World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, ''worldwide'', i.e. anywhere on Earth.

In a philosophical context it may refer to: (1) the whole of the physical Universe, or (2) an ontological world (''see world disclosure''). In a theological context, ''world'' usually refers to the material or the profane sphere, as opposed to the celestial, spiritual, transcendent or sacred. The "end of the world" refers to scenarios of the final end of human history, often in religious contexts.

World history is commonly understood as spanning the major geopolitical developments of about five millennia, from the first civilizations to the present.

World population is the sum of all human populations at any time; similarly, world economy is the sum of the economies of all societies (all countries), especially in the context of globalization. Terms like world championship, gross world product, world flags etc. also imply the sum or combination of all current-day sovereign states.

In terms such as world religion, world language, and world war, ''world'' suggests international or intercontinental scope without necessarily implying participation of the entire world.

In terms such as world map and world climate, ''world'' is used in the sense detached from human culture or civilization, referring to the planet Earth physically.

Etymology and usage

The English word ''world'' comes from the Old English ''weorold (-uld), weorld, worold (-uld, -eld)'', a compound of ''wer'' "man" and ''eld'' "age," which thus means roughly "Age of Man." The Old English is a reflex of the Common Germanic ''*wira-alđiz'', also reflected in Old Saxon ''werold'', Old High German ''weralt'', Old Frisian ''warld'' and Old Norse ''verǫld'' (whence the Icelandic ''veröld'').

The corresponding word in Latin is ''mundus'', literally "clean, elegant", itself a loan translation of Greek ''cosmos'' "orderly arrangement." While the Germanic word thus reflects a mythological notion of a "domain of Man" (compare Midgard), presumably as opposed to the divine sphere on the one hand and the chthonic sphere of the underworld on the other, the Greco-Latin term expresses a notion of creation as an act of establishing order out of chaos.

'World' distinguishes the entire planet or population from any particular country or region: ''world affairs'' pertain not just to one place but to the whole world, and ''world history'' is a field of history that examines events from a global (rather than a national or a regional) perspective. ''Earth'', on the other hand, refers to the planet as a physical entity, and distinguishes it from other planets and physical objects.

'''World''' can also be used attributively, to mean 'global', 'relating to the whole world', forming usages such as world community or world canonical texts.

By extension, a '''world''' may refer to any planet or heavenly body, especially when it is thought of as inhabited, especially in the context of science fiction or futurology.

'''World''', in original sense, when qualified, can also refer to a particular domain of human experience.

The ''world of work'' describes paid work and the pursuit of career, in all its social aspects, to distinguish it from home life and academic study.

The ''fashion world'' describes the environment of the designers, fashion houses and consumers that make up the fashion industry.

historically, the ''New World'' vs. the ''Old World'', referring to the parts of the world colonized in the wake of the age of discovery. Now mostly used in zoology and botany, as New World monkey.

Philosophy

In philosophy, the term world has several possible meanings. In some contexts, it refers to everything that makes up reality or the physical universe. In others, it can mean have a specific ontological sense (see world disclosure). While clarifying the concept of world has arguably always been among the basic tasks of Western philosophy, this theme appears to have been raised explicitly only at the start of the twentieth century and has been the subject of continuous debate. The question of what the world is has by no means been settled.

;Parmenides The traditional interpretation of Parmenides' work is that he argued that the every-day perception of reality of the physical world (as described in doxa) is mistaken, and that the reality of the world is 'One Being' (as described in aletheia): an unchanging, ungenerated, indestructible whole.

;Plato In his Allegory of the Cave, Plato distingues between forms and ideas and imagines two distinct worlds : the sensible world and the intelligible world.

;Hegel In Hegel's philosophy of history, the expression ''Weltgeschichte ist Weltgericht'' (World History is a tribunal that judges the World) is used to assert the view that History is what judges men, their actions and their opinions. Science is born from the desire to transform the World in relation to Man; its final end is technical application.

;Schopenhauer ''The World as Will and Representation'' is the central work of Arthur Schopenhauer. Schopenhauer saw the human will as our one window to the world behind the representation; the Kantian thing-in-itself. He believed, therefore, that we could gain knowledge about the thing-in-itself, something Kant said was impossible, since the rest of the relationship between representation and thing-in-itself could be understood by analogy to the relationship between human will and human body.

;Wittgenstein Two definitions that were both put forward in the 1920s, however, suggest the range of available opinion. "The world is everything that is the case," wrote Ludwig Wittgenstein in his influential ''Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus'', first published in 1922. This definition would serve as the basis of logical positivism, with its assumption that there is exactly one world, consisting of the totality of facts, regardless of the interpretations that individual people may make of them.

;Heidegger Martin Heidegger, meanwhile, argued that "the surrounding world is different for each of us, and notwithstanding that we move about in a common world". The world, for Heidegger, was that into which we are always already "thrown" and with which we, as beings-in-the-world, must come to terms. His conception of "world disclosure" was most notably elaborated in his 1927 work ''Being and Time''.

;Freud In response, Freud proposed that we do not move about in a common world, but a common thought process. He believed that all the actions of a person are motivated by one thing: lust. This led to numerous theories about reactionary consciousness.

;Other Some philosophers, often inspired by David Lewis, argue that metaphysical concepts such as possibility, probability and necessity are best analyzed by comparing ''the'' world to a range of possible worlds; a view commonly known as modal realism.

Religion and mythology

Mythological cosmologies often depict the world as centered around an axis mundi and delimited by a boundary such as a world ocean, a world serpent or similar.

See also

Globe

List of sovereign states

Universe

References

External links

Category:Earth

ar:عالَم arc:ܥܠܡܐ (ܐܪܥܐ) ay:Pacha zh-min-nan:Sè-kài bi:Wol bg:Свят ca:Món ceb:Kalibotan cs:Svět da:Verden de:Welt dv:ދުނިޔެ es:Mundo eo:Mondo ext:Mundu eu:Mundu fa:جهان fr:Monde (univers) ko:세계 hi:जगत hr:Svijet io:Mondo it:Mondo he:עולם ka:მსოფლიო kk:Дүние жүзі ht:Lemonn ku:Cîhan lv:Pasaule lt:Pasaulis lmo:Mond ml:ലോകം mt:Dinja mr:जग xmf:საგებიო mwl:Mundo mn:Ертөнц nl:Wereld (Aarde) ne:विश्व new:हलिम ja:世界 nap:Munno nn:Verd uz:Dunyo pnb:دنیا ps:نړۍ km:ពិភពលោក tpi:Wol pt:Mundo qu:Kay pacha ru:Мир (Земля) sco:Warld stq:Waareld sq:Bota scn:Munnu simple:World ss:Úmhlâba sk:Svet sh:Svijet sv:Världen tl:Mundo te:ప్రపంచము tg:Ҷаҳон uk:Світ ur:دُنیا vi:Thế giới vo:Vol wo:Àdduna yi:וועלט yo:Àgbáyé bat-smg:Sviets zh:世界

Name	Matthew West
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Matthew Joseph West
Born	April 25, 1977
Origin	Downers Grove, IL, U.S.
Genre	CCMPop/rockAdult contemporaryIndie pop
Occupation	Singer/songwriter
Years active	1997–present
Label	Universal SouthSparrow
Website	matthewwest.com }}

Matthew Joseph West (born April 25, 1977) is a Contemporary Christian musician from Nashville, Tennessee. He has released four studio albums and is known for his #1 hits "More", "You Are Everything", and "The Motions". He was nominated for five Dove Awards in 2005, two of which were for his major label debut album ''Happy''.

First starting out as an independent musician in the late 1990s, he released three independent albums before signing with Universal South Records. With the release of his Dove Award-winning debut album ''Happy'' (2003) came the success of his first radio single "More", which stayed at #1 on Christian AC charts for nine weeks and received two Dove Award nominations. His second record ''History'' (2005) was followed by a 2006 re-release of the originally independent album ''Sellout''. In 2007 he faced vocal issues which threatened his career with two months of prescribed vocal rest. His third studio album ''Something to Say'' (2008) also enjoyed chart success with #1 hits "You Are Everything" and "The Motions".

In addition to his main solo career, West has worked as a songwriter for many Christian musicians and groups such as Point of Grace, Mandisa, and Natalie Grant, as well as mainstream country acts Rascal Flatts and Billy Ray Cyrus.

Early life

Matthew West was born on April 25, 1977 in Downers Grove, IL. As a child he was a fan of his hometown baseball team, the Chicago Cubs, and wanted to eventually have a career in baseball. He played baseball throughout high school, becoming team captain as a senior. He was hoping for a college baseball scholarship but instead ended up receiving a four-year music scholarship at Millikin University in Illinois. He graduated from Millikin in 1999.

Musical career

West wrote most of his first songs in the sanctuary of his father's church while he was at home during college breaks. He was a songwriter and independent musician from 1997–2002, releasing three albums: ''September Sun'' (1997), ''Every Step of the Way'' (1998), and ''Sellout'' (2002). In October 1997, he went on a three-city tour to support of the release of ''September Sun''.

Just before graduating from Millikin University in 1999, someone from the college recommended that West attend the GMA Music in the Rockies event for aspiring musicians. Although West was not interested at first, he attended after learning that other people signed him up and paid his entrance fee. He met a representative from Word Publishing at the event who took interest in him and kept in contact until he graduated. West landed in the finals of a songwriting competition and was offered a songwriting deal in July 1999, five weeks after graduating. After penning songs for well-known musicians like Billy Ray Cyrus and Rachael Lampa, he began touring the United States as an independent artist in 2000 and 2001.

On July 26, 2002, only a week or two before signing a record contract with Universal South Records, West had an injury to his left arm which threatened his musical career and guitar playing. He says, "I locked myself out of my house. But I'd done that before, and I had a way of breaking in through a window. But this time, I had a really hard time getting the window open. I started pushing up on the window really hard and my hand broke through the glass. Blood starting spewing out of my left arm everywhere and I ran down my street screaming for help. After seeing so much blood, I went into shock and just blacked out in the middle of the street. The next thing I can remember is some construction workers praying over me in Spanish and then being taken to the hospital." West was told that the chances were low of regaining the full use of his left arm, having come very close to severing a major artery. He recovered after the accident, however, and was able to continue playing guitar and record for his first studio album.

''Happy'' (2003)

After signing with Universal South Records on August 23, 2002, West released his first non-independent studio album, ''Happy'' on December 26, 2003. The album's producers Kenny Greenberg and Jason Houser co-wrote the song "More" with West. The track was his first and most successful radio single to date, staying at #1 on R&R's Christian Adult Contemporary chart for a record-breaking nine weeks. It was the most played Christian AC song of 2004 and went on to be labelled as the Christian Song of the Year by ASCAP. Two additional songs, "The End" and "You Know Where to Find Me", were also released as singles off the album. Beginning in late September 2004, West joined Avalon and Mark Schultz on a 40-city fall tour, which concluded at the end of November. In 2005, he was nominated for five Dove Awards, including "New Artist of the Year" and "Song of the Year". He won the "Recorded Music Packaging of the Year" Dove Award for his debut album ''Happy''.

In early 2005, he was on the WinterJam 2005 tour, hosted by NewSong, with tobyMac, Building 429, Tait, and Rachael Lampa.

''History'' (2005)

With Kenny Greenberg and Jason Houser once again as producers, Matthew West began recording for his second studio album in early 2005. ''History'', co-produced by West, was released on June 21, 2005 on Universal South Records. The first single off the album, "Next Thing You Know", was released June 20, a day before the album's release. The theme of the title track "History" was inspired by a R&R music news headline "Matthew West Makes History", in reference to his first album, ''Happy''. "It's not every day you read a headline like that with your name in it that calls you a history maker," he said. Beginning on September 14, 2005, he kicked off the 30-city ''History 101'' tour, his first headlining tour, which included guest musicians Shawn McDonald and Paul Wright. He then joined tobyMac's Winter Wonder Slam tour, beginning on December 1, 2005, along with John Reuben, BarlowGirl, GRITS, and DJ Maj. Two additional songs were released off ''History'' as singles: "Only Grace" and the title track "History".

His independent album ''Sellout'' was re-released in 2006 on Universal South Records.

Vocal problems

West said that he began to experience "some vocal fatigue" in April 2007. He said "I had lost some of my vocal range, staying on higher notes and lower notes. I even began having a hard time speaking." At a vocal check-up in response to the issue, West's doctors at the Nashville Vanderbilt Voice Center discovered "hemorrhaging caused by some polyps". He was told by his doctors that vocal surgery was the only option, since a few weeks had passed. The surgery took place on May 17, 2007, a process that he said was "career threatening." Afterward, he was prescribed a two-month period of silence for vocal rest.

A video documentary titled ''Nothing to Say'', directed and produced by Benjamin Eisner, was released in early 2008, highlighting Matthew West's time of silence and vocal recovery in 2007. In February 2008, the documentary was available exclusively in Family Christian Stores as a CD/DVD combo pack with West's album ''Something to Say''.

''Something to Say'' (2008–2010)

His next single "You Are Everything" was released in late 2007. The song was available as a free download from West's website. He also recorded a duet("Christmas Makes Me Cry") with American Idol finalist Mandisa which was released as a Christmas radio single in November 2007, from Mandisa's ''Christmas Joy EP''.

Matthew West's album, ''Something to Say'', was released on January 15, 2008. It reached #8 on ''Billboard'''s Top Christian albums chart, and peaked at #159 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, making it his first Billboard 200 album . It was produced by Brown Bannister, Ed Cash, and Christopher Stevens. West said in an interview that all of the album's songs had already been written and the title "Something to Say" had already been decided "months before I found out that I was going to have nothing to say." The first radio single released from the album was "You Are Everything". In March 2008, the song reached #1 on R&R's Christian AC chart. "Something to Say", the album's title track, was also released to radio, receiving airplay in June 2008.

Matthew West guested on tobyMac's 26-city "Boomin' Beyond Measure" tour along with Jeremy Camp. The tour ran from February 6 through March 21, 2008.

He was featured on the Billy Graham television special ''America's Dream: Chasing Happiness'', which aired in the U.S. on March 1–9, 2008. The appearance included a world premiere of his music video for "Nothing Else", a song from ''History''. On June 29, West hosted GMA's 2008 ''Gospel Dream'', a televised Christian music talent competition. "The Motions" was released as his next single, placing at #1 on ''R&R'''s Christian AC chart in April 2009.

He has a song on the upcoming album of country artist Jo Dee Messina, and another under consideration by “American Idol” finalist Danny Gokey. In December 2009, "The Motions" was Grammy-nominated for Best Gospel Song, his first Grammy nomination.

''Story Of Your Life'' (2010-present)

The first single from Matthew West's new album, "My Own Little World" was released on August 23, 2010. The LP---"The Story of Your Life"---was released October 5, 2010, and according to West, is a response to thousands of life stories his fans shared with him. "The first day, I got 1,000 stories. All of a sudden, I was like, 'holy cow, something special is about to take place'. I rented a cabin in Tennessee, about 25 minutes from my house that felt like it was out in the middle of nowhere. And I spent two months in that cabin reading 10,000 stories," the singer/songwriter reported in an interview with CBN.com.

Other songwriting

In addition to his main solo career, Matthew West has also written songs for other bands and musicians, including Mark Schultz, Mandisa, Jump5, Sara Groves, Joy Williams, Salvador, Natalie Grant, PureNRG, and Point of Grace, as well as mainstream country act Billy Ray Cyrus. Rascal Flatts recorded Matthew's song "The Day Before You" on their album Feels Like Today. He co-wrote "Voice of a Savior" by Mandisa and "Thank You" by 33Miles, both of which were released as singles in early 2008.

Personal life

Matthew West currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife Emily. He married Emily on May 10, 2003 after proposing to her in September 2002. They have a daughter Luella Jane ("Lulu") and a daughter Delaney Ruth. The Wests own a pug named Earl "The Girl".

Awards

GMA Dove Awards

Year	! Award	! Result
		!rowspan="5"	New Artist of the Year
Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year ("More")
Recorded Music Packaging of the Year (''Happy'')
		!rowspan="1"	Song of the Year ("Only Grace")
		!rowspan="1"	Short Form Music Video of the Year ("My Own Little World")	Pending

Discography

Albums

1997 - ''September Sun''

1998 - ''Every Step of the Way''

2002 - ''Sellout''

2003 - ''Happy''

2005 - ''History''

2008 - ''Something to Say''

2010 - ''The Story of Your Life''

Singles

"More" – peaked at number 1 on Christian AC charts for nine weeks

"The End"

"You Know Where to Find Me"

"Next Thing You Know"

"Only Grace"

"History"

"You Are Everything" – peaked at number 1 on Christian AC charts in March 2008

"Something to Say"

"The Motions" – reached number 1 on Christian AC charts in April 2009

"When I Say I Do" - released March 31, 2009

"Save A Place For Me"

"The Center"

"My Own Little World"

"Strong Enough"

Compilation contributions

2003: ''Festival Con Dios Vol. 3'' – "More", from ''Happy'' (Inpop)

2004: ''WOW Hits 2005'' – "More", from ''Happy'' (Sparrow)

2005: ''WOW Christmas: Green'' – "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" (Word)

2005: ''Night of Joy 2005'' – "Get Away", from ''History'' (Disney)

2006: ''WOW Hits 2007'' – "Only Grace", from ''History'' (EMI) 2007: ''Christmas Joy EP'' – "Christmas Makes Me Cry", a duet with Mandisa (Sparrow) 2007: ''WOW Hits 2008'' – "History", from ''History'' (EMI)

2008: ''WOW Hits 1'' - "You Are Everything," from ''Something to Say''

2008: ''WOW Hits 2009'' - "You Are Everything," from ''Something to Say''

2009: ''WOW Hits 2010'' - "The Motions," from ''Something to Say''

2010: ''WOW Hits 2011'' - "My Own Little World," from ''The Story of Your Life''

References

External links

Official site

Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:American performers of Christian music Category:American acoustic guitarists Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Christian religion-related songwriters Category:Musicians from Chicago, Illinois

de:Matthew West es:Matthew West pl:Matthew West simple:Matthew West

alt	A mid-twenties African American man wearing a sequined military jacket and dark sunglasses. He is walking while waving his right hand, which is adorned with a white glove. His left hand is bare.
background	solo_singer
birth name	Michael Joseph Jackson
alias	Michael Joe Jackson, MJ, King of Pop
birth date	August 29, 1958
birth place	Gary, Indiana, U.S.
death date	June 25, 2009
death place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
instrument	Vocals
genre	R&B, pop, rock, soul, dance, funk, disco, new jack swing
occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, composer, dancer, choreographer, record producer, actor, businessman, philanthropist
years active	1964–2009
label	Motown, Epic, Legacy, MJJ Productions
associated acts	The Jackson 5
relatives	Janet Jackson (sister)
website	}}

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Often referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1964, and began his solo career in 1971.

In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including those of "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", were credited with transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel MTV to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made him a staple on MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced numerous hip hop, post-disco, contemporary R&B, pop and rock artists.

Jackson's 1982 album ''Thriller'' is the best-selling album of all time. His other records, including ''Off the Wall'' (1979), ''Bad'' (1987), ''Dangerous'' (1991), and ''HIStory'' (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. Some of his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award); 26 American Music Awards (more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century"); 13 number-one singles in the United States in his solo career (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era); and the estimated sale of over 750 million records worldwide. Jackson won hundreds of awards, which made him the most-awarded recording artist in the history of popular music.

Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships, and behavior, generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused of child sexual abuse, but the case was settled out of court and no formal charges were brought. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several other charges after the jury found him not guilty on all counts. While preparing for his concert series titled ''This Is It'', Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25, 2009, after suffering from cardiac arrest. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide, and his personal physician was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and as many as one billion people around the world reportedly watched his public memorial service on live television. In March 2010, Sony Music Entertainment signed a $250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017, and to release seven posthumous albums over the decade following his death.

Life and career

Early life and The Jackson 5 (1958–1975)

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, the eighth of ten children in an African American working-class family who lived in a small 3-room house in Gary, Indiana, an industrial city near Chicago. His mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a devout Jehovah's Witness, and his father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, was a steel mill worker who performed with an R&B band called The Falcons. Jackson had three sisters: Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet, and five brothers: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy. A sixth brother, Brandon, died shortly after birth.

Jackson had a troubled relationship with his father, Joe.

The group's sales began declining in 1973, and the band members chafed under Motown's strict refusal to allow them creative control or input. Although they scored several top 40 hits, including the top 5 disco single "Dancing Machine" and the top 20 hit "I Am Love", the Jackson 5 left Motown in 1975.

Move to Epic and ''Off the Wall'' (1975–81)

In June 1975, the Jackson 5 signed with Epic Records, a subsidiary of CBS Records and renamed themselves the Jacksons. Younger brother Randy formally joined the band around this time, while Jermaine left to pursue a solo career. In 1980, Jackson won three awards at the American Music Awards for his solo efforts: Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". That year, he also won Billboard Year-End for Top Black Artist and Top Black Album and a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, also for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". Jackson again won at the American Music Awards in 1981 for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist. Despite its commercial success, Jackson felt ''Off the Wall'' should have made a much bigger impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release. In 1980, he secured the highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit.

''Thriller'' and ''Motown 25'' (1982–83)

In 1982, Jackson contributed the song "Someone In the Dark" to the storybook for the film ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial''; the record won a Grammy for Best Recording for Children in 1984. In the same year he won another seven Grammys and eight American Music Awards (including the Award of Merit, the youngest artist to win it), making him the most awarded in one night for both award shows. The album topped the ''Billboard'' 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of the 200 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to have seven ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 10 singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It", and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'". ''Thriller'' was certified for 29 million shipments by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond status in the United States. The album won also another Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical in 1984, awarding Bruce Swedien for his work. Thanks to the ''Bad'' album, Bruce Swedien and Humberto Gatica won one Grammy in 1988 for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and Michael Jackson won one Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form for "Leave Me Alone" in 1989. ''HIStory'' received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. However, the sales for ''Invincible'' were lower than those of his previous releases, due in part to a lack of promotion, no supporting world tour and the label dispute. The album also came out at a bad time for the music industry in general. Jackson rehearsed in Los Angeles in the weeks leading up to the tour under the direction of choreographer Kenny Ortega. Most of these rehearsals took place at the Staples Center, which was owned by AEG. With ''Thriller'', Christopher Connelly of ''Rolling Stone'' commented that Jackson developed his long association with the subliminal theme of paranoia and darker imagery. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted this is evident on the songs "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'". In "Billie Jean", Jackson sings about an obsessive fan who alleges he has fathered a child of hers. In "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" he argues against gossip and the media. "Beat It" decried gang violence in an homage to ''West Side Story'', and was Jackson's first successful rock cross-over piece, according to Huey. He also observed that the title track "Thriller" began Jackson's interest with the theme of the supernatural, a topic he revisited in subsequent years. In 1985, Jackson co-wrote the charity anthem "We Are the World"; humanitarian themes later became a recurring theme in his lyrics and public persona. ;Bibliography

George, Nelson (2004). ''Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection'' booklet. Sony BMG.

Further reading

External links

Michael Jackson at MTV

FBI file on Michael Jackson

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name	Angélique Kidjo
background	solo_singer
birth name	Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo
born	July 14, 1960, Ouidah, Benin
genre	Afropop, Afrobeat, reggae, world, world fusion, worldbeat, jazz, gospel, Latin
occupation	Singer-songwriter
years active	1982–present
label	Island, Mango, PolyGram, Columbia, Razor & Tie
website	www.kidjo.com

Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo, commonly known as Angélique Kidjo is a Grammy Award–winning Beninoise singer-songwriter and activist, noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. Time Magazine has called her "Africa's premier diva". The BBC has included Angelique in its list of the continent's 50 most iconic figures and The Guardian has listed her as one of their Top 100 Most Inspiring Women in the World

Her musical influences include the Afropop, Caribbean zouk, Congolese rumba, jazz, gospel, and Latin styles; as well as her childhood idols Bella Bellow, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Miriam Makeba and Carlos Santana. She has recorded George Gershwin's "Summertime", Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child" and The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter", and has collaborated with Dave Matthews and the Dave Matthews Band, Kelly Price, Branford Marsalis, Robbie Nevil, Peter Gabriel, Bono, Carlos Santana, John Legend, Herbie Hancock and Cassandra Wilson. Kidjo's hits include the songs "Agolo", "We We", "Adouma", "Wombo Lombo", "Afirika", "Batonga", and her version of "Malaika".

Kidjo is fluent in Fon, French, Yorùbá, and English and sings in all four languages; she also has her own personal language which includes words that serve as song titles such as "Batonga". Malaika is a song sung in Swahili language. She often utilizes Benin's traditional Zilin vocal technique and jazz vocalese.

Early life

Kidjo was born in Cotonou, Benin. Her father is from the Fon people of Ouidah and her mother from the Yoruba people. She grew up listening to Beninese traditional music, Miriam Makeba, James Brown, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, and Santana. By the time she was six, Kidjo was performing with her mother's theatre troupe, giving her an early appreciation for traditional music and dance. She started singing in her school band Les Sphinx and found success as a teenager with her adaptation of Miriam Makeba's "Les Trois Z" which played on national radio. She recorded the album Pretty with the Cameroonian producer Ekambi Brilliant and her brother Oscar. It featured the songs Ninive, Gbe Agossi and a tribute to the singer Bella Bellow, one of her role models. The success of the album allowed her to tour all over West Africa. Continuing political conflicts in Benin prevented her from being an independent artist in her own country and led her to relocate to Paris in 1983.

Paris

While working various day jobs to pay for her tuition, Angélique studied music at the CIM, a reputable Jazz school in Paris where she met and married musician and producer Jean Hebrail with whom she has composed most of her music. She started out as a backup singer in local bands. In 1985, she became the frontsinger of the known Euro-African jazz/rock band Jasper van't Hof's Pili Pili. Three Pili Pili studio albums followed: Jakko (1987) Be In Two Minds (1988, produced by Marlon Klein) and Hotel Babo (1990). By the end of the 1980s, she had become one of the most popular live performers in Paris and recorded a solo album called Parakou for the Open Jazz Label. She was then discovered in Paris by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell who signed her in 1991. She recorded four albums for Island until Chris Blackwell's departure from the label. In 2000 she was signed in New York by Columbia Records for which she recorded two albums.

Albums

''Logozo''

Her first album for Island Records was recorded between Miami and Paris and produced by Miami Sound Machine drummer Joe Galdo and featuring Branford Marsalis and Manu DiBango on saxophones. it was released worldwide in 1991 and reached number one on the Billboard World Music chart. Music videos for the singles "We We" and "Batonga" were released and Angélique made her first world tour, appearing at many festivals and headlining the Olympia Hall in Paris on October 31, 1992.

''Ayé''

Released in 1994, the album ''Ayé'' was produced by David Z. at Prince's Paisley Park Studio in Minneapolis and by Will Mowat at Soul To Soul studio in London. It includes the single "Agolo", which gave Angélique her first Grammy nomination.

''Fifa''

Angélique and Jean Hebrail traveled all over Benin in 1995 to record the traditional rhythms that would form the base for the ''Fifa'' album. Carlos Santana appears on "Naima", a piece Angélique wrote for her daughter. The single "Wombo Lombo" and its video was a big success all over Africa in 1996.

Trilogy

In 1998 she started a trilogy of albums (''Oremi, Black Ivory Soul'' and ''Oyaya'') exploring the African roots of the music of the Americas.

''Oremi''

Produced by Peter Mokran and Jean Hebrail, recorded in New York, ''Oremi'' is a collection of songs mixing African and African American influences. Cassandra Wilson, Branford Marsalis, Kelly Price and Kenny Kirkland collaborated with Angelique on this project. The opening track is a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child".

''Black Ivory Soul''

In 2002 Angelique traveled to Salvador de Bahia to start recording the Axe percussion grooves for this album, based on Afro-Brazilian culture. She worked with songwriters Carlinhos Brown and Vinicius Cantuaria. On the Brazilian version of the album Gilberto Gil joined her on "Refavela" and Daniella Mercury on "Tumba". Dave Matthews appears on the song "Iwoya".

''Oyaya!''

Produced by Steve Berlin from Los Lobos and by the pianist Alberto Salas, released in 2004, ''Oyaya!'' mixes Latin and Caribbean music with African guitars. The French Guyanese Henri Salvador, who was 86 at the time of the recording, joined Angélique on the song "Le Monde Comme Un Bebe".

''Djin Djin''

Angélique Kidjo released the album ''Djin Djin'' on May 1, 2007. Many guests appear on the album including Josh Groban, Carlos Santana, Alicia Keys, Joss Stone, Peter Gabriel, Amadou and Mariam, Ziggy Marley, and Branford Marsalis. The title refers to the sound of a bell in Africa that greets each new day. The album, produced by Tony Visconti, won a Grammy for Best Contemporary World Music album and a Naacp Image Award for Outstanding World Music album.

''Õÿö''

''Õÿö'', released in Europe on January 19, 2010 and in America on April 6, 2010, pays tribute to the music of Angélique's childhood in Benin. It mixes traditional music, Miriam Makeba's songs, classic soul of the 60's and 70's and even a Bollywood song. Dianne Reeves appears on Aretha Franklin's "Baby I Love You", Bono and John Legend on Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up, for which she recorded a video with the FELA! dancers and Roy Hargrove on Santana's ''Samba Pa Ti''. Produced by Angélique and Jean Hebrail, the album was arranged in conjunction with the Beninese guitarist Lionel Loueke. Õÿö is nominated for Best Contemporary World Music Album for the 53rd Grammy Awards.

Advocacy

She has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2002. With UNICEF, she has travelled to many countries in Africa. Reports on her visits can be found on the UNICEF site: Benin, Senegal, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Syria, Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Haiti.

Kidjo founded The Batonga Foundation which gives girls a secondary school and higher education so they can take the lead in changing Africa. The foundation is doing this by granting scholarships, building secondary schools, increasing enrollment, improving teaching standards, providing school supplies, supporting mentor programs, exploring alternative education models and advocating for community awareness of the value of education for girls.

She has campaigned for Oxfam at the 2005 Hong Kong WTO meeting, for the their Fair Trade Campaign and travelled with them in North Kenya and at the border of Darfur and Chad with a group of women leaders in 2007 and participated to the video for the In My Name Campaign with Will I Am from The Black Eyed Peas

She has hosted the Mo Ibrahim Foundation's Prize for Achievement in African Leadership in Alexandria, Egypt on November 26, 2007 and on November 15, 2008, in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania on November 14, 2009 and in Mauritius Island on Nov 20th 2010.

More recently, since March 2009, Angélique Kidjo has been campaigning for "Africa for women's rights". This campaign was launched by The International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH),

On September 28, 2009, UNICEF and Pampers launched a campaign to eradicate Tetanus "Give The Gift Of Life" and asked Angélique to produce the song You Can Count On Me to support the campaign. Each download of the song will donate a vaccine to a mother or a mother to be.

Along with Jessica Biel and Peter Wentz, she is one of the LiveEarth Ambassadors for the 2010 Run For Water events

Angélique has recorded a video based on her song Agolo and on the images of Yann Arthus-Bertrand for the United Nations SEAL THE DEAL Campaign to prepare for the Copenhagen Climate Change summit.

The Commission of the African Union (AU) announced on July 16, 2010, the appointment of Angelique Kidjo as one of the 14 Peace Ambassadors to support the implementation of the 2010 Year of Peace and Security programme.

Angelique appears in the Sudan365: Keep the Promise video to support the peace process in Darfur.

She also supports the Zeitz Foundation, an organization focused on sustainable development and conservation.

In June 2010, she contributed the song "Leila" to the Enough Project and Downtown Records' Raise Hope for Congo compilation. Proceeds from the compilation fund efforts to make the protection and empowerment of Congo’s women a priority, as well as inspire individuals around the world to raise their voice for peace in Congo.

In 2011, she collaborated with Forró in the Dark and Brazilian Girls on the track Aquele Abraço for the Red Hot Organization's most recent charitable album "Red Hot + Rio 2." The album is a follow-up to the 1996 "Red Hot + Rio." Proceeds from the sales will be donated to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues.

Special Concerts

In 1996 she performed in Oslo for the Nobel Peace Prize Concert honoring Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and José Ramos-Horta for their work in East Timor

IN 1998, she was part of the Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair tour

In 2002 she performed in Oslo for the Nobel Peace Prize Concert honoring President Jimmy Carter

In February 2003, she performed a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" at the famed Radio City Music Hall in New York City alongside Chicago blues guitar legend Buddy Guy and New York rock guitarist Vernon Reid (of Living Colour) in what would become part of "Lightning In A Bottle: One Night In The History Of The Blues", a documentary about blues music that features live concert footage of other rock, rap, and blues greats.

In November, 2003 she sang with Peter Gabriel and Youssou N'Dour at the Cape Town 46664 concert for Nelson Mandela's Foundation.

In May 2004, she performed at the Quincy Jones produced concert in Rome called We Are The Future in front of 400,000 people. The show took place at the Circus Maximus with appearance from Oprah Winfrey, Alicia Keys, Andrea Bocelli, Herbie Hancock and other international stars.

In 2005, she appeared at the Africa Unite Live concert in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a concert to celebrate Hon Bob Marley's 60th birthday, and was a featured speaker at the conference of African Unity held along with the concert.

In March 2005, she appeared at the Africa Live concert in Dakar along with many great African stars in front of 50,000 people.

In June 2005, she was part of the Live 8 concert, Eden Project hosted by Angelina Jolie in Cornwall, UK.

In 2007, she covered John Lennon's "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)" for the CD ''Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur''.

In 2007, she toured North America extensively with Josh Groban's "Awake" show.

On July 7, 2007, Kidjo performed at the South African leg of Live Earth.

Annie Lennox has joined forces with Angélique Kidjo and 22 other female artists to raise the awareness of the transmission of HIV to unborn children in Africa.

Kidjo was also a judge for the 7th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.

Angélique performed at the 75th Birthday Celebration of Quincy Jones at the Montreux Jazz Festival in July 2008

She made her Carnegie Hall debut in New York on November 1, 2008

Her Royal Albert Hall debut in London was on November 26, 2008 along with Hugh Masekela for the "African Stars" concert benefitting VSO

She appears on the "Price of Silence" video produced by Amnesty International to celebrate the 60 years of the Declaration of Human Rights

Along with Joan Baez, Michael Franti and Jackson Browne, she performed at Peace Ball for Barack Obama's inauguration in Washington, DC on January 20, 2009.

Angélique made her Sydney Opera House debut in Australia on April 12, 2009

She appears in the theatrical performance of "Storie fantastiche dal delta del Niger" by Raffaele Curi for the Alda Fendi Experimenti Foundation in Roma in April 2009

Also in April 2009, she performed at Africa Day in The Hague, The Netherlands, showing her commitment to poverty reduction and supporting the work of the Evert Vermeer Foundation and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation. Angélique commented, “In the fight against poverty you need organisations like SNV and the Evert Vermeer Foundation. SNV with expertise on the ground and EVF convincing politicians to do more on sustainable development.” In July 2009, Angélique became a member of the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation International Advisory Board.

In Europe in July 2009, along with Dianne Reeves, Lizz Wright and Simone, Angélique was part of a touring tribute to Nina Simone called "Sing The Truth"

In July, 2009 she sang a duet with Alicia Keys at Radio City Hall in New York for the 46664 concert for Nelson Mandela's Foundation

On August 28, 29 and 30, 2009,she participated to the Back2Black Festival devoted to African culture in Rio De Janeiro along with Gilberto Gil, Youssou N'Dour and Omara Portuando.

On September 25, 26 and 27, 2009, The Festival D'Ile De France in Paris asked Angélique to curate a tribute to her idol Miriam Makeba at the Cirque d'hiver. She invited Rokia Traore, Dobet Gnaore, Sayon Bamba Camara, Vusi Mahlasela, Asa and Ayo. She curated another version of the same show at the Barbican in London on November 21, 2009 in which Baaba Maal replaced Rokia Traore.

On October 23, 2009, she sung at the United Nations General Assembly for the UN Day Concert, A Tribute to Peacekeeping with Nile Rodgers, John McLaughlin and Lang Lang

On December 4, 2009, in Cape Town, South Africa, she performed her song Agolo at the Final Draw of the Fifa World Cup 2010

On December 7, 2009, on the opening day of the UN Copenhagen Climate Change summit, Angelique sung, along with Anggun, Shaggy, Youssou N'Dour and Cheb Khaled, at the Dance 4 Climate Change concert.

On February 15, 2010, Angélique performed in Vancouver for the Winter Olympics Games at the Place De La Francophonie

On February 28, 2010, she performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Los Angeles Philharmonic concert hall designed by Frank Gehry

On June 10, 2010, she was part of the Official Kick-Off Celebration Concert of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa along with John Legend, Hugh Masekela, Shakira, Alicia Keys, Juanes and Black Eyed Peas

On June 17, 2010, she performed at Les FrancoFolies de Montréal - the Montreal Francofolies festival of French-language music.

On August 30, 2010, Angelique sung at the 30th Anniversary celebration of Solidarnosc in the Polish city of Gdansk produced by Bob Wilson and Hal Willner featuring Philip Glass, Marianne Faithfull, Rufus Wainwright and Macy Gray.

On November 11, 2010, Angelique presented her "Sound Of The Drum" show at Carnegie Hall. The sold out concert featured special guests Youssou N'Dour, Omara Portuondo, Dianne Reeves and guitarist Romero Lumbambo and told the story of the African roots of the music of the diaspora.

From December 10 until December 19, 2010, Angelique participated to the Fesman 2010, the World Festival of Black Arts in Dakar, Senegal. The Festival is the third edition of a festival devoted to the African culture all over the world.

She was one of the performers at the BET Honours Awards in February 2011

On June 8, 2011, Angelique performed her most famous songs with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra at the Philharmonie Luxembourg Hall.

Guest appearances

Her song "Ife" is featured in the montage section in the Jim Carrey film ''Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls''

In ''The Simpsons'' episode "Simpson Safari", Homer's guide sings lines from Kidjo's "Wé-Wé", from her album ''Logozo''.

Kidjo appeared in a bonus track of the official The Lion King 2 soundtrack, reprising the song "We Are One", featuring a more African influenced arrangement of instruments and several lines in Fon.

She appears on two albums ( African Fantasy and The Beat Of Love) released by the famous Indian drummer Trilok Gurtu.

She has sung the song "Madre Terra" with Italian star Carmen Consoli on her Eva Contro Eva album.

She has sung and produced with Jean Hebrail a track called Easy As Life for Tina Turner on the Elton John and Tim Rice's album Aida.

She has sung Jamaica Farewell with Dan Zanes on his House Party album.

She has collaborated with Philippe Saisse on the song La Vie from his Till Dawn album.

She wrote a song called Wele Wele for the EA video game Fifa 2007

She sang with Debbie Davies on the French version of the Lion King's "Hakuna Matata"

She has covered the U2 song Mysterious Ways on the Africa Celebrate U2 album released in 2008

Carlos Santana covered her song Adouma as the opening song of his Shaman album.

She is singing on Bluesman Taj Mahal's album "Maestro" along with Toumani Diabate

She is singing the African song Safiatou on the Herbie Hancock's album Possibilities

She now resides in New York City, New York, United States

In 2009, Angélique Kidjo released a version of the song Redemption Song on the compilation album Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration.

She has composed a song called Agbalagba inspired by Uwem Akpan's book Say You Are One Of Them

She is singing Edith Piaf's "La Vie En Rose" with Terence Blanchard on the Preservation Hall Benefit Album for New Orleans.

Angelique appears on Lizz Wright's album Fellowship

She gave an interview in the 2009 documentary film ''Still Bill'' about fellow musician Bill Withers.

Discography

''Pretty'' (African release only)

''Parakou'' (1990)

''Logozo'' (1991)

''Ayé'' (1994)

''Fifa'' (1996)

''Oremi'' (1998)

''Keep On Moving: The Best Of Angelique Kidjo'' (2001)

''Black Ivory Soul'' (2002)

''Oyaya!'' (2004)

Djin Djin (2007)

''Õÿö'' (2010)

Soundtracks

Kidjo also recorded songs for various movies, TV shows and documentaries, among them:

''Caro Diario'' by Nanni Moretti

''My Favourite Season'' by André Téchiné with Catherine Deneuve and Daniel Auteuil

''Ace Ventura'' with Jim Carrey

''Streetfighter'' with Jean Claude Van Damme

''The Air Up There'' with Kevin Bacon

Bimboland with Gerard Depardieu

''Krippendorf Tribe'' with Richard Dreyfus

''The Wild Thornberrys Movie''

''The Truth About Charlie''

''Sahara'' with Penélope Cruz

''Changing Times'' by André Téchiné with Gérard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve

''Six Feet Under''

''Without A Trace''

''Blood Diamond (film)'' with Djimon Hounsou and Leonardo Di Caprio

''Pray the Devil Back To Hell'' which won the prize for Best Documentary at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.

''Who Does She Think She Is''

''Le Code A Changé'' by Danielle Thompson / Angélique is featured singing in the movie.

''The Lion King 2''

TV shows

Angélique has appeared on Later with Jools Holland, the Late Show with David Letterman in 2007, the Tonight show with Jay Leno in 2007, Now with Bill Moyers in 2002 Politically Incorrect with Bill Mayer in 2003 CBS Early Show in 2007. She has been interviewed by Sir David Frost for Al Jazeera in 2008 and Christine Amanpour for CNN in 2009. She was the host of Tavis Smiley on PBS in March 2010 and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon in July 2010

Awards

:Octave RFI (France, 1992) :Prix Afrique en Creation (France, 1992) :Danish Music Awards: Best Female Singer (Denmark, 1995) :Kora Music Awards: Best African Female artist (Africa, 1997) :Mobo Awards for Best World Music Act (UK, 2002) :Médaille De Vermeil De La Ville De Paris (France, 2004) :Africa-Festival Award (Germany, 2006) :SAFDA African pride Award (South Africa, 2006) :Antonio Carlos Jobim Award (Canada, 2007) :N.A.A.C.P. Image Award for Outstanding World Music Album (USA, 2008) :Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album (USA, 2008) :Go Global World Music Award (Denmark, 2008) : Medal of the Presidency of the Italian Republic (Italy, 2008) :Commander of the National Order of Benin (Benin, 2008) :Making a Difference for Women Award from the National Council for Research on Women (USA, 2009) :Afropop Hall of Fame (USA,2009) :Celebrating Women Award from the New York Women's Foundation (USA, 2009) :Premio Tenco Prize for her entire singing career (Italy, 2009) :'''On May 8th 2010, Angelique has been awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Music by the Berklee College. (USA) :Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France, 2010) :Grand Prix Des Musiques Du Monde De La Sacem for her entire songwriting career (France, 2010) :Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary World Music Album (USA, 2011) :Prix Special de la Francophonie (Washington DC, USA, 2011) :Champions of the Earth Award (United Nations, 2011) :BET Awards nomination for Best International Act: Africa (USA, 2011)

Grammy nominations include the Best Music Video of 1995 and Best World Music Album in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2010 and 2007, for which she won.

Angélique Kidjo is the 4th laureate of the Antonio Carlos Jobim Award (2007). Created in 2004 on the 25th anniversary of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, each year the award is given to an artist distinguished in the field of world music whose influence on the evolution of jazz and cultural crossover is widely recognized.

Dance/club hits

Angélique's music has been remixed by famous producers including Norman Cook (We We) and Tricky (Agolo). Several of her singles have reached the Billboard Dance/Club Play chart. In 1996, Junior Vasquez remixes of her song "Wombo Lombo" brought the song to #16. In 2002, King Britt remixes of her single "Tumba" helped the song reach #26. "Agolo" was remixed by Mark Kinchen, "Shango" was remixed by Junior Vasquez, and "Conga Habanera" was remixed by Jez Colin. "Salala" from Djin Djin was remixed in 2007 by Junior Vasquez and Radioactive Sandwich.. Move On Up was remixed by Radioclit, the team from The Very Best.

References

External links

Official Angélique Kidjo Site

The Batonga Foundation

Angélique Kidjo on My Space

Angélique Kidjo on You Tube

Angélique Kidjo on Facebook

Angélique Kidjo on Imeem

Angélique Kidjo on Eventful

New York Times review on Angélique Kidjo, March 2010

Afropop Worldwide interview with Angélique Kidjo, February 2002

CNN African Voices profile on Angélique Kidjo, May 2009

Singer Angelique Kidjo Speaks Out on Climate Change - video report by ''Democracy Now!''

Angélique Kidjo interview at allaboutjazz.com

Category:1960 births Category:Beninese musicians Category:Gospel singers Category:Jazz singers Category:Living people Category:Reggae musicians Category:Women in jazz Category:World music singers Category:Wrasse Records artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:People from Cotonou Category:UNICEF people

da:Angelique Kidjo de:Angélique Kidjo es:Angelique Kidjo fr:Angélique Kidjo id:Angelique Kidjo it:Angélique Kidjo sw:Angelique Kidjo hu:Angélique Kidjo ms:Angelique Kidjo nl:Angélique Kidjo ja:アンジェリーク・キジョー no:Angélique Kidjo nn:Angélique Kidjo pl:Angélique Kidjo pt:Angélique Kidjo fi:Angélique Kidjo sv:Angélique Kidjo

Donald McCullin, FRPS CBE (born 9 October 1935, Finsbury Park, London, England) is an internationally known British photojournalist, particularly recognised for his war photography and images of urban strife. His career, which began in 1959, has specialised in examining the underside of society, and his photographs have depicted the unemployed, downtrodden and the impoverished.

Biography

Career

McCullin's period of National Service in the RAF saw him posted to the Canal Zone during the 1956 Suez Crisis, where he worked as a photographer's assistant. He failed to pass the written theory paper necessary to become a photographer in the RAF, and so spent his service in the darkroom.

In 1959, a photograph he took of a local London gang was published in ''The Observer''. Between 1966 and 1984, he worked as an overseas correspondent for the ''Sunday Times Magazine'', recording ecological and man-made catastrophes such as war-zones, amongst them Biafra, in 1968 and victims of the African AIDS epidemic. His hard-hitting coverage of the Vietnam War and the Northern Ireland conflict is particularly highly regarded.

In 1982 the British Government refused to grant McCullin a press pass to cover the Falklands War. At the time he believed it was because the Thatcher government felt his images might be too disturbing politically. However, it recently emerged that he was a victim of bureaucracy: he had been turned away simply because the Royal Navy had used up its quota of press passes.

In 1968, his Nikon camera stopped a bullet intended for him.

He is the author of a number of books, including ''The Palestinians'' (with Jonathan Dimbleby, 1980), ''Beirut: A City in Crisis'' (1983), and ''Don McCullin in Africa'' (2005). His book, ''Shaped by War'' (2010), was published to accompany a major retrospective exhibition at the Imperial War Museum North, Salford, England running from February to June 2010. The most recent title from McCullin is ''Southern Frontiers: A Journey Across the Roman Empire'', a poetic and contemplative study of selected Roman and pre-Roman ruins in North Africa and the Middle East.

Selected awards

McCullin received the World Press Photo Award in 1964 for his coverage of the war in Cyprus. In the same year he was awarded the Warsaw Gold Medal. In 1977, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, placing the letters 'FRPS' after his name. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Bradford in 1993 and an honorary degree by the Open University in 1994.

He was granted the CBE in 1993, the first photojournalist to receive the honour.

McCullin was awarded the Cornell Capa Award in 2006.

On 4 December 2008, McCullin was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by the University of Gloucestershire in recognition of his lifetime's achievement in photojournalism.

Family life

In later years, McCullin has turned to landscape and still-life works and taking commissioned portraits. Currently living in Somerset, he is married and has five children from this and earlier marriages.

Selected works

Quotes

"I grew up in total ignorance, poverty and bigotry, and this has been a burden for me throughout my life. There is still some poison that won't go away, as much as I try to drive it out."

"I am a professed atheist, until I find myself in serious circumstances. Then I quickly fall on my knees, in my mind if not literally, and I say : "Please God, save me from this."

"I have been manipulated, and I have in turn manipulated others, by recording their response to suffering and misery. So there is guilt in every direction: guilt because I don't practice religion, guilt because I was able to walk away, while this man was dying of starvation or being murdered by another man with a gun. And I am tired of guilt, tired of saying to myself: "I didn't kill that man on that photograph, I didn't starve that child." That's why I want to photograph landscapes and flowers. I am sentencing myself to peace."

"Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures."

References

External links

Don McCullin at horvatland.com

Don McCullin at Hamiltons Gallery

''Life Interrupted'': A gallery from Africa on behalf of Christian Aid

BBC Radio interview

Audio slideshow on BBC News

TateShots: Don McCullin The artist on his work. 17 August 2011

Category:1935 births Category:British autobiographers Category:British non-fiction writers Category:English photographers Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:English photojournalists Category:Living people Category:People of the Vietnam War Category:Photography in India Category:Photography in Lebanon Category:Photography in Vietnam Category:War photographers

cs:Donald McCullin de:Don McCullin fr:Don McCullin it:Don McCullin no:Don McCullin pl:Don McCullin