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Gloria Estefan to retire from singing at age 51 Topic: Gloria Estefan Grammy winning American singer Gloria Estefan has announced that her upcoming Latin America tour will be her last. "It is an end to something that began many years ago, in 1975, and it is a dream to be able to do it in Latin America," the singer said. "These will be the last concerts I do, afterwards I want to focus on my daughter, who is going to high school, and continue working in other areas." The 52-year-old veteran singer announced last year that she would be cutting back the amount of time she spends on tour in order to focus on spending time with her 14-year-old daughter, Emily Marie. However she insists that she she won't be bored with life at home because she has numerous other projects in her kitty, the Contactmusic.Com reported. "We have eight restaurants, three hotels; I am working on a third book and on films," the singer said. Estefan's final tour starts from April 9. She will perform in Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Peru. Her final performance is scheduled for April 23 in Ecuador.
George Beverly Shea at 100 Topic: George Beverly Shea George Beverly "Bev" Shea (born February 1, 1909) is a prominent singer/songwriter of gospel music, the author of several hymns and hymn tunes. Born in Winchester, Ontario, Canada, Shea was one of eight children of a Wesleyan Church minister and his wife. He began singing in the church choir in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His family later moved to Upstate New York and from there, he went on to work in commercial radio. Shea has been involved with Billy Graham and his ministry, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association since 1943, with the inauguration of Graham's "Songs in the Night" radio program. At the time Graham was pastor of the Village Church in Western Springs, Illinois. Since the beginning of Graham's crusade ministry, Shea and Cliff Barrows have been the nucleus of the crusade musical team. Barrows is choir director, platform emcee, and radio-television program director. They were joined in 1950 by pianist Tedd Smith, and through the years, organists Don Hustad and John Innes have provided additional accompaniment.
Singer Eartha Kitt dies Topic: Eartha Kitt Eartha Kitt, a sultry singer, dancer and actress who rose from South Carolina cotton fields to become an international symbol of elegance and sensuality, has died, a family spokesman said. She was 81.
Now Playing: WTIC Radio podcsast link Topic: Ray Conniff Ray recalls his early days in Boston playing trombone with the Society Bands, including Dan Murphy’s Musical Skippers, performing in New York with Bunny Berrigan, Artie Shaw, and Bob Crosby and his eventual glory years at Columbia records...
Topic: Karen Carpenter The Carpenters began as the Richard Carpenter Trio in the late 1960’s, with Karen’s vocalizing backed by both her brother and bassist Wes Jacobs. They worked hard for a while, and even won a battle of bands at the Hollywood Bowl which led to making a few records, but none did well. Jacobs eventually left and was replaced by John Bettis, and the group was also renamed Spectrum, but it still struggled and Bettis soon disappeared too. Redtro Redeux | WEB LINKS | IMAGES | SHOP The Carpenters
Topic: Ray Conniff November 6, 2008... Ray would have been 92. In order to commemorate his birthday, watch YOUtube and sing along. Joseph Raymond Conniff (November 6, 1916 - October 12, 2002) was an American musician. He was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, and learned to play the trombone from his father. He studied music arranging from a course book.
Topic: Yma Sumac Yma Sumac, the Peruvian-born singer whose spectacular multi-octave vocal range and exotic persona made her an international sensation in the 1950s, has died. She was 86. Sumac, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in February, died Saturday in an assisted-living facility in Silver Lake, said Damon Devine, her personal assistant and close friend...
Topic: Fred Astaire Fred Astaire, writes Joseph Epstein, the veteran critic and essayist, "was the very model ... of the democratic dandy, itself an innovative figure." He adds that G. Bruce Boyer called Astaire in his movie roles "the democratic ideal: a classless aristocrat." If T.S. Eliot calling the mature Henry James "a European of no known country" isn't the same thing, it's close enough.
California Melodies Now Playing: episode 44 Topic: Maxine Gray Faust WaltzAmapolaI Guess It's Better That Way MAXINE GRAY sings There'll Be Some Changes MadeVienna Waltz OFFENBACH Orpheus In The Underworld MAXINE GRAY sings It All Comes Back to Me NowIndefinate Ryhthm
Topic: Ray Ellis Conductor/arranger Ray Ellis, who arranged such classics as "Chances Are" by Johnny Mathis, "Splish Splash" by Bobby Darin and "Standing on the Corner" by the Four Lads, died Monday, 27 October 2008, in Encino of complications from melanoma. He was 85. During a career that spanned almost 65 years, the Philadelphia native also arranged for acts including Tony Bennett, Doris Day, the Drifters, Connie Francis, Judy Garland and Ray Price.