My Favorite Singers
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Toni Braxton was born on 7 October 1966 in Severn, Maryland, USA. She is a music artist and producer, known for The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure (2012), Boomerang (1992) and Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart (2016). She was previously married to Keri Lewis.- Music Artist
- Actress
- Producer
Reba Nell McEntire was born on Monday, March 28th, 1955, in McAlester, Oklahoma. The reigning queen of country music has pursued a musical career since she was 5. In Junior High school, she performed with her musical siblings, aka the Singing McEntires. A fine athlete, Reba McEntire followed in the footsteps of her rodeo champion father in competitive barrel racing. Her performance of the "Star Spangled Banner" at the 1974 National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City caught the attention of songwriter Red Steagall, who suggested she consider a career in country music. She has since earned 7 gold and 5 platinum albums and 2 Grammy Awards. She has also explored other avenues of entertainment, serving as a guest-host on Good Morning America (1975) & earning generally favorable reviews for her acting in the movie titled "Tremors" & TV mini-series, Buffalo Girls (1995). In 1988, she formed Starstruck Entertainment to oversee the very numerous aspects of her musical & acting careers.
She is extremely fortunate, that she was not along with her eight band members (seven band members & her touring manager), when tragedy the airplane they were in, on Saturday, March 16th, 1991. There were eight lives lost that tragic Saturday.- Music Artist
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- Music Department
Designated the "heartbeat" of R&B during the 1980s and 1990s, Luther Vandross led a productive singing and songwriting life before to this preeminence. The soul balladeer's strong commitment to the art of music continued on its Grammy-winning course, even after an acute stroke in 2003 left him severely incapacitated and unable to continue public appearances.
Luther Ronzoni Vandross, Jr. was born in Manhattan, New York on April 20, 1951, the baby of four children. His father, also named Luther, was an upholsterer who died of diabetes when the singer was just eight years old. Despite this sadness, his mother, a practical nurse, made sure that music was prevalent in the Vandross household, particularly gospel, soul and doo-wop. Luther was influenced by his older sister Patricia, who became a member of a doo-wop group called The Crests, and scored with the 1958 single "Sixteen Candles".
In high school, Luther formed his own musical group and first started to write and compose. His first big songwriting break came with "Everybody Rejoice (Can You Feel a Brand New Day)", which was used for the Broadway stage and film productions of "The Wiz". He also sang in the film's choir selections. In the 1970s, while still working his way up, Luther voiced commercial jingles (Kentucky Fried Chicken) and provided backup vocals on tour and in session work for such notables as David Bowie, Chaka Khan, Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon, Bette Midler and Donna Summer. After performing with a short-lived singing group called "Luther", which was formed to include the talented musicians Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, who later formed the group, Chic, Luther returned to the background and took part in various projects for Quincy Jones and others. Insisting on creative control, Luther had a difficult time finding the right contract for himself in record-making.
At age 30, he finally recorded his first solo album with the No. 1 R&B and "Top 20" pop chartmaker, "Never Too Much". He continued steadily with such albums as "Forever, for Always, for Love" (1982) and "Give Me the Reasons" (1986), but it wasn't until 1989 that he had his first "Top 10" single with "Here and Now" (No. 6), which finally placed him securely on the love song pedestal. Such other No. 1 R&B singles would include "Stop to Love", "There's Nothing Better than Love" and "Any Love".
A minimalist stylist whose eloquent, velvety renditions were accentuated by spot-on phrasing and effortless vocal control, his image quickly led to such unwelcome sobriquets as "master of bedroom music" and the restrictive label of being a "ladies only" act. He was also besieged by a wealth of other personal and health problems. A binge eater, his weight fluctuated through his career with his 6' 3" frame handling a diversity of 190 to 340 pounds at various stages, aggravated by constant career pressures and a roller coaster personal and romantic life.
The never-married crooner was besieged by persistent reports that he was gay (he never denied or acknowledged the reports), rumors that threatened his ladies' man career. Moreover, Luther suffered from a mild form of diabetes, the disease that took the life of his father. In 1986, he was the driver in automobile crash that killed one passenger (a close friend) with a charge of vehicular manslaughter finally reduced to reckless driving (speeding).
The 1990s seemed, career-wise, stronger than ever again with a Top 40 hit dueting with Mariah Carey on "Endless Love" (1994) and the release of his No. 1 R&B signature version of "Always and Forever" (1994).
On camera, film and television acting appearances include a cameo in Robert Townsend's film The Meteor Man (1993) and episodes of "Beverly Hills: 90210" (as himself) and "Touched by An Angel". A documentary, Luther Vandross: Always and Forever (1994), is also available. Through his career, Luther continued to write and produce for other artists including Whitney Houston, Dionne Warwick, Teddy Pendergrass, Cheryl Lynn and Aretha Franklin. Following his massive April 2003 stroke, he made a phantom return to the spotlight with the release of his CD "Dance With My Father" (2003), which was recorded before his illness. At the awards show, the absent Luther was rewarded with four Grammy Awards, including song of the year. The success also gave him his first No. 1 album on the pop chart and four NAACP Image Awards.
The beloved 54-year-old musician died of a heart attack on July 1, 2005 at the JFK Medical Center in Edision, New Jersey, and was survived by his Evangelist mother, Mary Ida Vandross, who was instrumental in promoting her son's last work to Grammy glory following his severe debilitation.- Music Artist
- Actress
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Linda Ronstadt was born on 15 July 1946 in Tucson, Arizona, USA. She is a music artist and actress, known for The Pirates of Penzance (1983), An American Tail (1986) and The Abyss (1989).- Music Artist
- Actress
- Music Department
Alison Krauss is a bluegrass virtuoso who effortlessly bridges the gap between roots music and country, rock and pop. A highly sought after collaborator, Krauss has worked with some of the biggest names in popular music, including James Taylor, Phish, Dolly Parton, Yo-Yo Ma and Bonnie Raitt. Since signing with Rounder Records at the age of 14, Krauss has sold over 12 million albums and won 27 Grammy Awards, the most for any female and the second most of any recording artist in Grammy history. Her work on such films as Cold Mountain (2003) and O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) has contributed immeasurably to a renaissance in American roots music. Her latest album - recorded with her longstanding bandmates, Union Station - is the endlessly impressive Paper Airplane, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country, Bluegrass and Folk Album charts upon its release.- Music Artist
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- Actress
Kelly Brianne Clarkson was born on April 24, 1982 in Fort Worth, Texas and raised in Burleson, Texas to Jeanne Ann Taylor (née Rose), an English teacher & Stephen Michael Clarkson, an engineer. She was the first winner of the series American Idol in 2002. Kelly is also a strong believer in God.- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Emeli Sandé was born on 10 March 1987 in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, UK. She is a music artist and actress, known for Trance (2013), The Great Gatsby (2013) and BBC Music: God Only Knows (2014). She was previously married to Adam Gouraguine.- Music Artist
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Dolly Rebecca Parton was born on January 19, 1946 in Pittman Center, Tennessee and raised in Sevierville, Tennessee to Avie Lee Parton, a housewife & Robert Lee Parton, a tobacco farmer. At 12, she was appearing on Knoxville TV and at 13, she was already recording on a small label and appearing at the Grand Ole Opry. After graduating from high school in 1964, she moved to Nashville to launch her country-singing career. She fell in love with Carl Dean, who ran an asphalt-paving business; they married on May 30, 1966 and are still together. In 1967 her singing caught the attention of Porter Wagoner, who hired her to appear on his program, The Porter Wagoner Show (1961). She stayed with the show for 7 years, their duets became famous, and she appeared with his group at the Grand Ole Opry; she also toured and sold records. By the time her hit "Joshua" reached #1 in 1970, her fame had overshadowed his, and she struck out on her own, though still recording duets with him. She left him for good to become a solo artist in 1974. Dolly gained immense popularity as a singer/songwriter. Dolly won numerous Country Music Association awards (1968, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1976). This petite (5'0") beauty was a natural for television, and by the mid-1970s she was appearing frequently on TV specials and talk shows before getting her own, Dolly (1976). In 1977, Dolly got her first Grammy award: Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her song "Here You Come Again." Dolly's movie debut was in 9 to 5 (1980), where she got an Oscar nomination for writing the title tune, and also Grammy awards 2 and 3: Best Country Song, and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for the song "Nine to Five." She got more fame for appearing in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), and in Rhinestone (1984) with the song "Tennessee Homesick Blues". She is the head of Dolly Parton Enterprises, a $100 million media empire, and in 1986 she founded Dollywood, a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, celebrating her Smoky-Mountain upbringing. She appeared as herself in the Dolly (1987) TV series. In 1988, she won another Grammy: Best Country Performance Duo or Group with Vocals, for "Trio". Dolly was in the acclaimed picture Steel Magnolias (1989) with Julia Roberts, and went on to appear in 15 movies and TV-movies for the 1990s, and garnered more more Country Music Association awards. In 2000, Dolly received her 5th Grammy award: Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. She also released a Bluegrass Album. Dolly is known for beautiful songs such as "Coat of Many Colors," "Jolene," and "I Will Always Love You". Dolly said in an interview, "My music is what took me everywhere I've been and everywhere I will go. It's my greatest love. I can't abandon it. I'll always keep making records."- Music Artist
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On Saturday, June 15th, 1996, an era in jazz singing came to an end, with the death of Ella Fitzgerald at her home in California. She was the last of four great female jazz singers (including Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Carmen McRae) who defined one of the most prolific eras in jazz vocal style. Ella had extraordinary vocal skills from the time she was a teenager, and joined the Chick Webb Orchestra in 1935 when she was 16 years old. With an output of more than 200 albums, she was at her sophisticated best with the songs of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, of George Gershwin, and of Cole Porter. Her 13 Grammy awards are more than any other jazz performer, and she won the Best Female Vocalist award three years in a row. Completely at home with up-tempo songs, her scat singing placed her jazz vocals with the finest jazz instrumentalists, and it was this magnificent voice that she brought to her film appearances. Her last few years, during which she had a bout with congestive heart failure and suffered bilateral amputation of her legs from complications of diabetes, were spent in seclusion.- Actress
- Music Department
- Composer
k.d. lang was born on 2 November 1961 in Consort, Alberta, Canada. She is an actress and composer, known for Twister (1996), Salmonberries (1991) and Dick Tracy (1990).- Actress
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- Music Department
Gladys Knight was born on 28 May 1944 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She is an actress and composer, known for Hollywood Homicide (2003), The Butler (2013) and Cobra (1986). She has been married to William McDowell since 12 April 2001. She was previously married to Les Brown, Barry Hankerson and James Newman.- Actress
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Anastacia grew up here and attended high school. Her father was a singer and her mother was an actress who also appeared on Broadway. Her interest in show business was aroused at a young age and so she attended the "Professional Children''s School", where her talent was further developed. However, Anastacia received her first engagements as a dancer in various appearances in video clips. Recordings followed in which she was used as a background singer. When she finally arrived here, her talent initially proved to be a downfall, because in the recordings with her, her voice was so dominant that they had to keep it so quiet that it could hardly be heard. When there were no further orders and Anastacia did not receive a contract as a singer, she decided to write her own songs. After the first pieces were finished, she was able to choose between several contracts. However, this time she wasn't interested because with all the offers she wouldn't have been allowed to sing what she wanted and she would have had to give up her style.
Not discouraged, in 1998 she took part in "The Cult", a singing competition on the music channel MTV. Although she was only able to take 10th place overall, the most renowned record labels were lining up for her and Anastacia was able to fully achieve her wishes. Anastacia decided on "Epic Records" and after careful work, her debut album "Not That Kind" was released in 2000, which also gave her her international breakthrough with over 5 million records sold. In the same year she performed at the "SWR3 New Pop Festival" in Baden-Baden. The album also won the "Echo" in the "Best International Newcomer" category in 2001. She finally became a star in 2001 with her second album "Freak Of Nature", with which she once again impressively underlined her talent. As a further highlight, Anastacia delivered the official song for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. The song entitled "Boom" was heard for the first time during the draw for the World Cup finals in Pusan.
In January 2003, she let her management announce that she had breast cancer. All further appointments were canceled because Anastacia had to seek medical treatment. After suffering from breast cancer, she founded the "Anastacia Fund", which is part of the "Brest Cancer Research Foundation" and is committed to early detection therapies for breast cancer. At the beginning of 2004, after her recovery, she published the piece "Left outside alone". She celebrated the stage debut of this song in March 2004 as part of the "Echo" awards in Berlin. At the end of March 2004, Anastacia released the accompanying album entitled "Anastacia", which was certified five times platinum in Germany. At the award ceremony of the German Entertainment Prize in Munich, Anastacia was awarded the German Music Prize at the end of January 2005. At the Echo Awards in April 2005 she was honored as "International Rock/Pop Artist".
In autumn 2005 Anastacia released her first greatest hits album entitled "Pieces of a dream". She also became active as a fashion designer. She created a collection that was released under her name by the s.Oliver label in August 2006.- Actress
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- Soundtrack
Jennifer Holliday was born on 19 October 1960 in Houston, Texas, USA. She is an actress, known for Ally McBeal (1997), I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) and Fairy Tale Forest. She was previously married to Rev. Andre Woods and Billy Meadows.- Actress
- Producer
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Vanessa Lynne Williams was born on March 18, 1963 in Tarrytown, Greenburgh, New York and raised in Millwood, New Castle, New York to Helen Williams & Milton Williams, both music teachers. Vanessa and her brother grew up in suburban New York in comfortable surroundings. Vanessa sang and danced in school productions and signed her high school yearbook with a promise to "see you on Broadway". After winning a performing scholarship to Syracuse University, she left school and tried to make it in New York show business. She began entering beauty contests in 1984, eventually winning Miss New York and then becoming the first African-American Miss America. During her reign, some nude girl-girl photos, taken while she was in New York, surfaced in Penthouse magazine. Although the photos were taken before her beauty contest victories, she was forced to resign her crown. Many predicted that her future in show business was over. She went on to land a recording contract and released several albums, including "The Comfort Zone" and "The Sweetest Days".
Vanessa made her film debut in 1986 in Under the Gun (1987) and appeared in the films The Pick-up Artist (1987), Another You (1991) and Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991). She starred opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in Eraser (1996), opposite Laurence Fishburne and Andy Garcia in Hoodlum (1997) and the box office hit, Soul Food (1997). She also starred in Dance with Me (1998), Light It Up (1999), Shaft (2000), opposite Samuel L. Jackson and Johnson Family Vacation (2004). She starred recently in the independent features, My Brother (2006) and And Then Came Love (2007) (aka "Somebody Like You"). On television, Vanessa starred in such movies and mini-series as Stompin' at the Savoy (1992), The Kid Who Loved Christmas (1990), The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992), ABC's revival of Bye Bye Birdie (1995), Nothing Lasts Forever (1995), The Odyssey (1997), Don Quixote (2000) and Keep the Faith, Baby (2002), and she executive-produced and starred in Lifetime's The Courage to Love (2000) for Lifetime and the VH1 Original Movie, A Diva's Christmas Carol (2000).
Her albums "The Right Stuff", "The Comfort Zone and "The Sweetest Days" earned multiple Grammy nominations and have yielded the Academy Award-winning single "Colors of the Wind", from Disney's Pocahontas: The Musical Tradition Continues (1995). Her recordings also include two holiday albums, "Star Bright" and "Silver & Gold", "Vanessa Williams Greatest Hits: The First Ten Years" and "Everlasting Love", a romantic collection of love songs from the 1970's. In 1994, Vanessa took Broadway by storm when she replaced Chita Rivera in "Kiss of the Spider Woman", winning the hearts of critics and becoming a box-office sensation. She garnered rave reviews and was nominated for a Tony Award for the 2002 revival of "Into the Woods". She also headlined a limited special engagement of the classic, "Carmen Jones", at the Kennedy Center and starred in the Encore! Series staged concert production of "St. Louis Woman".
She stars in ABC's critically-acclaimed hit series, Ugly Betty (2006), for which she has won or been nominated for numerous individual and ensemble awards, including the Emmy, SAG Award, Golden Globe and NAACP Image Awards. Vanessa achieved a career pinnacle, with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her accomplishments as a performer. Her charitable endeavors are many and varied, embracing and supporting such organizations as Special Olympics and many others.- Actress
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- Music Department
Amy Lynn Hartzler (known professionally as Amy Lee) was born on December 13, 1981 to John Lee, a disc jockey and voiceover artist, and Sara Cargill. She trained in classical piano since childhood, originally inspired by Mozart and Danny Elfman's film scores. The death of her little sister at six years old significantly affected her emotional state and outlook on life. In her preteen years, her family moved around the country, including Florida, Illinois, and finally settling in Little Rock, Arkansas. 13-year old Amy met 14-year old guitarist Ben Moody in 1994 at a summer camp, where she played piano and he acoustic guitar. They began writing and playing music together, and performed at local shops and cafes. They decided on the name Evanescence, released independent EPs, a demo CD, and were signed by Wind-Up Records in 2001. In 2003, their debut album "Fallen" was released, becoming a major commercial success driven by hit singles such as "Bring Me To Life" and "My Immortal". "Fallen" was followed by the release of "The Open Door" in 2006, the self-titled album "Evanescence" in 2011, the orchestral-electronica album Synthesis in 2017, and their latest album, The Bitter Truth in 2021.
As a solo artist, Amy has composed soundtracks for films (including the indie film War Story (2014) with friend and cellist Dave Eggar), and contributed to the Underworld (2003) soundtrack and musical projects such as 2008's Nightmare Revisited, Muppets:The Green Album (2011) and We Walk The Line: A Celebration of the Music of Johnny Cash (2012). She has released a covers EP, a film soundtrack, and a children's album. She has also collaborated with various artists, such as Korn, Bring Me the Horizon, Seether, Lindsey Stirling, and Dave Stewart.- Music Artist
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Annie Lennox was born on 25 December 1954 in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK. She is a music artist and actress, known for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), Scrooged (1988) and Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). She has been married to Mitch Besser since 15 September 2012. She was previously married to Uri Fruchtmann and Radha Raman.- Actor
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Jon B. was born on 11 November 1974 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Rush Hour (1998), Bad Boys (1995) and Spice World (1997). He has been married to Danette Buck since 2007. They have two children. He was previously married to Musiic K. Galloway.- Actor
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Durrell 'Tank' Babbs was born on 1 January 1976 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for The Fast and the Furious (2001), Trainwreck (2015) and The Intruder (2019). He has been married to Zena Forster since 22 July 2018. They have two children.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Rebecca Ferguson was born on 21 July 1986 in Everton, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Alles ist Liebe (2014), Brothers of the Wind (2015) and Deidra & Laney Rob a Train (2017). She has been married to Johnnie Hughes since 12 November 2022.- Music Artist
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Hailing from the small town of Charlemagne, Québec, Céline Dion has become one of the all-time greatest singers. Céline was born in 1968, the youngest of 14 children. Early in childhood, she sang with her siblings in a small club owned by her parents. From these early experiences, Céline gained the know-how to performing live. At the age of 12, Dion composed a song in her native French and sent it to a record company, where it garnered the attention of René Angélil, a respected manager. Angélil believed in Céline so much that he actually mortgaged his house in order to finance her debut album. Already very popular and successful internationally, Céline burst onto the U.S. stage when she recorded the theme song to Disney's hit Beauty and the Beast (1991). The song garnered a Grammy and an Oscar, and from this point Céline has brought forth hit after hit. Her 'Falling Into You' album, released in 1996, became the best-selling album of that year, selling more than 25 million copies worldwide. In 1999, Dion took a hiatus in order to begin a family. She returned to the spotlight in 2002, releasing yet another hit album. Starting in 2003, Céline began a three-year commitment to perform in an arena built for her in Las Vegas.- Music Department
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Shirley Bassey was born in Tiger Bay, Cardiff, Wales, and raised in the nearby working class neighborhood of Splott. Her mother was originally from Yorkshire, and her father was a Nigerian seaman who left the family when she was less than two. She later helped to support her family by working in an Enamelware factory. She made her professional debut at 16 appearing in a touring revue "Memories of Al Jolson". Her first major hit was "The Banana Boat Song," and she later sang "Goldfinger" in the James Bond movie Goldfinger (1964). Her younger daughter died of drowning in 1985. She currently lives in Monte Carlo.- Music Artist
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Martina McBride was born on 29 July 1966 in Sharon, Kansas, USA. She is a music artist and actress, known for Runaway Bride (1999), Where the Heart Is (2000) and Four Christmases (2008). She has been married to John McBride since 15 May 1988. They have three children.- Actress
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Linda Eder was born in Tucson, Arizona on February 3, 1961 to Georg (from Austria) and Leila (from Norway). She grew up in Brainerd, Minnesota. When she was 16, she started her professional singing career, singing at Holiday Inns with a high school friend. She was later a contestant on Star Search and won 12 weeks in a row. A tape of her voice was sent to composer Frank Wildhorn who was beginning to create a Broadway musical of the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. When he heard her voice he knew he had found his leading lady. After about 10 years, "Jekyll and Hyde" was finally ready for Broadway. In April of 1997 it opened on Broadway and ran for about 3 years. Linda played Lucy Harris for all of J&H's touring and for a year on Broadway. She and Frank were married and Linda continued to record albums and go on tour. On August 23, 1999, Linda gave birth to a son named Jake Ryan Wildhorn. She can be seen on "My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies" and "My Favorite Broadway: The Love Songs". She can be heard on her 6 solo albums: "Linda Eder", "And So Much More", "It's Time", "It's No Secret Anymore", "Christmas Stays the Same" and the recently released "By Myself: the Songs of Judy Garland". She can also be heard on every recording of "Jekyll and Hyde", as well as "The Civil War" and the concept recording of "The Scarlet Pimpernel", and "The Scarlet Pimpernel: Encore".- Actress
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Wynonna Judd was raised in various places across the country, beginning in her birth state of Kentucky. As her mother Naomi Judd continued pursuing her nursing career, the Judd family settled twice in California and later full-time in Kentucky. In 1979, Wynonna, Naomi and younger half-sister Ashley Judd settled in Franklin, Tennessee and began searching for a record deal in nearby Nashville. In 1983, an unprecedented sit-down audition with RCA Nashville was successful, and indicated great things to come for country's newest duo The Judds. Several years and awards later, Naomi announced that she had contracted Hepatitis C during her nursing career from a needle stick. Their final concert on December 4, 1991 indicated an end to country music's most influential duo, and a beginning for someone who would break new records within the industry. Wynonna's first solo album, 'Wynonna', sold over 5 million copies, a first in the industry. Today, Wynonna continues her successful recording career along with raising children Elijah Judd and Grace Pauline from her first marriage to Nashville's Arch Kelley.