March 11: Columbian singer Soraya was born on this date in 1969...

... she died on May 10, 2006 from breast cancer.

Soraya Raquel Lamilla Cuevas was born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, a year after her family moved to the U.S. from their native Colombia. The family moved back to Colombia when she was a baby, but when Soraya was eight years old, they returned to New Jersey.

Soraya first became interested in music at the age of five when she heard her uncle playing music in Colombia. Her uncle played "Pueblito Viejo," a Colombian traditional folk song using an instrument called the tiple - a triple string guitar.

Her parents bought her a guitar, which she taught herself how to play. She became proficient in classical violin, and her first 'public' performance was at Carnegie Hall in New York City as a member of the N.Y.C. Youth Philharmonic. Soraya was valedictorian of her class at Point Pleasant Boro High School, where she began writing her own music.

Soraya was only twelve years old when her mother was first diagnosed with breast cancer; she was eighteen when her mother had a recurrence and twenty-two when her mother died, in 1992. Soraya had said that her sense of responsibility increased because she needed to take care of her mother. Together they did breast-cancer research and participated in the Race for the Cure.

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Soraya attended Rutgers University in New Jersey, where she studied English literature, French philosophy, and women's studies. Initially, Soraya worried she might be too shy to play before big crowds, but she eventually triumphed over her fear and realized her tremendous talent as a live performer when she played to rapt audiences at coffee houses and around the Rutgers campus.

Soraya obtained a record contract with Polygram Records/Island Records in 1996. Her first album, released simultaneously in both English and Spanish was titled On Nights Like This / En Esta Noche. Both versions received  critical acclaim and enabled her to tour in the U.S., Latin America, and Europe, as a guest performer in concerts for musicians including Natalie Merchant, Zucchero, Sting, Michael Bolton, and Alanis Morissette.

Her songs climbed to the top of the charts across Latin American, European, and U.S. Hispanic markets. Her first single "Suddenly/De Repente" reached #1 in Billboard Latin Pop listings, with the English version receiving some mainstream Adult Contemporary airplay. Her second album, Torre de Marfil/ Wall of Smiles, titled after a song co-written with her idol Carole King was released in late 1997, and helped her attain worldwide recognition.

Unfortunately, in 2000, she was diagnosed with Stage III Breast Cancer, shortly after the release of her third album "Cuerpo y Alma / I'm Yours" — just days before she was about to tour and promote it.

Feeling healthy and in remission, Soraya returned to the music scene in 2003 with the release of her fourth and self-titled album Soraya. The songs reflected her struggles, beliefs, and love for life. She composed, produced, and arranged this Latin Grammy winner for "Best Album by a Singer-Songwriter" and once again - Soraya was at the top.


She released one more successful album, El Otro Lado de Mí, before she finally succumbed to the disease.

Soraya died of breast cancer on May 10, 2006, when she was 37. She was first diagnosed in 2000, at the age of 31, after finding a lump while conducting a routine self-examination. She was diagnosed at Stage III and had a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction as well as radiation therapy and chemotherapy. In addition to her own death and her mother, her grandmother and a maternal aunt also dies from breast cancer.


Soraya was a breast cancer advocate for support and education, especially of Hispanic women. Soraya became the first Latin spokesperson for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, touring the Americas to raise awareness. To encourage other women like herself, Soraya wrote and recorded "No One Else/Por Ser Quien Soy," a song that reflects her experience in fighting breast cancer. Both tracks can be downloaded on her official website. All proceeds benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.


http://www.soraya.com/

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Before she died, Soroya had two number-one songs on Billboard's Latin Pop Airplay charts. She recorded five albums.

Soroya won a 2004 Latin Grammy Award for the self titled album "Soraya" as "Best Album by Songwriter," which she produced, and a 2005 Latin Grammy Awards nomination for "Female Pop Vocal Album" for her album El Otro Lado de Mí (literally "The Other Side of Me.") She was the opening act for the 2005 Billboard Latin Music Awards.

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March 11: Bobby McFerrin - "Don't Worry, Be Happy" - is 61 today.

Robert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. was born in Manhattan, New York. His mother, Sara Copper, is a former soloist with regional opera companies, and in Broadway shows, and is a professor emeritus of music at Fullerton College in Fullerton, California. His father is the late operatic baritone Robert McFerrin, the first African American to be a regular with New York's Metropolitan Opera.

McFerrin's song "Don't Worry, Be Happy" was a No. 1 U.S. pop hit in 1988 and won Song of the Year and Record of the Year honors. McFerrin has also worked in collaboration with instrumental performers including pianists Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and Joe Zawinul, drummer Tony Williams, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

McFerrin often switches rapidly between modal and falsetto  when he sings to create polyphonic effects, performing both the main melody and the accompanying parts of songs. He makes use of percussive effects created both with his mouth and by tapping on his chest. McFerrin is also capable of multiphonic singing; as observed in his song "Drive" from the 2005 DVD Live in Montreal.

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In the late 1970s, while working as a piano accompanist for the University of Utah Modern Dance Department, McFerrin auditioned to play in a local piano bar - Room at the Top in the Salt Lake Hilton. Hired after auditioning with his entire repertoire of five songs, he learned a song a day for a month before starting.

In 1986, McFerrin was the voice of Santa Bear in "Santa Bear's First Christmas," and in 1987 he was the voice of Santa Bear/Bully Bear in the sequel "Santa Bear's High Flying Adventure." That same year, he performed the theme song for the opening credits of Season 4 of The Cosby Show, as well as the music for a Cadburys chocolate commercial.

In 1988, McFerrin recorded the hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy," which brought him widespread recognition. In 1989, he composed and performed the music for the Pixar short film Knick Knack. The rough cut to which McFerrin recorded his vocals had the words "blah blah blah" in place of the end credits (meant to indicate that he should improvise.) McFerrin spontaneously decided to sing "blah blah blah" as lyrics, and the final version of the short film includes these lyrics.

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Also in 1989, he formed a ten-person "Voicestra" which he featured on both his 1990 album Medicine Music and in the score to the 1989 Oscar-winning documentary Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt. The song "Common Threads" has frequently reappeared in some public service advertisements for AIDS. McFerrin also performed with the Vocal Summit.

In 1993 McFerrin sang Henry Mancini's "Pink Panther" theme for the movie Son of the Pink Panther. In addition to his vocal performing career, in 1994, Mr. McFerrin was appointed as creative chair of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. He makes regular tours as a guest conductor for symphony orchestras throughout the U.S. and Canada, including the San Francisco Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic and others.

In McFerrin's concert appearances, he combines serious conducting of classical pieces with his own unique vocal improvisations, often with participation from the audience and the orchestra.

In the late 1990s, he toured a concert version of Porgy and Bess, partly in honor of his father, who sang the role for Sidney Poitier in the 1959 film version. McFerrin said because of his father's work in the movie, "This music has been in my body for 40 years, probably longer than any other music."

McFerrin also participates in various music education programs, and makes volunteer appearances as a guest music teacher and lecturer at public schools throughout the U.S. McFerrin has a son, Taylor, and father and son have collaborated on various musical ventures.

In 2009, McFerrin and musician-scientist Daniel Levitin served as co-hosts of "The Music Instinct," a 2 hour award-winning documentary produced by PBS and based on Levitin's best-selling book This Is Your Brain On Music.


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March 10: Country singer-songwriter Carrie Underwood is 28 today.

Carrie Marie Underwood first came to the public's attention after winning the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005. She has since become a multi-platinum selling recording artist, a multiple Grammy Award winner, a Grand Ole Opry inductee, a Golden Globe Award nominee, a three-time Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Female Vocalist winner, a GMA Dove award winner, and is also the reigning Academy of Country Music (ACM) Entertainer of the Year.

She is the first ever female artist to win back-to-back ACM Awards for Entertainer of the Year. Carrie accomplished this feat by winning it in 2009 and 2010. As of May 2010, Underwood has sold 20 million singles and over 16 million albums worldwide.
Carrie is the only Female Artist to appear on the Top 10 of Billboard's Best Country Artists of the 2000 Decade list, ranked at #10. She was also ranked #50 on the Artists of the Decade list by Billboard. In 2010, Underwood was #3 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Artists, #4 on the Top Country Album Artists and #23 on Top Artists of 2010.

Her debut album, Some Hearts, was certified seven times platinum, and as of February 2006, was the fastest selling debut country album in Nielsen SoundScan history. It was also the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history, as of February 2008. Some Hearts yielded three number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs. Some Hearts named the Best Country Album of the 2000 Decade by Billboard.

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Her second album, Carnival Ride, was released in October  2007. By January 2010 it sold over 3 million copies, being certified 3 times Platinum, and produced four number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs.

Underwood released her third album, Play On, in November  2009. It has been certified Platinum twice and has produced three number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs so far.

Having 10 #1 Hits on Billboard Hot Country Songs, Underwood is tied with Reba McEntire as the Female Country Artist with Most #1 Hits on such chart from 1990 to present. She's also the only solo Country Artist to have a #1 hit on Billboard Hot 100 Songs in the 2000 decade, as "Inside Your Heaven" reached the top of the chart on July 2005.

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Underwood was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. She was raised on her parents' farm in the rural town of Checotah, Oklahoma. During her childhood, Underwood performed at Robbins Memorial Talent Show, sang at the Free Will Baptist Church and later at local events in Checotah. Underwood is an enrolled member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

Underwood graduated from Checotah High School in 2001 as salutatorian. After high school, she attended Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, graduating magna cum laude in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in mass communication and journalism. For two years during the summer, she performed in Northeastern State University's Downtown Country show in Tahlequah. She also competed in numerous beauty pageants at the university and was selected as Miss NSU runner-up in 2004.

In the summer of 2004, Underwood auditioned for American Idol in St. Louis, Missouri. After she sang "Could've Been" by Tiffany on the top 12 girls night, judge Simon Cowell commented that she would be one of the favorites to win the competition.

During the top 11 finalists' performance on the March 22, 2005, Idol episode, Underwood sang a rendition of the number one 1980s rock hit "Alone," made famous by Heart, and Cowell predicted that Underwood would not only win the competition, but she would also outsell all previous Idol winners.

One of the show's producers later said she dominated the voting, winning each week handily. She gained a fan base known as "Carrie's Care Bears" during the course of the show, and became the fourth season winner on May 25, 2005.

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March 10: teen actress, singer-songwriter Emily Osment is 19 years-old today.

Emily Jordan Osment was born in Los Angeles, California. Emily's mother Theresa is an English teacher. Her father, actor Michael Eugene Osment, has appeared in various films and was in Osment's movie Soccer Mom, and her older brother is the Academy Award-nominated actor Haley Joel Osment.

After working in several television films in her childhood, Osment co-starred as Gerti Giggles in Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over. Osment went on to co-star in the  Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana as Lilly Truscott as well as the series movie, Hannah Montana: The Movie.

She also starred as Cassie in R. L. Stine's: The Haunting Hour Volume One: Don't Think About It and most recently the Disney Channel Original Movie, Dadnapped as Melissa Morris.

Osment ventured into pop music and more recently alternative/indie rock where she has recorded pop hits like "I Don't Think About It," "If I Didn't Have You" alongside her Hannah Montana co-star Mitchel Musso, and most recently "Once Upon a Dream."

Osment's debut album, Fight or Flight was released on October 5, 2010 via Wind-up Records, and it features lead single "Let's Be Friends" which was released July 7, 2010.

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Emily Osment sang vocals in Billy Ray Cyrus's song "You've Got a Friend" from his 2007 album Home at Last. Osment has also recorded a song entitled "I Don't Think About It" for The Haunting Hour Volume One under the label Hatchery, for which she shot an accompanying music video. The video was released in The Haunting Hour DVD and premiered on Cartoon Network.

"I Don't Think About It" hit number one on the Radio Disney top three in July 2009. Osment also recorded a remake version of the song "If I Didn't Have You" with Mitchel Musso for the DisneyMania 6 CD.

Osment also recorded a song, released in 2008, with "The Disney Channel Circle Of Stars." Osment recorded a remake of "Once Upon a Dream" for the release of Sleeping Beauty 50th Platinum Edition. She also recorded a song called "Hero in Me" for Dadnapped.

Besides singing, Emily plays acoustic guitar, electric guitar and drums.

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March 9: Mark Lindsay, lead singer of Paul Revere & the Raiders is 69 today.

Lindsay was born in Eugene, Oregon and grew up in Idaho. He began performing at the age of fifteen with local bands that played locally and was invited to sing with Freddy Chapman and the Idaho Playboys after he won a local talent contest.

After Chapman moved away, Lindsay saw the other band members and a new member, Paul Revere, playing at a local hall. He persuaded them to let him to sing a few songs. The next day he was working at his regular job at a bakery when Paul Revere came in to buy supplies for a hamburger restaurant that he owned. This meeting "over pastries" began their professional relationship.

Lindsay became lead singer and saxophone player in a band with Revere and several others. He suggested they call themselves "The Downbeats" after a magazine with the same title.


They made some demo tapes in 1960 in Boise, Idaho, and signed with a record company called Gardena Records. The group scored their first national hit with the piano/sax instrumental "Like, Long Hair" which peaked at #38 in the Billboard charts on April 17, 1961.

After changing personnel a few more times, the band recorded the song "Louie, Louie" about the same time that a rival Northwestern band, The Kingsmen, recorded the song. The Kingsmen version was the one that charted nationally, but Mark and the band were also gaining notice.

Around the time "Louie, Louie" was recorded, they decided to use Paul Revere's name as a gimmick and bill themselves as Paul Revere & the Raiders. They began to dress in Revolutionary War-style outfits. Lindsay carried the theme a bit further by growing his hair out and pulling it back into a ponytail, which has become his signature look.

Lindsay and the group caught the attention of Dick Clark, who was developing Where the Action Is, an afternoon show for the teen market. Clark hired the group as regular performers, and the group soon became very successful. Lindsay's good looks and singing voice, quickly gained him immense popularity, and he became one an American teen idol in the 1960s. Lindsay soon started working not only as the singer of the group, but also as a composer and producer.

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The Raiders were the first rock group signed by Columbia Records and were produced by Terry Melcher, the son of actress and singer Doris Day. Lindsay and Melcher became friends. (They shared a house for a while, which later became infamous as the site of the horrific murders of actress Sharon Tate and others, committed by members of Charles Manson's "family.")

By 1968, Lindsay had completely taken over the writing and producing tasks for the group. Paul Revere & the Raiders had a revolving cast of band members, with only Revere and Mark Lindsay remaining in the group since its inception.

 Where the Action Is ceased production, and Dick Clark created another show, Happening 68, which was to be hosted by Paul Revere and Mark Lindsay and feature the group. The group itself was featured prominently in this show, whereas in Where the Action is, the entire group was part of an ensemble of other musical performers.

Happening '68 premiered in January 1968. The show was so popular that the group also hosted a daily version over the summer of 1968, called It's Happening. Happening '68 survived into 1969, at which point the name of the show became Happening. The show was canceled in October 1969.

By this time, Lindsay began to record solo records and to produce records for his fellow bandmate, Freddy Weller, who went on to have his own solo success in the country music genre.

Lindsay had some success with such songs as "Arizona" which sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc; and "Silverbird." He recorded "Indian Reservation," a song written by John Loudermilk years earlier, to be a solo recording, but the decision was made to release the song under the name "The Raiders" and it went on to be the only number one song in the group's history.

Mark continued to chart solo singles throughout 1970-71; "Miss America," "And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind" in 1970; "Problem Child," "Been too Long On the Road" and "Are You Old Enough" in 1971.

By the mid-seventies the group lost their Columbia contract. Mark Lindsay officially left the group in 1975 when he and Paul Revere apparently had different visions for the group and their own individual pursuits. He did make a few more appearances in 1976 for some Bicentennial performances, as well as a Dick Clark produced reunion with his Action era bandmates in 1977.

Lindsay continued to record solo singles for a few years before retiring from performing to serve as head of A&R for United Artists Records. He contributed to the recordings of artists such as Gerry Rafferty (on "Baker Street"), Kenny Rogers, and others. His also composed jingles for commercials - including Baskin Robbins, Datsun, Kodak, Pontiac and Levi's among others - and scores for motion pictures.

In the ensuing years Mark continued to collaborate and record and in 2003 announced he would retire from touring, but later reconsidered. A recording of his first "farewell" show was released in 2004.  

During of summer 2010, Lindsay had a heavy touring schedule throughout the U.S. as part of the Happy Together: 25th Anniversary Tour, along with Monkee Micky Dolenz, Flo & Eddie of The Turtles, Rob Grill of The Grass Roots, and The Buckinghams.

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March 9: Lloyd Price - "Stagger Lee," Personality" - is 78 today.

Lloyd Price grew up in a suburb of New Orleans. When he was young, he was taught to play trumpet and piano, sang in his church's gospel choir, and was a member of a combo in high school. When Art Rupe of Specialty Records came to New Orleans scouting for talent he heard Lloyd sing "Lawdy Miss Clawdy." Rupe hired Dave Bartholomew and his band - which included Fats Domino on piano - to arrange and back up Price in the recording session.

recorded in 1952, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" turned out to be a massive hit. Price followed up with "Oooh, Oooh, Oooh" which was also a hit, but not as big as "Lawdy." He continued to record for Speciality but did not chart another hit record for seven years.

In 1954 he was drafted and sent to in Korea. When he returned he found he had been replaced by Little Richard. In addition, his former chauffeur, Larry Williams, was also recording for the label, having released "Short Fat Fannie."

Price eventually formed KRC Records with Harold Logan and Bill Boskent. The first single was "Just Because," which was picked up by ABC Records. From 1957 to 1959 Price recorded a series of national hits on ABC Records that were successful adaptations of the New Orleans sound, including  "Stagger Lee," "Personality," which reached #2, and the #3 hit "I'm Gonna Get Married." ("Stack-o-Lee" is an old blues standard recorded many times previously by other artists.)

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"Stagger Lee" topped the pop and R&B charts, sold over a million copies. Dick Clark insisted the violent content of the song be toned down when Price appeared on American Bandstand but it was still the "violent" version that was on top of the R&B charts of 1959. (Merritt Mel Dalton played lead sax on all of Lloyd Price's early recording, including "Personality" and "Stagger Lee.")

In 1962, Price formed Double L Records with Logan. Wilson Pickett got his start on this label. In 1969, Logan was murdered. Price then founded a new label, Turntable, and opened a club by the same name in New York City.

Lloyd Price was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. On March 9, 2010, his 77th Birthday, in New Orleans, he was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and on June 20, 2010.

Price currently manages Icon Food Brands, which makes a line of primarily Southern-style foods, including Lawdy Miss Clawdy food products, ranging from canned greens to sweet potato cookies, and a line of Lloyd Price foods, such as Lloyd Price's Soulful 'n' Smooth Grits and Lloyd Price's Energy-2-Eat Bar plus Lawdy Miss Clawdy clothing and collectibles.

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