Characters is the Grammy-nominated twenty-first studio album by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, released by Motown Records on November 6, 1987 (see 1987 in music) in North America. Although highly anticipated like its precedessor, In Square Circle (1985) upon its release, the album received mixed reviews from critics, and debuted at number 17 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 500,000 in its first week of sales, becoming his first album since Music of My Mind (1972), not to reach the top ten of the charts, whilst it debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for seven weeks, and spawned six singles including "Get It", "Skeletons" and the ballad "You Will Know" that had attained Billboard R&B chart success.
Overview
This album was Stevie Wonder's first to miss the Top Five on the Billboard charts, and yielded the hit R&B singles: Skeletons, Get It (featuring Michael Jackson who, at the time, was riding high with the success of his Bad album), and the R&B ballad, You Will Know.
Awards and nominations
The album earned Wonder three Grammy Award nominations, one for the album itself, in the category of Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
To promote the album, Wonder performed a one-hour special on MTV with the same name in which he performed unreleased material as well as a duet with Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Personnel
* Michael Jackson – Performer
* Stevie Ray Vaughan- Performer
* B.B. King- Performer
* Gary Olazabal – Engineer, Associate Producer, Mixing
* Stevie Wonder – Arranger, Keyboards, Vocals, Producer
* Recorded at Different Fur Studios, San Francisco
References
#0|5555541|Jungle Fever|Soundtrack|Stevie Wonder|May 28, 1991|Soundtrack|Motown|Jungle Fever (1991)|51:06|Stevie Wonder, Nathan Watts|Conversation Peace (1995)|Characters (1987)|1990-1991|*Robert Christgau Christgau, Robert. . The Village Voice. Retrieved 2010-05-08. * Allmusic|Stevie Wonder|Jungle Fever (soundtrack)
Jungle Fever is the 1991 soundtrack album by Stevie Wonder to Spike Lee's movie Jungle Fever. It was released on Motown. Wonder was asked by director Spike Lee to compose the film soundtrack and film score to the film, which depicted a black businessman falling for a white female associate. The hits included from the album include "Jungle Fever", "Gotta Have You," "Fun Day" and "These Three Words".
In Popular Culture
On an episode of Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Carlton sings the title track (also along with another Stevie Wonder tune "Ebony & Ivory") before the wedding on the Season 2 episode "Guess Who's Coming to Marry" which was aired in the same year.
Grammy nominated group, The Foreign Exchange did a cover of the song, "If She Breaks Your Heart" on their second album, Leave It All Behind.
Trivia
This album also marked a reunion with Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil, who was the dream team behind Stevie's classic albums like Music of My Mind and Innervisions to name a couple.
References
Category:Film soundtracks
Category:1991 soundtracks
Category:Stevie Wonder soundtracks
Category:Motown soundtracks
Category:Albums produced by Stevie Wonder
it:Jungle Fever (colonna sonora)
This text has been derived from Characters (album) on Wikipedia and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License 3.0Artist/Band Information
Stevland Hardaway Judkins (born May 13, 1950), name later changed to Stevland Hardaway Morris, Stevie Wonder's mother's authorized biography states that his surname was legally changed to Morris when he signed with Motown in 1961. known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist.Perone, James E. (2006). The Sound of Stevie Wonder: His Words and Music. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing. ISBN 0-2759-8723-X. Pg. xi-xii Blind since shortly after birth, Wonder signed with Motown Records' Tamla label at the age of eleven, and continues to perform and record for Motown to this day.
Among Wonder's best known works are singles such as "Superstition", "Sir Duke", "I Wish" and "I Just Called to Say I Love You". Well known albums also include Talking Book, Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life. He has recorded more than thirty U.S. top ten hits and received twenty-two Grammy Awards, the most ever awarded to a male solo artist. Wonder is also noted for his work as an activist for political causes, including his 1980 campaign to make Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday a holiday in the United States.Perone, James E. (2006). The Sound of Stevie Wonder: His Words and Music. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing. ISBN 0-2759-8723-X. Pg. 83 In 2009, Wonder was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace. In 2008, Billboard magazine released a list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists to celebrate the US singles chart's fiftieth anniversary, with Wonder at number five.
Early life
Stevie Wonder was born in Saginaw, Michigan in 1950, being the third of six children to Calvin Judkins and Lula Mae Hardaway. Owing to his being born six weeks premature, the blood vessels at the back of his eyes had not yet reached the front and their aborted growth caused the retinas to detach. The medical term for this condition is retinopathy of prematurity, or ROP, and while it may have been exacerbated by the oxygen pumped into his incubator, this was not the primary cause of his blindness.
When Stevie Wonder was four, his mother left his father and moved herself and her children to Detroit. She changed her name back to Lula Hardaway and later changed her son's surname to Morris, partly because of relatives. Morris has remained Stevie Wonder's legal name ever since. He began playing instruments at an early age, including piano, harmonica, drums and bass. During childhood he was active in his church choir.
Discovery and early Motown recordings
Ronnie White of The Miracles gives credit to his brother Gerald White for persistently nagging him to come to his friend's house in 1961 to check out Stevie Wonder.Werner, Craig. Higher Ground. New York: Crown Publishers, 2004. Print. Afterward, White brought Wonder and his mother to Motown Records. Impressed by the young musician, Motown CEO Berry Gordy signed Wonder to Motown's Tamla label with the name Little Stevie Wonder. Before signing, producer Clarence Paul gave Wonder his trademark name after stating "we can't keep calling him the eighth wonder of the world". He then recorded the regional Detroit single, "I Call It Pretty Music, But the Old People Call It the Blues", which was released on Tamla in late 1961. Wonder released his first two albums, The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie and Tribute to Uncle Ray, in 1962, to little success.
Music career
#0|147692|Tim Alexander
Tim "Herb" Alexander (born April 10, 1965 in Cherry Point, North Carolina) is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Primus. Tim played on the Primus recordings Suck on This to Tales from the Punchbowl, before leaving the band in 1996, only to rejoin in 2003 for the EP Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People. Although Alexander has been quoted saying he was originally inspired to become a rock drummer by legendary drummers like John Bonham, Neil Peart and Shaun O'Connor, Primus guitarist Larry LaLonde claims Alexander's drum beats are mostly influenced by African Jùjú music.
Prior to joining Primus, he played and recorded with Major Lingo, which at the time was a ska-based rhythm band that featured a lap steel guitar as the lead instrument, played by Tony Bruno. When Major Lingo toured through the Bay Area Tim met members of Primus and would go on to remain there trying out for the band.
Following Alexander's departure from Primus, he went on to form his own group, Laundry. Alexander released two albums with the band Laundry; Blacktongue and Motivator. Alexander has also collaborated with experimental bass player Michael Manring and guitarist Alex Skolnick to form the group known as Attention Deficit.
Alexander was the first drummer of A Perfect Circle, performing early live shows with the band, and recording drums for the track "The Hollow" on the band's debut album, Mer de Noms. He is listed as a member in the band's DVD/CD release aMOTION.
Alexander joined the theatrical group Blue Man Group, and has occasionally played with the Las Vegas-based improvisational rock band Uberschall.
Despite being primarily known for his drum work Alexander is an accomplished guitarist and singer. He performed live guitar with the group Born Naked and held the lead vocal duties on Laundry's second album and supporting tour.
Alexander was involved throughout 2008-09 in a project known as Into The Presence which features songs by Luis Carlos Maldonado. Their debut album was released on Razor and Tie Records and includes performances from bassist Paz Lenchantin and cellist Ana Lenchantin. Both Into The Presence and the Fata Morgana release were recorded and produced at Alexander's own Ghost Town Studios.
As of 2010 Alexander is actively involved as a member of Maynard James Keenan's Puscifer project. He has toured with them and can be heard on their most recent released recordings.
Discography
Primus
* Suck on This (1989)
* Frizzle Fry (1990)
* Sailing the Seas of Cheese (1991)
* Miscellaneous Debris (1992)
* Pork Soda (1993)
* Tales from the Punchbowl (1995)
* Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People (2003)
Laundry
* Blacktongue (1994)
* Motivator (1999)
A Perfect Circle
* Mer de Noms (2000) (Appears on "The Hollow")
Attention Deficit
* Attention Deficit (1998)
* The Idiot King (2001)
Fata Morgana
* This Is A Dream (2005
Equipment
Drums:
TAMA,
* 18"x20" Bass Drum
* 16"x18" Bass Drum
* 5.5"x14" Bronze PBZ355 Snare Drum
* 6"x14" Starclassic G Maple Snare Drum
* 8"x8" Tom Tom
* 9"x10" Tom Tom
* 10"x12" Tom Tom
* 14"x14" Floor Tom
* 14"x20" Gong Bass Drum
* 16"x16" Floor Tom
* Octoban Low-Pitch Set
Hardware:
TAMA,
many various boom and straight cymbal stands
Cymbals:
Zildjian,
* 9.5" & 6" Zil-Bells
* 13" Z Custom Dyno Beat Hi-Hats
* 18",17" & 16" A Medium Crashes
* 18" A Rock Crash
* 6" & 8" A splash
* 12" A Special Recording Hi-Hats
* 13" A New-Beat Hi-Hats
* 18" Oriental China Trash
* 22" K Custom Ride.
Sticks:
Zildjian,
Tim Alexander Artist Series (16" length, 0.53" diameter)
Heads:
REMO
References
This text has been derived from Stevie Wonder on Wikipedia and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License 3.0
