June 8th: Justin Bieber

Who Is Justin Bieber?

• Justin Bieber is a Canadian singer and songwriter.
• He was born on March 1, 1994 in Stratford Ontario.
• His mother was a single mother and she encouraged him throughout his childhood.
• He got second place in a talent competition at a very young age. His mother decided to post clips of Justin performing on YouTube. He went from an unknown and untrained singer to an instant superstar.

• He got a record deal with Usher within two years of his first post on YouTube.

• he was the first solo artist to have 4 singles enter the top 40 before the release of his first album.
• In 2009 his album “My World” was platinum in several countries.
• However, he began to receive a lot of media attention for offensive things he was doing.
• He made a comeback in 2015 when he had his foot first number one song called “What Do You Mean?”

in 2017 he worked with Louis Fonci and the song “Despacito” broke an all-time record for the most consecutive weeks at number 1 on the top 100.

he broke another record in 2020 when the success of The Album “Changes” made him the youngest artist to have 7 Albums Reach #One on the Billboard Hot 200.

• According to Wealthy Gorilla Justin net worth reported to be $285 million in 2019 because of his music sales, merchandise, product endorsements, touring and other business ventures.

Justin and Hailey Baldwin

• in the summer of 2018 Justin and model Hailey were spotted together a lot. The show TMZ reported that the two got engaged during a dinner in the Bahamas on July 7.
• The two of them had dated and split up in 2016 but they decided to work on their friendship and eventually their relationship also.
• They reportedly got a marriage license at a New York City courthouse on September 13, 2018 just two months after they were engaged in the Bahamas.
• after a while it came out that they had gotten married.
• On September 30, 2019 the couple had a larger ceremony marking their marriage.

Selena Gomez and Justin

• In 2010 he started to date actress and singer Selena Gomez.
• She was even bullied by some of Justin’s loyal friends because she was with him. She even received some death threats on Twitter.
• Her song “Lose You to Love Me” was reportedly written about her relationship with Justin.

Justin Bieber’s Albums and Songs

• in November 2009 Justin first album called “My World” hit the stores and sold more than 130,000 copies within a week.
• In 2010 he released “My World 2.0” it had 10 new songs.
• “Never Say Never” was released in 2011 along with a holiday album called “under the Mistletoe”.
• The album “Believe” was released in 2012 and sold 374,000 copies in its first week before Justin released a disappointing album called “Journals” the next year. It didn’t even have a hit single.
• His comeback came in 2015 when he released the album called “Purpose” which became his 5th million selling record in the US.
• After the release of his album “Changes” in February 2020 Justin became the youngest artist to have seven albums reach the top spot on the Billboard Hot 200.
• He broke the record that was held by Elvis Presley when he was 26 years old.

Justin’s Mom and Dad

• Justin was raised by his single mom. His father Jeremy Bieber left the family to start a family with another woman.
• Although some media reports said Justin and his dad were not close and that he only resurfaced when Justin achieved YouTube fame, Justin always said they remain close.
• In 2010 when he was 16 years old Justin stated, “I have a great relationship with my dad. When I was younger, he taught me how to play some songs on the guitar like “Knocking on Heavens Door” by Bob Dylan.
• Justin’s tattoo a seagull that he got the same year matches the one that his father has.
• In February 2016 when interviewed by magazine Justin said, “I am a lot closer to my dad than I am my mom.” He later attended a party to celebrate his dad’s engagement.
• In August 2018 his father welcomed a baby girl named Bay and Justin welcomed her to the family.

Calvin Klein Ad

• in spring of 2015 Justin was featured in a Calvin Klein ad with Dutch model Lara Stone.

• A year later he was featured in another Calvin Klein ad with Kendall Jenner.
• In 2011 he was in the movie called “Never Say Never”. It was a concert documentary. The movie showed him in a concert on stage and gave you a glimpse of his life behind the scenes. The movie earned more than $73 million at the box office and also included appearances by Kanye West, Miley Cyrus and Usher.

Battles in Court

• In 2011 a woman claimed Justin was the father of her child. But after a DNA test proved that he was not the father the young woman dropped her lawsuit. Justin created a solemn regarding the incident called “Maria”.

• In 2013 Justin’s neighbour accused him of spitting on him. Two months later a lot of his neighbours accused him of driving too fast in a residential area in California.

Health Battles

• Once Justin was in his 20’s he was determined to clean up his image. However, he still got a lot of media attention when it was reported in February 2019 he was being treated for depression.
• He confirmed this in March and posted a photo to Instagram of himself praying with Kanye West. Under the picture he stated, “just wanted to keep you guys updated a little bit hopefully what I’m going through will resonate with you guys. Been struggling a lot. Just feeling super disconnected and weird… I always bounce back so I’m not worried just wanted to reach out and ask for you guys to pray for me. God is faithful and your prayers really work thanks.. The most human season I’ve ever been in facing my stuff had on..”
• In January 2020 Justin revealed that he had recently gone through a battle of mononucleosis and had been diagnosed with Lyme disease.

Docuseries: “Justin Bieber: Seasons”

• in January 2020 Justin debuted his 10 part YouTube docuseries. The first episode was titled “Leaving the Spotlight” which focused on his moving back from the public eye after cancelling the final weeks of his tour in 2017 and his journey back to recording again.
• In later episodes the series focused on his marriage and his battles with depression.

June 3rd: Stevie Wonder

• Stevie wonder made his recording debut when he was 11 years of age. He had hits in the 1960s like “Fingertips Part 2”, “I Was Made to Love Her” and “My Cherie Amore.”
• In the 1970s he had just as many number one hits that included “Superstition”, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life”, and “Higher Ground”.
• In the 1980s popular songs made by Stevie wonder were called “I Just Called to Say I Love You”, and “Part Time Lover”.

Early Life

• Stevie wonder was born on May 13, 1950. His real name is Stevland Hardaway Judkins.
• He lost his sight as a newborn infant when he came into the world six weeks premature and was diagnosed with Retinopathy of Prematurity.
• This is an eye disorder that is caused by abnormal blood vessels throughout the retina.
• It is believed that he received too much oxygen well in the incubator this may have caused the condition to get worse for him. This left him blind.
• As a child he never let his vision loss hold him back. When he was five years old he said to his mother “don’t worry about me being blind, because I’m happy.”
• When Oprah asked him about that remark that he said to his mother he said, “it bothered me that my mother was crying all the time. She sought God might be punishing her for something. She lived during a time when things were particularly difficult for a woman in her circumstances.”
• His eyesight wasn’t the only hurdle he had to overcome. His family was living in poverty and often were hungry. In a 2002 biography it said his father drank and abused his mother and eventually forced her into prostitution.
• His mother eventually was able to move the family to Detroit.

• Stevie was able to teach himself how to play instruments that included the piano, harmonica and drums for the age of 10.
• Eventually his talents were noticed by Ronnie White was a member of the band called the miracle. He helped him get an audition with Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr.

• in 1962 his new name became little Stevie wonder and he started working with Motown songwriter Clarence Paul and a few other people. They released his debut album that was called “The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie Wonder”.
• This album showed his ability to play a number of instruments at such a young age.

• That same year he released an album that was titled “Tribute to Uncle Ray”. This album covered the songs of his favorite soul artist Ray Charles.
• When asked if his vision loss affected his music he said, “It’s played a part in that I’m able to use my imagination to go places, to write words about things I furred people talk about. In music and in being blind I’m able to associate what people say with what’s inside me.”
• In 1973 Stevie was in a severe car accident when the car he was in collided with the truck. He suffered a head injury and was in a coma for four days.
• In early 2019 rumors about his health failing began to surface. But in July 2019 confirmed that he would be having a kidney transplant in the fall.
• Even though he’s gone through a lot of health challenges Stevie has kept his focus on music and also his passion for social justice.
• He even campaigned for making Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday a national holiday and then celebrated the designation with his 1981 song “Happy Birthday”.

• He was also part of the single “We Are the World” which helped to raise money to battle hunger in Africa.
• In 1985 he won the Oscar for Best Original Song and dedicated the award to anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela.

• Stevie wonder has never let his disability stop him from living his dreams and living his life the way he wanted to.

• During an interview for the Guardian 2012 he said, “I am what I am. I love me! And I don’t mean that to be egotistical— I love that God has allowed me to take whatever it is that I had and to make something out of it.”  

Advocacy Work

• Along with advocating for Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday to be a holiday and singing for “we are the world” to help with the famine in Africa, he also worked on “That’s What Friends Are For” with Elton John, Warwick and Gladys Knight which benefited The American Foundation for AIDS Research.

• he has also worked tirelessly to advocate for improving services for the blind and people with disabilities.
• In connection with The International Day of Persons with Disabilities he was named the United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2009.

• In 2013 Stevie made good on the promise to perform a concert in Marrakech for the negotiators from the World Intellectual Property Organization.
• He did this because they agreed to an international treaty providing blind and visually impaired individuals around the world with more access to books.
• In 2014 he was awarded the Presidential medal of freedom from President Barack Obama.

Personal Life

• In 1970 he married a fellow Motown singer-songwriter Syreeta Wright but divorced two years later.
• She died of cancer in 2004.
• He had his first child Aisha with Yolanda Simmons in 1975. She was the inspiration for his song called “Isn’t She Lovely”

• They also had a son named Keita born in 1977.
• In 1983 he had a son named Mumtaz with Melody Mcculley.
• He had a daughter Sophia and his son named Kwame but the mother’s name has not been publicized.
• He married Karen Millard Morris 2001 and had two sons Kailand and Mandla but divorced in 2015.
• He had two children with Tomeeka Robyn Bracy before they got married in 2017.

June 1st: P!nk

Who Is Pink?

• She is well known for her edgy pop music.
• Her debut album was called Can’t Take Me Home in 2000.
• In 2001 she also sang on the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. She was a co-vocalist on the song called Lady Marmalade.
• Some people believe that she paved the way for Katy Perry and Lady Gaga but they believe that she has not got any recognition for that.
• She is a animal-rights activist for PETA.

Early Years

• P!nk is pronounced P!nk. Her real name is Alecia Beth Moore. She was born on September 8, 1979 in Doylestown Pennsylvania.
• The name Pink came from The Movie Reservoir Dogs. She saw this movie as a teenager and the character Mr. P!nk was someone that her friends all agreed that she resembled.

• She was the second child of Jim and Judy Moore. She lived in a middle-class suburb in Doylestown.
• Her parents got a divorce when Pink was three years old.
• Pink says their divorce caused her to have a rebellious attitude, “I was never allowed to go over to any of my friends’ houses when I was little, because I was a bad influence,” she said in her early life, “none of their parents liked me and my own parents were scared to death of me and for me.”
• She found peace in music and at the age of 13 she was already navigating the Philadelphia club scene.
• It was a very hard life for her and she nearly overdosed at the age of 15 years old. She even got involved in petty crime.
• She dropped out of high school and then decided to return to earn her GED in 1998.

Early Music Career

• it was evident that Pink had a talent for music though. By chance an executive from MCA records noticed her when she was a teenager and asked her to audition for an R&B group that he was planning to form.
• The group was called Basic Instinct. However, even though the group got a record deal and plenty of studio time it never became popular and they broke up after two years.
• She became part of another band called Choice, however this band also didn’t become popular and ended in 1998.

Albums and Songs

• the group Choice’s label called LaFace supported Pink when she decided to go out on her own.
• It was then that she changed her name from Alecia Moore to Pink and she started to record her first solo album in 2000 called “Can’t Take Me Home”.
• The album went double platinum and created two top 10 singles. They were called “There You Go” and “Most Girls”.
• This album became even more popular when she started to open up for the popular boy band NSYNC.
• Even though pink was becoming more famous and successful she was not satisfied. She wanted a different more edgier sound. She said, “there was no blood, sweat or tears on my first album. And no emotional exchange between me and the musicians. R&B is on a conveyor belt.”
• Things started to improve in 2001 when she was working on the Moulin Rouge soundtrack.

• She worked with people like Christina Aguilera, Maya and Lil’ Kim to record a remake of Patti LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade”.

in 2001 she also released a single from her second album called “Get the Party Started”

• it climbed to the top five and helped to launch her next album “Misundaztood”. This album went on to sell more than 10 million copies worldwide.
• Her next album was called “Try This” released in 2003. It had an even more rock-centric sound and a produced the hit single called “Trouble”.

• Pink received a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for this album. However, this album was not as successful as the last album.
• Her next album was released in 2006 and it was called “I’m Not Dead”
• it was her fourth album. This was Pink’s most honest lineup of songs to date.
• It included the number one single called “Stupid Girls”. It centred around the infatuation and celebrity surrounding people like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.
• Pink had very strong feelings when she wrote this song and said, “It was more of a social commentary on these girls, who think they have to be stick thin and have the latest handbag,” she explained, “There’s nothing wrong with being sexy, but you have to be sexy for yourself, not society.”
• In 2010 she released the Greatest Hits… So Far album. This was a compilation album which featured some of her past hits.
• In 2012 she released her sixth album. It was called “The Truth About Love”.

• It soared to the top of the Billboard 200 with multiple top 10 singles. Some of them included the number one hit called “Just Give Me a Reason”

• the tour that represented this album became the third-highest grossing tour in 2013 and had close to $148 million in ticket sales.

Other Projects

• Pink also world songs for Cher and Celine Dion.
• In 2013 she had an acting project when she starred as a sex addict in a movie with Mark Ruffalo and Gwyneth Paltrow in Thanks for Sharing.
• She also released a chart-topping folk album called “Rose Avenue” with musician Dallas Green. There band name was you+Me.
• She also released cover versions of the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”. The song was used in animated series called Beat Bugs (2016) and “White Rabbit” for Tim Burton’s Through the Looking Glass (2016).
• In August 2017 Pink released a new single called “What about Us” from her seventh album “Beautiful Trauma.” It went to the top of the Billboard 200 when it was released in October.

Family and Personal

• Pink married her boyfriend motocross star Carey Hart in Costa Rica when she proposed to him during one of his races. Unfortunately just two years after they married the couple separated.
• Her fifth album called Funhouse (2008) was largely about her feelings about her separation.
• It debuted at number two on the Billboard chart and started the two were that featured Pink performing blindfolded and in some cases singing upside down on a trapeze.
• As always her music has helped her deal with her feelings. After a lot of speculation she revealed in February 2010 during an Oprah interview that she and her husband were back together.
• In June 2011 she gave birth to her daughter Willow Sage and on December 26, 2016 the family welcomed a baby boy named Jameson Moon.

Awards and Causes Important to Pink

• she is an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ and for the better treatment of animals.
• She uses her celebrity status to be behind organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
• She also supports organizations such as Human Rights Campaign, UNICEF and Save the Children.
• In February 2019 Pink received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

• Later in the year she was named the People’s Champion of 2019 at the People’s Choice Awards. When she receive this award she encouraged people to go out and make a difference by saying, “kindness today is an act of rebellion”.
• In early 2020 Pink had a scare when her and her son Jameson were diagnosed with Covid 19.
• After they both recovered she announced that she was donating $1 million to the healthcare workers who were risking their lives by caring for others during this outbreak.
• During the Billboard music awards on May 23, 2021 Jon Bon Jovi presented Pink with the Icon Award.

May 27th: Madonna

Madonna was born Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccione on August 16th, 1958. She is currently 62 years old.

Madonna was born into a large Italian family in Bay City, Michigan. She grew up in Michigan, and she eventually went to the University of Michigan to study dance. She was the third of six children, and her father was the son of Italian immigrants, and her mother was of French-Canadian descent. She grew up Catholic, and religion played a big role in her life growing up. This heavily influenced her music and performances later on in life.

Her mother passed away when Madonna was only 5 years old, from breast cancer. Madonna has said that this loss heavily influenced her, and she says; “I think the biggest reason I was able to express myself and not be intimidated was by not having a mother,” she says. “For example, mothers teach you manners. And I absolutely did not learn any of those rules and regulations.”

Madonna started to rebel as a teen, and she began going out, wearing revealing clothing, and rejecting her religious background. However, Madonna was a perfectionist from a young age, and she was a straight-A student and excellent dancer. The University of Michigan offered her a full scholarship to go into their dance program, which she was in for two years.

During her time at university, Madonna was offered a six-week scholarship to study dance at the prestigious Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in New York City. Madonna took a risk and dropped out of school to pursue her dance career in NYC. To pay her rent, Madonna took on many odd jobs, including posing as a nude model, serving at the Russian Tea Room, and performing at the American Dance Center.

Madonna started dating Dan Gilroy, who was a member of the pop-punk band Breakfast Club, and she eventually became their drummer and then singer. Over the next few years, Madonna formed many bands of her own, including; Madonna & the Sky, Millionaires and Emmy.

In 1981, Madonna decided to go solo, and she hired a manager to get her singing career on track. The industry was male-dominated, so she hired Camille Barbone of Gotham Records to help her navigate her career. One of the members of her band wrote the song “Everybody,” which Madonna then got a chance to record. She eventually signed a record deal with Sire Records, and “Everybody” became a number one hit on the dance charts in 1982.

After the success of Everybody, Madonna convinced Sire Records to produce the full-length album Madonna in 1983. This album became a slow and steady success, and had hit songs on it including “Borderline,” “Lucky Star,” and “Holiday.” This album made made Madonna’s influence spread across the country, and soon girls were mimicking her style, which included fishnet stockings, lace, fingerless gloves, and crucifix necklaces.

Madonna’s follow-up album, Like a Virgin, had major success, and was a huge statement in pop culture. The album was a billboard 100 number 1 hit, and it went platinum within a month of its release. Like a Virgin became Madonna’s greatest hit, and other songs on the album included; “Material Girl” and “Angel.”

Other hits in the 1980s included; “Into the Groove,” “Vogue” and “Crazy for You.” She released four other albums during the 80s, and all of them were considered hits. She also started her first concert tour, called The Virgin Tour, and she created several music videos that became iconic to the time and her career.

Madonna also starred in several movies in the 1980s, including one with her then husband Sean Penn, called Shanghai Surprise. Madonna continued to perform and create controversy, especially at the MTV Music Video Awards performing “Like a Virgin.”

By 1991, Madonna was one of the biggest stars on the planet, having sold over 70 million albums worldwide and generating over 1.2 billion dollars in sales. She continued to push social boundaries, and this was done in her documentary on her Blonde Ambition tour called Truth or Dare.

Madonna starred in Evita in 1996, alongside Antonio Banderas, and won a Golden Globe for Best Performance in a musical. Madonna continued making music and releasing records in the early 2000s, as well as her greatest hits records which have had major success.

In 2012, Madonna was the headline performer for the Superbowl, and she had Nicki Minaj and MIA perform alongside her.

Madonna released her album MDNA also in 2012, and her next album, Rebel Heart was released in 2015. She has since released Madame X in 2018.

Personal Life

Madonna has been married twice, first to actor Sean Penn, and they had a very public divorce. Madonna had a baby girl named Lourdes after this, with her partner at the time Carlos Leon. She was then married to Guy Ritchie in 2000 until 2008, and had her son Rocco in 2000.

Madonna has adopted her son David and her daughter Mercy from Malawi, where Madonna has spent a lot of time and she has raised a lot of money for the country over the years. Madonna announced in 2017 that she adopted four-year old twins, Estere and Stelle from Malawi as well.

Madonna on Carpool Karaoke:

May 25th: Ellen Degeneres

Ellen DeGeneres

• Ellen was born on January 26, 1958 and is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer and producer.
• She had a sitcom from 1994 to 1998 called Ellen and has hosted her syndicated television talk show since 2003.

• She started first as a standup comedian in the early 1980s and was on the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson in 1986.

• Some of her film credits include Mr. Wrong in 1996, ED TV in 1999 and the Love Letter in 1999 as well.
• She also did the voice of Dory in Finding Nemo in 2003 and Finding Dory in 2016.

• Ellen was given the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for Finding Nemo and it was the first time and actress one a Saturn Award for a voice performance.
• In 2010 Ellen even served as a guest judge on the ninth of American Idol.

• In 1997 on the fourth season of her sitcom Ellen, she came out as a lesbian in an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show.
• Her character during the sitcom Ellen Morgan also came up to a therapist played by Winfrey.
• The show began to explore different LGBT issues and in 2008 she married her longtime girlfriend, Portia de Rossi.

• Ellen has hosted the Academy Awards, Grammy awards, and the primetime Emmy’s. She has written four books and started her own record company called Eleveneleven.
• She has also started her own production company called A Very Good Production.
• She has won 30 Emmy’s, 20 people’s choice awards which actually is more than any other person.
• In 2016 she even received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

• in January 2020 Ellen received the Carol Burnett award at the Golden globes for all her work she does on television. She became the first recipient after it’s inaugural namesake Carol Burnett.

• In the summer of 2020 the show had a lot of controversy when it was investigated for being a hostile workplace and for alleged harassment towards staff by producers of the show.
• After an internal investigation three senior staff left the show and Ellen apologized and vowed to make it a workplace where people would be treated with respect.

Early Life and Education

• Ellen was born and raised in Metairie, Louisiana. Her mother’s name was Elizabeth Jane and she was born in 1930. She was a speech therapist.
• Her father’s name was Elliot Everett DeGeneres. He was born in 1925 and passed away in 2018 and he was an insurance agent.
• She has one brother name Vance who is a musician and producer.
• She is of French, English, German, and Irish descent and she was raised a Christian Scientist.
• Her parents got divorced in 1974.
• When her mother remarried Ellen moved from New Orleans to Atlanta, Texas but her brother stayed with his father.
• When Ellen was 15 or 16 years old she was unfortunately molested by her stepfather.
• She graduated from Atlanta high school in May 1976 and moved back to New Orleans to attend the University of New Orleans and majored in Communication Studies. After one semester she left and went to do clerical work at a law firm with the cousin of hers.

• Some of her early jobs included JCPenney, and waitressing at a TGI Friday’s. She also worked as a house painter and a hostess and bartender.
• She often refers to her childhood and career experiences when she’s doing her standup comedy.

• Her standup comedy career started at small clubs and coffeehouses. By 1981 she was the emcee at a club called Clyde’s Comedy Club in New Orleans.
• At that time her influences were Woody Allen and Steve Martin.
• In the early 1980s she began to tour nationally and in 1984 she was named Showtime’s funniest person in America.
• In 2018 she appeared in a Netflix standup special called Relatable.

• She now says her comedic influences are Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett and Bob Newhart.

The Ellen Show

• In September 2003 Ellen launched her own talk show called the Ellen DeGeneres show.
• The show was nominated for 11 daytime and he awards in its first season and won four. This included the best talk show.
• The show won 25 Emmy awards for the first three seasons.

• Ellen was known for her dancing and singing with the audience at the beginning of the show and during commercial breaks.
• With the help of sponsors, she often gives away free prizes and trips to her audience.
• She celebrated her 30 year class reunion by flying her graduating class to California to be on her show in February 2006.
• In March 2007 the show was broadcast for a week from Universal Studios Orlando. During the shows Ellen went on the ride called the Hulk Roller Coaster Ride And the Jaws Boat Ride.

• In 2007 Ellen was placed on bed rest due to a torn ligament in her back. She still hosted her show from a hospital bed and the guests that appeared on the show during that time sat on hospital beds as well.
• She believed that no matter what the show still must go on.

• On May 1, 2009 she celebrated her 1000 show with guests such as Oprah Winfrey, Justin Timberlake and Paris Hilton.
• On her 2000 Show in December 2015 Jennifer Aniston and Justin Timberlake surprised Ellen.

• During American Idol’s ninth season Ellen replaced Paula Abdul as a judge. She was to be on several seasons but decided after one season that it wasn’t the right fit for her.
• In 2017 to 2018 Ellen began taping her new show called Ellen’s Game of Games. It is still on today.

• On May 12, 2021 Ellen announced that she would end her talk show after next season in 2022.
• On today show Ellen said that she and the organization called Shutterfly have assisted people by raising over $14 million over the past nine years until now.

May 20th: Elvis pt. 2

More on the King of Rock N Roll!

As Elvis became more and more well-known in the United States and the rest of the world, he was asked to perform on multiple television shows, including the Ed Sullivan show, which was a Sunday night variety show. Elvis got paid $50, 000 to make three appearances on the show. His appearance on the show set records for the size of the audiences.

Elvis gets drafted to the army

Elvis was drafted to the US army in 1958, and at the time of his draft he was one of the most well-known musicians in the world. His fans were shocked and saddened that he would not be able to perform and make music.

While in the military, before he was stationed in Germany, Elvis found out about the death of his mother. His mother, Gladys Presley died at the age of 46 from a heart attack. He returned home on leave to be with his father and attend his mother’s funeral, and he was completely devastated by his mother’s death.

Elvis served for two years in the army, and he met his future wife, Priscilla, while stationed in West Germany. Priscilla was 14 years old at the time, and the two eventually married seven and a half years later.

During his time serving in the military, Elvis still managed to have 10 top 40 hits in the US. These included “A Big Hunk O’ Love.” Elvis was discharged from the military in 1960, and his service was officially declared honourable by the US army.

Return from the military

As soon as Elvis returned from the US army, he began recording music again. His album, “Elvis is back!” included the song, “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”

Elvis became very busy with starring in films during the 1960s, and he would also record soundtracks for the films he starred in. This made him extremely busy, as he was starring in about 3 films per year. The pressure on Elvis to continue recording music and star in films was immense, and his schedule was exhausting.

During this time, the popularity and quality of the music Elvis was producing was declining, and this eventually made him step down from the spotlight for a couple of years. He was unhappy with his music, and this was a difficult time for him. He had been told what songs to release and record, and he was becoming upset with his music catologue.

Elvis and Priscilla had their one and only child, Lisa Marie, in 1968.

Also in 1968, Elvis performed live for the first time since 1961, on a televised show that was just called Elvis. It is now known as the Comeback Special, and it showed Elvis performing in front of a small audience some of his biggest hits. This special grew his career again, and Elvis was able to choose the songs that he wanted to record going forward. This was what he was not able to do while starring in films and recording soundtracks.

Elvis started touring again, and he started participating in international engagements. His hits during the 1970s included “Burning Love” and “Always on my Mind.” At this time, he was wearing full costume on stage, which included his signature hair style and often tight jumpsuits that would have a cape.

Often, his cape would have an eagle embellished on the back to show his patriotism.

Style evolution of Elvis: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/gallery/2018/aug/23/fit-for-the-king-elvis-presleys-fashion-legacy-in-pictures

Elvis continued intense touring schedules during the years 1973 and 1974, even though he was battling with a prescription drug addiction which he had been hospitalized for several times. In 1973, he performed 168 concerts, which was the most he had ever done in a year.

His health was failing for several years leading up to his death, due to his addictions, although he generally followed through on all performing commitments. He died on August 16, 1977, at 42 years old, from a heart attack.

Graceland

After Elvis’ death, Graceland, which was his home and estate and where he spent a lot of his time in between touring, was opened to the public.

It became the second most-visited residence in the US after the White House. Every August, crowds from all over the world come to Graceland to honour the day Elvis died.

Graceland website: https://www.graceland.com/

May 18th: Jersey Boys!

The Jersey Boys

• the Jersey boys was created in 2005 by Bob back Gaudio and the music was created by Bob Crewe.
• The book was written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice.
• It was written in the documentary style and was to follow and represent the rock ‘n’ roll group called the Four Seasons.

The Four Seasons

• It follows when the group formed, it’s success and goes through until the band’s eventual breakup in the 1960s.
• Some of the songs included in the musical are “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Sherry”, “December 1963 (Oh What a Night)”, “My Eyes Adored You”, “Stay”,  “Can’t Take My Eyes off You”’  “Walk like a Man”’  “Who Loves You”,  “Working My Way Back to You”, and “Ragdoll”.
• The musical was on Broadway from 2005 to 2017.
• Jersey boys has been extremely successful and has been on stage throughout the world in places like London, Las Vegas, Chicago, Toronto, Melbourne and other Australian cities, Singapore, South Africa, the Netherlands, Japan, to buy and China.
• Jersey boys has 4 2006 Tony awards that included Best Musical and in 2009 the musical won the Laurence Oliver Award for Best New Musical.

Development

• the early 2000’s former Four Seasons member Bob Gaudio decided to make a musical about the band.

Bob Guadio (R) and Frankie Valli (L)

• He hired the writers of the book and the director Des McAnuff.
• Bob wanted to do a show about the history of the band instead of doing a show that just resembled the songs written by the Four Seasons like ABBA did when they created Mama Mia.
• Marshall Brickman decided to be part of the project because to him it represented “a classic American story. It’s a rags to riches and back to rags story.”
• The public did not know very much about the Four Seasons before the musical came out. This was because the magazines in that era did not write about them a lot.
• During the research for the musical and the book Brickman was surprised to find out that there were members of the group that had prison records.
• The popularity of the band may have been very compromised should this information has been linked to this media.
• Brickman and Elice also used material from interviews with surviving Four Seasons members.

Productions

• Jersey boys premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse at University of California, San Diego.
• It ran from October 5, 2004 and ran through until January 16, 2005.

• The musical began previewing on Broadway on October 4, 2005 and officially opened on November 6, 2005 at the August Wilson Theatre.

• The Broadway production had 38 previews. It reached its 4093rd performance on September 22, 2015 which made it the 12^th longest-running show on Broadway.
• The Broadway production closed on January 15, 2017 after doing 4642 performances.
• The First National US tour began on December 10, 2006 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. The musical went on to play in 38 different cities.
• When Jersey Boys played at the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia the musical broke the box office record eight times before moving on to a return engagement back in Boston.

• In May 2007 during the First National tour, a second company debuted at the Curren Theatre and ended as an open-ended run at Chicago’s Bank of America Theatre. This began on October 5, 2007.
• The cast in Chicago even got to Be on Stage at the 2007 Emmy Awards in a tribute to HBO’s the Sopranos.

• A special holiday return engagement Was That the Curran Theatre again from November 20 through to December 30, 2007.
• Most of the cast from the holiday show became the cast that would perform in the Las Vegas shows. This show debuted at the Palazzo hotel on Sunday, May 3, 2008 in The Jersey Boys Theatre.
• On June 7, 2016 it was announced that the Jersey boys be ending its Las Vegas show on September 18, 2016.
• The musical made its way to London to the Prince Edward Theatre in 2008 and the production been moved to the Piccadilly Theatre on March 15, 2014. The production then closed after 9 Years in London on March 26, 2017.

• However, a revival West End Production of the Jersey boys is planned to open on June 28, 2021 at the Trafalgar Theatre.

• The Australian production opened at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne Australia on July 4, 2009. It closed on July 25, 2010 and the Sydney Australia production opened in September 2010 but closed on December 18, 2011.
• The juicy boys opened in Auckland New Zealand in April 2012 with a new cast. They even had a Canadian named Jeff Madden starring as Frankie Valli. The production ran through to June 17, 2012.
• After New Zealand the cast returned to Australia and the show ran until June 30, 2013.
• Due to its success at the Toronto Centre for the arts in autumn 2008 another Toronto production of Jersey Boys opened on December 12, 2008. This production closed on August 22, 2010 on the show’s second anniversary of being in Toronto.

• From there the Jersey boys went on to perform on an international tour which included South Africa, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Istanbul Turkey, South Korea and Malaysia.
• A Dutch production of Jersey boys featured the songs sung in English and the dialogue was performed in Dutch making it the first time the show has ever performed in a language other than English.
• A Japanese production of the Jersey boys opened in Tokyo on July 1, 2016.
• Another tour of Jersey boys in 19 cities in the United States also began from March 2016 through to March 2017.
• Believe it or not Jersey boys was also performed on the Norwegian Cruise line on the ship called the Norwegian Bliss before the pandemic started.

May 11th: Elvis Presley

Elvis was born Elvis Aaron Presley on January 8, 1935. He was also just known as Elvis. He became a musician and singer. He was regarded as the most significant cultural icon of the 20^th century and is known as the King of rock ‘n’ roll.

His performances were energized with a lot of interpretations of his songs. They were also sexually provocative performance styles with a mix of influences across race and colour relations during a transformative era amid race relations.

He was born in Tupelo, Mississippi and relocated to Memphis when he was 13 years old with his family.

Early Years

• Elvis’s twin brother Jesse Garin Presley was stillborn at birth, and as a result Elvis became very close with his parents but he was especially close with his mother.
• His family attended and Assembly of God Church where he found his musical inspiration.
• Elvis is family history is made up of German, Scottish and Irish with some French ancestry. His mother and the rest of the family believed that her great-great-grandmother was of Cherokee descent.
• In September 1941 when Presley was in grade one he impressed one of his teachers and was encouraged to enter a singing contest. The contest happened when he was 10 years old. He sang his own version of Red Foley’s country song “Old Shep” during morning prayers. He won fifth place.

Teenage Life in Memphis

• in November 1948 Elvis’s family moved to Memphis Tennessee.
• Believe it or not Elvis is music teacher told him that he had no aptitude for singing. The next day he decided to bring his guitar and sang a recent hit called “Keep Them Cold Icy Fingers Off Me,” just to prove her wrong.
• Usually he was too shy to sing in public and was sometimes even bullied and called a mama’s boy.

• Elvis began working as an usher at a theatre and also had other jobs working in a tool factory and metal product factory.
• During his senior year he began to change his appearance. He grew his sideburns and styled his hair with rose oil and Vaseline. He even started to wear much more flashy clothes.
• In April 1953 Elvis completed a show in his high school Called the Hume’s Annual “Minstrel”. He opened his show with a song called “till I waltz Again with You”.
• Elvis recalled “I wasn’t popular in school… I failed music… the only thing I ever failed. And then they entered me in this talent show… When I came onstage I heard people kind of rumbling and whispering and so forth, because no one knew I even sang. It was amazing how popular I became in school after that!”

1953 to 1956: First Recordings

• in August 1953 Elvis went into the office of Sun records. His plan was to pay for only a few minutes of studio time to report as two-sided record. One side was going to be called “My Happiness” and the other side was going to be called “That’s When your heartaches begin”.
• This record was supposed to be a gift for his mother but also just to see what he sounded like.
• This is a Promotional Picture of Elvis in 1954 at Sun Records.
• On July 5 after a very long seemingly unsuccessful recording session Elvis decided just to start singing and jumping around and the rest of the musicians with him started playing their instruments and jumping around as well and that’s how the song “That’s All Right” came to be.

His music career began in 1954 at Sun records with a producer named Sam Phillips.

His first RCA single was called Heartbreak Hotel and was released in January 1956 and became a number one in the United States.

He became the leading public figure in the newly popular sound of rock ‘n’ roll because of his many successful television appearances and chart topping records.

• this video shows Elvis much later in his career, reflecting on the significance of this song
• When they started an instrumental part of the songs Elvis would step away from the microphone and start dancing the way that made Elvis famous.
• On October 2, 1954 Elvis would make the only appearance he made on Nashville’s Grand Old Opry stage.

• On January 10, 1956 Elvis made his first recordings for RCA in Nashville. One of the songs produced was “Heartbreak Hotel” which was released as a single on January 27, 1956.
• After that Elvis went on be booked on CBS’s show called Stage Show. He was on the show for six appearances over two months.
• After his first appearance Elvis stayed in New York to record at RCA studio. There he recorded eight songs that included a cover of the song “Blue Suede Shoes”. In February that year Elvis’ song called “I forgot To Remember to Forget” reached the top of the Billboard country chart.
• On March 23, 1956 RCA released Elvis Presley self-titled debut album.

In November 1956 Presley made his film debut in the movie called “Love Me Tender.”

He was drafted into military service in 1958 and decided to relaunch his recording career two years later with some of his most successful work.

He didn’t do a lot of concerts however but devoted much of the 1960s to making Hollywood films and soundtrack albums.

In 1968 after a seven-year break he returned to the stage for a television comeback special called Elvis which led to being in Las Vegas for a concert residency.

In 1973 Elvis gave the first concert by a solo artist that was broadcast around the whole world. It was called Aloha from Hawaii.

He won three Grammy awards, received the Grammy lifetime achievement award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple Musical Halls of Fame.

He holds many different records. Some of them are the most gold and platinum albums, the most albums charted on the Billboard 200 and the most number one albums by a solo artist on the UK albums chart.

He also held the most number one singles by any act on the UK singles chart. In 2018 Presley was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Donald Trump.

The Voice: Elvis Presley songs performed by kids

Elvis Pt. 2 on Thursday….

May 6th: New topics ideas, Mindfulness

The deadliest garden in the world:

Let’s take a vote!

Musicians – Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Madonna, Ed Sheeran, Adele, etc.

Money – how it has evolved and how it started, credit cards, loans, bank accounts, etc.

Inventions – telephone, light, cars, wheelchairs, computers, etc.

Cities – what makes a city, different cities around the world, Toronto then and now

Other ideas…

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Mindfulness and Meditation

With everything going on in the world, sometimes it can be overwhelming. Mindfulness and meditation are ways of relaxing both the mind and body, and they are practices that can easily be done on a daily basis.

Mindfulness and meditation have been proven to improve people’s ability to concentrate, boost confidence, relieve stress, and improve people’s relationships with others. It is also known for generating a more positive outlook when practiced often.

Does anyone practice mindfulness or meditation?

Mindfulness practices:

• take long, deep breaths several times per day – when you wake up, throughout the day, before bed
• set an intention – keep your motivation in mind, set a goal for the day and continually check in with yourself about it
  • for example: “Today, I will be kinder to myself,” or “I will be patient with others,” or “I will persevere,” or “I will have fun”
• mindful pause – check in with yourself and your intention, take your brain out of “autopilot” and reconnect with yourself and how you’re feeling
• gratefulness list/journal – reminding ourselves of what we are grateful for focuses our attention on the positive things in our life, and therefore creates a more positive mindset

Let’s try…

Meditation

Headspace has videos on Youtube, Netflix and an app which all help with learning about the mind and how to practice mindfulness. There are also videos on Headspace youtube which lead meditation. Here is the link to check out these videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/Getsomeheadspace

Gratefulness list – what are we grateful for as of today, May 6, 2021?

• the vaccine for one thing…

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Canadian Drama: Sign War

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56972907

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Happy Mother’s Day!

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Song of the day: ‘Hold On’ by Justin Bieber

May 4th: Royal Family Flowers

May the fourth be with you! 😉 For all the Star Wars fans…

Flowers named after members of the Royal Family

Almost every member of the Royal family has one or more flowers named after them. Already Princess Charlotte has a pink and green chrysanthemum, purple clematis and a yellow auricula named after her. She has all those flowers named after her and she’s only 10 months old!

Not all the flowers are quite as pretty. King Edward VII earned a potato varietal named after him at his 1902 coronation.

Queen Victoria Lobelia

She ruled in the 18^th century and has a lot of eponymous flowers named after her. But this one can be seen in a lot of people’s gardens. It is known for its cardinal red colour.

This beautiful flower is named after the late Queen Mother. It is of pale purple Africans literally with soft delicate trumpet -shaped flowers.

This Queen Elizabeth Rose symbolizes Britain’s longest reigning monarch. It is as classic as she is because it’s a silver pink rose dating back to the 1950s.

This rose is called the Princess Anne Rose.

It was honoured by the Royal horticultural Society and is an English rose named after Queen Elizabeth’s only daughter. It is deep pink in colour and honours her for her work for the charity Riding for the Disabled.

Lady Diana has a number of flowers in her name. She has a lot of them in the Rosaceae family. “This is an example of a very fragrant white rose.

This is another example of the beautiful rose named after Princess Diana.

It’s full name is called Diana Princess of Wales’ rose. It resembles a sunset because of its pink peach colour.

This flower is called the Princess Diana Clematis. It is grown as a climbing vine.

This orchid is called William Catherine Vanda. During a visit in 2012 and to the Singapore botanical Gardens the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge received their very own orchid.

this rose is called the William and Catherine rose. This white rose was featured in 2011 at the Chelsea Flower Show.

This lovely daffodil is called the Georgie Boy. In 2014 the Chelsea Flower Show gave Prince George his own flower to reflect his fun personality.

Every year, there is the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show, which the Queen and members of the Royal Family will visit to look at the gardens. This show is where people from all over the world show off their garden design, as well as exotic species of flowers and plants.

Bees

With all this talk about flowers, we need to talk about their essential pollinator: bees.

Irene’s Song Choice: “Levitating” by Dua Lipa ft. DaBaby