Blog Post 8: The Magic of McEntire Dylan Music Making

Reba McEntire is known as the “Queen of Country” for her endless dedication to making amazing country music even to this day. She began her solo career in 1974 and just recently released a new album in May of 2015. She continues to surprise us and release new country music, which we are so blessed to have. Reba McEntire rose through the hardships of being a female in Country music, since back then it was considered a male based genre and still was topping all the charts. She not only made it big in the music business but also had an on screen film-acting career and had her own sitcom on television. She is an unforgettable female country artist that has been in the business for over 40 years and is still running and making amazing music killing the country charts. She is an inspiring artist that was determined to make her stand in country music. Her music is very emotional and story telling which is something that is important in country music. I personally love her strength and courage to stand up and still sing Country music even though this genre was Male based, she fought to be able to sing what she wanted and what she thought was right for her. That kind of fight to be the artist you want to be isn’t easy in this day an age and that is what made be become such a huge fan of McEntire. Like I have said before I am called to artists who have a hand in their music, which Reba does, as well as having a fighting determination to succeed in such a hard business which we now all know that she did just that and more.

Bob Dylan is a whole other story; he is an icon when it comes to folk rock singer songwriter. Bob Dylan took the music world by storm getting song after song out and touring making sure everyone knows his name. He was also creating tracks that were about politics and things he thought needed to be cleared up for the people. He as for Reba I admire their fight for singing songs with meaning and that matter and that may be able to truly change the way people think, they are emotional and story telling songs that will be remembered for a long time. It takes a lot of courage to fulfill your dreams and your goals without swaying and forgetting what you wanted from the beginning but both these artists did just that and more.

Thanks for Reading,

Mandy

References:

Reba McEntire Biography. (2015). The Biography.com Website. Retrieved 12:30 May 31, 2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/reba-mcentire-9542065

Bob Dylan Biography. (2015). The Biography.com Website. Retrieved 01:15 May 31, 2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/bob-dylan-9283052

Blog Post 7: The Hot Chili Jewel

Jewel is a very well known singer-songwriter, poet and actress. She is a talented woman that has been performing since she was six. She made her start of stardom in 1995 with her first album Pieces of You, which got her to tour with legends Bob Dylan and Neil Young. She has sold more than 25 million albums over her musical career. She not only scored amazing reviews on her albums but she also scored an Oscar for her performance in Walk the Line. Her music was Folk genre based most of the time but at one point decided to go and make a country album to change around. I am sure one would wonder why I picked Jewel as an artist who inspired me, well to tell you the truth I have been listening to Jewel’s music for a long time and the lyrics of her music is what got me out of some dark times. The way her lyrics make people feel and made me feel as a listener is what I want to come to at one point in my career. Being able to write simple words down and make them into one great song that could potentially help a person out of a dark time is something I would want to work towards. She also sings in two of the genres I enjoy listening and singing in so that makes it a plus.

Now to move on to another great music making band, I would like to talk about the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who are a very well known band worldwide and are still touring and making sure people will never forget their music. Even though I live in Beirut, Lebanon I am still very aware of who the Red Hot Chili Peppers are and the fact that they also came in 2012 and performed to a completely sold out stadium makes it clear that no matter where they go in the world they will be known. They helped create some of their greatest hits, which is something that not many artists do anymore. One of the things both of these artists have in common are their amazing abilities of creating memorable tracks and having a hand in the making of these songs. I want to be able to make a difference with the music I make, and being a student of music is going to help me grow hopefully to that level.

Thanks for Reading

Mandy

References:

Jewel Biography. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 09:40 May 30, 2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/jewel-224921#recent-projects

Red Hot Chili Peppers Biography. (n.d.).The Biography.com website. Retrieved 09:45 May 30, 2015, from http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/red-hot-chili-peppers/biography

Fantasy Band Project

Here is a link to my Prezi link for my Fantasy Band Project.

Let me know what you think

Mandy Mehanna

https://prezi.com/l4i3ftx8usyk/fantasy-band-project/ 

The Franklin Judds Way of Music Making

Aretha Franklin is a singer that can sing the yellow pages and still make it sound amazing; at least that is how I see Aretha Franklin and her unforgettable voice. Aretha Franklin released many singles that are considered to be unforgettable classics. I as a singer still to this day sing her songs and perform her songs because they are a great part of music history. She was known as a child prodigy who truly sang from her soul. She experienced a lot at a very young age like having a child, but that did not stop Franklin from becoming the “Mother of Soul and Blues”. Franklin signed with Columbia Records and began her wonderful journey of music. Her career was very successful to the point where, in the 70’s, she took home eight Grammy awards for best R&B Female Vocal Performance and earned the title “the Queen of Soul”. I would love to have the ability to sing the way Franklin does, but no one could ever sing like her. She is known for her soul music, and that is a great achievement.

I would like now to talk about the great country duo The Judds, they are a mother daughter duo that are still to this day influences to young and older country listeners. They at one point stopped being a duo and Wynonna continued as a solo artist but with the upmost support of her mother by her side. I still love to sing one of their best known songs “Rockin’ with the Rhythm of the Rain”. The thing I love and appreciate; as a singer-songwriter about their music is that they mix between the different sub-genres in country and mix with other types of genres like blueto make their own sound stand out. It is quite wonderful to hear their music because that mix really does work. As a Lebanese woman I would like to take some older Jazz, Blues and even country songs and give them a middle eastern twist to the music, as though I am combining the east part of me and the west and making it one sound.

Both these women artists have achieved so much in the world of music, from the great songs that they sing to the amazing performances and lastly to the music that they created that changed the view of music is the world. I would love to be someone that made a change in someone’s life the way these two artists have changed my life and the way I listen to music.

Thanks For Reading,

Regards,

Mandy

References:

Aretha Franklin. (2015). The Biography. com website. Retrieved 07:15, May 23,2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/aretha-franklin-9301157

Huey, S. (n.d.). The Judds Bio | The Judds Career. Retrieved 7:45, May 23, 2015, from http://www.cmt.com/artists/the-judds/biography/

Blog Post 5: King and Queen of POP!

Cyndi Lauper is a great eclectic pop artist that hit the music market by storm without expectation. She wrote and created her first album that was so popular that it took the music world by surprise and sold almost 5 million copies. She wrote songs that stuck with the public and made people want to keep listening to the songs. Her other great album True Colors was also a massive hit it also sold nearly a million copies. Her songs were commercial and easy to hear. She also made sure to make an album that talked about many difficult issues people face like domestic violence and homophobia which made her album Hat Full of Stars an emotionally binding album. What I like the most about Cyndi and what inspires me about Cyndi is her drive to write her songs and how even though she was singing commercial songs they still meant something to her, and that is something that I strive to do. I strive to write songs and sing songs that are going to stay with people the way hers did. One great achievement she had that I would love to do is creating a musical. She created a musical called Kinky Boots which helped her win 6 Tony Awards in 2013. Musical scores are unreal and so amazing, they have so much depth and so much creativity and having to stay within the theme of the musical is great and her ability to do that is an inspiration. She to me is a “Queen of Eclectic Pop”.

The “King of Pop” Michael Jackson is an amazing singer-songwriter who left the world with so much sadness and grief when her left us in 2009. As an inspiring singer-songwriter producer what could be not so inspiring about Jackson’s career. From the moment he stepped foot into the world of music people knew that he was something special. He started his solo career at the age of 13 and that was the start of the “King of Pop”. As we have heard before Jackson wanted more control and hands on in the creation of the songs that were to be sung and he had troubles with Motown productions because of that, and ended up leaving Motown in 1975. All of the moves he made and the decisions he made were to give himself freedom to be able to be creatively free and perform and sing the songs that he wants to do. What affected me the most about Michael Jackson is his absolute drive and the amazing songs that he wrote and performed throughout his career. He never gave up on his creativity, and that is something he has in common with Cyndi Lauper. They both were determined to write songs that meant something and had meaning, songs that could change the way people think while listening to the song. I want to be able to write and create songs that make a difference even just for the three minutes that the song is playing.

Thanks for Reading,

Regards,

Mandy

Michael Jackson. (2015). The Biography. com website. Retrieved 08:36, May 23,2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/michael-jackson-38211

Cyndi Lauper. (2015). The Biography. com website. Retrieved 08:48, May 23,2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/cyndi-lauper-17169536

Blog Post 4: The Marley Mitchell Way

This time around I decided to go old school with the famous and unforgettable Bob Marley. Bob Marley is famous for his reggae Jamaican sound that killed the charts even to this day. Bob Marley was in a band called The Wailers and tried to get a break but couldn’t until 1972, when they landed a contract with Island Records. He finally made the U.S. music Charts with the album Rastaman Vibration in 1976. Bob Marley was a very influential artist that was not afraid to say or “sing” what was on his mind. His Songs “No Woman, No Cry”, “Don’t Worry About A Thing”, “I Shot The Sherriff” “Could You Be Loved” and so many more are still in today’s generations being heard and being worshiped. His songs were so influential that he was even in several attempts of Assassination. Bob Marley served through his time as a world ambassador for reggae music. His music changed the world and is still changing the world. People have not stopped listening to his music and never will. He was the king and true creator of reggae and now his children are following in his footsteps keeping the sound and greatness of his music still alive. What I love about Bob Marley is how dedicated he was to his music, his sound, and what all of that is sending out to the people listening. All of his songs had meaning and had reason it wasn’t just music being written just to get his name known and didn’t care what he was singing about. Each of his songs has a mood and a rhythm for any occasion or mood that you are in, and that is something I dream of doing in the near future.

The other artist I wanted to talk about was Joni Mitchell. She was a folk singer songwriter who was known for her highly original and personal lyrical imagery in her music. That is one great affinity between Mitchell and Marley is that they were both known for their lyrics and what they meant. Mitchell was an advocate for pure and musically great tracks. She at one point decided to stop recording music because she was disappointed in what has become of the music industry. That is one of the biggest things that I support that Joni did in her career because I would unfortunately have to agree that the music industry has changed and all of what is being done is not what music used to be. Joni was fighting for music to go back to the artistry it used to be but had to retire at one point for personal reasons.

Out of these two artists what I got was that the best thing one can do is to truly have a reason to make music. Music without meaning is nothing, it is forgotten, and it will never be known after a few months. Music from before is still sung and played but now whatever is being made is forgotten. Music needs to have a reason; it has to have more than just random words or random themes to be able to become famous. Musicians before became legends for what they used to do but I believe that that will not happen anymore, not until people stop for a moment and remember what music should be about.

Thanks For Reading,

Mandy

References:

Bob Marley. (2015). The Biography. com website. Retrieved 09:40, May 14,2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/bob-marley-9399524#death-and-memorial

Joni Mitchell. (2015). The Biography. com website. Retrieved 09:30, May 14,2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/joni-mitchell-9410294#video-gallery

Blog Post 3: A Blondie Summer

For this week I decided to go all female and talk about two very influential women in very different genres that are still known for their greatest hits. To start we shall talk about Donna Summers. Donna Summer is a Disco legend in her own right. She began singing at the age of 10 in her church. She truly started her career when she was in Munich and recorded her first solo album Lady of the Night, which scored a major European hit with the single “ The Hostage” in 1974. Then in 1975 she co=wrote and recorded a demo version of a seductive disco track called “Love to Love You Baby”. In 1976 Summer released two albums A Love Trilogy and Four Seasons of Love. 1977 She also released two albums Remember Yesterday and Once Upon a Time. Donna Summers kept releasing albums that killed the charts and she became known, as the “Queen of Disco” Donna Summers to me is an inspiration to the female population, she grew in such a vast way and just kept growing. She did not care what other people thought of her career including her disapproving father. She even won an Academy Award for Best Original Song “Last Dance” in 1978 from the soundtrack Thank God It’s Friday. Many people did not approve of her towards the end of her career for her rumored homophobic ways but she is still known for her greatness in the Disco Era.

To contract with Donna Summer, I would like to talk a little about Debbie Harry who was the main singer of the band Blondie. Blondie was known for their creation of a new wave of rock combining punk, reggae and funk all together. Unlike Donna Summer who unfortunately passed away in 2012, Blondie is still releasing albums and their most recent one was released in 2014. Blondie is an inspiration in a different way than Summer, Blondie was known for their fusion of different types of musical styles to make what is the sound of Blondie. Although they broke up a few times they were still able to come back and keep creating the music together.

These two incredible artists are known for their ability to stay different, to not conform to what was out there and still be known for their music. Even to this day people all over the world still sing and hear those hits that they are known for like “One Way Or Another” by Blondie and “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer. I living in Lebanon can tell you that these songs are still sung and still performed and still being played in the clubs and pubs all over the country, it is like these songs are never going to die they will be with us for a long time.

Thanks For Reading,

Mandy

References:

Donna Summer. (2015). The Biography. com website. Retrieved 09:08, May 14,2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/donna-summer-9499073

Debbie Harry. (2015). The Biography. com website. Retrieved 09:08, May 14,2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/debbie-harry-200813

Grammy Producers Project

Hello Everyone,

Here is a Prezi Link to see the research that was done on 20 Grammy Award Winning Producers.

http://prezi.com/m3ymtfpqq3gr/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

Here is also a link to the YouTube Playlist that was made to compliment those Great Producers.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv0XKqRftMjWwIkVvxYddlGvPZO55bTnr

Thank you for Reading

Mandy Mehanna

Blog Post 2 -The Brown-Temptations

Hello Again,

It is now time to talk about another legend that changed the sound of music. I am talking about the Godfather of Soul music James Brown. James Brown was a child exposed to unbelievable poverty and was determined to become someone. When he discovered he could sing and decided to start pursuing this dream of his, he joined a vocal group that became known as the Famous Flames. The Famous Flames made a hit called Please Please Please which reached number 6 on the top charts. All of that was not enough for James he wanted more, so he moved to New York City and began his journey to becoming James Brown. His train ride up the charts started with the release of a song called Try Me which reached number one of the R&B charts. He continued to climb with songs called Lost Someone, Night Train and Prisoner of Love. James Brown was known in the music business as “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business” because not only was he writing and recording music constantly but he was also performing 6 nights a week. James Brown was not just a singer on a stage singing the songs he was performing those songs to the fullest and dancing on that stage whatever new moves were popular during that time and also making up dance moves and making them popular. With all his greatness he was also known as a ruthless bandleader, he expected absolute perfection from his band and backup singers, he was known to fine musicians for mistakes made on stage and also to test your musicianship he would randomly make you improvise, so if you were not quick on your feet you were out. He also recorded some of my absolute favorite songs I Got You (I Feel Good) and It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World. James Brown was the creator of Funk, I don’t think it could get any better or bigger than that, he created a genre in music that has never died. James Brown is a legend for a good reason, he might have had his ups and downs but he is still to this day known for what he did in music. I am in awe of the work he did and how he was able to grow and become “James Brown“ by fighting through and not giving up because he knew he will become someone. To this day I still perform his songs and I think that is exactly what he wanted, for his name to never be forgotten.

I decided to also research a group that is also very well known during that time period which is called the Temptations. They were a vocal group that performed soul music with choreographed moves all in sync and in harmony, which was very different from the craziness and wildness that happened in James Brown performances. Now they both had great strength in fighting through hard times in not being known and then became “James Brown” and became “The Temptations”. One of the differences that I noticed is that James always had a hand in the music he performed while the Temptations had things written and done for them by the Funk Brothers at the Motown Records where they were signed. The Temptations also switched genres from soul to psychedelic trying to keep up with what was out there. The Temptations unlike James Brown were known for the songs they sang like My Girl Ain’t to Proud to beg and Papa was a Rolling Stone, but James was and still is known as the Godfather of Soul and the creator of Funk.

Thanks for reading

Regards,

Mandy

James Brown. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 01:18, May 10, 2015, fromhttp://www.biography.com/people/james-brown-9228350.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved May 10, 2015, from https://rockhall.com/inductees/the-temptations/bio/

Blog Post 1: Wonder to Queen

Today I will be talking to you about a great legend that has been in the music industry for over 50 years, and to be honest I am quite happy that this man was found, I am talking about the musical prodigy Stevie Wonder. Stevie Wonder was discovered as a child who could play almost any instrument and signed to Motown records by the age of eleven, and ever since then he has conquered the music world. When he began working for Motown he was being led by Berry Gordy and the producer Clarence Paul to grow and progress in the industry as a Protest R&B artist. He started off with singles that were produced by Motown up until when he was 15 and began his true career. When Wonder was 15 he started rebelling wanting to make his own style of music and making the songs to what he envisioned, although this was not the way at Motown Records Stevie did it anyway and came out with the song Up Tight which was at number 3 in the charts as soon as it was released. After that moment Stevie began to just grow in a way no one thought was possible. During the 1970’s when he drew up a new type of freedom contract with Motown allowing Stevie to do as he pleased. Wonder produced wrote and did everything to his songs and albums and this was something new for the industry especially for Motown Records. Wonder ended up releasing four unstoppable albums winning him 15 Grammy awards during that decade. Stevie Wonder is one of the Greats that will never be forgotten. To me what would the music world be like without songs like Isn’t She Lovely and I Just Called to Say I Love You. Wonder created a music world of his own and no one can forget it. Wonder inspires me to just make music, no matter if it is what is accepted or what is heard or what is out there, music should be the way to just express yourself. He was a blind musician who played music on the side walk I mean it couldn’t get worse than that and yet he was still able to pursue what he thought was great music.

Today I would like to make a comparison, you could say, between the great Stevie Wonder and the Band Queen. These two that we speak of today are both legends in their own right. Everyone knows at least one song from each artist to say the least. Now to make a nice comparison between the two we can first start with the different genres that they are both in which are Stevie Wonder in R&B and Queen was placed in the Glam Rock genre. These two genres have nothing to do with each other, but both artists had their own influence on the world. Queen was also a U.K band that ruled the Glam Rock world and Stevie Wonder was an American artist that ruled the R&B world and is still standing here making sure you still know his name. Both these artists did something different, they wanted to do what they thought was music. Queen combined Opera and Rock and succeeded till the end of his time in 1991 and yet people still sing their songs and play their music. The same goes for Wonder except he is still here and people will never be able to forget either one of these artists. Becoming one of the greats you have to be able to fight through the limits the world gives us. It might not be easy especially now but you can at least try. Music is supposed to be the way to release what you have inside and you cannot let anyone stop you from doing that.

Hope you enjoyed this post

Mandy

References:

Stevie Wonder. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 10:34, May 10, 2015, fromhttp://www.biography.com/people/stevie-wonder-9536078.

About The Band. (n.d.). Retrieved May 10, 2015, from http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/members/