Beyonce Giselle Knowles was born September 4th, 1981 in Houston, Texas to Matthew and Tina Knowles as the first born of two girls. Before she reached the age of seven she was singing and showing signs of great talent. When she was seven, she was already attending dance school and was a soloist in the church choir.
By the time she reached her teen years, any spare time she could find was spent with her childhood pals, LaTayia Roberson, Kelly Rowland and LeToya Luckett, performing at local functions. The girls, then known as “Girl’s Tyme” tried their luck at Star Search but did not make the cut. Beyonce’s Dad gave up his good paying job in order to devote his time promoting the band. To this day Matthew Knowles manages his daughter’s career.
After trying a few different names, the girls settled on Destiny’s Child. The musical debut for the group was the song “Killing Time”, which appeared on the soundtrack for the “Men in Black” movie, released in 1997. A year later, they had number one single with the song, “No,No,No, Part 2.” The quartet became a trio later on that same year with the departure of LeToya and LaTayia, who decided to pursue individual careers. Destiny’s Child continued onwards and became one of the top R&B/Pop groups in 2000 accumulating four Billboard Hot 100 number one singles and numerous top ten hits, as well as two albums that went to number one.
The group’s second album continued with great success with tracks like “Say My Name,” “Jumpin’ Jumpin,’” and the very successful “Bug A Boo.” In the 2001, two Grammy awards were given to “Say My Name”. They followed up with a third album, “Survivor,” which produced such hits as the title track as well as “Bootylicious”. The group decided to disband by 2005 but had at that time proven themselves as one of the top selling female groups in music history.
Beyonce had proven her worth and skills as a songwriter. She won the 2001 Songwriter of the Year, awarded by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Pop Music Awards. This made her the first African-American woman to win the award and only the second woman to win. She also spent a bit of time working on solo projects which at first was not as successful as the projects with the trio, but she was not easily discouraged.
When she finally released her solo debut album, “Dangerously in Love”, it went right to the top selling over 300,000 copies in just the first week and went platinum 3 weeks later, in June of 2003. The single from the album,”Crazy in Love” topped the charts and stayed there for over 8 weeks. Later that same year her album and the single topped the charts at the same time which put her on the same level as such musical wonders as The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and Rod Stewart. She was and still is the only female artist to have accomplished this feat. This helped make Beyonce one of the biggest artists in both sales and popularity for 2003.
In 2004 she won five Grammy Awards. On the Destiny’s Child album released in 2005, Beyonce released a song called “Check on It,” which was used on the soundtrack of “The Pink Panther Movie,” released in 2006.
In correspondence with her 25th birthday, she released a second album called “B’day,” which sold more than her first solo album, with 541,000 copies sold in the first week after release. The lead single from the album, “Deja Vu,” became a number one hit on the US R&B charts.
Not only has Beyonce had success in music, but also on the movie screen. She may be best known for the character Foxy Cleopatra in the 2002 summer movie, “Austin Powers in Goldmember” along side Michael Caine and Mike Myers. In 2003 she appeared beside Cuba Gooding Jr. in the movie “The Fighting Temptations”. In 2006, she got chance to pay homage to Diana Ross in a movie based on a Broadway musical depicting the lives of the Supremes. Beyonce showed off her incredible acting skills, playing the part of Ms. Ross in the Movie titled, “Dreamgirls”, which opened with first weekend sales of $8 million and has grossed well over $100 million to date.
Beyonce’s talent has shown no end in sight and her fans are looking forward to see what is yet to come.
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The whispering clamour surrounded me and as it grew in intensity my fear of what was to come grew stronger. Suddenly the chanting started, the dread inside me rose as the chants grew louder and my anticipation greater. Each drum beat took me closer to the edge… a scream …then Preludium.
Fun over! As I looked at the hellish images on the Toxic album Fear just before I inserted the disc into my CD player I wondered if I had something to be afraid of. A whimsical thought I know but those thoughts continued as I looked at the play list:
01) Preludium
02) Lucifer
03) Fear
04) Live On
05) I am the Fire
06) Panic
07) Tinnitus
08) Feed me Bitch
09) Freedom
10) Truth
11) Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained
12) Greed
13) Every Beating is a Lie
14) Fear None
Those titles are not exactly pussy footing around, but my fears continued in a good way as I listened to Preludium. It began with the type of sound effects that are used to create fear and anticipation in horror films and then chanting as if a black magic ceremony was going on. My imagination was working overtime by the time the band kicked in with powerful vocals and backing. I’m told that Preludium was recorded in a large cathedral type of room and that it sounded wicked – I can imagine that!
The other tracks that stood out for me were:
Feed me Bitch – despite the title I loved this track. ‘You’ve got to be poor to feed the rich’ that’s true. A contrast of sounds with an edge that made me feel the music almost as much as Preludium.
I am the Fire reminded me a bit of Black Sabbath. A full on rock track that got me jumping. To get the full effect I wished that I were listening at a concert and not in my sitting room, but second best was still good.
Every Beating is a Lie tells you to stand up for your rights and not to let them hold you down. I absolutely agree with that. Musically I enjoyed listening to this stirring track and as with all over the other tracks Toxic are getting a good message across.
Fear None is a good finale to the album, strong instrumentals but it does get a bit screechy in places. Not enough to scare my cat who seemed to be enjoying it as much as I was. Seriously, I like the vocals, the instrumentals and the mad contrasts and was disappointed when the track faded out to nothing and half expected them to come back and shock me.
After listening to the 14 tracks several times I can reveal that there was nothing to be afraid of from Fear. I enjoyed listening and can recommend the album to anybody who likes heavy rock. It’s crazy in places, a creative album of unexpected events that left me wanting more. My favourite track has to be Preludium because it was so atmospheric and captured my imagination. Well done Toxic it isn’t often that happens.
To learn more about Norwegian heavy rock band Toxic visit www.toxic-rock.com
Read my exclusive interview with Toxic bassist Rolf Lura at http://megamusictalent.com – you’ll love it!
I was asked if Doctor Who could take me on a journey in his Tardis where I would choose to go, but when it came to seriously thinking about it I was stumped. I considered the periods of history that I knew something about and dismissed them one by one.
· The Roman invasion of Britain with me in a toga surrounded by lusty Italians – censored.
· The Battle of Hastings – I would probably end up having to sew the tapestry.
· The Boston Tea Party – drinking the tea before they could chuck it in the sea
· The opening of Crystal Palace, the Tardis crashing through the glass roof – Queen Vicky would not be amused.
· Joining the French Resistance in the Second World War – my Yorkshire accent would give me away at the first allo allo.
None of those were tempting. The two things that put me off the most about traveling too far back in time are that women were second-class citizens until recent years and I would not voluntarily visit those times. Plus people ponged, they did not wash very often and I cannot stand the reek of BO on others or myself. I would really stand out from the crowd if I took my toiletries and probably be burned at the stake as a witch, would Doctor Who rescue me I wonder.
After much deliberation I decided upon a time since I was born, the weekend following August 15th 1969 and Woodstock. Frivolous maybe, but that and the Band Aid concert in 1984 both left a great impression on me. I’ve still got the Band Aid concert on video somewhere so I can watch that again and go there in kind.
I was in my early teens when Woodstock happened. I had a little transistor radio and used to listen to the pirate stations when I was tucked up in bed at night. Hippies had come on the scene a couple of years earlier. I can remember laughing at my older brother when he got a flowered tie, but life evolves and I was wearing beads and bells not long after Woodstock.
I remember watching the television news that weekend. Seeing 400,000 dirty, longhaired, disheveled, drugged up hippies dancing to the music or sitting spaced out in the mud. The newspapers were full of pictures and articles about this crazy event that brought a sense of astonishment to millions of others worldwide. The concert was about love and peace, but I can clearly remember Woodstock showing me a sense of freedom that I had not known existed.
I cannot exactly say why that weekend in history impressed me so much, I have never been interested in being spaced out, but I would dearly love to go back in time and see some of the 31 bands performing.
Day one commenced with a Richie Havens set which included the Beatles classics Hey Jude and Strawberry Fields. It ended with Joan Baez singing the freedom anthem We Shall Overcome. I wonder how many times that has been sung in protest since.
Day two included sets from Santana, Canned Heat, Grateful Dead, Creadence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Sly And The Family Stone, The Who and Jefferson Aeroplane. Can you imagine seeing and hearing all of those great acts in one day – unbelievable?
Although Jefferson Aeroplane ended the day, next to last the Who, performed 24 songs. More by far than any other act at the mad extravaganza. Some of which were I Can’t Explain, Tommy Can You Hear me, Pinball Wizard, I’m Free, See Me Feel Me, Summertime Blues, Shaking All Over, and of course My Generation. Heck that was my generation; I can feel it now when I hear the music of my teenage years. I remember racking up my pinball scores with Pinball Wizard playing in the background.
Day three started with Joe Cocker singing Delta Lady ooooh I can hear his gravely voice in my head. Fourth up was Ten Years After, and following them The Band. Later on Blood Sweat and Tears and then last Crosby Stills, Nash and Young, must have been before Graham Young left the band.
The fourth and last day started with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Everything’s Gonna Be Alright. Next up was Sha Na Na whose numbers included Jailhouse Rock, Wipe Out, Who Wrote The Book Of Love, Duke Of Earl and At The Hop. Can you imagine after three days of drugs and sex and roughing it being roused by rock and roll.
Last to play because he always refused to precede anybody else was the great Jimi Hendrix. I’m not into analysing music or tracks but I know what I like and that man was one heck of a guitar player. He ended the crazy party with his 16th number of the day Hey Joe, it makes my spine tingle thinking about it.
What I am wondering right now is why on earth I have so many of the goodies played at Woodstock on Vinyl and nothing to play them on and be able to take little nostalgic trips backwards whenever I want. Time to start building up my CD collection I think.
As a bonus for being good and not shocking Doctor Who by dancing naked in the corn I would then ask him to take me to the present day to see what happened to some of those who attended Woodstock.
Now that would be interesting. Only yesterday I saw a guy who used to attend the same hippy parties as I did. He was well into anything that blew his mind and by the time he was 20 Graham was a wreck. Now his hair is a foot shorter and he was wearing a smart conservative business suit. What a difference 30 years makes!
To end my trip I’ll list a few facts that I found out about Woodstock on the Internet:
It cost $6.50 for an advance ticket for one day. In 1989 one was sold for $8,000
500,000 Frankfurters and Hamburgers were eaten on the first day.
Santana were paid $1,500, the Grateful Dead got $7,500 and the Who got $11,200.
It cost $1 for a Hot Dog and $1 for a loaf of bread and a quart of milk.
Three tracheotomies were performed.
A hit of Acid or Mescaline cost $4 and an ounce of Marijuana cost $15.
Only 33 people were arrested on drugs charges yet 500 freaked out on bad LSD trips.
450 cows mixed freely with the campers for 3 days.
Only 600 Portaloos available.
Back in my time I remember seeing the Woodstock movie that was released in 1979, maybe it would be a good idea to see if I can get hold of a copy and see if my trip still looks far out man.
Jesse McCartney may be known for his roles in short-lived television series, television guest appearances and a few animated cartoons in which he voiced one of the characters; but he is primarily a pop music icon. Though his parents have been Ginger and Scott McCartney who are both in the acting field, Jesse’s singing career has been more successful than his acting stints. He was born in 1987 in New York and was raised in a small part of Westchester. He started pursuing acting at the age of 7 as encouraged by his parents by participating in theatre productions in their community. As a matter of fact, most of these productions are led by his parents through their own production company.
These small acting stints were only intended as stepping stones to a greater success in the field of acting as Jesse auditioned for the role of the young boy in the highly acclaimed horror movie, The Sixth Sense. Unfortunately, Jesse failed to get the role. This failure at the beginning did not affect his desire to continue with his acting career as he auditioned for a role in All My Children, a soap produced by ABC where he played the role of Adam Chandler Jr. Playing this role got Jesse a Daytime Emmy Nomination and led him to grab the lead role in Summerland for WB that aired during the evenings. This may have been the key to Jesse’s success if it did not get axed by the network. The show worked well with the fans for the first season that made it go on with the second but as the story progressed, the fans lost interest and soon the ratings became so low that it was impossible for it to continue airing.
Instead of being disheartened by the seemingly failure of his first primetime show, Jesse McCartney instead decided to take a leap to the music industry. In the year 2000, he was able to be a part of the band Dream Street. This only proved that the young Jesse really has what it takes to be a pop music icon as he triumphed to be the youngest member of the band, shamelessly showing that he is better than the other 2,000 young talented boys who auditioned to become a member of the band.
The band was extremely successful in the field of singing but Jesse decided that he could make it better on his own. In the year 2004, just before his television series ended, he released his first solo album. Beautiful Soul was able to top the charts and give Jesse hit singles that increased his popularity even more. He then released his second solo album but its sales did not go up as expected. As compared to his first solo album, his second had been a disappointment. This made Jesse McCartney even more determined to really make it big in the music industry. Following his failed attempt to repeat his first album success, he released his third solo album, “Departure”, which now includes the chart-topping song, “Leaving”.
A friend of my named, Bob, was staying in Los Angeles in the spring of 1968 when I was seventeen years old. Bob asked me, “Would you drive me to a rock concert at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino, California? I’ll pay for the gas and buy you a ticket to the concert if you’ll take me.”
“Sure”, I replied, “Who’s playing?”
“It’s a really far out guy named Jimi Hendrix. He’s the most bitchin dude I’ve ever heard. His group is called The Jimi Hendrix Experience.”
“I’ve never heard of him, but that’s okay I always like to see the latest rock-and-roll. I’ll need to get a map to figure out how to drive there. That’s a really long drive and will probably take about two hours. ”
Bob was ecstatic; “Far out, I will score the tickets right away. Later.”
That week I spoke to a friend of mine named Clay and told him, “I’m going to be taking my friend Bob to a concert out in San Bernardino to see some guy named Jimi Hendrix.”
Clay exploded with, “You’ve got to take me with you. I just love Jimi Hendrix’s righteous music. I’ll buy a ticket and help pay for the gas if you will take me?”
“Solid,” I replied, “I always like going to a concert with a lot of people. So get your ticket and meet at my house this Saturday. I’m sure Bob will have no problems about your jamming with us.”
“I’m stoked. Catch you on Saturday,” Clay said.
The three of us gathered at my house early that Saturday afternoon, Bob had brought his 35 mm camera to record the event. We set out for our rock concert journey in my 1967 lime green Ford Mustang. Bob kept stating over and over, “Hendrix has just got to play my favorite song “Purple Haze” it’s the grooviest song I’ve ever heard. I can’t wait for you to be able to hear that song.”
Many hippies with their long hair, beads, feathers, leather and non-conformist attitude of peace and love, were gathered outside the Swing Auditorium, which looked like a high school gymnasium building. The three of us were far from being hippies; we were middle class not willing to live the free lifestyle, usually drug laden, that so many flower children were involved in. It was a typical rock concert to me except it was taking place in a very out of the way location; I was use to concerts taking place in Hollywood. My main concern at that moment was remembering where the car was parked so we could find it quickly after the concert.
The three of us entered the auditorium and were disheartened to see that it was open seating. There were no assigned seats so it was a free-for-all on where you sat. I really hated this type of concert seating because if you got up to go to the bathroom you would lose your seat or your place in the crowd. The auditorium had space for about 1000 people. Bob said, “I want to get as close to the stage as possible. Let’s make a beeline to the front of the stage.” I looked up and noticed a poster hanging next to the stage. It was a picture of a young black man with crazy hair, looking very arrogant and sexy. I only liked rock-and-roll music so I was beginning to think that I was going to hear black soul music.
There were folding chairs surrounding the outer perimeter of the stage. Toward the front of the stage there was no chairs, it was just an open floor for people to stand on. Bob led the two of us to the very front of the stage, pushing and shoving whoever was in his path. I was glad that there were two young men with me so that I would not be beat up or hassled by the fans. I knew that mild hippies could go berserk without too much provocation from my previous experience of being attacked, trampled by fans, and beaten up by police at previous concerts. It was impossible for us to talk because of the loud noise of the crowd. We staked out our positions at the front of the stage.
The fire marshal came out and made an announcement, “This concert is going to be canceled due to the fire hazard of so many people unruly in this auditorium. If you don’t sit down immediately we will close down this concert.”
Suddenly this black man came on to the darkened stage and yelled into the microphone, “Shut the fuck up, I want to play.” The entire auditorium went silent and everyone sat down immediately. “Who was that?” I couldn’t see who it was because of the darkness on the stage; I had never heard anything like this being said to an audience before.
The fire marshal came back and said to the crowd,” OK because you’re all cooperating we will let this concert continue.”
The lights came on the stage; there were already musical instruments set up just waiting for the performers to bring them to life. The crowd started going crazy with excitement. The three of us were being pushed very hard into the wall of the stage. The stage was approximately five feet high and I felt like a tomato being squished against the stage, I couldn’t get any closer unless I was on the stage. I was slightly separated by a few feet from Bob and Clay, but they were still within eye contact, it reassured me to see their faces as any moment I could be pushed down or trampled by the body’s pushing me into the stage.
From offstage came these two white men with crazy Afro’s looking like tendrils reaching into the universe, one sat at the drums, the other picked up a bass guitar to play. The anxiety of the crowd increased when out came the same black man I had seen on the poster. “So this is Jimi Hendrix,” I thought to myself. He was wearing maroon colored velvet pants with an embroidered jacket, beautifully spaced out hair and carrying a white guitar. He was smiling and spoke to the crowd, “Good evening everybody, it’s really cool that you all shut up so I could play. I just want to groove with you this evening. So let me just, ah, get you experienced.” I recognized the voice as the one who had said earlier “Shut the fuck up I want to play”.
The moment Jimi strummed the first note of the guitar the audience went crazy with excitement and I realized I was not going to see a Motown soul artist. I maintained my place next to the stage as the audience was so entranced by the music they were no longer pushing and shoving. Jimi started playing a song called, “Fire”. The sounds emanating from his guitar were like a foreign language to me, mysterious, beautiful, different and dangerous. Jimi contorted his face with each chord movement; it was like seeing the chords even if you didn’t know them. The music was so loud it physically penetrated my body. It was as though I had become the instrument that he was playing. I was moving to each sound he made without any control of my body.
The next song he played changed my life forever; it was called “Purple Haze”, just like Bob had promised it was one of the greatest songs I had ever heard. During this number the time came for his solo, Jimi started playing the guitar with his teeth! Jimi didn’t miss a single chord, the music was perfect. Never had I seen anybody play the guitar with his teeth. I was mesmerized by this performance. Next he flung his guitar behind his back and continued to play, never missing a note, his face was ecstatic. I did not know any of his music so each song was a revelation to me. To my left I saw Bob clicking away on his camera-taking photograph after photograph.
Just when I thought I had seen everything Jimi surprised me further, during the song “Are You Experienced?” Jimi started his solo and went down on his knees with his guitar between his legs, moving it back and forth along his crotch, simulating masturbation. I had never seen anything like this in my life. I couldn’t believe what he was doing in front of the crowd of people. It was as though his own music sexually stimulated him. When Jimi had finished the masturbation simulation he stood up and went over to the large speakers with his guitar in front of him. Jimi started slamming his body and the guitar up against the speakers as though he was having sex with them, never missing a chord of music. The more intense the music became the faster and harder he slammed into the speakers, it was as though the music was both ecstasy and agony for Jimi.
My body continued to vibrate as Jimi played on for the next 45 minutes. I could not consciously think as the music played, every fiber of my brain was filled with music the likes of which it had never experienced before or since. There were moments in the music where I felt like I was falling backwards in time, and then Jimi would propel me forward into outer space. It became evident why the group was called “The Jimi Hendrix Experience”; there was no way you could listen to the music without experiencing your life differently from that point on.
When the concert was over Jimi said to the crowd, “It was really groovy tonight, I’m glad I was able to share my music. I wish you all peace and love.” When he exited the stage the entire auditorium went ballistic begging him to come back, which he did. His encore was the climax of the evening for me, as he played “The Star Spangled Banner” unlike any version I had ever heard before. I could just feel the bombs bursting in air and the bullets flying by, as the sounds emanated from his guitar. How this one man captured the sound of war in his guitar was amazing, the mark of a true genius.
Jimi blew kisses to the audience as he and his band exited for the last time. He left like he entered, smiling. This man seemed to truly love what he was doing at that moment. I was still feeling stunned by this experience when Bob and Clay joined me. They were just delirious about the music. As we were exiting the building there were vendors selling two different albums by Jimi Hendrix. I had to purchase the albums right then and there; I did not want to go home without being able to take a part of that experience with me.
My ears were still ringing from the vibrations of the music. The three of us were very quiet on the drive back home. We were just letting what had happened to us absorb into our beings; we each knew that we had been changed by this experience.
This point was brought home to me the next day. I took my two prized Jimi Hendrix albums to my girlfriend Donna’s house so she could hear the incredible masterful music I had just been enlightened by the night before. “You’re really going to like this musician. He is like nothing you have ever heard before. I can’t get over this concert,” I told her while placing the album on the record player.
She sat quietly through the first two songs before she exclaimed, “Turn that music off. It sounds like Martian music.” She wanted her music to be simple and uncomplicated. I now resonated to a different vibration. I knew I was not the same young girl I had been before. My change was mirrored to me by my girlfriend’s reaction. My consciousness had been altered forever by the magic of Jimi Hendrix’s music.
Author Bio: World renowned Native American Psychic Cherokee Billie has been working as a Clairvoyant advisor for over 25 years. She receives messages that will change your life! She helps her clients to connect with their Soul’s Path, bringing peace and joy into their daily lives Fast – Straightforward Answers! http://www.cherokeebillie.com
Beyonce Giselle Knowles was born September 4th, 1981 in Houston, Texas to Matthew and Tina Knowles as the first born of two girls. Before she reached the age of seven she was singing and showing signs of great talent. When she was seven, she was already attending dance school and was a soloist in the church choir.
