Jeb Bush Biography

Quick Facts

Name

Jeb Bush

Occupation 

Governor

Birth Date 

February 11, 1953

Education 

University of Texas

Place of Birth 

Midland, Texas

AKA

Jeb Bush

 

Full Name

Jeb John Ellis Bush

Jeb Bush is an American politician best known for serving as Florida's governor from 1998 to 2007. He is the son of 41st U.S. President George Bush and brother of 43rd U.S. President George W. Bush.

Synopsis

Born on February 11, 1953, in Midland, Texas, Jeb Bush is the son of George Bush, the 41st U.S. president, and the brother of George W. Bush, the 43rd U.S. president. Jeb Bush moved up the ranks in Florida politics in the 1980s and '90s before securing the state's governorship in 1998.

The Republican remained as Florida's governor until 2007. The following year, many speculated that he'd run for the U.S. Senate, but that did not occur. Bush announced in December 2014 that he was considering a 2016 presidential run.

Early Life

Florida governor and politician Jeb Bush was born on February 11, 1953, in Midland, Texas. Son of the 41st president of the United States, George Bush, and brother of the 43rd president, George W. Bush, Jeb Bush has spent much of his life around politics. He showed an interest in public service at an early age, choosing to go to Mexico to teach English while on an exchange program in high school. Bush went to the University of Texas where he earned a degree in Latin American affairs.

Governor of Florida

Bush left Texas and moved to Florida in the early 1980s to work as a real estate developer and broker. In 1987 and 1988, he held his first government post, serving as Florida's secretary of commerce. Bush made his first run for public office as the Republican candidate for the state's governorship in 1994. He lost the election by a small margin to Governor Lawton Chiles. Bush, however, was victorious on his second try in 1998.

As governor, Bush found himself in the midst of the 2000 election controversy. The fate of the election rested on the results of Florida, which had some problems with its ballots. With his brother as one of the candidates, Bush declined to participate in any of the decisions related to the election to avoid the appearance of impropriety.

Two years later, Bush won his bid for re-election. Shortly before the election his daughter Noelle was arrested for drug possession. Earlier that year, she had been arrested for prescription drug fraud and sentenced to go into a drug rehabilitation program. Bush said that he loved his daughter unconditionally, but he did not want her to receive special treatment. She was sentenced to serve 10 days in jail. Noelle stood by her father's side when he was sworn in for his second term in January 2003.

In 2006, Florida law prohibited Bush from running for a third straight term. Leaving the governorship in 2007 after eight years in office, Bush will be remembered for his work on the state's education system, his efforts to protect the environment, and his achievements in improving the state's economy.

Presidential Ambitions

After leaving office in 2007, Bush remained active on a number of political issues. He has been an outspoken supporter of the Common Core Standards, a national educational initiative, and of immigration reform. In December 2014, Bush showed his interest in possibly returning to elected office.He posted on his Facebook page that he had "decided to actively explore the possibility of running for President of the United States."

While not an official candidate for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, Bush has outlined some of his exploratory campaign plan. He will launch a political action committee in January 2015 and will publish an e-book on his political views in the spring. Bush will also release 250,000 emails from his time as governor, according to CNN.com.

If he succeeds, Bush will be the third member of his family to run for the nation's highest office. He is expected to face some challenges from other possible opponents, such as Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, and Marco Rubio, a senator from Florida and a longtime Bush supporter. 

Personal Life

Bush and his wife, Columba, have been married since 1974 and have three children: George, Noelle, and John Ellis, Jr.—also called "Jeb."

Laura Bush Biography

Quick Facts

Name

Laura Bush

Occupation 

U.S. First Lady, Educator, Philanthropist

Birth Date 

November 4, 194

Education 

University of Texas, Southern Methodist University,  

Robert E. Lee High School

Place of Birth 

Midland, Texas

AKA

Laura Welch Bush

Laura Bush

Laura Welch

 

Full Name

Laura Lane Welch Bush

Maiden Name

Laura Lane Welch

Laura Bush is the wife of 43rd U.S. President George W. Bush. She served as first lady from 2001 to 2009.

Synopsis

Laura Bush was born on November 4, 1946, in Midland, Texas. Following her marriage to George W. Bush in 1977, Laura devoted her time to volunteer work and homemaking. After George was elected governor of Texas in 1994, Laura raised her profile, working to improve literacy. As first lady, she spoke on the radio in support of the Afghan people, and testified before the Senate Committee on Education.

Early Life

Laura Bush was born Laura Lane Welch in Midland, Texas, on November 4, 1946. She is the only child of Harold Welch, a home builder and successful real estate developer in the vast flat lands that surround Midland, and Jenna Louise Hawkins Welch, who worked as a bookkeeper in her husband's business. As a child, Laura was shy and eager to please her parents. Early on, they encouraged to her to pursue her love of reading, which became a life-long passion.

Laura's life before college was typical of many young women, going to public schools and being with friends. However, on the night of November 6, 1963, she experienced something most teenagers don't: Around 8 p.m. that evening, she was driving a friend to a party on a desolate rural road when she ran a stop sign and hit another automobile broadside, killing its driver. The driver was a friend and fellow classmate, Michael Dutton Douglas, a star athlete and popular student at Robert E. Lee High School.

Laura and her passenger suffered only minor injuries. Though she was not charged in the accident, the guilt has remained with her all of her life.

After graduation from high school, Laura attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, earning a bachelor's degree in early education in 1968. She taught second grade for a few years before receiving her master's degree in library science at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, where she became a public school librarian.

Meeting George W. Bush

In 1977, on a visit back to Midland, she met George Walker Bush at a barbeque that was hosted by mutual friends. George W. Bush was the owner of a fledgling oil business and the son of George H.W. Bush, a career politician and former Director of the CIA. There was an immediate attraction, and within three months of their introduction, Bush proposed to Laura.

He was considering running for a congressional seat at the time, and she accepted on the condition that she never be asked to deliver a political speech. However, she soon relented, and publically supported her husband's unsuccessful bid for office.

After his defeat, Bush returned to is oil business and Laura became a housewife, but soon returned to politics to help her father-in-law, George H.W. Bush's presidential campaign in 1980. The following year (1981), Laura gave birth to twin girls, Jenna and Barbara, named after their grandmothers. Over the ensuing years, Laura began to quietly but steadfastly build a family. She encouraged her husband to attend church and quit drinking, and became a major positive influence in his life.

Becoming Political

In 1995, George W. Bush was once again inspired to enter politics in a run for the Texas governorship. This time, he won, and Laura Bush was thrust into the public arena of being the state's first lady. Still a reluctant speaker, Laura developed more confidence and began to take advantage of her elevated position to support causes and projects important to her.

She successfully lobbied for the state funding of early reading, literacy and early childhood development programs. She also supported breast cancer awareness, and raised nearly $1 million for public libraries.

In early 2000, George W. Bush began his campaign for the U.S. presidency. Laura Bush enthusiastically supported her husband, appearing at rallies and avoiding controversy during the campaign. She made her first major national speech at the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia. Bush went on to win the closest presidential race in American history against his Democratic opponent, Al Gore.

Although Laura planned to keep a low profile as first lady, national events made that nearly impossible. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks riveted attention on the Bush Administration, and Laura joined her husband in comforting the nation. In the aftermath of the attacks, she addressed parents' anxiety and fear over how the event affected their children. She frequently spoke about ways parents could comfort their families traumatized by the event.

During her first term as first lady, Laura Bush continued to lend support to education, childhood development and teacher training. In January 2002, she testified before the Senate Committee on Education, calling for higher teachers' salaries and better training for Head Start programs.

She created a national initiative called "Ready to Read * Ready to Learn" to promote reading at an early age. Additionally, she lobbied to continue work on saving America's national treasures, and supported the "Preserve America" campaign.

During the 2004 campaign, Laura dramatically elevated her public role as first lady by delivering a major policy speech at the Republican National Convention, and later, during the campaign, by speaking about major policy accomplishments and goals of the Bush Administration. Such speeches are usually left for office holders and political supporters.

After Bush's win, Laura increased her activities by leading initiatives in health, literacy and gender equality. She traveled to Afghanistan to promote a new teacher-training institute for Afghan women. In 2005, she spoke at the World Economic Forum, emphasizing the link between education and fostering democracy.

Throughout the final years of George W. Bush's second term, Laura continued to support women's health. In 2007, the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women's Health was founded at Texas Tech University.

Traveling around the county, Laura spoke at events on the importance of early detection of heart disease. In October 2007, she traveled to the Middle East in an attempt to improve America's image by highlighting concern for women's health and promoting breast cancer awareness.

Post-White House Years

After the 2008 election, Laura Bush and her husband moved to Dallas, Texas, to work on the George W. Bush Presidential Library. She also wrote her memoir, Spoken from the Heart which was published in 2010, and co-wrote a children's book with her daughter, Jenna Bush, entitled Read All About It! Since leaving the White House, Laura Bush has continued working for the causes she believes in, including breast cancer awareness and other women's health issues, and education.

George H.W. Bush Biography

Quick Facts

Name

George H.W. Bush

Occupation 

Diplomat, U.S. Vice President, 

U.S. Representative, U.S. President

Birth Date 

June 12, 1924

Education

Phillips Academy, Yale University

Place of Birth

Milton, Massac0husetts

AKA

George Bush

George H.W. Bush

 

Full Name

George Herbert Walker Bush

 

 The 41st president of the United States, George H.W. Bush served as vice president under Ronald Reagan. He is the father of George W. Bush, the 43rd president.

Synopsis

Born on June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts, George H.W. Bush fought in WWII and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He was Ronald Reagan's VP for two terms and then won the 1988 presidential race, losing his bid for a second term to Bill Clinton. He has since made appearances for George W. Bush, his oldest son, and started the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund with President Clinton.

 

George H.W. Bush: Leaders of the Free World unite as (L-R) George H.W. Bush, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter all come together for a once-in-a-lifetime photograph in the Oval Office on January 20, 2009. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

George H.W. Bush: President Barack Obama awards President George H.W. Bush the 2010 Medal of Freedom, the greatest award given to civilians, on February 15 of the same year at the White House. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

24 of 24George H.W. Bush: President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush appear for the screening of the HBO documentary that outlines the president's captivating and eventful life, entitled 41 on June 12, 2012, in Kennebunkport, Maine. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for HBO)

1 of 24George H.W. Bush: President George H.W. Bush sits in the cockpit of his aircraft during World War II after his 18th birthday, making him the youngest pilot to fight in the Navy at the time. (Photo credit should read AFP/AFP/Getty Images)

2 of 24George H.W. Bush: Head of the Republican National Committee George H.W. Bush discusses politics with President Richard Nixon circa 1970. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

3 of 24George H.W. Bush: United States Ambassador George H.W. Bush reviews public affairs with Moderator Lawrence Spivak as part of the program Meet the Press on March 21, 1971. (Photo by NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

4 of 24George H.W. Bush: George H.W. Bush addresses the country on the program Face the Nation on September 14, 1973, not long after the Watergate Scandal shook the nation under the Nixon administration. (Photo by CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)

Early Life

George Herbert Walker Bush was born on June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts. The son of Senator Prescott Bush, he was born into a wealthy and politically active family. Bush attended Phillips Academy, an elite boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts. He began dating his future wife, known as Barbara Pierce at the time, after they were introduced at a Christmas dance in 1941. Bush was 17 years old at the time, and Barbara was just 16. (They married in January 1945.)
On his 18th birthday, Bush enlisted in the U.S. Navy, becoming the youngest pilot in the Navy during World War II. He served as a combat pilot in the war, flying carrier-based torpedo bomber aircraft and a total of 58 combat missions. He had a brush with death when his plane was hit during a bombing run in the Pacific. After managing to escape the burning aircraft, he was quickly rescued by a U.S. Navy submarine. Bush was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his WWII service.
After the war, Bush attended Yale University, where he graduated with a degree in economics in 1948. He later moved to Midland, Texas, where he found success in the oil and petroleum industry.

Congressman and Vice President

Bush became chairman of the Harris County Republican Party in 1963. The following year, he ran an unsuccessful campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas. It didn't take long for Bush to enter Congress, however; in 1966, two years after his unsuccessful Senate bid, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, ultimately serving two terms. Bush was later appointed to several important positions, including U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in 1971, head of the Republican National Committee during the Watergate scandal, U.S. envoy to China, and director of the Central Intelligence Agency in 1976.

Bush then set his sights on the U.S. presidency, but failed to win his party's nomination in 1980, losing it to his opponent, Ronald Reagan. Bush would make it to the White House soon after, however: He was chosen as Reagan's vice-presidential running mate. Reagan won the 1980 election, defeating Democrat challenger Jimmy Carter. He was re-elected in 1984, with Bush serving as his vice president for both terms.

U.S. Presidency

Bush finally reached the White House's top seat in 1989; he won the 1988 election against Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis, becoming the first sitting vice president to be elected president since 1837. During his nomination acceptance speech at the 1988 Republican National Convention, Bush famously stated, "Read my lips: No new taxes."

During his presidency, Bush skillfully handled foreign affairs during a tumultuous time for the nation. Just months into his first term, he responded to the dissolve of the Soviet Union and oversaw the U.S. military's removal of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega from power. Not long after, Bush responded to then Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait (August 1990), creating a national coalition and leading a military strike to drive Hussein out of the oil-rich country.
 Bush's handling of the invasion in Kuwait is largely viewed as his greatest presidential success.

Bush delivered a speech to the American public as the invasion began, stating, "Now the 28 countries with forces in the Gulf area have exhausted all reasonable efforts to reach a peaceful resolution. [We] have no choice but to drive Saddam from Kuwait by force. We will not fail. We are determined to knock out Saddam Hussein's nuclear bomb potential. We will also destroy his chemical weapons facilities. Much of Saddam's artillery and tanks will be destroyed. ... Our objectives are clear: Saddam Hussein's forces will leave Kuwait."
Despite his global successes, economic problems at home have been blamed for Bush's re-election bid failure in 1992.

Later Career

When his eldest son, George W. Bush, was elected president in 2000, George Bush Sr. made many public appearances, frequently to speak in support of his son. In addition to being a proud and supportive father, he has lent his support to several political causes. In 2005, he joined forces with former president Bill Clinton—the Democratic candidate who defeated him in the 1992 election to help people affected by Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Gulf Coast region, especially Louisiana and Mississippi. The Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund raised more than $100 million in donations in its first few months.

November 2012, an 88-year-old Bush was admitted to a Houston hospital to be treated for a cough related to bronchitis. His cough reportedly improved, but he remained hospitalized because of other health setbacks. Bush developed a "persistent fever," according to an Associated Press report.

In late December, he was moved into an intensive care unit and was reportedly in guarded condition. Bush has lower-body parkinsonism and has been in a wheelchair for more than a year, according to a Reuters report.

The former president seemed to be in good spirits the following July. Photos released to the press showed Bush with a shaved head. He had cut off his hair to his support to a young child battling leukemia. The toddler is the son of a Secret Service agent who guards Bush. Bush and his wife have also contributed to a special fund established to pay for the boy's medical expenses.

Bush spends part of the year in Houston, Texas, with his wife Barbara Bush. The couple also stays at their home in Kennebunkport, Maine. Married for nearly 70 years, George and Barbara Bush have six children: George, Robin, Jeb, Neil, Marvin and Dorothy. Their daughter, Robin, died in 1953.

Late Stella Adadevoh and Chimamanda Adichie make CNN's leading women 2014 list

Two phenomenal Nigerian women, Chimamanda Adichie and late Dr Stella Adadevoh have been recognized by international media house, Cable News Network CNN, as some of the world's leading women for the year 2014.

In a list released earlier today by CNN, late Dr Stella Adadevoh was recognized for her significant contribution towards the prevention of the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in Nigeria while Chimamanda was recognized  for her contributions to African Literature.

Other women who made the list included Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Oscar award winning actress Lupita Nyong'o, and IMF Chairman Christine Lagarde

Nicki Minaj Biography

 Quick Facts

Name

Nicki Minaj

Occupation 

Rapper

Birth Date 

December 8, 1982

Education 

La Guardia High School of Music and Art

Place of Birth 

Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago

AKA

Nicki Minaj

Onika Maraj

"Cookie"

"Harajuku Barbie"

 

Originally

Onika Tanya Maraj

Hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj was featured in seven songs on Billboard's Hot 100 at the same time, even before the release of her debut album in 2010.

Synopsis

Born in 1982, famed hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj grew up with an abusive, drug-addicted father. After attending La Guardia High School for the Arts, she was introduced to rapper Lil Wayne, who launched her career. Her 2010 debut album, Pink Friday, and her single, "Your Love," topped the Billboard charts.

A frequent "cameo" singer, Minaj's voice was featured in seven songs on Billboard's Hot 100 in 2010. In 2012, Minaj was announced as one of the new judges of the popular singing show American Idol twelfth season. She also released the hit album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded that same year.

Early Life

Hip-hop artist and singer Nicki Minaj was born Onika Tanya Maraj on December 8, 1982, in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, and moved with her family to Queens, New York, when she was 5 years old. Minaj's father was a severe drug addict with a long history of violence. At one point, he set fire to the family's home in a failed attempt to kill Minaj's mother.

Those early struggles, Minaj has said, helped fuel her drive to rise above the life her parents knew. "I've always had this female-empowerment thing in the back of my mind," she told Details magazine, "because I wanted my mother to be stronger, and she couldn't be. I thought, 'If I'm successful, I can change her life.'"

To reach that point, however, the young Minaj developed personas for herself that would allow her to be a "new person." An early incarnation was someone she called "Cookie," then came "Harajuku Barbie," before finally settling on Nicki Minaj. "Fantasy was my reality," she has said. Minaj clearly had a knack for performance.

At the age of 12, she authored her first rap, then went on to delve into acting at La Guardia High School of Music and Art, the school that inspired the movie Fame.

Rapper and Singer

Determined to make it in the music business, Minaj took on backup singing roles for local New York City rappers. Soon, she began writing her own material. She was eventually discovered by Dirty Money CEO Fendi, who came across Minaj's MySpace page, loved what he heard, and immediately signed her to his label.

That connection led Minaj to Lil Wayne, who collaborated with her on a series of mix tapes, the first of which, Playtime is Over, was released in April 2007. The recording, and subsequent mixed tapes, showcased Minaj's female swagger and out-front style.
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By early 2010, considerable anticipation had built up around Minaj's much discussed, much covered debut album, which was scheduled for release that fall. In April of that year, she released her first single, "Massive Attack." Two months later she won Best Hip-Hop Female at the annual BET Awards. She dedicated the award to Lil Wayne.

'American Idol' Judge

In March 2012, Minaj made a guest appearance on the popular television competition American Idol. She told singer Jennifer Lopez, then a judge on the show, to "scoot over a little bit" to make room for her at the judges' table. Rumors then flew of a feud between Minaj and Lopez, which Minaj later dismissed.

Later that year, however, Minaj apparently got her wish when it announced as one of the newest cast members of American Idol. The singer signed on as part of the show's judging panel. It didn't take long before the fireworks began between her and fellow judge Mariah Carey. The pair seemed to take an instant dislike to each other, and openly feuded during the show's early auditions.

Television viewers got to see the two square off against each other once the show's twelfth season began airing in early 2013. Minaj and Carey got into an argument during auditions in Charlotte, North Carolina, with Minaj later storming off stage. Carey later claimed that Minaj threatened her with physical harm and decided to hire extra security as a result, according to the New York Daily News.

Minaj has also been critical of the show, tweeting that American Idol "is NOT a singing competition."

Recent Projects

One of rap and dance music's rising stars, Minaj reached a national audience with her 2012 Super Bowl appearance. She performed alongside pop superstar Madonna in the game's popular halftime show.

A short time later, Minaj released the album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. The record proved to be a smash hit, reaching the top of the pop, R&B and rap charts. The infectious dance song, "Starships," was the first breakout single. "Pound the Alarm" soon followed and as did "Va Va Voom."

Later that same year, Minaj released a new version of her album entitled Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded—The Re-Up. "Freedom" was its first single and it proved enormously popular with her fans.

Liam Payne Biography

 Quick Facts

Name

Liam Payne

Occupation 

Singer

Birth Date 

August 29, 1993

Place of Birth 

Wolverhampton, England, Georgia, United Kingdom

Full Name

Liam James Payne

 

Liam Payne is one of the five members of the British pop boy band One Direction.

Synopsis

Liam Payne was born on August 29, 1993, in Wolverhampton, England. His early interest in music and performing led him to compete on television talent competition The X Factor in 2008 and again in 2010.

On his second try he attracted positive notice. Although he didn't win, the judges combined him with four other competitors to form the pop boy band One Direction, who became a global success.

Childhood and School Years

Liam James Payne was born on August 29, 1993, in Wolverhampton, a town located in England's West Midlands. His father, Geoff, works for the aerospace manufacturing corporation Goodrich; his mother, Karen, has worked as a nurse and a receptionist. Payne has two older sisters, Nicole and Ruth.

• Nicki Minaj Biography

Payne attended St. Peter's Collegiate School in Wolverhampton. As a pre-teen, he was interested in both music and athletics. He was a member of the Wolverhampton & Bilston Athletics Club and trained as a runner. He also began acting and singing with a local theater performance group called Pink Productions at the age of 12. Following his graduation from St. Peter's, he enrolled in the City of Wolverhampton College to study music technology.

'The X Factor'

Payne auditioned for the television talent competition The X Factor in 2008 and performed well enough to become one of the final 24 competitors before he was eliminated. For the next two years, he continued to train as a vocalist. He auditioned for The X Factor again in 2010 and moved further up in the competition, winning praise for his renditions of songs like "Cry Me a River" and Oasis's "Stop Crying Your Heart Out."

• William Shakespeare Biography

Although Payne was eliminated as a solo artist before the show's final round, he became part of a newly formed group act when judges Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell combined him with his fellow competitors Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. Performing as One Direction, Payne and his new band-mates finished the competition in third place and received a contract with Cowell's music label.

One Direction

Payne has become very successful as a part of One Direction. Their first single, "What Makes You Beautiful," was released in September 2011 in the United Kingdom and became a No. 1 hit before achieving worldwide popularity. Their debut album, Up All Night (2011), was a chart-topping success, as was their second album, Take Me Home (2012).

Personal Life

Payne is known for being the most sensible and grounded member of One Direction. He dated dancer Danielle Peazer, whom he met on the set of The X Factor, on and off from 2010 to 2013. He has also been romantically linked with British singer Leona Lewis.

Tony Bennett Biography

Quick Facts

Name

Tony Bennett

Occupation 

Singer

Birth Date 

August 3, 1926 (age 88)

Education 

American Wing Theatre, High School for Industrial Arts

Place of Birth 

Queens, New York City, New York

Full Name

Anthony Dominick Benedetto

Tony Bennett is an American jazz vocalist, best known for performing standards and his signature song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."

Synopsis

Tony Bennett was born in Astoria, Queens, New York, on August 3, 1926. Bennett had his first hit, "Because of You," in 1951, and made a career singing standards, including his signature song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." Bennett's career waned in the mid-1960s, as rock music became dominant, but rebounded in the 1990s.

Early Life

Bennett grew up in a poor family, in circumstances made more difficult by the Depression and by the death of his father when he was 9. While he attended the High School for the Industrial Arts in New York City, Bennett began working as a singing waiter. After serving in the Army infantry during World War II, he took advantage of the G.I. Bill and studied singing and acting at the American Theatre Wing. During this period his vocal coach Mimi Spear offered some advice that he took to heart: Don't imitate other singers; emulate instrumentalists instead.

Early Hits

The young singer was discovered by Pearl Bailey in Greenwich Village and subsequently hired by Bob Hope in 1949. Hope advised him to take the name Tony Bennett (rather than the name he had been using, Joe Bari) and put him in his road show. Bennett told Billboard in 1997, "I've been on the road ever since."

He signed with Columbia Records in 1950 and started working with record producer Mitch Miller. His early hits included "Rags to Riches," "Because of You" and "Stranger in Paradise." His most famous song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," was released in 1962 as a B-side on a single; it also earned Bennett his first Grammy Award.

Professional and Personal Struggles

Bennett's success led to some artistic differences between the singer and his record company. His interest in singing quality material made him want to try new songs and new kinds of music. Columbia, however, wanted to repeat the style of his early hits. For some time, Bennett and Miller compromised by each selecting one half of the material to be recorded. After 20 years of recording with Columbia, however, he was told not to do any new songs. Company management wanted Bennett to cover top 10 hits.

Soon thereafter, Bennett ended his relationship with the company, formed his own label and recorded on others. Bennett ended up taking a long hiatus from recording, staying away from the studios for some 10 years before he made the 1986 album The Art of Excellence.

Bennett's break from recording coincided with some difficult times for the singer. He moved to California in the late 1970s and began using cocaine and marijuana, drugs that were an integral part of the celebrity party scene. A near-death experience passing out in the bathtub and the memory of Lenny Bruce's drug-related death scared Bennett into changing his habits. Bennett was also struggling with a change in the public's taste in popular music, with the increased dominance of rock and roll.

When he began his career, pop music appealed to all ages. Bennett asserts that young listeners were being taught that rock music belonged exclusively to their generation and that this alienated children from their parents. Moreover, music marketing was so focused on young listeners that it was squeezing adults who bought Bennett's albums out of the record stores.

Career Revival

Bennett has weathered such troubles and completely revitalized his career. He credits his son Danny, who is now his manager, with making many key decisions. Danny put Bennett on television, on the animated series The Simpsons, on talk shows with David Letterman and Jay Leno, and on MTV Unplugged.

The last appearance earned the singer a flock of young fans. He now has a recording contract with Columbia that allows him to simply turn in his finished record, with no corporate input on content. Among Bennett's later recordings are the Grammy-winning MTV Unplugged; a series of tribute albums, Bennett/Berlin (Irving Berlin), Perfectly Frank (as in Sinatra), Tony Bennett on Holiday (Billie Holiday) and Here's to the Ladies (miscellaneous female singers); and the children's album The Playground. he released Steppin’ Out in 1993 which went on to win a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.

These recordings demonstrate that Bennett still has plenty of ideas about the music he wants to sing, and that he is in fine form. With a half-century of professional singing under his belt, Bennett credits learning bel canto technique with preserving his voice; he told Billboard, "It teaches you how to breathe properly and how to sing so that you don't push and you don't destroy your voice."

During the 1990s Bennett published two books that gave fans an inside look into his personal life and career. Tony Bennett: What My Heart Has Seen(1996) is a coffee-table book of his paintings, exhibiting a very serious pastime for a man who once aspired to be a painter. His autobiography The Good Life(1998) details his childhood, singing career, personal life and friendships. Signing his name "Anthony Benedetto," he began showing his paintings in 1977 and has since sold his work for as much as $40,000 a canvas. What My Heart Has Seen includes a number of portraits of famous people, as well as still-lifes, landscapes, and cityscapes that are dominated by scenes of New York and San Francisco.

To mark his 80th birthday in 2006, he released Tony Bennett: Duets - An American Classic, recorded with a collection of stars including Barbra Streisand, Elton John, Elvis Costello, Bono and Sting. The project proved to be such a success that he did another celebratory album in 201l for his 85th birthday.

Bennett released Duets II in the fall of 2011, and his work with Lady Gaga on "The Lady Is a Tramp" proved to be one of its highlights. The album also featured another distinctive track—the late Amy Winehouse's final recording. She and Bennett sang together on "Body and Soul." Their collaboration won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group in 2012. That same night, Bennett also took home an award for "Who Can I Turn To?" his duet with Queen Latifah.

Also in 2012, his fans got an inside look at the recording of Duets II as well as the life of the legendary singer, in the documentary The Zen of Bennett. The project is the brainchild of Bennett's son Danny, who served as its producer. The film was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival that April.

Later in 2012, Bennett released his next recording, Viva Duets. This Latin music album features songs in English, Spanish and Portuguese, and has appearances by such famed talents as Marc Anthony and Gloria Estefan. Despite now being well into his eighties, Bennett lined up a series of concerts to promote this latest album.

In September 2014, Bennett collaborated with pop star Lady Gaga on an album of jazz standards called Cheek to Cheek. Talking about teaming up with Lady Gaga in an interview with Parade magazine, Bennett expressed what he learned from working with the pop star, “Nobody has communicated with the public more than Lady Gaga. Ever. I trust the audience, and I’m very impressed. As far as they’re concerned, she’s part of their family. The only guy who ever did that was Bing Crosby, years ago.”

Lady Gaga Biography

Quick Facts

Name

Lady Gaga

Occupation 

Singer, Songwriter

Birth Date 

March 28, 1986 

Education 

New York University's Tisch School of the Arts

Place of Birth 

Yonkers, New York

AKA

Lady Gaga

 

Full Name

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanott

Pop icon Lady Gaga's debut album The Fame included hits "Just Dance" and "Poker Face." Her follow-up, The Fame Monster, was nominated for six Grammys.

Synopsis

Lady Gaga was born as Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta on March 28, 1986 in Yonkers, New York. She attended New York University's Tisch School for the Arts but left to find creative expression. She wrote songs for other artists until being discovered by R&B singer Akon. Her debut album, The Fame, was a huge success, and the single "Poker Face" topped charts in almost every category, in almost every country.

Early Life

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta was born on March 28, 1986 in Yonkers, New York, to Cynthia and Joseph Germanotta. Germanotta, now known as Lady Gaga (she has attributed the inspiration for her name to the Queen song "Radio Ga-Ga"), went on to become an international pop star.

Gaga learned to play the piano by the age of 4. At the age of 11, she was accepted to the Juilliard School in Manhattan, but instead attended a private Catholic school in the city. She continued studying music and performing, writing her first piano ballad at the age of 13, and she held her first performance in a New York nightclub at the age of 14.

A few years later, Gaga was granted early admission to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts—she was one of only 20 students in the world to receive the honor of early acceptance. While there, she studied music and worked on her songwriting skills. She later withdrew from school to find creative inspiration. To make ends meet, she took three jobs, including a stint as a gogo dancer, while she honed her performance-art act.

Professional Debut

In 2005, Lady Gaga was briefly signed by Def Jam Records, but was dropped just months later. Being dropped by the label propelled the singer to perform on her own in clubs and venues on New York City's Lower East Side. There, she collaborated with several rock bands, and began her experimentation with fashion.

In 2007, at the age of 20, Gaga began work at Interscope Records as a songwriter for other artists on the label, including Britney Spears, New Kids on the Block, and The Pussycat Dolls. R&B singer Akon discovered Gaga while she was performing a burlesque show that she created, called "Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue." Impressed, Akon signed the performer to his label under the Interscope umbrella, Kon Live. Through 2007 and 2008, Gaga wrote and recorded her debut album, The Fame. The record was received positive reviews and popular success in the United States. With the help of her own creative team, "Haus of Gaga," the performer also began to make a name for herself internationally.

Commercial Breakthrough

Lady Gaga's debut single, "Just Dance," was released to radio in early 2008, and received both popular and commercial acclaim. The song was then nominated for a Grammy Award (for best dance recording) in 2008. The song lost to Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger," but this didn't keep Gaga from reaching No. 1 on the mainstream pop charts in January 2009. The second single off of The Fame, "Poker Face," earned Gaga even more success. The song topped singles charts in almost every category, and in almost every country. Both songs were produced by Akon's affiliate RedOne, who co-wrote most of Lady Gaga's album.

Later in 2008, Lady Gaga opened for the newly reformed New Kids on the Block. She also collaborated with the group on the song "Big Girl Now" from New Kids on the Block's album The Block. The following year, Gaga released an album of eight songs, The Fame Monster, followed by 2011's Born This Way.

In 2013, Lady Gaga released her third studio album, Artpop. The album didn't resonate as strongly with her audience as her previous works. Among the shake-ups in her inner circle, she and her manager parted ways. In 2014, she released an album of jazz duets with crooner Tony Bennett entitled Cheek to Cheek. In an interview with Parade, Lady Gaga said of her latest collaboration, “Working with Tony has reaffirmed everything I knew but that you start to forget when your life changes and it gets really noisy. For ­Tony, it’s all about great music.”

Biography of Beyonce

Quick Facts

Name

Beyoncé Knowles

Occupation 

Film Actress, Singer

Birth Date 

September 4, 1981

Education 

St. Mary's Elementary School, Parker Elementary School,  

High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

Place of Birth 

Houston, Texas

Full Name

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles

Beyoncé Knowles is a multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning recording artist who's acclaimed for her thrilling vocals, videos and live shows.

Synopsis

Born on September 4, 1981, in Houston, Texas, Beyoncé Knowles first captured the public's eye as lead vocalist of the R&B group Destiny's Child. She later established a solo career with her debut album Dangerously In Love, becoming one of music's top-selling artists with sold-out tours and a slew of awards. Knowles has also starred in several films, including Dream Girls. She married hip-hop recording artist Jay-Z in 2008. In December 2013, she surprised audiences by releasing her fifth studio album, self-titled Beyoncé.

Early Life

Singer and actress Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born on September 4, 1981, in Houston, Texas. She started singing at an early age, competing in local talent shows and winning many of these events by impressing audiences with her natural singing and dancing abilities.

Destiny's Child and Other Endeavors

Teaming up with her cousin, Kelly Rowland, and two classmates, Beyoncé formed an all-female singing group. Her father, Matthew Knowles, served as the band's manager. The group went through some name and line-up changes before landing a record deal in 1997 with Columbia Records. Destiny's Child soon became one of the most popular R&B acts, with the release of their first, self-titled album. Gaining momentum, the group scored its first No. 1 single on the pop charts with "Bills, Bills, Bills," off their second album. The recording also featured another smash hit, "Say My Name."

While enjoying her group's success, Beyoncé began exploring other projects. She made her acting debut in 2001 with a starring role in MTV's Carmen: A Hip Hopera. She then co-starred with Mike Myers in the spy parody Goldmember the following year. On the musical front, Beyoncé took center stage as a solo artist, releasing her first album, Dangerously in Love, in 2003. The recording became a huge success for her, both commercially and critically. It sold millions of copies and won five Grammy Awards. On the album, Beyoncé worked with a number of different artists, including Missy Elliott, Sean Paul and Jay-Z. She was rumored to be dating Jay-Z around this time, but the couple did not publicly acknowledge their relationship.
Destiny's Child released their last studio album, Destiny Fulfilled, in 2004, and officially broke up the following year.

Solo Career

On her own, Beyoncé continued to enjoy great success. Her second studio album, 2006's B'Day featured such hits as "Irreplaceable" and "Beautiful Liar." On the big screen, she starred opposite Jennifer Hudson, Jaime Foxx and Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls. The film was adapted from the hit Broadway musical of the same name.

In 2008, Beyoncé married rapper and music mogul Jay-Z in a small, private ceremony in New York City. Among the guests sighted at the wedding were Beyoncé's mother Tina Knowles; her father and manager Matthew; her sister Solange; Destiny's Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams; and friend Gwyneth Paltrow.

• Jay-Z Biography

The newlywed continued to work as hard as ever, promoting her latest effort, I am ... Sasha Fierce (2008). Beyoncé scored two big hits off the album—"Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" and "If I Were a Boy." She also returned to the big screen that year, starring as R&B legend Etta James in Cadillac Records. The following January, Beyoncé sang James' trademark song, "At Last," for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at his inaugural ball.

In addition to acting and performing, Beyoncé runs a clothing line called House of Dereon with her mother. She also launched her own fragrance, Heat, in 2010. Throughout her career, Beyoncé has served as a spokesperson and model for several other brands, including L'Oreal and Tommy Hilfiger.

Beyoncé found herself under fire for after performing a private concert for Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi on New Year's Eve in 2010. She later donated her fee from the event to help victims of the Haitian earthquake. According to some reports, Beyoncé said that her father had been responsible for arranging the Libyan concert. She decided to drop her father as her manager in March 2011. Later that year, Beyoncé reached the top of the album charts with her latest solo release, 4.

In January 2013, Beyoncé generated some negative headlines for her performance at President Barack Obama's second inauguration in Washington, D.C. She was criticized for reportedly pre-recording a version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" and lip-synching to her own track during the outdoor ceremony. Despite wide media coverage, in the days following the incident, Beyoncé did not publicly address the controversy.

Not long after, prior to her appearance at Super Bowl XLVII, Beyoncé performed the song live at a press conference. She explained to reporters that she had used a "backing track" at the inauguration, adding that she would "absolutely be singing live" at the NFL's biggest event of the year, according to The Huffington Post.

Indeed, Beyoncé more than redeemed herself in the public eye at the Super Bowl on February 3, 2013. During the event's halftime show, she took the stage and wowed the crowd, joined by her former Destiny's Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams for parts of her performance. Beyoncé also announced that her next major tour would start in the spring of 2013.

Awards and Accolades

At the 2010 Grammy Awards, Beyoncé walked away with six honors—the most wins in a single night by a female artist. Her record was matched two years later by pop/soul artist Adele. In 2010, she also tied the record for most No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Pop Songs chart, which is based on radio airplay. In 2011, she made the Forbes Top 10 list of entertainment's highest-earning women. By 2013, Beyoncé had won 16 Grammys.

Beyoncé broke records once again on December 13, 2013, with her fifth studio album, self-titled Beyoncé. The album surprised fans and critics alike, as no promotion for the album had been announced prior to its release. The record, which Beyoncé called a "visual album," was released exclusively on iTunes, with physical discs available for purchase after December 18. The record-breaking album sold more than 800,000 copies throughout the weekend it was released alone. The collection—which was the fastest-selling album ever distributed by iTunes—also marks Beyoncé's fifth studio album to debut at No. 1, making her the first woman to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with her first five albums.

Personal Life

Married to Jay-Z since 2008, Beyoncé was the subject of many pregnancy rumors over the years. In 2011, however, the notoriously private couple went public with the news of their impending new arrival. Beyoncé showed off her growing baby bump at the MTV Video Music Awards that August.

• Jay-Z Biography

Beyoncé and Jay-Z welcomed a baby daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, on January 7, 2012. The couple spared no expense to maintain their privacy during this special time, renting out a floor of New York's Lenox Hill Hospital.

Biography of Jay-Z

Quick Facts

Name

Jay-Z

Occupation 

Rapper, Music Producer

Birth Date 

December 4, 1969

Place of Birth 

New York

Full Name

Shawn Corey Carter

Rapper and hip-hop entrepreneur Jay-Z is known for leading Def Jam Records, creating a clothing line and marrying singer Beyoncé Knowles.

Synopsis

Born Shawn Corey Carter in New York City on December 4, 1969, Jay-Z grew up in Brooklyn's drug-infested Marcy Projects. He used rap as an escape, and appeared on Yo! MTV Raps in 1989. After selling millions of records with his own Roc-A-Fella label, Jay-Z created his own clothing line. He wed popular singer and actress Beyoncé Knowles in 2008.

Early Life

Rapper Jay-Z was born Shawn Corey Carter on December 4, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York. "He was the last of my four children," Jay-Z's mother later recalled, "the only one who didn't give me any pain when I gave birth to him, and that's how I knew he was a special child." Jay-Z's father, Adnes Reeves, left the family when Jay-Z was only 11 years old. The young rapper was raised by his mother, Gloria Carter, in Brooklyn's drug-infested Marcy Projects.

During a rough adolescence, detailed in many of his autobiographical songs, Shawn Carter dealt drugs and flirted with gun violence. He attended Eli Whitney High School in Brooklyn, where he was a classmate of the soon-to-be-martyred rap legend Notorious B.I.G. As Jay-Z later remembered his childhood in one of his songs ("December 4th"), "I went to school, got good grades, could behave when I wanted/ But I had demons deep inside that would raise when confronted."

Rise to Hop-Hop Fame

Carter turned to rap at a very young age as an escape from the drugs, violence and poverty that surrounded him in the Marcy Projects. In 1989, he joined the rapper Jaz-O—an older performer who served as a kind of mentor—to record a song called "The Originators," which won the pair an appearance on an episode of Yo! MTV Raps. It was at this point that Shawn Carter embraced the nickname Jay-Z, which was simultaneously an homage to Jaz-O, a play on Carter's childhood nickname of "Jazzy," and a reference to the J/Z subway station near his Brooklyn home.

But even though he had a stage name, Jay-Z remained relatively anonymous until he and two friends, Damon Dash and Kareem Burke, founded their own record label, Roc-A-Fella Records, in 1996. In June of that year, Jay-Z released his debut album, Reasonable Doubt. Although the record only reached No. 23 on the Billboard charts, it is now considered a classic hip-hop album, featuring songs such as "Can't Knock the Hustle," featuring Mary J. Blige, and "Brooklyn's Finest," a collaboration with Notorious B.I.G. Reasonable Doubt established Jay-Z as an emerging star in hip-hop.

Two years later, Jay-Z achieved even broader success with the 1998 album Vol. 2 ... Hard Knock Life. The title track, which famously sampled its chorus from the Broadway musical Annie, became Jay-Z's most popular single to date and won him his first Grammy nomination. "Hard Knock Life" marked the beginning of a fruitful period in which Jay-Z would become the biggest name in hip-hop.

Over the span of those years, the rapper released a slew of No. 1 albums and hit singles. His most popular songs from this period include "Can I Get A ...", "Big Pimpin'", "I Just Wanna Love U", "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" and "03 Bonnie & Clyde", a duet with future bride Beyoncé Knowles. Jay-Z's most acclaimed album of this period was The Blueprint (2001), which would later land on many music critics' lists of the best albums of the decade.

Expanding Empire

In 2003, Jay-Z shocked the hip-hop world by releasing The Black Album and announcing that it would be his last solo record before retirement. Asked to explain his sudden exit from rap, Jay-Z said that he once derived inspiration from trying to outshine other great MCs, but had simply gotten bored due to a lack of competition. 

 

"The game ain't hot," he said. "I love when someone makes a hot album and then you've got to make a hot album. I love that. But it ain't hot."

During his hiatus from rapping, Jay-Z turned his attention to the business side of music, becoming president of Def Jam Recordings. As president of Def Jam, Jay-Z signed such popular acts as Rihanna, Ne-Yo and Young Jeezy and helped effect Kanye West's transition from producer to bestselling recording artist. But his reign at the venerable hip-hop label wasn't all smooth sailing.

 

Jay-Z resigned as Def Jam's president in 2007, complaining about the company's resistance to change from ineffectual business models. "You have record executives who've been sitting in their office for 20 years because of one act," he lamented.
 

Jay-Z's other, ongoing business ventures include the popular urban clothing line Rocawear and Roc-A-Fella films. He also owns the 40/40 Club, an upscale sports bar with locations in New York and Atlantic City, and is a part owner of the New Jersey Nets basketball franchise. As Jay-Z once rapped about his business empire, "I'm not a businessman/ I'm a business, man."

Comeback

In 2006, Jay-Z ended his retirement from making music, releasing the new album Kingdom Come. He soon released two more albums: American Gangster in 2007 and Blueprint 3 in 2010. This trio of later albums marked a significant departure from Jay-Z's earlier sound, incorporating stronger rock and soul influences in their production and offering lyrics tackling such mature subjects as the response to Hurricane Katrina; Barack Obama's 2008 election; and the perils of fame and fortune. 

Jay-Z says he's trying to adapt his music to befit his own middle age. "There's not a lot of people who have come of age in rap because it's only 30 years old," he says. "As more people come of age, hopefully the topics get broader and then the audience will stay around longer."

In 2008, Jay-Z signed a $150 million contract with the concert promotion company Live Nation. This super deal created a joint venture called Roc Nation, an entertainment company that handles nearly all aspects of its artists' careers. In addition to Jay-Z himself, Roc Nation manages Willow Smith and J. Cole among others.

More recently, Jay-Z proved that he had both commercial and critical staying power. He teamed up with another famous member of rap royalty, Kanye West, for 2011's Watch the Throne. The album proved to be a triple hit, topping the rap, R&B and pop charts that August. The song "Otis," which samples the late R&B singer Otis Redding, snagged several Grammy Award nominations and the recording was also nominated for Best Rap Album.

Two years after the release of a collaboration album with West, both rappers dropped solo albums within weeks of the other's release date. West's album, Yeezus (2013), was critically lauded for its innovation, while his mentor Jay-Z's album gained less than stellar reviews. The rappers 12th studio album, Magna Carta Holy Grail (2013), was seen as decent but failed to live up to the hip-hop stars larger-than-life reputation and his unhumbly titled album.

Personal Life

Very protective of his private life, Jay-Z did not publicly discuss his relationship with longtime girlfriend, popular singer and actress Beyoncé Knowles, for years. The couple even managed to keep the press away from their small wedding, which was held on April 4, 2008, in New York City. Only about 40 people attended the celebration at Jay-Z's penthouse apartment, including actress Gwyneth Paltrow and former Destiny's Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.

Since tying the knot, Jay-Z and Beyoncé became the subject of countless pregnancy rumors. They welcomed their first child, a daughter named Blue Ivy Carter, on January 7, 2012. Concerned about their privacy and safety, Jay-Z and Beyoncé rented part of New York's Lenox Hill Hospital and hired extra guards.

• Beyonce Biography

Shortly after the birth of his daughter, Jay-Z released a song in her honor on his website. On "Glory," he expressed his joy of becoming a father and revealed that Beyoncé had previously suffered a miscarriage. Jay-Z and Beyoncé also posted a message along with the song, saying "we are in heaven" and Blue's birth "was the best experience of both of our lives."

Biography of Linda Ronstadt

Quick Facts

Name

Linda Ronstadt

Occupation 

Singer

Birth Date 

July 15, 1946

Place of Birth 

Tuscon, Arizona

 

Linda Ronstadt is a 11-time Grammy Award winner and superstar of both pop and country music. Her 1974 album, Heart Like a Wheel, sold more than 1 million copies.

Synopsis

Born in Arizona in 1946, Linda Ronstadt found success with her 1974 album, Heart Like a Wheel, which included such hits as "You're No Good" and "When Will I Be Loved." The album went platinum—selling more than 1 million copies—as did her next few projects, establishing her as a music superstar during the 1970s. She continued to experiment with different styles, such as in Adieu False Heart (2006), a Cajun-inspired work.In 2013, Ronstadt revealed that she could no longer sing because she had Parkinson's disease. She also published her memoir Simple Dreams that same year.

Early Life and Career

Singer Linda Ronstadt was born on July 15, 1946, in Tucson, Arizona, and grew up surrounded by music. One of Ronstadt's early musical influences was the Mexican songs her father taught her and her siblings. Her mother played the ukulele and her father played the guitar. Following in her father's footsteps, she learned to play guitar. She also performed with her brother and sister as a trio.

After graduating from Catalina High School, Ronstadt enrolled at the University of Arizona in Tucson where she met Bob Kimmel. The pair left college to move in Los Angeles where they formed the Stone Poneys with Kenny Edwards. This folk trio released their first album in 1967. The group enjoyed a modest success with their second album Evergreen Vol. 2, which was also released in 1967. Their only hit was "Different Drum," which was written by Michael Nesmith of the Monkees.

Hit Singer of the 1970s

By the end of the 1960s, Ronstadt had become a solo act. She put out several albums before finally landing on the charts with Heart Like a Wheel (1974). The album had several hits, including "You're No Good" and "When Will I Be Loved." The recording went platinum—meaning it sold more than one million copies. Ronstadt quickly became one of the music superstar of the 1970s.

In 1975, Ronstadt continued to enjoy success on the album charts with Prisoner in Disguise. The recording featured the Neil Young cover "Love Is a Rose" and her take on the Smokey Robinson classic "The Tracks of My Tears." With 1976's Hasten Down the Wind, Ronstadt took on the Buddy Holly classic "That'll Be the Day" and "Crazy" by Willie Nelson. Simple Dreams (1977) featured the Roy Orbison-penned "Blue Bayou," which became a major hit, along with her popular covers of Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy," Warren Zevon's "Poor Poor Pitiful Me," and The Rolling Stones' "Tumbing Dice."

Later Career

In the 1980s, Ronstadt tried her hand at pop standards. She worked with famed arranger Nelson Riddle, with whom she put out three albums: Lush Life (1982), What's New (1983) and For Sentimental Reasons (1986). She also explored her Hispanic heritage by recording a Spanish-language album, Canciones de Mi Padre (1987), which was filled with traditional Mexican songs like the ones her father loved. Two other Spanish-language albums followed: Mas Canciones (1990) and Frenesi (1992). In 1989, Ronstadt won a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding individual performance in a variety or music program, for her work on the television series Great Performances (1970), which has been airing on PBS since the early 1970s.

Ronstadt continued to experiment with different musical styles. In collaboration with Ann Savoy, she took on Cajun music in her latest album Adieu False Heart (2006). Since then, Ronstadt has focused more on her personal life, choosing to spend more time with her family. She adopted two children, Clementine and Carlos, when she was in her early forties. For many years, she lived in her hometown of Tucson with her kids. She now lives in San Francisco. Despite relationships with former California governor Jerry Brown and filmmaker George Lucas, Ronstadt never married. She told The New York Times that "I'm very bad at compromise, and there's a lot of compromise in marriage."

In August 2013, Ronstadt revealed the reason she had been absent from the music scene in recent years. She has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, which she says has prevented her from singing. "I couldn’t sing and I couldn’t figure out why," Ronstadt explained to aarp.org. "I think I’ve had it for seven or eight years already, because of the symptoms that I’ve had. Then I had a shoulder operation, so I thought that’s why my hands were trembling."

That fall, Ronstadt delved into other aspects of her life in her autobiography, Simple Dreams. The book follows her journey to becoming a music legend, but it does not touch on her illness. Despite the physical challenges she faces with Parkinson's, Ronstadt went out on a book tour to promote her memoir. The book provides readers with an inside look at her youth in Arizona, her early days in the L.A. music scene and her life as a pop star in the 1970s and 1980s.