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wikiuntamed · 7 months ago

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On this day in Wikipedia: Thursday, 18th April

Welcome, आपका स्वागत है (āpakā svāgata hai), fáilte, dobrodošli 🤗 What does @Wikipedia say about 18th April through the years 🏛️📜🗓️?

18th April 2022 🗓️ : Death - Harrison Birtwistle Harrison Birtwistle, British composer (b. 1934) "Sir Harrison Birtwistle (15 July 1934 – 18 April 2022) was an English composer of contemporary classical music best known for his operas, often based on mythological subjects. Among his many compositions, his better known works include The Triumph of Time (1972) and the operas The Mask of Orpheus..."

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MITO SettembreMusica

18th April 2019 🗓️ : Event - United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice released a redacted version of the Mueller report about the investigation of Russian influence on the U.S. presidential election to Congress and the public. "The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United States. It is equivalent to the justice or interior ministries..."

Image by U.S. government

18th April 2014 🗓️ : Death - Sanford Jay Frank Sanford Jay Frank, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1954) "Sanford Jay "Sandy" Frank, also known as Sandy Frank (July 21, 1954 – April 18, 2014), was a television writer who was known as a writer for Late Night with David Letterman. He wrote for Letterman's NBC show for four years, during which the show won four Emmy Awards for comedy-variety writing. ..."

18th April 1974 🗓️ : Birth - Edgar Wright Edgar Wright, English filmmaker "Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English filmmaker and actor. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zooms and a signature editing style that includes..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0? by Eva Rinaldi from Sydney Australia

18th April 1924 🗓️ : Birth - Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005) "Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown (April 18, 1924 – September 10, 2005) was an American singer and multi-instrumentalist from Louisiana. He won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1983 for his album, Alright Again!. ..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0? by Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA

18th April 1819 🗓️ : Birth - Franz von Suppé Franz von Suppé, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1895) "Franz von Suppé, born Francesco Ezechiele Ermenegildo de Suppé (18 April 1819 – 21 May 1895) was an Austrian composer of light operas and other theatre music. He came from the Kingdom of Dalmatia, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now part of Croatia). A composer and conductor of the Romantic period, he is..."

Image by Gabriel Decker (1821-1855)

18th April 🗓️ : Holiday - Christian feast day: Perfectus "Saint Perfectus (Santo Perfecto) (died 18 April 850) was one of the Martyrs of Córdoba whose martyrdom was recorded by Saint Eulogius in the Memoriale sanctorum. He was born in Córdoba when the area was under the control of the Moors (the Umayyad Caliphate). Perfecto was a monk and ordained priest. ..."

#OnThisDayInWikiHistory #WikiUntamed #WhereNext #WhatDoesWikiSay

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sheetmusiclibrarypdf · 5 months ago

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Joep Beving - Ab Ovo (sheet music)

Joep Beving - Ab Ovo Sheet Music just added to our Library. Please, subscribe to our Library. Thank you! Ab Ovo: Piano sheet music Discography Browse in the Library: Best Sheet Music download from our Library. Contemporary Dutch composer and pianist Joep Beving creates genuinely relaxing and contemplative neo-classical music with a broad and immediate appeal. Joep Bevin describes it as “simple music for complex emotions”.

Joep Beving - Ab Ovo Sheet Music just added to our Library.

https://youtu.be/j6eDmID4jWs Joep Beving (born Doetinchem, 1976) is a Dutch composer and a pianist. Joep Beving has been one with the piano from an early age. He was forced to end his musical studies at the conservatory and instead continued at university to get a degree in public policy and public administration. However, his love for his instrument never perished. Where once his goal was to hit as many notes per minute as physically possible, his style of playing has changed over the years, searching for a particular aesthetic essence.

Download this sheet music from our Library His path was illuminated by a piano that Beving inherited from his grandmother when she passed away in 2009. This German instrument insisted on a more gentle touch and a gracious pace, which eventually led Beving to adapt to a more classical vocabulary to tell his story. Beving studied Public Administration. He then went to work in the advertising business, where he was mainly responsible for the music of numerous commercials. He also composed soundtracks for the short films Hortum (2010) and Het cadeau (2015). In 2015 Beving released his first album - Solipsism, with modern classical atmospheric piano pieces. He himself describes his compositions as "accessible music for complex emotions". In 2017 his second album, Prehension, appeared in a similar style to his debut album. In 2018 he made Conatus.

Ab Ovo: Piano sheet music

https://vimeo.com/474699705 This story started to manifest itself relatively late in life, when in 2014 at age 38, he was forced to stay home from work and decided to answer the draw of his piano. In search of tranquility of mind and some form of essence, music started to present itself that he had never played before in his life. Minimal pieces that he later once described as ‘simple music for complex emotions’. Turned down by the only label he approached, Joep decided to self release his debut album Solipsism in 2015. The sound of his piano found its way to the ears of Deutsche Grammophon’s A&R manager Christian Badzura when visiting his favorite Bar in Berlin. This led to the signing of Beving to the worlds foremost classical label and consequently the release of equally succesful sophomore album ‘Prehension’ in 2017, making Joep one of the most listened to living pianist in the world at that time. He has attributed much of his music’s broad appeal to the stream of consciousness in which some of the pieces were conceived. Claiming that the music is already out there and that one has to ‘just’ create the circumstances for it to land. In 2018 he took this idea one step further with the release of ‘Conatus’ of which he said: “If you see music as a living organism then it is not unthinkable that it has it’s own innate inclination to continue to exist and enhance itself.” On Conatus, Beving sees compositions from his first two albums, travel through the minds of artists he admires (a.o. Suzanne Ciani, Collin Benders, Andrea Belfi) and result in new pieces of music adding new layers and dimensions which would serve as the upbeat to his next major solo project as would become apparant in April 2019. As part of the art piece ‘Franchise Freedom’ by acclaimed artist duo Studio Drift, Joep travels to Burning Man at the end of 2018 to perform in the desert of Black Rock City in front of his largest audience to date. Inspired by the display of human creativity and inclusivity he returns home to finish his third solo album. April 2019 sees the release of HENOSIS, Joep Beving’s closing chapter in a trilogy of albums – marking the end of an intensely personal four-year spiritual and philosophical exploration. On HENOSIS the Dutch composer continues his minimalist and at times romantic style of writing, but this time explores new territories. It sets off where his sophomore album Prehension left us, the warm intimate sound of the Schimmel piano. With the help of producer Gijs van Klooster and through collaborations with Cappella Amsterdam, Echo Collective and Maarten Vos, Joep Beving opens up new musical worlds using orchestral and electronic sounds alongside the familiar piano. His debut album ‘Solipsism’ investigates the self and how it is related to the other by trying to show we have a shared understanding of what it is to be human. For ‘Prehension’ Beving describes realizing he had zoomed out from the individual level to the level of the collective. HENOSIS is the last step, in which Beving’s destination is the vastness of the cosmos – that great, black void – in search of “ultimate reality and emptiness of the mind”. Asked about the album Joep says: “I envisioned it as a journey into the cosmos, far away from the self where it had started. In search of what is fundamental in reality, beyond the immediate perceivable. Henosis means oneness or unity with the source of all that is. The outward journey reflects the inward journey, much as the build up of our inner workings reflects that of the macro-cosmos. Once that idea starts to dawn on you, the level of connection deepens beyond imagination. Everything is connected. Think about it. If you see the other as merely a physically alternate representation of yourself it will be very difficult not to feel some form of empathy. The same goes for any other life form. I realize it is not all that straightforward and I don’t want to postulate this as being the truth. However to me this realization has come closest to a somewhat hopeful and admirable version of it. It completes the circle that started with a growing sense of alienation from reality I dealt with at the time of Solipsism, to a growing sense of becoming one with it.” In November 2019 Henosis was awarded with an Edison.

Discography

All of his recordings have been published under the Deutsche Grammophon label: - Solipsism (2015) - Prehension (2017) - Conatus (2018) - Henosis (2019) List of released singles: - Venus - Unus Mundus - Into the dark blue - Prelude - Hanging d - Sonderling - Ab ovo

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#partitionmusicale #partitura #sheetmusic

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redcarpetview · 10 months ago

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Recording Academy® To Honor Music Industry Icons With 2024 Special Merit Awards During Grammy® Week

The Recording Academy®’s Special Merit Awards Ceremony celebrating the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award, Technical GRAMMY® Award, and Best Song For Social Change Award recipients will return during GRAMMY® Week on Feb. 3, at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. The Clark Sisters, Laurie Anderson, Gladys Knight, N.W.A, Donna Summer, and Tammy Wynette are the 2024 Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award honorees; Peter Asher, DJ Kool Herc and Joel Katz are the Trustees Award recipients; Tom Kobayashi and Tom Scott are the Technical GRAMMY Award honorees; and “Refugee,” written by K’naan, Steve McEwan, and Gerald Eaton (a.k.a. Jarvis Church), is being honored with the Best Song For Social Change Award.

“The Academy is honored to pay tribute to this year’s Special Merit Award recipients — a remarkable group of creators and industry professionals whose impact resonates with generations worldwide,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “Their contributions to music span genres, backgrounds and crafts, reflecting the rich diversity that fuels our creative community. We look forward to honoring these music industry trailblazers next month as part of our week-long celebration leading up to Music’s Biggest Night®.”

Lifetime Achievement Award Honorees: This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of the Recording Academy’s National Trustees to performers* who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording. See past recipients here (*through 1972, recipients included non-performers).

The Clark Sisters – an American gospel vocal group initially consisting of five sisters – Jacky, Denise, Elbernita, Dorinda, and Karen – have been taking the world by storm since the early 1980s. Credited for helping to bring gospel music to the mainstream, the Clark Sisters are considered pioneers of contemporary gospel. Their biggest crossover hits include: “Is My Living in Vain?,” “Hallelujah,” “He Gave Me Nothing to Lose,” “Endow Me,” their hit song “Jesus Is A Love Song,” “Pure Gold,” “Miracle,” and their largest, mainstream crossover gold-certified, “You Brought The Sunshine.” The Clark Sisters (Jacky, Elbernita, Dorinda, and Karen) have won three GRAMMYs (two awarded to the group, and one to Karen as a songwriter for “Blessed and Highly Favored”), and with 16 albums to their credit and millions in sales, they are the highest-selling female gospel group in history.

Laurie Anderson is a writer, director, composer, visual artist, musician, and vocalist who has created groundbreaking works that span the worlds of art, theater, experimental music, and technology. As a performer and musician, she has collaborated with many people including Brian Eno, Jean-Michel Jarre, William S. Burroughs, Peter Gabriel, Robert Wilson, Christian McBride, and Philip Glass. In 2002, Anderson was appointed the first artist-in-residence of NASA which culminated in her 2004 touring solo performance, The End of the Moon. She has been nominated for six GRAMMY Awards® throughout her recording career and received a GRAMMY® for the release Landfall in collaboration with the Kronos Quartet at the 61st GRAMMYs®.

Gladys Knight is a seven-time GRAMMY® Award winner who has enjoyed No. 1 hits in pop, gospel, R&B, and adult contemporary, and has triumphed in film, television and live performance. Knight has recorded more than 38 albums over the years including four solo albums. She appeared on ABC’s 14th season of “Dancing With The Stars” in 2012, and in 2019, she competed on the inaugural season of “The Masked Singer.” Knight has sung the National Anthem at several major sporting events, including at Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta in 2019, and at the 2021 NBA All-Star Game. She was a National Endowment for the Arts 2021 National Medal of Arts Recipient and received a Kennedy Center Honor for Lifetime Artistic Achievements in 2022.

N.W.A was a rap group from the Compton district in Los Angeles who are credited by many with inventing gangsta rap. The group, consisting of Eazy-E^, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, DJ Yella, and MC-Ren, developed a new sound, which brought in many of the loud, extreme sonic innovations of Public Enemy while adopting a self-consciously violent and dangerous lyrical stance. In 1988, N.W.A released their album, Straight Outta Compton, a brutally intense record that became an underground hit without any support from radio or MTV. This negative attention worked in their favor as it brought the album to multiplatinum status. Although the group was short-lived, gangsta rap established itself as the most popular form of hip-hop during the mid-1990s.

Donna Summer^ rocketed to international superstardom with her groundbreaking merger of R&B, soul, pop, funk, rock, disco, and avant-garde electronica, catapulting underground dance music out of the clubs of Europe and bringing it to the world. Summer holds the record with three consecutive double albums to hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts (the only solo artist to ever accomplish this), and first female artist to have four No. 1 singles in a 12-month period on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. A five-time GRAMMY winner and 18-time GRAMMY nominee, Summer was the first artist to win the GRAMMY for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female (1979, “Hot Stuff”) as well as the first-ever recipient of the new GRAMMY Category for Best Dance Recording (1997, “Carry On”). Summer was the first female artist to win GRAMMY Awards in four different genres: dance, gospel, rock, and R&B.

Tammy Wynette^ first hit the musical scene in 1966 with “Apartment #9” after moving to Nashville and teaming up with record producer Billy Sherrill. Together, the duo wrote songs that reflected the yearnings and the things Wynette felt were important in her life. In 1968, Wynette released “Stand By Your Man,” which sold more than five million singles and became the largest-selling single ever recorded by a female artist. By 1970, she racked up five No. 1 country hits, was named the Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year three times, and won two GRAMMYs. Wynette was the first female country music singer to sell over one million albums and has sold more than 30 million records grossing more than $100 million, earning her the title “The First Lady of Country Music.”

Trustees Award Honorees: This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of the Recording Academy’s National Trustees to individuals who, during their careers in music, have made significant contributions, other than performance*, to the field of recording. See past recipients here (*through 1983, recipients included performers).

Peter Asher’s career began in 1964 as one-half of Peter & Gordon, whose “A World Without Love” topped the charts worldwide. Nine more Top 20 hits followed before Asher became head of A&R for the Beatles’ Apple Records in 1968, and discovered, produced and managed James Taylor; later adding Linda Ronstadt, Neil Diamond, 10,000 Maniacs, Cher, Diana Ross, Kenny Loggins, Bonnie Raitt, Robin Williams, Stevie Nicks, Lyle Lovett, Morrissey, Steve Martin & Edie Brickell, Ed Sheeran, and more to his roster. Asher won the GRAMMY for Producer Of The Year in both 1977 and 1989. He hosts a hit radio show “From Me To You” on Sirius XM and is much in demand not only in the studio but as a performer, speaker and author.

The legendary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee DJ Kool Herc is consistently credited as the founder of hip-hop. His mastery at the turntables is known worldwide, as are his positive contributions to the evolution of hip-hop culture. Herc’s popularity rose by playing long sets of assorted rhythm breaks strung together. Unlike any of his DJ counterparts, Herc is not a rapid rapper who keeps your head spinning with a patter, but he is a musical innovator to the turntables. He first introduced using two turntables to make the beats last longer, creating the illusion of one long break for the B-Boys to show off their skills. Herc has received a great deal of recognition during his lifetime, including his induction into the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and recognition from the New York Landmarks Conservancy as a 2023 Living Landmark.

Joel Katz has played a profound role in shaping the entertainment industry through his work in facilitating entertainment-related corporate acquisitions and mergers and consulting multi-national and multi-media entertainment companies. Katz was ranked Billboard magazine’s No. 1 entertainment attorney in its “Power 100” list of most powerful executives in the music business and has been called “the dealmaker who thinks outside the box.” At Kennesaw State University, Katz endowed and began a commercial music program – one of the largest music education programs in America with over 500 students. He has authored and co-authored many articles and commentary on topics concerning entertainment law. In honor of his work, the University of Tennessee College of Law dedicated its library in his name, the Joel A. Katz Law Library.

Technical GRAMMY Award Honorees: This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of the Producers & Engineers Wing® Advisory Council and Chapter Committees and ratification by the Recording Academy's National Trustees to individuals and/or companies/organizations/institutions who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field. See past recipients here.

Tom Kobayashi^ and Tom Scott met at Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Sound in 1985, when the duo joined the company and completed the building of the Skywalker post-production facilities in both Northern and Southern California. Together, Kobayashi and Scott launched the Entertainment Digital Network, also known as “EDnet,” which employed fiber-optic networks to send high-quality video and audio great distances. Its then-revolutionary technology enabled the industry to link together talent, executives and production facilities at great cost savings. For 25 years, that company connected hundreds of recording studios worldwide in the days before the Internet could handle high-quality audio. EDnet became a part of Onstream Media, and over the decades, tens of thousands of long-distance collaboration sessions were facilitated for the music, advertising, TV, and cinema businesses.

Best Song For Social Change Award Honorees: This Special Merit Award honors songwriter(s) of message-driven music that speaks to the social issues of our time and has demonstrated and inspired positive global impact. The recipient(s) are selected annually by a Blue-Ribbon Committee composed of a community of peers dedicated to artistic expression, the craft of songwriting and the power of songs to effect social change. See past recipients here.

In June 2023, singer-songwriter K’naan released the inspiring single and accompanying video “Refugee,” co-written by GRAMMY Award-winning songwriter Steve McEwan and GRAMMY-nominated producer Gerald Eaton (also known by his stage name, Jarvis Church). “Refugee” stands out as a distinctive musical endeavor, skillfully interweaving personal and political narratives, and serving as a tribute to refugees around the world. With the single, K’naan drew inspiration from his personal experiences, aiming to redefine the traditional perception of the term “refugee” into a symbol of resilience and strength. The song was written with the hopes of encouraging individuals to embrace the word “refugee” proudly and to give those made homeless by conflict a song that felt like home.

^Denotes posthumous honoree.

For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @RecordingAcad on X, "like" Recording Academy on Facebook, and join the Recording Academy's social communities on the following: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

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scotianostra · 4 years ago

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Happy 78th Birthday Billy Connolly.

The comedian and actor we know as The Big Yin was born on November 24th 1942 in Glasgow, into a poor and not altogether stable family; he left school at age 15 and served as (among other jobs) a shipyard worker, a paratrooper in the Territorial Army, and a welder, the latter including a stint building an oil rig in Nigeria.

Shortly after his return, Connolly quit working and, supporting himself with the money he'd saved, concentrated on learning to play folk music on the banjo and guitar. He became a regular on the Glasgow folk scene, instantly recognizable with his wild hair and beard; he drifted in and out of several bands before forming the Humblebums with guitarist Tam Harvey in 1965. Gerry Rafferty (later of Stealers Wheel and "Baker Street" fame) joined sometime later, and the group built a following with their live performances, which spotlighted Connolly's humorous between-song bits.

As Rafferty's songs became the Humblebums' primary musical focus, tensions among the members escalated; Harvey departed, and Connolly and Rafferty recorded two albums in 1969 and 1970 before disagreements over Connolly's concert comedy split them up in 1971.

Billy soon began performing around Scotland and northern England, concentrating more on comedy but still mixing occasional folk songs into his act. 1972 saw the release of his first album, Live, and also the debut of The Great Northern Welly Boot Show, a musical play Connolly co-authored with poet Tom Buchan based on his experiences in the shipyards of Glasgow. The show was a hit in Edinburgh and London, and Polydor signed Connolly to a recording contract.

In 1974, his Solo Concert album sparked protests from the Christian community over a rowdy routine in which Connolly described the Last Supper as if it had taken place in Glasgow; all the publicity only helped his career, and he was quickly becoming one of Scotland's favourite entertainers. His 1974 follow-up album, Cop Yer Whack for This, became his biggest hit yet, going gold in the U.K., and his comic take on Tammy Wynette's "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." became a surprise number one hit single in 1975. That same year also saw Connolly put in star-making appearances on Michael Parkinson's chat show and at the London Palladium. He consolidated his success with a rigorous touring schedule over the next few years continuing to release comedy recordings on a regular basis into the '80s, the best known of which were In The Brownies and the theme to Supergran.

During the late '70s, Connolly had began taking on acting roles in television and film productions, and tried his hand at playwriting, with somewhat less success. His first marriage dissolved in 1981 amidst an affair with comedienne Pamela Stephenson (whom he would later marry in 1989, the same year he first shaved off his trademark shaggy beard). Taking up residence in London with Stephenson, Connolly continued his comedy career while taking on more theatrical and television roles. Toward the late '80s, his appearances on American television became more frequent, which -- along with an unsold pilot for a Dead Poets Society series -- helped Connolly land a gig replacing Howard Hesseman on the high school honour-student comedy Head of the Class in 1990.

His highest-profile American exposure was short-lived, however, as the series was cancelled after just one season; however, Connolly was back on American airwaves in early 1992, starring in the sitcom Billy. It too was cancelled after a short run, after an appearance in the film Indecent Proposal, Connolly returned home, (though he still officially resided in the Hollywood Hills).

In 1994, Billy hosted the acclaimed series World Tour of Scotland, which explored the flavour of contemporary Scottish culture. It proved so successful that Connolly hosted two further exploration-themed BBC series: 1995's A Scot in the Arctic, in which he spent a week on a remote northern Canadian island, and 1996's World Tour of Australia, lent a new respectability to Connolly 1997 Ssaw The Big Yin appear in the historical dramas Deacon Brodie and Mrs. Brown, the latter of which also featured Judi Dench and was released worldwide to much acclaim.

In 2012, Connolly provided the voice of King Fergus in Pixar's Scotland-set animated film Brave, alongside fellow Scottish actors Kelly Macdonald, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, Emma Thompson, and Kevin McKidd. Connolly appeared as Wilf in Quartet, a 2012 British comedy-drama film based on the play Quartet by Ronald Harwood, directed by Dustin Hoffman. In 2014, he appeared in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies as Dáin II Ironfoot, a great dwarf warrior and cousin of Thorin II Oakenshield. Sir Peter Jackson stated that "We could not think of a more fitting actor to play Dain Ironfoot, the staunchest and toughest of dwarves, than Billy Connolly, the Big Yin himself. With Billy stepping into this role, the cast of The Hobbit is now complete. We can't wait to see him on the battlefield."

In September 2013, Connolly underwent minor surgery for early-stage prostate cancer. The announcement also stated that he was being treated for the initial symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Connolly had acknowledged earlier in 2013 that he had started to forget his lines during performances, adding later he was also finding it hard to remember how to play his banjo.

On his 75th birthday Glasgow bestowed upon Billy three giant murals to add to the many murals in the city.

In 2007 and again in 2010, he was voted the greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups. He once again topped the list on Channel 5's Greatest Stand-Up Comedians, broadcast on New Year's Eve 2013. Billy's last big screen role was in 2016 in Wild Oats, which had Hollywood Stars Shirley MacLaine, Demi Moore and Jessica Lange.

In recent years he has established himself as an artist. In 2020, he stated "My art is about revealing myself" as he unveiled the fifth release of his Born on a Rainy Day collection in London.

Billy was on our small screen last year in Great American Trail, wfollowed him as he replicated the route taken by Scottish immigrants who came to America in the early 18th century. He also brought out a new book, called Tall Tales and Wee Stories, to launch it Billy's face was projected on to buildings in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

In November 2019, The Evening Times named Connolly as The Greatest Glaswegian as determined by a public poll.

Connolly is a patron of the National Association for Bikers with a Disability. His first sculpture, which is inspired by his past as a welder, was released in March 2020. as seen in the pic, the sculpture shows God welding the world together

#Scotland #scottish #comedian #actor #writer #singersongwriter #birthday #national treasure

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sufjanstevensworship · 3 years ago

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My favorite artist

Sufjan Stevens is a singer, songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. He has 13 studio albums and 4 collaborative albums. His album Illinois is considered one of the best indie albums of all time. His songs touch on a wide range of topics including death, love, and spirituality. Sufjan uses Christian themes in his music, but he does not describe himself as a contemporary-Christian artist.

I have been a huge fan of Sufjan since 2017 when he was introduced to me by a fellow fan. My favorite album of his Age of Adz (2010) really caught my attention, especially the 25-minute song Impossible Soul. I loved the electronica sound of the album with the added combination of his voice and an orchestra. I have probably listened to this album more than I have any other album. In fact, the song Impossible Soul has been my number 1 listened to song on Spotify for several years now.

His album Carrie and Lowell is my second favorite, and it was released in 2015 and received critical acclaim. The album is about Sufjan’s mother, Carrie, who suffered with bipolar, schizophrenia, drug addiction, and substance abuse. Pitchfork wrote in their review of the album that, “she died of stomach cancer in 2012, but had abandoned Stevens much earlier, first when he was 1 and several times after. He also sings about his stepfather, Lowell. This album is my go-to crying album. When my uncle died in October of 2019, I had this album playing on repeating. The soft vocals and heartbreaking lyrics were just what I needed at the time and a few times since then. The lyrics from the song The Only Thing, really spoke to me in particular:

Should I tear my eyes out now? Everything I see returns to you somehow Should I tear my heart out now? Everything I feel returns to you somehow

I felt as though everything around me reminded me of my uncle. I would see the charm bracelet he made me and remember laughing as he struggled to learn how to make it. I would eat breakfast and remember how I used to wake him up super early on Saturday mornings to ask him to drive into town and get me breakfast. I have so many treasured memories of him, and I related to Sufjan’s question, “should I tear my eyes out now?”

His most famous album Come on Feel the Illinoise is my third favorite of his. This album has a bit more baroque and upbeat, with some songs talking about happy times like driving to Chicago with his friends and then diverting to songs about Chicago figures like John Wayne Gacy Jr, famous serial killer from Chicago. Every song on this album is tied to the state of Illinois in some way. In 2002, Sufjan said he would be making an album for each of the 50 states. Unfortunately, he later revealed that this was just a joke, but he did make the album Michigan about his home state. All we can do is hope he continues on! The song Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother! implements a myriad of cute, quirky lyrics about prominent Illinois figures such as Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. My favorite song off the album The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us! has Sufjan talking about the love he had for his male best friend. He sings about touching his back and kissing him. This is one of numerous songs that has made many question Sufjan’s sexuality as he sings about his love for women, men, and God in many of his songs.

#sufjan stevens #ageofadz #carrie and lowell #illinois

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stereostevie · 4 years ago

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The Rap Grammy Nominations Are Weird As Hell | Nov 25, 2020 11:12 AM BY TOM BREIHAN

The very first time that the Grammy Awards recognized rap music, it was an utter fiasco — a clear case of an aging pop-music establishment failing to understand this vital new youth music that had sprung up and rewritten the rules. For the 1989 awards show, the Grammys added one rap category, Best Rap Performance. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince won it for “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” beating out LL Cool J and Salt-N-Pepa and Kool Moe Dee and JJ Fad. The show didn’t deign to recognize Public Enemy, N.W.A, EPMD, Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane, Eric B. & Rakim, or Ice-T, all of whom had released classic albums within the voting window. The award wasn’t televised, and most of the nominees, Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince included, skipped the show, attending a “Boycott The Grammys” party instead.

Since that night, the history of rap at the Grammys has been a series of baffling, embarrassing decisions. It’s Steely Dan winning Album Of The Year over The Marshall Mathers LP. It’s Gretchen Wilson winning Best New Artist over Kanye West. “It’s weird and it sucks that I robbed you.” It’s also a history of rappers getting angry over the Grammys: “I never let a statue tell me how nice I am,” “You think I give a damn about a Grammy?” In 2019, Drake showed up to accept Best Rap Song. In his acceptance speech, he talked about how the Grammy voters weren’t necessarily the right people to define rap success. The broadcast cut him off mid-speech. Earlier this year, Kanye West, a man who once cared more about Grammy Awards than anyone else not named Neil Portnow, tweeted a video of himself pissing on one of his Grammys. (The Grammys still nominated West this year, for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album.)

Yesterday, the Grammys nominated Freddie Gibbs and the Alchemist’s Alfredo in the Best Rap Album category. That’s great! Freddie Gibbs is a great underground rap success story, a guy who bet on himself and kept doing great work in his own lane even after multiple major-label situations fell apart. Gibbs has never made a hit song in his life, and he’s gotten himself into a position where he doesn’t need to make hit songs — where he can just follow his instincts and keep his own style intact. Alfredo isn’t my favorite rap record of the year. (Even in the field of Alchemist-produced 2020 rap albums, I’d give the slight edge to Boldy James’ The Price Of Tea In China.) But the nomination for Alfredo is still a very cool surprise, the kind of thing that I would’ve never expected to see from the Grammy nominating committee.

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And yet Gibbs’ nomination doesn’t exactly announce a new golden age of Grammy rap consideration, a time when Recording Academy voters are finally figuring out how to approach the genre. Instead, his nomination points toward something else: An institutional recognition of middlebrow, middle-aged, respectable rap music.

All of this year’s Best Rap Album nominees are Black men between the ages of 35 and 47. The oldest nominee is Nas, who is now on his fifth Best Rap Album nomination and who has never won the award. (The Best Rap Album Grammy didn’t exist in 1994, when Nas released Illmatic, but there’s no way in hell that Nas would’ve won it anyway. The Academy would’ve given the award to Coolio’s It Takes A Thief or something.) The youngest nominee is D Smoke, a former high school Spanish teacher who is also the brother of the TDE R&B singer SiR. D Smoke made his way into Grammy contention after winning the first season of Rhythm + Flow, the Netflix rap-competition show. (Two of the three judges from Rhythm + Flow, Cardi B and Chance The Rapper, have won Best Rap Album themselves. T.I., the other judge, has been nominated three times and never won.)

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D Smoke isn’t exactly a revered or popular rapper, and I have’t seen anyone calling his perfectly-OK album Black Habits a masterpiece, though the man has certainly done better than anyone could’ve expected from a rap reality-show winner. But D Smoke raps exactly like a diet version of Kendrick Lamar, so his nomination works as a clear indication that the Grammy voters really, really wish they had a Kendrick album to nominate. D Smoke is also up for Best New Artist, alongside fellow rappers Chika, Megan Thee Stallion, and (I guess) Doja Cat. Presumably, Megan’s Good News would also be nominated if it had come out early enough to be eligible. Meanwhile, Chika hasn’t released an album, and Doja Cat is nominated in the pop categories, not the rap ones.

Instead, then, we’re looking at five guys hovering around the age of 40, all of whom are respected technicians with boom-bap inclinations. Jay Electronica, who’s nominated for A Written Testimony and who should probably be considered the front-runner, is technically a New Orleans native, but nobody thinks of him as a Southern rapper. (Jay-Z is all over A Written Testimony, to the point where anointing Jay Electronica feels a bit like throwing awards love to Jay-Z in a year with no Jay-Z album.) All the albums up for Best Rap Album are, at the very least, solid. A couple of them, Alfredo and A Written Testimony, are very good. But this is still a remarkably stodgy list — one that shows that the whole middle-aged respectability fetish that’s long plagued the Grammys is now embedded in its rap voting wing.

Freddie Gibbs and Nas and Jay Electronica and D Smoke and Royce Da 5’9″ are all gifted rappers who have done great work. Most of them could justifiably be considered legends. But none of them really show the world where rap music is, let alone where it’s going. By recognizing those albums, the Grammys have pointedly elected not to recognize something like Lil Baby’s My Turn, which is probably 2020’s most popular album in any genre and which is also a fine example of the 808-heavy depressive melodic-goo rap music that currently dominates the genre’s mainstream.

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Other hugely popular, artistically important albums are also absent: Lil Uzi Vert’s Eternal Atake, Roddy Rich’s Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial, Polo G’s The Goat, Gunna’s Wunna, Rod Wave’s Pray 4 Love. Instead, the rap albums getting nominated are the 2020 equivalents of the Steely Dan album that famously beat Eminem. That’s not an indictment of the nominated albums. It’s an indictment of the stuff the Recording Academy values. It’s also a cautionary look of how things might look if the Recording Academy ever gets its way, if rap comes to rely on accepted ossified skill-sets instead of its current state of constant, furious stylistic evolution.

As someone who’s around the same age as this year’s Best Rap Album nominees, I’m not all that amped to see emotionally troubled, pill-gobbling 20-year-olds dominating rap music. But those kids are crucially moving the genre past whatever old men like me might want it to be. Fortunately, there’s at least one Grammy category that has done a pretty good job capturing where things are right now, and that’s Best Rap Song. The list of nominations there — Lil Baby’s “The Bigger Picture,” Roddy Ricch’s “The Box,” Drake’s “Laugh Now, Cry Later,” DaBaby’s “Rockstar,” and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” — isn’t necessarily perfect, but it’s a fairly accurate representation of the kind of rap that moves people right now. I don’t know why the division between the Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song nominees is so stark. Maybe it’s a signal that the album is increasingly irrelevant. Maybe it reflects two different voting bodies. Either way, it’s striking.

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Look, the Grammys are weird. They are always going to be weird. Fiona Apple’s Fetch The Bolt Cutters should’ve been the biggest lay-up in the world, but it isn’t up for Album Of The Year. Instead, the Academy’s voters went for Coldplay and Jacob Collier and a deluxe edition of a Black Pumas album that didn’t even come out in the eligibility period. “Rockstar” and “Savage” are both up for Record Of The Year, but Post Malone’s Hollywood’s Bleeding is the only album that’s even rap-adjacent that’s nominated for Album Of The Year this year. I thought for sure that Lil Baby’s My Turn would be the token rap album that would inevitably lose to Taylor Swift. Instead, we didn’t even get one of those, and My Turn got snubbed even in its own category. Nothing makes sense.

But this year’s Best Rap Albums nominations still show a weird alignment between Grammy Voters and a certain streak of real-hip-hop rap conservatism. Watch out for that. Nothing good, except maybe a Freddie Gibbs Grammy win, will come out of that.

FURIOUS FIVE

1. Roc Marciano – “Downtown 81” It’s not on streaming services yet, but Roc Marciano’s new album Mt. Marci is out in the world now, and it is marvelous. (I can’t tell you whether the digital download is worth the $40 that Marci is charging on his website. Make your own financial decisions.) Right now, the only song out for general consumption is one of the few that Marci didn’t produce himself. (It’s a Jake One beat.) But otherwise, “Downtown 81” is exactly the sort of laid-back, intricately worded deadpan splendor that you can expect to hear on the LP, whenever it goes wide. So maybe that’s worth the price of a full tank of gas.

2. Meek Mill – “GTA” (Feat. 42 Dugg)

Meek Mill released his Quarantine Pack EP on Friday, and the track currently getting the big push is the downbeat Lil Durk collab “Pain Away.” But the real thrill here is in hearing Meek and 42 Dugg getting bracingly urgent over a Detroit-ass bassline.

3. Chief Keef & Mike Will Made-It – “Status” Sosa and Mike Will have evidently chosen to name their new song after this column. Gentlemen, I see this tribute, and I appreciate it. I love you too.

4. Willie The Kid & V Don – “Mother Of Pearls” (Feat. Eto) This is pretty.

5. Statik Selektah – “Play Around” (Feat. Conway The Machine, 2 Chainz, Killer Mike, Allan Kingdom, & Haile Supreme)

Once upon a time, maybe 13 years ago, I was apparently such a recognizable and influential part of the New York rap press that Statik Selektah noticed me at an MOP show, introduced himself, and tried to get me to listen to his mix CD. All these years later, Statik is a globally acknowledged boom-bap specialist with enough juice to put three of the world’s greatest middle-aged rappers on a track together. I’m proud of Statik. I bet he gets nominated for a Grammy someday.

#alchemist #chief keef #d smoke #freddie gibbs #grammys #grammy awards #hip-hop #jay electronica #meek mill #mike will made-it #music #nas #rap #roc marciano #statik selektah #stereogum #willie the kid

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avaliveradio · 4 years ago

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Lisa Mitts New Release 'Higher' leads us to true freedom

song will drop at 9pm PST on the 27th and officially releases at midnight on the 28th on the east coast.

Artist: Lisa Mitts

New Release: Higher

Genre: Gospel Soul

Sounds like: : Ellie King, Catherine Mullins, Chris Eaton

Located in: : Auburn, WA

I wrote the foundation of this song last Spring during the first month or two of lockdowns and so much fear surrounding the unknown of Covid-19. I went into the studio, a couple of months later, in May to finish it with my producer and we had hoped by then things would turn around for the better, certainly by end of summer so we could return to 'normal life'.

https://open.spotify.com/track/1giwSZS1aRVt2gOqtlsdH7?si=diOFrmK_Sqa_ut1XE8bUBA

Here we are seven months later and the lyrics are just as timely if not more, so it is a perfect time to release this song. My hope through this song is to encourage the listener to go higher where there is faith, love, peace, and life.

Things like fear, anxiety, depression want to always pull us down but God's love and hope are always calling us to a higher place. This is where true freedom can be found -

when we aren/t bound to the chains of other voices like fear and isolation...rather, we hold in our hearts the promise of a future filled with good things both for our individual lives and especially for those we love.

The music we are creating is...

While I have written a lot of music in the contemporary Christian genre, some with R&B and rock influence, his song is my first in the genre of Gospel/Soul... I owe a lot of that to my producer, Brandon Bee, who re-worked some of the chords and arrangements to make the song feel the way I originally sang it to him, which had that soulful vibe.

This is the 4th release of 5 new songs I recorded last May and the 5th will be releasing towards the end of January 2021.

I am also excited to announce that as a Gold recipient of the 2020 ISSA Awards (International Singer-Songwriter Association), for Album of The Year (The Breakthrough), I am now represented through the ISSA Record Label! This is my first single to be released through ISSA Record Label...there will be a lot of very exciting things coming because of that as well.

Right now we are...

We just finished writing and recording another 5 brand new songs, each with a unique sound and genre.... it is always exciting to see the growth as a songwriter from one project to the next. I have a lot of hope and expectation for my music to reach many more listeners in 2021 because the message is always about inspiring others to believe in their dreams, to have healed from pain and challenges, and to have faith for a better tomorrow.

About the Artist...

Lisa Mitts is an ASCAP registered recording artist, singer/songwriter, pianist, and performer. She received Album Of The Year (Gold) at the 2020 ISSA Music Awards as well as Female Songwriter of the Year at the 2019 ISSA Awards. Together with her producer, Brandon Bee, she received the WSA (World Songwriting Awards) 2020 Best Song Production for the title cut of her EP, ‘The Breakthrough’. A multi-nominated finalist at the 2019 Josie Music Awards, Lisa has recorded and written with R&B artist, Allen Stone, Seattle producer/artist Brandon Bee, as well as in Franklin, TN at the Castle Studios with renowned Nashville musicians such as Gordon Mote and Chip Davis. Her music ranges in genres from pop to country, classic rock, singer/songwriter, and contemporary Christian to jazz and piano instrumental.

She performs with The Lisa Mitts Band in many venues and cities, including wine bars and pubs, festivals, race tracks, as well as corporate and private events.

Lisa has released 7 original albums (including 2 piano instrumentals), her recent award-winning EP, The Breakthrough, and multiple singles co-written with Brandon Bee. Her music is available on all digital outlets including iTunes and Spotify and is played on many radio stations in other countries as well.

Lisa also advocates for helping survivors of human trafficking through her music and a foundation she and her husband established, Destiny House Restoration Center.

LINKS: https://lisamitts.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/2pP7RonAsAN91ouZXLi5hC https://www.instagram.com/lisamittsmusic https://www.facebook.com/LisaMittsMusic https://twitter.com/LisaMitts

#Lisa Mitts #Washington #gospel

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grammys2019-blog · 5 years ago

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Grammys 2019: the winners

After this new edition of the Grammys Awards (the 61st), with great novelties and feminine imprint - from the conduction of Alicia Keys (winner of 15 of those awards) to the numerous nominees -, these are the artists who took the stage of the Staples Center of Los Angeles, to receive the most precious statuettes of the music industry:

Best pop duo "SHALLOW" by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper

Song of the year "THIS IS AMERICA", by Childish Gambino (Donald Glover)

Best country album "Golden Hour" by Kacey Musgraves

Best rap song "God's Plan" by Drake

Best R&B album "H.E.R.", by H.E.R.

Best rap album "Invasion of privacy", by Cardi B

Best new artist Dua Lipa

Record of the year "This is America", by Childish Gambino (Donald Glover)

Album of the year "Golden Hour", by Kacey Musgraves

Best Comedy Album "EQUANIMITY & THE BIRD REVELATION", by Dave Chappelle.

Best musical theater album "THE BAND'S VISIT", by Etai Benson, Adam Kantor, Katrina Lenk and Ari'el Stachel.

Best alternative music disc "COLORS" by Beck.

Better instrumental composition "BLUT UND BODEN" ("BLOOD AND SOIL"), by Terence Blanchard

Better instrumental or a cappella arrangement "STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER", by John Daversa.

Better arrangement, instrumentation and vowels "SPIDERMAN THEME", by Mark Kibble, Randy Waldman & Justin Wilson

Best packaging design "MASSEDUCTION", by Willo Perron.

Best packaging design of a limited edition "SQUEEZE BOX: THE COMPLETE WORKS OF" WEIRD AL "YANKOVIC", by Meghan Foley, Annie Stoll and Al Yankovic.

Best album notes "VOICES OF MISSISSIPPI: ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS DOCUMENTED BY WILLIAM FERRIS", by David Evans.

Best historical album "VOICES OF MISSISSIPPI: ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS DOCUMENTED BY WILLIAM FERRIS", by William Ferris, April Ledbetter and Steven Lance Ledbetter.

Better engineering of a non-classical disk "COLORS" by Beck.

Best remix of an album: "WALKING AWAY (MURA MASA REMIX)", by Alex Crossan, remixer (by Haim).

Best immersed audio album "EYE IN THE SKY - 35TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION", by Alan Parsons.

Best contemporary instrumental album "STEVE GADD BAND", by Steve Gadd Band.

Best gospel album "NEVER ALONE", by Tori Kelly.

Best Christian music performance "YOU SAY" by Lauren Daigle.

Best gospel album "HIDING PLACE", by Tori Kelly.

Best contemporary Christian music album "LOOK UP CHILD", by Lauren Daigle.

Best gospel root music album "UNEXPECTED" by Jason Crabb.

Best World Music Album "FREEDOM" by Soweto Gospel Choir.

Best compilation for a soundtrack "THE GREATEST SHOWMAN" by Hugh Jackman and several artists.

Best soundtrack for audiovisual media "BLACK PANTHER" by Ludwig Göransson.

Best composition for audiovisual media "SHALLOW" by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt.

Best New Age Album "OPIUM MOON", by Opium Moon.

Best American Roots performance "THE JOKE", by Brandi Carlile.

Best American Roots song "THE JOKE", by Brandi Carlile.

Best bluegrass album THE TRAVELIN 'MCCOURYS, by The Travelin' McCourys

Best traditional blues album "THE BLUES IS ALIVE AND WELL", by Buddy Guy

Best contemporary blues album "PLEASE DON'T BE DEAD", by Fantastic Negrito

Best Folk Album "ALL ASHORE" by the Punch Brothers

Best children's album "ALL THE SOUNDS" by Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats

Best Spoken Word Album "FAITH - A JOURNEY FOR ALL" by Jimmy Carter

Best Latin Pop Album "SINCERA", by Claudia Brant

Best Latin Rock Album "AZTLÁN", by Zoé

Best regional album of Mexican music "MEXICO FOREVER!" By Luis Miguel

Best Latin Tropical Album "ANNIVERSARY" by Spanish Harlem Orchestra

Best regional roots album "NO 'ANE'I", by Kalani Pe'a

Best music video "THIS IS AMERICA", by Childish Gambino

Best musical movie "QUINCY", by Alan Hicks and Rashida Jones

Best performance contry alone "BUTTERFLIES" by Kacey Musgraves

Best Country Duo Performance "TEQUILA", by Dan + Shay

Best country song "SPACE COWBOY", by Luke Laird, Shane McAnally and Kacey Musgraves

Best pop performance alone "JOANNE (WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOIN '?)", By Lady Gaga

Best traditional pop vocal album "MY WAY" by Willie Nelson

Best Engineered Album - Classic "SHOSTAKOVICH: SYMPHONIES US 4 & 11", by Shawn Murphy and Nick Squire

Best producer of the year - classic Blanton Alspaugh

Best orchestra performance "SHOSTAKOVICH: SYMPHONIES NOS. 4 & 11", by Andris Nelsons

Best Opera Recording "BATES: THE (R) EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS"

Best choral performance "MCLOSKEY: ZEALOT CANTICLES"

Best chamber music - small ensemble "ANDERSON, LAURIE: LANDFALL", by Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet

Volume enhancer

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icthumilityg3-blog · 6 years ago

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FAMOUS and SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE **TOP 5 RICHEST PEOPLE **

#5 Mark Zuckerberg

REAL TIME NET WORTH : $62.3B as of February 2019

Source of Wealth: Facebook

LINK: https://www.quora.com/How-does-Mark-Zuckerberg-make-his-wealth-from-Facebook

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has had a difficult 2018; the social network has been criticized for enabling the spread of hate speech and fake news.

In April 2018, he testified before Congress after it was revealed that Facebook shared users' data with political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.

Zuckerberg started Facebook at Harvard in 2004 at the age of 19 for students to match names with faces in class.

He took Facebook public in May 2012 and still owns nearly 17% of the stock.

In December 2015, Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, pledged to give away 99% of their Facebook stake over their lifetimes.

Age: 34

EDUCATION: Drop Out, Harvard University

DID YOU KNOW: Mark Zuckerberg was not the real co-founder of Facebook .He had the idea of facebook but didn't implement but hired someone who can implement it perfectly. So, Divya Narendra is the founder of idea not the implementation and mark implemented this idea with his skills which he named the Facebook.

Mark 5 secret passion to success:

LINK: https://maxmyprofit.com.au/blog/mark-zuckerbergs-5-secrets-to-success/

#4 Bernard Arnault

REAL TIME NET WORTH: $70B

LINK: https://wealthygorilla.com/bernard-arnault-net-worth/

SOURCE OF WEALTH: LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton

One of the world's ultimate taste-makers, Bernard Arnault oversees an empire of 70 brands including Louis Vuitton and Sephora.

His luxury company, which owns leading fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Givenchy enjoyed one of its best years to date last year and saw Arnault blaze past fellow fashion billionaire.

Record results at LVMH and a megadeal to buy out nearly all of Christian Dior helped boost Arnault's fortune by $30.5 billion in one year.

Age: 69

EDUCATION Bachelor of Arts/Science, Ecole Polytechnique de Paris

#3 WARREN BUFFETT

REAL TIME NET WORTH $84.6B as of 2/18/19 ( Forbes)

SOURCE OF WEALTH: Berkshire Hathaway, Self Made

Known as the "Oracle of Omaha," Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors of all time.

Buffett runs Berkshire Hathaway, which owns more than 60 companies, including insurer Geico, battery maker Duracell and restaurant chain Dairy Queen.

The son of a U.S. congressman, he first bought stock at age 11 and first filed taxes at age 13.

He's promised to give away over 99% of his fortune. So far he's donated $35 billion, much of it to the foundation of friends Bill and Melinda Gates.

In 2010, he and Gates launched the Giving Pledge, asking billionaires to commit to donating half their wealth to charitable causes.

Age: 88

EDUCATION :Bachelor of Arts/Science, University of Nebraska Lincoln; Master of Science, Columbia University .

#2 BILL GATES

REAL TIME NET WORTH $97B as of 2/18/19 (Forbes)

SOURCE OF WEALTH :Microsoft, Self Made

As the principal founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates is one of the most influential and richest people on the planet.

To date, Gates has donated $35.8 billion worth of Microsoft stock to the Gates Foundation.

Gates has sold or given away much of his stake in Microsoft -- he owns just over 1% of shares --and invested in a mix of stocks and other asset

Besides his plane, one of Gates' biggest splurges was the Codex Leicester, a collection of writings by Leonardo da Vinci. He acquired it at a 1994 auction for $30.8 million.

Age:63

EDUCATION:Drop Out, Harvard University

Gates scored a near-perfect 1590 out of 1600 on his SATs.

Did you know: As a teen at Lakeside Prep School, Bill Gates wrote his first computer program on a General Electric computer. It was a version of tic-tac-toe where you could play against the machine.

#1 JEFF BEZOS

REAL TIME NET WORTH $133B as of 2/18/19 (Forbes)

SOURCE OF WEALTH: Amazon, Self Made

Amazon's chief Jeff Bezos is the first person with a net worth surpassing $150 billion in the 3 decades that Forbes has tracked the richest Americans.

He owns 16% of e-commerce colossus Amazon, which he founded in a garage in Seattle in 1994.

Bezos attended Princeton and worked at a hedge fund before quitting to sell books online.

His other passion is space travel: His aerospace company, Blue Origin, is developing a reusable rocket that Bezos says will carry passengers.

Bezos purchased The Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million.

Age: 55

Jeff Bezos :Yep, that’s me. I was lucky to be exposed to tech and coding at a young age. Inspired a lifelong love of invention. I hope the new Amazon Future Engineer program does the same for some kids today. https://www.amazonfutureengineer.com

DID YOU KNOW: In 1995, Jackie and Mike Bezos plowed $245,573 into their son's fledgling e-commerce website. It's worth almost $30 billion today.

LINK:https://www.livemint.com/Companies/EsJXaSlwLDV0Jtdy1d1MnI/A-hidden-Amazon-fortune-Jeff-Bezos-parents-could-be-worth.html

by: Aaliyah L.

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** 5 FAMOUS CELEBRITIES **

Taylor Swift

American singer

Full name: Taylor Alison Swift

Born: December 13, 1989 (age 29)

Place of birth: Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Description:

Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. As one of the world’s leading contemporary recording artists, she is known for narrative songs about her personal life, which has received widespread media coverage. She signed with the label Big Machine Records and became the youngest artist ever signed by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house. Her 2006 self-titled debut album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and spent the most weeks on the chart in the 2000s.

Music Video: Sugarland- Babe

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l25AL0BdD6w

Ariana Grande

American singer

Full name: Ariana Grande-Butera

Born: June 26, 1993 (age 25)

Place of birth: Boca Raton, Florida, U.S. Description: Ariana Grande-Butera is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Florida to a family of New York-Italian origin, she began her career in 2008 in the Broadway musical 13, before playing the role of Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon television series Victorious from 2010 to 2013, and in the spinoff Sam & Cat from 2013 to 2014. Grande made her first musical appearance on the soundtrack for Victorious and was signed to Republic Records in 2011 after music executive Monte Lipman came across one of her YouTube videos covering songs. Her accolades include three American Music Awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards and six Grammy Award nominations. She has supported a range of charities and has a large following on social media. In 2016, Time named Grande one of the 100 most influential people in the world on their annual list. In 2018, Billboard named her Woman of the Year. Ariana Video Music: Thank U, next

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl1aHhXnN1k

Justin Bieber

Canadian singer-songwriter

Full name: Justin Drew Bieber

Born: March 1, 1994 (age 24)

Place of birth: London, Ontario, Canada

Description:

Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After talent manager Scooter Braun discovered his YouTube videos covering songs, he was signed to RBMG in 2008. Bieber then released his debut EP, My World, in late 2009. It was certified platinum in the US; he became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut record chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Bieber released his first studio album, My World 2.0, in 2010. It debuted at number one in several countries, was certified triple platinum in the US, and contained his single “Baby”, which debuted at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold 12 million units.

Bieber Award List:

LINK: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3595501/awards

Ed Sheeran Singer-songwriter

Full name: Edward Christopher Sheeran

Born: 17 February 1991 (age 27)

Place of birth: Halifax, West Yorkshire, England

Description:

Edward Christopher Sheeran, is an English singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actor. He has sold more than 45 million albums and 100 million singles worldwide, making him one of the world’s best-selling music artists. Two of his albums are in the list of the best-selling albums in UK chart history: x at number 20, and ÷ at number 34.

Ed upcoming tour:

LINK: https://www.edsheeran.com/tour

Justin Randall Timberlake

Born: January 31, 1981 (age 38)

Place of birth: Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.

Description:

Justin Randall Timberlake is an American singer-songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He appeared on the television shows Star Search and The All-New Mickey Mouse Club as a child. In the late 1990s, Timberlake rose to prominence as one of the two lead vocalists and youngest member of NSYNC, which eventually became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. Timberlake began to adopt a more mature image as an artist with the release of his debut solo album, the R&B-focused Justified (2002), which yielded the successful singles “Cry Me a River” and “Rock Your Body”, and earned his first two Grammy Awards.

Justin Music Video:

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA-NDZb29I4

by: ROCKSUPRINCE

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*****5 FAMOUS ACTORS *****

Brad Pitt

Full Name: William Bradley Pitt

Occupation: Film Actor, Producer

Birth Date: December 18, 1963

Age: 55

Place of Birth: Shanwee, Oklahoma

Description:

William Bradley Pitt is an American actor and film producer. He has received multiple awards and nominations including an Academy Award as producer under his own company Plan B Entertainment. Pitt first gained recognition as a cowboy hitchhiker in the road movie Thelma & Louise (1991). His first leading roles in big-budget productions came with the drama films A River Runs Through It (1992) and Legends of the Fall (1994), and horror film Interview with the Vampire (1994). He gave critically acclaimed performances in the crime thriller Seven and the science fiction film 12 Monkeys (both 1995), the latter earning him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award nomination.

Tom Hanks

Full Name: Thomas Jeffrey Hanks

Occupation: Director, Television, Actor, Film Actor

Birth Date: July 9, 1956

Age: 62

Place of Birth: Concord, California

Description:

Thomas Jeffrey Hanks is an American actor and filmmaker. Hanks is known for his comedic and dramatic roles in such films. Hanks has collaborated with film director Steven Spielberg on five films to date: Saving Private Ryan (1998), Catch Me If You Can (2002), The Terminal (2004), Bridge of Spies(2015), and The Post (2017), as well as the 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers, which launched Hanks as a successful director, producer, and screenwriter. Hanks’ films have grossed more than $4.6 billion at U.S. and Canadian box offices and more than $9.2 billion worldwide, making him the fourth highest-grossing actor in North America. Hanks has been nominated for numerous awards during his career.

Tom Cruise

Occupation: Film Actor, Producer

Birth Date; July 3, 1962

Age: 56

Place of Birth: Syracuse, New York

Description:

Thomas Cruise is an American actor and producer. He started his career at age 19, in the film Endless Love (1981), before making his breakthrough in the comedy Risky Business (1983), and receiving widespread attention for starring in the action drama Top Gun (1986). After starring in The Color of Money (1986) and Cocktail (1988), Cruise starred opposite Dustin Hoffman in the Academy Award for Best Picture-winning drama Rain Man. For his role as anti-war activist Ron Kovic in the drama Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Cruise received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Harrison Ford

Occupation: Film Actor

Birth Date: July 13, 1942

Age: 76

Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois

Description:

Harrison Ford is an American actor. He gained worldwide fame for his starring roles as Han Solo in the Star Wars film series and as the title character of Indiana Jones. Five of his movies are within the 30 top-grossing movies of all time at the US box office. Ford is also known for playing Rick Deckard in the neo-noir dystopian science fiction film Blade Runner (1982) and its sequel Blade Runner 2049 (2017); John Book in the thriller Witness (1985), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor; and Jack Ryan in the action films Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994). His career spans six decades and includes roles in several Hollywood blockbusters.

Morgan Freeman

Occupation: Film Actor, Producer, Television Actor, Theater Actor

Birth Date: June 1, 1937

Age: 81

Place of Birth: Memphis, Tennessee

Description:

Morgan Freeman is an American actor, producer, and narrator. Freeman won an Academy Award in 2005 for Best Supporting Actor with Million Dollar Baby (2004), and he has received Oscar nominations for his performances in Street Smart (1987), Driving Miss Daisy (1989), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and Invictus (2009). He has also won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Noted for his deep voice, Freeman has served as a narrator, commentator, and voice actor for numerous programs, series and television shows. He is ranked as the fifth-highest box office star with $4.31 billion in total box office grosses, an average of $74.4 million per film.

by: Reinard P.

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popsixsquishcicerolipschitz · 6 years ago

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The Backstory Behind Cardi B’s Couture Grammys Look

CHRISTIAN ALLAIRE

FEBRUARY 11, 2019

Tonight, some of music’s biggest stars hit the red carpet for the 61st annual Grammy Awards. And while the memo of the night saw celebrities embrace a surprisingly sleek and modest approach to fashion, there were a select few who decided to really go for it on the step and repeat. Take Chloe x Halle, for instance: the pop duo, who is signed to Beyoncé’s label, hit the red carpet in masterfully-twinning looks that were cohesively bold—yet super individualistic, too.

The two stars decided to experiment with volume and tulle at tonight’s awards ceremony. The sibling group, who are nominated for two Grammys tonight, including best New Artist and Best Urban Contemporary Album, did black and white color motifs in two different ways. Halle did her take on it via a voluminous, tiered tulle top, accented by black bow tied around the neck. She paired it with a simpler floor-length black skirt. As for Chloe, she went for a sleeve moment instead, slipping on a classic black floor-length dress with white tulle sleeves, scrunched together accordion-style.

The end result was a cooler take on that often-referenced Carrie Bradshaw ballerina skirt: only reworked here in a totally unexpected way. And sported two times? It was twice as nice.

See All of the Celebrity Looks From the Grammys 2019 Red Carpet:

Grammy Awards 2019: Fashion—Live From the Red Carpet

#Grammy Awards 2019 #2019 #Cardi B #CHRISTIAN ALLAIRE

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botheyessareshut · 5 years ago

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Sherrell Mitchell releases new single 'Hear O' Israel' feat. Grady Austin

The producer/songwriter of inspirational gospel music known as Sherrell “Rell” Mitchell has released his latest official single, “Hear O' Israel.” In addition to the considerable skills of Sherrell, “Hear O' Israel” also features performances by Grady Austin, The JLM Worshipers, and a Biblical proclamation from Rev. George Mitchell (AKA Dad). It has been proudly published as an independent release without the involvement of the corporate music industry. Uplifting, exultant, and based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, “Hear O' Israel” is the latest reason for believers and fans of gospel music to take note of Sherrell Mitchell.

Some of “Rell’s,” artistic influences are many of the best-loved voices in modern praise: Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond, John P. Kee, Hezakiah Walker, Donnie McClurkin, Take 6, Israel Houghton, Ben Tankard, Neal Jones, Grady Austin, and Cora Jackson. Informed by the styles of these contemporary favorites, Mitchell's own sound is founded on the American gospel choir tradition, but dressed up with 21st century production values and plenty of flair.

Asked to describe the overall meaning of “Hear O' Israel,” Sherrell writes, “This particular song shares a 2-part message: 1). that God is our All, and 2). a refocus/recommittal to our walk with Him as we give Him our all.”

Sherrell began music as a church percussionist in his youth, but learned to play the piano with training and mentorship by teachers such as Vivian Perryman, Darryl Hawk, Kay Classy and Phil Curry. He continues today to humble serve the Pacific Northwest Christian community with his love for the Lord and his musical gifts.

His 2016 albums, “The JLM Project” and “The Mass Of New Vision” continue to gain popularity, as does his January 2019 single release, “Salt Of The Earth.”

“All things are possible with God, and I’m truly grateful for the beautiful gift of music that He’s given me. Spreading the Gospel through musical expression, one song at a time for an Audience of One, as the world listens on.”

“Hear O' Israel” by Sherrell Mitchell feat. Min. Grady Austin is available from over 600 quality digital music stores online worldwide now.

“Hear O' Israel” by Sherrell Mitchell –

https://www.amazon.com/Israel-Sherrell-Mitchell-feat-Austin/dp/B07RG3P735/

#sherrell mitchell #hear o' israel

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thesinglesjukebox · 5 years ago

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BLAKE SHELTON - GOD'S COUNTRY

[4.17]

Well, at least two of our writers turned around their chairs for you, Blake...

Alfred Soto: "Blake's Country," judging from the fake humility. [1]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: A clever title given the song's subtext flips the definition of "country." Shelton is a 21st century pharisee here, and the vague spirituality that defines this is meant as a warning to all of the genre's heretics. Naturally, the reason this song can function successfully as a song about Real Country Music is because it follows the same tactics that are utilized to keep Real Christians so sure of their received convictions: Shelton looks to history, religion, and tradition to detail a future that needs saving. He explains that "the Devil went down to Georgia/but he didn't stick around," and if Shelton's having any say in this culture war, the same fate awaits the country devil incarnate: Florida Georgia Line. But really, saying "This is God's Country" (especially after saying "it ain't my ground") encapsulates the full breadth of why so many people support legislation like the heartbeat bills. It's yet to be seen if this will soundtrack any pro-life rallies, but really, the existence and success of this song already shows that its logic is already ingrained in countless Americans' minds. [8]

Katie Gill: I'm faced with writing a review of a song that attempts to talk about a specific place via rural imagery (one church town, dogs running in the wild) and country-western imagery (The Charlie Daniels Band, mentioning "Dixie") but is so generic that there is a Shelton-sponsored website with a "God's Country" image generator where you can say that literally any city, no matter the location or population, is God's Country. I don't care if "God's Country" is a state of mind or whatever mealy-mouth nonsense Shelton wants to use to try and sell this song north of the Mason-Dixon line, he mentioned "Dixie!" You don't mention "Dixie" unless you're trying to appeal to a certain demographic. Anyway, my review is just to link this Bo Burnham bit that I know I've already linked for at least two other country songs of this ilk but it's not MY fault they keep setting themselves up like this. [2]

Katherine St Asaph: Tolling church bells, seething guitars, cackling voices, twang cranked up to 11 -- all the elements of post-"Old Town Road" country camp. But instead of going the full "Mea Culpa" melodrama, "God's Country" shoves everything but the twang to the back of the mix, leaving up front the same old Southern rock. The conceit could've been a play on words, i.e., "God is country," which might actually be funny -- but again, instead the lyric's the same old mythologizing BS. As you may have heard, there's some big news ongoing with Georgia's abortion laws, and even if you don't think "this is God's country" is a big-ass dog whistle, the issue is such that both sides would find it compelling evidence that maybe the devil stuck around. Or if he didn't, it's because the uncredited female background vocalist belted him right back into hell; but she's also shoved to the back of the mix, so you probably didn't notice. [5]

Taylor Alatorre: Upon closer examination of the lyrics, there doesn't seem to be anything inherently reactionary about "God's Country," though I can't shake the feeling that at least someone involved in its production wanted people like me to think there was. I'm not even totally opposed to reactionary thought in music if it's done in an interesting way -- where are all the synthpunk songs based on Italian futurist principles or the concept albums inspired by Spengler's Decline of the West? Far from a full-throated declaration of cultural allegiances, "God's Country" is a damp squib of a psuedo-anthem that paints over its noncommittal core with a mix of bluster and overcompensation. I believe Blake Shelton has real pride in his small town Oklahoma roots; why does he sing like he's faking it? [1]

Jonathan Bradley: Country is having a Christian moment, and as a Southern music, its Christian moments are often best when there's a bit of hell in there too -- like Patterson Hood told us, Satan is a Southerner. But why would this song of community and salvation growl with such darkness and drag with such sick, hot menace? "God's country" is a phrase that denotes awe -- think of the expansive beauty in the similarly named U2 song -- but Blake Shelton's track turns it literally territorial: he is marking out the boundaries of a land and of the people who belong on it. It's hard not to suppose, then, that he might also be marking out the people who do not belong. Sometimes country music's esteem for tradition can leave you wondering what happens to the people who don't fit into it, but Shelton leaves less room to wonder. God's country sounds like a place you don't want to be caught in after sun down. [3]

Stephen Eisermann: The moodiness and dark aesthetic of this song are really sexy, as is Blake's rough vocal, it's just that there's this burning question in my mind: can someone remind me of which native tribe "God" belonged to? [4]

Isabel Cole: The church-bells melodrama comes across so dramatic and stark that I listened probably harder than I should have for a hint of some irony or complication that would make the idea of describing an implicitly white American setting as "God's country" in the year 2019 less than totally repulsive. And I'm open to someone more familiar with genre or artist telling me there's something I'm missing, but really all I hear is a song about how much reality TV star Blake Shelton loves farmers and manifest destiny. [3]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: I come from a tradition that has not, for much of its history, had a country to lend to God, so the sheer physicality of Shelton's worship music is appealing as a novelty. That's much more in the music than the lyrics -- the metal-leaning production job and Shelton's bombastic vocal performance complete their goals with more clarity than the lyrics, which feel more like an empty listing of signifiers and metaphors than a sermon proper. [5]

Iris Xie: "God's Country" is composed very strictly to accompany an unrelenting montage of images in its lyrics. The brusqueness of this approach honestly reminds me of when Phil Collins wrote his adult contemporary songs for Tarzan, and its overall determination to wring every possible emotion out of the images. The crunchy slaps and grunting guitars impart a type of stressful dominance which makes me wonder about Shelton's relationship to God and why it is so cortisol-spiking, but I guess if striking fear and awe is the goal of the song, it's not too bad. [5]

Alex Clifton: I like a song that fills me with the fear of God, and Blake Shelton comes very close to that here. "God's Country" is a foot-stomping revival song, but I wish he'd gone a bit further with it. The issue is that he sounds too polished when I want the grit and more devils, but I'm relieved this isn't a "God bless the USA!!!!!" song like I worried it might be. [5]

Ramzi Awn: Blake adds some spice to what could have been a dull song and surprisingly, "God's Country" more than makes its mark. Thanks to a rollicking vision and all the right bells and whistles, the track succeeds in conjuring up the danger Blake warns against and leaves you wanting a shot of whiskey. [8]

[Read and comment on The Singles Jukebox]

#Blake Shelton #country #pop #music #music review #writing

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redcarpetview · 5 years ago

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RCA INSPIRATION CELEBRATES FIVE WINS AT THE 2019 GMA DOVE AWARDS

Donald Lawrence and Koryn Hawthorne present at the Dove Awards. Photo credit: Courtesy of GMA Dove Awards.

Nashville, TN (October 16, 2019) – RCA Inspiration celebrates five wins at the 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards, with Kirk Franklin, Donald Lawrence, Le’Andria Johnson, and Koryn Hawthorne taking home Dove Awards in five categories this year. Garnering double wins, Gospel icons Kirk Franklin and Donald Lawrence each won two Dove Awards, with Johnson and Hawthorne winning one Dove Award apiece. Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul/RCA) won one of the night’s top honors, Gospel Artist of the Year, as well as Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year for his #1 smash hit “Love Theory.” Donald Lawrence’s acclaimed album Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri-City Singers, Goshen won Traditional Gospel Album of the Year, while he and Le’Andria Johnson took home the award for Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year, “Deliver Me (This Is My Exodus),” the chart-topping single from Goshen. Closing out the Contemporary Gospel category, Koryn Hawthorne won Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year for her acclaimed album Unstoppable.

Taking the stage at the sold-out Dove Awards show in Nashville, TN, Kirk Franklin created a signature blowout performance of his songs “Strong God” and “F.A.V.O.R” from his latest album, closing with his classic hit “Hosanna.” Donald Lawrence, Travis Greene, and Koryn Hawthorne also presented awards on the show.

Travis Greene on Dove Awards red carpet. Photo credit: Courtesy of GMA Dove Awards.

Phil Thornton, SVP and General Manager of RCA Inspiration says: “We’re excited and feel blessed to celebrate Kirk, Donald, Le’Andria, and Koryn’s wins at the Doves! Congratulations to the Gospel Music Association on the 50th anniversary; it was an honor to have Kirk, Donald, Travis, and Koryn be part of celebrating an incredible Dove Awards show this year.”

Marking the Dove Awards’ amazing legacy commemorating its 50th year, the Gospel Music Association’s (GMA) Dove Awards has celebrated the best in all styles of Christian and Gospel music and entertainment, including Pop, Rock, Worship, Spanish Language, Hip-Hop, Contemporary Christian music, Children’s Music, Contemporary, Traditional, and Southern Gospel, Inspirational Films, Musicals, and more. The 50th Annual GMA Dove Awards will air on TBN on Sunday, October 20, 2019 at 8 pm EST / 5 pm PST.

For more information on RCA Inspiration, visit:

Website: http://rcainspiration.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RCAInspiration

Instagram: @RCAInspiration

Twitter : @RCAInspiration

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