TEEN GIRL SOLO ARTIST WITH MOST UK NO.1 HITS

The teenage female solo artists with the most UK number one hits are Britney Spears (USA) and Billie Piper (UK). Britney was 18-years, 5-months, and 3-days old when she charted for a third time at No. 1, and Billie was 17-years, 7-months, and 23-days old

MOST SOLO GRAMMY AWARDS EVER WON

The most Grammy awards won by a solo pop performer is 19, by Stevie Wonder. He has won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance six times since 1973. Born Steveland Morris in Saginaw, Michigan, USA, on May 21, 1950, he lost his sight soon after birth when given too much oxygen in an incubator. As a child he took up the harmonica and piano and sang in a local gospel choir. At 10 he was spotted by Roland White, singer with Motown act The Miracles, and the label signed him up. He became part of the family of transatlantic tours. "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" (1964) turned his fortunes around, becoming his first hit. In 1976 he released his album The Key Of Life, on the Motown label. It stayed at No1 in the US Billboard 100 for 14 weeks. He remains one of the most successful artists in pop and soul.

MOST PSEUDONYMS USED BY A POP STAR

John Lennon, who first found fame with The Beatles, recorded and produced music under 15 pseudonyms, including The Honorary John St. John ... including The Honorary John St. John Johnson (guitar on "Whatever Gets You Through the Night"), The Rev. Fred Ghurkin (acoustic guitar on "Bless You"), Dr. Winston OGhurkin (guitar on "Going Down on Love") and Dwarf McDougal (guitar on "Nobody Loves You When You're Down Out".

MOST GRAMMY AWARDS WON IN A YEAR BY A PERSON

At the 26th Annual Grammy Awards in 1984 Michael Jackson won eight Grammy awards, which included Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Beat It," Record Of The Year with "Beat It," and Album of The Year with Thriller.

MOST GRAMMY AWARDS WON BY AN INDIVIDUAL

The Hungarian-born British conductor Sir Georg Solti won a record 31 Grammy awards (including a special Trustees' Award presented in 1967) between ... The Hungarian-born British conductor Sir Georg Solti won a record 31 Grammy awards (including a special Trustees' Award presented in 1967) between 1958 and 1997.

MOST EXPENSIVE MUSIC VIDEO

Directed by USA's Mark Romanek, the video for Michael and Janet Jackson's hit single "Scream" (1995) cost $7 million to make. ... Directed by USA's Mark Romanek, the video for Michael and Janet Jackson's hit single "Scream" (1995) cost $7 million to make.

MOST CONSECUTIVE NO.1 SINGLES IN THE UK CHART

The record for the most consecutive No. 1s in the UK charts is held by The Beatles, who had 11 hits in a row between 1963 and 1966 (from "From ... (from "From Me to You" through to "Yellow Submarine"). From wholesome mop-top family favorites to psychedelic new-wave rock 'n' rollers, The Beatles may have had plenty of image changes but their commercial success has remained constant. The band was originally known as The Quarry Men, later they changed their line-up and their name to become The Silver Beatles, then they eventually were known as The Beatles

MOST CHARTED ARTIST

Elvis Presley's records spent a cumulative total of 1,155 weeks on the UK singles chart since his first hit Heartbreak Hotel released on May ... Elvis Presley's records spent a cumulative total of 1,155 weeks on the UK singles chart since his first hit Heartbreak Hotel released on May 11, 1956

MOST AWARDS WON BY A CANTO-POP MALE ARTIST

By April 2000, Hong Kong crooner Andy Lau had won an unprecedented 292 awards, for a singing career that began in 1988. Since 1992, Lau has appeared ... By April 2000, Hong Kong crooner Andy Lau had won an unprecedented 292 awards, for a singing career that began in 1988. Since 1992, Lau has appeared in concert 179 times

LONGEST MUSIC VIDEO

Michael Jackson's part feature film, part music video, Ghosts (USA, 1996), is 35 min long and was based on an original concept by horror writer Stephen King. Jackson plays five different roles in the video, directed by Stan Winston.

HIGHEST EVER ANNUAL EARNINGS BY A GIRL BAND

The Spice Girls ranked 20th on Forbes magazine's list of the 40 richest entertainers of 1998, with an income of £29.6 million($49 million). The Spice Girls were formed in 1993 when Victoria Addams, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, and Geri Halliwell all answered an ad in a UK theater journal for "streetwise, outgoing and ambitious" girls who could sing and dance. Emma Bunton joined at a later date and the group, managed by Simon Fuller, released their debut single "Wannabe" in July 1996, which went to No. 1 in the UK, the USA, and another 30 countries. Their album also went top of the US charts - the first UK act to ever do so with a debut release. The group received incredible media coverage, comparable to The Beatles at the height of their fame. Spiceworld also went to number one in six countries. The band parted company with manager Simon Fuller in 1997 and Geri Halliwell in May 1998. Although still officially together the rest of the band are now pursuing solo projects.

FASTEST SELLING POP ALBUM

The record for the greatest first week sales of an album in the US is held by *NSYNC. The group, JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, and James Lance Bass, sold 2.41 million copies of their album No Strings Attached when it was released on March 21, 2000. It sold a record one million copies on the first day, shipped a record seven million in the first two weeks and sold over 100,000 copies a week for a record 26 successive weeks. The album entered the charts at No. 1.

FASTEST RAP ARTIST

Rebel XD (Seandale Price) from Chicago, Illinois, USA, beat his own record and rapped 683 syllables in 54.501 seconds on the set of Guinness World Records: Primetime in Los Angeles on June 24, 1998. This equals 12.5 syllables per second. He previously rapped 674 syllables in 54.9 seconds in 1992, which works out at 12.2 syllables per second. Rebel XD reckons he was born to entertain. His mother has told him that as a baby he would sit in front of the stereo all day listening to music. At school, he wrote love poems for his friends to give to their girlfriends. Born on the south side of Chicago, he began rapping in seventh grade, combining his love of poetry and music. He is now focusing on establishing a rap career of his own and says that his dream is to be heard and appreciated for his talents, "You have to keep on living, being strong and try to survive."

BIGGEST-SELLING ALBUM EVER

The best-selling album of all time is Thriller by Michael Jackson (USA), with global sales of over 51 million copies to date since 1982. The success of the album also helped Jackson win a record eight Grammy Awards in 1984.

BIGGEST SELLING COUNTRY ALBUM BY A GROUP

The biggest selling album by a country group is Wide Open Spaces by the Dixie Chicks (1998), which had sold 8 million copies by December 1999. Within a year of release, the record had gone quadruple-platinum and earned a Grammy for Best Country Album. The Dixie Chicks (their name is inspired by the Little Feat song, "Dixie Chickens") formed in 1989, when fiddler Martie Seidel and her banjo-playing sister, Emily Erwin, got together with bassist Laura Lynch and guitarist Robin Lynn Macy.

BIGGEST SELLING ALBUM BY A BOY BAND

The Backstreet Boys - Nick, Kevin, Brian, A.J. and Howie - released their Millennium album in 1999, and achieved record-breaking sales of 13 million by March 2001. The Backstreet Boys may be the biggest boy band of the new millennium, but their success had to start somewhere. In the early 90s AJ, Howie, and Nick used to bump into each other at acting auditions. They began hanging out together and started singing. Soon after, Kevin Richardson and his cousin, Brian Littrell, joined in too. The band began performing in their high school gym and at various events like Grad night at Sea World. However, it was thanks to a special fan - who made a call to Jive Records - that the boys then scored a recording contract.

BIGGEST ALL-TIMES SALES FOR A BAND

The Beatles have amassed the greatest sales for any group. All-time sales have been estimated by EMI at over one billion discs and tapes to date. In 2001, they had been certified for album sales of 163.5 million in the US alone. The band has numerous other world records, including that for most recorded song - Lennon and McCartney's "Yesterday" had 1,600 versions recorded between 1965 and January 1, 1986. Also, their album titled 1, released on November 13, 2000, sold 13.5 million copies around the world in its first month, making it the fastest-selling album.

BEST-SELLING US SOLO COUNTRY ALBUM

The best-selling country album in the USA by a solo artist is Shania Twain's Come On Over, which had sold a record total of 18 million copies in the USA as of June 15, 2000. The hit album remained in the Top 30 of the Billboard 200 chart after 122 weeks of release. Worldwide sales have topped 26 million. Born Eileen Regina Edwards on August 28, 1965 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Shania Twain is one of the few country artists who have made the successful crossover into pop.

BEST-SELLING LATIN MALE SINGER

Spanish singer Julio Iglesias is the most successful Latin music star in the world, with reported global sales of over 200 million albums. Julio (1987) was the first foreign-language album to sell more than two million copies in the USA and the only foreign language record to go double platinum there.

BEST-SELLING HIP-HOP/RAP ALBUM IN THE USA

The best selling rap /R&B album ever in the US is CrazySexyCool by TLC which has reached sales of 11 million, surpassing MC Hammer's Please Don't Hurt 'Em which has sold 10 million units. TLC first hit the music world in 1992 with two consecutive Top 3 platinum singles, "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", "Baby, Baby, Baby", and the gold single "What About Your Friends". All three tracks featured on their album debut Oooooooohhh! On The TLC Tip, which sold three million copies. This hard-hitting trio have so far released three albums, the last being Fanmail in 1999. Although quiet of late, the sisters of swing are rumored to have something in the pipeline with En Vogue.

BEST-SELLING FEMALE LATIN SINGER

Cuban-born singer Gloria Estefan is the most successful female Latin artist in the world. Her current total world sales stand at more than 35 million. In the USA she has amassed eight gold albums, four of which have passed the three million sales mark - Primitive Love (1985), Let It Loose (1987), Cuts Both Ways (1989) and Greatest Hits (1992). In the UK her Anything for You (aka Let It Loose) and Cuts Both Ways both sold more than one million copies. In 1990 Estefan was presented with a Golden Globe award for album sales outside the USA.

BEST-SELLING DRUM 'N' BASS ALBUM

The best selling drum 'n' bass album is New Forms by Reprazent, which has sold a total of 763,910 albums around the world. They sold 250,000 within the UK and 513,910 worldwide. Reprazent, based in Bristol, England, is made up of Roni Size, Krust, DJ Die, Suv, MC Dynamite, and vocalist Onallee. They were formed in 1992, when Roni and Krust joined forces, having met previously when Krust had booked a hall for a club night and hired Roni's sound system. Although they formed their own label, Full Cycle, in 1993, they also released records on V Recordings, including the early classic Music Box. In June, 1997, Reprazent released their album New Forms on the Talkin Loud label, gaining instant success and recognition.

BEST SELLING REGGAE ALBUM

Legend (1984) by Bob Marley has had certified sales of 1.8 million in the UK, and has sold more than 10 million copies in the USA. The album's ... The album's tracks include "No Woman No Cry" and "One Love". Marley was awarded the Jamaican Order Of Merit after his death in 1981 and is officially known as "The Honorable Bob Marley". In 1977 whilst being treated for a foot injury, Marley was diagnosed as having cancer, but refused to undergo any treatment. By the time he passed away in 1981, he had been awarded the UN Peace Medal on behalf of 500 million Africans in 1978 for his humanitarian achievements, drawn an audience bigger than the Pope's in Milan, fathered eleven children by seven different women, and sold tens of millions of records worldwide.

BEST SELLING CANTO-POP FEMALE

Faye Wong of Hong Kong sold an estimated 9.7 million copies of her 20 albums by March 2000 and is one of the first women to dominate Hong Kong's recording industry. Her album Lovers & Strangers, released in September 1999, has sold over 800,000 copies so far and reached No.1 in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia. Her first CD, Shirley Wong (her then stage name) was released in 1989 and two more followed over the next 12 months. She has gone on to record over 15 more albums.

BEST SELLING ALBUM BY A LATIN ARTIST

Mexican-born Carlos Santana's Supernatural album released in June 1999 has sold 14 million copies in the USA. Born in Autlán de Navarro, Mexico, on July 20, 1947, Carlos Santana founded the Santana Blues Band with jamming partners David Brown, Greg Rolie, Rod Harper, and Tom Frazer. Their constantly changing line-up experimented with blues, acid rock, Latin, and African music, and their 1968 debut as Santana in San Francisco won a standing ovation. Santana's hit album Supernatural won nine Grammys at the 42nd annual Grammy awards in 2000, including Album Of the Year, Best Rock Album, Record Of The Year, and Song Of The Year for "Smooth" Santana's collaboration with Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas

MOST SUCCESSFUL FEMALE SOLO ARTIST

Mariah Carey with the most successful female solo artist . In 2000, she received the Best Selling Pop-Female Artist of the Millennium award for being the best selling female pop artist of all time. In 2003, she also became the first female artist to receive the Chopard Diamond World Music Award, for sales surpassing 150 million albums. She has sold a total of eighty-five million records in the U.S. (sixty-four million albums and twenty-one million singles) and over 215 million records worldwide, (165 million albums plus 50 million singles); Also Mariah Carey is the most successful international artist ever in Japan, with sales of over twelve million.

A Legend To Norteno Music

Los Invasores de Nuevo Leon” is a norteno band, wherein the accordionist, Javier Rios initiated in 1978, in Monterrey, N.L., Mexico, where the accordion music is inseparable from the Noteno tradition. However the group didn’t started playing professionally until 1980 when they obtained the vocalist and acoustic guitarist, Lalo Mora. The career of the Invaders, at the beginning was harsh. In an interview with Mora he mentioned, “At the beginning the group had financial problems, but with God’s blessed we had overcome all those situations”. Where in 1981 a representative name Servando Cano noticed their talent and started representing the group. In 1982 they recorded one of their greatest hits, which gave them first Gold Disc. Which include songs like “Mi Casa Nueva”, a son that until the date receives cheers and applauses from the audience? But the hits don’t end there, “Aguanta Corazon”, “Que La Dejen Ir Al Baile Sola”, “Laurita Garza”, and “Para Ti Mi Amor”, “Te Adorare” and many, many more that were great hits, and continue being classic. Therefore they realized that the most valuable recognition they can receive is not the awards instead without the doubt, the audience love and applauses.

In 1993, Mora decides to leave the group; therefore The Invaders were desperately looking for a new vocalist. Isais Lucero took Lalo’s place, which had a similar voice to the previous vocalist. This definitely didn’t affect the group, the hits continue with Lucero, whit first place hits like: “Me Rindo”, Esta Noche Tu Vendras”, and “Playa Sola” which received a Gold Disc for more that 100 million copies sold. However Lucero’s career with The Invaders was short, since he also decided to be on his own, leaving the group on 1997.

In 1997 Rios is in the same situation, he is anxious to find a new vocalist, therefore he decides to give two guys that work for him the opportunity of their lives. They work for the group carrying the groups’ equipment, Rolando Marroquin (vocalist) and Rigo Marroquin (Acoustic Guitar) who integrated the group in May 23, 1997. This was a dramatic changed for The Invaders, because now they are five instead of four…Rios also decides to change the style of music. Known for having a masculine voice like Mora and playing in their albums most of them Rancheras, Boleros, and Corridos, the group now also concentrates on playing Cumbias, that are a great hit these days in the Spanish Community. Rios leaves behind the 2nd voice to be the 1st in many of the new albums that had brought a great hit. His greatest hit was the song titled “A Mi Que Me Quedo”, this song had a surprising hit, it has maintained 1st place of popularity in all the radio stations in Monterrey, N.L., Mexico during five consecutive months and was cataloged for song of the year. Also with this song they received Double Gold Disc in the United States. This song re-invented The Invaders of before to the New Invaders.

In 1999 another great hit with “De Vida O Muerte” which they started promotion in the United States. Which this new album they overcome the category of Double Platinum Disc for more than 300,000 albums sold, so popular with songs like “Se Acabo”, “To Ya Se Fue”, For recognition of their art, the audience names them “The idols of the Norteno Music”.

In 2000, For a Celebration of their 20th Anniversary of their trajectory they recorded for their first time a “Boleros” album, promotion the song “Amor Ilegal”, who the composer is Rios, the accordionist, this song occupied for more than two months the first place of popularity in radio, rapidly obtaining a Gold Disc for their national sales of 75,000 copies.

Continuing their Celebration the next album released “Tiempo al Tiempo” includes cumbias like “No Llorare” in which the vocalist is Rios and Rancheras like “Las Sigues Dando”, in which the vocalist is Marroquin. They both are the voice of the group.

Story: Tejano Music

Imagine driving through South Texas. As you pass through the small towns, countryside, the cities of Austin and San Antonio and head towards the border, you are swallowed by a culture so colorful and proud. Tejano is not only by definition Mexican American music, it is a term used to describe the people, the food and the traditions. Mexicans migrated to Texas and worked hard. They struggled with discrimination, starting a new, and being away from their homeland. As Tejanos moved further north they not only brought their families, they brought their culture. A life style that consisted of Mexican traditions that after time, began to blend with American and European customs. As these traditions began to fuse together we gain an interesting outcome, Tejano music. The traditional music of Mexico is Rancheras. This genre of music consists of lyrics that include love, patriotism and nature. The word Ranchera is derived from Rancho because it came from the rural countryside of Mexico. In the movie “Songs of a homeland” they use Lydia Mendoza as an example of a popular Ranchera musician. Lydia Mendoza was popular during the 1930’s and was one of the first women to be recorded. She was known as “the singer of the poor.” This traditional music was a big influence on the Mexicans that migrated to Texas. Through Rancheras, Conjunto music was born. Rancheras were passed from generation to generation. As New Tejanos became homesick it was only expected for the songs that reminded them of their roots to follow them. As time passed and the population in Texas grew, new influences began to fill the land and impact the existing cultures. Conjunto music was created from the European soft styles and the music from northern Mexico. The influence of instruments like the button accordion from German settlers made quite an impression on Tejano music. Accordion music is community based, which was perfect because Tejano was fan based in a fan driven market. Two popular musicians were the “Father of Conjunto”, Narciso Martinez and master accordion player, Valerio Longoria. Promoters would take the groups to where the people were. The fields were the stage and the migrant workers the audience. Music was not recorded very much in the 40’s so it worked out well. It was very common for Tejano bands to travel throughout south Texas playing for the people. It is how it survived though the times. Conjunto was born in the Valley for the working class. Even as the times started to change, Conjunto held on to its purity. During World War II Mexican Americans experienced equality by fighting along side other Americans. After the war the discrimination continued and left a bad taste in their mouths. They had just finished fighting a country who had not discriminated against them, to come back to their home where they did. It was a turning point and Mexican Americans more than ever wanted to be treated like Americans. This influenced the music as well. As the middle class started to grow, the music started to change. Isidro Lopez sang modern music for the working class. Then, orchestras began to gain popularity due to their more American style. More sophisticated styles were being used and Conjunto was suddenly considered country and less respected. The middle class wanted to be more American and wanted that in their music as well. A very popular music style that really made an impact on tejano music is American Rock and Roll. As Rock entered the Tejano industry, the music style started to change again. In the barrios, the younger generation started to experiment with other types of music like American pop. “Rudy and the Renobops” were the group who marked the change from Mexican American to Chicano. This started the Chicano movement, which started to reunite the Mexican community. Tejano music was born in the Valley of South Texas, influenced by American and European music styles and loved by the Tejanos. Throughout its history it changed with the times. Although constantly changing the music that resulted was never forgotten. Rancheras that Conjuntos derived from is still very much appreciated. Conjuntos are still enjoyed and the Tejano music that continues to change with the times is still popular in the Mexican American culture. Tejano is no longer snubbed and even the playing of the accordion has regained popularity. What Tejano has become by the touch of outside influences has created a music that is both interesting and loved by the Tejano community. It was the result of people living in between two cultures, and by that it created its own identity.

Relation in My Life

Music is…it’s my everything
Because if I didn’t have this,
I don’t know where would I be right now
Or what would I be right now
But one beat, one love, one melody changed my life
I believe in this
I believe in the power of music

ROCK CONCERT

Rough the years, rock stars have been providing entertainment with their unique and diverse style of music. However, a live performance by a rock star has an altogether different effect which elates one to higher levels of music thrill. An opportunity of such kind came my way and I grabbed it with both my hands. Music icon Bryan Adams performed in the city of Mumbai in India which I was fortunate to witness. What I did not expect coming, was a memorable journey into the world of sheer rock music.

The stage was set on a huge piece of land with lights and all the vital equipments needed for the concert. Giant speakers were placed in the four corners to make the music highly audible. Even before the event got underway, there were people everywhere. All of a sudden it felt like too many people in a small space. The crowd surged forward and back in one relentless wave like the wild waves of the ocean during a high tide. In such a situation, none could help but to push and shove the others around. The crowd provided or allowed no personal space. We were all packed in there like caged wildcats. I had to move as the crowd allowed or insisted. Everything was done as a group. It was only one group of crazy fans fighting for that one glimpse of their favorite star. The crowd would shift as people passed out. This only allowed me to move closer to the front. As one can tell, I was packed in until the end.

The level of sound was astronomical. The decibel level was on the threshold of pain. The music roared through the streets for miles and the crowd would go crazy. Every time the bass drum was struck, I could feel the repercussion in the organs within my chest. It even made my teeth chatter. The floor beneath me seemed to move with the beat of each song. The vibration that each sound produced, felt like current passing through one’s body. It truly felt like a festival of sensory overloads. At this instant, my body felt stimulated in every area to its complete capacity.

The stage was a constant flurry of excitement. It presented a spectacular sight and the atmosphere sucked us into the aura of rock music. Plenty of pyrotechnics kept my eyes filled with colorful wonder as the music played on. The hyperactive guitarist, who was never at a standstill, wore a path in the floor running back and forth. He along with the drummer made the show exciting, and never was there a lull in the show. The light and fireworks kept me craving for more. A fireball would fly to the left, then to the right. The sky was sparkling with beautiful colors everywhere. The whole sight was mesmerizing. The crowd was kept in a constant trance. The entire picture was food to the eyes and music to the ears.