Cher will be joined by Cyndi Lauper for
select dates on her upcoming tour.
The singers will play 36 dates across North
America as part of the Dressed To Kill tour, with Lauper's run to begin from
April 23 at Buffalo's First Niagra Centre in New York.
"I'm SO THRILLED 2 Be Working With
CYNDI Again....She's an INCREDIBLE ARTIST...&&..SHE'S ADORABLE,"
Cher tweeted following the announcement.
Lauper will serve as special guest on the
tour right up to the final date on July 11, at the Valley View Casino Centre in
San Diego, California.
BUt that's not all! Cher will be joined by Pat Benatar and Neil
Giraldo for the first 13 dates of her tour, which starts on
March 22 at the US Airways Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.
Cher's new tour is in support of her recent
album Closer to the Truth, which peaked at number three in the US and four in
the UK.
Cher's full North American Dressed To Kill tour dates are as follows:
Dates with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo as
special guests
March 22 – Phoenix, AZ (US Airways Centre)
March 24 – Houston, TX (Toyota Centre)
March 26 – Dallas, TX (American Airlines
Centre)
March 28 – Little Rock, AR (Verizon Arena)
March 29 – Tulsa, OK (BOK Centre)
March 31 – Nashville, TN (Bridgestone
Arena)
April 2 – Pittsburgh, PA (Consol Energy
Centre)
April 4 – Washington DC (Verizon Centre)
April 5 – Uncasville, CT (Mohegan Sun
April 7 – Toronto, ON (Air Canada Centere)
April 9 – Boston, MA (TD Garden)
April 11 – Indianapolis, IN (Bankers Life
Fieldhouse)
April 12 – Detroit, MI (Joe Louis Arena)
Dates with Cyndi Lauper as special guest
April 23 – Buffalo, NY (First Niagara Centre)
April 25 – Montreal, QC (Bell Centre)
April 26 – Ottawa, ON (Canada Tire Centere)
April 28 – Philadelphia, PA (Wells Fargo
Centre)
April 30 – Columbus, OH (Nationwide Arena)
May 2 – Cleveland, OH (Quicken Loans Arena)
May 5 – Charlotte, NC (Times Warner Cable
Arena)
May 7 – Raleigh, NC (PNC Arena)
May 9 – Brooklyn, NY (Barclays Centre)
May 10 – East Rutherford, NJ (Izod Centre)
May 12 – Atlanta, GA (Philips Arena)
May 14 – Jacksonville, FL (Veterans
Memorial Arena)
May 16 – Orlando, FL (Amway Centre)
May 17 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL (BB&T
Centre)
May 25 – Las Vegas, NV (MGM Grand)
May 28 – Denver, CO (Pepsi Centre)
May 30 – Lincoln, NE (Pinnacle Bank Arena)
May 31 – Kansas City, MO (Sprint Centre)
June 2 – Louisville, KY (KFC Yum! Centre)
June 4 – St. Louis, MO (Scottrade Centre)
June 6 – Milwaukee, WI (BMO Harris Bradley
Centre)
June 7 – Chicago, IL (Allstate Arena)
June 9 – Des Moines, IA (Wells Fargo Arena)
June 11 – Minneapolis, MN (Target Centre)
June 20 – Winnipeg, MB (MTS Centere)
June 21 – Saskatoon, SK (Credit Union
Centere)
June 23 – Edmonton, AB (Rexall Place
June 25 – Calgary, AB (Scotiabank
Saddledome)
June 27 – Vancouver, BC (Rogers Arena)
June 28 – Seattle, WA (Key Arena)
June 30 – Portland, OR (Moda Centre)
July 2 – San Jose, CA (SAP Centre) at San
Jose
July 5 – Ontario, CA (Citizens Business
Bank Arena)
July 7 – Los Angeles, CA (Staples Centre)
July 9 – Anaheim, CA (Honda Centre)
July 11 – San Diego, CA (Valley View Casino
Centre)
Cyndi Lauper (who I have thankfully seen live) and Pat Benatar?!?!?!?! As if I wasn't crushed enough already over not going... Hopefully Cher will play Europe as well!
Cyndi Lauper is releasing a deluxe edition of her debut solo album later this year!
The 30th Anniversary Celebration edition of
She’s So Unusual will feature some classic remixes along with brand new ones, including a mix of “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” by Australian duo Yolanda Be Cool (who released the hit single “We No Speak Americano” in 2010). Additionally, fans will be pleased to find previously unreleased demos and rehearsal versions on the release. However, some period cuts are noticeable by their
absence, including some of the original 12" versions.
Originally released in October of 1983, the album catapulted Lauper to stardom with
such hits as "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "Time After
Time", "She Bop", "All Through the Night", and
"Money Changes Everything". All five singles reached the top thirty
of the Billboard Hot 100, with the first four becoming Top 5 hits. Lauper became the first female singer to have four top five singles on the Hot 100
from one album.
Upon its release, the album received
generally positive reviews from music critics. The album earned Lauper several
awards and accolades, including two Grammy Awards at the 27th Grammy Awards,
one of which was for Best New Artist. She's So Unusual peaked at number four on
the Billboard 200 chart and stayed in the chart's top forty for sixty-five
weeks. It has sold over 6 million copies in the United States and 22 million
copies worldwide. This makes it Lauper's best-selling album to date and one of
the best-selling albums of the 1980s decade.
"I'm always looking forward, trying to
do something that's new and different," said Lauper in a press release.
"But every once in a while it's good to look back and celebrate. I've
always been proud of this album, with the statement we made and, most importantly,
what it has meant to my fans, I want to thank them for all the years of
support."
The 30th anniversary edition of She’s So
Unusual will be released April 1, 2014 (March 31 in the UK). It is currently
priced at close to 50$ on Amazon.com, so there might be more to the release
then meets the eye - perhaps a DVD, a photo book etc? Miss Lauper did go on a
She's So Unusual anniversary tour last year, so perhaps that was filmed for
inclusion? Stay tuned...
UPDATE:
The deluxe also includes a “reusable
sticker set”, including vinyl cut outs of Lauper’s outfits and accessories that
can be arranged in different combinations on a 3D fold-out backdrop of the
bedroom featured in the Girls Just Want To Have Fun video. No word yet on any additional material for the deluxe edition, but there will be a single disc release of this as well, and a vinyl! Below is the artwork for the single disc versions, as well as the vinyl (which has all the tracks from the original album, along with some download code for remixes). The deluxe version can now be pre-ordered from Amazon UK for 16 pounds - a lot cheaper then from the US. I just put in my order from the UK...
Tracklist:
Disc: 1
1. Money Changes Everything
2. Girls Just Want To Have
3. When You Were Mine
4. Time After Time
5. She Bop
6. All Through The Night
7. Witness
8. I’ll Kiss You
9. He’s So Unusual
10. Yeah Yeah
11. Girls Just Want To Have Fun (2013
Yolanda Be Cool Remix)
12. Time After Time (2013 Nervo Remix)
13. Time After Time (2013 Bent Collective
Remix)
Disc: 2
1. Girls Just Want To Have Fun (Early
Guitar Demo)
2. All Through The Night (1982 rehearsal,
with studio dialog)
3. Rules And Regulations (1982 Rehearsal)
4. Money Changes Everything (Demo)
5. Girls Just Want To Have Fun (Demo)
6. Right Train, Wrong Track (Non LP B-Side)
7. Witness (Live, Boston, 1984)
8. She Bop (1983 Arthur Baker Remix)
9. Time After Time (Work In Progress Rough
Mix)
The full press release: CYNDI LAUPER CELEBRATES HER RECORD BREAKING DEBUT ALBUM WITH SHE’S SO UNUSUAL: A 30th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Deluxe Edition Features Original Album, Rare Demos, Live Concert Recording and Remixes by NERVO, Bent Collective and Yolanda Be Cool Pre-Order Now on iTunes and Amazon, Available April 1 NERVO “Time After Time” Remix Streaming Now at People.com Music icon Cyndi Lauper will celebrate the anniversary of her groundbreaking, record-setting debut album with She’s So Unusual: A 30th Anniversary Celebration which will be released through Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, on April 1, 2014 and is available for pre-orderon iTunes and Amazon now. The 2-CD deluxe edition will feature the original album, rare demos, live concert recording as well as remixes by some of today’s hottest DJs and producers including NERVO, Bent Collective and Yolanda Be Cool. The collection will also be made available as a solo CD (original remastered album and 3 new remixes) as well as a 1-LP vinyl (includes an insert for download of 3 new remixes). The NERVO remix of “Time After Time” is available for immediate download with every iTunes pre-order and is streaming now exclusively at People.com. In addition to rare and never-before-heard recordings, the physical deluxe edition includes an unusual surprise. The collection includes a reusable sticker set, including vinyl cut outs of Lauper’s cutting-edge outfits and accessories that can be arranged in different combinations on a 3D fold-out backdrop of the bedroom featured in her iconic “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” music video. Journalist and author Jancee Dunn, who worked with Lauper on her 2012 New York Times Best Selling autobiography, authored the detailed liner notes. “I’m always looking forward, trying to do something that’s new and different,” said Lauper. “But every once in a while it’s good to look back and celebrate. I’ve always been proud of this album, with the statement we made and, most importantly, what it has meant to my fans, I want to thank them for all the years of support,” said Lauper. She’s So Unusual, Lauper’s debut solo album, is a colorful portrait of a unique and multifaceted talent. The album, produced by Rick Chertoff and featuring Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian of the Philadelphia band the Hooters, features some of Lauper’s most well-known songs and perennial radio favorites including “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” “Time After Time,” “She Bop,” “Money Changes Everything,” and “All Through the Night.” She’s So Unusual made Lauper a household name and music history, making her the first female artist to have four top 10 singles on a debut album. The release went on to sell over 16 million copies worldwide and won Lauper a Grammy Award for Best New Artist and an MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video. The album received kudos from all quarters. “Cyndi Lauper sounds like no other singer on the current scene,” wrote Kurt Loder in his 1984 Rolling Stone review. “A wild and wonderful skyrocket of a voice… Lauper’s extraordinary pipes connect with the right material, the results sound like the beginning of a whole new golden age.”The album has influenced generations of boundary-pushing musicians since its release, evident in everything from the ska-infused punk of No Doubt, the attitude of P!nk, the infectious pop of Katy Perry, the fluorescent personality of Nicki Minaj and, of course, in Lady Gaga’s fashion. The anniversary celebration will continue this spring with a special performance by Lauper on the public television music performance series Front and Center (formerly Front Row Center). Recorded at New York’s Highline Ballroom on December 9th, 2013 in front of a small audience of fans, Lauper performed the album in its entirety and shared intimate memories about the production and her life at the time she recorded it. Lauper will attend this Sunday’s Grammy Awards where she is nominated (her 15th nomination) for Best Musical Theater Album for her work in the Broadway musical “Kinky Boots,” for which she received the Tony Award for Best Score. Lauper is also nominated alongside Madonna, John Mellencamp and Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant to join the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame 2014 class which will be announced this June. One of the most inventive and compelling performers in pop history, Lauper is equally famed for her soaring vocal range, fiery personality and tireless advocacy work. The iconic performer has been celebrating a creative renaissance as of late. “Kinky Boots,” the Broadway musical Lauper composed the music and lyrics for, opened last year to critical acclaim and went on to win six Tony Awards including Best Score for Lauper herself. In 2012 she released her New York Times Best Selling autobiography, “Cyndi Lauper: A Memoir.” Written with journalist Jancee Dunn and published by Atria Books, the memoir details for the first time Lauper’s tumultuous years growing up in Queens, the ups and downs of a career that has spanned over three decades, her conflicted feelings on fame and her advocacy of equality for all that led to the creation of her foundation, the True Colors Fund. A multi-talented artist and one of music’s most beloved icons, Lauper has racked up global record sales of over 50 million and has won countless awards, from a Grammy, anEmmy and a Tony to numerous honors for her tireless activism. Lauper has released 11 studio albums, her most recent, the Grammy nominated “Memphis Blues,” ruled the Billboard Blues chart for 14 consecutive weeks to become the best-selling Blues album of 2010. Overall, during her storied music career, Lauper has been nominated for 15 Grammy Awards, 2 American Music Awards, 7 American Video Awards and 18 MTV Awards.
“She’s So Unusual: A 30th Anniversary Celebration (DELUXE EDITION)
HMMM - OK, they couldn't have included the performance on DVD with the deluxe edition? I'm starting to get a little annoyed at this release. The lack of the original 12" and 7" versions, as well as "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" and it's B-side "What A Thrill" is a big minus. But having a concert performance already recorded where she performs the whole album and NOT include it is an insult to injury! I'm still buying this - but I don't think I would be willing to spend 50$!
It's getting next to impossible to get up in the morning in the cold and the darkness. And I swear there is a flock of wolves living outside my home these days ;) But: it is almost weekend and here is a rather perky Christmas song to set the mood!
Cyndi Lauper released an excellent album called Merry Christmas...Have A Nice Life in 2008. It featured several new songs along with a few covers. One of the new ones was "Christmas Conga", which you can boogie to right now. Come on now, "Bonga Bonga Bonga, Do The Christmas Conga" - Cyndi commands you!
I adore that woman, have pretty much everything she has ever released and finally got to see her in concert a couple of years ago. Can't believe she's 60 now - she certainly doesn't act or look it!
Cyndi is currently on her She's So Unusual tour, celebrating the (gulp) 30th anniversary of her debut solo album. She just won a Tony Award, her last album was a major critical success and she still works tirelessly to promote equality for gay people. A late happy birthday to one of my absolute favorite icons: Miss Cyndi Lauper.
Here is a look at the career of one of the most unique and talented girls of all time.
Cyndi Lauper released the second single from her sophomore album True Colors in November 1986. "Change Of Heart" peaked at #3 in the US and became a big fan favorite (I was thrilled to see her perform it live a couple of years ago!). Here is Miss Lauper going crazy at London's Trafalgar Square:
In the music business, quite often songs are released that have every potential to become big hits - but somehow just dont get there! Let's take a look at two tracks that I felt should have been very big hits, but were not, and some of the reasons for why they didn't make it.
Princess Kylie released this incredible Freemasons remix of "The One" as a single in July 2008. Or did she?
Well, it was put on sale digitally - and that was that! No physical releases, since the bloody record company decided to cancel them. Kylie however went ahead and made a fabulous video for the song (supposedly on her own budget).
The single version was adored by most Kylie fans, the public seemed to like the track - a Top 10 hit for sure, yes? Erm, no!
"The One" charted at #36 in the UK - and became her first single ever to miss the UK Top 30 (it was also her first digital only release, go figure. She has since added two more digital-only releases that missed the Top 30). It didn't chart at all in Australia. The song did however find Top 10 success in Slovakia and Bulgaria. In New Zealand it became her biggest radio hit since "Can't Get You Out Of My Head", but it didn't even chart on the singles list (again, no CD single available). Kylie did also not do any promo for the song.
When you have an artist like Kylie, who has been releasing music in 25 years and has a lot of die-hard fans and collectors, do the record company really think that all these fans will buy digital-only releases??? It has been made very obvious with artists that have been in the business a long time and have a big fanbase aged 30 years and over that physical releases are a must as well!
Another single from the same year, released just a month after Kylie's "The One".
"Into The Nightlife" by Cyndi Lauper should have been massive! It was a perfect comeback song for an artist that had been more or less away from commercial music for a very long time. The first time I heard the song I thought "wow, this is exactly the song I have been wanting her to release for more then 20 years!". And while Cyndi may have been deemed as "old" or "a has been" by some, that very same thing did not stop Cher in having a massive comeback with "Believe" - and this felt like that sort of a comeback. There was a good (although perhaps a bit "too gay") music video made for the track and Cyndi did some TV promo for the song in both the US and the UK. So how did things turn out?
Well, the song did not chart in the US and in the UK it charted at #168. In Australia it peaked at #82, becoming her first single to chart there in 14 years. The song found it's biggest success on the US dance charts where it became a #1 hit.
There was no CD single or any other physical formats released for the single. I guess fans were once again expected to buy some MP3's, despite having collected physical formats from the artist for close to 30 years...
This is just a couple of examples - but the latest Madonna single "Girl Gone Wild" is another, very recent example. And speaking of Kylie, her latest single was also a digital-only release, which missed the UK Top 30. Now, I understand that there is a big market for digital music and that is fine. But I feel that the record companies are completely overlooking artists that have a very loyal, longterm fanbase who has been buying and collecting releases for decades and have no interest in MP3s. Promo CD's for these artists tend go for a lot of money because in many cases they are the only physical releases available to the fans.
Example: "We Take Care Of Our Own" by Bruce Springsteen was the first single from his 2012 album. The song did not chart in the US or UK top 100. However, the album went #1 and copies of the promo single went for big bucks online. I can not imagine many Springsteen fans having interest in buying an MP3 when they know they will buy the CD album and when they have to shell out a lot of money for a promo CD since a regular single was not made available.
If artists and record companies want more established artists to do well on the singles charts and actually sell their singles, they need to rethink their approach. Limited (not overpriced) CD singles, sold exclusively through Amazon for example might be a good idea.
Music sales have been reaching an all-time low both in the UK and the US this year. Albums have been going to number 1 with less then 100.000 copies sold (like Adam Lambert in the US) and with less then 15.000 copies sold in the UK. That includes ALL sales, both physical and digital. People are of course still stealing a lot of music. And they stream it on-line via Spotify, YouTube etc, which it is not very different then buying/playing an MP3, I would imagine.
If music is to be sold in the future, purchasing it needs to be made a lot more exiting. People loved to go to record stores and buy limited editions in cool packaging, with posters, postcards, b-sides etc. Now that music is almost gone from people's TV's (there are no shows like Top Of The Pops, American Bandstand, CD-UK, Soild Gold etc anymore), MTV is a joke and radio has been formatted so much it is on the verge of killing itself, music has become much more faceless, generic and untouchable. The few CD singles that are still released are usually just 2trk and very overpriced. Vinyl singles are rare and hard to find. It is no wonder that sales are going down.
I love music! I love the business, the releases, the music videos, the charts - everything about it. But I feel that as a whole it has never before been as boring. Not because of the music, but because of everything else. I feel that most of the colors have gone from the whole scene, and I can only hope some of them will be back sometime in the future. Until then, I am spending small fortunes on-line and in second hand stores buying promos and second hand items, instead of putting the money into today's singles business...
Cyndi Lauper will release a new single in June - a a dance song called “The Sex
Is in the Heel”. The track is one of many new songs the singer wrote with
producer Rich Morel for the new musical called Kinky Boots.
“One of the things I’m doing now is my work with Cyndi
Lauper. I wrote a bunch of songs with her for a new musical called Kinky Boots.
Cyndi is releasing one of the ones we wrote together this summer as a single.
It’s called “The Sex Is in the Heel.” I think the musical opens in Chicago this
November before it goes to New York. It’s a great song and I’m psyched about
it,” Morel said in an interview.
Morel co-produced and co-wrote many of the songs found on Cyndi
Lauper’s 2008 fantastic dance album Bring Ya to the Brink; including the Billboard Hot
Dance Club Play #1 single “Same Ol’ Story” and the Japanese top 20 hit “Set
Your Heart”.
Kinky Boots– directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner
Jerry Mitchell – is about a shoe company that finds new life when its owner is
inspired to switch to manufacturing fetish footwear.
LOS ANGELES — Dick Clark, the ever-youthful television host and tireless entrepreneur who helped bring rock 'n' roll into the mainstream on "American Bandstand" and later produced and hosted a vast range of programming from game shows to the year-end countdown from Times Square on "New Year'sRockin' Eve," has died. He was 82.
Spokesman Paul Shefrin said Clark had a heart attack Wednesday morning at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, where he had gone the day before for an outpatient procedure. Clark had continued performing even after he suffered a stroke in 2004 that affected his ability to speak and walk.
Long dubbed "the world's oldest teenager" because of his boyish appearance, Clark bridged the rebellious new music scene and traditional show business. He was equally comfortable whether chatting about music with Sam Cooke or bantering with Ed McMahon about TV bloopers. He thrived as the founder of DickClark Productions, supplying movies, game and music shows, beauty contests and more to TV. Among his credits: "The $25,000 Pyramid," ''TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes" and the American Music Awards.
For a time in the 1980s, he had shows on all three networks and was listed among the Forbes 400 of wealthiest Americans. Clark also was part of radio as a partner in the United Stations Radio Network, which provided programs — including Clark's — to thousands of stations.
"There's hardly any segment of the population that doesn't see what I do," Clark told The Associated Press in a 1985 interview. "It can be embarrassing. People come up to me and say, 'I love your show,' and I have no idea which one they're talking about."
The original "American Bandstand" was one of network TV's longest-running series as part of ABC's daytime lineup from 1957 to 1987. It later aired for a year in syndication and briefly on the USA Network. Through the years, it introduced stars ranging from Buddy Holly to Madonna. The show's status as an American cultural institution was solidified when Clark donated Bandstand's original podium and backdrop to the Smithsonian Institution.
Clark joined "Bandstand" in 1956 after Bob Horn, who'd been the host since its 1952 debut, was fired. Under Clark's guidance, it went from a local Philadelphia show to a national phenomenon.
"I played records, the kids danced, and America watched," was how Clark once described the series' simplicity. In his 1958 hit "Sweet Little Sixteen," Chuck Berry sang that "they'll be rocking on Bandstand, Philadelphia, P-A."
As a host, he had the smooth delivery of a seasoned radio announcer. As a producer, he had an ear for a hit record. He also knew how to make wary adults welcome this odd new breed of music in their homes.
Clark endured accusations that he was in with the squares, with critic Lester Bangs defining Bandstand as "a leggily acceptable euphemism of the teenage experience."
In a 1985 interview, Clark acknowledged the complaints. "But I knew at the time that if we didn't make the presentation to the older generation palatable, it could kill it.
"So along with Little Richard and Chuck Berry and the Platters and the Crows and the Jayhawks ... the boys wore coats and ties and the girls combed their hair and they all looked like sweet little kids into a high school dance," he said.
But Clark defended pop artists and artistic freedom, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame said in an online biography of the 1993 inductee. He helped give black artists their due by playing original R&B recordings instead of cover versions by white performers, and he condemned censorship.
His stroke in December 2004 forced him to miss his annual appearance on "Dick Clark's New Year'sRockin' Eve." He returned the following year and, although his speech at times was difficult to understand, many praised his bravery, including other stroke victims.
Still speaking with difficulty, he continued taking part in his New Year's shows, though in a diminished role. Ryan Seacrest became the main host.
"I'm just thankful I'm still able to enjoy this once-a-year treat," he told The Associated Press by email in December 2008 as another New Year's Eve approached.
He was honored at the Emmy Awards in 2006, telling the crowd: "I have accomplished my childhood dream, to be in show business. Everybody should be so lucky to have their dreams come true. I've been truly blessed."
He was born Richard Wagstaff Clark in Mount Vernon, N.Y., in 1929. His father, Richard Augustus Clark, was a sales manager who worked in radio.
Clark idolized his athletic older brother, Bradley, who was killed in World War II. In his 1976 autobiography, "Rock, Roll & Remember," Clark recalled how radio helped ease his loneliness and turned him into a fan of Steve Allen, Arthur Godfrey and other popular hosts.
From Godfrey, he said, he learned that "a radio announcer does not talk to 'those of you out there in radio land'; a radio announcer talks to me as an individual."
Clark began his career in the mailroom of a Utica, N.Y., radio station in 1945. By age 26, he was a broadcasting veteran, with nine years' experience on radio and TV stations in Syracuse and Utica, N.Y., and Philadelphia. He held a bachelor's degree from Syracuse University. While in Philadelphia, Clark befriended McMahon, who later credited Clark for introducing him to his future "Tonight Show" boss, JohnnyCarson.
In the 1960s, "American Bandstand" moved from black-and-white to color, from weekday broadcasts to once-a-week Saturday shows and from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. Although its influence started to ebb, it still featured some of the biggest stars of each decade, whether Janis Joplin, the Jackson 5, Talking Heads or Prince. But Clark never did book two of rock's iconic groups, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Elvis Presley also never performed, although Clark managed an on-air telephone interview while Presley was in the Army.
One of the most important TV apperances Madonna did at the start of her career was on American Bandstand, when she famously told him that she wantedt to "rule the world". Dick became a big fan of hers, and was in fact the one responsible for her apperance on the 1985 Live Aid concert.
Clark kept more than records spinning with his Dick Clark Productions. Its credits included the Academyof Country Music and Golden Globe awards; TV movies including the Emmy-winning "The Woman WhoWilled a Miracle" (1984), the "$25,000 Pyramid" game show and the 1985 film "Remo Williams: TheAdventure Begins." Clark himself made a cameo on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and a dramatic appearance as a witness on the original "Perry Mason." He was an involuntary part of Michael Moore'sAcademy Award-winning "Bowling for Columbine," in which Clark is seen brushing off Moore as the filmmaker confronts him about working conditions at a restaurant owned by Clark.
In 1974, at ABC's request, Clark created the American Music Awards after the network lost the broadcast rights to the Grammy Awards.
He was also an author, with "Dick Clark's American Bandstand" and such self-help books as "DickClark's Program for Success in Your Business and Personal Life" and "Looking Great, Staying Young." His unchanging looks inspired a joke in "Peggy Sue Gets Married," the 1986 comedy starring Kathleen Turner as an unhappy wife and mother transported back to 1960. Watching Clark on a black and white TV set, she shakes her head in amazement, "Look at that man, he never ages."
Clark's clean-cut image survived a music industry scandal. In 1960, during a congressional investigation of "payola," or bribery in the record and radio industry, Clark was called on to testify.
He was cleared of any suspicions but was required by ABC to divest himself of record-company interests to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest. The demand cost him $8 million, Clark once estimated. His holdings included partial ownership of Swan Records, which later released the first U.S. version of the Beatles' smash "She Loves You."
In 2004, Clark announced plans for a revamped version of "American Bandstand." The show, produced with "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller, was to feature a host other than Clark.
He was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 1994 and served as spokesman for the American Association of Diabetes Educators.
Clark, twice divorced, had a son, Richard Augustus II, with first wife Barbara Mallery and two children, Duane and Cindy, with second wife Loretta Martin. He married Kari Wigton in 1977.
In a 1989 Times Union article, Clark spoke about “American Bandstand”:
“I can remember the day we went on the ABC network originally,” Clark said. “That was very exciting because we’d had a five- year history of (local) success in Philadelphia before then. There were a lot of people who were very skeptical about whether we’d succeed or not on a national level. We had said, ‘There is no doubt it will. It will, it will, it will.’ And we really believed it would. And it did.”
The show with Clark at the helm lasted for 37 years, and in that time Clark had a profound impact on popularizing pop music, and making Americans dance.
In the interview, he said, “I’m the luckiest human that ever walked the face of the Earth. I was blessed with good health and the ability to do what I only dreamed of as a child…. When the day comes for me to check out, or the Lord beckons me to go, they will say something about ‘He played the music and the kids danced.’ Or, ‘He was America’s Pied Piper.’ … One of the things I hope they will make note of is that we kept the music alive.”
"I was very sad to hear this news. We all felt Dick was always this handsome teenager, as we all got older, Dick remained a teenager. I will always appreciate what he did for me and for popular music. He presented Motown and The Supremes on tour with the Caravan of Stars and on American Bandstand where I got my start. Dick Clark was a pioneer, he was a music star maker, he was a legend and was my friend. He said that 'music is the soundtrack of your life.' Since I was 16, he was always a part of mine. My love and prayers go out to his family." — Diana Ross.
"Even though I told him in 1984 that I wanted to rule the world, it's Dick Clark who has ruled the world. He loved what he did and his energy and enthusiasm were boundless. A great man. I bow to his memory and everything he did with his life. Rest in peace. You will be missed." - Madonna
"Dick Clark changed the face of musical television. He was wonderful to many artists including our family. We will miss him. God bless." — Janet Jackson
"Not 2 many people actually deserve the term "legend", Dick Clark embodied it & never lost his humility or humanity. We will miss him!" — Gloria Estefan
Madonna & Dick
Twenty eight years later, it remains one of the most famous things she's ever said. Asked on "American Bandstand" by TV icon Dick Clark, who died on Wednesday at the age of 82, "What do you hope will happen, not only in 1984 but for the rest of your professional life? What are your dreams? What's left?" Madonna answered simply, famously and with characteristic directness.
"To rule the world," she said without hesitation. And that's what she went on to do ... well, the pop world anyway.
She was on "Bandstand," ostensibly, to perform "Holiday" and promote her self-titled debut, which was released a few months earlier in the summer of 1983, but in retrospect it feels like she was really there to prepare the world for what was coming. Like a Virgin dropped later that same year, and with its release Madonna went from being a well-liked and charismatic pop tart with a few radio hits to the most famous female singer on the planet.
The "Bandstand" crowd went wild for then-25-year-old Madonna's performance, and Clark had a hard time getting a word in. When everyone finally settled down, he asked Madonna about her burgeoning career, including her early years in New York and touring Paris with "Born to Be Alive" singer Patrick Hernandez. "He offered me a tour with him as a background singer and a dancer," Madonna told Clark. "So I jumped on that boat and got into the music industry that way and started writing songs, and here I am."
As news of Clark's passing began to surface, fans started posting the clip all over Twitter and soon enough, Madonna's herself chimed in, posting the video to her Facebook page with the message, "Even though I told him in 1984 that I wanted to rule the world, it's Dick Clark who has ruled the world."
While "Bandstand" wasn't her first TV appearance and Clark certainly didn't discover Madonna - she already had a top-five hit with "Lucky Star" by the time she appeared - her visit to the show feels like the first seminal event in what went on to be one of the most legendary careers in pop-culture history. It's where things really began, months before she took the stage in a wedding dress at the first-ever MTV Video Music Awards.
It's also a real showcase for the Madonna many fans love most. Playful, natural, beautiful and - most importantly - brimming with confidence, it's no surprise the emerging pop star on display on "Bandstand" that night went on to score 38 top tens, more than any performer in music history, 12 #1 singles and eight #1 albums, the latest of which, MDNA, debuted in the top spot 28 years, two months and 20 days after her visit to "American Bandstand."
Today, many will be looking back on Dick Clark's many achievements and dissecting the almost immeasurable impact he had on music and television, and we'll remember for how genuinely excited he seemed to be talking to a little-known disco singer on January 14, 1984. His decision to invite her on that night quite literally changed the face of pop music forever, and for that we will always be thankful.
NEW YORK) – April 9, 2012. GrammyAward winner, activist and actress Cyndi Lauper has signed a deal for Cyndi Lauper: A Memoir to be published this coming fall by Atria Books. Written with journalist Jancee Dunn, the book will detail for the first time Cyndi’s tumultuous years growing up in Queens, the ups and downs of a career that has spanned over three decades, her conflicted feelings on fame and her advocacy of equality for all that led to the creation of her foundation, the True Colors Fund.
At 17, Cyndi left her chaotic home life with no prospects and no money. While taking jobs at the racetrack, as an I-Hop waitress and gal Friday, music was her refuge. She moved from band to band, playing small gigs and finally landed a solo deal. In 1983 she broke out with “She’s So Unusual” which earned her a Grammy for Best New Artist and made her the first female artist in history to have five top 10 singles on a debut album.
“Most of us think of Cyndi as the free-spirited girl who just wants to have fun and her many die-hard fans will be surprised to know her real life story,” says Judith Curr, Executive Vice President and Publisher, Atria Books.
“Sometimes I come off good, sometimes not so good,” says Lauper. “But I never wanted this book to be anything but my truth. It’s not about what people think of me, but what I learned along the way. And if telling the story of what I went through can help someone else, then it’s worth it.”
The deal, for world rights including audio, was negotiated by Atria editor Amy Tannenbaum who initially approached Cyndi to write her memoir.
I will be adding some more Behind The Music episodes today. Sadly I am unable to share the episodes featuring Madonna, Boy George, Tina Turner and Bette Midler because of YouTube problems. And if anyone knows where I can find the Donna Summer episode, I would be very grateful!
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Cyndi Lauper speaks briefly about Madonna. When asked if she feels a kinship with other female musicians who came to fame in the 80s, Cyndi said:
“Well I had my alter-image, Madonna [laughs]. No matter what I did, there she was, and no matter what she did, there I was. And it wasn’t similar and it was never intentional. We inspired each other. I am inspired by her because she still does it and she looks great and I’m always on a diet, I can never keep a diet, but she looks fantastic, she always does, so that’s inspiring.”
She added: “I was really heartbroken that they would pit us against each other. Because I’ve always believed sisterhood is a powerful thing and I just wanted to have a friend in the industry. Another rocker. But they always isolate you when you become popular, when you become famous and then you’re isolated all of a sudden. Nobody can get to you, I guess because everybody wants to get to you.”
Madonna is reported to have answered "Lady who?" in response to Lady Gaga while promoting her latest movie W.E..Gaga has moved to deny any possible rift between the two by describing Madonna as a "wonderful influence".
"Madonna is a wonderful influence on me," she told the Sunday Mirror. "I feel blessed to have grown up with a powerful, blonde woman to show us the ropes.
"It's all down to her that I'm able to do what I do. I really like her new single too. The one that was leaked. There's no problem between us."
And in some other Madonna news: she will perform in Paris at Stade De France on July 14th!!! She might also perform in Nice. The official announcement for her 2012 world tour must be close now...
Well, after a wonderful vacation it is time to settle back into the everyday life. There have of course been some exciting music news coming out since I went on vacation, and I thought I would post some of them here to get things going again ;) And we start with the queen, who celebrated her birthday on August 16th:
Madonna is working on her new album with none other then William Orbit, who she worked with on her albums Ray Of Light and Music. And also: there will be a tour next year!!!
Madonna has partnered with Smirnoff in a search for the world’s most unique and interesting nightlife, culminating in one-of-a-kind experiences on the same night all over the world. The search, which is being called the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project, will help Madonna find the best dancer to join her next tour.
“What attracted me to the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project is the combination of participating in the celebration of nightlife around the world and the opportunity to discover the world’s best unknown dancers,” said Madonna. “The best dancers are always in the clubs looking for the most original experience, just like Smirnoff is doing.”
Revellers worldwide are invited to co-create and participate in the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project by contributing ideas on what makes their local nightlife distinct in the categories of drinks, dance, fashion, music, places, and more creating a nightlife cocktail of unique events. The most inspiring suggestions from each region will be captured online and then exchanged with another country in November. By participating online, fans will have the chance to win a place at one of the global events or experience another country’s party at a Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project event in their own city.
One of the consistent aspects in nightlife culture around the world is the importance of dance. As well as submitting ideas on what makes their country’s nightlife special, fans can enter an exclusive dance competition online. Madonna will attend one of the selected Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project experiences where finalists will compete in front of her for the winning spot. The winner may get the opportunity to join Madonna on her next tour as one of her dancers.
The ten Finalists will be contacted via email by 17 October 2011 to confirm that they have at least twelve months validity on their passport from March 2012, are willing and available to take part in Madonna’s next world tour and are eligible to travel to the countries forming part of the Tour. Rehearsals for the Tour are provisionally due to commence in the first quarter of 2012 and the Tour is provisionally scheduled to run throughout 2012 and possibly beyond. Entrants must also be aware that dates for the Tour are provisional only and are subject to change.
Countries/continents which may be included in the Tour are USA, South America, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Entrants must however be aware that the destination countries for the Tour are not yet confirmed and are subject to change at any time.
Erasure are of course releasing a new single and a brand new album which is already receiving great reviews. As I have mentioned here before, the album is produced by Frankmusic, which I find very exiting! Now the artworks and the tracklist have been released.
Tracklist:
01. Be With You
02. Fill Us With Fire
03. What Will I Say When You’re Gone?
04. You’ve Got To Save Me Right Now
05. A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot
06. When I Start To (Break It All Down)
07. I Lose Myself
08. Then I Go Twisting
09. Just When I Thought It Was Ending
Bonus Disc
10. I Lose Myself – “No Self Control” – Mix by Gareth Jones
11. Give Me Life
12. Fill Us With Fire – “Fired Up” – Mix by Gareth Jones
13. When I Start To (Break It All Down) – Frankmusik Remix
14. Clash (I Lose Myself ) – Demo Version
15. Big Song (Fill Us With Fire) – Demo Version
16. Major 7th (Be With You) – Demo Version
17. Save Me (You’ve got to save me right now) – Demo Version
CYNDI LAUPER TO RELEASE LIVE CONCERT DVD
To Memphis, With Love out October 25th on Megaforce Records
Features Special Performances from Grammy-Nominated Album Memphis Blues
(New York, NY – August 22, 2011) – Cyndi Lauper will release the live concert DVD To Memphis, With Love on Megaforce Records on October 25th. To Memphis, With Love, taped earlier this year at The Warehouse in Memphis and featuring special guests including Allen Toussaint, Tracy Nelson and Jonny Lang, serves as Cyndi’s love letter to the blues and the city that she has fallen in love with.
To Memphis, With Love will feature special, live concert performances of songs from Lauper’s latest album, 2010’s Grammy-nominated, best-selling blues album of 2010, Memphis Blues, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Blues Albums Chart and held the top spot for 14 weeks.
“If there’s been a better blues album this year, it’s a well-kept secret,” remarked Newsweek Magazine, “It takes guts for a singer to walk onto territory once owned by Memphis Minnie, but Lauper pulls it off like a woman who knows everything there is to know about having fun with the blues.”
Lauper’s blues-focused live performances have won over audiences and critics alike. The New York Post raved, “She belted blues classics like she was born on the Delta rather than in Queens. With grit in her voice and swagger in her stage presence… Lauper’s set never faltered and she didn’t lack for classic material. She was killer.”
Additionally, this fall Lauper will embark a co-headlining tour with New Orleans music legend Dr. John, titled “Cyndi Lauper & Dr. John: From Memphis to Mardi Gras.” The 14-city tour will kick off October 7th at the House of Blues in Orlando, Florida and wrap up October 28th at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, Illinois.
Track List:
01. Shattered Dreams
02. I’m Just Your Fool
03. Early In The Morning
04. Romance In The Dark
05. How Blue Can You Get
06. Down Don’t Bother Me
07. Down So Long
08. Crossroads
09. I Will Follow
10. Don’t Cry No More
11. She Bop
12. Mother Earth
13. Change Of Heart
14. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
INTERNATIONAL RELEASE DATES
United States: Tuesday, October 25th United Kingdom, Italy and France: Monday, October 24th Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Holland and Belgium: Friday, October 28th Japan: Wednesday, October 26th
The new Aqua album will be titled Megalomania - it will include 11 new tracks and comes out on October 3rd. The next single from the group is rumoured to be "Fuck Me Like A Robot" (no, I am not making this up!)
Kylie Minogue has topped the US Dance charts one again, this time with "Put Your Hands Up". Congrats!!!
And finally: the wait is finally (almost) over. Cher has announced that her first single in ooooooh so long (and the lead single for her first album in 10 years), "The GreatestThing", will be released in September! Lady Gaga, who co-wrote the track will be featured on it.
Cyndi Lauper in Iceland: concert review from Fréttablaðið
"Erm, Im just here with my wife" said one of this writers pal at the bar on Sunday night, before admitting that in fact he was the one who insisted on buying tickets to the concert.
Most likely the same thing had happend to more of the almost 2000 people that showed up at Harpa for a meeting with Cyndi Lauper, the pop queen that was responsible for some of the most enduring songs of the 80s. And it is hard to imgaine that many were left dissapointed. Most people were there to hear the hits from the 80s, but they also got more then that.
With the new romantic image of Cyndi stuck in my head, it was a little weird to see the New York singer come onto the stage (possible after having a drink or two), dance like Janis Joplin and belt out some pure blues songs from her latest album Memphis Blues, which was the main part of the nights program. But the voice (and what a voice!) has lost nothing, gotten more mature and better if anything and gives the formula a brand new life.
In between Lauper threw in several crowd pleasers with great professionalism. She told long, weird stories (about grasshoppers, Fisherman's Friends throat tablets and more), talked to the audience in between songs, ran all over the hall during the songs Girls Just Want To Have Fun, She Bop and Change of Heart, got up on some of the seats and wipped to crowd in such frenzy that at one point she had to fight off an adoring fan (insert: no, it was not the Galaxy leder, just in case you were wondering).
She was excellent with the dulcimer in the beautiful "All Through The Night", "Time After Time" (that amazing song which was the highlight of the evening, even though the famous background vocals in the choprus were missing) and the final song of the evening, "True Colors". All of these songs alone would have made the concert well worth attending.
Some audience members complained about bad sound, especially at the beginning of the show, but it didnt seem to affect the overall experaince in Harpa on sunday night. Overall, this concert was fantastic entertainment. The band was a great support to the singer without taking anything away from her, and it is always enjoyable to see a fun artist who respects the audience and give their all. Well done.
Reults: Cyndi Lauper offered fantastic entertainment and gave her all.
After the concert the singer went over the street to the most popular Hot Dog stand in Reykjavik, much to the delight of customers there. Sadly I didnt dream she would appear there...
„Ég er nú bara hérna með konunni minni, sko," muldraði kunningi undirritaðs í röðinni við barinn á sunnudagskvöldið, en viðurkenndi svo eftir stutt spjall að hann hafði sjálfur heimtað að keyptir yrðu miðar á tónleikana.
Líklegt er að svipað hafi verið uppi á teningnum hjá fleirum af þeim hátt í tvö þúsund ný-sólbrenndu andlitum sem lögðu leið sína í Hörpu til fundar við Cyndi Lauper, poppdrottninguna sem ber ábyrgð á nokkrum af varanlegustu afurðum níunda áratugarins. Væntanlega hafa fáir orðið fyrir vonbrigðum. Flestir voru mættir til að heyra eitís-hittara og fengu þá í röðum, en líka ýmislegt fleira góðgæti í kaupbæti.
Með nýrómantíkur-ímyndina af Lauper pikkfasta í höfðinu var dálítið undarlegt að sjá söngkonuna frá New York brölta inn á sviðið (hugsanlega hefur hún hresst sig við með nokkrum áfengum blöndum á undan), dansa eins og Janis Joplin og syngja hreinræktaða blús-standarda af nýjustu plötu sinni, Memphis Blues, sem voru meginuppistaða prógrammsins. En röddin (og hvílík rödd!) hefur ekkert látið á sjá, frekar þroskast og eflst ef eitthvað er, og gæðir formúluna lífi.
Inn á milli skellti Lauper „krádplíserum" af mikilli kunnáttusemi. Hún brast í langar, skrítnar en sniðugar sögur (um engisprettur, Fisherman's Friend hálstöflur og fleira), spjallaði við áhorfendur milli laga, hljóp um allan Eldborgarsal í smellunum Girls Just Want To Have Fun, She Bop og Change of Heart, klöngraðist upp á stóla og kom mörgum gestum í svo gott stuð að á einum tímapunkti neyddist hún nánast til að berja af sér æstan aðdáanda.
Þá sýndi Lauper góða takta á kjöltugítarinn í hinum gullfallegu All Through The Night, Time After Time (því stórkostlega lagi sem var hápunktur kvöldsins, jafnvel þótt röddunina frægu í viðlaginu hafi vantað) og lokalaginu True Colors. Öll hefðu þessi lög ein og sér gert tónleikana vel þess virði að sækja.
Einhverjir áhorfenda kvörtuðu yfir slæmu sándi, sérstaklega í upphafi, en það virtist ekki koma um of niður á heildarupplifuninni í Hörpu á sunnudagskvöldið. Þessir tónleikar voru í það heila fyrirtaks skemmtun. Þétt bandið studdi dyggilega við bakið á Lauper, án þess þó að trana sér fram, og alltaf er jafn ánægjulegt að sjá skemmtilega listamenn sem bera virðingu fyrir áhorfendum sínum og gefa sig alla í verkefnið. Vel gert.
Niðurstaða: Cyndi Lauper bauð upp á frábæra skemmtun í Hörpu og gaf sig alla í verkefnið.
