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Music Stars Real Names

Here is an alphabetical list of the most popular music stars real names.

A
Aaliyah - Aaliyah Dana Haughton
Clay Aiken - Clayton Holmes Grissom
Akon - Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam
Gregg Allman (Allman Brothers Band) - Gregory Lenoir Allman
Tori Amos - Myra Ellen Amos
apl.de.ap (The Black Eyed Peas) - Allan Pineda Lindo
Fiona Apple - Fiona Apple Maggart
Adam Ant - Stuart Leslie Goddard
Little Anthony - Anthony Gourdine
Marc Anthony - Marco Antonio Muniz
Ashanti - Ashanti Shaquoya “Shani Bani” Douglas
Frankie Avalon - Francis Thomas Avallone

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B
Babyface - Kenny Edmonds
Erykah Badu - Erica Wright
Joan Baez - Joan Chandos Baez
Ginger Baker - Peter Edward Baker
LaVern Baker - Delores Williams
Afrika Bambaataa - Kevin Donovan
Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd) - Roger Keith Barrett
Len Barry - Leonard Borrisoff
Ol’ Dirty Bastard (rap artist) - Russell Jones
Beck - Bek David Campbell
Jeff Beck - Geoffery Arnold Beck
Captain Beefheart - Don Van Vliet
Harry Belafonte - Harold George Belafonte
Pat Benatar - Patricia Andrejewski
Tony Bennett - Anthony Dominick Benedetto
Brook Benton - Benjamin Franklin Pierre
Dickey Betts (Allman Brothers Band) - Forrest Richard Betts
Beyonce - Beyonce Giselle Knowles
Bo Bice - Harold Elwin Bice, III
Bjork - Bjork Gudmundsdottir
Big Boi (Outkast) - Antwan André Patton
Marc Bolan (T-Rex) - Marc Feld
Michael Bolton - Michael Bolotin
Bizzy Bone - Bryon McCane
The Big Bopper - Jiles Perry Richardson
Gary U.S. Bonds - Gary Anderson
Jon Bon Jovi - John Francis Bongiovi Jr.
Bono (U2) - Paul David Hewson
Sonny Bono - Salvatore Philip Bono
Pat Boone - Charles Eugene Boone
Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit) - Wesley Scott Borland
David Bowie - David Robert Hayward Stenton Jones
Big Bad Brad (Linkin Park) - Bradford Phillip Delson
Bobby Brown - Robert Barisford Brown
Jackson Browne - Clyde Jackson Browne
David Bryan (Bon Jovi) - David Bryan Rashbaum
Buckethead - Brian Carroll
Chris de Burgh - Christopher John de Burgh Davison

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C
Vitamin C - Colleen Fitzpatrick
J. J. Cale - John W. Cale
Randy California (Spirit) - Randy Craig Wolfe
Freddy Cannon - Frederick Anthony Picariello
Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains) - Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr
Irene Cara - Irene Escalera
Tony Carey - Anthony Lawrence Carey
Eric Carr (Kiss) - Paul Charles Caravello
50 Cent - Curtis Jackson
Gene Chandler - Eugene Dixon
Ray Charles - Ray Charles Robinson
Chubby Checker - Ernest Evans
Cher - Cherilyn Sarkisian La Piere
Lou Christie - Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco
Charlotte Church - Charlotte Maria Reed
Eric Clapton - Eric Patrick Clapp
Gene Clark (Byrds) - Harold Eugene Clark
Kelly Clarkson - Kelly Brianne Clarkson
Patsy Cline - Virginia Patterson Hensley
Clown (Slipknot) - Michael Shawn Crahan
Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) - Kurt Donald Cobain
Joe Cocker - John Robert Cocker
Nat King Cole - Nathaniel Adams Coles
Judy Collins - Judith Marjorie Collins
Common - Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr.
Perry Como - Pierino Roland Como
Ry Cooder - Ryland Peter Cooder
Sam Cooke - Sam Cook
Coolio - Artis Ivey Jr.
Alice Cooper - Vincent Damon Furnier
Dave “Baby” Cortez - David Clowney
Elvis Costello - Declan Patrick McManus
John Cougar - John Mellencamp
Lobo Courtney - Kent Lavoie
David Crosby - David Van Cortland Crosby
Ice Cube - Oshea Jackson

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D
Willie D (rapper) - William James Dennis
Dick Dale - Richard Monsour
Bobby Dall (Poison) - Robert Harry Kuykendall
Jim Dandy (Black Oak Arkansas) - James Mangrum
Bobby Darin - Walden Waldo Robert Cassotto
Dimebag Darrell - Darrell Abbott
Mac Davis - Morris Davis
Taylor Dayne - Leslie Wonderman
Kim Deal (Pixies) - Kimberly Ann Deal
Jimmy Dean - Jimmy Dean
John Decon (Queen) - John Richard Deacon
Joey Dee - Joseph DiNicola
Kiki Dee - Pauline Mathews
Mos Def - Dante Terrell Smith
John Denver - John Henry Deutschendorf
Rick Derringer - Richard Zehringer
Buck Dharma (Blue Oyster Cult) - Donald Roeser
King Diamond (Mercyful Fate) - Kim Bendix Petersen
Neil Diamond - Neil Leslie Diamond
Bo Diddley - Elias Bates (name upon adoption: Elias McDaniel)
Dido - Florian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong
Snoop Dogg - Cordazer Calvin Broadus
Thomas Dolby - Thomas Morgan Robertson
Mickey Dolenz (The Monkees) - George Michael Braddock
Fats Domino - Antoine Domino
Donovan - Donovan Phillip Leitch
Dr. Dre - Andre Young
Bob Dylan - Robert Alan Zimmerman

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E
Easy E - Eric Wright
Sheila E. - Sheila Escovedo
Sheena Easton - Sheena Shirley Orr
The Edge (U2) - David Howell Evans
Missy Elliot - Melissa Elliott
Eminem - Marshal Bruce Mathers III
Enya - Eithne Ni Braona
David Essex - David Albert Cook
Gloria Estefan - Gloria Maria Fajardo
Little Eva - Eva Narcissus Boyd
Don Everly - Isaac Donald Everly

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F
Fabian - Fabiona Forte Bonaparte
Falco - Johann Hölzel
Tal Farlow - Talmage Holt Farlow
Freddie Fender - Baldemar G. Huerta
Fergie (The Black Eyed Peas) - Stacy Ann Ferguson
Fieldy (Korn) - Reginald Arvizu
Dani Filth (Cradle of Filth) - Daniel Lloyd Davey
Grandmaster Flash (DJ, rapper) - Joseph Saddler
Flavor Flav / Flava Flav (Public Enemy) - William Jonathan Drayton Jr.
Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) - Michael Peter Balzary
Connie Francis - Concetta Maria Franconero
Black Francis (Pixies) - Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV
Ace Frehley (KISS) - Paul Daniel Frehley
Nelly Furtado - Nelly Kim Furtado

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G
Kenny G - Kenneth Gorelick
Crystal Gayle - Brenda Gail Webb
Bobbie Gentry - Roberta Streeter
J. Geils - Jerome Geils
Ginuwine - Elgin Lumpkin
Boy George - George Alan O’Dowd
Gary Glitter - Paul Gadd
Lesley Gore - Lesley Sue Goldstein
Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam) - Stone Carpenter Gossard
Dobie Gray - Leonard Victor Ainsworth
Macy Gray - Natalie Renee McIntyre

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H
MC Hammer - Stanley Kirk Burrel
Bobby Hatfield (The Righteous Brothers) - Robert Lee Hatfield
Dale Hawkins - Delmar Allen Hawkins
Head (Korn) - Brian Welch
Jimi Hendrix - (born: Johnny Allen Hendrix) (renamed: James Marshall Hendrix)
Herb (Peaches &Herb) - Haer Feemster
Faith Hill - Audrey Faith Perry
Billie Holliday - Eleanora Fagan Gough
Buddy Holly - Charles Hardin Holley
Engelbert Humperdinck - Arnold George Dorsey

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I
Janis Ian - Janis Eddy Fink
Vanilla Ice - Robert Van Winkle
Julio Iglesias - Julio Iglesias de la Cueva
Billy Idol - William Michael Albert Broad
India.Aire - India Aire Simpson
Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) - Anthony Frank Iommi

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J
Wolfman Jack - Robert Weston Smith
Tito Jackson - Toriano Adaryll Jackson
Mick Jagger - Michael Phillip Jagger
Rick James - James Ambrose Johnson, Jr.
Jazz (Dru Hill) - Larry Anthony JR.
D.J. Jazzy Jeff - Jeffrey A. Townes
Joan Jett - Joan Marie Larkin
Jewel - Jewel Kilcher
Billy Joel - William Joseph Martin Joel
Grace Jones - Grace Mendoza
Tom Jones - Thomas Jones Woodward
Elton John - Reginald Kenneth Dwight
Wynonna Judd - Christina Claire Ciminella
Juvenile - Terius Grey

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K
K.C. (of The Sunshine Band) - Harry Wayne Casey
Kaskade - Ryan Raddon
R Kelly - Robert Kelly
The Great Kat - Katherine Thomas
Alicia Keys - Alicia Augello Cook
Chaka Khan - Carole Yvette Marie Stevens
Andy Kim - Andrew Youakim
Lil Kim - Kimberly Jones
B.B. King - Riley B. King
Uncle Kracker - Matthew Shafer

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L
LL Cool J - James Todd Smith
Patti LaBelle - Patricia Louise Holt
k.d. lang - Kathryn Dawn Lang
Mario Lanza - Alfredo Arnold Cocozza
Queen Latifah - Dana Owens
Cyndi Lauper - Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper
Avril Lavigne - Avril Ramona Lavigne
Brenda Lee - Brenda Mae Tarpley
Geddy Lee (Rush) - Gary Lee Weinrib
Peggy Lee - Norma Deloris Egstrom
Julian Lennon - John Charles Julian Lennon
Blake Lewis - Blake Colin Lewi
Huey Lewis - Hugh Anthony Cregg
Liberace - Wladziu Lee Valentino
Alex Lifeson (Rush) - Alexander Zivojinovich
Limahl (Kajagoogoo) - Christopher Hamill
Lisa Lisa (Cult Jam) - Lisa Velez
Professor Longhair - Henry Roeland Byrd
Courtney Love (Hole) - Courtney Michelle Harrison
Ludacris - Christopher Brian Bridges
Lulu - Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie
Lydia Lunch - Lydia Koch

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M
Mama Cass Elliot - Ellen Naomi Cohen
Spanky MacFarlane - Elaine MacFarlane
Lonnie Mack - Lonnie McIntosh
Madonna - Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone
Taj Mahal - Henry St.Clair Fredricks
Barry Manilow - Barry Alan Pincus
Yngwie Malmsteen - Lars Johann Yngwie Lannerback
Manfred Mann - Manfred Lubowitz
Marilyn Manson - Brian Warner
Little Peggy March - Margaret Battavio
Mick Mars (Motley Crue) - Robert Alan Deal
Dean Martin - Dino Paul Crocetti
Ricky Martin - Enrique Jose Martin Morales
Brian May (Queen) - Brian Harold May
Paul McCartney - James Paul McCartney
Roger McGuinn (Byrds) - James Joseph McGuinn III
Scott McKenzie - Philip Blondheim
Meat Loaf - Marvin Lee Aday
Bill Medley (The Righteous Brothers) - William Thomas Medley
Melanie - Melanie Safka
Freddie Mercury - Farrokh Bulsara
George Micheal - Yorgos Panayiotou
Mitch Miller - Mitchell William
Joni Mitchell - Roberta Joan Anderson
Moby - Richard Melville Hall
Van Morrison - George Ivan Morrison
Morrissey - Steven Patrick Morrissey
Munky (Korn) - James Shaffer
Anne Murray - Morna Anne Murray
Mya - Mya Harrison
Mystikal - Micheal Tyler

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N
Nas / Nasty Nas - Nasir Jones
Rick Nelson - Eric Hilliard Nelson
Nelly - Carnell Haynes, Jr.
Vince Neil (Mötley Crüe) - Vince Neil Wharton
Randy Newman - Gary Newman
Juice Newton - Judy Kay Newton
Stevie Nicks - Stephanie Nicks
Nokio (Dru Hill) - Tamir Ruffin
Noodles (Offspring) - Kevin Wasserman
Nilsson - Harry Edward Nilsson III
Notorious B.I.G. - Christopher Wallace
Gary Numan - Gary Anthony James Webb
Laura Nyro - Laura Nigro

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O
Ric Ocasek - Richard Otcasek
Billy Ocean - Leslie Sebastian Charles
Oliver - William Oliver Swofford
Roy Orbison - Roy Kelton Orbison
Tony Orlando - Michael Anthony Orlando Cassivitis
Benjamin Orr - Benjamin Orzechowski
Gilbert O’Sullivan - Raymond Edward O’Sullivan
Johnny Otis - John Veliotes
Ozzy Osbourne - John Michael Osbourne

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P
Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) - James Patrick Page
Patti Page - Clara Ann Fowler
Robert Palmer - Alan Robert Palmer
Gram Parsons (Byrds,Flying Burrito Brothers) - Cecil Ingram Connor, III
Paul and Paula - Ray Hildebrand and Jill Jackson
Les Paul - Lester Polfus
Johnny Paycheck - Don Lytle
Mike Penda (The Searchers) - Michael Prendergast
CeCe Peniston - Cecelia Peniston
Pepa (Salt-N-Pepa) - Sandra Denton
Pink - Alecia Moore
Iggy Pop - James Jewell Osterberg, Jr.
Cozy Powell - Colin Flooks
Daniel Powter - Daniel Robert Powter
Maxi Priest - Max Elliot
P. J. Proby - James Marcus Smith
Prince - Prince Rogers Nelson
Puff Daddy / P. Diddy / Diddy - Sean John Combs

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Q
Stacy Q. - Stacy Swain
Question Mark (?) (? &The Mysterians) - Rudy Martinez

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R
Dee Dee Ramone (Ramones) - Douglas Colvin
Joey Ramone (Ramones) - Jeffery Hyman
Johnny Ramone (Ramones) - John Cummings
Boots Randolph - Homer Louis Randolph
Chris Rea - Christopher Anton Rea
Jerry Reed - Jerry Hubbard
Lou Reed - Louis Firbank
Paul Revere - Paul Revere
Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran) - Nicholas James Bates
Busta Rhymes - Trevor Tahiem Smith
Buddy Rich - Bernard Rich
Lionel Richie - Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr.
Little Richard - Richard Wayne Penniman
Cliff Richard - Harry Rodger Webb
Johnny Rivers - John Ramistella
Smokey Robinson (The Miracles) - William Robinson
Rockwell - Kennedy Gordy
Henry Rollins - Henry Garfield
Diana Ross (The Supremes) - Diane Ernestine Ross
Johnny Rotten (Sex Pistols) - John Lydon
Axl Rose (Guns &Roses) - (born: William Bruce Rose Jr.) (renamed: William Bailey)
Ja Rule - Jeffery Atkins
Leon Russell - Claude Russell Bridges
Bobby Rydell - Louis Ridarelli
Mitch Ryder - William Levise Jr.

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S
Sade - Helen Folasade Adu
Sam the Sham - Domingo Samudio
Leo Sayer - Gerald Hugh Sayer
Boz Scaggs - William Royce Scaggs
Bon Scott (AC/DC) - Ronald Belford Scott
Seal - Henry Olusegun Olumide Samuel
Selena - Selena Quintanilla-Perez
Shaggy - Orville Richard Burrell
Shagrath (Dimmu Borgir) - Stian Thoresen
Shakira - Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll
Del Shannon - Charles Westover
Ben Shepherd (Soundgarden) - Hunter Benedict Shepherd
Gene Simmons (Kiss) - Chaim Klein Witz
Sir Mix-a-Lot - Anthony Ray
Sisqo (Dru Hill) - Mark Andrews
Nikki Sixx (Mötley Crüe) - Franklin Carlton Serafino Feranna
Slash (Guns &Roses) - Saul Hudson
Geace Slick (Jefferson Airplane) - Grace Wing
Fatboy Slim - Quentin Cook (aka Norman Cook)
Guitar Slim - Eddie Jones
Patti Smith - Patricia Lee Smith
Phoebe Snow - Phoebe Laub
Jordin Sparks - Jordin Brianna Sparks
Britney Spears - Britney Jean Spears
Ronnie Spector - Veronica Bennett
Baby Spice (Spice Girls) - Emma Lee Bunton
Ginger Spice (Spice Girls) - Geraldine Estelle Halliwell
Posh Spice (Spice Girls) - Victoria Caroline Adams [Beckham]
Scary Spice (Spice Girls) - Melanie Janine Brown
Sporty Spice (Spice Girls) - Melanie Jayne Chisholm
Dusty Springfield - Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien
Edwin Starr - Charles Hatcher
Ringo Starr - Richard Starkey
Cat Stevens - Steven Demetre Georgiou (1979 - Yusuf Islam)
Ray Stevens - Harold Ray Ragsdale
Rod Stewart - Roderick David Stewart
Stephen Stills - Stephen Arthur Stills
Sting - Gordon Matthew Sumner
Michael Stipe (R.E.M.) - John Michael Stipe
Angie Stone (The Sequence) - Angela Laverne Brown
Joss Stone - Joscelyn Eve Stocker
Sly Stone - Sylvester Stewart
Joe Strummer (The Clash) - John Graham Mellor
Levi Stubbs - Levi Stubbles
Donna Summer - LaDonna Adrian Gaines

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T
Booker T - Booker T. Jones
Ice T - Tracy Marrow
Taboo (The Black Eyed Peas) - Jaime Luis Gómez
Taco - Taco Ockerse
Roger Taylor (Queen) - Roger Meddows-Taylor
Tammi Terrell - Thomasina Montgomery
Joe Tex - Joseph Arrington Jr.
B.J. Thomas - Billy Joe Thomas
Johnny Thunders (New York Dolls) - John Anthony Genzale, Jr
Tiffany - Tiffany Darwish
Tiny Tim - Herbert Buckingham Khaury
Justin Timberlake - Justin Randall Timberlake
Timbaland - Timothy Z. Mosley
Peter Tork (Monkees) - Peter Halston Thorkelson
Peter Tosh - Winston Hubert Macintosh
Randy Travis - Randy Bruce Traywick
Tina Turner - Anna Mae Bullock
Shania Twain - Eileen Regina Edwards
Twista / Tung Twista - Carl Terrell Mitchell
Conway Twitty - Harold Lloyd Jenkins
Bonnie Tyler - Gaynor Hopkins
Steven Tyler - Steven Victor Tallarico

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U
Carrie Underwood - Carrie Marie Underwood
U-Roy - Ewart Beckford
Midge Ure - James Ure
Usher - Usher Raymond

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V
Steve Vai - Steven Siro Vai
Ritchie Valens - Richard Stephen Valenzuela
Frankie Valli - Frank Castelluccio
Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) - Edward Louis Severson III
Bobby Vee - Robert Velline
Billy Vera - Billy McCord Jr.
Tom Verlaine (Television) - Thomas Miller
Sid Vicious - John Simon Ritchie
Gene Vincent - Vincent Craddock
Vinnie Vincent (Kiss) - Vincent Cusano
Bobby Vinton - Stanley Robert Vintula, Jr.

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W
Jerry Jeff Walker - Paul Crosby
Junior Walker - Autry DeWalt Walker Jr.
T-Bone Walker - Aaron Thibeaux Walker
Dionne Warwick - Marie Dionne Warwick
Muddy Waters - McKinley Morganfield
Roger Waters - George Waters
Fee Waybill (Tubes) - John Waldo
Bob Weir (Greatful Dead) - Robert Hall
Junior Wells (blues artist) - Amos Blakemore
Leslie West (Mountain) - Leslie Westein
Jack White (White Stripes) - John Anthony Gillis
Kim Wilde - Kim Smith
Will.i.am (The Black Eyed Peas) - William James Adams Jr.
Hank Williams - Hiram Williams
Paul Williams - Billy Paul
Johnny Winter - John Dawson Winter
Steve Winwood - Stephen Lawrence Winwood
Nicky Wire (Manic Street Preachers) - Nicholas Allen Jones
Howlin’ Wolf - Chester Arthur Burnett
Peter Wolf (J. Geils Band) - Peter Blankfield
Stevie Wonder - (born: Steveland Hardaway Judkins) (renamed: Steveland Hardaway Morris)
Hawksley Workman - Ryan Corrigan
Lil Bow Wow - Shad Anthony Moss
Link Wray - Fred Lincoln Wray Jr.
Betty Wright - Bessie Regina Norris
Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society) - Jeffery Phillip Wiedlandt
Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones) - William Perks
Tammy Wynette - Virginia Wynette Pugh

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X
Xzibit (rapper) - Alvin Nathaniel Joiner IV

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Y
Weird Al Yankovic - Alfred Matthew Yankovic
Yanni (New-Age musician) - Yiannis Chrysomallis
Yazz - Yasmin Evans
Yellowman - Winston Foster
Jesse Colin Young (Youngbloods) - Perry Miller
Neil Young - Neil Percival Young
Timi Yuro - Rosemarie Timotea Aurro
Yukmouth (Luniz) - Jarold Ellis, Jr.

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Z
Robin Zander - Robin Wayne Zander
Frank Zappa - Frank Vincent Zappa
Dweezil Zappa - Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa (birth name)
Warren Zevon - Warren William Zevon
Rob Zombie - Robert Cummings
Buckwheat Zydeco - Stanley Dural, Jr.
Zim Zum (Life, Sex &Death, Marilyn Manson) - Timothy Michael Linton

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Source: Music Stars Real Names

Rufus Wainwright

A singer/songwriter whose lush, theatrical pop harked back to the traditions of Tin Pan Alley, cabaret and even opera, Rufus Wainwright was born in 1973; the son of folk music luminaries Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, his parents divorced while he was a child, and he was raised by his mother in Montreal. Beginning his piano studies at age six, by thirteen he was touring with his mother, aunt Anna and his sister Martha in a group billed as the McGarrigle Sisters and Family; a year later, Wainwright was nominated for a Juno (the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy) as Most Promising Young Artist, while his “I’m A-Runnin’” was concurrently nominated for a Genie (the Canadian counterpart to an Oscar) for Best Song in a Film.

Coming out as a homosexual while still in his teens, Wainwright sought solace in opera throughout his adolescent years, also becoming an enormous fan of performers including Edith Piaf, Al Jolson and Judy Garland. After attending the prestigious Millbrook School in upstate New York, he briefly studied music at Montreal’s McGill University, eventually turning away from classical performance towards pop and rock. Becoming a fixture on the Montreal club circuit, Wainwright soon cut a series of demos with producer Pierre Marchand; Loudon Wainwright III then passed a copy of the tape to friend Van Dyke Parks, who in turn handed it on to DreamWorks exec Lenny Waronker. The label signed him soon after, resulting in the release of Rufus Wainwright during the spring of 1998. The album landed on several critics’ “best of 1998″ lists, while Wainwright spent the next few years touring and appearing sporadically on soundtracks (Shrek) and compilations (The McGarrigle Hour). His sophomore album, Poses, brought similar acclaim in mid-2001. After spending much of 2001 and 2002 touring on his own and with Tori Amos, Wainwright settled into Bearsville Studio, in Woodstock, N.Y., with producer Marius deVries to record sort of a double album. The first project Want One was released in September, 2003. Want Two followed a year later. ~Allmusic

May 15th saw a new release from Rufus Wainwright, titled Release The Stars. Recorded in Berlin and executive produced by the Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant, Rufus Wainwright’s fifth album offers an ounce of restraint from the man that dressed up as Sir Lancelot’s crossed girlfriend Lady Shallott on the cover of his last. Well, not really. Having fallen in love and curbed his self-destructive streak, the New York-born singer-songwriter has certainly sharpened his wit on Release the Stars but the songs remain as ornate and over-the-top as ever, drawing as much inspiration from opera and the musical theater as the desire to purge personal demons. So while Wainwright spends considerable time here pondering the state of the world (”Going to a Town”) and his own battles with drug and sexual addiction (”Sanssouci”), every note is punctuated by a choir, orchestral swell, or big burst of brass. It wouldn’t be Rufus with anything less. Highly Recommended!

Rufus Wainwright - Narration/Going To A Town
Rufus Wainwright - Going To A Town
Rufus Wainwright - Nobody’s Of The Hook
Rufus Wainwright - Leaving For Paris No.2
Rufus Wainwright @ MySpace

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The Crash

The Crash are an indie pop-rock band from Turku, Finland. The band formed after Teemu Brunila and Samuli Haataja met in 1991, with both Erkki Kaila and Dani Aavinen joining to complete the line up. Originally the band were called Ladies & Gentlemen, but later changed its name to New Deal. In 1997 the name was changed to The Crash.

Their debut album ‘Comfort Deluxe’, was released in 1999, and was followed by a tour of Europe including Sweden, Germany, and Austria, as well as performance at the In The City festival in Manchester, UK. This caught the attention of Melody Maker and MTV Nordic. A second album, ‘Wildlife’, was released in 2001, with the single from that album, “Lauren Caught My Eye”, being played on MTV, and the music video for “Star” earning the band a nomination for Best Nordic Artist at the MTV Europe Awards in 2002. After a year touring Europe as a headline act and with Eskobar, Weeping Willows and A-Ha, the band regrouped to record their third album ‘Melodrama’. The album is a glorious and unique combination of dance music from the 70’s, classic rock from the 80’s, and a touch of soul from 60’s America.

The new Crash album ‘Pony Ride’ came out in Finland on the 27th of September. It debuted at number 2 on the Finnish album chart. It’s recommended for all who like Scissor Sisters, Starsailor, etc.

The Crash - Lauren Caught My Eye
The Crash @ MySpace

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Young Galaxy

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A Lil’ Ol’ Z

Guitarist Billy Gibbons met his future manager, Waxahachie native Bill Mack Ham, backstage at a Doors concert in Houston in 1967. Gibbons’ band at the time, the Moving Sidewalks, had a local hit with the song “99th Floor.” They soon opened on the Doors’ Texas tour. After later opening for the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Hendrix named Gibbons his favorite guitar player during an appearance on “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson.” The Sidewalks broke up and Gibbons and Ham contracted to form a new band.

The trio spent its first few years playing mostly regional concerts. Ham’s bosses, Houston record producer Pappy Daily and family, cut a deal with him to finance “ZZ Top’s First Album” (1970). Five other records followed on the London Records label. The third album, “Tres Hombres” (1973), brought them national attention. Its hit song “La Grange,” about a whorehouse, was allegedly based on John Lee Hooker’s “Boogie Chillen.” It is still the band’s signature riff tune. Also included was “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers,” the would-be anthem.

Have mercy.

A haw, haw, haw, haw, a haw.
A haw, haw, haw.
Well, I hear it’s fine if you got the time
and the ten to get yourself in.
A hmm, hmm.
And I hear it’s tight most ev’ry night,
but now I might be mistaken.
hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm.

Tres Hombres (1973), ZZ Top’s first gold album, featuring “La Grange,” a signature riff tune and their first Top 40 hit, as well as the twosome “Waitin’ For The Bus” and “Jesus Just Left Chicago.” A review is available from Rolling Stone. D.S. writes, “Waitin’ on the Bus is a real favorite. So is Jesus. And ZZ’s signature song, La Grange (one of Billy’s hottest, but played on a Strat, not Pearly. Listen to it.) That whole album is hot, blue, and righteous. The tone is so incredible it makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. This album is the ZZ centerpiece. All the previous cuts led to this, and this led to everything else. This is the one that established ZZ Top. No question about it. Don’t care which is your favorite, this is the one.”

“Eliminator,” featuring musically controversial electronic instruments, debuted ZZ Tops biggest hits, “Legs” and “Sharp-Dressed man.” The synthesizers and drum machines caused controversy in other ways as well. According to former roadie David Blayney in his book, “Sharp Dressed Men,” sound engineer Linden Hudson co-wrote much of the material on the album as a live-in high-tech music teacher to Beard and Gibbons. Hudson claims that in addition to not getting songwriting credit, Ham worked to cover up his contributions to the album. Despite continued denials by the band, it settled a five-year legal battle with Hudson, paying him $600,000 after he allegedly proved he held the copyright on the song “Thug.” Another copyright suit was brought by a co-writer of John Lee Hooker’s “Boogie Chillen,” the alleged basis of “La Grange.” That case was settled and sealed. The group’s eighth album, “Afterburner,” with its continued use of synthesizers, became a worldwide smash hit.

In 1994 ZZ went back to their roots, playing boogie without the electric drums and computers.. with some great tunes winning back a lot of the fans who loved the great old tunes by the ‘lil ol’ band from Texas’. 

Imogen Heap

Imogen Heap

Imogen Heap (born December 9, 1977) is a Grammy-nominated English singer-songwriter from Essex, most famous for her work as part of Frou Frou and for her 2005 solo record Speak for Yourself.

Imogen Heap played music from an early age, and is classically
trained in many instruments, including the piano (her first
instrument), as well as the cello, clarinet, guitar, drums, and the Array Mbira.
She had begun to write songs by the time of her eleventh birthday. Her
mother, an art therapist, and her father, a rocks construction
retailer, separated when Heap was twelve. The boarding school
she was sent to lacked students wishing to pursue music and Heap
clashed with the music teacher. His idea of punishment was to leave
Heap alone to learn for herself, as a result; she principally taught
herself sequencing, music engineering, sampling and production on Atari computers. Following this, Heap went on to study at the BRIT School Of Performing Arts & Technology in Croydon, Surrey, (later attended by artists such as Katie Melua). She signed her first record contract at the age of 17 to independent record label Almo Sounds, having enjoyed a prestigious live debut, performing four songs, backed by friends Acacia, between sets by The Who and Eric Clapton at the 1996 Prince’s Trust Concert in Hyde Park, London.

Heap’s debut album, i Megaphone (an anagram of “Imogen Heap”) was released in 1998 internationally via Almo Sounds, and garnered critical acclaim, comparing the angst-filled tracks to work by artists such as PJ Harvey, Kate Bush and Annie Lennox.
The album was a mixture of self-penned, self-produced tracks, alongside
tracks co-written with, and produced by established producers such as David Kahne, Dave Stewart and Guy Sigsworth.
Promotion for the record included a tour of America, where the album
was becoming popular through word-of-mouth, and performances all around
Europe. Three singles were commercially released in limited quantities
in the UK; “Getting Scared” “Shine” and “Come Here Boy.” “Oh Me, Oh My”
was also sent to US radio stations in place of “Shine.” Almo Sounds cut
funding for the UK promotional, and gave Heap a deadline to deliver
songs for her second album; she was told that they lacked “hit
potential” and left her in limbo for over a year, worsened when it was
announced that the record label had been sold to Universal
and would be shut down and disbanded, with its repertoire of artists
moving or leaving the label. Heap was one of the artists who was
dropped from the label, leaving her without a record contract. After
receiving more commercial success with her work with Guy Sigsworth as
the duo Frou Frou and her second solo album, Speak for Yourself,
Heap was able to secure the re-release of “i Megaphone.” It was
re-released on November 14, 2006 to coincide with her Fall 2006 North
American tour.

i Megaphone Japanese Re-Release - Aozora Records, 2002

In her time in “limbo” with Almo Sounds, Heap appeared on two
further UK singles; “Meantime”, a track written by Guy Sigsworth and
Alexander Nilere for the soundtrack to the independent British movie, G:MT - Greenwich Mean Time
and “Blanket,” a collaboration with Urban Species, which was
commercially released on 2 CDs, as well as being available on the Urban
Species album of the same name. At the same time, i Megaphone was licensed from Almo Sounds to Aozora Records in Japan, who re-released and re-promoted the album in January 2002, featuring “Blanket,” and a Frou Frou
remix of one of her B-sides, “Aeroplane,” for which a video was
released exclusively to Japanese media. The album featured new
packaging, all-new artwork, and a previously unavailable hidden track,
entitled “Kidding,” recorded live during her 1999 tour. Following the
selling and disbanding of Almo Sounds, all versions of i Megaphone apart from the Japanese
re-release are scarce in circulation, having not been re-printed since
1999. A Brazilian label, Trama Records, claim to hold the license to
the record and have started re-printing copies of the album in limited
quantities. The album was also released onto the USA iTunes Music Store
in early 2006, and will be available via Heap’s own digital download
store later on in the year. In the gap between the end of promotion for
i Megaphone internationally, and the re-promotion, Heap had also
begun to think about her second solo album, and had started writing
songs, both solo, as well as working with Guy Sigsworth; however, as
she was left without a record deal, the songs were shelved.

Imogen Heap kept in contact with Guy Sigsworth, who had co-written and produced “Getting Scared” from i Megaphone.
The initial idea was that Sigsworth would put together an album,
featuring tracks written and produced by him alongside a singer,
songwriter, poet or rapper, to be released under the name Frou Frou. Sigsworth himself was also having record label issues, as his band, Acacia
were being ignored. Heap explains that Sigsworth invited her over to
his studio, to write lyrics to a four-bar motif he had, with one
condition - that she include the word “love” somewhere. The first line
she came up with was “lung of love, leaves me breathless,” and the Details
album track, “Flicks” was born. A week later, Sigsworth phoned her up
again, and together they wrote and recorded “Breathe In” and it
happened again and again, until nearly half the album was completed. In
December 2001, they made the conscious decision to form a duo together.
Their first official release as Frou Frou was a remix of “Airplane”
(renamed “Aeroplane”) - a track they had written together at the time
of “Getting Scared,” which was used as a B-side on the “Shine” single
and on the Japanese re-release of i Megaphone.

In August 2002, they released the Details album and singles
“Breathe In,” “It’s Good To Be In Love,” and “Must Be Dreaming” (the
latter two were not commercially available). The album - a full
collaboration between the duo, with Heap giving vocals to tracks they
had written and produced together - was critically acclaimed, but did
not enjoy the commercial success that had been hoping for, and in late
2003, after an extensive promotional tour of the UK, Europe and the
USA, the duo were told that their record label, Island Records
would not be picking up the option for a second album. They were,
however, open to signing Heap as a solo artist; she declined, unwilling
to entrust them with her career after their mistreatment of Details.
She says, “If you had taken a shirt into a dry cleaners and they burned
it, would you then go, ‘Thanks very much. I’ll bring in my other dry
cleaning tomorrow’? You wouldn’t. So I didn’t take the deal.” Heap and
Sigsworth remain firm friends, and have worked together since the
project, including their temporary re-formation in late 2003, when they
covered the Bonnie Tyler classic, “Holding Out For A Hero,” which was featured during the credits of the movie Shrek 2
after Jennifer Saunders’ version in the film. Frou Frou saw a
resurgence in popularity in 2004, when their album track “Let Go” was
featured in the independent movie Garden State. “Let Go” appeared again as a song in the winter holidays blockbuster The Holiday that appeared in the cinemas in 2006.

In August 2006, Heap performed a set at the V Festival,
and it was announced that “Headlock” would be the third single to be
lifted from the album, to be released on 16 October 2006 in the UK, on
CD (in a special digipak
with partially frosted plastic outer sleeve, which renders the single
chart ineligible) and special limited edition 7″ vinyl, once again
remixed for radio as ‘Immi’s Radio Mix’ and accompanied by a new
all-vocal B-side, entitled “Mic Check.” The “Headlock” video premiered
on Manchester-centric
TV station, Channel M, in early September, before being sent to other
music television channels for rotation, and promo CDs of the single
were sent out featuring a drum and bass
remix of the track by High Contrast. In late September and early
October, Heap embarked on a tour of the UK, holding a competition on MySpace
for different support acts for each venue, before touring throughout
Canada and the USA in November & December. She will also be scoring
the soundtrack to a movie documentary about flamingos in late 2006 and
early 2007, having visited Kenya in July 2006 for inspiration and to
begin recording sounds. In December 2006, Heap was featured on the
front page of The Green Room magazine.

On December 7, 2006, Imogen received two Grammy nominations for the
49th Annual Grammy Awards, one for Best New Artist and the other for
Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
for “Can’t Take It In”. In early 2007, a Verizon
commercial featured the instrumental of her song “Headlock”. Heap
recently confirmed that she will not be making appearances for most of
2007 in order to complete the scoring for the Disney documentary and to
work on her forthcoming third solo album that is due out sometime in
late 2007 or early 2008.

“Hide & Seek” is the most commonly used Imogen Heap song in TV shows and other media, and is featured in the Zach Braff movie, The Last Kiss, was used in an episode from season three of the Showtime TV show, “The L Word“, and featured in an episode of US reality show, So You Think You Can Dance. The CBS show Smith used “Hide & Seek” as the ending song for the show’s debut, as did the same network’s CSI: Miami for Episode 4 in Season 5. The O.C. closed with “Hide & Seek” in the final episode of its second season. The song was also used in early previews for the NBC drama Heroes, and UK previews for the Season 3 finale of Lost.

Technorati Tags: music, concerts, alternative, entertainment

The Killers

Grammy-nominated American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada. Formed in 2002 and made up of Brandon Flowers (vocals, keyboards), Dave Keuning (guitar, vocals), Mark Stoermer (bass guitar, vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr., (drums, percussion), they released their debut album, Hot Fuss, in 2004. Their second album, Sam’s Town, was released in early October 2006.

Most famous for their hit singles “Somebody Told Me“, “Mr. Brightside” and “When You Were Young“, their music is based on British influences and on the music of the 1980s, particularly New Wave music and later, on epic ‘Americana’ artists such as Bruce Springsteen.

The Killers
The Killers performing live in October 2006
Background information
Origin	Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Genre(s)	post-punk revival Indie rock Synth rock Rock
Years active	2002–present
Label(s)	Island Vertigo Lizard King/ Marrakesh Records
Website	www.thekillersmusic.com
Members
Brandon Flowers Dave Keuning Mark Stoermer Ronnie Vannucci Jr.

The Surgeon General has determined that watching this movie…

Remember, cigarettes kill and we have been protected from them for years now. So why is it that they have made such a comeback in the
movies? You see the main characters smoking to express themselves, or is it the cigarette expressing itself? The underlying statements being made are profuse, and laden with innuendo. Maybe we need to add a warning on the promotional material for films with rampant smoking in them.. Fight Club with its violence and constant smoking perhaps needs to be stated as potentially hazardous to more than your mental well-being.
After all, up in smoke was banned by the South African Publications Control Board (Censor Board) for fear that “it might encourage the impressionable youth of South Africa to take up marijuana smoking”.

As if they didn’t have much bigger problems at the time.. can anyone say ‘apartheid’.

ZZ and the Police

So what rock concerts are a must this summer? What about The Police, what an amazing comeback.. and what do The Police have to say about it?

“In my humble opinion, ‘Every Breath You Take’ is Sting’s best song with the worst arrangement. I think Sting could have had any other group do this song and it would have been better than our version - except for Andy’s brilliant guitar part. Basically, there’s an utter lack of groove. It’s a totally wasted opportunity for our band. Even though we made gazillions off of it, and it’s the biggest hit we ever had, when I listen to this recording, I think ‘God, what a bunch of assholes we were!’ - Stewart

man…

And then there’s ZZ Top, one of the best boogie bands of all time…
check the concert listings for more info..

Did you know that Paula Abdul worked with ZZ Top on their ‘dance’ moves? Seems very strange, but apparently they needed work on their stage presence, and Paula is by trade a choreographer. The vague inuendo about her following the Milli Vanilli scandal would not seem to make her the optimum candidate for working with a traditional band like ZZ, but who knows. Seeing Eric Burdon perform makes one really wonder how old is too old to really rock, but then he was probably too old when he was with the Animals when you get right down to it. And then theres John Kay, who performs the old Steppenwolf songs better than they were done originally (ok thats not saying all that much).

The Police

ZZ Top

>P>

Art as a (w)hole

The last fifty years has brought a total revolution in artistic expression, from the quiet beginnings of the late fifties and early sixties through the turmoil of the late twentieth century. We have gone from censorship on all levels to the complete abandon of all sensibility of gangster rap, and one word script movies like ‘Scarface’.

The recent Super Bowl mishap and Imus faux pas have begun a rethinking of the need to put some limits on creativity, to make things ‘respectable’ once more. There is a certain amount of desperation in the need to do something that is truly new, not to mention the need to get attention. Artists find themselves searching for something that hasn’t been done a thousand times before, and we find them reaching into the unknown, which often involves that which has been taboo in the past.
They find themselves being outlandish in order to garner an audience, doing something shocking to be noticed. Where it will go from here is hard to say, the piercings and tattoos have been carried to such heights that its hard to see how those artifices could be escalated. And when you get right down to it, the adoption of those practices by the general public have made it almost beyond a fad to the common. Lets hope the censorship crowd doesn’t limit creativity and artistic freedom, and that the artists don’t lose touch with the difference between creative freedom and complete abandon.