A cappella music is specifically group or solo singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It contrasts with cantata, which is usually accompanied singing. The term "a cappella" was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato style. In the 19th century a renewed interest in Renaissance polyphony coupled with an ignorance of the fact that vocal parts were often doubled by instrumentalists led to the term coming to mean unaccompanied vocal music. The term is also used, albeit rarely, as a synonym for alla breve.
Penn Masala is an American a cappella group. It is the world's first and premier South Asian a cappella group. Formed in 1996 by students at the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Masala's music has been influenced by the Eastern and Western cultures that represent the group's membership. The group was featured on the soundtrack of American Desi, and has released ten full-length albums: Awaaz, 11 PM, Soundcheck, The Brown Album, Pehchaan, On Detours, Panoramic, Kaavish, Resonance,Yuva, an EP titled Vol. 1 and the compilation album Out of Stock. The group has performed at the White House, the Indian Filmfare Awards, and for prominent leaders including Ban Ki-moon and Mukesh Ambani. The group also had a cameo role in Pitch Perfect 2, released in May 2015.
"The Sign" is a song by the Swedish band Ace of Base, which was released on 29 October 1993 in Europe. It was an international hit, reaching number two in the United Kingdom and spending six non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. More prominently, it became the top song on Billboard's 1994 Year End Chart. It appeared on the band's album Happy Nation.
"Pinball Wizard" is a song written by Pete Townshend and performed by the English rock band the Who, and featured on their 1969 rock opera album Tommy. The original recording was released as a single in 1969 and reached No. 4 in the UK charts and No. 19 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" is a song written and recorded by Paul Leka, Gary DeCarlo and Dale Frashuer, attributed to a then-fictitious band they named "Steam". It was released under the Mercury subsidiary label Fontana and became a number one pop single on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1969, and remained on the charts in early 1970.
"I Want It All" is a song by British rock band Queen, featured on their 1989 studio album The Miracle. Written by guitarist and backing vocalist Brian May and produced by David Richards, it was released as the first single from the album on 2 May 1989. "I Want It All" reached number three on the UK Singles Chart, the Irish Singles Chart, the Finnish Singles Chart, the New Zealand Singles Chart, and the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. On the Hot 100, the song reached number 50. Elsewhere, it reached number two in the Netherlands, number four in Italy and Norway, and the top 10 in Australia, Germany, and Switzerland.
"Hide and Seek" is a 2005 song written, produced, and performed by Imogen Heap. The song was released as the first single from her second album Speak for Yourself. The single was certified gold by the RIAA on 3 April 2009. Itself influenced by Paul Lansky's "Her Song", the track was later sampled in Jason Derulo's "Whatcha Say", a song receiving international success. As of 2009 the song has sold 647,000 copies in United States.
"White Light/White Heat" is a song released by the American rock band the Velvet Underground in November 1967, from their second studio album White Light/White Heat.
The Rumour is an album released by Olivia Newton-John in August 1988. The title track was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, features backing vocals and piano by John, and was a Number One single in Finland. The album featured the singles "The Rumour", "Can't We Talk It Over in Bed" and the Australian-only promo-single "It's Always Australia for Me", which was released for the Australian Bicentenary in 1988. This was also her first album not produced by long-time producer, John Farrar.
"God" is a song by American singer-songwriter and musician Tori Amos. It was released as the fourth single from her second studio album Under the Pink. It was released on February 3, 1994 by Atlantic Records in North America, on May 2, in Australia, and on October 3 by EastWest Records in the UK.
"This Woman's Work" is a song written and performed by the British singer Kate Bush. It was originally featured on the soundtrack of the American film She's Having a Baby (1988). The song was released as the second single from her album The Sensual World in 1989 and peaked at 25 in the UK Singles Chart.
"Roadhouse Blues" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. Written by Jim Morrison, it appeared as the B-side of "You Make Me Real", and was first released as a single from the album Morrison Hotel in March 1970; it peaked at #50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song quickly became a concert staple for the group and it has been covered by numerous artists, particularly by British rock group Status Quo.
"Rosanna" is a song written by David Paich and performed by the American rock band Toto, the opening track and the first single from their 1982 album Toto IV. This song won the Record of the Year Grammy Award in the 1983 presentations. "Rosanna" was also nominated for the Song of the Year award.
"The Longest Time" is a doo-wop single by Billy Joel. The song was released as a single in 1984 as the fourth single from the 1983 album An Innocent Man. Following the theme of the album in paying tribute to Joel's musical influences, the song is presented in the style of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. It reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. In the United Kingdom the song reached number 25 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Deep Inside" is a song by American R&B singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige. It was third single released in the United Kingdom from her fourth album, Mary, and the second single from the album in the United States.
"Speed Demon" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson from his seventh studio album, Bad. It was written, composed and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones. "Speed Demon" is a funk rock song whose lyrics pertain to driving fast. The song was released on October 12, 1989, as a promotional single for both the album and the 1988 film Moonwalker. The song received mixed reviews from contemporary critics.
"Heartbeat" is a song by Spanish singer-songwriter Enrique Iglesias. The song was written by Iglesias, along with his long-term collaborators Jamie Scott and Mark Taylor, for his ninth studio album Euphoria (2010). The mid-tempo ballad, produced by Taylor, features guest vocals from American singer Nicole Scherzinger. The song has a melody based on futuristic piano sounds and incorporates elements of dance music. The Rudi Wells' Open Heart Remix of the song later appeared on Scherzinger's debut studio album Killer Love (2011).
Pentatonix is an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, consisting of vocalists Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee. Characterized by their pop-style arrangements with vocal harmonies, basslines, riffing, percussion, and beatboxing, they produce cover versions of modern pop works or Christmas songs, sometimes in the form of medleys, along with original material. Pentatonix formed in 2011 and subsequently won the third season of NBC's The Sing-Off, receiving $200,000 and a recording contract with Sony Music. When Sony's Epic Records dropped the group after The Sing-Off, the group formed its YouTube channel, distributing its music through Madison Gate Records, a label owned by Sony Pictures. Their YouTube channel currently has over 16 million subscribers and 3.7 billion views. The group's video tribute to Daft Punk had received over 300 million views as of January 2019.
Zachary Throne is an American actor and musician who has appeared in a wide number of television, film and stage productions and on numerous rock, pop and soundtrack albums. Throne is a self-taught musician who sings, plays guitar, bass, drums, and piano – and is self-taught on all instruments. He is the son of Malachi Throne and Judith Merians and is the brother of Joshua Throne. He earned a Gold record in 1992 for his work on the soundtrack album to the television series The Heights, on which he performed guitars, bass, piano and vocals as well as co-starred in the series. The album yielded a hit single, "How Do You Talk To An Angel" that was #1 on Billboard for two weeks in November 1992. As an actor, Zachary is best known for playing the recurring role of "Howard", the radio station manager/drug dealer on Beverly Hills 90210 and for playing "Danny" on the FOX series, Party Of Five. As a singer, Zachary has sung on many TV and radio jingles. He provided the singing voice for the character, "Mark Winkle" on the television series, California Dreams as well as the singing voice for the character, "Greg Brady" in the films, The Brady Bunch Movie and A Very Brady Sequel. Currently, he resides in Las Vegas, Nevada where he performs in many shows. From 2012-2014, he was the lead singer/lead guitar player/bass player for the Sin City Sinners, a group that also featured former Faster Pussycat guitarist and co-founder Brent Muscat as well as Slash bass player, Todd Kerns.. With the group, he recorded two albums, "DIVEBAR Days Revisited" and "A Sinners Christmas 2", both released in 2013.
