BONO

BIOGRAPHY

Bono is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, philanthropist, and businessman. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of rock band U2.

Bono established himself as a passionate frontman for the band through his expressive vocal style and grandiose gestures and songwriting. His lyrics frequently include social and political themes, and religious imagery inspired by his Christian beliefs. During U2's early years, Bono's lyrics contributed to the group's rebellious and spiritual tone. As the band matured, his lyrics became inspired more by personal experiences shared with the other members. As a member of U2, Bono has received 22 Grammy Awards and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Aside from his music, Bono is an activist for social justice causes, both through U2 and as an individual. He is particularly active in campaigning for Africa, for which he co-founded DATA, EDUN, the ONE Campaign, and Product Red.In pursuit of these causes, he has participated in benefit concerts and lobbied politicians and heads of state for relief. Bono has been honoured for his philanthropic efforts. In 2005, Bono was named one of the Time Persons of the Year. He was granted an honorary knighthood by Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 2007 for "his services to the music industry and for his humanitarian work", and was made a Commandeur of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) in 2013. 

A fervent supporter of Amnesty International, Bono has participated in two events produced by STAAGES: Electric Burma : Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award 2009 to Aung San Suu Kyi and Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award 2013 to Malala Yousafzai and Harry Belafonte.

Electric Burma:
Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award 2009 to Aung San Suu Kyi

VIDEO

Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award 2013 to Malala Yousafzai and Harry Belafonte.

CARL CARLTON

BIOGRAPHY

Since beginning his playing career at the age of 17 in the Netherlands, German-born Carl Carlton has amassed a dizzying resume as a guitarist, producer, composer and bandleader. The three-time Grammy Award nominee has been has been on the road and in the studios as guitarist/writer/producer with Robert Palmer, Eric Burdon, Jimmy Barnes, Keb Mo, Joe Cocker , Paul Young, Nina Hagen, Udo Lindenberg, Mink De Ville, Manfred Mann’s Earthband, Peter Maffay, Simple Minds, Klaus Voormann and many more. His own band, the Songdogs, has released several acclained albums and included, at varying points, Levon Helm and Garth Hudson of The Band, Robert Palmer, Sonny Landreth, Ian McLagan, Bobby Keys a.o.

ELECTRIC BURMA

Photos 1-2: Joao Pina; 3-11: Christian Berz.

Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award 2013 to Malala Yousafzai and Harry Belafonte.

TOAST TO FREEDOM

LIGHTS OUT IN WONDERLAND

AMY HELM

BIOGRAPHY

Amy Helm is a founding member of the roots collective band, Ollabelle. She also sings with her father in the Levon Helm Band.

Helm received a grammy for co-producing Levon Helm’s album Dirt Farmer (2007). She has also performed live on stage with a wide range of musicians, including Alison Krauss, Warren Haynes, Oliver Wood and Joan Osborne. Helm has also sang backing vocals on recordings released by Donald fagen, Mercury Rev, Marc Cohn, Mavis Staples and numerous other musicians.

She has maintained strong ties to Woodstock, N.Y., throughout her life..

CARLY SIMON

BIOGRAPHY

Carly Simon is a singer, songwriter, musician and author who’s won Grammy, Golden Globe and Academy Awards for her work. Beginning in a duo with her sister Lucy as the Simon Sisters, Simon – daughter of Simon & Schuster co-founder Richard L. Simon – has scored 13 Top 40 hits, including as the enigmatic “You’re So Vain,” “Anticipation,” “Coming Around Again, “Nobody Does It Better” from the James Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me” and the award-winning “Let the River Run” for the 1988 feature “Working Girl.” Simon was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994 and has written books such as “Amy the Dancing Bear,” “The Boy of the Bells ” and “Midnight Farm.” 

GENTLEMAN

BIOGRAPHY

Gentleman (ne Tilmann Otto) is one of Germany’s first indigenous reggae artists, a fan of the genre even before he visited Jamaica when he was 17 years old. He started out by providing a guest vocal to German rap group Freundeskeris’ 1997 song “Tabula Rasa,” then began releasing singles on his own before his 1999 debut, “Trodin On,” mixed dancehall and hip-hop sensibilities into what was dubbed the Germaican style. Gentleman made an even greater impact with 2002′s “Journey to Jah” and has six other albums — including the German chart toppers “Confidence” in 2004 and “Diversity” in 2010. He’s also collaborated over the years with Sizzla, Morgan Heritage, Capleton, Luciano, Barrington Levy, Bobby Digital and others.

ROSANNE CASH

BIOGRAPHY

Rosanne Cash is the eldest daughter of the legendary Johnny Cash and, since the mid-70s, a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter in her own right, with 12 studio albums. She’s notched 10 No. 1 country hits during her career, and Cash’s 1985 song “I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me” won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Cash has four children from her two marriages – to Rodney Crowell and John Leventhal – and published “Composed: a memoir” in 2010. She’s also slated to play the part of Monique in the Stephen King-John Mellencamp stage musical “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County.” – 

ANGELIQUE KIDJO

BIOGRAPHY

The songstress from Benin has been called “Africa’s premier diva” by Time magazine and one of Africa’s 50 most iconic people by the BBC and is the first woman to make Forbes magazine’s list of the 40 Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa. Fluent in English, French, Yoruba and Fon, Kidjo has amassed a catalog of 11 albums and won a Grammy Award for 2007′s “Djin Djin.” Currently a resident of New York City, she’s also appeared on albums by Santana, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Jean-Luc Ponty, Cassandra Wilson, Trilok Gurtu and others.

ELECTRIC BURMA

Photos 1-9: Joao Pina; 10-15: Christian Berz.

TOAST TO FREEDOM

WARREN HAYNES

BIOGRAPHY

Warren Haynes epitomizes the credo “have guitar, will travel.” The North Carolina-born axeman’s resume is a dizzyingly versatile document that includes memberships in the Allman Brothers Band, Phil Lesh & Friends and The Dead, as well as fronting Gov’t Mule. His voluminous credits  also include singing, writing and playing for the Dave Matthews Band, the Derek  Trucks Band, John Lee Hooker, Garth Brooks, Corrosion of Conformity, David Allen  Coe, Kevin Kinney, Little Milton, Everlast, Michael McDonald, Les Claypool, the  Bottle Rockets, Elvin Bishop, Coheed and Cambria, Johnny Winter and many others.  Haynes organizes the annual Christmas Jam charity concert in Asheville, N.C.,  and his 2011 solo album “Man in Motion” was nominated for a Grammy Award.

LEVON HELM

BIOGRAPHY

Levon Helm was the legendary voice and multi-instrumentalist of The Band, playing drums as well as mandolin and, occasionally, guitar and bass. The Arkansas-born Helm – who inspired the title of Elton John’s hit “Levon” – was with The Band for its entire history and also led Levon Helm and the RCO All Stars during the late 70s. He was an inaugural member of Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band and was part of Roger Waters’ “The Wall Live in Berlin” concert in 1990. He published an autobiography, “This Wheel’s on Fire,” in 1993 and in recent years hosted Midnight Ramble concerts at his home and studio in Woodstock, N.Y. He received Grammy Awards for his recent albums “Dirt Farmer,” “Electric Dirt” and “Ramble at the Ryman,” and he amassed an acting resume that includes “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” “The Right Stuff,” End of the Line” and “Fire Down Below”. † April 19, 2012 

MARIANNE FAITHFULL

BIOGRAPHY

Marianne Faithfull is a British-born singer, songwriter and actress discovered during the early 60s by Rolling Stones manager and producer Andrew Loog Oldham. Her first hit was the Stones’ “As Tears Go By,” and Faithfull co-wrote “Sister Morphine” for the group’s 1971 “Sticky Fingers” album. She’s released 20 albums, including 2011′s “Horses and High Heels,” and has acted in “Hamlet,” “Threepenny Opera,” “Ghost Story,” “Faces in the Crowd” and the TV series “Absolutely Fabulous.” Faithfull published an autobiography in 1994 and a follow-up, “Memories, Dreams and Reflections,” in 2008.

CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS

BIOGRAPHY

Christine & the Queens is the nom de disque of French androgyne Christine, who regards herself and her artistry as a cross between comic prankster Andy Kaufman and pop king Michael Jackson. In her tuxedo and flowing long hair, Christine explores the bleeding-edge intersection of music, acting, video, drawing and photography. The Queens are not a band but the laptop that accompanies her onstage.

TONY BRAUNAGEL

BIOGRAPHY

Tony Braunagel is an American drummer, record producer and composer, from Houston, Texas. He was the drummer in Paul Kossoff‘s band Back Street Crawler, renamed Crawler after Kossoff’s death in 1976.
In 1979 Braunagel relocated to Los Angeles where he found work touring and recording with artists such as Eric Burdon, Rickie Lee Jones and Bette Midler. In 1984 Tony took the drum chair in Bonnie Raitt’s band, playing on the albums Nick of Time and Luck of the Draw and touring with her until the early 1990s.

Throughout the 1990s Braunagel played on many sessions including drumming on two Grammy award winning albums by Taj Mahal – Señor Blues and Shoutin’ in Key, the latter of which Braunagel produced. He also spent several years touring with Taj Mahal and The Phantom Blues Band.

THEO

BIOGRAPHY

Wilson Pickett’s single ‘In The Midnight Hour’ was the single that sparked the singer/pianist’s passion for soul in his youth. From then on, he devoted himself to the genre with heart and soul. His passion ignited, Theo turned towards another calling, studying medicine and taking over his father’s medical practice in his hometown of Schwerte near Dortmund, the Ruhr metropolis. People from the Ruhr region are known for being down to earth, honest and open-minded – qualities that also define Theo as a musician.

He has been the figurehead of the band Soulfingers for more than thirty years, has played many concerts and released several soul albums over the years, some of them under the alias Raoul Vandetta, and has always been a strong proponent of ‘good old soul music’, performing both cover versions and his own compositions.

ZACHARY ALFORD

BIOGRAPHY

From playing in night clubs as a teenager, Zack Alford has become a first-call drummer with a recording resume that includes Billy Joel, Zucchero, Gwen Stefani, Manic Street Preachers, George Clinton, Bernie Worrell and more. He’s been playing for the B-52′s since 1989 and has also toured with Bruce Springsteen (1992-94) and David Bowie (1995-98) and was part of the “Glee” live show filmed for 2011′s “Glee: The 3D Movie."

TERESA WILLIAMS

BIOGRAPHY

Teresa Williams grew up at the crossroads of American roots music as a seventh-generation cotton farm in Western Tennessee. Inspired by the sounds of the Mississippi Delta, Muscle Shoals, Nashville and Kentucky, Williams has sung with Bonnie Bramlett, Buddy Miller, Emmylou Harris, Hot Tuna and the post-Grateful Dead projects Furthur and Phil Lesh & Friends. She and her husband, guitarist/producer Larry Campbell, are members of Levon Helm’s backing group and regularly perform at Helm’s famed Midnight Rambles in Woodstock, N.Y. Williams also appeared on Helm’s three Grammy-winning albums. “Dirt Farmer,” “Electric Dirt” and “Ramble at the Ryman.”

WAYNE P. SHEEHY

BIOGRAPHY

Ireland’s Wayne P. Sheehy is an intensely active musician, writer and producer as well as the creator and producer of the TV show “The Last Pub in Ireland”. Sheehy has worked with U2 frontman Bono, Van Morrison, Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones and Faces, the Animals’ Eric Burdon, Bo Diddley, Bobby Womack, Paul Brady, Paul Young, the Chieftains, Hot House Flowers and many more. Most recently he’s collaborated with Paul McGann, Sarah Lynch and Jane McGann. Sheehy formed The Armada with Jeff Martin of the Tea Party, and his first solo project, DDAAKKUU launches this year. He also owns Ocean West Recording, which has locations in four countries, and organizes annual workshops for songwriting, composing and drumming.

LIGHTS OUT IN WONDERLAND

VIDA SIMON

BIOGRAPHY

Los Angeles native Vida Simon is a Berklee College of Music alumnae who performs, records, composes, coaches, conducts and arranging. The singer and multi-instrumentalist has worked with Herbie Hancock, Keb’ Mo’, Ewan McGregor, James Newton Howard, Logan Henderson and Mother’s Finest; she co-produced “Primal Incantation,” the solo debut by Mother’s Finest’s Wyzard and produced vocals for Guitar Shorty’s “We The People.” Simon herself sang as part of Disney’s “Quiet Is series and created the PSA “Vote.” In 2012 she’s also recorded a solo album, “Life”.

SIR SAMUEL

BIOGRAPHY

Sir Samuel is a member of the French rap/reggae collective Saïan Supa Crew, which takes its name from the manga and anime “Dragon Ball Z/GT” series. Samuel (real name Fabien Philetas) has been on board for the crew’s trio of albums, as well as its live DVD, but tested the solo waters in 2005 with his own release, “Vizé pli ô.”

SARI

BIOGRAPHY

Sari is an award-winning Queens, N.Y.-born singer, songwriter, keyboardist and humanitarian who clearly embraces the D.I.Y. ethic. For her debut album, “Forever True,” she created her own record label yet still placed four singles from the disc into the Top 30 of the adult contemporary chart. She launched the jazz-flavored ambient rock project Lotus Effect in Germany, then moved it to Paris. Sari is currently recording a blues-rock album for the The Label/Universal and is on tour with legendary blues artist, Joe Louis Walker. As a humanitarian, Sari has done social work in Haiti and India and is the founder of Matters, a non-profit organization connecting humanitarian causes and the arts. She has also performed concerts benefiting the United Nations, Peace & Justice Now and Orphans International.

YOYO RÖHM

BIOGRAPHY

Yoyo Röhm was born in Wuppertal, Germany, in 1965 and studied classical guitar and contrabass at Cologne Conservatory. He was a founder member of Bad Little Dynamos, The Absurd and Melotronik and has recorded with a wide variety of singers and musicians including Ben Becker, Katharina Franck, Christof Hahn, Jasmin Tabatabai and Thomas Wydler of The Bad Seeds. In addition, he has performed live with: Gunter Hampel, Les Hommes Sauvages, The Screaming Meat and Jaki Liebezeit from the legendary German progressive rock band Can. Röhm has also composed music for theatre plays and a number of short movies and dance pieces. Since 2014 Yoyo plays bass in Carl Carlton’s band.