Jan. 30: Marty Balin founder and singer with Jefferson Airplane & Jefferson Starship is 69 today.

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Did you know?


Balin was mildly autistic as a child, and he struggled with this while growing up in Ohio, and it affected him into his adulthood.

His father Joe Buchwald was an important part in the 60s San Francisco music scene. As a lithographer, he was responsible for printing more than 200 different posters for shows at famous clubs like the Matrix, the Fillmore and Avalon Ballrooms. His mother, Jean Buchwald started and kept the Jefferson Airplane scrap books.

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Born Martyn Jerel Buchwald in Cincinnati, Ohio, Marty Balin is best known for his contributions to the pioneering San Francisco psychedelic band Jefferson Airplane. Marty Balin also enjoyed a successful solo career, scoring a Top Ten hit in 1981 with "Hearts."




Balin grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and later attended San Francisco State University. He initially pursued a career as a painter, but after appearing in a production of West Side Story he changed his name to Marty Balin and turned to music, with the encouragement of his close friend Ralph’s brother, Johnny Mathis.

Marty issued the solo singles "Nobody But You" and "I Specialize in Love" on Challenge Records in 1962.

Two years later he joined the folk combo the Town Criers, followed by a brief stint with the Gateway Singers. In 1965, Balin met singer/guitarist Paul Kantner at the local club the Drinking Gourd, and together they formed Jefferson Airplane. Initially a folk-rock venture, the group became the symbol and a leading figure of the psychedelic scene, scoring a gold record with their 1967 sophomore LP Surrealistic Pillow.

While vocalist Grace Slick was the focal point of hits such as "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit," Balin's soulful tenor proved a pivotal element of their sound as well, and he also wrote key compositions including "Today," "Share a Little Joke," and "Volunteers."

However, long-standing ego clashes with Kantner and Slick forced Balin out of Jefferson Airplane in 1971, he then formed the short-lived Bodacious D.F., which issued their lone, self-titled album two years later.


In early 1975 he rejoined the newly rechristened Jefferson Starship, contributing perhaps his most memorable effort with the smash single "Miracles." Balin also sang lead on the hits "With Your Love" and "Count on Me," but he again left the group in 1978, penning the rock opera Rock Justice before mounting a solo career with 1981's Balin, which generated "Hearts" and its follow-up, "Atlanta Lady."

Artwork by Marty Balin

After issuing 1983's Lucky, he next joined Kantner and fellow Airplane alum Jack Casady in the K.B.C. Band; in 1989, all three participated in a Jefferson Airplane reunion that yielded a new studio album and tour before sputtering out.

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In 1991, Balin issued Better Generation and two years later joined Kantner's Jefferson Starship - The Next Generation project, concurrently continuing his solo career with 1997's Freedom Flight. The album Marty Balin's Greatest Hits released in 2000, assembled re-recordings of past favorites.


In 2003, Balin issued the self titled CD Marty Balin, the first of several independent albums issued on his Balince Music label.

As of 2008, Balin continues to perform part-time with Jefferson Starship and had intended to record lead vocals for two tracks for their latest album, Jefferson's Tree of Liberty. However, his art touring schedule conflicted with studio sessions and instead the track "Maybe for You" from the German release of Windows of Heaven was included.


He has also released Nashville Sessions in 2008, Nothin’ 2 Lose and Time for Every Season in 2009, and Blue Highway in 2010.

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Jan. 29: Singer and dancer Claudine Longet is 69 today.

Born in Paris, France, Claudine Georgette Longet was a popular singer and recording artist in the 1960s and 1970s. She was best known as the ex-wife of singer Andy Williams - and later for being convicted of “misdemeanor negligent homicide” in the death of skiing star Spider Sabich in 1976.

Longet was a dancer at the Folies Bergere in Las Vegas. and met Andy Williams when he pulled over to aid her on a desert road. They married on Christmas Day 1961 and had three children together.

In 1968, she appeared in The Party with Peter Sellers and sang “Nothing To Lose” by Henry Mancini.

Longet recorded a series of five albums for A&M Records between 1966 and 1970 and two albums for Williams’s Barnaby label in 1971 and 1972. She also made frequent acting appearances in television series and appeared from time to time on Williams’ variety series and specials.

Williams called Longet a “my favorite French singer.” She and Williams separated in 1969 but did not divorce for six more years.



Peter “Spider” Sabich, Jr was an American alpine ski racer. He was a member of the U.S. Ski Team in the late 1960s and competed at the 1968 Winter Olympics; he was the pro ski racing champion in 1971 & 1972.

Late in the afternoon of March 21, 1976, Sabich had returned from a day of skiing in Aspen and was preparing to shower. He was fatally shot in the bathroom of his Starwood home by his live-in girlfriend, singer-actress Claudine Longet, then age 34.

The two had met at a pro-celebrity event four years earlier in 1972 in Bear Valley, California, and were quickly an item. She claimed the gun discharged accidentally, as he was showing her how it worked.

He was hit in the abdomen and lost a significant amount of blood before the ambulance arrived. He died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, with Longet at his side. Spider Sabich was 30 years old.

Longet was charged with reckless manslaughter. She was convicted in early 1977 of a lesser charge, criminally negligent homicide, a misdemeanor.


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Longet was sentenced to just 30 days in jail, and allowed to serve the time at her convenience. She served her sentence three months later, following a vacation with her married defense attorney, Ron Austin. The two would later marry and continue to live in the Aspen area.

Longet has never performed again after the criminal trial, and the Sabich family initiated civil proceedings to sue Longet. The case was eventually settled out of court for a large monetary settlement, with the proviso that Longet never tell or write about her story.



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Jan. 29: Unsung Motown bassist, James Jamerson - “Reach Out I’ll Be There” - was born on this date in 1936 ...

... he was 47-years-old when he died on August 2, 1983.

Did you know?
Though few among the record-buying public ever never knew Jamerson by name, they were well-acquainted with his work, which included the bass lines on such Motown classics as “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” by the Four Tops; “Dancing in the Street,” by Martha and the Vandellas; “I Was Made to Love Her,” by Stevie Wonder; and “You Can’t Hurry Love,” by the Supremes.

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Jamerson was known for his unique RH technique for playing the electric bass. Adapted from his time as an upright player during his early career, he played using only the index finger on his RH which he dubbed “the hook.”
The other fingers rested on the pickup guard of his stock 1962 Fender Precision Bass (P-Bass).

He was also one of the first bass players in popular music to incorporate the use of a lot of open string passing tones (notes that do not fall within the chord structure), This is another “trick” used by upright bass players, to facilitate easier movement around the large neck and fingerboard of the upright instrument. This lead him to have a sound easily distinguished amongst his peers.

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One of the unsung heroes of the Motown sound, James Jamerson was described by Motown founder Berry Gordy as “a genius on the bass...and incredible improviser in the studio and somebody I always wanted on my sessions.” He was the anchor of the in-house group at Motown dubbed the Funk Brothers.

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His groove-oriented melodicism brought about a broader awareness of the role and possibilities of the bass guitar, and no less an authority than Paul McCartney rates him as an influence on his own playing. In a 1995 interview with Bass Guitar magazine, McCartney recalled his training on the instrument: “I started listening to other bass players mainly Motown. As time went on, James Jamerson became my hero...because he was so good and melodic.”

Born in 1938 in Charleston, South Carolina, Jamerson moved to Detroit in the early Fifties. He took up the bass in high school and joined Jackie Wilson’s band later in the decade.


In 1959, Jamerson became a founding member of Motown studio band, and his inventive work on the Fender Precision bass proved a defining element of the Motown sound. In 1964, he stopped touring to devote himself exclusively to studio work at Motown’s “Hitsville” headquarters, on West Grand Boulevard in Detroit.

One of the guarded secrets of the Motown sound was the interaction between bass and drums. According to Motown keyboardist and bandleader Earl Van Dyke, “We were sworn to secrecy, and one of the secrets was between James and [drummers] Benny Benjamin and Uriel Jones.” Jamerson followed the company west when Berry moved Motown’s headquarters to Los Angeles, but the association between Motown and Jamerson ended in 1973.

Jamerson, who’d been battling alcoholism, died of pneumonia in 1983 at the age of 45.


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Jan. 28: Canadian singer, songwriter Sarah McLachlan - "Angel," "I Will Remember You" - is 43 today.

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Did you know?

Sarah McLachlan was awarded the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Visionary Award in 1998 for advancing the careers of women in music. In 1999, she was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada (OC) in recognition of her successful recording career, her role in Lilith Fair, and the charitable donations she made to women's shelters across Canada. In 2001, she was inducted to the Order of British Columbia (OBC.)

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Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC, who specializes in emotional ballads has sold over 40 million albums worldwide.

McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won four Grammy nominations - winning two - and four Juno Awards. Sarah founded the Lilith Fair tour, which showcases female musicians. Concerts took place from 1997 to 1999, and resumed in 2010.

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Sarah McLachlan was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. As a child, she took voice lessons, along with studies in classical piano and guitar. When she was 17 years old and in high school, she fronted a rock band called The October Game. Her high school yearbook predicted that she was "destined to become a famous rock star."

Following The October Game's first concert at Dalhousie University, McLachlan was offered a recording contract with Vancouver-based independent record label Nettwerk. Her parents insisted she finish high school and complete one year of studies at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Two years later, McLachlan signed with Nettwerk.

After signing the recording contract, McLachlan moved to Vancouver, British Columbia and recorded the album, Touch in 1988, which included the hit song "Vox."

Her 1991 album, Solace, was her mainstream breakthrough in Canada, spawning the hit singles "The Path of Thorns (Terms)" and "Into the Fire." Solace also marked the beginning of her partnership with Pierre Marchand. Marchand and McLachlan have been collaborators ever since, with Marchand producing all of McLachlan's albums and occasionally co-writing songs.

In 1993 she released Fumbling Towards Ecstasy which was an immediate hit in Canada. Over the next two years, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy quietly became McLachlan's international breakthrough as well, charting in many countries.

Following the success of Fumbling ..., McLachlan returned in 1997 with Surfacing, her best selling album to date. Earning her two Grammy Awards and four Juno Awards, the album has since sold over 11 million copies worldwide and brought her much international success.

Her song "Angel"—inspired by the fatal overdose of Smashing Pumpkins touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin—made sales skyrocket. In Spring 1998, the motion picture City of Angels featured "Angel." It became the No. 1 album on the Billboard chart.

In 1996 McLachlan became frustrated with concert promoters and radio stations that refused to feature two female musicians in a row. Bucking conventional industry wisdom, she booked a successful tour for herself and Paula Cole. At least one of their appearances together – in McLachlan's home town, on September 14, 1996 – went by the name "Lilith Fair" and included performances by McLachlan, Cole, Lisa Loeb and Michelle McAdorey, formerly of Crash Vegas.

The next year, McLachlan founded the Lilith Fair tour, taking Lilith from the medieval Jewish legend that Lilith was Adam's first wife.

 

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In 1997, Lilith Fair, featuring McLachlan as one of the headlining acts, garnered a $16 million gross, making it the top-grossing of any touring festival.

Lilith Fair tour brought together 2 million people over its three-year history and raised more than $7 million for charities. It was the most successful all-female music festival in history and helped launch the careers of several well-known female artists.

In 1998 McLachlan began an extended period away from recording or touring. Six years elapsed between the release of Surfacing and that of her next studio album.

McLachlan returned to public life and touring with her 2003 album release, Afterglow, which contained the singles "Fallen," "Stupid," and "World On Fire." Rather than shoot a conventional music video for "World On Fire," McLachlan donated all but $15 of the $150,000 budget to various charitable causes around the world and then used the video to explain how it benefited the communities that received the money.

Since then, Sarah has appeared, recorded and collaborated with many leading recording artists. She has also

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McLachlan has been nominated for twenty-one Juno Awards and awarded eight. In 1998, she won Female Vocalist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year (along with Pierre Marchand), Single of the Year for "Building a Mystery," and Album of the Year for Surfacing.

In 2000, she won an International Achievement award and in 2004, won Pop Album of the Year for Afterglow and again shared the Songwriter of the Year award with Pierre Marchand for the singles "Fallen," "World on Fire," and "Stupid."

She has also won three Grammy Awards. She was awarded Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1997 for "Building a Mystery" and again in 1999 for the live version of "I Will Remember You." She also scored Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 1997 for "Last Dance." Among these, she is credited for various nominations.

Sarah is an avid supporter of the ASPCA and animal welfare. McLachlan also funds an outreach program in Vancouver that provides music education for inner city children. In 2007, the provincial government announced $500,000 in funding for the outreach program.

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Jan. 26: Jazz and soul singer Anita Baker is 53 today.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Anita Baker has won eight Grammy Awards, and has four platinum albums and two gold albums to her credit?

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Anita Baker was born in Toledo, Ohio, and raised in Detroit, Michigan where she grew up listening to female jazz singers including Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, and Ella Fitzgerald. At age 12, she began singing a gospel choir, and by age 16 she was performing with several local bands.

In 1975, she successfully auditioned for Chapter 8, one of Detroit's most popular acts at the time. The group eventually signed with Ariola and released an album in 1979, but were immediately dropped when the label was acquired by Arista - which didn't care for Baker's vocals.

Disheartened, Baker worked low-paying jobs in Detroit and found steady work as a receptionist at a law firm. In 1982, Otis Smith - who'd worked with Chapter 8 - contacted Baker about recording for his new label Beverly Glen. Baker was reluctant at first, not wanting to give up her "job security,"  but eventually relented and flew out to the West Coast to record her debut album, The Songstress, in 1983 on a small label, Beverly Glen Records.

The album only had minor success on the R&B chart but did help launch Anita's career. Baker co-wrote the album's opening track, "Angel."

In 1985, Baker signed a contract with Elektra Records, and released her second album, Rapture, the following year. Baker wrote several tracks for the album including "Been So Long" and "Watch Your Step," and co-wrote the single "Sweet Love."

"Sweet Love" became her first mainstream hit, peaking at number eight on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, number two on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and making the Top 20 in the United Kingdom. "Caught Up in the Rapture," "No One in the World," and "Same Ole Love" also became major R&B and adult contemporary chart hits during 1986 and 1987.

Rapture proved to be Anita's biggest-selling album during her career selling nearly eight million copies worldwide and earning her two Grammy Awards in 1987: Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female for the album and Best Rhythm & Blues Song for "Sweet Love." (Baker's world tour for her Rapture album, entitled A Night of Rapture, was filmed and released on DVD in 2007.)

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In 1987, Baker collaborated with The Winans on the single "Ain't No Need to Worry," which led Baker to her third Grammy Award the following year, in the Best Soul Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus category.

Baker's third album, Giving You the Best That I Got, was released in October 1988. The album became a critical and commercial success, reaching number one on the Billboard 200 chart and selling five million copies worldwide - including three million in the U.S. It featured such hits as "Just Because" and the title track, which became Baker's biggest pop hit, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 while topping both the R&B and adult contemporary charts. The album also won three more Grammy awards.

Baker returned to the studio in 1990 for her third Elektra album entitled Compositions. Baker became more involved in the songwriting and production process and began to experiment with jazz influences. Baker wrote or co-wrote seven of the nine songs on the album, including the hits "Talk to Me," "Fairy Tales," "No One to Blame," and "Whatever It Takes" (co-written with Gerald Levert).

The album was mostly cut "live," in that the rhythm section was playing as Baker sang. The album included musicians Greg Phillinganes, Nathan East, Paulinho da Costa, Vernon Fails, Ricky Lawson, and Stephen Ferrone.

The three singles from Compositions became top twenty hits on the R&B chart and were also moderate adult contemporary hits. Compositions peaked at number five on the Billboard 200, number three on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and number four on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums, and was certified platinum by RIAA.

The album also earned Baker her seventh Grammy Award and her fourth in the category of Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Baker had an amazing streak; she won in that category four out of the five years between 1987 - 1991.

After almost five years of touring, performing, and recording non-stop, Baker took a break, only entering the studio to record the jazz standard "Witchcraft" with Frank Sinatra for his 1993 Duets album.

Baker's fifth album, Rhythm of Love, was issued in September 1994. Baker wrote five of the album's twelve songs, and she produced most of the album herself. It was mainly recorded at Baker's home due to her pregnancy at the time. The album was another commercial success, peaking at number three on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and eventually being certified double platinum by the RIAA.

The first single, "Body and Soul," became Baker's first U.S. top forty hit in over five years. Baker won the award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the single "I Apologize" at the 1996 Grammy Awards, her fifth Grammy Award in this category and her eighth overall.

In March 2004, Blue Note Records announced that they had signed Baker to an exclusive recording contract that would result in at least two albums. At the same time Rhino Records released A Night of Rapture: Live, a compilation that contained nine live tracks and three multimedia videos recorded in the late 1980s.

In September 2004, a decade after her last studio album, Baker released a new album, entitled My Everything. Baker wrote or co-wrote nine of this album's ten tracks, including a duet with Babyface, "Like You Used to Do." Though she had been out of the limelight for a while, the album was a success and debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album was certified gold by the RIAA.

In October 2005, Baker released her first Christmas album, Christmas Fantasy. She received a Grammy Award nomination in 2007 for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for the song "Christmas Time Is Here."

Baker will be releasing a new album in the beginning of 2011 entitled 21st Century Love.

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Jan. 25: Multiple Grammy winner, Alicia Keys is 30 years old today.

Born Alicia Augello Cook - better known by her stage name Alicia Keys - she has won numerous awards and has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Billboard magazine named her the top R&B artist of the 2000–2009 decade, establishing herself as one of the best-selling artists of her time. In 2010, VH1 included Keys on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

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Alicia was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began to play classical music on the piano. She received formal training in classical piano and jazz stylings of Oscar Peterson, Fats Waller, and Marian McPartland with her instructor Margaret Pine.


Alicia then attended the Professional Performing Arts School under the tutelage of Miss Aziza, a bold pianist who wrote and composed original songs, that Keys was introduced to the art of songwriting and producing.

Discovered by manager Jeff Robinson in 1994 at a Harlem PAL when she was 14, Keys performed throughout the tri-state area, anywhere and everywhere she could from tiny clubs to street corners. Alicia graduated from the Professional Performing Arts School at 16 as valedictorian.

Robinson introduced Keys to her future A&R at Arista Records, Peter Edge, who later described his first impressions to HitQuarters: "I had never met a young R&B artist with that level of musicianship. So many people were just singing on top of loops and tracks, but she had the ability, not only to be part of hip-hop, but also to go way beyond that."


Edge helped Robinson create a showcase for Keys and also got involved in developing her demo material. He was keen to sign Keys himself but was unable to do so at that time due to being on the verge of leaving his present record company. Keys signed to Columbia Records soon after.

At the same time as signing a recording contract with Columbia, Keys was accepted into Columbia University in New York City. At first, Keys attempted to manage both but after four weeks dropped out of college to pursue her musical career full time

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Keys was strongly influenced by music from all different generations and disciplines including the essential music of Nina Simone, Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder; classical compositions of Frederic Chopin, Erik Satie, and Leontyne Price; and urban lyricists such as Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z and the Wu-Tang Clan.


Keys released her debut album with Clive Davis’ J Records, having had previous record deals first with Columbia and then Arista Records. The road was far from being easy, but Keys’ eclectic education and early life lessons inspired her musical hybrid of soul, hip-hop, jazz and classical.

Keys' debut album, Songs in A Minor, was a commercial success, selling over 12 million copies worldwide. She became the best-selling new artist and best-selling R&B artist of 2001. The album earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Fallin'."


Her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, was released in 2003 and was also another success worldwide, selling eight million copies. The album garnered her an additional four Grammy Awards in 2005.

Later that year, she released her first live album, Unplugged, which debuted at number one in the United States. She became the first female to have an MTV Unplugged album to debut at number one and the highest since Nirvana in 1994.

Keys made guest appearances on several television series in the following years, beginning with Charmed. She made her film debut in Smokin' Aces and went on to appear in The Nanny Diaries in 2007.


Her third studio album, As I Am, was released in the same year and sold six million copies worldwide, earning Keys an additional three Grammy Awards. The following year, she appeared in The Secret Life of Bees, which earned her a nomination at the NAACP Image Awards.

She released her fourth album, The Element of Freedom, in December 2009, which became Keys' first chart-topping album in the United Kingdom.

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Keys is the co-founder and Global Ambassador of Keep a Child Alive, a non-profit organization that provides medicine to families with HIV and AIDS in Africa. Keys and U2 lead singer Bono recorded a cover version of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush's "Don't Give Up," in recognition of World AIDS Day 2005.

Keys and Bono's version of the song was retitled "Don't Give Up (Africa)" to reflect the nature of the charity. She visited African countries such as Uganda, Kenya and South Africa to promote care for children affected by AIDS. Her work in Africa was documented in the documentary Alicia in Africa: Journey to the Motherland.

Keys has also donated to Frum tha Ground Up, a non-profit organization that aids children and teenagers with scholarships. She performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the worldwide Live 8 concerts to raise awareness of the poverty in Africa and to pressure the G8 leaders to take action.


In 2005, Keys performed on ReAct Now: Music & Relief and Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast, two benefit programs that raised money for those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

In July 2007, Keys and Keith Urban performed The Rolling Stones' 1969 song "Gimme Shelter" at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey at the American leg of the Live Earth concerts.

Keys performed Donny Hathaway's 1973 song "Someday We'll All Be Free" at the America: A Tribute to Heroes televised benefit concert following the September 11 attacks.


For her work, Keys was honored at the 2009 BET Awards with the Humanitarian Award. Keys performed the song "Prelude to a Kiss," retitled "Send Me an Angel", from her 2007 album As I Am for the "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" telethon in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

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