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David Bowie was one of the most influential and prolific writers and performers of popular music, but he was much more than that; he was also an accomplished actor, a mime and an intellectual, as well as an art lover whose appreciation and knowledge of it had led to him amassing one of the biggest collections of 20th century art.
Born David Jones, he changed his name to Bowie in the 1960s, to avoid confusion with the then well-known Davy Jones (lead singer of The Monkees). The 1960s were not a happy period for Bowie, who remained a struggling artist, awaiting his breakthrough. He dabbled in many different styles of music (without commercial success), and other art forms such as acting, mime, painting, and play-writing. He finally achieved his commercial breakthrough in 1969 with the song "Space Oddity", which was released at the time of the moon landing. Despite the fact that the literal meaning of the lyrics relates to an astronaut who is lost in space, this song was used by the BBC in their coverage of the moon landing, and this helped it become such a success. The album, which followed "Space Oddity", and the two, which followed (one of which included the song "The Man Who Sold The World", covered by Lulu and Nirvana) failed to produce another hit single, and Bowie's career appeared to be in decline.
However, he made the first of many successful "comebacks" in 1972 with "Ziggy Stardust", a concept album about a space-age rock star. This album was followed by others in a similar vein, rock albums built around a central character and concerned with futuristic themes of Armageddon, gender dysfunction/confusion, as well as more contemporary themes such as the destructiveness of success and fame, and the dangers inherent in star worship. In the mid-1970s, Bowie was a heavy cocaine abuser and sometime heroin user.
In 1975, he changed tack. Musically, he released "Young Americans", a soul (or plastic soul as he later referred to it) album. This produced his first number one hit in the US, "Fame". He also appeared in his first major film, The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976). With a permanently-dilated pupil and skeletal frame, he certainly looked the part of an alien. The following year, he released "Station to Station," containing some of the material he had written for the soundtrack to this film (which was not used). As his drug problem heightened, his behavior became more erratic. Reports of his insanity started to appear, and he continued to waste away physically. He fled back to Europe, finally settling in Berlin, where he changed musical direction again and recorded three of the most influential albums of all time, an electronic trilogy with Brian Eno "Low, Heroes and Lodger". Towards the end of the 1970s, he finally kicked his drug habit, and recorded the album many of his fans consider his best, the Japanese-influenced "Scary Monsters". Around this time, he appeared in the title role of the Broadway drama The Elephant Man, and to considerable acclaim.
The next few years saw something of a drop-off in his musical output as his acting career flourished, culminating in his acclaimed performance in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983). In 1983, he released "Let's Dance," an album which proved an unexpected massive commercial success, and produced his second #1 hit single in the United States. According to producer Nile Rodgers, the album was made in just 17 days and was "the easiest album" he'd ever made in his life. The tour which followed, "Serious Moonlight", was his most successful ever. Faced with this success on a massive scale, Bowie apparently attempted to "repeat the formula" in the next two albums, with less success (and to critical scorn). Finally, in the late 1980s, he turned his back on commercial success and his solo career, forming the hard rock band, Tin Machine, who had a deliberate limited appeal. By now, his acting career was in decline. After the comparative failure of Labyrinth (1986), the movie industry appears to have decided that Bowie was not a sufficient name to be a lead actor in a major movie, and since that date, most of his roles have been cameos or glorified cameos. Tin Machine toured extensively and released two albums, with little critical or commercial success.
In 1992, Bowie again changed direction and re-launched his solo career with "Black Tie White Noise", a wedding album inspired by his recent marriage to Iman. He released three albums to considerable critical acclaim and reasonable commercial success. In 1995, he renewed his working relationship with Brian Eno to record "Outside." After an initial hostile reaction from the critics, this album has now taken its place with his classic albums. In 2003, Bowie released an album entitled 'Reality.' The Reality Tour began in November 2003 and, after great commercial success, was extended into July 2004. In June 2004, Bowie suffered a heart attack and the tour did not finish its scheduled run.
After recovering, Bowie gave what turned out to be his final live performance in a three-song set with Alicia Keys at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York in November 2006. He also returned to acting. He played Tesla in The Prestige (2006) and had a small cameo in the comedy David Bowie (2006) for fan Ricky Gervais. In 2007, he did a cartoon voice in SpongeBob SquarePants (1999) playing Lord Royal Highness. He had a brief cameo in the movie ''Bandslam'' released in 2009; after a ten year hiatus from recording, he released a new album called 'The Next Day', featuring a homage cover to his earlier work ''Heroes''. The music video of ''Stars are Out Tonight'' premiered on 25 February 2013. It consists of other songs like ''Where Are We Now?", "Valentine's Day", "Love is Lost", "The Next Day", etc.
In 2014, Bowie won British Male Solo Artist at the 2014 Brit Awards, 30 years since last winning it, and became the oldest ever Brit winner. Bowie wrote and recorded the opening title song to the television miniseries The Last Panthers (2015), which aired in November 2015. The theme used for The Last Panthers (2015) was also the title track for his January 2016 release, ''Blackstar" (released on 8 January 2016, Bowie's 69th birthday) was met with critical acclaim. Following Bowie's death two days later, on 10 January 2016, producer Tony Visconti revealed Bowie had planned the album to be his swan song, and a "parting gift" for his fans before his death. An EP, No Plan, was released on 8 January 2017, which would have been Bowie's 70th birthday. The day following his death, online viewing of Bowie's music skyrocketed, breaking the record for Vevo's most viewed artist in a single day.
On 15 January, "Blackstar" debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart; nineteen of his albums were in the UK Top 100 Albums Chart, and thirteen singles were in the UK Top 100 Singles Chart. The song also debuted at #1 on album charts around the world, including Australia, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the US Billboard 200. At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, Bowie won all five nominated awards: Best Rock Performance; Best Alternative Music Album; Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical; Best Recording Package; and Best Rock Song. The wins marked Bowie's first ever in musical categories. David Bowie influenced the course of popular music several times and had an effect on several generations of musicians.- Actor
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Born on September 30, 1947 in London, England, Mark Bolan was always destined to be a star. Even as a teenager, he was already seeking fame. Well known as a sharp dresser, he was employed by a modeling agency and became a "John Temple Boy", wearing John Temple suits in their catalogs as well as becoming a cardboard cutout displayed in their shop windows. Many initial attempts to get into the music business failed, and so he turned to acting, landing several character roles in some television series including a juvenile delinquent on the Sam Kydd series Orlando (1965). His first recording, "The Wizard", was released in 1965 and resulted in an appearance on the music show Ready, Steady, Go! (1963). He briefly became a member of the 1960s group John's Children before forming his own group, Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The group's first single was "Debora", also a track on the album "My People Were Fair", released in July 1968. Although not a hit the first time around, on its re-release in 1972, when Bolan was at his peak, "Debora" made the UK top 10. In July 1969, the group dropped its folksy, hippie sound to go electric with the single "King of the Rumbling Spires". Unfortunately, like his other singles, it failed to take off, only reaching #44. The group shortened its name to T. Rex and finally broke through with the single "Ride a White Swan" in 1970. This opened the door to a whole series of hit singles, including "Bang a Gong, Get It On"--on which Elton John played keyboards--which reached the US top 10 in 1971, as well a series of highly acclaimed albums.
At the height of his popularity, Bolan had a string of #1 hit singles in the United Kingdom and became a teen idol as well as a leader of the glam rock movement. He appeared in Ringo Starr's movie Born to Boogie (1972), a documentary showing a concert at Wembley Empire Pool. However by 1975, on account of the rise of 1970s soul music, Bolan's career was in decline, at least sales-wise. As a leading figure of the punk rock movement in the United Kingdom, he provided a forum for new acts to appear on television via his own music program. Just when he was on the rebound, Marc Bolan cruelly died in a car crash on September 16, 1977, two weeks before his 30th birthday.- Music Artist
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Iggy Pop was born on 21 April 1947 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Cry-Baby (1990), Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) and Dead Man (1995). He has been married to Nina Alu since 22 November 2008. He was previously married to Suchi Asano and Wendy Weissberg.- Music Artist
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Michael Philip Jagger was born in Dartford, Kent on 26th July 1943. When he was 4 he met Keith Richards until they went into secondary schools and lost touch. But one day in 1960 they accidentally met on the Dartford train line and both realized that they had an interest in rock n roll combined with blues. Between 1960 and 1962 The Rolling Stones formed. It was comprised of Mick on lead vocal and harmonica, Keith Richards on guitar, Bill Wyman on bass, Charlie Watts on drums and Brian Jones on guitar.
In 1964 they released their first album "The Rolling Stones". Eventually in 1965 they had their first number 1 hit in the UK with "The Last Time" which was followed by "I can't get no Satisfaction". Throughout 1966-1969 they toured the world with many great hits like "Let's Spend the night together" (1967) and "Sympathy for the Devil" (1968). But in 1969 Brian Jones committed suicide and Mick and Keith Richards were blamed for his death. But this fusion blew over and they got another guitarist to replace Brian in Mick Taylor. They released the album "Let it Bleed" (1969) with the track "Honky Tonk Woman". After they completed a North American tour Jagger finally went to star in Performance (1970) as the retired rock star Turner. The film was released in August 1970 with Mick starring opposite James Fox and Mick even had his first solo hit which was the soundtrack to the film "Memo from Turner".
In 1971 The Rolling Stones came back with the album "Sticky Fingers" which would be the most popular album they ever made. From this album there were songs like "Wild Horses" and "Brown Sugar" and were major hits all over the world. While this was happening Bianca Jagger gave birth to Jaggers daughter Jade Jagger. Throughout the 70s The Rolling Stones made thousands of live performances and achieved endless record sales with hits like "Angie" (1973), "It's Only Rock and Roll" (1974), "Hot Stuff" (1976) and "Respectable" (1978). In 1974 Ronnie Wood had replaced Mick Taylor on guitar and Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood both played lead guitar. In 1980 Jagger divorced Bianca Jagger and went on to record and release "Emotional Rescue" with The Rolling Stones and it was a platinum album. In 1981 "Tattoo You" was released and the group went on a major world tour, their first in three years, which filled stadiums in the US and arenas in Europe. After the tour ended in 1982 Jagger was starting to like other music. In 1983 The Rolling Stones recorded the album "Undercover" at the Compass Point in Nassau. But recording sessions didn't go well as during this time Mick and Keith Richard were having arguments about the kind of music the group should be playing. Even though the album was a success it seemed like The Rolling Stones were now going over the edge.
In May 1984 Mick recorded "State of Shock" with The Jacksons which led Mick wanting to try out a solo career. So in September he recorded his first solo album with guests like Pete Townshend and Jeff Beck. Shortly before the album was released The Rolling Stones decided to record their first album under a new Sony records contract. Keith Richards didn't approve of the solo efforts - he wanted Mick to stick to The Rolling Stones. In July 1985 Jagger made his first solo live appearance at the Live Aid benefit concert in Philadelphia. The Rolling Stones were going to perform but decided not to as things weren't going well for them at the time. During 1986 Mick worked on his second solo album "Primitive Cool" which he hoped would be a success but this was not to be. However, his 1988 tour proved to be a success, selling out in Japan.
But Mick accepted the fact that the only way to carry on with success was to get back with The Rolling Stones so in January 1989 he and Keith Richards reformed and they wrote songs for what was to be the "Steel Wheels" album. After the album was released The Rolling Stones went on a major worldwide tour with special concerts at London's Wembley Stadium. Sadly though in 1992 bassist of The Rolling Stones Bill Wyman announced his departure from the group which was to be the following year. Even though The Rolling Stones were upset to see him leave they accepted the fact that he'd been in there too long and they had to let go. Jagger released some more solo material during this time but it wasn't such a success. In 1994 The Rolling Stones released the album "Voodoo Lounge" and they went back on tour. The first The Rolling Stones project without Bill Wyman. The tour was the biggest tour in rock history raising over 300 million. As this tour was a success they returned yet again in 1997 with the "Bridges to Babylon" album and tour which lasted for two years which was combined with the "No Security" live album and tour. After the tour was finished Jagger's marriage was on the line as he had another child from a secret love affair. Soon after this was found out the marriage between him and Jerry Hall had ended. Since then Jagger's been a film producer and a solo artist. He has produced the film Enigma (2001) and has recorded his 2001 album "Goddess in the Doorway" - another commercial flop. But never fear because just recently the Stones announced a 40th Anniversary tour and that it will start in September, 2002.- Music Artist
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He formed the group The Velvet Underground with Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, second guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Maureen Tucker in New York in 1965. The group soon became a part of Andy Warhol's Factory scene, which housed a great number of the most freaked and experimental artists at the time. The German singer and actress Nico sang in the group for a short period-- but the original line-up began to split up. The group, at its best, made only four original albums: "The Velvet Underground & Nico" (1967), "White Light/White Heat" (1968), "The Velvet Underground" (1969), and "Loaded" (1970). They stand today as milestones in the history of rock.
In 1970, Lou Reed began his solo career. His second album, "Transformer" (1972), was produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson, long-time admirers of the Velvets. That year, he had his first--and still only--top 20 song, "Walk on the Wild Side." Through the 1970s, he made a prolific number of albums with "Berlin" (1973), "Rock 'n' Roll Animal" (1974), and "Street Hassle" (1978) as the artistic highlights of this period. On St. Valentine's Day 1980, Lou Reed married Sylvia Morales, and that was another turning point in his career. The following album, "The Blue Mask" (1982), stands as one of his best and most composed. In 1989, he made "New York"--a love letter to his city with its good and bad, and with a heavy criticism of American thought.
In the 1990s, he continued to be one of the most sharp-tongued rock 'n' roll poets of his time. In 1990, he once again collaborated with ex-Velvet-partner John Cale. Their album, "Songs for Drella," was a very personal tribute to friend and artist Andy Warhol, who had recently died. In 1993, The Velvet Underground was re-formed with its original line-up, and toured in Europe in 1993. In 1997, Lou Reed, along with former Velvet band mates John Cale, Maureen Tucker, and the late Sterling Morrison were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
Lou Reed stood as one of the most important songwriters of our time and has served as inspiration to a multitude of artists such as David Bowie, Nick Cave, Sonic Youth, Nine Inch Nails, U2, David Byrne and Patti Smith.- Music Artist
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Sir Elton John is one of pop music's great survivors. Born 25 March, 1947, as Reginald Kenneth Dwight, he started to play the piano at the early age of four. At the age of 11, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. His first band was called Bluesology. He later auditioned (unsuccessfully) as lead singer for the progressive rock bands King Crimson and Gentle Giant. Dwight teamed up with lyricist Bernie Taupin and changed his name to Elton John (merging the names of saxophonist Elton Dean and Long John Baldry). The duo wrote songs for Lulu and Roger Cook. In the early 1970s, he recorded the concept album "Tumbleweed Connection." He became the most successful pop artist of the 1970s, and he has survived many different pop fads including punk, the New Romantics and Britpop to remain one of Britain's most internationally acclaimed musicians.
Elton John announced he was a bisexual in 1976, and in 1984, he married Renate Blauel. The marriage lasted four years before he finally came to terms with the fact that he was actually homosexual. In the 1970s and 1980s, he suffered from drug and alcohol addiction and bulimia but came through it. He is well known as a campaigner for AIDS research and he keeps his finger on the pulse of modern music, enjoying artists such as Eminem, Radiohead, Coldplay and Robbie Williams. He was knighted in 1997.- Actor
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Davy Jones left home to become a jockey. While he was an apprentice, he was encouraged to go into acting and got a role in a production of "Peter Pan". From there, he played on Coronation Street (1960) and The Pickwick Papers (1952) before landing the role of "The Artful Dodger" in "Oliver!". This job took him to America's Broadway, where he was discovered by Ward Sylvester and brought to Los Angeles. From there, he was given a role in The Monkees (1965). With this sitcom, he made 58 television episodes, 9 albums, a television special, and a movie before calling it quits in the early 1970s. In the mid-1970s, Davy rejoined fellow Monkee Micky Dolenz and songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart to make an album and do some touring. Davy had gone on to perform in more plays, including "The Real Live Brady Bunch" and "Oliver!" (again), and had also fulfilled his dream of becoming a jockey. He rejoined The Monkees for touring from 1986-89 and 1996-97. Davy Jones died at age 66 of a heart attack on February 29, 2012.- Actor
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Performed as a folk musician in Greenwich Village and Los Angeles before being selected for the Monkees TV show. Made 58 TV episodes 6 albums, a TV special, and a movie before leaving the Monkees in 1969 Released a solo single in 1982. Rejoined the Monkees for tours and an from 1986 to 1989. Released his first solo album, "Stranger Things Have Happened", in 1994- Actor
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Singer, composer, heartthrob, pioneer--all are accurate descriptions of Robert Michael Nesmith. Most easily identified by his trademark blue wool hat with pompom, Nesmith fashioned a diversified career within music and also in film. Born in Saint Joseph's Hospital in downtown Houston, Texas, Nesmith was a self-described "failure" growing up. "I just didn't do anything," he said in his famous 1965 screen test for _The Monkees (1966)_ ; he expanded on this in a 1968 Australian radio interview by noting, "I was just starving and writing music." He got work as a session guitarist up and down the East Coast before moving to Los Angeles with his wife Phyllis Barbour in 1965. He managed to get a record contract with Colpix Records and released several 45s as well as appearing on 'Lloyd Thaxton's' syndicated teen-dance show. When Nesmith won the role for The Monkees (1966) he was the first of all involved to see where the show and the music would go. Nesmith produced tracks for The Monkees even before TV series filming began; he has said "about a hundred" tracks were made by himself, Micky, Peter, and Davy in the first half of 1966, and among the songs recorded was his composition "The Girl I Knew Somewhere." The hiring of Don Kirshner quashed this group gestation, but Nesmith continued to produce tracks for the group, usually with Micky Dolenz providing co-lead or harmony vocals; the trademark of Nesmith's 1966-produced tracks was the stellar deep bass work of Robert West. The leader of the group by having the strongest musical vision and polish, Nesmith challenged the controlling powers, culminating in the famous "That could have been your head!" near-brawl with Columbia executives in late 1966-early 1967 that left a wall torn open and ultimately 86ed Don Kirshner from the project. Nesmith took a controlling involvement in the group's albums, but given the strong egos of each member, breakage was inevitable. Nesmith finally left after 1969. He joined longtime bassist friend John London and pedal-steel ace 'Orville "Red" Rhodes' for The First National Band, a group that pioneered the mixture of country music with rock'n'roll. The song "Joanne" off their first album, "Magnetic South", became a big hit. Though the FNB broke up after three albums, Nesmith and Rhodes kept going with the Second National Band. Their records were critical successes, but unfortunately were not big hits. Nesmith then invented and sold the concept of 24-hour-music-television to Time-Warner. He produced a proof of concept called "Pop Clips," which Time-Warner aired on the Nickelodeon Channel as a test. It was an instant success, and the MTV Network was developed from it. He also branched into TV and film production, with such works as 'Elephant Parts' (1981), 'Timerider' (1983), 'Repo Man' (1984), 'Square Dance,' and 'Tapeheads,' as well as several TV specials. Nesmith also continued to make records on a sporadic basis--13 solo albums in total. He reunited with Red Rhodes in 1992 and a Latin-flavored masterpiece called "Tropical Campfires". He was nominated for a Grammy for his 1994 album "The Garden". He reunited with the Monkees in 1996 for the "Justus" album. In 1997 he wrote and directed an ABC television Monkees special. In 1998 St. Martins Press published his first novel, "The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora". In 2005 he finished his second novel, "The America Gene". He also started a small video game development company called Zoomo Productions, based in Monterey, California.- Actor
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Micky Dolenz was born in Los Angeles on March 8, 1945. His dad, George, had starred in a number of films, and played the title character in the mid-1950s television series The Count of Monte Cristo.
Micky first established himself as a performer at age ten when, under the stage name of 'Mickey Braddock,' he starred in his first TV series, Circus Boy, which aired from 1956 to 1958. In his teens, Micky guest-starred on a number of television shows. He also learned to play guitar and performed with a number of rock 'n roll bands, including one called The Missing Links.
In autumn 1965, Micky was one of 400 applicants who responded to a trade ad announcing auditions for a new TV show about a rock band. Micky auditioned for The Monkees TV show playing Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode," and was chosen along with three other actors - Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork.
The Monkees' debut single, "Last Train to Clarksville," featuring Micky on lead vocals, hit the charts September 10, 1966 and rocketed to number one. Two days later,
The television show debuted on NBC to great success. The TV ratings remained high for two seasons and Micky and the band starred in their own feature film, Head, a 1968 psychedelic romp co-written by a young Jack Nicholson. The movie is now considered a cult classic.
Ultimately, The Monkees achieved their greatest success as recording artists selling in excess of 65 million units and achieving worldwide success.
Their first four albums-The Monkees (1966); More of the Monkees (1967);
Headquarters (1967); and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd. (1967) reached number one on the charts and launched three number-one singles: "Last Train to Clarksville," "I'm a Believer" (with lead vocals by Micky), and "Daydream Believer." The group's first five albums also went gold.
In 1977, Micky flew to London to star in Harry Nilsson's West End Musical, The Point! He planned to stay three months but remained for twelve years. During that time, Micky honed his behind-the-camera skills (which he first practiced by directing several TV episodes of The Monkees) as producer-director for the BBC and London Weekend Television. He also directed a short feature film, The Box, written by Michael Palin and Terry Jones of Monty Python, and helmed numerous music videos.
In 1986, MTV broadcast episodes of The Monkees show and exposed a whole new generation to 'Monkeemania.' Micky and Peter Tork recorded new tracks for Arista Records and the single, "That Was Then, This Is Now," became their first Top 20 record since 1968. Micky, Peter and Davy Jones subsequently reunited for a 1986 summer tour that was so successful it sparked the reissue of all The Monkees' classic LPs as well as Pool It! on Rhino Records. At one point in 1987, there were seven Monkees' albums on Billboard's Top 200 LP's Chart. In 1996, The Monkees again joined together, this time for a "30 Year Reunion" summer tour around America. The response was so great that they also toured the following year, this time finishing up in England.
When Micky returned to the United States, he went out on the road with the National Touring Company of Grease. Micky enjoyed musical theater so much that he accepted the lead role in a Canadian production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in 1993, and in 2004 he starred in Elton John's Broadway musical Aida, as Zoser.
In 1993, Micky's autobiography I'm A Believer; My Life Of Monkees, Music, And Madness (Hyperion/Disney) was released. In addition to writing, Micky has divided his time between acting (The Drew Carey Show, Days Of Our Lives, and General Hospital); directing (Boy Meets World for ABC/Disney and Pacific Blue for USA Networks); and touring with his own band featuring his sister, Coco Dolenz.
In 2005 Dolenz was also on WCBS FM as an on-air personality, and released his first children's book Gakky Two-Feet (Penguin), as well as Micky Dolenz' Rock & Riollin' Trivia (Square One Publishers). He also appeared in the revival of Pippin'.
In March 2007, it was announced that Micky would appear in Rob Zombie's Halloween remake as 'Derek Allen' - a gun-shop owner.
Also, Micky was featured in VH1's recent Rock Doc Monterey Pop At 40, and in CMT's Gone Country, alongside George Clinton; Taylor Dane; and, Sheila E.
Micky began 2010 with a run in the West End production of the play Hairspray; playing the character of 'Wilbur Turnblad.'
Micky's album, King For A Day; is a tribute to the songs of Carole King (Gigatone Records) was released August 31 2010.
The three Monkees (Micky, Davy and Peter) re-group for a worldwide tour beginning in June of 2011. Spanning both England and the U.S., the group garnered some of their best reviews ever - even from Rolling Stone magazine. The reviews on Dolenz were particularly impressive- the review in the Huffington Post compared his voice to a brilliant-cross between Roy Orbison and Freddie Mercury. The close of the tour, held at L.A.'s Greek Theatre was especially joyous; as fans and friends turned out for the event. They also appeared in August on the nationally broadcast talkfest The View, with Dolenz's old compatriot Whoopi Goldberg as one of the hosts.
In 2012, word leaked out that Micky was beginning (or, finishing) a yet, untitled solo album. The only concept revealed was that each of the songs was to represent a particular moment in Dolenz's life. The album Remember (Robo Records-Universal) will be released on September 25, 2012. Then, while in New York, preparing for a possible new role in a musical called Garage Band, Davy Jones unexpectedly passed away. With a series of tributes scheduled, one done in early April at B.B. King's in New York, Micky spent the summer of 2012 on a series of solo shows with his band and as part of the 2012 Happy Together Tour. Micky will also record a live album on October 19, 2012, at B.B. King's in NYC; and, will re-group in November with mates Micahel Nesmith and Peter Tork for a series of Monkee-reunion shows.- Actor
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Best known as the fire breathing, blood splitting and larger than life co-founder of the major hard rock group, KISS. Simmons was actually born Chaim Witz in August 1949 in Haifa, Israel, the son of Hungarian Jewish parents, Flóra "Florence" (Klein or Kovács) and Feri Yechiel Witz. He moved to New York as a young child. Like many American teenagers of the 1960s, he was influenced by a fascination with comic book super heroes, monster movies and rock and roll music, thus the teenage Simmons set about creating what he perceived as the ultimate music supergroup.
Simmons eventually crossed paths with like-minded musician / songwriter Paul Stanley (born Stanley Eisen) in the early 1970s, and after several failed attempts to create their dream band, they recruited fellow New Yorkers spaced out guitarist Ace Frehley (born Paul Daniel Frehley) and "do anything to make it" drummer Peter Criss (born Peter Crisscuola).
The four struggling young musicians practiced relentlessly in a rundown loft in New York City refining their music & stage show before eventually launching themselves on the New York live music scene in the early 1970s with their blitzkrieg style of hard rock, kabuki stage make up and unforgettable high energy performances. After bombarding media, TV & public relations identities with invites to their shows, Simmons and Stanley soon brokered a deal with Madison Ave executive Bill Aucoin for him to manage the band, and Aucoin soon scored KISS a record deal with the fledgling Casablanca Records & Filmworks.....and the rest as they say is KISStory!
Since their first album debuted in 1974, KISS have sold over 80 million albums and played over 2,000 shows to millions of loyal fans (known as the KISS Army) right around the globe. Never one to keep still for too long, the charismatic Simmons made his first feature film appearance as his alter ego (The Demon from KISS) in the 1978 telemovie Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park (1978), which received scathing reviews in the USA from TV critics. However KISS fans internationally loved the film and it played theatrically to strong box office business in dozens of countries, and has since become something of a cult film....despite its corny, cartoonish plot! Since KISS didn't drop wearing their distinctive make up until 1983, it was several years before Simmons appeared in front of the cameras again (this time without the Demon make up), as an evil techno-junkie killer battling Tom Selleck in the thriller Runaway (1984). Simmons has since continued to turn up in low-key roles in B-grade thrillers such as Wanted: Dead or Alive (1986) and Red Surf (1989) that utilize his ability to glower and look menacingly into the camera. In addition, Simmons has appeared in minor guest roles in several TV crime shows including Miami Vice (1984), Millennium (1996) and, most recently, in Third Watch (1999).- Actor
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Paul Stanley is the charismatic front man/lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist/songwriter for hard rock super group KISS, best known for his wailing vocals, high-energy on-stage antics and appeal to female fans. Born Stanley Eisen on January 20, 1952, in Queens, New York, Stanley took a keen interest in music from a young age, and in his early teens he was already playing guitar and writing his own songs.
A chance meeting with another aspiring young musician, Gene Simmons, led the two of them to form several musical groups including "Wicked Lester"; however, none of them took off commercially. Stanley and Simmons then decided on a revamped idea of how their "ultimate group" should look and sound, and they then recruited lead guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss. After mediocre success from their first three studio albums titled "Kiss", "Hotter Than Hell" and "Dressed To Kill", they released a double live album simply titled "Kiss: Alive", and it was a mega success. KISS was the hottest group in the US between 1975 and 1980, with every album going platinum and stadiums being sold out to frenzied fans.
However, all was not well within the KISS ranks, with Criss departing in 1980, followed by Frehley in 1983. Various guitarists and drummers moved in and out of the band over the next 12 years, but an Unplugged (1989) special brought all four original members back together in 1995 with considerable interest from promoters. Subsequently, the original four members embarked on "Kiss: Alive Worldwide", the biggest grossing tour of 1996/97, and they continued to tour relentlessly for the next four years.
Thirty years of wild leaps, swirls and prancing had taken their toll on his body, however, and in early 2005 he underwent hip replacement surgery, from which he is expected to make a full recovery. Whilst many may disagree, Simmons and Stanley can proudly stand alongside other key popular song writing duos such as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, or John Lennon and Paul McCartney in terms of both longevity and artistic output.
His on-camera appearances have included playing his "Starchild" alter ego in the hokey Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park (1978) and as himself in The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)- Actor
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Former lead guitarist for hard rock super group KISS, best known for his "space ace" character, on stage stagger, cackling laugh and smoking guitar effects. Frehley was born Paul Daniel Frehley on April 27th, 1951 in The Bronx, New York City and received his first electric guitar at age 14. A creative and gifted teenager, he counts The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin as early influences on his musical tastes.
Frehley answered a newspaper ad in early 1973 for a then-unnamed group seeking a lead guitarist with "flash and balls", and successfully auditioned in front of bassist Gene Simmons and rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley, to become the fourth member of what would become KISS. Soon after, the group was joined by drummer Peter Criss and the four set about launching themselves. After mediocre success from their first three albums, "Kiss Alive" (a double live album) was released in 1975, and the rocket ride had begun! Kiss were very successful from 1975 until 1979, however, cracks appeared in the band and Peter Criss left the group in 1980, followed by Frehley in 1982.
Frehley put together his own band ("Frehleys Comet") and they regularly toured the New York City club circuit and released several albums, predominantly purchased by KISS fans still loyal to Ace! However, after several years of icy relations between ex-members Frehley / Criss and band founders Simmons / Stanley, all four original members reunited for a 1995 MTV Unplugged Special that was met with huge interest. This prompted a full-blown reunion tour (Kiss - Alive Worldwide) that was the biggest grossing tour of 1996/97!! Met with such keen enthusiasm from fans, the band toured relentlessly into the new century, however, Peter Criss was not satisfied with his salary, and was replaced by drummer Eric Singer, in 2001. Frehley stuck around another year or so, however, the old issues of Ace's unreliability caught up with him once again, and he once more exited the band, to be replaced by Tommy Thayer.
Most recently, Ace had a small part in the gangster film Remedy (2005).- Actor
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Former drummer for hard rock super-group "KISS", best known for his "cat" character and thumping drum solo's. Criss was born Peter George John Crisscoula on December 20th, 1945 in Brooklyn, New York City. Criss was influenced by the 1940s big band sound, and was quite keen on Gene Krupa's unique drumming style.
In early 1973, Criss placed an ad in the "Village Voice" stating "drummer willing to do anything to make it". The ad was noticed by two other aspiring musicians and Criss successfully auditioned in front of bassist Gene Simmons, rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley and lead guitarist Ace Frehley. After mediocre success from their first three albums, Kiss Alive (a double live album) was released in 1974, and the roller coaster ride had begun! KISS were the most successful US group from 1975 to 1980 with platinum selling albums and sold out stadium tours. However, cracks appeared in the band and Peter Criss was fired in 1980, and released two solo albums "Out of Control" and "Let Me Rock You", however they were commercial failures. Criss' close friend, Ace Frehley similarly left KISS in 1982, and met with only slightly better success than Criss with his own group ("Frehleys Comet") and several hard rock albums.
Interestingly, Criss was the subject of a tabloid scandal in 1991, when a national tabloid claimed Criss was penniless and living under a pier at Santa Monica. The drama unfolded on the "Phil Donahue Show" with Criss, the impostor and other concerned parties involved in a verbal slanging match! However, after several years of icy relations between ex-members Frehley / Criss and band founders Simmons / Stanley, all four original members reunited for a 1995 MTV Unplugged Special that was met with huge interest, prompting a full blown reunion tour (KISS - Alive Worldwide) that was the biggest grossing tour of 1996/97. Met with such keen enthusiasm, the band toured relentlessly into the new century, however Peter Criss was experiencing inflammation of his forearms. Additionally, relations with Simmons / Stanley had fallen on untenable terms and he was replaced by another former KISS drummer, Eric Singer, in 2001. Criss issued at statement on his website in April 2004, declaring he was permanently finished as the drummer with KISS.- Actor
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Eric Carr was born on 12 July 1950 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Enter the Fox, Frehley's Comet: Breakout (1987) and Kiss: Lick It Up (1983). He died on 24 November 1991 in New York City, New York, USA.- Eric Singer was born on 12 May 1958 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He is an actor, known for A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989), KISS 2020 Goodbye (2020) and Ash Wednesday (2002).
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Tommy Thayer was born on 7 November 1960 in Portland, Oregon, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Detroit Rock City (1999), Kiss: The Second Coming (1998) and Stealing Harvard (2002).- Music Department
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Bob Kulick was born on 16 January 1950 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for Calicoon, Scorned (1993) and Kid (1990). He died on 28 May 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.- Actor
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Bruce Kulick was born on 12 December 1953 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Shocker (1989), Balls to the Wall (2011) and Yami no Bansôsha (2015). He has been married to Lisa Lane since 4 January 2014. He was previously married to Christina Walker.- Actor
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Frank Ferranna II was born to Frank and Deana Ferranno. When Nikki was in his thirties, he found out that he had a sister with down syndrome. She was older than him. The day before he was to meet her for the first time, she passed away. His father left him and his mother soon after he was born. He was often swapped between his mother and his grandparents and moved numerous times to numerous places. His mother was well known for her long list of boyfriends which even included Richard Pryor. He went to seven schools within 11 years. He moved out of his mother's home, living in the streets and sold drugs until he was kicked out. He went to live with his grandparents in Idaho and then to Los Angeles, California. He formed Mötley Crüe in 1981 with Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, and Vince Neil, after being in several bands, but just after "London". Changed his name to Nikki Sixx legally before joining Crüe. In December of 1987, Nikki was pronounced clinically dead due to an overdose. After the incident, Mötley Crüe went into rehab. Nikki married Brandi Brandt in 1989. They had 3 children, Gunner Nicholas (b. 1991), Storm Brieanne (b. 1994) and Dekker Nilsson (b. 1995). They divorced in November 1996. One month after the divorce, Nikki married Donna D'Errico in December 1996 and they had Frankie-Jean Mary (b. 2001). Nikki and Donna briefly separated in 2001 and reconciled months later.- Actor
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Tommy Lee was born on 3 October 1962 in Athens, Greece. He is an actor and composer, known for Barb Wire (1996), The Dirt (2019) and Vanilla Sky (2001). He has been married to Brittany Furlan since 14 February 2019. He was previously married to Pamela Anderson, Heather Locklear and Elaine Margaret Starchuk.- Actor
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Vince Neil was born on 8 February 1961 in Hollywood, California, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for The Dirt (2019), Friday Night Lights (2004) and Hot Tub Time Machine (2010). He has been married to Lia Gherardini since 9 January 2005. He was previously married to Heidi Mark, Sharise Ruddell and Elizabeth W. Lynn.- Actor
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Mick Mars was born on 4 May 1951 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for The Dirt (2019), Spun (2002) and The Indian in the Cupboard (1995).