1974 BAND

         1974 AD is one of the famous Nepali rock band, who  are well known for the    traditional nepali folk music and western rock music, blues and jazz using a combination of native and western instruments. 

     The band was formed during 90s by a group of teachers from Gyanodaya School, Lalitpur which included guitarist Phiroj Shyangden, bassist Nirakar Yakthumba, drummer Bhanu A. They were influenced by the english artists like Bryan Adams, Deep Purple, Beatles Band and many others. They were also interested in playing various genres like hardrock, heavy metal, rock and blues through several gigs around Kathmandu where they covered numbers from Bryan Adams, Deep Purple and other rock groups.

       During those years Adrian Pradhan and Sanjay Shrestha were involved in their own bands. Adrian Pradhan used to be in a hard rock band from Kalimpong named “The Flame”. Percussionist Sanjay Shrestha, who used to play the drums for the St Xaviers school band, was involved with Nepali fusion rock act “Shristi”. Later during the late 90s Adrian Pradhan joined 1974 AD as their drummer/vocalist after former drummer Bhanu A decided to leave the band. The following year local guitar enthusiast Manoj K.C from Dhobighat, Lalitpur also joined the band and completed the lineup.

  

      The band has brought out some fantastic albums which include Time Out; released in 1996, Samjhi Baschu; released in 1998, Satabdi; released in 2001, Jungi Nishan; released in 2002; Limited Editiion; also released in 2002; Pinjada Ko Suga; released in 2004 and On Air; released in 2007. 

        Their first hit single “Mayalule” from their debut album “Time Out”, they came to become one of the best bands around country. Their other most famous songs are "Samjhi baschu", "Chaubandi Choli", "Pahilo Junima", "Sanbodhan",  "Nepali Ho(Jaso Gara Je bhana)", "Ayena Chitti haru" and many more. 

       They are amongst the most successful recording artists in Nepal. Most of their albums are ranked among the top-ten best-selling albums according to the Hits FM of Nepal.Their lyrics are filled with patriotism, Nepali virtues, unity, love and nationalism. Their concert named ‘Rock Yatra’ in the year 2000 was attended by more than 60,000 people. This was the largest attendance for a concert in Nepal.

       At Present, Phiroj Shyangden has left the band for personal reasons and now he is in the America. However, Nepali music fans are missing him as well as waiting for his songs. Likewise, there has been the adverse effect in his own band as well as in the Nepalese Music Industry due to his absense. At Present, the band now plays with :
Adrian Pradhan : Vocals & Drums
Nirakar Yakthumba : Bass & Backing Vocals
Manoj Kumar KC : Guitar, Keybords & Backing Vocals
Sanjay Shrestha : Percussions & Backing Vocals
Manose Singh : Flute

       

   

COBWEB BAND

Members
Divesh Mulmi - Vocal / Lead Guitar
Sunil Shakya - Vocal / Guitar
Nilesh Joshi - Bass
Siddartha Dhakhwa - Back Vocal / Drum

Hometown
Patan, Kathmandu

        "Cobweb" Band is one of the most popular bands in the Nepalese Music Industry. They are well known for the pop and rock music. The band was formed in  1992 by Dibesh and Mahesh. Before forming this band, they were in the "Riser" band. They were influenced by the English bands like Beatles, Led zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Rolling Stones, AC/DC and many others.

      This band mostly focused on the live concerts while making the music videos because they think that their fans and people can directly interact with their music and their performance. They are mostly popular by the songs like "Mercedez Benz", "Pret Ko Nasha", "Maryo Ni Maryo" etc. Those songs are categorized as the pop and rock music in the Nepalese Music Industry. Mostly the teenagers and the youths are their fans as they love the pop and rock music.

        Most of their music videos are related with  their  performance and that seems real. Their first music video was "Maryo Ni Maryo" which was made by the Image Channel. It  was also awarded as best music video made in the year and the director of the music video was Sahendra Shrestha. Similarly, their other music videos released are " Preet Ko Nasha", "Mercedes Benz Ma" etc. 

         At present, the new song "Namaste" is the most popular.  It has got the video too.  This song is released after many years of their extinction. It is said that they were involved in the making their own music school and teaching the music in the music school in their hometown named "Patan" during their extinction. They teached in many categories like bass, lead, vocal, keyboard, drum and many others. Many people go to their school for getting the knowledge about music. However,  they have returned back with their songs "Namaste" to uplift  importance of the Nepalese music in the 2010. These movements of the Cobweb have helped to uplift the condition of the Music Industry in Nepal.

      They are popular inside and outside the Kathmandu Valley. They are too popular and respected outside Nepal where abroaded Nepalese people love the Nepalese pop and rock music. They have traveled different places in Nepal like Hetauda, Pokhara, Kathmandu, Jhapa, Dharan, Biratnagar, Kathmandu and abroad like Hong Kong for their concerts.
    
         Some Members of Cobweb like Dipesh Mulmi and Siddhartha Dhakwa are also related with the recording studio. They also work as music arranger and compose music and lyrics for newcomers. Since they have released their five albums , they are also working for their another.

MUKTI N' REVIVAL

    Mukti Shakya (main member of Mukti N' Revival) was born and brought up in Jyabahal tole, Kathmandu. i He was interested in music since his early age, he was deeply influenced by western music. He fell so much in love with guitar that he spent all day and night playing it and making music in it.

       Before 1980s he used to play for the Radium band but got his first break from Radium. Radium Was the popular local band at that time. In the mid 80s, Mukti formed a new band named "The Elegance" with friends of his own age. After that he started to write the song and compose the music of his own which later proved "The Elegance" as the most popular artist at that time.

              Mukti  became a source of  an inspiration to many musicians as well as up coming musicians of the valley.  There were many fans of  "The Eligance" and of the Mukti too. Those fans mostly love the folks songs of "The Eligence" song by Mukti. However, "The Elegance" band dissolved in 1987 and he decided to go to Spain cause he fell in love with the Spanish girl named "Mary" when she had once come in Nepal and had seen his concert.

      In Spain, he joined the "Tramontana" band as the lead Guitarist. He also experienced Spanish music. He also travelled to different parts of Spain with his band and gave the concert.  Finally, he became able to establish his name in the music scenario there. 

        He returned  Kathmandu in early 90s when there was the musical identical crisis  like anywhere else in the world. He then decided to revive the old musical charm. He gathered  his old friends and started rocking the old tune which always made them swing and roll. They named themselves "Revival". However, his old good friend advised him to to make the name as "Mukti N' Revival" which make more sense. Between 1993 and 1996, there were occuring  frequent changes in the line up.

      At the same time, the band named "Newaz" which was one of the energetic band that time, was looking for a front man   to fill in an empty space left by their guitarist singer. "Newaz" had already cut an album and had earned a fairly good reputation. Then Mukti met Roshan, Binod and Rabin, who were the members of the "Newaz" band and started to jam. It clicked so well that Mukti's search for a regular lineup and Newaz' search for a front man ended. From early 1997, a new lineup of "Mukti & Revival" was formed and started rocking in different occasion. however, their first major appearance came in Kastamandap Jatra '97--a mega music festival featuring all the popular local bands. Their other major appearances were Shiva Ratri music festival , Kastamandap Jatra '98, Durbar Marg Fest, and Millennium Concert . Mukti & Revival also performed in various different parts of Nepal.

Band Members

Mukti Shakya on Vocals and Guitar
Sunit Kansakar on Guitar
Roshan Kansakar on Bass
Prajwol Kansakar on Drums and
Mukti's wife, Mary on Keyboard 

ENRIQUE IGLEGIAS : BIOGRAPHY

     Enrique Iglesias (born Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler; May 8, 1975) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and occasional actor, popular in both the Latin market and the Hispanic American market in the United States. He is the son of the famous Spanish singer Julio Iglesias. Within five years of beginning his musical career in the 1990s, he became the biggest seller of Spanish-language albums of that decade. He made his crossover into the mainstream English language market before the turn of the millennium, signing a multi-album deal with Universal Music Group for an unprecedented US$50,000,000 with Universal Music Latino to release his Spanish albums and Interscope to release English albums. In 2010, he parted with Interscope and signed with another Universal Music Group label, Universal Republic.

    Iglesias has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best selling Spanish language artists of all time. He has had five Billboard Hot 100 top five singles, including two number-ones, and holds the record for producing 22 number-one Spanish-language singles on the Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks. He has also had ten number-one songs on Billboard's Dance charts, more than any other single male artist. Altogether, Iglesias has amassed 55 number-one hits on the various Billboard charts. Billboard has called him The King of Latin Pop and The King of Dance. Billboard also named Enrique the number two Latin artist of the years 1986–2011 (Luis Miguel taking the first spot).

Early life
    Iglesias was born in Madrid, Spain, and is the third and youngest child of singer Julio Iglesias and socialite and magazine journalist Isabel Preysler. His mother is Filipina and his father is of Spanish ancestry from Galicia. His parents' marriage was annulled in 1979.

      In 1986, Iglesias' grandfather, Dr. Julio Iglesias Puga, was kidnapped by the armed Basque separatist group ETA. For their safety, Enrique and his brother, Julio Iglesias, Jr., were sent to live with their father in Miami. He also lived in Belgrade, Serbia, for one year with his mother. As his father's career kept him on the road, the young Iglesias was raised by the family nanny. He attended the prestigious Gulliver Preparatory School, where he made his singing debut in a production of Hello, Dolly!. Iglesias later went on to study business at the University of Miami.

      Iglesias did not want his father to know about his plans for a musical career and did not want his famous surname to help advance his career. He borrowed money from his family nanny and he recorded a demo cassette tape which consisted of a Spanish song and two English songs. Approaching his father's former publicist, Fernan Martinez, the two promoted the songs under the stage name 'Enrique Martinez' with the backstory of being an unknown singer from Guatemala. Iglesias was signed the Mexican label Fonovisa. After dropping out of college, he traveled to Toronto to record his first album.

1995–96: Enrique Iglesias
      Iglesias spent five months in Toronto to work on his debut album. On July 12, 1995, Iglesias released Enrique Iglesias, a collection of light rock ballads, including the singles "Si Tú Te Vas", "Experiencia Religiosa", and others. The record went Gold in Portugal within the first week of release, and sold over a million copies in the next three months.

     His song "Por Amarte" was included in Televisa's telenovela Marisol, but with a twist: instead of Por amarte daría mi vida (To love you, I'd give my life), the words were Por amarte Marisol, moriría (To love you, Marisol, I'd die). The CD also yielded Italian and Portuguese editions of the album, with most of the songs translated into those languages.

  Five singles released from this album, such as "Por Amarte", "No Llores Por Mí", and "Trapecista" topped the Latin charts. The album went on to win Iglesias a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance.

1997–99: Vivir and Cosas Del Amor
    Iglesias with Ronald McDonald in 1999, his Cosas del Amor tour was sponsored by McDonald's.

     In 1997, Iglesias' star continued to rise with the release of Vivir (To Live), which put him up with other English language music superstars in sales for that year. The album also included a cover version of the Yazoo song "Only You", translated into Spanish as "Solo en Tí".

    Insisting on stadiums, that summer, Enrique, backed by sidemen for Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel, played to sold-out audiences in sixteen countries. Beginning the tour in Odessa, Texas the tour went on to three consecutive nights in Mexico's Plaza de Toros, two consecutive nights at Monterrey's Auditorio Coca Cola and two at the Estadio River Plate in Buenos Aires, Argentina to over 130,000 people as well as 19 arenas in the U.S.

       Three singles released from Vivir ("Enamorado Por Primera Vez", "Sólo en Ti" and "Miente") topped the Latin singles chart as well as those in several Spanish-speaking countries. Along with his father and Luis Miguel, Iglesias was nominated for an American Music Award in the first-ever awarded category of Favorite Latin Artist. It was said beforehand that the elder Iglesias would walk out if he did not win the award. Iglesias lost out to his father, but did perform the song "Lluvia Cae" at the event.

     In 1998, Iglesias released his third album, Cosas del Amor (Things of Love). Taking a more musical direction, the album, aided by the popular singles "Esperanza" and "Nunca Te Olvidaré", both of which topped the Latin singles chart, helped cement his status in the Latin music scene.

      Iglesias did a short tour of smaller venues to accompany the release of the album, with one show being televised from Acapulco, Mexico. This was followed by a larger world tour of over eighty shows in even bigger venues. The Cosas del Amor Tour was the first ever concert tour sponsored by McDonald's.

    He won an American Music Award in the category of Favorite Latin Artist against Ricky Martin and Los Tigres del Norte. The song "Nunca te Olvidaré" was also used as the theme music for a Spanish soap opera of the same name and he sang the song himself on the last episode of the series.

1999–2000: Enrique
       By 1999, Iglesias had begun a successful crossover career into the English language music market. Thanks to other successful crossover acts, most notably that of Ricky Martin and Selena, Latino artists and music had a great surge in popularity in mainstream music. Iglesias' contribution to the soundtrack of Will Smith's movie Wild Wild West, "Bailamos" became a number one hit in the US. In 2000 he performed alogside Grammy Award winner singer Christina Aguilera in the Super Bowl half-time show.

After the success of "Bailamos", several mainstream record labels were eager to sign Enrique. Signing a multi-album deal after weeks of negotiations with Interscope, Iglesias recorded and released his first full CD in English, Enrique. The pop album, with some Latin influences, took two months to complete. It also contained a very successful international single duetted with Whitney Houston entitled "Could I Have This Kiss Forever", and a cover of the Bruce Springsteen song "Sad Eyes".

2001–02: Escape
    In 2001 Iglesias released the album Escape. Where most of the Latin crossover acts of the previous year experienced some difficulty matching the record sales of their first English language albums, Iglesias actually went on to sell even more. The album's first single, "Hero", became a number one hit in the United Kingdom, and in many other countries. The entire album was co-written by Iglesias.

      Escape is his biggest commercial success to date. The singles "Escape" and "Don't Turn Off The Lights" became radio staples, fairing well and placing highly or topping various charts both in North America and elsewhere. A second edition of the album was released internationally and contained a new version of one of Enrique's favorite tracks, "Maybe", as well as a duet with Lionel Richie called "To Love a Woman".

       Iglesias capitalized on the album's success with his "One-Night Stand World Tour" consisting of 50 sold-out shows in 16 countries. Including Radio City Music Hall and three consecutive nights in London's Royal Albert Hall, the tour ended with a big show at Stadium National Lia Manoliu in Bucharest, Romania. The concert launched MTV Romania, with the video for "Love to See You Cry" being the first to be shown on the channel.

      The second leg of the tour, "Don't Turn Off The Lights", was completed in the summer of 2002, with two sold-out nights in Madison Square Garden and another two in Mexico's National Auditorium. The tour finished with a single show in the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

2002–04: Quizás & 7
  In 2002, Iglesias chose to release a fourth Spanish-language album titled Quizás (Perhaps). A more polished musical production than his previous Spanish albums and containing more introspective songs, the album's title track is a song about the strained relationship Iglesias has with his famous father.

       The album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the highest placement of a Spanish language album on the chart at the time. Quizás sold a million copies in a week, making it the fastest-selling album in Spanish in 5 years. The three singles released from the album all ended up topping the Latin chart, giving Iglesias a total of 16 number ones on the chart. He currently holds the record for the most number one singles on Billboard's Latin Chart. His last single from the album, "Para Que la Vida", reached a million spins on U.S. radio, the only Spanish language song to do so.

    The video to the song "Quizás" was the first Spanish language music video to be added to the selection on one of MTV's popular show Total Request Live. Iglesias performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, becoming the first to sing a Spanish song on the show, and opening doors for other artists such as Ricky Martin, Juanes and Jorge Drexler to perform their Spanish material. Iglesias included songs from Quizás in his "Don't Turn Off the Lights Tour", and the album went on to win a Latin Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album.

    By 2003 Iglesias released his seventh album, which he called 7, the second to be co-written by Iglesias. Among its more 1980s-inspired material, it features the song "Roamer", which he wrote with his friend and longtime guitarist, Tony Bruno. The CD also contained the song "Be Yourself", a song about independence (the chorus talks about how Iglesias' own parents did not believe he'd ever succeed in his singing career). The first single was the song "Addicted", and was followed closely by a remix of the song "Not in Love", featuring Kelis.

    With this album, Iglesias went on his biggest world tour to date. The highly publicised tour started with twelve shows in the United States ending with Iglesias playing at Houston Rodeo and continued on to several countries, most of which he'd never previously visited playing to sold-out arenas and stadiums in Australia, India, Egypt and Singapore before ending his tour in South Africa.

2007–08: Insomniac
    Iglesias released his new album Insomniac on June 12, 2007. The album was so named due to it being recorded mainly at night. The album contained a more contemporary pop style than that of previous albums. The album's highlights include "Push", with rapper Lil' Wayne, as well as "Ring My Bells", and a cover of Ringside's "Tired of Being Sorry".

      The first single "Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)" was released on April 10, 2007. It was the Iglesias's highest charting song on the Hot 100 since "Escape" it was also a hit throughout Europe peaking in the top 10 in many countries and the Spanish version entitled "Dímelo" was #1 on Hot Latin Tracks for 12 weeks becoming his second best performing song on that chart.

       Iglesias followed up with the ballad "Somebody's Me", which was released as a single in the American continent. The song was played extensively on AC radio and peaked high on Billboard's Hot AC, where the Spanish version also performed well. In Europe, the second single was "Tired of Being Sorry", which performed well in many countries; he recorded a version of the song with French singer Nâdiya which was #1 in France for eleven weeks.

      On July 4, Enrique Iglesias became the first Western artist to play a concert in Syria in three decades when he performed for a sold-out crowd of 10,000 in the capital [Damas] and in the same week performed on Live Earth in [Hamburg].

     The Insomniac World Tour was launched at the Dome in Johannesburg, South Africa, the same venue he ended his last world Tour and took him to sold out arenas throughout Europe. It was his first arena tour of the UK with him playing venues such as Manchester's MEN Arena and Wembley Arena. The tour ended with Iglesias performing at newly opened L.A. Live. A second leg of the tour has taken him throughout Latin America from Mexico to Argentina.

      A solo version of "Push" was added to the soundtrack of the movie Step Up 2 the Streets. The song was regarded as the third single from the album. A music video was shot which features the film's lead actors. Despite never being officially added to radio the song has charted in several countries and is one of his most highly rated songs amongst fans.

    Enrique's song "Can You Hear Me" has been chosen as the official song of the UEFA Euro 2008 football tournament.[16] He performed the song live at the June 29, 2008 final in Vienna, Austria. The song featured on a re-issue of the Insomniac album being released in certain countries.

2008–09: Greatest Hits albums
       Enrique released a Spanish Greatest Hits album on March 25, 2008 which included his seventeen #1 songs on Hot Latin Tracks chart, plus two new songs. The first single was the song "Dónde Están Corazón", which is written by Argentine star Coti and became Iglesias's 18th #1 single on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs. The album debuted at #1 on Billboard's Latin Albums Chart and #18 on the overall Billboard 200 albums chart. It was Enrique's second Spanish album to debut in the top 20 of the Billboard 200 (Quizás debuted at #12 in 2002). The album was certified double Platinum (Latin field) in the U.S. and in some Latin American countries.

       The album's second single "Lloro Por Ti" had an official remix featuring Wisin & Yandel which also reached #1. Iglesias did a tour of the US. Beginning in Laredo, Texas and ending at the Izod Center in New Jersey he was accompanied though most of the tour with Bachata band Aventura who also performed "Lloro Por Ti" with him at the Premios Juventud.

      Iglesias was a surprise performer at the Lo Nuestro Awards, opening the show with a medley of "Dónde Están Corazón" and "Dimelo". He also performed at the Billboard Latin Music Awards, where he received a special award.

     After the success of his Spanish Greatest Hits compilation, Iglesias released a compilation of his English language hits on November 11. The album includes "Can You Hear Me" as well two new songs. The first single is entitled "Away" featuring Sean Garrett and was followed by "Takin' Back My Love" featuring Ciara.

    The compilation includes English hit songs such as "Bailamos", "Hero", "Be with You", "Not in Love" and "Escape" which have topped various Billboard charts (two of which did so on the Hot 100) as well as songs such as "Rhythm Divine", "Tired of Being Sorry" and "Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)", which have also topped charts in Europe.

   After the successful collaboration with Nadiya Iglesias has recorded a second duet with her called "Miss You" which featured on a deluxe edition of the album.

   The album debuted at #3 on the official UK Albums Chart and sold over 80,000 copies in its first two weeks of release alone.

    Enrique was the winner of two World Music Awards in the categories of "World's Best Selling Latin Performer" and "World's Best Selling Spanish Artist", in the ceremony held in Monaco on November 9, 2008.

2010–present: Euphoria
      On July 5, 2010, Iglesias released his ninth and tenth studio albums, Euphoria, his first work to be released under his new label, Universal Republic. The album is Iglesias's first bilingual album with seven original English songs and six original Spanish songs. The album has won Billboard Music Award for Top Latin Album, Billboard Latin Award for Latin Album of the Year and Latin Pop Album of the Year and was nominated for Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

    Iglesias worked with three (actually four but one isn't mentioned) producers whom he has worked with before; RedOne, Mark Taylor and Carlos Paucer. The album features collaborations with Akon, Usher, Nicole Scherzinger, Ludacris, Pitbull, Juan Luis Guerra and his third duet with Wisin & Yandel. In a joint venture with Universal Latino Iglesias will release different singles in both languages simultaneously to different formats.

     The first English single from the album, "I Like It", which features the rapper Pitbull, was released on May 3, 2010 in the U.S. and became a success, reaching number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

        "Cuando Me Enamoro" was released as the lead Spanish single from the album. The song debuted at number 8 and number 25 on U.S Latin Pop Songs and U.S. Hot Latin Songs, respectively. The song became his 25th top 10 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Songs & after 4 weeks of its release date it became his 21st No.1 song on this chart.

As of January 2011 "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)" broke into the top 10 on the Billboard charts reaching no 4. The song was released only for digital download in the U.S. although was featured on some Editions of "Euphoria" in Europe and some Asian areas. The song has became his first #1 on the US Pop Songs and Hot 100 airplay Charts.

A remix version of "Dirty Dancer" was released and became his ninth Dance Club play chart topper making him the male with the most number-one dance singles. tying with Prince & Michael Jackson. "Ayer" serves as the albums seventh single.

      The Euphoria Tour has taken him across the US, Canada UK and Europe. A second which has taken him to Australia will include leg will include fellow artists Pitbull and Prince Royce and will be across North America. Enrique was finalizing production for an extension to Euphoria, titled Euphoria Reloaded, however due to the poor commercial performance of I Like How It Feels featuring rapper Pitbull, plans of the rerelease were cut.The song topped the Billboard Hot Dance-Club Songs,making him the male artist with most number-one dance singles. Enrique has recently collaborated with Dev (singer) on a song called "Naked". It was released on iTunes on December 20, 2011.



Songwriting, producing, and acting
     Iglesias has collaborated with songwriter Guy Chambers to write "Un Nuovo Giorno", the lead single from Andrea Bocelli's first pop album. The song was later translated into English as "First Day of My Life" and recorded by Spice Girl Melanie C. The song has since gone to become a huge hit throughout Europe, and peaked in the number one spot in numerous countries. Iglesias also wrote the single "The Way" for American Idol runner up Clay Aiken. Four songs co-written by Iglesias appear on the UK band The Hollies' current album. Many times Iglesias has said that should he ever retire, he wants to write and produce songs for other artists. In 2010 Idol Allstars 2010 (Swedish Idol Series) released a song "All I Need Is You" co-written by Iglesias with Andreas Carlsson, Kalle Engström and Kristian Lundin. It went straight to iTunes #1.

      In 2000, Iglesias co-produced an off Broadway musical called Four Guys Named Jose and Una Mujer Named Maria. In the musical, four Americans of Latin heritage possess a common interest in music and meet and decide to put on a show. The show contained many references and allusions to many classic and contemporary Latin and pop songs by the likes of Carmen Miranda, Selena, Richie Valens, Santana, Ricky Martin and Iglesias himself.

    Iglesias also developed an interest in acting, starring alongside Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek and Johnny Depp in the Robert Rodriguez film Once Upon a Time in Mexico, in which he played the foul-mouthed gun-wielding Lorenzo. In 2007, he had guest starred in the TV comedy Two and a Half Men as a carpenter/handyman. He says that he would act again if given small roles that he could fit in between his musical commitments.

    He also guest starred as Gael, an Argentinean guitar playing/surfer/massage therapist love interest of Robin in season 3 of the CBS hit TV show How I Met Your Mother.

    Iglesias also played the part of an evil Roman emperor in an ambitious TV commercial for Pepsi, which sponsored his last world tour. He starred alongside Britney Spears, Beyoncé and Pink, who turn the tables on him in the commercial. He's also starred in commercials for Tommy Hilfiger, Doritos and for Viceroy watches.

Personal life
        Iglesias started dating tennis player Anna Kournikova in late 2001 (she appeared in his video, "Escape"), and rumors that the couple had secretly married circulated in 2003 and again in 2005. Kournikova herself has consistently refused to directly confirm or deny the status of her personal relationships. But in May 2007, Enrique Iglesias was quoted (incorrectly, as he would clarify later) in the New York Sun that he had no intention of marrying Kournikova and settling down because they had split up. The singer would later deny these rumors of "divorce" or simply separation. In June 2008, Iglesias told the Daily Star that he had married Kournikova the previous year and that they are currently separated. In an interview with Graham Norton in 2010, Kournikova confirmed that she and Iglesias have been together for over eight years but have no plans to marry in the near future.
  

MILEY CYRUS : BIOGRAPHY

   Date of Birth: November 23, 1992

    Born in Franklin, Tennessee to country star Billy Ray Cyrus and his wife Leticia, Destiny Hope Cyrus was surrounded by music and performing from the day she was born. When she was a baby, her father nicknamed the little girl Smiley, which was shortened to Miley, and the name stuck.

   Though her family has a farm outside of Nashville, Tennesse, Miley and her family were uprooted to Toronto in 2001 when her father landed the starring role in the TV drama series Doc. Playing a little girl named Kylie in a 2003 episode, Miley made her television debut on the show. The same year she made her big screen debut with a small role in the feature film Big Fish (2003), starring Ewan McGregor.

     Miley started acting at 9 years of age, while living in Toronto, appearing as a guest star on Doc (a show her father used to be on). Then in 2003, she had a role in the movie Big Fish, which turned out to be a bigger movie than most people expected.

     When Miley Cyrus was eleven, she auditioned for Hannah Montana. She was told that she was “too small”, but her persistent desire helped her obtain more auditions. At twelve, she obtained the role and later ended up auditioning her dad to play her dad in the show (he got the part).

      Miley Cyrus started performing in front of live crowds as a musician in 2006 when Disney started having her tour as Hannah Montana. She later released both Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus albums.

      Before moving to California for her new acting job, Miley attended live on a farm, attended church regularly with her family, and had your typical assortment of farm pets: horses, dogs, cats, chickens and fish. pets, including horses, dogs, cats, fish and chickens.

      Miley has a pact with her parents that she will live with them until she is 20, in return for her own area of the house, decorated up Miley Cyrus style. Despite her massive earnings, Miley still received a $200 allowance. Her and her Mom are absolutely addicted to shopping.

     When Doc ended in 2004, the family returned to Tennessee, but Miley didn't give up on performing. With an agent in Hollywood, she auditioned for the new Disney series Hannah Montana when she was just 11. The producers loved her and had her audition for both Zoe Stewart (the lead character's original name) and for the best friend, and although she did several auditions and callbacks, they finally decided she was too young and small for the part. When shooting was delayed, Miley, now 12, was called back and auditioned both alone and with her father. Though she was still small, the producers decided she was old enough for the role and changed the lead character's name to Miley Stewart. Her dad was also hired to play her onscreen dad, Robbie Ray Stewart, a former country star who manages his daughter's career.

      The series, about a pop star who hides her real name and identity so she can lead a normal life offstage, took off like a shot, making Miley a star almost overnight. Her first CD as Hannah Montana went straight to the top of the charts, with almost every song topping the singles charts. She toured as the opening act for the Cheetah Girls in 2006 for 20 performances, then headlined her own Hannah Montana Best of Both Worlds tour in 2007 and 2008, following the release of her second CD, "Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus." Miley, who plays guitar, wrote several of the songs herself. The concert was also filmed in IMAX for a 2008 theatrical release, which was a bona fide hit at the box office.

     In her spare time, Miley enjoys playing with her many animals, including horses, dogs, cats and chickens, knitting, and spending time with her family, which includes younger siblings Braison and Noah. Her family is religious and they attend church together on Sundays.

       In 2007, Miley won Favorite TV Actress at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards; Poptastic Queen from Popstar Magazine; and Choice TV Actress: Comedy and Choice Summer Artist at the Teen Choice Awards. She legally changed her name from Destiny Hope Cyrus to Miley Ray Cyrus in 2008.

     I Thought I Lost You—a song she co-wrote for the movie Bolt, for which she provided the voice of Penny, was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2009. Miley won a People's Choice Award for "Favorite Breakout Movie Actress" for her work in Hannah Montana: The Movie. She followed that up with a starring role in the romantic drama The Last Song, based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.

        She’s become extremely popular, having sold out concert tours, performed in major parades, presented at big award shows like American Music Awards, Teen Choice Awards, and the CMA Awards. She’s been on Oprah, Ellen, Regis and other popular interview shows.

CHUCK BERRY : BIOGRAPHY

Z

Early Life  

       Singer/songwriter; guitarist. Considered "the father of rock 'n' roll," Chuck Berry was born Charles Anderson Edward Berry on October 18, 1926, in St. Louis, Missouri. His parents, Martha and Henry Berry, were the grandchildren of slaves and among the many African-Americans who migrated from the rural South to St. Louis in search of employment around the time of World War I. Martha Berry was one of the few black women of her generation to gain a college education, and Henry Berry was an industrious carpenter as well as a deacon at the Antioch Baptist Church.

       At the time of Chuck Berry's birth, St. Louis was a sharply segregated city. He grew up in a north St. Louis neighborhood called the Ville — a self-contained middle-class black community that was a haven for black-owned businesses and institutions. The neighborhood was so segregated that Berry had never even encountered a white person until the age of three, when he saw several white firemen putting out a fire. ''I thought they were so frightened that their faces were whitened from fear of going near the big fire,'' he recalled. ''Daddy told me they were white people, and their skin was always white that way, day or night."

      The fourth of six children, Berry pursued a variety of interests and hobbies as a child. He enjoyed doing carpentry work for his father and learned photography from his uncle, Harry Davis, a professional photographer. Berry also showed an early talent for music and began singing in the church choir from the age of six. He attended Sumner High School, a prestigious private institution that was the first all-black high school west of the Mississippi. For the school's annual talent show, Berry sang Jay McShann's "Confessin' the Blues" while accompanied by a friend on the guitar. Although the school administration bristled at what they viewed as the song's crude content, the performance was an enormous hit with the study body and sparked Berry's interest in learning the guitar himself. He started guitar lessons soon after, studying with local jazz legend Ira Harris.

      Berry also grew into something of a troublemaker in high school. He was uninterested in his studies and felt constrained by the strict decorum and discipline. In 1944, at the age of 17, Berry and two friends dropped out of high school and set off on an impromptu road trip to California. They had gone no farther than Kansas City when they came across a pistol abandoned in a parking lot and, seized by a terrible fit of youthful misjudgment, decided to go on a robbing spree. Brandishing the pistol, they robbed a bakery, a clothing store and a barbershop, then stole a car before being arrested by highway patrolmen. The three young men received the maximum penalty — 10 years in jail — despite being minors and first-time offenders. 

     Berry served three years in the Intermediate Reformatory for Young Men outside of Jefferson, Missouri, before gaining release on good behavior on October 18, 1947, which was his 21st birthday. He returned to St. Louis, where he worked for his father's construction business and part-time as a photographer and as a janitor at a local auto plant. In 1948, he married Themetta "Toddy" Suggs, with whom he would eventually have four children. Berry also took up the guitar again; in 1951 his former high school classmate Tommy Stevens invited him to join his band. They played at local black nightclubs in St. Louis, and Berry quickly developed a reputation for his lively showmanship. At the end of 1952, he met Jonnie Johnson, a local jazz pianist, and joined his band, the Sir John's Trio. Berry revitalized the band and introduced upbeat country numbers into the band's repertoire of jazz and pop music. They played at the Cosmopolitan, an upscale black nightclub in East St. Louis, which began attracting white patrons.

Birth of Rock 'n' Roll
      In the mid-1950s, Berry began taking road trips to Chicago, the Midwest capital of black music, in search of a record contract. Early in 1955, he met the legendary blues musician Muddy Waters, who suggested that Berry go meet with Chess Records. A few weeks later, Berry wrote and recorded a song called "Maybellene" and took it to the executives at Chess. They immediately offered him a contract; within months, "Maybellene" had reached No. 1 on the R&B charts and No. 5 on the pop charts. With its unique blend of a rhythm and blues beat, country guitar licks and the flavor of Chicago blues and narrative storytelling, many music historians consider "Maybellene" the first true rock 'n' roll song. Berry quickly followed with a slew of other unique singles that continued to carve out the new genre of rock 'n' roll: "Roll Over, Beethoven," "Too Much Monkey Business" and "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man," among others. Berry managed to achieve crossover appeal with white youths without alienating his black fans by mixing blues and R&B sounds with storytelling that spoke to the universal themes of youth. In the late 1950s, songs such as "Johnny B. Goode," "Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Carol" all managed to crack the Top 10 of the pop charts by achieving equal popularity with youths on both sides of the racial divide. "I made records for people who would buy them," Berry said. "No color, no ethnic, no political — I don't want that, never did.''

      Berry's soaring music career was derailed again in 1961 when he was convicted under the Mann Act of illegally transporting a woman across state lines for "immoral purposes." Three years earlier, in 1958, Berry had opened Club Bandstand in the predominantly white business district of downtown St. Louis. The next year, while traveling in Mexico, he had met a 14-year-old Native American waitress — and sometimes prostitute — and brought her back to St. Louis to work at his club. However, he fired her only weeks later, and when she was then arrested for prostitution, charges were pressed against Berry that ended with him spending yet another 20 months in jail. 

      When Berry was released from prison in 1963, he picked up right where he left off, writing and recording popular and innovative songs. His 1960s hits include "Nadine," "You Can Never Tell," Promised Land" and "Dear Dad." Nevertheless, Berry was never the same man after his second stint in prison. Carl Perkins, his friend and partner on a 1964 British concert tour, observed, "Never saw a man so changed. He had been an easygoing guy before, the kinda guy who'd jam in dressing rooms, sit and swap licks and jokes. In England he was cold, real distant and bitter. It wasn't just jail, it was those years of one-nighters, grinding it out like that can kill a man, but I figure it was mostly jail."

     He released his last album of original music, Rock It, to fairly positive reviews in 1979. While Berry continued to perform into the 1990s, he would never recapture the magnetic energy and originality that had first catapulted him to fame during the '50s and '60s. In his later years he developed a reputation for giving out-of-tune, unrehearsed performances.

Rock  n' Roll  Hall  Of Fame
       Berry still remains one of the genre's most influential musicians. In 1985, he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; a year later, in 1986, he became the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's first inductee. Perhaps the best measure of Berry's influence is the extent to which other popular artists have copied his work. The Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles have all covered various Chuck Berry songs, and Berry's influences — both subtle and profound — pervade all of their music. Introducing Berry at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones said, "It's very difficult for me to talk about Chuck Berry 'cause I've lifted every lick he ever played. This is the man that started it all!"

LIVIN' BLUES : BIOGRAPHY

      Livin' Blues is a Dutch blues group formed in 1967 playing blues music in a similar style to their fellow country-men Cuby and the Blizzards (another spelling Cuby + Blizzards). The band is very famous especially in Central Europe, in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia etc. Livin' Blues are still recording and playing live.
Albums: 

1969: Hell's sessions
1970: Wang Dang Doodle
1971: Bamboozle
1972: Rockin' at the Tweedmill
1973: Ram Jam Rosey
1975: Live '75' 1976: Blue breeze
1989: Snakedance live
1993: Early Blues Sessions (limited edition) >> All music
1995: Out of the Blue

The Band consist of;

Jeroen van Niele- bass guitar

John Lagrand-harmonica, percussion

Niko Christiansen-guitar, percussion, saxophone, vocals 

Ted Oberg -bass guitar, guitar. 

A number of other people have passed through the group.

      Many people think the band's name came from the American magazine called Living Blues, but that wasn't established until 1970. Former members of the band claim it was based on the name of an American theatre group called Living Theatre.

      They evolved in 1967 from Andy Star & the Stripes with Ted Oberg  and Ruud Franssen  and then added Björn Pool  and Niek Dijkhuis . In 1968, they took on board the blues duo Indiscrimination with John Lagrand (blues harp) and Nicko Christiansen, the latter replacing Pool. During the same year, Gerard Strötbaum replaced Franssen and Cesar Zuiderwijk (ex-Hu & the Hilltops, to Golden Earring) came in on drums. The band started getting more and more attention, resulting in a record contract with the mighty Phonogram (who distributed labels like Decca and Philips). They opened a show for Fleetwood Mac during a small winter tour of 1969.

       After they had recorded two unsuccessful singles, Strötbaum was replaced by Henk Smitskamp (ex-Motions, to Sandy Coast). The line-up of Oberg, Lagrand, Christiansen, Zuiderwijk and Smitskamp recorded the highly acclaimed album, "Hell's Session" in 1969, the first production of former Golden Earrings drummer Jaap Eggermont (later world-famous through his Stars On 45 productions), for a new label, Red Bullet (owned by Willem van Kooten a.k.a. DJ Joost den Draaijer).

          In 1970, Smitskamp was replaced by Ruud van Buuren (ex-Groep 1850, to Long Tall Ernie & the Shakers). When Zuiderwijk joined Golden Earring, Dick Beekman (ex-Cuby + Blizzards and Ro-d-ys) was next in the long line of drummers to join the band. Livin' Blues seemed to change drummers on a yearly basis. After "Wang Dang Doodle" became an international hit, the band started touring Europe, one highlight being their appearance at the Palermo Pop Festival in Sicily. Then John Le Jeune (ex-Island) took over the drum stool, but he also lasted for just one album. The band had another international hit with "LB Boogie" and made their first visit to Poland, where they'd become one of the most successful bands ever.

         Le Jeune left for the Schick Band and was replaced by Arjan Kamminga, who was forced to quit not long after the release of "Rockin' At The Tweedmill" (recorded in England and produced by Mike Vernon) due to back problems. He would later resurface in Mark Foggo & Secret Meeting. In 1973, Englishman Kenny Lamb became the last drummer of the first era of Livin' Blues. The album "Ram Jam Josey" was again produced by Mike Vernon who'd also recommended Lamb (ex-Jellybread, a British blues band recording for Vernon's Blue Horizon label).

     In 1974, “Mark I” Livin' Blues fell apart. John Lagrand joined Water, Nicko Cristiansen formed Himalaya, Kenny Lamb returned to England and Ruud van Buuren joined Long Tall Ernie & the Shakers. Ted Oberg had to continue with Livin' Blues because their manager (Ted's mother!) had signed new contracts with Ariola and Grandad Music. John Fredriksz (ex-George Cash and Q'65, the singer who always seemed to come in when a band's heyday was over) became the new vocalist. They also took on board Paul Vink (kb, ex-Finch, to Limousine), but he only lasted a few months. The line-up was completed by the returning Henk Smitskamp ( from Shocking Blue), Ronnie Meyjes ( ex-Brainbox) and Michel Driesten  and had a disco hit with "Boogie Woogie Woman", a far cry from the earlier blues-rock sound. By the time the album "Live '75" was recorded, Meyes and Driesten had disappeared and Cor van de Beek (also from Shocking Blue) was the drummer.

       The 1976 line-up was: Ted, Johnny, André Reynen (bass, ex-Sympathy and Brainbox) and Jacob van Heiningen (drums, ex-Galaxis, replaced by Ed Molenwijk, ex-Dizzy Daisy, to Casino). In spite of the internationally successful album, "Blue Breeze" (1977), the band were without a recording contract by 1978. Pietjan Visser ( ex-Houseband) joined in 1979, but a year after that the core of "Mark I" Livin' Blues reunited for the 1980 Haagse Beatnach: Oberg, Lagrand and Christiansen were joined by Evert Willemstijn  and Boris  Wassenbergh. That line-up started touring again, but due to the lack of interest in the blues music, Livin' Blues slowly ground to a halt in the first half of the 1980s. In the meantime, Johnny Frederiksz, André Reynen and Pietjan Visser formed Nitehawk. When that band also turned out to be unsuccessful, Ted Oberg formed the J&T Band (Johnny & Ted) with Frederiksz, adding ex-Finch members Peter Vink ( and Fred van Vloten .

    In 1986, John Lagrand and Nicko Christiansen reformed Livin' Blues and, for the first time since 1967, Ted Oberg was not present. Other members were: Joop van Nimwegen (ex-Q'65 and Finch), Willem van de Wall (ex-Himalaya), Aad van Pijlen (ex-Freelance Band and Himalaya) and Art Bausch (ex-Barrelhouse, ex-Oscar Benton, and founder member of Blue Planet). After one unsuccessful album, "Now", Lagrand left to join the Muskee Gang and Christiansen got a new line-up together. However, the rights to the name Livin' Blues were owned by Ted Oberg's mother and Christiansen had to call the band New Livin' Blues. Just like all preceding line-ups, New Livin' Blues went through many changes, which are impossible to document (mainly due to the lack of press coverage and record releases). On the CD "Out Of The Blue" (1995), the line-up was: Christiansen, Loek van der Knaap, Frank Buschman  and Elout Smit.

      In 1996, John Lagrand joined the reformed Cuby + Blizzards and two years later, Nicko Christiansen formed the Nicko C Band, keeping Loek van der Knaap on board. In 1998, Ted Oberg formed his own band Oberg with Jan Scherpenzeel , Frank Schaafsma and Ramon Rambeaux ( ex-Wild Romance, replaced by Ronald Oor, ex-Diesel and I've Got The Bullets). At the end of that year, Nicko Christiansen and John Lagrand toured with guitarist Eelco Gelling (ex-Cuby + Blizzards) as Nederblues Summit.

    In 2003, Christiansen and Lagrand wanted to start performing again as Livin' Blues, but Oberg objected. The new band was then named Blues A-Livin' instead. Oberg reappeared the following year, touring with Simone Roerade, Rob Geboers (kb, ex-Flavium), Marco Oonincx (ex-Ana Popovic Band) and drummer Arie Verhaar (ex-Tom Principato and Tino Gonzales), as Grand Slam.

       On 30th June, 2005, John Lagrand died at the age of 55 from emphysema. Christiansen continued as The Livin' Blues Experience with Loek van der Knaap , Yaroon Vanniele (bas), Kees van Krugten and Francois Spannenburg (blues harp). In 2009, Livin' Blues was voted as the "best international blues band" by readers of the Two Blues magazine in Poland. Ted Oberg has called his band Oberg once again, although it is now fronted by female singer Liane Hoogeveen. The other members are: Mick Hup (replaced Will Sophie), Nico Heilijgers and Paul Damen .

GUNS N' ROSES : BIOGRAPHY

       Guns N' Roses shot to stardom with Appetite for Destruction, the biggest-selling debut in rock history. The album combined Seventies-derived hard rock and a hedonistic rebelliousness that simultaneously recalled the early Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, Aerosmith, and the Sex Pistols; it also showed off the band's virtuoso technique and destroy-passers by attitude, as well as rock's funkiest rhythm section since before disco scared drummers and bassists straight. G N' R leavened their outrage with songs that bespoke the inchoate emotions of hard rock's primarily young, white audience.

        Raised in a working-class Indiana family, high school dropout Axl Rose had, by age 20, compiled a police record that included charges for public intoxication, criminal trespass, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. An ELO and Queen fan, the singer became friends with guitarist Izzy Stradlin, and the two joined forces in L.A. in the early Eighties to form a band.

           Crafting their name from those of two groups they'd played in, Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns, they formed Guns N' Roses with English-born biracial guitarist Slash, whose parents, both in the music industry, had moved to L.A. when he was 11. With bassist Duff McKagan, whose own past included stealing a purported 133 automobiles, and drummer Steve Adler, the Gunners immediately accrued notoriety for their debauchery — alluding to the band's heroin and alcohol abuse, their posters featured the legend "Addicted: Only the Strong Survive."

           Releasing an EP under the faux-indie imprint Uzi Suicide, Guns N' Roses signed with Geffen in 1986, and, with producer Mike Clink (Heart, Eddie Money), recorded Appetite for Destruction. Opening for Aerosmith, the band built a live following; and in September 1988, with wide MTV exposure given "Sweet Child o' Mine" (Number One, 1988) and "Welcome to the Jungle" (Number One, 1988), the album reached Number One; it stayed there for five weeks and on the charts for nearly three years.

         Next came GN'R Lies, a Top Five album that combined tracks from the EP with new songs, notably "Used to Love Her," with its chorus of "but I had to kill her," and "One in a Million," its lyrics disparaging "faggots," "immigrants," and "niggers." Controversy ensued and would not let up. In 1988 two fans died in crowd disturbances at England's Monsters of Rock Festival, and, Slash shocked television viewers with an obscenity-laden speech at the 1990 American Music Awards. Opening select dates for the Rolling Stones' 1989 tour garnered G N' R an even larger audience, but reports surfaced of heroin use by Rose, Stradlin, and Adler, the latter of whom was fired for not straightening out.

     In 1990, the band performed at Farm Aid IV and contributed a cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" to the Days of Thunder soundtrack and an original, "Civil War," to Nobody's Child, a project to benefit Romanian orphans; Slash and McKagan played on Iggy Pop's Brick by Brick and Slash recorded with Dylan, Michael Jackson, Lenny Kravitz, and on a tribute album for Les Paul. But with Matt Sorum, formerly of the Cult, brought in on drums and with new keyboardist Dizzy Reed, 1990 was a year of regrouping.

       The following year brought even greater success but no less turmoil. G N' R embarked on its first headlining world tour and released "You Could Be Mine" (Number 29, 1991) from the Terminator 2 soundtrack. But Rose's marriage to Erin Everly, daughter of Don Everly of the Everly Brothers, ended after three weeks amidst allegations of physical abuse, and Rose, after allegedly attacking a camera-wielding fan at a St. Louis concert, was charged with four misdemeanor counts of assault and one of property damage. Rose pleaded not guilty and remained unrepentant about an ensuing riot that left 60 people hospitalized, the band's equipment destroyed or stolen, and the hall sustaining over $200,000 in damages.

       With Rose undergoing psychotherapy (during which he talked about being sexually abused at age two by his father), 1991 saw the simultaneous release of Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, both shipping platinum. Due to tension with Rose, Stradlin then left and formed the JuJu Hounds with bassist Jimmy Ashhurst, drummer Charlie "Chalo" Quintana, and ex-Georgia Satellites guitarist Rick Richards (Stradlin's replacement was Gilby Clarke of Candy and Kills for Thrills). The band then set off on a 28-month tour. Among 1992's highlights were an MTV Vanguard Award for the group's body of work and an appearance in April at the Freddie Mercury Tribute, an AIDS benefit that via satellite drew the largest concert audience in history. In 1993 G N' R released The Spaghetti Incident? , an album of covers that paid homage to the band's punk roots. Among the tracks was one penned by Charles Manson, for which the band was heavily criticized. By 1994, rumors were proliferating that the band had broken up. Clarke released a solo album, Pawn Shop Guitars, and at the year's end Slash recorded a solo album with Snakepit, featuring Sorum and Clarke, Mike Inez of Alice in Chains, and Jellyfish guitarist Eric Dover on lead vocals.

    None of these solo projects attracted G N' R-size audiences, and G N' R itself was falling apart. Slash was convinced to sign over rights to the Guns N' Roses name to Rose, later to the guitarist's regret. Clarke was fired. And Slash quit over creative differences with Rose, who insisted on introducing industrial and electronic elements into the G N' R sound. As the years dragged on, McKagan and Sorum eventually left.

       Rose seemed to go into seclusion, but was reportedly writing and recording, and at various points tried to recruit Moby and Youth as postmodern producers. Both declined, and Rose recorded with producer Roy Thomas Baker and a revolving cast of musicians. Finally, in 1999, a new, industrial-flavored song called "Oh My God" appeared on the End of Days film soundtrack.

       Then in late 2000, Rose's management promised a 2001 release for the long-delayed Chinese Democracy. That was followed by a New Year's Eve concert in Las Vegas where a handful of new songs and a new lineup of Guns N' Roses was first introduced: guitarists Buckethead, Robin Finck (Nine Inch Nails), and Paul Tobias; bassist Tommy Stinson (Replacements); keyboardist Chris Pittman; and drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia. The only holdover from the past was keyboardist Dizzy Reed, who first appeared on GN'R Lies. After another appearance at the Rock in Rio festival in Brazil, the new G N' R continued touring.

        By 2006, when the band did four shows at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom plus a couple dates in Rio and Lisbon, G N' R's lineup had morphed even more. Rose, Reed, Finck, Stinston, and Pittman remained, but were now joined by rhythm guitarist Richard Fortus and drummer Frank Ferrer (both from the Psychedelic Furs/Love Spit Love axis) and guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal. In June of that year, in Stockholm, Sweden, Rose pled guilty to charges of attacking a hotel security guard by biting him in the leg.

       In December, addressing his fans, he predicted that Chinese Democracy would finally hit the stores in March of 2007. But the album didn't see the light of day until late 2008, when it released as an exclusive at Best Buy. It reached Number Three on the Billboard 200, but the title track never climbed higher than Number 34 on the singles chart. An underwhelming showing, to be sure — and anti-climactic, after such a tumultuous wait.

SHAKIRA : BIOGRAPHY

       Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (born February 2, 1977), known simply as Shakira, is a Grammy-award winning Colombian singer-songwriter, musician, composer, record producer, music-video director, dancer, choreographer, instrumentalist and philanthropist who has sold over sixty million records worldwide. She has won ten Grammy awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards and has been nominated for a Golden Globe. She has been in the music industry since 1990, releasing her first album the following year. A child prodigy, she began writing poems and songs at age four and taught herself the guitar at age ten. The death of a half sibling and her father’s reaction to it inspired her to write her first full song at age eight.

        Little known outside her native Colombia, it wasn’t until 1995 when Shakira took full creative control over her music, a fusion of rock and dance pop with both deeply personal and biting political lyrics. The approach yielded two multiplatinum albums. In 2001, she broke through into the English-speaking market with the release of her first album in that language, Laundry Service, which she wrote and produced herself and which has sold 3 million copies in the United States and 13 million copies worldwide. The album’s massive sales came in large part thanks to the worldwide hit, “Whenever, Wherever” a dance song with unique Andean instrumentation which soon became one of the highest selling singles of the 21st century. 

         Shakira is half Lebanese, one quarter Spanish, and one quarter Italian. She was born to a Colombian mother of Catalan and Italian descent, Nidia del Carmen Ripoll Torrado, and a Lebanese father, William Mebarak Chadid, in Barranquilla, Colombia, where she says she grew up among the Lebanese and Italian communities. Her father was born in Lebanon, and immediately after that, his family migrated to New York, but he soon migrated to Colombia. Shakira, which means “grateful” in Arabic (شاكرة), is named after her paternal grandmother. She was one of seven siblings, one of whom is her road manager. Shakira attended a Catholic school and in second grade was rejected for the school choir because her vibrato was too strong. She began writing and composing music at the age of eight and later choreographed dance routines. At school, she says she had been known as “the belly dancer girl”, as she would demonstrate a number she learned every Friday at school. “That’s how I discovered my passion for live performance,” she says. One of the first songs she wrote was called “Tus Gafas Oscuras” (Your Dark Glasses), which was about her father’s grief over a son who had died in a car accident.

          Between the ages of ten and thirteen Shakira was invited to various events in Barranquilla and gained some recognition in the area. It was at about this time that she met local theater producer Monica Ariza, who was impressed with her and as a result tried to help her career. During a flight from Barranquilla to Bogotá, Ariza convinced Sony Colombia executive Ciro Vargas to hold an audition for Shakira in a motel lobby. Vargas held Shakira in high regard and, returning to the Sony office, gave the cassette to a song and artist director. However, the director was not overly excited and thought Shakira was something of “a lost cause”. Vargas, not daunted, was still convinced that Shakira had talent, and set up an audition in Bogotá. He arranged for Sony Colombia executives to arrive at the audition, with the idea of surprising them with Shakira’s performance. She performed three songs for the executives and impressed them enough for her to be signed to record three albums.

    Magia (Magic) was Shakira’s debut album, recorded with Sony Colombia in 1991, when she was 13. The album did not fare well commercially, selling less than one thousand copies. After Magia, Shakira released Peligro (Danger) in 1993. The album was better received than Magia, though it was considered a commercial failure, due to Shakira’s refusal to advertise it. Shakira then decided to take a hiatus from recording so that she could graduate from high school.

        Shakira returned to recording in 1995, supported by a new confessional and Alanis Morissette-oriented persona that affected some of her next albums, and made her third studio one, Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet), bring her great fame in Latin America. The singles “Estoy Aquí” (I’m Here), “Pies Descalzos, Sueños Blancos” (Bare Feet, White Dreams), and “Dónde Estás Corazón?” (Where Are You, My Heart?) became pop culture icons. Pies Descalzos sold more than 4 million copies, which prompted the release of a remix album, titled simply The Remixes, which sold more than a million copies. The Remixes also included Portuguese versions of some of her best-known songs, which were recorded because of her success in the Brazilian market.

        Her fourth album, ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones? (Where Are The Thieves?), was released in 1998. It was produced by Emilio Estefan, reportedly cost US$3 million, and had more of a polished sound than Pies Descalzos. It was even more successful and solidified her as one of the major Latin artists of the 1990s. She began to gain more fans in non-Spanish-speaking countries like France, Switzerland, Canada, and especially the United States. Eight of the album’s eleven tracks became singles, including “Ciega, Sordomuda”(Blind, Deaf, and Mute), “Moscas En La Casa” (Flies in the House), “No Creo” (I Don’t Believe), “Inevitable”, “Tú” (You), “Si Te Vas” (If You Leave), “Octavo Día” (Eighth Day), and the world-famous “Ojos Así”(Eyes Like Yours). Shakira’s first live album, MTV Unplugged, was composed of “Estoy Aquí” and the songs from ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones?.

       In 2001, upon the success of ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones?, Shakira began working on a crossover album to the English language. Collaborating with Gloria Estefan, Shakira wrote and recorded English versions of the tracks from ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones?. However, Shakira later decided against using translations of older songs for the album and worked for over a year on new material for the album. The result was Laundry Service. Although it was created for the intent of selling to an English language market, the rock and Spanish dance-influenced album also featured four Spanish songs, including “Que Me Quedes Tú” (I Hope You Stay With Me). Some critics claimed that Shakira’s English skills were too weak for her to write in it, but Laundry Service was a success, with more than 13 million sales worldwide, yielding the worldwide hit “Whenever, Wherever” and singles “Underneath Your Clothes” (a Canadian number-one), “Te Dejo Madrid” (I Leave You Madrid), “Objection (Tango)”, and “The One”. The album and its singles helped to establish Shakira’s musical presence in the mainstream North American market.

       Shakira stayed out of the spotlight for 2 and a half years, notably changing her hair style. She later announced Oral Fixation 1 and 2 due in 2005. Fijación Oral Vol. 1 was released on June 6, 2005 in Europe and on June 7, 2005 in North America and Australia. The lead single “La Tortura” (English: The Torture, featuring Alejandro Sanz) eventually reached number one in Spain and number twenty-three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. In Canada, “La Tortura” also became the highest-charting Spanish song when it debuted and peaked at number twenty-one. Its success across the rest of the world was widespread and it managed to peak within the top ten of the majority of the charts it entered. In the U.S., “La Tortura” spent a record twenty-five weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart.

      Fijación Oral Vol. 1 was simultaneously released in Latin America. It debuted at number one in Spain and at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200. It was also well-received in non-Spanish speaking countries such as Italy, Greece and Germany, where it reached number one, Austria, where it reached number three, and Canada and Hungary, where it reached number seven. The second single from Fijación Oral Vol. 1, “No” (English: No), was released in September 2005, and peaked at number one in Spain and Colombia, for fourteen non-consecutive weeks. So far, Fijación Oral Vol. 1 has sold five million copies worldwide. Her third single from “Fijación Oral vol. 1”, Día de Enero, is dedicated to her fiance, Antonio de la Rúa. This single was number one in some countries in Latin America, but it hadn’t got success like “La Tortura” and “No”. She also performed “La Tortura” at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards in Miami with Alejandro Sanz. It was the first ever Spanish performance at the VMA’s.

         Shakira’s second English album Oral Fixation Vol. 2 was released on November 29, 2005 in North America and Australia, and also at this time in Continental Europe. While “Don’t Bother” was warmly received by music critics as the album’s lead single, it failed to peak within the U.S. top 40. The second single “Hips Don’t Lie” (featuring Wyclef Jean) became her first single to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. On March 28, 2006, she re-released Oral Fixation Vol. 2 in the U.S. and released it June 19, 2006. Shakira also had the collaboration of Argentinian Rock en Español legend Gustavo Cerati on 2 tracks of both Oral Fixation albums.

      In 2000, Shakira started dating Antonio de la Rúa, the son of then president of Argentina Fernando de la Rúa, a romance that made headline news throughout Latin America. In March of 2001, he proposed to her. During Fernando De la Rúa’s presidency, the economy of Argentina collapsed, leading to the subsequently violent December 2001 riots; in response to the turmoil, Tower Records decided to no longer sell Shakira’s albums [6] in Argentina as Antonio was directly involved in the management of his father’s administration. De la Rúa and Shakira remain engaged, with future plans to marry.

       Shakira is well-known for her dancing in various music videos. The moves are based on the art of belly dancing, a part of her Lebanese heritage, which Shakira says she learned as a young teen to overcome her shyness. The intense training has afforded her a fluidity in her body movement most seen in the video to her hit “La Tortura”. In an MTV interview, she said people told her she never moved her chest when dancing, so she danced with her chest (as well as her usual belly dancing moves) in the videos for “La Tortura” and “Hips Don’t Lie”.

        She has had several belly dance choreographers, including award-winning Bellydance Superstar Bozenka. As her MTV ‘The Making of…’ special shows, she worked with Jamie King for the choreography, but ended up creating most of it herself.