Fairground Attraction were a London based folk and soft rock band. They were put together in London by guitarist and songwriter Mark Nevin, who had previously played with Kirsty McColl. After meeting Scottish singer Eddi Reader they played small venues in London with band members Simon Edward and Roy Dodds. In 1987, RCA Records signed […]
Sweet Georgia Brown
“Sweet Georgia Brown” is a jazz standard and pop tune composed in 1925 by Ben Bernie and Maceo Pinkard, with lyrics by Kenneth Casey. Reportedly, Ben Bernie came up with the concept for the song’s lyrics – although he is not the credited lyricist – after meeting Dr. George Thaddeus Brown in New York City. […]
Persona 4
Persona 4 was one of David’s favourite games. The endurance run created by his beloved Giant Bomb and undertaken by Jeff Gerstmann and Vinny Caravella was something to which he returned again and again, particularly in difficult times. So I have chosen to feature it today in celebration of his birthday. Persona 4, also known […]
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani was born in California. She was named after a stewardess in the 1968 novel Airport, and her middle name, Renée, comes from the Four Tops 1968 version of the Left Banke’s 1966 song “Walk Away Renee”. Her brother Eric introduced Gwen to 2 Tone music by Madness and the Selecter and, in […]
The Major General’s Song.
“I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” (often referred to as the “Major-General’s Song” or “Modern Major-General’s Song“) is a patter song from Gilbert and Sullivan’s 1879 comic opera, The Pirate of Penzance. It has been called the most famous Gilbert and Sullivan patter song. Sung by Major General Stanley at his first […]
Mary Hopkin
Mary Hopkin was born into a Welsh-speaking family in Pontardawe; her father worked as a housing officer. She took weekly singing lessons as a child and began her musical career as a folk singer with a local group called the Selby Set and Mary. She released an EP of Welsh-language songs for a local record […]
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
“Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” is a song by the British new wave music duo Eurythmics. Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart and wrote the song after the Tourists had broken up and they formed Eurythmics. Although the two of them also broke up as a couple, they continued to work together. They became interested […]
Indila
Adila Sedraïa, best known by her stage name Indila, is a French singer and songwriter. Her mother was a caregiver, while her grandmother sang at weddings; she has two older sisters. Indila describes herself as a “child of the world” as she is of Algerian, Egyptian, Indian and Cambodian descent. Prior to her singing career, […]
The Armed Man (A Mass for Peace)
The Armed Man is a Mass by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins, subtitled “A Mass for Peace”. The piece was commissioned by the Royal Amrouries Museum for the Millennium celebrations, to mark the museum’s move from London to Leeds, and it was dedicated to victims of the Kosovo. Like Britten’s War requiem before it, it is […]
Christina Aquilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. As a child, Aguilera was drawn to soul and blues records her grandmother bought and would practice singing, which earned her a reputation as “the little girl with the big voice” in her neighborhood. In 1991, Aguilera auditioned for a position on The Mickey […]