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Arts

Live Art (art form)

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Live music (concert)

Live album

List of albums titled ''Live''

Live (band), an alternative rock band

"Live", a song written by Emitt Rhodes, that was a hit for his band The Merry-Go-Round, and was later covered by The Bangles.

Live Aid, a multi-venue rock music concert held on July 13, 1985

Live 8, a series of benefit concerts that took place in July 2005, in the G8 nations and South Africa

Live Earth

''Live'' (Corneille album)

''Live'' (Eurythmics video)

''Live'' (Shania Twain DVD)

''Live'' (Alison Krauss & Union Station album)

''Live!'' (2007 film) a movie by Bill Guttentag

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Recorded live track

Media

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Live radio

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''Live with Regis and Kelly'', a syndicated American television talk show

BBC Radio 5 Live, the BBC's radio service providing live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries

CILV-FM, branded LiVE 88.5, a radio station in Ottawa, Canada

Information and Communication Technologies

Windows Live, the collective brand name for a group of Microsoft services currently under development

Microsoft Office Live, an Internet-based software service

Live Search, The search engine previously known as MSN from Microsoft

Xbox Live, online gaming service for Microsoft's Xbox and Xbox 360 video game consoles

YouTube Live, online annual live streaming event broadcasted by YouTube

Ableton Live, a software music sequencer

Live CD, also known as a ''Live Distro'', ''Live DVD'', ''Live OS'' or ''Live System'': an operating system that can boot and run from a read-only medium (such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM) instead of a hard disk drive

Live USB, a live operating system that runs off a USB flash drive

Other uses

Live fire exercise, an exercise (often military in nature) conducted under realistic conditions, or using real ammunition

See also

List of albums titled ''Live''

Live! (disambiguation)

Lives (disambiguation)

ca:Live cs:Live da:Live de:Live es:Live fr:Live ko:라이브 it:Live hu:Live (egyértelműsítő lap) nl:Live ja:ライブ no:Live (andre betydninger) pl:Live pt:Live (desambiguação) ru:Live simple:Live sk:Live fi:Live sv:Live wa:Live zh:Live

Coordinates	44°25′57″N26°6′14″N
name	Ramones
landscape	Yes
background	group_or_band
origin	Forest Hills, Queens, New York, United States
genre	Punk rock
years active	1974–1996
label	Sire, Philips, Beggars Banquet, Radioactive, Chrysalis
associated acts	Tangerine Puppets, Sniper, Bad Chopper, Los Gusanos, Dust, The Voidoids, Blondie, Uncle Monk, Misfits, Osaka Popstar
past members	Dee Dee RamoneJohnny RamoneJoey RamoneTommy RamoneMarky RamoneRichie RamoneElvis Ramone (Clem Burke)C. J. Ramone }}

The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group. Despite achieving only limited commercial success, the band was a major influence on the punk rock movement both in the United States and the United Kingdom.

All of the band members adopted pseudonyms ending with the surname "Ramone", though none of them were related. They performed 2,263 concerts, touring virtually nonstop for 22 years. In 1996, after a tour with the Lollapalooza music festival, the band played a farewell concert and disbanded. By a little more than eight years after the breakup, the band's three founding members—lead singer Joey Ramone, guitarist Johnny Ramone, and bassist Dee Dee Ramone—had died.

Their only record with enough U.S. sales to be certified gold was the compilation album ''Ramones Mania''. However, recognition of the band's importance built over the years, and they are now cited in many assessments of all-time great rock music, such as the ''Rolling Stone'' list of the 50 Greatest Artists of All Time and VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. In 2002, the Ramones were ranked the second-greatest band of all time by ''Spin'' magazine, trailing only The Beatles. On March 18, 2002, the Ramones—including the three founders and drummers Marky and Tommy Ramone—were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2011, the group was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

History

Early days: 1974–1975

The original members of the band met in and around the middle-class neighborhood of Forest Hills in the New York City borough of Queens. John Cummings and Thomas Erdelyi had both been in a high-school garage band from 1966 to 1967 known as the Tangerine Puppets. They became friends with Douglas Colvin, who had recently moved to the area from Germany, and Jeffrey Hyman, who was the initial lead singer of the glam rock band Sniper, founded in 1972.

The Ramones began taking shape in early 1974, when Cummings and Colvin invited Hyman to join them in a band. The initial lineup featured Colvin on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Cummings on lead guitar, and Hyman on drums. Colvin, who soon switched from rhythm guitar to bass, was the first to adopt the name "Ramone", calling himself Dee Dee Ramone. He was inspired by Paul McCartney's use of the pseudonym Paul Ramon during his Silver Beatles days. Dee Dee convinced the other members to take on the name and came up with the idea of calling the band the Ramones. Hyman and Cummings became Joey Ramone and Johnny Ramone, respectively.

A friend of the band, Monte A. Melnick (later their tour manager), helped to arrange rehearsal time for them at Manhattan's Performance Studios, where he worked. Johnny's former bandmate Erdelyi was set to become their manager. Soon after the band was formed, Dee Dee realized that he could not sing and play his bass guitar simultaneously; with Erdelyi's encouragement, Joey became the band's new lead singer. Dee Dee would continue, however, to count off each song's tempo with his signature rapid-fire shout of "1-2-3-4!" Joey soon similarly realized that he could not sing and play drums simultaneously and left the position of drummer. While auditioning prospective replacements, Erdelyi would often take to the drums and demonstrate how to play the songs. It became apparent that he was able to perform the group's music better than anyone else, and he joined the band as Tommy Ramone.

The Ramones played before an audience for the first time on March 30, 1974, at Performance Studios. The songs they played were very fast and very short; most clocked in at under two minutes. Around this time, a new music scene was emerging in New York centered around two clubs in downtown Manhattan—Max's Kansas City and, more famously, CBGB (usually referred to as CBGB's). The Ramones made their CBGB debut on August 16. Legs McNeil, who co-founded ''Punk'' magazine the following year, later described the impact of that performance: "They were all wearing these black leather jackets. And they counted off this song...and it was just this wall of noise.... They looked so striking. These guys were not hippies. This was something completely new."

The band swiftly became regulars at the club, playing there seventy-four times by the end of the year. After garnering considerable attention for their performances—which averaged about seventeen minutes from beginning to end—the group was signed to a recording contract in late 1975 by Seymour Stein of Sire Records. Stein's wife, Linda Stein, had seen the band play at CBGB's; she would later co-manage them along with Danny Fields. By this time, the Ramones were recognized as leaders of the new scene that was increasingly being referred to as "punk". The group's unusual frontman had a lot to do with their impact. As Dee Dee explained, "All the other singers [in New York] were copying David Johansen [of The New York Dolls], who was copying Mick Jagger.... But Joey was unique, totally unique."

Spearheading punk: 1976–1977

The Ramones recorded their debut album, ''Ramones'', in February 1976. Of the fourteen songs on the album, the longest, "I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement", barely surpassed two-and-a-half minutes. While the songwriting credits were shared by the entire band, Dee Dee was the primary writer. ''Ramones'' was produced by Sire's Craig Leon, with Tommy as associate producer, on an extremely low budget of about $6,400 and released in April. The now iconic front cover photograph of the band was taken by Roberta Bayley, a photographer for ''Punk'' magazine.

''Ramones'' was not a commercial success, reaching only number 111 on the ''Billboard'' album chart. The two singles released from the album, "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", failed to chart at all. At the band's first major performance outside of New York, a June date in Youngstown, Ohio, approximately ten people showed up. It wasn't until they made a brief tour of England that they began to see the fruits of their labor; a performance at The Roundhouse in London on July 4, 1976 (second-billed to the Flamin' Groovies), organized by Linda Stein, was a resounding success. Their Roundhouse appearance and a club date the following night—where the band met members of the Sex Pistols and The Clash—helped galvanize the burgeoning UK punk rock scene. The Flamin' Groovies/Ramones double bill was successfully reprised at The Roxy in Los Angeles the following month, fueling the punk scene there as well. The Ramones were becoming an increasingly popular live act—a Toronto performance in September energized yet another growing punk scene.

Their next two albums, ''Leave Home'' and ''Rocket to Russia'', were released in 1977. Both were coproduced by Tommy and Tony Bongiovi, the second cousin of Jon Bon Jovi. ''Leave Home'' met with even less chart success than ''Ramones'', though it did include "Pinhead", which became one of the band's signature songs with its chanted refrain of "Gabba gabba hey!" ''Rocket to Russia'' was the band's highest-charting album to date, reaching number 49 on the ''Billboard'' 200. In ''Rolling Stone'', critic Dave Marsh called it "the best American rock & roll of the year". The album also featured the first Ramones single to enter the ''Billboard'' charts (albeit only as high as number 81): "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker". The follow-up single, "Rockaway Beach", reached number 66—the highest any Ramones single would ever reach in America. On December 31, 1977, the Ramones recorded ''It's Alive'', a live concert double album, at the Rainbow Theatre, London, which was released in April 1979 (the title is a reference to the 1974 horror film ''It's Alive'').

Recordings turn more pop: 1978–1983

Tommy, tired of touring, left the band in early 1978. He continued as the Ramones' record producer under his birth name of Erdelyi. His position as drummer was filled by Marc Bell, who had been a member of the early 1970s hard rock band Dust, Wayne County and the Backstreet Boys, and the pioneering punk group Richard Hell & The Voidoids. Bell became Marky Ramone. Later that year, the band released their fourth studio album, and first with Marky, ''Road to Ruin''. The album, co-produced by Tommy with Ed Stasium, included some new sounds such as acoustic guitar, several ballads, and the band's first two recorded songs longer than three minutes. It failed to reach the ''Billboard'' Top 100. However, "I Wanna Be Sedated", which appeared both on the album and as a single, would become one of the band's best-known songs. The artwork on the album's cover was done by ''Punk'' magazine co-founder John Holmstrom.

After the band's movie debut in Roger Corman's ''Rock 'n' Roll High School'' (1979), renowned producer Phil Spector became interested in the Ramones and produced their 1980 album ''End of the Century''. During the recording sessions in Los Angeles, Spector held Dee Dee at gunpoint, forcing him to repeatedly play a riff. Though it was to be the highest-charting album in the band's history—reaching number 44 in the United States and number 14 in Great Britain—Johnny made clear that he favored the band's more aggressive punk material: "''End of the Century'' was just watered-down Ramones. It's not the real Ramones." This stance was also conveyed by the title and track selection of the compilation album Johnny later oversaw, ''Loud, Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits''. Despite these reservations, Johnny did concede that some of Spector's work with the band had merit, saying "It really worked when he got to a slower song like 'Danny Says'—the production really worked tremendously. 'Rock 'N' Roll Radio' is really good. For the harder stuff, it didn't work as well." The syrupy, string-laden Ronettes cover "Baby, I Love You" released as a single, became the band's biggest hit in Great Britain, reaching number 8 on the charts.

''Pleasant Dreams'', the band's sixth album, was released in 1981. It continued the trend established by ''End of the Century'', diluting the rawer punk sound showcased on the band's initial three albums. Slick production was again featured, this time provided by Graham Gouldman of UK pop act 10cc. Johnny would contend in retrospect that this direction was a record company decision, a continued futile attempt to get airplay on American radio. While ''Pleasant Dreams'' reached number 58 on the U.S. chart, its two singles failed to register at all.

''Subterranean Jungle'', produced by Ritchie Cordell and Glen Kolotkin, was released in 1983. Billy Rogers, who had performed with Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers, played drums on the album's second single, a cover of The Chambers Brothers' "Time Has Come Today". ''Subterranean Jungle'' peaked at number 83 in the United States—it would be the last album by the band to crack the ''Billboard'' Top 100.

Shuffling members: 1983–1989

After the release of ''Subterranean Jungle'', Marky was fired from the band due to his alcoholism. He was replaced by Richard Reinhardt, who adopted the name Richie Ramone. The first album the Ramones recorded with Richie was ''Too Tough to Die'' in 1984, with Tommy Erdelyi and Ed Stasium returning as producers. The album marked a shift to something like the band's original sound. In the description of Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine, the "rhythms are back up to jackhammer speed and the songs are down to short, terse statements." In contrast, Salon.com arts editor Bill Wyman writes of "Joey's pained, pleading voice". |format=Ogg}} The band's main release of 1985 was the British single "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg"; though it was available in the United States only as an import, it was played widely on American college radio. The song was written by Joey in protest of Ronald Reagan's visit to a German military cemetery where SS members were buried. Retitled "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)", the song appeared on the band's ninth studio album, ''Animal Boy'' (1986). Produced by Jean Beauvoir, formerly a member of the Plasmatics, the album was characterized by a ''Rolling Stone'' reviewer as "nonstop primal fuzz pop". Making it his pick for "album of the week", ''New York Times'' critic Jon Pareles wrote that the Ramones "speak up for outcasts and disturbed individuals".

The following year the band recorded their last album with Richie, ''Halfway to Sanity'', produced by Daniel Rey. Richie left in August 1987, upset that after being in the band for four years, the other members would still not give him a share of the money they made selling T-shirts. Richie was replaced by Clem Burke from Blondie, which was disbanded at the time. According to Johnny, the performances with Burke—who adopted the name Elvis Ramone—were a disaster. He was fired after two performances because his drumming could not keep up with the rest of the band. Marky, now clean and sober, returned.

Dee Dee left the band after the recording of their tenth studio album, 1989's ''Brain Drain'', co-produced by Beauvoir, Rey, and Bill Laswell. He was replaced by Christopher Joseph Ward (C.J. Ramone), who performed with the band until they disbanded. Dee Dee initially pursued a brief career as a rapper under the name Dee Dee King. He quickly returned to punk rock and formed several bands, in much the same vein as the Ramones, for whom he also continued to write songs.

Final years: 1990–1996

After more than a decade and a half at Sire Records, the Ramones moved to a new label, Radioactive Records. Their first album for the label was 1992's ''Mondo Bizarro'', which reunited them with producer Ed Stasium. ''Acid Eaters'', consisting entirely of cover songs, came out the following year. In 1993 the Ramones were featured in the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', providing music and voices for animated versions of themselves in the episode "Rosebud".

In 1995, the Ramones released ''¡Adios Amigos!'', their fourteenth studio album, and announced that they planned to disband if it was not successful. Its sales were unremarkable, garnering it just two weeks on the lower end of the ''Billboard'' chart. The band spent late 1995 on what was promoted as a farewell tour. However, they accepted an offer to appear in the sixth Lollapalooza festival, which toured around the United States during the following summer. After the Lollapalooza tour's conclusion, the Ramones played their final show on August 6, 1996, at the Palace in Hollywood. A recording of the concert was later released on video and CD as ''We're Outta Here!'' In addition to a reappearance by Dee Dee, the show featured several guests including Motörhead's Lemmy, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, and Rancid's Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen.

Aftermath and deaths

On July 20, 1999, Dee Dee, Johnny, Joey, Tommy, Marky, and C.J. appeared together at the Virgin Megastore in New York City for an autograph signing. This was the last occasion on which the original four members of the group appeared together. Joey, who had been diagnosed with lymphoma in 1995, died of the illness on April 15, 2001, in New York.

In 2002, the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which specifically named Dee Dee, Johnny, Joey, Tommy, and Marky. At the ceremony, the surviving inductees spoke on behalf of the band. Tommy spoke first, saying how honored the band felt, but how much it would have meant for Joey. Johnny thanked the band's fans and blessed George W. Bush and his presidency, Dee Dee humorously congratulated and thanked himself, while Marky thanked Tommy for influencing his drum style. Green Day played "Teenage Lobotomy" and "Blitzkrieg Bop" as a tribute, demonstrating the Ramones' continuing influence on later rock musicians. The ceremony was one of Dee Dee's last public appearances; on June 5, 2002, two months later, he was found at his Hollywood home, dead from a heroin overdose.

On November 30, 2003, New York City unveiled a sign designating East 2nd Street at the corner of Bowery as Joey Ramone Place. The singer lived on East 2nd for a time, and the sign is near the former Bowery site of CBGB. ''End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones'', a Ramones documentary, came out in 2004. Johnny, who had been privately battling prostate cancer, died on September 15, 2004, in Los Angeles, shortly after the film's release. On the same day as Johnny's death, the world's first Ramones Museum opened its doors to the public. Located in Berlin, Germany, the museum features more than 300 items of memorabilia, including a pair of stage-worn jeans from Johnny, a stage-worn glove from Joey, Marky's sneakers, and C.J.'s stage-worn bass strap.

The Ramones were inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007. That October saw the release of a DVD set containing concert footage of the band: ''It's Alive 1974-1996'' includes 118 songs from 33 performances over the span of the group's career. In February 2011 the group was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Drummers Tommy, Marky, and Richie Ramone attended the ceremony. Joey Ramone's award was accepted by his brother Mickey Leigh, who thanked his brother Joey Ramone for giving a voice to a whole genre of music and "To sharing his voice with us, and his character, and his style, and his charm, his sentiment, his sensitivity, his craziness and for urging us to experience every human emotion through music and most of all to have some fun in this life." During Richie Ramone's speech, Richie noted that it was the first time in history that all three drummers were under the same roof, and mused that he couldn't "...help thinking that [Joey Ramone] is watching us right now with a little smile on his face behind his rose-colored glasses." Marky remarked "This is amazing. I never expected this. I'm sure Johnny, Joey and Dee Dee would never have expected this. I'm extremely honoured."

Conflicts between members

Tensions between Joey and Johnny colored much of the Ramones' career. The pair were politically antagonistic, Joey being a liberal and Johnny a conservative. Their personalities also clashed: Johnny was a military brat who lived by a code of self-discipline, while Joey struggled with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Johnny, who was fascinated by the Nazis and Adolf Hitler, would sometimes torment Joey (who was Jewish) with anti-Semitic remarks. In the early 1980s, Johnny "stole" Joey's girlfriend Linda, whom he later married. As a consequence, despite performing together for years afterward, Joey and Johnny stopped speaking to each other. Johnny did not call Joey before the latter's death in 2001, but said in the documentary ''End of the Century'' that he was depressed for "the whole week" after the singer died.

Aside from this central conflict, Dee Dee's bipolar disorder and repeated relapses into drug addiction also caused significant strains. Tommy left the band partly in reaction to being "physically threatened by Johnny, treated with contempt by Dee Dee, and all but ignored by Joey". As new members joined, payment methods and image representation became matters of serious dispute. In 1997, Marky and Joey got into a fight about their respective drinking habits on the Howard Stern radio show.

Style

Musical style

The Ramones' loud, fast, straightforward musical style was influenced by pop music that the band members grew up listening to in the 1950s and 1960s, including classic rock groups such as The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Kinks, and The Rolling Stones; bubblegum acts like the 1910 Fruitgum Company and Ohio Express; and girl groups such as The Ronettes and The Shangri-Las. They also drew on the harder rock sound of The Stooges and the New York Dolls, both now known as seminal protopunk bands. The Ramones' style was in part a reaction against the heavily produced, often bombastic music that dominated the pop charts in the 1970s. "We decided to start our own group because we were bored with everything we heard," Joey once explained. "In 1974 everything was tenth-generation Led Zeppelin, tenth-generation Elton John, or overproduced, or just junk. Everything was long jams, long guitar solos.... We missed music like it used to be." Ira Robbins and Scott Isler of ''Trouser Press'' describe the result:

With just four chords and one manic tempo, New York's Ramones blasted open the clogged arteries of mid-'70s rock, reanimating the music. Their genius was to recapture the short/simple aesthetic from which pop had strayed, adding a caustic sense of trash-culture humor and minimalist rhythm guitar sound.

As leaders in the punk rock scene, the Ramones' music has usually been identified with that label, while some have defined their characteristic style more specifically as pop punk and others as power pop. In the 1980s, the band sometimes veered into hardcore punk territory, as can be heard on ''Too Tough to Die''.

On stage, the band adopted a focused approach directly intended to increase the audience's concert experience. Johnny's instructions to C.J. when preparing for his first live performances with the group were to play facing the audience, to stand with the bass slung low between spread legs, and to walk forward to the front of stage at the same time as he did. Johnny was not a fan of guitarists who performed facing their drummer, amplifier, or other band members.

Visual imagery

The Ramones' art and visual imagery complemented the themes of their music and performance. The band members adopted a uniform look of long hair, leather jackets, t-shirts, torn jeans, and sneakers. This fashion emphasized minimalism, which was a powerful influence on the New York punk scene of the 1970s and reflected the band's short, simple songs. Tommy Ramone recalled that, both musically and visually, "we were influenced by comic books, movies, the Andy Warhol scene, and avant-garde films. I was a big ''Mad Magazine'' fan myself."

The band's logo was created by New York City artist Arturo Vega, a longtime friend who had allowed Joey and Dee Dee to move into his loft. Vega produced the band's t-shirts, their main source of income, basing most of the images on a black-and-white self-portrait photograph he had taken of his American bald eagle belt buckle which had appeared on the back sleeve of the Ramones' first album. He was inspired to create the band's logo after a trip to Washington, D.C.:

I saw them as the ultimate all-American band. To me, they reflected the American character in general—an almost childish innocent aggression.... I thought, 'The Great Seal of the President of the United States' would be perfect for the Ramones, with the eagle holding arrows—to symbolize strength and the aggression that would be used against whomever dares to attack us—and an olive branch, offered to those who want to be friendly. But we decided to change it a little bit. Instead of the olive branch, we had an apple tree branch, since the Ramones were American as apple pie. And since Johnny was such a baseball fanatic, we had the eagle hold a baseball bat instead of the [Great Seal]'s arrows.

The scroll in the eagle's beak originally read "Look out below", but this was soon changed to "Hey ho let's go" after the opening lyrics of the band's first single, "Blitzkrieg Bop". The arrowheads on the shield came from a design on a polyester shirt Vega had bought. The name "Ramones" was spelled out in block capitals above the logo using plastic stick-on letters.

Influence

The Ramones had a broad and lasting influence on the development of popular music. Music historian Jon Savage writes of their debut album that "it remains one of the few records that changed pop forever." As described by Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine, "The band's first four albums set the blueprint for punk, especially American punk and hardcore, for the next two decades." ''Trouser Press'''s Robbins and Isler similarly write that the Ramones "not only spearheaded the original new wave/punk movement, but also drew the blueprint for subsequent hardcore punk bands". Punk journalist Phil Strongman writes, "In purely ''musical'' terms, The Ramones, in attempting to re-create the excitement of pre-Dolby rock, were to cast a huge shadow—they had fused a blueprint for much of the indie future." Writing for Slate in 2001, Douglas Wolk described the Ramones as "easily the most influential group of the last 30 years."

The Ramones' debut album had an outsized effect relative to its modest sales. According to Tony James, a member of several seminal British punk bands, "Everybody went up three gears the day they got that first Ramones album. Punk rock—that rama-lama super fast stuff—is totally down to the Ramones. Bands were just playing in an MC5 groove until then." The central fanzine of the early UK punk scene, ''Sniffin' Glue'', was named after the song "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue", which appeared on the debut LP. The Ramones' first British concert, at London's Roundhouse concert hall, was held on July 4, 1976, the United States Bicentennial. The Sex Pistols were playing in Sheffield that evening, supported by The Clash, making their public debut. The next night, members of both bands attended the Ramones' gig at the Dingwall's club. Ramones manager Danny Fields recalls a conversation between Johnny Ramone and Clash bassist Paul Simonon (which he mislocates at the Roundhouse): "Johnny asked him, 'What do you do? Are you in a band?' Paul said, 'Well, we just rehearse. We call ourselves the Clash but we're not good enough.' Johnny said, 'Wait till you see us—we stink, we're lousy, we can't play. Just get out there and do it.'" Another band whose members saw the Ramones perform, The Damned, played their first show two days later. The Ramones' two July 1976 shows, like their debut album, are seen as having a significant impact on the style of many of the newly formed British punk acts—as one observer put it, "instantly nearly every band speeded up".

Ramones concerts and recordings influenced many musicians central to the development of California punk as well, including Greg Ginn of Black Flag, Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys, Mike Ness of Social Distortion, Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, and members of the Descendents. Canada's first major punk scenes—in Toronto and in British Columbia's Victoria and Vancouver—were also heavily influenced by the Ramones. In the late 1970s, many bands emerged with musical styles deeply indebted to the band's. There were The Lurkers from England, The Undertones from Ireland, Teenage Head from Canada, and The Zeros and The Dickies from southern California. The seminal hardcore band Bad Brains took its name from a Ramones song. Later punk bands such as Screeching Weasel, The Vindictives, The Queers, The Mr. T Experience, Boris the Sprinkler, Beatnik Termites, and Jon Cougar Concentration Camp have recorded cover versions of entire Ramones albums—''Ramones'', ''Leave Home'', ''Rocket to Russia'', ''Road to Ruin'', ''End of the Century'', ''Pleasant Dreams'', and ''Too Tough to Die'', respectively. The Huntingtons' ''File Under Ramones'' consists of Ramones covers from across the band's history. The Riverdales, made up of former members of Screeching Weasel, have emulated the sound of the Ramones throughout their career.

The Ramones also influenced musicians associated with other genres, such as heavy metal. Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has described the importance of Johnny's rapid-fire guitar playing style to his own musical development. Motörhead lead singer Lemmy, a friend of the Ramones since the late 1970s, mixed the band's "Go Home Ann" in 1985. The members of Motörhead later composed the song "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." as a tribute, and Lemmy performed at the final Ramones concert in 1996. In the realm of alternative rock, the song "53rd and 3rd" lent its name to a British indie pop label cofounded by Stephen Pastel of the Scottish band The Pastels. Evan Dando of The Lemonheads, Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam (who also inducted the band to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) and The Strokes are among the many alternative rock musicians who have credited the Ramones with inspiring them.

The first Ramones tribute album featuring multiple artists was released in 1991: ''Gabba Gabba Hey: A Tribute to the Ramones'' includes tracks by such acts as The Flesh Eaters, L7, Mojo Nixon, and Bad Religion. In 2001, ''Ramones Maniacs'', a multi-artist cover of the entire ''Ramones Mania'' compilation album, included a guest appearance by Dee Dee Ramone. ''We're a Happy Family: A Tribute to Ramones'' (2003) is the best known Ramones tribute album, with artists such as Green Day, Kiss, The Offspring, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Metallica, and Rob Zombie (who also did the album cover artwork). Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong named his son Joey in homage to Joey Ramone, and drummer Tré Cool named his daughter Ramona.

Members

Dee Dee Ramone (Douglas Colvin) – bass guitar, vocals (1974–1989) Johnny Ramone (John Cummings) – guitar (1974–1996) Joey Ramone (Jeffry Hyman) – drums (1974), lead vocals (1974–1996) Tommy Ramone (Thomas Erdelyi) – drums (1974–1978) Marky Ramone (Marc Bell) – drums (1978–1983, 1987–1996) Richie Ramone (Richard Reinhardt) – drums, vocals (1983–1987) Elvis Ramone (Clem Burke) – drums (1987) C. J. Ramone (Christopher Joseph Ward) – bass guitar, vocals (1989–1996)

Discography

;Studio albums

''Ramones'' (1976)

''Leave Home'' (1977)

''Rocket to Russia'' (1977)

''Road to Ruin'' (1978)

''End of the Century'' (1980)

''Pleasant Dreams'' (1981)

''Subterranean Jungle'' (1983)

''Too Tough to Die'' (1984)

''Animal Boy'' (1986)

''Halfway to Sanity'' (1987)

''Brain Drain'' (1989)

''Mondo Bizarro'' (1992)

''Acid Eaters'' (1993)

''¡Adios Amigos!'' (1995)

See also

List of Ramones concerts

Gabba Gabba Hey

References

Sources

Bayles, Martha (1996). ''Hole in Our Soul: The Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American Popular Music'', University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226039595

Beeber, Steven Lee (2006). ''The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB's: A Secret History of Jewish Punk'', Chicago Review Press. ISBN 155652613X

Bessman, Jim (1993). ''Ramones: An American Band'', St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312093691

Colegrave, Stephen, and Chris Sullivan (2005). ''Punk: The Definitive Record of a Revolution'', Thunder's Mouth Press. ISBN 1560257695

Edelstein, Andrew J., and Kevin McDonough (1990). ''The Seventies: From Hot Pants to Hot Tubs'', Dutton. ISBN 0525485724

Isler, Scott, and Ira A. Robbins (1991). "Ramones", in ''Trouser Press Record Guide'' (4th ed.), ed. Ira A. Robbins, pp. 532–534, Collier. ISBN 0020363613

Keithley, Joe (2004). ''I, Shithead: A Life in Punk'', Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 1551521482

Leigh, Mickey, and Legs McNeil (2009). ''I Slept With Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir'', Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0743252160

McNeil, Legs, and Gillian McCain (1996). ''Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk'' (2d ed.), Penguin. ISBN 0140266909

Melnick, Monte A., and Frank Meyer (2003). ''On The Road with the Ramones'', Sanctuary. ISBN 1860745148

Miles, Barry, Grant Scott, and Johnny Morgan (2005). ''The Greatest Album Covers of All Time'', Collins & Brown. ISBN 1843403013

Ramone, Dee Dee, and Veronica Kofman (2000). ''Lobotomy: Surviving the Ramones'', Thunder's Mouth Press. ISBN 1560252529

Roach, Martin (2003). ''The Strokes: The First Biography of the Strokes'', Omnibus Press. ISBN 0711996016

Robb, John (2006). ''Punk Rock: An Oral History'', Elbury Press. ISBN 0091905117

Sandford, Christopher (2006). ''McCartney'', Century. ISBN 1844136027

Savage, Jon (1992). ''England's Dreaming: Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock, and Beyond'', St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312087748

Schinder, Scott, with Andy Schwartz (2007). ''Icons of Rock: An Encyclopedia of the Legends Who Changed Music Forever'', Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313338477

Spicer, Al (2003). "The Lurkers", in ''The Rough Guide to Rock'' (3d ed.), ed. Peter Buckley, p. 349, Rough Guides. ISBN 1843531054

Spitz, Mark, and Brendan Mullen (2001). ''We Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of L.A. Punk'', Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0609807749

Stim, Richard (2006). ''Music Law: How to Run Your Band's Business'', Nolo. ISBN 1413305172

Strongman, Phil (2008). ''Pretty Vacant: A History of UK Punk'', Chicago Review Press. ISBN 1556527527

Notes

External links

Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:Ramones Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:People from Queens Category:Musical groups from New York City Category:American punk rock groups Category:Sire Records artists Category:MCA Records artists Category:Musical groups established in 1974 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1996 Category:Musical quartets

af:Ramones an:The Ramones bar:Ramones br:Ramones bg:Рамоунс ca:The Ramones cs:Ramones cy:Ramones da:Ramones de:Ramones et:Ramones el:Ramones es:Ramones eo:The Ramones eu:The Ramones fa:رامونز fr:Ramones ga:Ramones gl:Ramones ko:레이먼즈 hr:Ramones io:The Ramones id:Ramones it:Ramones he:הראמונס la:Ramones lv:Ramones lt:The Ramones lmo:Ramones hu:Ramones mk:The Ramones nl:Ramones ja:ラモーンズ no:The Ramones nn:The Ramones oc:The Ramones uz:Ramones pl:Ramones pt:Ramones crh:The Ramones ru:Ramones sq:Ramones simple:Ramones sk:The Ramones sl:The Ramones sr:Ramones sh:Ramones fi:Ramones sv:Ramones th:เดอะ ราโมนส์ tr:Ramones uk:Ramones vls:The Ramones zh:雷蒙斯合唱團

Coordinates	44°25′57″N26°6′14″N
name	Jenifer
background	solo_singer
birth name	Jenifer Bartoli
birth date	November 15, 1982
origin	Nice, France
genre	French Pop, Pop, pop rock, Adult Contemporary
years active	2001–present
label	Mercury RecordsUniversal Music Group
website	Jenifer.com.fr
notable instruments	}}

Jenifer Yaël Dadouche-Bartoli (born on 15 November 1982 in Nice), better known as simply Jenifer, is a pop singer who has, since 2002, had a number of hit singles in the French, Belgium and Swiss charts. Revealed by its participation in the french television show Star Academy

Biography

Jenifer was raised with her younger brother Jonathan, by her mother and father, Michel Dadouche and Christine Bartoli. Her mother is part Corsican and part Spanish; her father is a Jewish-Algerian ''pied noir''. She comes from a modest background. She participated in the ''Graines de star'' television broadcast in 1997, but this was a failure.

Jenifer decided to go to Paris and attend the casting for the first series of ''Star Academy'' in France . She was selected, and eventually won. The hit single "J'attends L'amour" (''I'm waiting for love'') soon followed. After the tour with her band that followed her victory, she went on the road as a solo artist from October 2002 until January 2003, and eventually performed at the Paris Olympia, which she had dreamed of as a child.

Her debut self-titled album went on to sell over three quarters of a million copies. The album featured a song written by Marc Lavoine and a duet with fellow Star Academy student Mario. The second single "Au Soleil" became one of the "tubes de l'été" (Summer hits) of 2002 in France. The album was re-released later to include two new tracks: "Entre Humains" and "Des Mots Qui Résonnent". The latter became her third top ten single in France and Jenifer stated that it was more her style of music, being more pop/rock. Finally a fourth song, the ballad "Donne Moi Le Temps" was released. The re-released album sold over a million copies.

In 2004 Jenifer returned onto the scene with her second, more personal, melancholy album "Le Passage". Among others, this album contained songs written by Calogero, Kyo, Tina Arena and one song Jenifer co-wrote. This album contains the singles "Ma Révolution" (''My Revolution''), "Le Souvenir De Ce Jour" (''The Memory of This Day''), "C'est De L'Or" (''It's Golden'') and "Serre Moi" (''Hold me''). The album was supported by an extensive tour across France and was followed by the release of a live album "Jenifer Fait Son Live" and an accompanying DVD.

Jenifer previously lived with Maxim Nucci, the author-composer with whom she has had one child, named Aaron, who was born on 5 December 2003. The couple separated around the end of 2005 but have since reunited. She has stated that she also wants to produce music in English outside of France.

In the 2010 month of November Jenifer released her fourth studio album called "Appelle-moi Jen" (''Call Me Jen''), which raised at the 13th position of the albums charts in France. It's a pop/rock-electronical album which has a 80's French song look-a-like. The first single of this album is called "Je danse" (''I Dance'') and had been released in September 2010. This song was a hit in France and also in Belgium (raised at the 3rd position in the charts).

Awards

NRJ Radio's NRJ Music Awards :

* ''Best French newcomer'' (2003)

* ''Best French album'' (2005)

* ''Best French female artist'' (2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011)

MTV Europe Music Awards

* ''Best French artist'' (2004)

References

External links

Jenifer's official site

Biography of Jenifer, from Radio France Internationale

Fansite Another Fansite 1st Forum on Jenifer 2nd Forum on Jenifer Space devoted to Jenifer: Biography, anecdotes, and homages

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:French Jews Category:French people of Algerian descent Category:French people of Spanish descent Category:Jewish singers Category:French pop singers Category:French female singers Category:French-language singers Category:Star Academy winners Category:French people of Corsican descent Category:Star Academy (France) participants

da:Jenifer de:Jenifer Bartoli es:Jenifer eo:Jenifer fr:Jenifer it:Jenifer lt:Jenifer Bartoli ja:ジェニファー・バルトリ pl:Jenifer Bartoli

Coordinates	44°25′57″N26°6′14″N
name	10 Years
background	group_or_band
origin	Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
genre	Alternative metal, post-grunge
years active	1999–present
label	Universal Records
website	www.10yearsmusic.com
current members	Jesse HasekRyan "Tater" JohnsonLewis "Big Lew" CosbyBrian Vodinh
past members	Mike UnderdownAndy ParksMatt Wantland }}

10 Years is an American alternative metal band, formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1999.

History

Early Years, ''Into the Half Moon'' (1999–2001)

10 Years was initially formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1999 with singer Mike Underdown, drummer Brian Vodinh, bassist Lewis Cosby, and guitarists Ryan "Tater" Johnson (also of The American Plague) and Matt Wantland. In 2001, Cosby left and the band recruited Andy Parks on bass. They independently recorded ''Into the Half Moon'' the same year.

''Killing All That Holds You'', ''The Autumn Effect'' (2002–2006)

Lead vocalist Mike Underdown left the band to pursue a career in acting. 10 Years soon recruited current vocalist Jesse Hasek from another local band. In 2002, Parks decided to leave the band and Cosby returned. The band then released their independent album ''Killing All That Holds You'' in 2004.

10 Years was then signed to Universal Records in 2005 and released their major label debut, ''The Autumn Effect'' on August 16, 2005 with the songs "Wasteland" and "Through the Iris" picking up regional radio play. Their first single, "Wasteland" spent over 12 months on the rock charts, finally reaching #1 at active rock radio in December 2005.

That same summer, the band toured with Disturbed and Ill Niño. In the fall of 2005, they toured with Breaking Benjamin and Smile Empty Soul, then followed up with the Masters of Horror tour with Mudvayne and Sevendust. They opened for Korn and Mudvayne on Korn's ''See You on the Other Side'' tour. They also toured with Korn and Deftones on the Family Values Tour, which started in late July 2006.

In mid February 2006, "Wasteland" reached #1 on the ''Billboard'' Alternative Songs chart. "Wasteland" has been certified Gold by the RIAA.

In mid-2006, the band toured Australia in a lineup which included Hatebreed, Disturbed and Korn.

Their first music video, "Wasteland", addresses the social problem of human rights as well as addiction around the world. The video received a nomination for Best Direction and Best Art Direction at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, but did not win either.

On March 27, 2006, an EP was released on iTunes containing acoustic versions of "Wasteland" and other tracks from ''The Autumn Effect''.

''Division'' (2006–2008)

On November 19, 2006, 10 Years unveiled and confirmed the title "Division" for their second album. The band would begin recording Division in late June 2007 after spending the better part of a year writing.

Lewis told in an interview that the album is "so different from the first one [The Autumn Effect], but it's still 10 Years," and, "It just sounds like [the songs] would be from a totally different album, which was, you know, the goal." It was also revealed that the track titled "Focus" was co-written with Stone Temple Pilots and former Army of Anyone guitarist Dean DeLeo.

On May 21, 2007 a demo song titled "All Your Lies" from Division was released onto their MySpace along with a post stating the band had chosen producer Rick Parasher to produce the new album. On September 7, the band announced on their MySpace that the album was finished and would be released in 2008, following a tour with Dir En Grey, Sevendust, Operator, Thousand Foot Krutch and Chevelle.

On January 29, 2008, "Beautiful," the new single from Division, was released to iTunes and a snippet was also posted on the band's MySpace page. ''Division'' was released on May 13, 2008 after being pushed back due to finalization of the album's artwork.

10 Years was featured on the Revolution Stage of Linkin Park's Summer Projekt Revolution 2008 tour with Atreyu, Hawthorne Heights and Armor For Sleep.

They went on tour with Mudvayne until mid December 2008.

''Feeding the Wolves'' (2009–present)

10 Years announced that their upcoming third major label album would be entitled ''Feeding the Wolves''. The album was produced by Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson and mixed by Chris "Lord" Alge. The band has mentioned the album is of their heaviest material to date and "very similar to some of their early songs."

Throughout the first half of 2010, the band went back and forth between putting on live shows and working in the studio. Before the album was released, the band debuted new songs at live performances such as "Dead in the Water", "Now is the Time", and the new album's first single "Shoot It Out".

On June 12, 2010, "Shoot It Out" was featured on Sirius/XM Radio. The track was released to radio later that month, and was made available for download on iTunes July 6. ''Feeding the Wolves'' was released on August 31, 2010.

To promote the album's release, the band opened Shinedown's 2010 Carnival of Madness summer tour alongside Chevelle, Puddle of Mudd, and Sevendust. In the fall they joined Sevendust again on the Hard Drive Live tour with support from Since October and Anew Revolution.

In December, the band went on a mini-headline tour, where they played some older songs that they had not played in some time. February 2011, their new single "Fix Me" releases to radio while they headline a spring tour with Hollywood Undead.

On June 17 and 18 the band shot a music video for "Fix Me" in Columbus, Ohio with production company Thunder Down Country. The video was released via YouTube on August 9, 2011.

Band members

Current

Jesse Hasek – Vocals (2002–present)

Ryan "Tater" Johnson – Guitar, Backing Vocals (1999–present)

Lewis Cosby – Bass (1999–present)

Brian Vodinh – Guitar, Backing Vocals (2009–present); Drums (1999–2009)

Matt Brown – Drums (2010–present)

Live

Sam Anderson – Drums (2010)

Kyle Mayer – Drums (2010)

Former

Mike Underdown – Vocals (1999–2001)

Matt Wantland – Guitar (1999–2009)

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions
		!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"
2001	''Into the Half Moon''	* Released: 2001	Compact Disc>CD
2004	''Killing All That Holds You''	* Released: 2004	Universal Records>Universal	* Format: CD
2005	''The Autumn Effect''	* Released: August 16, 2005	* Label: Universal Republic	* Format: CD
2008		* Released: May 13, 2008	* Label: Universal Republic	* Format: CD
2010		* Released: August 31, 2010	* Label: Universal Republic	* Format: CD

Extended plays

2006: ''Acoustic EP''

Singles

Year	Title	Peak chart positions	Album
!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"
2005
	"Through the Iris"
"Waking Up"
2009	"Actions & Motives"
2010	"Shoot It Out"
2011	"Fix Me"

References

External links

Official Site

Category:American post-grunge musical groups Category:Musical groups from Knoxville, Tennessee Category:Musical groups established in 1999 Category:Rock music groups from Tennessee Category:Musical quartets

de:10 Years es:10 Years fr:10 Years (groupe) it:10 Years lt:10 Years pl:10 Years pt:10 Years ru:10 Years

Coordinates	44°25′57″N26°6′14″N
name	Véronique Sanson
background	solo_singer
birth name	Sanson
alias	Véro
born	April 24, 1949
origin	Boulogne-Billancourt, France
instrument	PianoGuitar
genre	ChansonFrench popPop Rock
occupation	French singer-songwriter producer musician
years active	1967 onwards
label	Warner Music Group
Associated acts	Michel Berger, Stephen Stills, Chris Stills, France Gall
website	veronique-sanson.net
notable instruments	piano }}

Véronique Sanson (full name, Véronique Marie Line Sanson, born 24 April 1949, in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, France) is a two-time Victoires de la Musique Award-winning French singer-songwriter, musician, and producer with an avid following in her native country.

She brings a very personal vocal style to the singing of French pop songs: Her voice has a very strong vibrato. Today, Véronique Sanson is still considered to be one of the most talented French songwriters, and each of her appearance in the media is a popular event.

Unlike most previous French artists of the Sixties and early Seventies, who mostly released EPs usually consisting of a collection of singles, B-sides and covers, Sanson was one of the first female artists to release actual albums with a full-length artistic statement and comprising songs flowing together thematically. In 1972, her breakthrough album (''Amoureuse'') was reviewed by many critics as a revolution, and ten years after Barbara, Véronique Sanson became one of the very first French female singer-songwriters to break into stardom.

Over the course of a four-decade career, and despite her tumultuous love life and difficulties in overcoming alcoholism, she has never failed in her artistic career, establishing herself as one of the most prominent artists in France, with an impressive series of hits, sold-out concerts and platinum albums.

Sanson was romantically involved with French singer-songwriter Michel Berger from 1967 to 1972. Their love story has become a part of French pop culture, especially through songs they wrote to each other long after they broke up. From 1973 to 1979 she was married to American rock musician Stephen Stills. Their son, Chris Stills, is also a musician. " One of her songs, ''Amoureuse'', was covered in English in 1973 by singer Kiki Dee, and became a major hit in the United Kingdom, and has been covered since by various other singers, from Polly Brown (1973) to Olivia Newton John (1974) and a dance-music version by Illusive, featuring Amanda Abbs (1997). In 1974, Patti Dahlstrom recorded a second version with her own lyrics, entitled "Emotion", and this new version was covered by Helen Reddy (1974) and Shirley Bassey (1975). Many other covers of "Amoureuse" have been recorded in French, German, Japanese...

Véronique Sanson plays piano and guitar. According to the SACEM, Sanson has sold over 5,8 million albums in her native country alone.

Childhood and family

Véronique Sanson grew up in the memory of World War II. Both her parents, René and Colette Sanson were members of the French Resistance during the German occupation of France. Before the war, René Sanson was a French diplomat in The Hague. When the Nazis invaded the Netherlands, he sent a coded message to warn the French government that Germany was planning to attack France from across the Belgian border. This very message was decoded by Colette, a communication worker at the French Ministry of War. It was not until a few months later that they met in person, in a resistance cell. Both became prominent within the French Resistance. In 1944, after the bombing of a German train , Colette was arrested and sentenced to death by the occupation force, but she heroically managed to escape. After the liberation of Paris, René Sanson was appointed Minister of Labour in Charles de Gaulle's provisional government. The couple married in 1945. As a lawyer and an economist, René Sanson remained involved in politics as Member of Parliament and Mayor of the 13th district of Paris until 1967.

Véronique grew up in a very posh and privileged Parisian home. Her parents considered music the finest art there was, and emphasized the musical apprenticeship of their daughters. Her mother introduced her to the guitar, while her father, who was a great fan of jazz, taught her the piano at the age of four. Early on, she displayed great ability and could play complex classical pieces by Mozart, Bach or Gershwin. At the age of 13, she already composed her own songs, influenced by The Beatles, Ray Charles and by Dionne Warwick's peculiar vibrato. In 1965, she was struck by amnesia after a severe bout of meningitis. This experience became a leitmotiv in Sanson's work, as she often expressed a deep nostalgia towards her "forgotten childhood"

Discovery and early recordings: the late 1960s

In 1967, her career began in a trio, the Roche-Martin, with François Bernheim and her sister Violaine Sanson. (Bernheim is currently a songwriter for many notable recording artists including Patricia Kaas, while Violaine Sanson has pursued a career in advertising). What started as a fun adventure ended up as a commercial disaster. Despite their enthusiasm, the three teenagers only managed to sell a few hundreds records, "mostly to their friends, family and pets". However, this experience allowed her to meet with Michel Berger (who was actually a childhood acquaintance), with whom she began a romantic relationship as well as a prolific artistic career. He introduced her to his record company (Pathé Marconi), and encouraged her to pursue a solo career. Sanson later mentioned that period as her most productive. In an interview, she recalls that she forced herself to write a song per day to keep up with Michel Berger. Similarities in their musical styles definitely played a tremendous part in their love story. In 1969, she released her first solo single, comprising "Le Feu Du Ciel" and "Le Printemps est là", which met with very little success despite some radio-play on a few Parisian radio stations.

The Breakthrough: the early 1970s

After the commercial failure of her first single, her contract with Pathé Marconi was severed. However, she remained convinced that music was her calling. She kept on working with Michel Berger, who asked her to write songs for Isabelle de Funès, niece of French legendary actor, Louis de Funès. She wrote "Mon voisin", "Une odeur de neige" and "Jusqu'à la tombée du jour" that would later be featured in her 1992 album "Sans Regrets". In 1971, she wrote "La brume de Philadelphie" for Petula Clark. The song was issued as the B-side of her French single "La Chanson de Marie Madeleine".

At that stage of her life, Sanson's voice had reached maturity, and she suddenly discovered her ability to produce the vibrato that would rapidly become her trademark. She and Michel Berger had become an inseparable team, and were offered a joint recording contract by Bernard de Bosson, the emblematic CEO of WEA, the label to which they would remain faithful for the rest of their careers.

In 1972, Sanson finally released the album "Amoureuse", produced by Michel Berger. The album received a warm welcome from critics, and with the singles "Besoin de personne", "Amoureuse", and "Bahia", it reached the summit of the charts thanks to intensive radio play (2x Gold in only 5 months). Nowadays, songs from this album remain very popular in radio stations' playlists . However, the success of the album had an ironic downside for Véronique, who was terrified of performing in front of an audience and therefore refused to schedule concerts. However, Michel Berger and Bernard de Bosson believed she could overcome her debilitating fear, and forced her to perform a daily showcase at the Eiffel Tower's restaurant. Every night she had to perform four songs in front of "a horde of Japanese tourists who couldn't care less about her songs". Nevertheless, she later mentioned it as a necessary experience that helped her conquer her stage-fright, and the same year she appeared as the opening act for some of the biggest stars of the time such as Claude Francois, Julien Clerc, and Michel Polnareff.

"Amoureuse" was closely followed by ''De l'autre côté de mon rêve'', which also became a huge success thanks to the singles "Comme je l'imagine", and "Chanson sur ma drôle de vie". In the meantime, she had attended a concert by Stephen Stills (Crosby, Stills & Nash) with his new band Manassas in Paris, and met the lead singer, Stephen Stills. The pair fell in love, and Véronique Sanson left Michel Berger, just as ''De l'autre côté de mon rêve'' was released. (She supposedly went out to buy cigarettes, but never came back...). In Canada the next year (1973), Sanson went on tour as the main act for the first time.

The American Period: 1973–1981

Despite her doubts, Véronique Sanson and Stephen Stills got married in 1973, in Guildford, England, with notable guests such as The Beatles and The Who. She permanently moved to the United States, but returned to France regularly to give concerts and perform on French television. In 1974, she gave birth to her only child, Chris Stills, in Boulder, Colorado. Sanson seemed very happy in the United States, where she really blossomed as a complete artist. Being close to Stephen Stills taught her a lot about producing and recording music. In interviews, she has often mentioned her preference for the American way of making music, in comparison to what she had experienced in France. In that sense, her marriage also marked a new direction to her career, which has led the French media to constantly associate her music with Anglo-Saxon influences (in her career she has recorded most of her albums in the US, and mostly with American musicians). In the TV documentary "La douceur du danger", Véronique Sanson remembers her first year of marriage as artistically frustrating. While she had been constantly pushed by Michel Berger to work, she did not receive that kind of support from Stephen Stills, who did not take a lot of interest in what she was doing. However, she finally took the leap, and decided to work on a new album.

Far from home, and without musicians, she enrolled Stephen Stills's band (Manassas), and decided to produce the album herself, using what she had learned with Michel Berger and Stephen Stills. In total contrast with her Beatles-inspired previous albums, the record emerged as a remarkable mixture of pop and rock'n'roll. Still considered by the critics as her best album to date, "Le Maudit" was released in 1974, and reflects a large spectrum of musical influences such as bossa nova in "Alia Souza", or pure Rock'n'roll in "On m'attend là bas". After a tour in Quebec the same year, she went touring in France, with two concerts at the Olympia (the ultimate goal for a French artist) with Stephen Stills on the bass guitar.

In 1976, she began a long-lasting professional collaboration with producer Bernard Saint-Paul (making 12 albums) who would become a close friend of hers. The album ''Vancouver'', recorded in London with British musicians, equals her previous achievements. The album went platinum and got a tremendous amount of radio play, especially the single "Vancouver", one of her biggest hits.

By 1976, Véronique Sanson had become an established star. Her music, very much inspired by "la crème de la crème" of American producers, constituted a rarity in the French musical landscape. Her carefully crafted melodies, her poetic lyrics, and the highly skilled musicians surrounding her, were the main reason of the Sanson phenomenon. The ''Vancouver'' tour was concluded by two weeks of concerts at the Olympia, where her first live album was recorded.

In 1977, "Bernard's Song" the opening song of her 6th album, "Hollywood", is presented as a tribute to Bernard Saint Paul (though she has since denied it). Recorded in Stevie Wonder's studios in Los Angeles, Hollywood found Sanson combining a disco-inspired sound to pop-driven melodies. Also, this album is often referred to as the most emblematic piece of Sanson's American period. The same year she went on tour across France with Michel Jonasz as her opening act. Although she lived in the United States most of the time, she managed to remain present in the French musical landscape, travelling back and forth between her home in Colorado and her audience in France.

In 1978, she became the first female artist to perform at "Le Palais des Sports" in Paris (the biggest arena in Paris at that time).

In 1979, she released "7ème", best known for the single "Ma révérence", a tragic ballad with memorable lyrics, that has become her most popular song. Although the main single was a hit, fans usually designate "7ème" as her weakest album. Indeed, it might be fair to say that, in contrast to the rest of her discography, this record is the only one that has not aged gracefully, despite containing some of her best songs ("Toute une vie sans te voir", "Celui qui n'essaie pas", "Mi-maître, mi-esclave"). Overall, the album is quite melancholic, which contrasts with the lightness of "Hollywood" two years earlier. In fact, Véronique Sanson was going through a hard time in her life. She had decided to leave Stephen Stills and was engaged in a tough juridical battle in American courts for the custody of her son. This album marked the beginning of a darker period for the singer, after a decade that easily qualified as the zenith of Sanson's career. Indeed, she had managed to craft six critically and commercially acclaimed albums in the course of eight years.

Period of Transition: The 1980's

The transition toward the 1980s was difficult and challenging. Still tied to America by her son (of whom she did not gain full custody until 1983), she continued to split her time between the USA and France. After the general disappointment of "7ème", fans and critics were enthusiastic when her new album came out in 1981 (" Laisse-la vivre"). Though the record contained no memorable hit singles, it emerged as a remarkable ensemble of well-crafted songs. The album went 2x gold, and she spent the following year on the road, managing to draw large audiences during a tour that ended with three weeks in a row at the Palais des Sports of Paris.

In 1983, she permanently settled in France with her son, Christopher, and her boyfriend, actor Etienne Chicot. After a long break, she released an eponymous album in 1985, recorded entirely in France. This untitled album was nicknamed "The white album" by the press, while Sanson often refers to it as "The lil' trees" or "Les p'tits arbres" (the cover features trees painted by Véro over a white background). Reviews were excellent, and die-hard fans were thrilled at the long-awaited reunion with the singer. This synth-driven album included "C'est long c'est court" which became a hit on French radio during the summer of 1985, as well as the ballad "Le temps est assassin". The tremendous success of the 1985–86 tour demonstrated that Véronique Sanson had managed to rally her faithful and patient following, and in November 1985 she began a month-long residence at the Olympia, performing daily shows.

In 1988, she released the album ''Moi le venin'', which included the highly controversial single Allah (produced by Michel Berger). A couple of months after the release of the video directed by Dominic Sena (Gone in 60 Seconds, Kalifornia, Swordfish...), the song was censored in the media, and Véronique Sanson was forced to drop it from her tour's set-list after receiving threats of violence from radical Muslims. As a result of several death threats, she was put under police protection. The controversy arose because of the Muslim tradition forbidding reference to Allah in a song, and occurred just a few weeks after a fatwā was issued against Salman Rushdie. In response to the uproar, Sanson apologized and pled that the song was really meant to be a message of peace and tolerance. French show-business massively stood up for her, and more than a hundred artists signed a pamphlet against "the diktat of all forms of radicalism"

In November 1989, Véronique Sanson took part in the first charity tour entitled Les Enfoirés for Les Restos du coeur, alongside French rock stars Johnny Hallyday, Eddy Mitchell and Jean-Jacques Goldman. Since then, every year an Enfoirés concert has been held on national television with major stars performing covers to encourage people to donate to the Restos du Cœur, a humanitarian institution providing food to the poor across France.

In 1989, a dream came true for her: to play with a symphonic orchestra. After rehearsals in Czechoslovakia with the Czech Symphonic orchestra "Fisyo", a series of six concerts started in December 1989. A resulting live album was released the subsequent year. She toured with the Symphonic orchestra for a dozen concerts through France in 1990.

The Glorious 1990s

In 1991, Véronique Sanson received the Grand Prix of "la SACEM" (the French Singer Songwriter guild) to celebrate her entire recording career. The same year, she released a duet with her friend Catherine Lara, entitled "Entre elle et moi".

For the first time since 1980, Véronique chose the United States to record her ninth studio album. As usual, she surrounded herself with the best in the business. ''Sans regrets'', issued in 1992, was a tremendous success propelled by the famous single ''Rien que de l'eau''. This song was the result of an unprecedented collaboration with another songwriter, Bernard Swell, a long-time friend. The album went platinum and its first single still remains one of her biggest hits, with over 500,000 copies sold in six months.

In 1993, she won a Victoires de la musique (French Grammy Awards) for best female singer of the year. In March, she performed at the Zenith de Paris. During these shows, she gave a legendary performance of "Seras-tu là", a song by Michel Berger, who had died in 1992. The album recorded at the Zenith went platinum and is considered by many to be her best live recording.

Between 1992 and 1995, thanks to the enormous success of her most recent album, Sanson went on tour in France, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada, among other places. During the summer of 1994, at the Francofolies Festival of La Rochelle, many artists gathered to pay an emotional tribute to her. For more than two hours, Michel Fugain, Alain Chamfort, Yves Duteil, William Sheller, Marc Lavoine, les Innocents and I Muvrini, performed some of her biggest hits in duet with a very emotional Véronique. This magical moment gave birth to a live album released the following year. "Comme ils l'imaginent" went 2x Platinum.

In 1995, she married stand-up comedian Pierre Palmade in Triel-sur-Seine, where she had lived since 1981. In the same year, she recorded a duet with her son Chris Stills, titled "Run". The song was released on a benefit album for children living with AIDS (Sol En Si). In 1996, she won her second Victoires de la musique for Best Female Artist of The Year.

Véronique Sanson started the production of a new album in 1997. A video for the first single, "Un etre idéal", was released at the end of the year, before the album itself was even finished. As usual, she recorded the album in the United States. Bernard Swell wrote and produced four of the album's songs. A sold out tour followed the release of the album. "Indestructible" is a controversial albums among fans. Some found it overproduced, while others loved its modernity. It is fair to say that it is the most pop-oriented of her albums since Hollywood in 1977. Although an undoubted commercial hit, "Indestructible" (2x gold) failed to score higher than "Sans regrets" (2x platinum).

During the summer of 1999, Véronique appeared at the Festival "Les Vieilles Charrues". In fact, the singer had in mind to record an album covering some of Michel Berger's songs, and her performance at "Les Vieilles Charrues" allowed her to test the audience regarding her ambitious project.

Long Distance: the 2000s

Sanson's cover album of songs written by Michel Berger--a few well-known, but mostly from his early years—appeared in 2000 (''D'un papillon à une étoile''). The press loved it, but the reaction of the audience was more ambivalent, especially among Michel Berger fans, who regarded the album as sacrilegious. However, it became a huge success and went platinum in just a few weeks. It was followed by a majestic tour, produced by Paul Buckmaster (Elton John's arranger), and eventually by a live album (''Avec vous''). Véronique surrounded herself with her usual musicians, mostly Americans, as well as a classical ensemble from Prague. Her stage outfits for this tour were entirely created by Yves Saint Laurent himself.

In 2002, after a prolonged absence due to health problems, Véronique Sanson had to cancel a solo tour on which she would have accompanied herself only on piano.

However, in September 2004, a few months after the press had announced her divorce from Pierre Palmade, she released a come-back album titled ''Longue Distance'', produced by long-time friends Bernard Swell and Bernard Saint-Paul. Her 2005 tour was a triumph, spiced up by nine concerts in the mythical ''Olympia'', during which she recorded her eighth live album.

In her autobiography, ''La Douceur du Danger'' (written with Didier Varrod), she depicts the most striking events of her life, particularly her alcoholism, and her love life.

The "best-of", titled ''Petits moments choisis'', was released in November 2007, just as she started an unusually long tour. This lasted until summer 2009, and is considered by many as her best since 1993–1996. In December 2008, the 22CD/4DVD collection "Et voilà", including all her albums and videos plus a great many previously unreleased tracks, sold out in less than a month.

In October 2008, she joined her ex-husband Stephen Stills, and her son Chris Stills, on the stage of the Olympia, to perform a family version of Stills's "Love the one you're with".

In November 2008, famous rapper Jay-Z released a song called "History", to honor the election of US President Barack Obama. The song is based on samples and melodies from Véronique Sanson's 1972 recording of "Une nuit sur son épaule" (the original solo version, not the 1995 duet with Marc Lavoine). Jay-Z's song features Véronique on background vocals. In December 2008, she declared on Canal Plus's "Le Grand Journal" that she appreciated it, but would have preferred to be asked beforehand.

French-Canadian pop star Ima released a salsa-inspired reworking of "Chanson sur ma drôle de vie", followed in February 2009 by an associated video. Additionally, singer Lara Fabian released a cover version of "Amoureuse" in June on her studio album ''Toutes les femmes en moi''.

The 2010s

In March 2010, the two lead actresses of the film "Tout ce qui brille" released a cover of "Chanson sur ma drôle de vie" on the movie soundtrack. The song became a number one hit in France, while the original recording by Sanson peaked at number 2 on the French iTunes.

Before a concert in Jerusalem in June 2009, Sanson announced she was about to start working on a new album. The album, titled "Plusieurs lunes" ("Many Moons") was released on 25 October 2010, and debuted at number 3 on the French charts. Plusieurs Lunes caught the attention of the press who widely celebrated and highlighted the return of the real Sanson after a couple of fairly disappointing albums ("Indestructible" and "Longue Distance"). A song from this new piece, "La nuit se fait attendre", was made available on her official website in June 2010, while the second single, "Qu'on me pardonne" (written by her sister Violaine Sanson) was released in early October. After a week long residence at the Olympia in March 2011, Sanson is currently on tour across France.

Discography

Studio albums

# ''Amoureuse'' (1972) # ''De l'autre côté de mon rêve'' (1972) # ''Le maudit'' (1974) # ''Vancouver'' (1976) # ''Hollywood'' (1977) # ''7ème'' (1979) # ''Laisse-la vivre'' (1981) # ''Véronique Sanson'' (1985) # ''Moi le venin'' (1988) # ''Sans regrets'' (1992) # ''Indestructible'' (1998) # ''D'un papillon à une étoile'' (1999) # ''Longue distance'' (2004) # ''Plusieurs Lunes'' (2010)

Live albums

# ''Live at the Olympia 1976'' # ''Live au Palais des Sports 1981'' # ''L'Olympia 1985'' # ''A l'Olympia 89'' # ''Symphonique Sanson'' (1989) # ''Zenith 93'' # ''Comme ils l'imaginent'' (1995) # ''Véronique Sanson chante Michel Berger, Avec vous'' (2000) # ''Olympia 2005''

Awards

1991 : Grand Prix de la SACEM

1993 : Victoires de la musique Best Female Artist of the Year

1996 : Victoires de la musique Best Female Artist of the Year

2005 : Named Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.

References

External links

Official Site Harmonies : V. Sanson : The 70's

Biography of Véronique Sanson, from Radio France Internationale

Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:People from Boulogne-Billancourt Category:French expatriates in the United States Category:French female singers Category:French singer-songwriters Category:Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Category:French-language singers

ca:Véronique Sanson de:Véronique Sanson eo:Véronique Sanson fr:Véronique Sanson