She was there practically at the beginning. She's seen the Rock Era grow from the "Brill-Building" days to a plethora of branches growing from the original Rock oak tree that was born in 1955. She's also an amazing woman--I've had the privilege of meeting her, and she places at #36 in The Top 100 Female Artists*. Join us tomorrow as we salute her incredible songbook!
Thursday, January 23, 2014
This Date in Rock Music History: January 24
1958: The Quarrymen performed at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England, the group's first and last performance there until they changed their name to the Beatles.
1961: The Beatles officially signed a contract with manager Brian Epstein, although Epstein's signature is not on the contract. Epstein, who always had the interests of the group at heart, vowed not to sign the contract until he had obtained a record deal for the group. Epstein also provided the group with a chance to walk away from the deal if they found a better offer. Epstein immediately gave them a better stage presentation, with matching suits and bows to the audience. Epstein was to receive 25% of the group's gross earnings, far above the normal of 10%.
Epstein of course did secure a recording contract through much perseverance, and on October 1, 1962, a new management contract was drawn up, and that one, Epstein signed along with the Beatles.
1962: Elvis Presley had the #1 album in the U.K. with Blue Hawai'i--it would go on to stay #1 for 18 weeks.
1963: Otto Harbach, who co-wrote "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" for the Platters in 1958, died at age 90 in New York City.
1965: The Animals performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. (Note: some websites claim this performance occurred on January 21, but according to the official website for 'The Ed Sullivan Show' and 'TV.com', the correct date was January 24. This is confirmed by the fact that 'The Ed Sullivan Show' was shown on Sunday nights, and in 1965, Sunday night fell on January 24.)
1967: The Who began a world tour at Central Pier in Morecambe, England.
1970: The Jackson 5 had the #1 R&B song for a third week with "I Want You Back".
1970: B.J. Thomas hit the new decade running with his seventh week at #1 on the Adult chart for "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head".
1970: The Temptations moved from 95 to 38 with "Psychedelic Shack".
People couldn't get enough of the Shocking Blue.
1970: B.J. Thomas made it four weeks at #1 overall with "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head". The Shocking Blue wasn't going away with "Venus" while "I Want You Back" from the Jackson 5 was #3. Dionne Warwick sped into the Top 10 with "I'll Never Fall In Love Again".
1970: A third return to #1 netted the 11th week at the top of the Album chart for Abbey Road by the Beatles.
1972: Bread released the single "Everything I Own". Although it is interpreted as a love song and has great lyrics for a romantic song, it is rather a tribute by David Gates to his late father. (Note: some websites incorrectly show the date of release as January 29, the date the song debuted on the singles charts. It is physically impossible for a record company to release a single to radio stations, radio stations to add the song to their playlists, radio stations to report the song as "added" to the trade papers, and the new editions of the trade papers are printed and published all in the same day. We will keep repeating this until everyone in the world knows that a website that reports a single being released earlier than four days before the song debuts on the charts can only be run by a person ignorant of how the music business works. We also know that the song was not released prior to January 23, because in the January 22, 1970 edition of 'Billboard', the magazine contains an article about Bread revealing that the group's next single will be "Everything I Own"; in other words, it had not yet been released as of the date of the article)
1975: Pink Floyd recorded tracks for the album Wish You Were Here at Abbey Road Studios in London.
"Bandstand Boogie" from Barry Manilow...
1976: Earth, Wind & Fire's live album Gratitude was #1 for a second week. Former #1 Chicago IX, Chicago's Greatest Hits was second followed by History, the Greatest Hits package from America. Paul Simon took advantage of an opportunity and moved up with Still Crazy After All These Years while Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits was fifth. The rest of the Top 10: Barry Manilow's third album--Tryin' to Get the Feeling, moved from 12-6, the O'Jays enjoyed a Family Reunion, Joni Mitchell dropped with her latest, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Kiss moved into the Top 10 with Alive! and Art Garfunkel remained at #10 with Breakaway.
1976: Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes were at the top of the R&B chart for a second week with their great song "Wake Up Everybody".
1976: Elton John had the highest-debuting song with the double-sided "Grow Some Funk Of Your Own"/"I Feel Like A Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)".
A song to help you dance from Earth, Wind & Fire...
1976: Diana Ross rose to #1 for the third time as a solo artist with "Theme From 'Mahogany' (Do You Know Where You're Going To)". Barry Manilow headed down with "I Write The Songs" while the Ohio Players were up to 3 with "Love Rollercoaster". Earth, Wind & Fire reached the Top 10 with "Sing a Song".
1977: Natalie Cole released the single "I've Got Love On My Mind".
1977: Boston released the single "Long Time", which if you don't hear with the instrumental prelude "Foreplay", sue the radio station. I'm kidding. Sort of.
1977: Kenny Rogers released the single "Lucille".
1980: Georgeanna Gordon (Tillman) of the Marvelettes died of lupus and sickle cell anemia in Inkster, Michigan at the age of 35.
1980: Spandau Ballet was at the Blizt Club in London.
1981: Steven Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith, was admitted to the hospital after a crash on his motorcycle. (Note: the dates of the accident are all over the map--some say the summer of 1980, others say the fall of 1980, and still others say it was in late 1981. Obviously, not too many people cared, because there is no credible news source with an article about the crash. Most of the dates center on January 24, 1981.)
1981: Kool & the Gang wouldn't let go of #1 on the R&B chart as "Celebration" led the way for a sixth week.
1981: There were two new entries in the Top 10: Eddie Rabbitt with "I Love A Rainy Night" and "It's My Turn" from the movie of the same name by Diana Ross.
1982: Diana Ross sang the national anthem of the United States at Super Bowl XVI at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.
1983: Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton released their remake of the Bob Seger hit "We've Got Tonight".
1983: Hall & Oates released the single "One On One".
1987: Expose released their career single "Come Go With Me" on Arista Records.
1987: Luther Vandross remained at #1 on the R&B chart with "Stop To Love".
1987: Billy Joel topped the Adult Contemporary chart for a third week with "This Is The Time".
1987: A great new female act first appeared on the chart on this date. They debuted with their first single release "Come Go With Me" and would go on to become one of the Best Artists of the Rock Era out of the Gate*. We first heard of Expose on this date.
Canada's Glass Tiger...
Billy Vera & the Beaters reached #1 with "At This Moment". Robbie Nevil's C'est La Vie" and former #1 "Shake You Down" from Gregory Abbott turned and headed down the chart. Madonna was up to 4 with "Open Your Heart", Janet Jackson moved to #5 with "Control" and Genesis was now at 6 with "Land Of Confusion". Glass Tiger had the highest new song in the Top 10--"Someday", which moved from 12 to 7.
"In a Different Light" from the Bangles...
1987: Bon Jovi earned a third week at #1 on the Album chart with Slippery When Wet. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Live/1975-1985 was second with Boston's Third Stage at #3. Different Light, the amazing album by the Bangles, moved up to #4 after 52 weeks of release and Bruce Hornsby & the Range had a fine album also with The Way It Is. The rest of the Top 10: Cinderella's Night Songs, True Blue from Madonna, Fore! by Huey Lewis & the News was a great follow-up to Sports, Dancing on the Ceiling from Lionel Richie was #9 and Janet Jackson edged into the Top 10 with Control.
1995: Van Halen released the album Balance, the last album with lead singer Sammy Hagar.
1995: David Cole, keyboardist for C+C Music Factory ("Gonna' Make You Sweat" from 1991), who also produced for Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin, died of spinal meningitis at age 32.
1998: Oasis rose to #1 in the U.K. with "All Around The World", the longest #1 song ( nine minutes, 38 seconds) in the history of the U.K. chart.
1998: The Soundtrack to Titanic moved from #11 to #1 on the Album chart, displacing Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love. Tubthumper by Chumbawamba was third with Usher moving from 12-4 with My Way.
2006: Lou Rawls ("You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" from 1976) died at age 72 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after battling lung cancer.
2007: "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow, original steel guitar player with the Flying Burrito Brothers and a session musician with John Lennon and Joni Mitchell, died at age 72 in Petaluma, California after battling Altzheimer's for the past year.
Born This Day:
1933: Zeke Carey of the Flamingos ("I Only Have Eyes For You" from 1959) was born in Bluefield, West Virginia; died December 24, 1999 in Washington, D.C.
1939: Ray Stevens (real name Harold Ray Ragsdale) was born in Clarkdale, Georgia.
1941: Neil Diamond was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1941: Aaron Neville of the Neville Brothers was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1947: Warren Zevon ("Werewolves Of London") was born in Chicago, Illinois; died September 7, 2003 at his home in Los Angeles after a year-long bout with cancer.
1949: John Belushi of the Blues Brothers, a group that he formed with fellow Saturday Night Live castmate Dan Aykroyd, was born in Chicago, Illinois; died March 5, 1982 of drugs in Hollywood, California. (Note: some websites claim Belushi was born in Wheaton, Illinois; he was born in Chicago and raised in Wheaton, according to his official website.)
1953: Matthew Wilder ("Break My Stride") was born in Manhattan, New York.
1955: Jools Holland, founding member, songwriter, singer and pianist of Squeeze, was born in Blackheath, London.
1963: Keech Rainwater, drummer of Lonestar ("Amazed") was born in Plano, Texas.
1961: The Beatles officially signed a contract with manager Brian Epstein, although Epstein's signature is not on the contract. Epstein, who always had the interests of the group at heart, vowed not to sign the contract until he had obtained a record deal for the group. Epstein also provided the group with a chance to walk away from the deal if they found a better offer. Epstein immediately gave them a better stage presentation, with matching suits and bows to the audience. Epstein was to receive 25% of the group's gross earnings, far above the normal of 10%.
1962: Elvis Presley had the #1 album in the U.K. with Blue Hawai'i--it would go on to stay #1 for 18 weeks.
1965: The Animals performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. (Note: some websites claim this performance occurred on January 21, but according to the official website for 'The Ed Sullivan Show' and 'TV.com', the correct date was January 24. This is confirmed by the fact that 'The Ed Sullivan Show' was shown on Sunday nights, and in 1965, Sunday night fell on January 24.)
1967: The Who began a world tour at Central Pier in Morecambe, England.
1969: Jethro Tull played its first concert in the United States, opening for Blood, Sweat & Tears at the Fillmore East in New York City. (Note: numerous websites falsely say that Jethro Tull opened for Led Zeppelin on this night. According to the book 'Jethro Tull: A History of the Band 1968-2001' by Scott Allen Nollen, Jethro Tull opened for Blood, Sweat & Tears on both January 24 and January 25, then opened for groups such as Led Zeppelin and Vanilla Fudge in subsequent days at bars and clubs. This information is corroborated by the official website for the Fillmore East. The official website for Led Zeppelin also confirms that Led Zep was in Boston, Massachusetts on January 24.)
1969: The Doors performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
1969: The Doors performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
1970: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young were at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
1970: James Sheppard, lead singer of Shep and the Limelites, was murdered at age 34 in his car on the Long Island Expressway in New York. 1970: B.J. Thomas hit the new decade running with his seventh week at #1 on the Adult chart for "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head".
1970: The Temptations moved from 95 to 38 with "Psychedelic Shack".
People couldn't get enough of the Shocking Blue.
1970: B.J. Thomas made it four weeks at #1 overall with "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head". The Shocking Blue wasn't going away with "Venus" while "I Want You Back" from the Jackson 5 was #3. Dionne Warwick sped into the Top 10 with "I'll Never Fall In Love Again".
1970: A third return to #1 netted the 11th week at the top of the Album chart for Abbey Road by the Beatles.
1972: Bread released the single "Everything I Own". Although it is interpreted as a love song and has great lyrics for a romantic song, it is rather a tribute by David Gates to his late father. (Note: some websites incorrectly show the date of release as January 29, the date the song debuted on the singles charts. It is physically impossible for a record company to release a single to radio stations, radio stations to add the song to their playlists, radio stations to report the song as "added" to the trade papers, and the new editions of the trade papers are printed and published all in the same day. We will keep repeating this until everyone in the world knows that a website that reports a single being released earlier than four days before the song debuts on the charts can only be run by a person ignorant of how the music business works. We also know that the song was not released prior to January 23, because in the January 22, 1970 edition of 'Billboard', the magazine contains an article about Bread revealing that the group's next single will be "Everything I Own"; in other words, it had not yet been released as of the date of the article)
1975: Pink Floyd recorded tracks for the album Wish You Were Here at Abbey Road Studios in London.
"Bandstand Boogie" from Barry Manilow...
1976: Earth, Wind & Fire's live album Gratitude was #1 for a second week. Former #1 Chicago IX, Chicago's Greatest Hits was second followed by History, the Greatest Hits package from America. Paul Simon took advantage of an opportunity and moved up with Still Crazy After All These Years while Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits was fifth. The rest of the Top 10: Barry Manilow's third album--Tryin' to Get the Feeling, moved from 12-6, the O'Jays enjoyed a Family Reunion, Joni Mitchell dropped with her latest, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Kiss moved into the Top 10 with Alive! and Art Garfunkel remained at #10 with Breakaway.
1976: Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes were at the top of the R&B chart for a second week with their great song "Wake Up Everybody".
1976: Elton John had the highest-debuting song with the double-sided "Grow Some Funk Of Your Own"/"I Feel Like A Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)".
A song to help you dance from Earth, Wind & Fire...
1976: Diana Ross rose to #1 for the third time as a solo artist with "Theme From 'Mahogany' (Do You Know Where You're Going To)". Barry Manilow headed down with "I Write The Songs" while the Ohio Players were up to 3 with "Love Rollercoaster". Earth, Wind & Fire reached the Top 10 with "Sing a Song".
1977: Natalie Cole released the single "I've Got Love On My Mind".
1977: Boston released the single "Long Time", which if you don't hear with the instrumental prelude "Foreplay", sue the radio station. I'm kidding. Sort of.
1977: Kenny Rogers released the single "Lucille".
1980: Georgeanna Gordon (Tillman) of the Marvelettes died of lupus and sickle cell anemia in Inkster, Michigan at the age of 35.
1980: Spandau Ballet was at the Blizt Club in London.
1981: Steven Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith, was admitted to the hospital after a crash on his motorcycle. (Note: the dates of the accident are all over the map--some say the summer of 1980, others say the fall of 1980, and still others say it was in late 1981. Obviously, not too many people cared, because there is no credible news source with an article about the crash. Most of the dates center on January 24, 1981.)
1981: Kool & the Gang wouldn't let go of #1 on the R&B chart as "Celebration" led the way for a sixth week.
1981: There were two new entries in the Top 10: Eddie Rabbitt with "I Love A Rainy Night" and "It's My Turn" from the movie of the same name by Diana Ross.
1982: Diana Ross sang the national anthem of the United States at Super Bowl XVI at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.
1983: Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton released their remake of the Bob Seger hit "We've Got Tonight".
1983: Hall & Oates released the single "One On One".
1987: Expose released their career single "Come Go With Me" on Arista Records.
1987: Billy Joel topped the Adult Contemporary chart for a third week with "This Is The Time".
1987: A great new female act first appeared on the chart on this date. They debuted with their first single release "Come Go With Me" and would go on to become one of the Best Artists of the Rock Era out of the Gate*. We first heard of Expose on this date.
Canada's Glass Tiger...
Billy Vera & the Beaters reached #1 with "At This Moment". Robbie Nevil's C'est La Vie" and former #1 "Shake You Down" from Gregory Abbott turned and headed down the chart. Madonna was up to 4 with "Open Your Heart", Janet Jackson moved to #5 with "Control" and Genesis was now at 6 with "Land Of Confusion". Glass Tiger had the highest new song in the Top 10--"Someday", which moved from 12 to 7.
"In a Different Light" from the Bangles...
1987: Bon Jovi earned a third week at #1 on the Album chart with Slippery When Wet. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Live/1975-1985 was second with Boston's Third Stage at #3. Different Light, the amazing album by the Bangles, moved up to #4 after 52 weeks of release and Bruce Hornsby & the Range had a fine album also with The Way It Is. The rest of the Top 10: Cinderella's Night Songs, True Blue from Madonna, Fore! by Huey Lewis & the News was a great follow-up to Sports, Dancing on the Ceiling from Lionel Richie was #9 and Janet Jackson edged into the Top 10 with Control.
1995: Van Halen released the album Balance, the last album with lead singer Sammy Hagar.
1995: David Cole, keyboardist for C+C Music Factory ("Gonna' Make You Sweat" from 1991), who also produced for Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin, died of spinal meningitis at age 32.
1998: Oasis rose to #1 in the U.K. with "All Around The World", the longest #1 song ( nine minutes, 38 seconds) in the history of the U.K. chart.
1998: The Soundtrack to Titanic moved from #11 to #1 on the Album chart, displacing Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love. Tubthumper by Chumbawamba was third with Usher moving from 12-4 with My Way.
2006: Lou Rawls ("You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" from 1976) died at age 72 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after battling lung cancer.
2007: "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow, original steel guitar player with the Flying Burrito Brothers and a session musician with John Lennon and Joni Mitchell, died at age 72 in Petaluma, California after battling Altzheimer's for the past year.
1933: Zeke Carey of the Flamingos ("I Only Have Eyes For You" from 1959) was born in Bluefield, West Virginia; died December 24, 1999 in Washington, D.C.
1939: Ray Stevens (real name Harold Ray Ragsdale) was born in Clarkdale, Georgia.
1941: Aaron Neville of the Neville Brothers was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1947: Warren Zevon ("Werewolves Of London") was born in Chicago, Illinois; died September 7, 2003 at his home in Los Angeles after a year-long bout with cancer.
1949: John Belushi of the Blues Brothers, a group that he formed with fellow Saturday Night Live castmate Dan Aykroyd, was born in Chicago, Illinois; died March 5, 1982 of drugs in Hollywood, California. (Note: some websites claim Belushi was born in Wheaton, Illinois; he was born in Chicago and raised in Wheaton, according to his official website.)
1953: Matthew Wilder ("Break My Stride") was born in Manhattan, New York.
1955: Jools Holland, founding member, songwriter, singer and pianist of Squeeze, was born in Blackheath, London.
1963: Keech Rainwater, drummer of Lonestar ("Amazed") was born in Plano, Texas.
Mary J. Blige, The #37 Female Artist of the Rock Era
Mary Jane Blige was born in The Bronx, New York. Her father, Thomas, taught her to sing. She sang in a Pentecostal church in Richmond Hill, Georgia for several years before Mary and her mother moved to Yonkers, New York. Blige went to Roosevelt High School but dropped out in the eleventh grade.
While at a mall, Mary recorded a cover of "Caught Up in the Rapture" by Anita Baker at a recording booth. The tape found its way to Jeff Redd of Uptown Records, who forwarded it to Andre Harrell, president and CEO of the label. In 1989, Mary signed a recording contract with Uptown.
In 1992, Blige began working with producer Sean Combs on her debut album, and What's the 411?, was released in July. The first single, "You Remind Me", only reached #29, but it was a #1 R&B song. "Real Love" was the song that caught on, landing at #7 overall and #1 R&B. It was nominated for Best R&B Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.
"Real Love" was largely responsible for the album selling over three million copies in the United States and five million worldwide. Three additional singles from the album did fairly well on the R&B chart, but they were unsuccessful on the Popular chart.
In 1994, Blige released the album My Life, which debuted at #7 on the Album chart. Unfortunately, she was 0-4 on singles from the album, with "I'm Goin' Down" (at #22 overall) being the best she could do. My Life won a Billboard Music Award for R&B/Hip-Hop Album of the Year, was nominated for Best R&B Album at the Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album, and it received a nomination at the American Music Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Album.
Mary teamed up with Method Man for the hit "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By", which went #3 overall and #1 on the R&B chart in the U.S. and #10 in the U.K. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
Blige recorded "Not Gon' (sic) Cry" for the "Waiting to Exhale" Soundtrack, which became one of her biggest career hits. The song reached #2 overall and #1 on the R&B chart, and earned Mary a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Mary collaborated with several artists, including Case and Jay-Z. In 1997, Blige released her third album Share My World on MCA Records, the parent company of Uptown. Once again, Blige did well with singles on the R&B chart, but the songs were mid-charters at best overall. Mary won the American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and she was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Album.
The track "All That I Can Say" earned a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Blige teamed with Bono, R. Kelly, Kirk Franklin and Crystal Lewis to earn a nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for the song "Lean On Me".
In the summer, Blige went on an extensive tour, which sparked a Gold-certified live album (The Tour). Blige was nominated for Best R&B Album (Mary) at the Grammys, and her duet with Aretha Franklin ("Don't Waste Your Time") was nominated for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. By this time, Blige had a loyal following, and even though her 1999 album Mary didn't have any mainstream hits, it sold over two million copies.
That trend of success only on the R&B chart changed in 2001 with Blige's album No More Drama. "Family Affair" became a #1 smash for six weeks. Mary J. was nominated at the Grammys for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and No More Drama was nominated for Best R&B Album.
Blige made her motion picture debut in the independent movie Prison Song. In 2004, Mary starred in the Off-Broadway play, The Exonerated. The same year, she also launched her own record label, Matriarch Records.
Like No More Drama, The Breakthrough sold three million copies in the United States and seven million worldwide. Blige received eight Grammy Award nominations, including the prestigious Record of the Year and Song of the Year categories. Mary won three: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song (for "Be Without You") and Best R&B Album.
Blige's other Grammy nominations were for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals (for "One" with U2), Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group (for "Love Changes" with Jamie Foxx, Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for "I Found My Everything", and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (for "Just Fine".
Blige came away with one American Music Award (Favorite Soul/R&B Album), was nominated for another for Artist of the Year, and she won nine Billboard Music Awards--Hot 100 Airplay of the Year, R&B/Hip-Hop Song of the Year, R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay of the Year and Video Clip of the Year (for "Be Without You"), R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year, R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Artist of the Year, R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Artist of the Year, R&B/Hip-Hop Album of the Year and Female Hip-Hop Artist of the Year.
Blige was a big winner at the ASCAP Awards, taking home Song of the Year and Pop Music Awards for "Be Without You", while also winning Songwriter of the Year and The Voice of Music Awards. In 2006, Blige recorded "Runaway Love" with Ludacris, which became a #2 smash. Mary captured the World Music Award as the World's Best-Selling R&B Artist.
Blige continued to collaborate with other artists, including 50 Cent and Musiq Soulchild. She toured with Jay-Z in 2008. The following year, as part of her efforts to halt domestic violence, Blige opened the Mary J. Blige Center for Women in Yonkers, New York. Mary received the Legend Award at the MTV Video Music Awards for her "Outstanding Contribution to R&B Music".
Blige sang the National Anthem of the United States at game six of the 2009 World Series, and she became in demand for the singing of the song, repeating the feat at the 2012 NBA All-Star Game and Game 1 of the 2013 World Series.
In 2010, Mary introduced her first perfume, My Life. The fragrance's unprecedented success broke sales records and was awarded two prestigious awards from the Fragrance Foundation. To her tremendous credit, Blige went back and earned her GED in 2010. She was nominated for Favorite R&B Artist at the People's Choice Awards.
Blige also released a line of sunglasses called Melodies by MJB. She released another fragrance, My Life Blossom in 2011. Blige starred with Tom Cruise and Alec Baldwin in the movie Rock of Ages in 2012. Mary J. also recorded "The Living Proof" for the blockbuster movie The Help, taking home her second Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture.
Blige has sung backing vocals and collaborated with dozens of artists, including Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Rod Stewart, George Michael, Santana, Faith Hill, Sting, Ray Charles, Maroon 5, Missy Elliott, Brandy, LL Cool J, Patti Labelle, Faith Evans, Lauryn Hill, Robin Thicke, Dr. Dre, Lil' Kim, Busta Rhymes, Nas, Gerald Levert, Wyclef Jean, DMX, Foxy Brown and Father MC.
While at a mall, Mary recorded a cover of "Caught Up in the Rapture" by Anita Baker at a recording booth. The tape found its way to Jeff Redd of Uptown Records, who forwarded it to Andre Harrell, president and CEO of the label. In 1989, Mary signed a recording contract with Uptown.
In 1992, Blige began working with producer Sean Combs on her debut album, and What's the 411?, was released in July. The first single, "You Remind Me", only reached #29, but it was a #1 R&B song. "Real Love" was the song that caught on, landing at #7 overall and #1 R&B. It was nominated for Best R&B Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.
"Real Love" was largely responsible for the album selling over three million copies in the United States and five million worldwide. Three additional singles from the album did fairly well on the R&B chart, but they were unsuccessful on the Popular chart.
In 1994, Blige released the album My Life, which debuted at #7 on the Album chart. Unfortunately, she was 0-4 on singles from the album, with "I'm Goin' Down" (at #22 overall) being the best she could do. My Life won a Billboard Music Award for R&B/Hip-Hop Album of the Year, was nominated for Best R&B Album at the Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album, and it received a nomination at the American Music Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Album.
Mary teamed up with Method Man for the hit "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By", which went #3 overall and #1 on the R&B chart in the U.S. and #10 in the U.K. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
Blige recorded "Not Gon' (sic) Cry" for the "Waiting to Exhale" Soundtrack, which became one of her biggest career hits. The song reached #2 overall and #1 on the R&B chart, and earned Mary a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Mary collaborated with several artists, including Case and Jay-Z. In 1997, Blige released her third album Share My World on MCA Records, the parent company of Uptown. Once again, Blige did well with singles on the R&B chart, but the songs were mid-charters at best overall. Mary won the American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and she was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Album.
The track "All That I Can Say" earned a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Blige teamed with Bono, R. Kelly, Kirk Franklin and Crystal Lewis to earn a nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for the song "Lean On Me".
In the summer, Blige went on an extensive tour, which sparked a Gold-certified live album (The Tour). Blige was nominated for Best R&B Album (Mary) at the Grammys, and her duet with Aretha Franklin ("Don't Waste Your Time") was nominated for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. By this time, Blige had a loyal following, and even though her 1999 album Mary didn't have any mainstream hits, it sold over two million copies.
That trend of success only on the R&B chart changed in 2001 with Blige's album No More Drama. "Family Affair" became a #1 smash for six weeks. Mary J. was nominated at the Grammys for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and No More Drama was nominated for Best R&B Album.
Sales of the album spiked to three million in the U.S. and seven million copies worldwide. Blige won a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the song "He Think I Don't Know", and Blige was nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist. The title song also won an MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video.
Blige combined with Sting on "Whenever I Say Your Name", which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
Combs returned to produce Mary's sixth album, and expectations were high. But the momentum captured by No More Drama didn't continue, as the album Love & Life again had no big overall hits. The album did end up selling one million copies. Blige earned a nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the Grammys, and she won the American Music Award for Favorite Hip-Hop/R&B Female Artist.
Blige made her motion picture debut in the independent movie Prison Song. In 2004, Mary starred in the Off-Broadway play, The Exonerated. The same year, she also launched her own record label, Matriarch Records.
In 2005, Blige switched to Geffen Records, and released the album The Breakthrough. The album debuted at #1, selling 727,000 copies its first week. It was all due to the lead single, "Be Without You", which peaked at #3 overall in the U.S.. On the segmented R&B chart, Blige set a record when the single remained at #1 for 15 consecutive weeks. It also was one of her biggest worldwide hits, peaking at #5 in Switzerland and #9 in New Zealand. "Be Without You" was nominated for Best R&B Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Like No More Drama, The Breakthrough sold three million copies in the United States and seven million worldwide. Blige received eight Grammy Award nominations, including the prestigious Record of the Year and Song of the Year categories. Mary won three: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song (for "Be Without You") and Best R&B Album.
Blige's other Grammy nominations were for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals (for "One" with U2), Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group (for "Love Changes" with Jamie Foxx, Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for "I Found My Everything", and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (for "Just Fine".
Blige came away with one American Music Award (Favorite Soul/R&B Album), was nominated for another for Artist of the Year, and she won nine Billboard Music Awards--Hot 100 Airplay of the Year, R&B/Hip-Hop Song of the Year, R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay of the Year and Video Clip of the Year (for "Be Without You"), R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year, R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Artist of the Year, R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Artist of the Year, R&B/Hip-Hop Album of the Year and Female Hip-Hop Artist of the Year.
Blige was a big winner at the ASCAP Awards, taking home Song of the Year and Pop Music Awards for "Be Without You", while also winning Songwriter of the Year and The Voice of Music Awards. In 2006, Blige recorded "Runaway Love" with Ludacris, which became a #2 smash. Mary captured the World Music Award as the World's Best-Selling R&B Artist.
Blige recorded "Never Gonna' Break My Faith" with Aretha Franklin and the Harlem Boys Choir for the "Bobby" Soundtrack. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture.
Blige has released three studio albums since without additional mainstream success. The 2007 album Growing Pains went to #1, won the Grammy for Best Contemporary R&B Album, was nominated at the American Music Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Album, and Blige won an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist. The top single, "Just Fine", peaked at #22 overall and #3 on the R&B chart, and was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Blige was nominated at the Grammys for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the song, but she won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for her duet with Chaka Khan--"Disrespectful" (on Khan's album Funk This).
Blige continued to collaborate with other artists, including 50 Cent and Musiq Soulchild. She toured with Jay-Z in 2008. The following year, as part of her efforts to halt domestic violence, Blige opened the Mary J. Blige Center for Women in Yonkers, New York. Mary received the Legend Award at the MTV Video Music Awards for her "Outstanding Contribution to R&B Music".
Blige sang the National Anthem of the United States at game six of the 2009 World Series, and she became in demand for the singing of the song, repeating the feat at the 2012 NBA All-Star Game and Game 1 of the 2013 World Series.
In 2010, Mary introduced her first perfume, My Life. The fragrance's unprecedented success broke sales records and was awarded two prestigious awards from the Fragrance Foundation. To her tremendous credit, Blige went back and earned her GED in 2010. She was nominated for Favorite R&B Artist at the People's Choice Awards.
Blige also released a line of sunglasses called Melodies by MJB. She released another fragrance, My Life Blossom in 2011. Blige starred with Tom Cruise and Alec Baldwin in the movie Rock of Ages in 2012. Mary J. also recorded "The Living Proof" for the blockbuster movie The Help, taking home her second Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture.
Blige has sung backing vocals and collaborated with dozens of artists, including Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Rod Stewart, George Michael, Santana, Faith Hill, Sting, Ray Charles, Maroon 5, Missy Elliott, Brandy, LL Cool J, Patti Labelle, Faith Evans, Lauryn Hill, Robin Thicke, Dr. Dre, Lil' Kim, Busta Rhymes, Nas, Gerald Levert, Wyclef Jean, DMX, Foxy Brown and Father MC.
Blige has nine Grammy Awards to her credit out of an amazing 28 nominations. She has also won four American Music Awards, ten Billboard Music Awards, two World Music Awards and one MTV Video Music Award and has sold over 50 million albums worldwide. Blige is the only artist to have won Grammys in the R&B, Rap, Pop and Gospel fields.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)