Eleanora Fagan, known professionally as Billie Holiday, was an American jazz and swing music singer with a career spanning 26 years. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. She was known for her vocal delivery and improvisational skills.
John J. Mellencamp, previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American musician, singer-songwriter, painter, actor, and film director. He is known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumentation. Mellencamp rose to fame in the 1980s while "honing an almost startlingly plainspoken writing style" that, starting in 1982, yielded a string of Top 10 singles, including "Hurts So Good", "Jack & Diane", "Crumblin' Down", "Pink Houses", "Lonely Ol' Night", "Small Town", "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.", "Paper in Fire", and "Cherry Bomb". He has amassed 22 Top 40 hits in the United States. In addition, he holds the record for the most tracks by a solo artist to hit number one on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, with seven. Mellencamp has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, winning one. His latest album of original songs, Sad Clowns & Hillbillies, was released on April 28, 2017 to widespread critical acclaim. Mellencamp has sold over 30 million albums in the US and over 60 million worldwide.
Surf's Up is the 17th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released August 30, 1971 on Brother/Reprise. It received largely favorable reviews and reached number 29 on the US record charts, becoming their highest-charting LP of new music in the US since 1967. In the UK, Surf's Up peaked at number 15, continuing a string of top 40 records that had not abated since 1965.
"Good Vibrations" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was composed by Brian Wilson, with lyrics by Mike Love. Released as a single on October 10, 1966, it was an immediate critical and commercial hit, topping record charts in several countries including the US and UK. Characterized by its complex soundscapes, episodic structure and subversions of pop music formula, it was the costliest single ever recorded at the time of its release. "Good Vibrations" later became widely acclaimed as one of the finest and most important works of the rock era.
"I Got You " is a song by American singer James Brown. First recorded for the album Out of Sight and then released in an alternate take as a single in 1965, it was his highest charting song and is arguably his best-known recording.
"Jack Names the Planets" is a song by Ash. It was their first official single release in February 1994. The single was originally released on vinyl only and is entirely different from the album version that appears on their EP, Trailer. The single was re-released in a limited edition 2002 on 2 December in CD format with and the Raptor 12″ version of "Season" as an extra B-side, as part of the promotion for the Intergalactic Sonic 7″s greatest hits collection.
"Ain't No Sunshine" is a song by Bill Withers from his 1971 album Just As I Am, produced by Booker T. Jones. The record featured musicians Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass guitar, Al Jackson Jr. on drums and Stephen Stills on guitar. String arrangements were done by Booker T. Jones. The song was recorded in Memphis by engineer Terry Manning. The song is in the key of A minor.
"Melissa" is a song by American rock band the Allman Brothers Band, released in August 1972 as the second single from the group's fourth album, Eat a Peach. The song was written by vocalist Gregg Allman in 1967, well before the founding of the group. Two demo versions from those years exist, including a version cut by the 31st of February, a band that featured Butch Trucks, the Allman Brothers' later drummer. Allman sold the publishing rights later that year, but they were reacquired by manager Phil Walden in 1972.
"I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" is a song written by Maurice Mysels and Ira Kosloff, and produced by Steve Sholes. It is best known for being Elvis Presley's seventh single release on the RCA Victor label. It was released in May 1956, becoming Presley's second number 1 single on the country music charts, and peaking at number 3 on the US Billboard Top 100 chart, an earlier version of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Before the creation of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1958, there were a number of charts including Jukebox plays, Store charts, and Airplay charts; the song reached number 1 on the Billboard Top Sellers in Stores chart.
Faheem Rasheed Najm, better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and streamer. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second album, Epiphany, which reached number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. His third album, Thr33 Ringz, was released in 2008. The albums included a string of hit singles, including "I'm Sprung", "I'm 'n Luv ", "Buy U a Drank ", "Bartender", "Can't Believe It", and "5 O'Clock". T-Pain has earned two Grammy Awards, alongside artists Kanye West and Jamie Foxx respectively.
The Good, the Bad & the Queen is the debut studio album by the English supergroup the Good, the Bad & the Queen, comprising Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Simon Tong and Tony Allen, and produced by Danger Mouse. The album was released in January 2007. The album debuted at number two in the UK Albums Chart and was certified Gold in the UK within days of its release despite little media recognition and airplay. In the United States, the album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 49.
Terrence LeVarr Thornton, better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record executive. He initially gained major recognition as half of hip hop duo Clipse, alongside his brother and fellow rapper No Malice, with whom he founded Re-Up Records. In September 2010, Thornton announced his signing to Kanye West's GOOD Music imprint, under the aegis of Def Jam Recordings. In March 2011, he released his first solo project, a mixtape titled Fear of God. Thornton released his debut solo album, My Name Is My Name, in October 2013. In November 2015, Kanye West appointed Pusha T to take over his role as president of GOOD Music. In December 2015, he released his second studio album King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude. In 2018, he released his third studio album Daytona to critical acclaim.
"Good Rocking Tonight" was originally a jump blues song released in 1947 by its writer, Roy Brown and was covered by many recording artists. The song includes the memorable refrain, "Well I heard the news, there's good rocking tonight!" The song anticipated elements of rock and roll music.
Ryan Tedder is an American singer, songwriter, musician, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. As well as being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic, he has an independent career as a songwriter and producer for various artists, including Adele, Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Jennifer Lopez, Camila Cabello, Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, MØ, One Direction, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, Logic, Paul McCartney and Blackpink.
"Good Life" is a song by American rapper Kanye West released on October 2, 2007 as the third single for his third studio album Graduation (2007). The song features vocals by singer T-Pain and was produced by West and DJ Toomp. It contains a sample of the keyboard outro to "P.Y.T. " performed by Michael Jackson. The song features additional drum programming by Timbaland and additional production by Mike Dean, as well as background vocals by John Legend and Ne-Yo.
"When Will I Be Loved" is a classic popular song written by Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers, who had a US top-ten hit with it in 1960. Linda Ronstadt covered the song in 1975, and her version was an even bigger hit in the US, peaking at No. 2.
"There Ain't No Good Chain Gang" is a song written by Hal Bynum and Dave Kirby, and recorded by American country music artists Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. It was released in May 1978 as the second single from the album I Would Like to See You Again. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
"Hello Good Morning" is a song by American rapper and producer Diddy and his group Dirty Money, from their debut album, Last Train to Paris. It was released from March 30, 2010 as the album's third single. The electronic dance song incorporates an acid squelch section in the middle 8, ad was written by Marcella Araica, Richard Butler, Clifford "T.I." Harris and Nathaniel "Danja" Hills who also produced the song. T.I. has a featured rap on the song. The song's musical composition was inspired by Diddy's experiences in Ibiza night clubs; its lyrics focus around sex and money. Three official remixes were released alongside the main single: the Official Remix with Rick Ross & Nicki Minaj, the "Grime Remix" with Skepta, and a "Team UK remix" with Tinchy Stryder and Tinie Tempah. Critics noted the track as one of the better songs from Last Train to Paris, particularly for Danja's production, but criticized the lyrics for being superficial and for lacking substance.
"My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" is a song widely attributed to Clarence Williams, who obtained a copyright in 1933, although the melody was recorded under various names years earlier. The song became popular performed by Hank Williams for MGM and reached #4 on the country chart in 1949.
Smoke Rings is a compilation album of phonograph records released by Victor Records in 1944 featuring Swing-era recordings of eight bandleaders as a part of their Musical Smart Set series. The set was released in conjunction with Up Swing during the American Federation of Musicians strike and features popular recordings by the various artists.
