list for a teenager, but Miley Cyrus has done a fabulous job following up the gifts of her sweet sixteenth by gaining a nomination for a Golden Globe Award, announced in last week’s awards show fervor. Cyrus’ new Porsche Cayenne took the backseat to the artist’s newest gift of a possible Golden Globe, as the Hannah Montana star recently secured her spot to the second awards show since November, when she performed at the American Music Awards.

Cyrus and singer-songwriter Jeffrey Steele picked up the Golden Globe nod for “I Thought I Lost You,” a song the two co-wrote for the Disney film Bolt. The single is up for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture, and it will compete against Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman with “Down to Earth” from Wall-E; Jamie Cullum, Clint Eastwood, Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens for “Gran Torino” from Gran Torino; Beyonce Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Scott McFarmon, Ian Dench, James Dring and Jody Street for “Once in a Lifetime” from Cadillac Records and Bruce Springsteen for “The Wrestler” in The Wrestler. This year’s Golden Globe Awards, the 66th annual presentation, will commence on January 11.

While 2008 has been one monumental year in the spotlight for Miley Cyrus, the teen pop sensation has been at the forefront of media attention ever since she was born, being the first daughter of country music legend and “Achy, Breaky Heart” vocalist Billy Ray Cyrus. Miley’s entertainer gene was evident from childhood, and she got the nickname Miley (her real name is Destiny Hope) as a shortened version of “Smiley,” a name she gained due to her cheerful disposition as a baby. Miley Cyrus made her debut into the entertainment world in 2003 when she made a cameo in the television series Doc, soon thereafter landing a small role in the Tim Burton film Big Fish. The child prodigy made her big break in 2005, however, when she gained the title role in the Disney series Hannah Montana. The TV show let Cyrus demonstrate both her acting and singing skills, as she played a character leading a double life as normal teenager Miley Stewart by day and superstar Hannah Montana by night. The first Hannah Montana soundtrack came out in 2006 following the release of the Hannah Montana film, and Cyrus absolutely exploded as a teen icon thereafter.

Since 2006, Cyrus has gone on to conquer all means of the entertainment industry, embarking upon several national tours and releasing many smash singles and albums both as Hannah Montana and as Miley Cyrus. Cyrus’ debut solo release as herself dropped in the summer of 2008 under the title Breakout, and that’s just what this sugar-coated pop tart has done ever since. Cyrus’ live performances are appropriate for all ages, so if you haven’t seen the Hannah Montana star rock the stage live, get Miley Cyrus tickets from http://www.stubhub.com/miley-cyrus-tickets and get the party started!

Author Bio: This article is sponsored by StubHub.com and was written by Jenna Jay. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling Miley Cyrus tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

The greatest compliment a band could be paid is knowing that fans are willing to go to great lengths to hear your work. In the past, that’s included hitchhiking or traveling across county-or even state-borders in order to hear their favorite performers live. But in the age of the Internet, there’s a darker side to this, and yes, it does involve illegal downloading.

While the ethical issues surrounding illegal downloading still offer a lot of territory for debate, two things are doubtless: Firstly, that it’s here to stay. Fans will get free copies of new albums one way or another. Secondly, that it does have an impact on an artist’s bottom line-and this is especially harsh on indie artists, who have smaller audiences and tend to work with independent labels (meaning they have smaller budgets for promotion). Read the rest of this entry »

Nashville’s biggest heartthrob Tim McGraw has surprised fans in the past with atypical collaborations (think Nelly and “Over and Over,”) and this Southern-fried country musician is at it again, this time with “I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper)” rapper T-Pain. McGraw and T-Pain both met recently when making appearances on an episode of Saturday Night Live, and talk over going into the studio together emerged then and there.

While nothing has officially been nailed down yet, both McGraw and T-Pain have been talking up a storm, T-Pain even letting E! Online in on the nature of the collaboration, saying, “The hip-hop has been done with Tim and Nelly, so we gotta be more country than hip-hop.” With a partnership in the wings, T-Pain continues onward with tour dates alongside Lil Wayne, Keyshia Cole, Gym Class Heroes and Keri Hilson, while McGraw delves further into an innovative style, even reportedly contributing to an upcoming single “Human,” set to appear on hip-hop prince Chris Brown’s upcoming album. Read the rest of this entry »

After years of making music, it should come as no surprise that the kings of alt-rock have finally made it big in their home country. The southern rockers have long achieved massive stardom in the UK and Europe, selling out arenas, headlining tours and attending music festivals, but with their most recent album, and subsequent tour, they have finally made some headlines in their home, the good ol’ U.S. of A. Have you been a long time fan of the kings and want to prove to other reluctant fans that they haven’t “sold out?”

Talking to Tennessean, drummer Nathan Followill said “It’s our fourth record, and with every record you put out, the label and management say, ‘This is the one. This is the one that’s going to crack America,’ so each time we had one that didn’t, it wasn’t a letdown, you get used to it. But it was a little tough playing huge arena shows in the U.K. and Europe, and coming home and having to play smaller places. But man, this record [2008's Only the Night] kinda snuck up on us. You always hope for the best and expect the worst, so we’re pretty stoked. But now we’re realizing how much work you have to do if your record is actually popular.” Read the rest of this entry »

Lady Antebellum is relatively new to the music scene, but this country-inspired group is already making a huge mark in the mainstream music world. Formed in 2006, the group is comprised of guitarist and background vocalist Dave Haywood and co-lead vocalists Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott. Charles and Dave are longtime friends, and when they added new acquaintance Scott to the mix, magic happened. The daughter of well-known singer Linda Davis, Scott brought a musical lineage, in addition to a great network of established contacts, to the group. Read the rest of this entry »

In addition to five Grammy awards, James Taylor has earned 40 gold, platinum, and multi-platinum awards over his 32-year career. His lyrics are introspective and heart-felt and combine with smooth harmonies and melodic stylings. Taylor’s timeless hit songs such as “Fire and Rain,” “Carolina in My Mind,” and “”How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” are recognized by fans young and old. One has only to hear the mellow sounds of his baritone and signature guitar playing to understand why Taylor has sold 40 million albums during his career and continues to tour and record regularly. Read the rest of this entry »

Backstreet’s back, alright! It was only appropriate for the boy band that shook the world in the late ’90s to be a part of the craze that started it all, and the Backstreet Boys (minus Kevin Richardson) fit right in as they celebrated the pop culture delight that is (or rather, was) MTV’s “Total Request Live” last week. The Backstreet Boys, busy jet-setting the nation on their current string of tour dates, took time out of their exhausting schedule to perform at the “TRL Finale” last week, making the now-20-something women’s eyes mist as nostalgia took over when the quartet performed their early hit “I Want it That Way” for the energetic crowd.

Last week’s “TRL Finale” marked the end of a 10-year domination of pop music on air that all began with the growing teen pop craze of the ’90s, launching the careers of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys. “TRL” was one of MTV”s most influential franchises, bringing in celebrities and fanatic crowds alike, and the show’s finale included many of those stars in the hours-long performance, making the program go out with a bang. Celebrities like Eminem, Beyonce, Kid Rock, Justin Timberlake, Diddy, Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Fall Out Boy and more were all present at the MTV bash, and former VJs like Carson Daly, Vanessa Minnillo and Hilarie Burton were all brought back to help host the program’s very last show. The only star from the “TRL” era missing at the show seemed to be Britney Spears, whose video “?Baby One More Time” will forever be considered a “TRL” commodity.

Emerging in the overwhelming tidal wave of the teen pop era, the Backstreet Boys blew up “TRL” request lines in 1998 with songs like “Quit Playin’ Games (With My Heart)” and “As Long as You Love Me.” The incredible boy band started with cousins and Kentucky natives Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell, who practiced Boys II Men-type songs before meeting up with the Orlando-hailed Howie Dorough and A.J. McLean and New Yorker Nick Carter, inking a deal with Jive Records in 1994. The Backstreet Boys tested their very new boy band approach in Europe before coming back over to the U.S., releasing their debut album Backstreet Boys in 1997. From this point on, the Backstreet Boys were huge. Selling millions of copies of all of their albums and selling out Backstreet Boys tickets to screaming throngs of teenage girls across the nation, the five-piece boy band saw dozens of platinum hits, reaching number ones on the Billboard charts with close to every song they released in the late ’90s and early ’00s including “I Want It That Way,” “Shape of My Heart” and “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely.”

The boy band craze of the teen pop dream eventually died down, but the Backstreet Boys persisted through it all. Despite lawsuits over royalties, Littrell undergoing heart surgery, McLean’s stint in rehab and Richardson quietly stepping away from the group, the Backstreet Boys still continue to pull their dance-pop thread through the needle of changing times, releasing Unbreakable in 2007 and thereafter embarking on a national tour. If you missed your chance to see these energetic heartthrobs take over the stage in the ’90s, get concert tickets from http://www.stubhub.com/backstreet-boys-tickets before it’s too late!

Author Bio: This article is sponsored by StubHub.com and was written by Jenna Jay. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling Backstreet Boys tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

The sibling rockers have been with each other for years, 36 years to be exact, since Liam, the youngest of three Gallagher siblings, was born. The rocking two have been working together since 1993 and now after almost two decades together, older brother and lead confidant to Liam wants his younger bro to start recording on his own. The Gallagher rockers each have their own ideas about what’s going to happen at the end of their world tour, which is currently trekking through North America with a summer UK tour in the mix as well, as he declared plans to separate himself from the group dynamic after their road adventures and make his own album. So if you have been putting off seeing these Manchester natives perform live on stage, catch Oasis tickets now before the band heads in different directions!

For years the quartet has shed rumors that either Noel or Liam would leave the group to support their own musical interests. Now, according to BBC Radio 1, he plans on recording a “separate” release from Oasis, and is encouraging Liam to do the same. “Liam’s always the first person to start rushing things. I think if he wants to get back in the saddle that quick, he should do it for himself. He’s got tons and tons of songs?I don’t specifically put songs aside. There are songs that have just fallen by the wayside that are still great but have missed their moment. Like ‘Stop the Clocks’ for instance,” Noel told BBC Radio. “That needs to come out soon. At the end of this tour, I’d like everyone to do something separately. I think it would be interesting for our fans.” If you’re planning on becoming a fan of the separation of the Gallagher boys, remain up to date with all the best rocker tickets at http://www.stubhub.com/oasis-tickets.

“I also think because we’ve ended up with this album at a place where we were working to for the last five years. It’s kind of like, ‘What do we do next?’” continued Noel. Well, it looks like Noel already has a list of a few singles with an Oasis backing, including “Revolution Song/Solve My Mystery” and “I Wanna Live in a Dream (In My Record Machine).” Noel has always been garnered for his embrace of the typical rock persona ? complete with massive amounts of drugs, wild antics and a few illegitimate children. Now, after years with the group that jet set this behavior, Noel is finally announcing that his family has made him more grounded. Noel’s son Donovan have been strutting around California recently, parading their new family appeal, along with mom Sara MacDonald. While Oasis has continued to see success, this change in pace may make the group’s dynamic different, and thus a change might be for the better.

Oasis’ seventh studio album, Dig Out Your Soul, was released this October following 2005′s Don’t Believe the Truth. The North American jaunt began December 3rd in Oakland, California and will continue through the States until December 20th in Fairfax, Virginia. The first single, “The Shock of the Lightning,” was “written dead fast,” according to a post on the group’s website. “And recorded dead fast. [The single] basically is the demo. And it has retained its energy. And there’s a lot to be said for that, I think. The first time you record something is always the best.” The single has already hit The Billboard Hot 100, the Hot Modern Rock Tracks and the Hot Digital Songs charts.

Author Bio: This article is sponsored by StubHub and was written by Meaghan Clark. StubHub.com is a leader in the business of selling Oasis tickets, as well as sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.