Christopher Brian Bridges, known professionally as Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age nine, where he first began rapping. Starting out with a brief stint as a DJ, he formed his own record label, Disturbing tha Peace in the late 1990s to independently release his debut studio album Incognegro (1999). After its single, "What's Your Fantasy", became a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, the album was re-released by Def Jam Recordings as his major label debut, Back for the First Time (2000). The latter album peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and spawned his second top 40 single, "Southern Hospitality".
The Hokey Pokey is a participation dance with a distinctive accompanying tune and lyric structure. It is well-known in English-speaking countries. It originates in a British folk dance, with variants attested as early as 1826. The song and accompanying dance peaked in popularity as a music hall song and novelty dance in the mid-1940s in the UK. The song became a chart hit twice in the 1980s. The first UK hit was by The Snowmen, which peaked at UK No. 18 in 1981.
Take 6 is an American a cappella gospel sextet formed in 1980 on the campus of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. The group integrates jazz with spiritual and inspirational lyrics. Take 6 has received several Grammy Awards as well as Dove Awards, a Soul Train Award and nominations for the NAACP Image Award.
Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. The band has had a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the band between early 1973 and late 1974, the period of their greatest commercial success. They have had eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100; their highest-charting songs include "You're Still a Young Man", "So Very Hard to Go", "What Is Hip?", and "Don't Change Horses ".
The Makers were an Australian band formed by ex-Split Enz keyboardist, Eddie Rayner, and musician and singer, Brian Baker. The duo formed in 1988 after recording the tracks for a feature film, Rikky and Pete. The self-titled debut album The Makers released in 1990, provided three singles. The second album, Hokey Pokey, was released in 1992 with two further singles. They toured Australia in 1991 supporting the B-52's.
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings were an American funk and soul band signed to Daptone Records. They were part of a revival movement of mid-1960s to mid-1970s style funk and soul music. They released their debut album Dap Dippin' in 2002, the first of seven studio albums. Their 2014 album Give the People What They Want was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. Following Sharon Jones' death in 2016, the band released the posthumous album Soul of a Woman in 2017 and a compilation of cover songs in 2020.
"Number One Spot" is a song by American rapper Ludacris from his fifth studio album The Red Light District. The song heavily samples Quincy Jones' "Soul Bossa Nova", which was also used as the theme tune to the Mike Myers James Bond parody film series Austin Powers; the films' references play a major part in the song and its music video.
"Splish Splash" is a 1958 novelty rock song performed and co-written by Bobby Darin.
"Soul Bossa Nova" is a popular instrumental, composed and first performed by American musician Quincy Jones. It appeared on his 1962 Big Band Bossa Nova album on Mercury Records.
"The Look of Love" is a popular song composed by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and originally popularized by English pop singer Dusty Springfield. The song is notable for its sensuality and its relaxed bossa nova rhythm. The song was featured in an extended slow-motion interlude to the 1967 spoof James Bond film Casino Royale. In 2008, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. It also received a Best Song nomination at the 1968 Academy Awards. The song partially inspired the film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997).
Todd Daniel Moore, professionally known as LT Moe is an American record producer from Cleveland, Ohio.
"Crazy Love" is a romantic ballad written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album, Moondance. The song was originally released as the B-side to "Come Running" in May 1970 before it was released as a single in the Netherlands, "Come Running" as the B-side. The cover of the single shows Morrison with his then-wife, Janet "Planet" Rigsbee. The photograph was taken by Elliot Landy, the official photographer of the 1969 Woodstock festival.
The Dude is a 1981 studio album by the American musician and producer Quincy Jones. Jones used many studio musicians.
Stompin' at the Savoy – Live is an album by American R&B/funk band Rufus with singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1983.
Crazy Love is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer Michael Bublé. It was released by 143 Records and Reprise Records on October 9, 2009. After only three days of sales, it opened atop the Billboard 200 chart with 132,000 copies, making it Bublé's second No. 1 album. Spending the first full week at the top, the album increased in sales to 203,000 copies, staying again at the No. 1 spot on its second week. In Australia, the album debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart and spent six non-consecutive weeks as No. 1. It has since been certified five times Platinum. In the United Kingdom, Crazy Love topped the album charts.
Randy Waldman is an American pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor. He has frequently collaborated with Barbra Streisand, serving as her pianist and conductor since 1984. Waldman has worked with notable artists including Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Ray Charles, and Stevie Wonder. His 2018 album Superheroes garnered the award for Best Arrangement at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.
Q: Soul Bossa Nostra is a studio album by Quincy Jones, recorded in 2010 with various artists. The album was released on November 9, 2010, and was Jones's final album; he died in 2024. The title of the album refers to Jones's 1962 instrumental track "Soul Bossa Nova".
The Maccabeats are an American Orthodox Jewish all-male a cappella group. Founded in 2007 at Yeshiva University, Manhattan, New York, the 14-member group specializes in covers and parodies of contemporary hits using Jewish-themed lyrics. Their breakout 2010 Hanukkah music video for "Candlelight", a parody of Mike Tompkins' a cappella music video for Taio Cruz's "Dynamite", logged more than two million hits in its first ten days; the video has been viewed more than 16 million times as of 2022. They have recorded three albums and one EP, and frequently release music videos in conjunction with Jewish holidays. They tour worldwide and have performed at the White House and the Knesset.
Pokey LaFarge is an American musician and singer-songwriter.
Asiahn Bryant is an American singer-songwriter and voice actress from Paterson, New Jersey, currently signed to the SinceThe80s and Motown record labels. Since 2021, alongside her music, she provides vocal performances for Karma Grant in the Ludacris-created Netflix streaming musical series, Karma's World.
