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Happy Birthday Chris Isaak! Christopher Joseph Isaak born this day in Stockton, CA. Hits include: >>> "Wicked Game",  >>> "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing", >>> "San Francisco Days",  >>> "Somebody's Crying", >>> "Blue Hotel", >>> "Can't Do a Thing (To Stop Me)", >>> "Lie To Me", >>>  "Don't Make Me Dream About You", >>> "Only the Lonely",... > Chris attended Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Stockton, Isaak was class president all three years, student body president of his senior class, head of the all-male cheer squad, and the class of 1974 valedictorian. > After graduating from the University of the Pacific,, Isaak put together his first band, Silvertone, a rockabilly group. The name was borrowed from the guitar brand popularized in the 1950s. The group remained with Isaak as his permanent backing band. > Isaak's best known song is "Wicked Game" was first released on the 1989 album Heart Shaped World, and an instrumental version of the song was subsequently featured in the 1990 David Lynch film Wild at Heart. > The music video for "Wicked Game" was directed by Herb Ritts and was an MTV and VH1 hit; shot in black and white, it featured Isaak and supermodel Helena Christensen in a sensual encounter on the beach, caressing each other and whispering in each other's ears.  > "Two Hearts" from Isaak's fourth album, San Francisco Days, was featured in the closing credits of True Romance, a 1993 film directed by Tony Scott, written by Quentin Tarantino, and starring Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette. >  "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" was featured in Stanley Kubrick's final film, Eyes Wide Shut, in 1999. The music video for the song was directed by Herb Ritts (his second collaboration with Isaak); it was shot in color and featured Isaak and French supermodel Laetitia Casta in a motel room. > Isaak composed a theme song for U.S. late-night television variety-talk show The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. > "Life Will Go On" from this album was featured in Chasing Liberty, a 2004 film starring Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode. > In addition to his music, Isaak has acted in film and television — as a main character or more often in smaller roles. A few of his larger film roles included David Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me in 1992 and in the 1993 Bernardo Bertolucci-directed Little Buddha, in which he starred alongside Bridget Fonda and Keanu Reeves. Other motion pictures roles included Married to the Mob, The Silence of the Lambs, That Thing You Do!, A Dirty Shame, and The Informers. > Isaak guest-starred in the special Super Bowl XXX edition of the television sitcom Friends in 1996. >  The Chris Isaak Show and the talk show The Chris Isaak Hour aired on Showtime from 2001-2004. > In 2009, The Biography Channel aired The Chris Isaak Hour, a one-hour music interview and performance show hosted by Isaak. > Isaak revealed in a 2002 interview with Acoustic Guitar that he uses a one-of-a-kind Gibson.

What’s Going On

Mustard Talks ‘Not Like Us’ Success, Nipsey Hussle Helping Name His New Album & More | Billboard News https://ift.tt/3HuXhqz Mustard is riding high off of his success with Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” He sits down with us and gives us the inside scoop on how he helped create it and how it changed his life, how the late Nipsey Hussle helped name his new album ‘FAITH OF A MUSTARD SEED’ and his opinion on why the Kendrick & Drake beef was good for hip-hop. He goes in-depth about his latest single “Parking Lot” with Travis Scott, his divorce, collaborating with Rihanna, Mariah Carey and more! Mustard: Drake and Kendrick and even J. Cole, they all came and just made this thing the top of- It’s back. Would you guys rather me stay with this lady and me be unhappy and me dog her or something? What would you want me to do? I remember like the last conversation I had with Nipsey he was telling me to name that album ‘FAITH OF A MUSTARD SEED.’ What up, it’s Mustard, and you’re watching Billboard News. Tetris Kelly: You picked the perfect time to stop by Billboard. Hot 100, No. 1 song-  Mustard: Yeah. Tetris Kelly: “Not Like Us,” man. How’s it feel at this point of your career to be topping the Hot 100?  Man, I keep saying it. And I can’t say enough. It’s got to be God. Like, because you think about it, it’s like I think like a couple months ago, I knew I had this whole album. And I’m just like, Okay, what am I gonna do to get myself back hot? What am I going to do to? You know, I can’t I want to do drip checks no more. I did that already. I don’t want to do the weight check stuff. I’ve done that already. I want to get as much as in shape as I can, but you know, I was just like, what am I going to do? How are we going to spark for people to be like, oh, I want to hear Mustard, again? You know, that’s just like, I think every artist would think about that. And then the song came out.  Tetris Kelly:  Well, there’s my Apple promotion.  Keep watching to learn more via Billboard https://ift.tt/iQatIdo June 28, 2024 at 01:00PM

June 7, 1958 #HappyBirthday @prince On his 35th birthday, #Prince changes his name to an unpronounceable symbol, making him, literally, an icon. Prince signed his first record contract at age 18 in 1977 when he made a deal with Warner Bros. Records that gave him lots of creative freedom and ensured that he would produce his own material. The arrangement worked out well for both sides, with Warners funding his experimental whims and making loads of money in the process. In 1992, Prince extended the contract in a deal that paid him $10 million for every album selling over 5 million copies, as his previous effort, Diamonds & Pearls, did. But while his label was looking for focused attention on every album in an effort to maximize revenue, Prince wanted to empty the vault, releasing lots of material. When Warners rejected this strategy, Prince made his beef very public, appearing with the word "Slave" scrawled across his face. Since the label owned the "Prince" output, he decided to change his name to something they couldn't control. Prince announces the name change in a statement that reads, "It is an unpronounceable symbol whose meaning has not been identified. It's all about thinking in new ways, tuning in 2 a new free-quency." Since the symbol cannot be rendered on a keyboard, Warner Bros. sends out floppy discs to media outlets with the digital image. Some publications use it, but most refer to him as "The Artist Formerly Known As Prince." Some fans fudge it like this: O(+> As for the symbol, it started out as a mashup of the male and female signs (♂ ♀), first appearing within the first "9" on the 1999 album cover (1982), then on his motorcycle in his 1984 movie Purple Rain. It showed up again on the Graffiti Bridge album cover in 1990. This symbol could not be copyrighted, so Prince hired a Minneapolis design studio, HDMG, to tweak the glyph, adding a horn-like figure across it, giving it a unique identifier. He copyrighted this version and used it as the title of his 1992 album, then as his name (although legally, he is still Prince Rogers Nelson). In 1999, he talks about the name change in an interview with Larry King: "I had to search deep within my heart and spirit, and I wanted to make a change and move to a new plateau in my life. And one of the ways in which I did that was to change my name. It sort of divorced me from the past and all the hangups that go along with it. We had some issues that were basically about ownership of the music and how often I was supposed to record and things like that. We got along otherwise." In 2000, he goes back to "Prince" when his contract with Warner Bros. expires.

People who know me well, whether at Henderson Loggie or beyond, may think that a LinkedIn post celebrating Shed Seven being top of the UK Album Chart is just a shameless celebration of a glorious achievement by my favourite band   And while it is 😉 ……. might there be lessons to be learned for all of us in business?   The background story is that the band were formed during the Britpop scene. By topping the charts in 2024, it means the group has had the longest gap (more than 29 years) between a debut LP and its first number one album   Clearly it was just ‘A Matter of Time’, but what can we learn from this?   - For nearly 30 years they have had a vision for their music and stayed true to their sound with unwavering belief, even if success has not followed as they might have expected; - They maintained their quality, rather than bow to commercial pop fads; - They’ve trusted and committed to the process; - Theirs is a story of resilience and Getting Better all the time; - Week by week, month by month and year by year, marginal gains have led to Better Days - The band has stayed connected to their audience and continue to work really really hard at staying connected day in, day out. This connection continues to grow their customer base with referrals and next generations finding their music; - The band had a Wildly Important Goal (WIG) – they weren’t Chasing Rainbows, their goal was for their new album to reach Number One on its release last week; - During 2023 they mobilised their customer base to get behind that WIG - The Band’s Marketing and Communications in the past 6 months have been amazing and absolutely aligned to their stated goal; - All that said, they have fun – if you’ve seen them play live, you’ll know this;   Shed Seven have been On Standby long enough, well done to The Heroes from York, It’s Not Easy when you are Going for Gold, but Mark my words, they are the Talk of the Town now!   #vision #trust #teamwork #goalsetting #resilience #success    

It's Friday so I'm posting about Britney Spears. [this is not the beginning of a pattern, promise] I've never been a fan, but she was ascendant in my teens and twenties. Why Britney? In truth she's just the vehicle here– Steve Kemper used her as a point on his 'Wavy Line'* yesterday, furthering this week's theme: covers. (note: each week builds on a unique theme) In this edition Steve presents Spears' "Toxic". In his words: Cover 1: "I bet you didn’t think the winning formula for this song would highlight a sitar, a vintage stage band groove, & a horn section, but here I am telling you that it does." Cover 2: "Perri channels those resurgent 80’s synth-drenched vibes that remind me a bit of early CHVRCHES & maybe even Kraftwerk...He even has a voice that makes me think of perfect quaffed hair, turtle necks, & pleated pants." The concept of 'covers', and the choice to offer 2 covers in each edition, helped me reflect on my teens and twenties (when I was not listening to Britney)–it was a time when I saw/lived life in a pretty binary way: 0 or 1; black or white; nothing between. I think there was upside: I developed a lot of conviction, consistency, and could fully commit–concentrated surface area led to intensity. I didn't leak time, energy, or emotion on the in-betweens. There was certainly downside: Conviction with so little absolute life experience means I was often wrong. I turned off many people who weren't 0 or 1 and missed the richness of their views + what they could teach me. I didn't develop the muscle to reason across the spectrum. And of course I didn't realize very few things are 0 or 1. (I do think there are some absolute truths, though I have been enlightened about the 'Half-Life of Facts' - see link 2nd comment) Confronting 2 (arguably 3) versions of "the same thing" this week, and appreciating them for what they are, has been a welcome reminder of my evolution. Who woulda thought Britney would do that for me :) Steve's been a great guide–providing light context and commentary on the artists, and of course spotlighting the next point on the Wavy Line* 📈📉📈📉 *The Wavy Line: the almost-daily newsletter has been a great source of discovery (Spotify algos just don't do it for me) and a welcome nudge to think about themes, pattern recognition, and through-lines as I listen. The 1-song (exception for covers) approach is bite-sized versus entire albums I encounter in other newsletter. It's a newer project wrapping up week 2. I highly suggest giving the subscription a try. Link in 1st comment. Image credit: Kristopher Harris. Link in comments.

#922 (11/21/23) Tues Wake-up: Don’t settle for ordinary It's another lonely evening In another lonely town But I ain't too young to worry And I ain't too old to cry   Ride On AC/DC This AC/DC song is an uncharacteristically slow blues balad for the band. Bon Scott provided the vocals for the song, which was originally released on the “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” album and then re-released on the “Who Made Who” album. The song focuses a man reflecting on his mistakes he has made in a relationship and with alcohol and the hopes he might turn himself around. In 1979 the French rock band Trust covered the song on their debut album after they supported AC/DC when they played live in Paris in late 1978. Bon Scott was so impressed that he came back to jam on this song with Trust at the Scorpio Studios in London on Feb 13th, 1980, only six days before his death. A recording of that session was released on the bootleg Bon Scott Forever Vol 1. AC/DC has only played the song live in their show once, which happened on June 11, 2001 while performing outside of Paris at the Stade de France on their Stiff Upper Lip tour. They performed it in their encore, announcing they were playing it for John Lee Hooker, who had died the day before. AC/DC have sold more than 200 million records worldwide and more than 71 million albums in the US, making them the 10th highest selling artist in the US and 14th worldwide. Jim Rohn reminds us, “If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” Change will come, whether you are ready for it or not. Resist the urge to reject anything you feel is unusual as many times it’s a subconscious mechanism to try and slow down change. Change will come, whether you are ready for it or not, and by rejecting the unusual, you are likely to miss key opportunities to better leverage the change all around you. Alone we are strong but #togetherwearestronger #bestrong #alwaysthere #liftsomebodyup #mindsetmatters

Can we have a moment of silence for a peaceful resolution to the rap-beef? When I penned my earlier thoughts on the K. dot vs Drake debacle, I realised things could easily spill over into violence and tragedy, and I actually felt a bit bad at the time, for the overly jovial tone of my post. We know full well that with famous rappers, as in politics, there may be a degree of criminality and gangsterism involved, and the stakes often spill over from purely reputational damage, into the life-or-death realm of physical violence... As predicted, K.dot fans, who -after loyally enduring years of silence between - releases were treated to a deluge of new music, albeit fueled by powerful negative emotions. As an erstwhile producer myself, who has tried in the past (not very successfully) to work in hip hop, I was interested in the dispute from a musical standpoint, and from that vantage I remain adamant that Kendrick has decisively emerged as the victor. No sooner had I posted my ramblings, then new diss tracks were released, and they elicited in me exactly the opposite effect as I’d experienced the first time around. Whereas I was enthralled by “Push Ups” and “Euphoria”, these new attacks felt ugly, and left a bad taste in the mouth when listening – although here too there was a demonstration of musical mastery on display, notably from team Kendrick, but on both sides. "Meet the Grahams" with its 90’s sitcom style beat is particularly catchy, (although, ‘haunting’ feels like the more accurate word here). There was a sense of brooding violence in the air and in the social media sphere then, - borne out this weekend as reports of a shooting at Drake’s Toronto mansion were seen in media. But is the whole thing a staged Diss-Track-Tion as some hip hop heads claim? I don’t think so. I reckon it’s just the laws of capitalist mass media and marketing. The public clash of two celebrity icons was just a more appealing – perhaps more palatable – story at the time, and more sellable than, for example, the tension around elections; the battles raging in Gaza, in Ukraine and other war-torn lands; or the AI arms race. Conflict is at the heart of all storytelling. We have yet to find a way to detoxify our social media networks, which seem to thrive on discontent. Similarly, traditional media is perpetuated by news of tragedy, far more than by celebrations of all that is good in life. Imbalance is the turbine that propels a story forward. But, for those of us lucky enough to live in places where peace reigns, the constant tales of war are a bit too much conflict for us to deal with, an overload of narrative, cognitive stress. Whereas a public war between two very powerful influential men, with its intense-yet-tolerable stakes, is somehow more entertaining. From an artistic standpoint, the whole ordeal really blurs the lines between music and life & between news and fiction. It's a level of ‘you-can’t-make-this-stuff-up’ that is only possible in 2024.

Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin died leaving two Wills of different dates, one of which was found stuffed between cushions in her couch, bearing a smiley face drawn in the letter A of her signature. It led to an inheritance dispute also known as a Will Contest. There has been a general uptick in inheritance disputes over the past decade, likely driven by the now passing wealthy baby boomer generation, as well as the prevalence of blended families which leads to stepfamily-member inheritance controversies, and ever increasing life expectancies marked by longer-term dementia’s leading to more claims that wills were signed during periods of diminished capacity or as a result of suggestibility to undue influence. The fact that Wills were signed by video meetings or in cars while masked during the pre-vaccination days of the Covid pandemic only increases the potential for Will Contests. If you have questions about an inheritance dispute involving a Will or a Trust, I can be reached at LCukier@RubinRudman.com. We have a large and sophisticated team of Fiduciary Litigators who can assist you. #InheritanceDisputes #TrustAndEstateLitigation #FiduciaryLitigation

New Post: Kelly Clarkson Ex-Husband Lawsuit, R. Kelly Abuse Appeal, Ariana Grande Divorce & More Legal News - https://lnkd.in/gzPgjkGV - This is The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings and all the fun stuff in between. This week: Kelly Clarkson launches a new front in a legal war with her ex-husband; R. Kelly pushes to overturn his sexual abuse convictions; Ariana Grande finalizes her divorce from Dalton Gomez; and much more. Want to get The Legal Beat newsletter in your email inbox every Tuesday? Subscribe here for free. THE BIG STORY: Kelly Clarkson Sues Her Ex-Husband Kelly Clarkson’s ongoing legal battle with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock just got more complicated. Didn’t they finalize their divorce back in 2022? Sure, but that personal settlement didn’t resolve trickier business entanglements — namely, Clarkson’s relationship with Starstruck Entertainment, a management firm owned by Blackstock’s father that oversaw her career for years. Shortly after Clarkson filed for divorce, Starstruck sued her for millions in allegedly unpaid fees, claiming it had “invested a great deal of time, money, energy and dedication” into her and had “developed Clarkson into a mega superstar.” Clarkson responded by filing a complaint with California’s Labor Commissioner, resulting in a $2.6 million ruling last year that her ex-husband and Starstruck had violated California’s Talent Agencies Act (TAA) by serving not just as her personal managers, but as unlicensed talent agents who procured business deals. With Blackstock currently appealing that November decision, Clarkson filed a new case in Los Angeles court this week — echoing her labor law complaint, but aiming to potentially go even further. To learn more, go read out entire story, which features the actual lawsuit Clarkson filed against Blackstock. Other top stories this week… R. KELLY ABUSE CONVICTION APPEAL — An attorney for the disgraced singer urged a federal appeals court to overturn his sexual abuse convictions and 30-year prison sentence, warning that the case against Kelly had stretched federal racketeering laws “to the point of absurdity” and could potentially turn college fraternities into illegal conspiracies. MURDER CONVICTION OVERTURNED — A London appeals court overturned the murder conviction of Vybz Kartel, the Jamaican dancehall star who has worked with Rihanna, Jay-Z and others. The appellate court ruled that the guilty verdict had been tainted by a “fatal” error by the trial judge: allowing the jury to proceed as normal despite news that one of the jurors had attempted to bribe others. THE SCATMAN COMETH — The Black Eyed Peas and Daddy Yankee were hit with a copyright lawsuit over allegations that they illegally sampled from classic ’90s s