Julie Delgado has been singing all of her life. Starting at a young age as a member of a church & school choir, then entering into musical theatre. Julie has performed in stage musicals such as Annie, Man of La Mancha, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The Wiz, Scrooge, Guys & Dolls, as well as at civic light operas in the Los Angeles, her native city.
Florent Pagny is a multi-platinum-selling, multi-lingual phenomenon in his native France. He is not only one of France’s bestselling artists of all time but also a respected actor in numerous French films and television dramas. Singing in French, Italian, Spanish and English, his hits include “N’Importe Quoi,” “Savoir Aimer,” “Ma Liberté de Penser” (all No. 1 in France) and “Caruso.” Pagny has courted controversy and shown a willingness to experiment with his music, including forays into opera and French chanson, but he has shown a rare resilience and always come out on top. His most recent effort is 2010′s “Tout et Son Contraire.” Florent is currently a coach of the TV show “The Voice” in France.
Essie Jain is an acclaimed British born singer/songwriter now living in New York. Her 2007 debut album “We Made This Ourselves” was compared to folk music legends Sandy Denny and Vashti Bunyan. The follow-up, “The In-Betweens,” appeared in 2008. Jain took a two-year break from the music business, returning with a lullaby set, “Until the Light of Morning,” in 2010. Her current project (slated for a May, 2012 release) is an ambitious audio-visual album, “All Became Golden,” featuring new songs recorded and filmed before a live (but silent) studio audience.
A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 1994, and hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Voices of All Time, Eric Burdon’s music forged new territory while also topping the charts for more than five decades. A native of Newcastle, England, Burdon was a founding member and front man of the British Invasion band The Animals, and is the voice behind such iconic hits as “The House of the Rising Sun,” “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” and “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.” Burdon continued through the years to perform with different iterations of the Animals, while also founding and fronting the funk group War, one of the first multiracial bands, and topped the charts again with his groundbreaking hit single “Spill the Wine”. Five decades, 50 records, 6 millions albums sold into his career he shows no signs of slowing down with a new release coming this year.
Emmanuel Jal is a Sudanese-born rapper who overcame time as a child soldier in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army before being smuggled to Kenya by his adoptive mother. There he studied music and by the time of his first album, 2004′s Gua, was fluently rhyming in English, Arabic, Swahili, Dinka and Nuer. Considered by Peter Gabriel to have “the potential of a young Bob Marley,” Jal has released four of his own albums and appeared on six others, including War Child’s “Help!: A Day in the Life” and “Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur.” Jal is also a spokesman for Amnesty International, Make Poverty History, Control Arms, the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers and Oxfam, and he created his own charitable foundation, Gua Africa, to build schools and provide scholarships for Sudanese war refugees.
Sussan Deyhim is a multiple-award-winning Iranian composer, vocalist and performance artist. Her oeuvre is a provocative and experimental mix of Middle Eastern and Western sensibilities, combining extended vocal techniques, digital process and ancient mysticism. She is also known for her contributions of film soundtracks including “The Last Temptation of Christ” and “Any Given Sunday,” as well as high-profile collaborations with musicians such as Branford Marsalis, Peter Gabriel, Jerry Garcia and Arto Lindsay and international tours with Bill Laswell, Bobby McFerrin and Ornette Coleman, among others. She is a frequent participant at humanitarian events and benefits. Her latest album is “City of Leaves.”
Her recorded composition Windfall/Beshno Az Ney was recently used by U2 throughout the US and Europe in “U2s 360 Tour,” one of the largest scale rock tours to this day. Beshno Az Ney is an intro to U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” in a solidarity number with Iran’s Green movement.
Mike Finnigan is an American keyboard player and vocalist, his speciality being the B3 Hammond Organ.
Finnigan has toured and sessioned for Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, Etta James, Sam Moore, Crosby Stills and Nash, Dave Mason, Buddy Guy, Manhattan Transfer, Taj Mahal, Michael McDonald, Maria Muldaur, Peter Frampton, Cher, Ringo Starr, Leonard Cohen, Tower of Power, Rod Stewart, David Coverdale, Tracy Chapman, Los Lonely Boys, and Bonnie Raitt.
He recorded two solo records in the 1970s, one with Jerry Wood. He later collaborated with two other Columbia Artists, Les Dudek and Jim Krueger, with whom he formed DFK (Dudek, Finnigan, and Krueger) in 1978. More recently, his work featured on the CD by The Finnigan Brothers (NashFilms Records), a collaboration with his younger brother Sean and founding member of Bread, Robb Royer.
He is twice a winner of a Blues Music Award (formerly W.C. Handy Award) for his work with Taj Mahal as a member of the Phantom Blues Band.
Finnigan has always been active politically and was, for several years, a regular contributor to the weblog Crooks and Liars.
In 2013 and 2014, Finnigan was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the ‘Pinetop Perkins Piano Player’ category.
Donald Fagen is best known as the co-founder of Steely Dan, the pioneering jazz-rock group that’s sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and scored hits such as “Do It Again,” “Reelin’ in the Years,” “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” “Peg” and “Hey Nineteen.” Steely Dan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and in addition to the group’s ?? albums Fagen has recorded three solo releases. The New Jersey native also led the NEw York Rock and Soul Revue and was part of the 2010 Dukes of Summer tour with Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald.
Parks was member of The North Texas State One O’clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher in 1970. In 1980, Parks was a founding member of the Jazz Fusion band Koinonia. Parks is best known for his many contributions to albums by Steely Dan and Michael Jackson. Notably, he played guitar on the Royal Scam track “Haitian Divorce”, which features a Talkbox to produce a chicken clucking sound. He has performed with Joan Baez, Alexander O’Neal, Crosby and Nash, Madonna, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Roberto Carlos, Elton John, Celine Dion, The Monkees, Madeleine Peyroux, America, Diana Ross, George Benson, Rod Stewart, Randy Travis, Bob Seger, Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Michael Bublé, Barry Manilow, David Lee Roth, Paul Simon, Dolly Parton, Amanda Lear, Kenny Loggins, Tom Scott, B.B. King, Dusty Springfield, Randy Edelman, Leon Gieco (Argentina), Koinonia, Johnny Rivers, Johnny Hallyday, Randy Newman, Joe Cocker, The Gypsy Queens and Bread.
Parks features on Cat Beach’s albums Letting Go and Love Me Out Loud. In 2008, Parks participated in the production of the album Psalngs,[1] the debut release of Canadian musician John Lefebvre.
Dean Parks is very prominently featured on Viktor Krauss’ album “II” (2007), where he plays a plethora of other stringed instruments in addition to electric and acoustic guitars.
David D’Or last name means “golden” in French, and the Israeli singer- songwriter and recording artist certainly has the Midas touch. His singular voice has a range of more than four octaves, reaching the high notes of a contra-tenor and dropping to the depths of a baritone. D’Or is a three-time winner of Israel’s Singer of the Year and Best Vocal Performance awards. In 2004, he was selected to represent Israel in Eurovision Song Contest. D’Or’s blends pop, rock, dance, folk, klezmer, Yemenite prayers, holy music, ancient chants, classical, opera and baroque arias. He has performed with numerous symphony orchestras and for world leaders including Israeli president Shimon Peres, American president Bill Clinton, Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, among others.
Darrell Leonard is a Grammy and W.C Handy Award winning trumpet player, arranger, composer and producer. After growing up in Iowa and studying music at North Texas State University he moved to Los Angeles where in 1969 he met the legendary Delaney Bramlett and began a career as an active touring and recording musician.
He has played at major festivals and concert halls around the world touring with Delaney and Bonnie, Dr. John, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, Elton John & Leon Russell, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Glenn Frey, and Little Feat. He has arranged and played on hundreds of records, films, and TV shows including Grammy winning recordings by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Taj Mahal, B.B.King, Buddy Guy, Keb Mo, Bonnie Raitt and the Rolling Stones. His numerous TV appearances include American Bandstand, Solid Gold, David Letterman, Craig Ferguson, and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, and, Conan O’Brian.He is an active theatre composer with works that have been produced at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago and the Kansas City Repertory Theatre.
Most recent projects include playing and arranging horns on new projects by Jakob Dylan, Robert Randolph, Gregg Allman, and Elton John/Leon Russell.
Nacho Campillo is a singer/songwriter best known for his work with brother Javier as the Spanish rock/pop combo Tam Tam Go! The innovative group mixed Latin roots music with British pop and sang in English – the first Spanish act to do so. As a solo artist, Nacho Campillo has recreated himself, adopting the name Reyno and releasing his solo debut album, “Animal Reset.”
Lenny Castro (born 1957) is an American freelancing percussionist in the studio recording industry in the Los Angeles area.
Because he is a freelancer, Castro is called on by many artists and bands to record. He claims to enjoy this freedom, saying that the members of Toto did him a favor by not asking him to join permanently; “I didn’t get handcuffed or chained down”. The artists and bands that Castro has worked with include Adele, Simply Red, the Rolling Stones, Sir Elton John, Al Jarreau, George Benson, Regina Belle, Eric Clapton, Boz Scaggs, Toto, Alien Ant Farm, Steely Dan, Christopher Cross, The Mars Volta, Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, David Sanborn, Avenged Sevenfold, Little Feat, Tom Petty, Susanna Hoffs, Boney James, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Peter White, Joe Sample, Kenny Loggins, Young Knives, Rickie Lee Jones, Caifanes, Dan Fogelberg, The Crusaders, The Bee Gees, Barbra Streisand, Karizma,[disambiguation needed] Quincy Jones, John Mayer, Randy Newman, Dave Koz, Olivia Newton-John, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eric Burdon, Oasis, Wayne Shorter, Pat Benatar, Dwight Yoakam, Maroon 5, Lisa Marie Presley, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Mick Hucknall, Booker T. Jones, The All-American Rejects,[citation needed] Joe Bonamassa and Slash as well as many Japanese, Italian, English, German, and various other artists.
Castro has recorded with Fleetwood Mac and performed on the The Dance tour in 1997. Castro was also a part of the Fleetwood Mac contingent that surprised former President Bill Clinton on January 6, 2001. Castro toured with Stevie Nicks in 2007 and 2011 for her “In Your Dreams” tour, and will tour with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds in 2011 and 2012.
Christophe Willem is the winner of the fourth season of France’s “Nouvelle Star,” the country’s version of “American Idol.” He began his career in the arts acting in the 2004 film “Alive,” and after the “Nouvelle Star” victory he began releasing albums in 2007. Two of his three titles – “Inventaire” and “Cafeine” – debuted at No. 1 in France and high on the Belgian charts, and he’s had five Top 10 hits in his homeland. Willem (ne Durier) became a judge on the French version of “X Factor” in 2011.
Chris Kramer was born on February 3rd 1970 in Marl, Germany. As a Cole miner´s son, naturally, he is from the Ruhr area of Germany.
The “Grafter” – mentality of his hard working ancestors runs in his blood as well as the special humor that is so typical for people that have learned to find something good in even the bad moments of life.
At the age of 13 he discovered the Blues. At 18 he started to seriously make music: Blues music.
After he finished his A-levels, the civilian service and training in industrial sales management he decided to make a career out of his hobby and since 1994 he lives on his music.
He has conducted countless harmonica – workshops and has written four extensive textbooks on the subject. His Blues duo – the Bluebyrds – was considered “Germany´s most wanted Blues duo” for a long time. After 10 years together and four CDs “Crazy” Chris and “Slidin” John parted ways.
Larry Campbell hasn’t played with every musician in the Western world. It just seems that way. Perhaps best known for being part of Bob Dylan’s band between 1997-2004 – and a key contributor to his Grammy Award-winning 2001 album “Love and Theft” – the New York-born multi-instrumentalist has also played with Paul Simon, B.B King, Willie Nelson, Rosanne Cash, Sheryl Crow, Judy Collins, Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, the Black Crowes and Phil & Friends, among others. Campbell produced Levon Helm’s Grammy Award-winning “Dirt Farmer” and “Electric Dirt” albums and serves as musical director and bandleader at Helm’s Midnight Ramble concerts in Woodstock, N.Y. He received a Lifetime Achievement – Instrumentalist award from the Americana Music Association in 2008.
Actor Ewan McGregor hails from Scotland and has distinguished himself with roles in edgy dramas such as “Trainspotting,” “Big Fish” and “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” and in mainstream spectacles like the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy. He demonstrated his singing skills in “Moulin Rouge” and has also performed musical theater in “Guys and Dolls” as well as more dramatic roles in “Othello.” McGregor is also an avid motorcyclist and is involved in charities such as UNICEF, the GO Campaign and the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland.
The Blind Boys of Alabama formed in 1939 at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in Talladega, Alabama. Lead singer Jimmy Carter remains in the group from the founding lineup. The Blind Boys have won five Grammy Awards and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. The Blind Boys were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2007. They have toured with Tom Petty, Peter Gabriel, Mavis Staples and Aaron Neville and recorded with Ben Harper, Lou Reed, Bonnie Raitt and Willie Nelson, among many others.
Belgian singer, composer and actor Arno Hintjens has been a chart phenomenon and familiar voice – distinctive, gravelly and multilingual – for the past four decades. After scoring international hits with his 1980s band TC Matic, he has gone on to success as a solo artist, actor and soundtracks composer. In 2002 he received the prestigious Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres from the French government. Recently, he has been given an honorary citizenship of his native city, Ostend, Belgium.
Axelle Red is a Belgian singer-songwriter and social activist who also happens to be an attorney, having received a law degree from Vrije University in Brussels in 1993, the same year she released her debut album “Sans Plus Attendre.” Red (born Fabienne Demal) has released nine albums since then and in 1999 received France’s prestigious Victoire de la Music honor. She received a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France’s highest artistic honor, in 2006. Red is also active with UNICEF and was a spokesperson for the Live 8 concert in France during 2008.