The following list of the 5 most influential hair designers in history is by no means inclusive of all the hair designers that have become famous and forever affected the popular styles of men’s and women’s hair. This is completely subjective- just one person’s list of the 5 people who seem to have positively changed this industry the most.

1. Kenneth Battelle

This was the first hairdresser who was commonly known simply by his first name. Kenneth became a legend in the 1960s thanks to his work on Marilyn Monroe’s hair, making it look soft and lovely despite countless bleaches and perms. Ironically, he was the one who did her hair when she sang “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to John F Kennedy, and he was also the one responsible for Jackie Kennedy’s famous bouffant hairstyle. Other famous clients that Kenneth worked with included Lauren Bacall and Audrey Hepburn.

2. Olive Benson

This master hair designer was responsible for many of the most popular African American hairstyles that are still common today. Her salon was the first to offer advanced curly hair techniques and treatments for African American hair, and she was the first African American to receive a number of hairdressing awards.

3. Jeanne Braa

As artistic director of John Paul Mitchell Systems, Jeanne Braa was a huge influence on female hairstylists and on the industry in general. After a great career that included being the first recipient of the North American Hairstylist of the Year Trustees Award in 1993, she quit the business and began traveling the world doing humanitarian work with her husband.

4. Christiaan

The man known simply as Christiaan has been a leading name in hairstyling for more than 40 years. This internationally known editorial hair stylist has worked with some of the most famous celebrities, including Deborah Harry of Blondie, model and actress Grace Jones and, more recently, David and Victoria Beckham. He is known for edginess, independence and creativity.

5. Paul Mitchell

Although he is now deceased, Paul Mitchell is still a huge influence on hair stylists all over the world. As co-founder of the world-renowned Paul Mitchell brand, products are available in stores everywhere across the globe, and he has been a household name since the 1970s and 1980s when his cuts appeared on the covers of magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. Many attribute Paul Mitchell with freeing women from the constraints of bouffant hairstyles.

A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics for songs, their musical composition or melody to songs, or both. That is to say, a songwriter is often a lyricist or a composer, or both. The word ‘songwriter’ is however, more commonly used these days to describe one who writes popular songs than to describe a writer of art songs.

Songwriters may themselves perform the songs they write, or may write for someone else to perform. People who sing songs written by themselves are nowadays, typically called singer-songwriters. Most art songwriting is written for someone other than the composer to perform, although it is known that Schubert often sang his own songs at private parties, and there have been a number of composers who were also singers and wrote for themselves. Many modern rock and roll bands have one or two songwriters who are usually members of the band. In many cases, the lead singer of the band is one of the songwriters.

Many songwriters also serve as their own music publishers, while others may have external publishers. Legally, songs may only be copied or performed publicly by taking permission from the authors. The legal power to grant these permissions may be bought, sold or even transferred and is governed by copyright laws. Songwriting and publishing royalties can be a healthy source of income, particularly if a song becomes a hit record.

However, nowadays collaborating is one of the most rewarding and productive activities a songwriter can engage in. It’s also one of the most challenging as well. Co-writing can stretch you in more ways than you can even imagine up front. A look at the Billboard Singles charts and you’ll notice that the vast majority of hit songs were written by two or more writers. That’s because many songwriters have discovered that the collaborative whole is far greater than the sum of the solo-writing parts. Thus, with strong suits they can capitalize on, as well as supplement their weaknesses with the strengths of others.

Many artists have come to realize that writing alone year after year is limiting. The jack-of-all-trades approach may produce flashes of brilliance once in a while, but solo writers often find themselves stuck in a rut. If one feels the urge to merge with other talent, one first needs to take a hard look at oneself as a songwriter from an objective standpoint.

Courage is not the lack of fear. It is acting in spite of it.

–Mark Twain

In The Wizard of Oz, the Cowardly Lion sang of courage:

Dorothy:

Your Majesty, If you were King, you wouldn’t be afraid of anything?

Lion:

Not nobody, not nohow!

Tin Man:

Not even a rhinocerous?

Lion:

Imposserous!

Dorothy:

How about a hippopotamus?

Lion:

Why, I’d trash him from top to bottomamus!

Dorothy:

Supposin’ you met an elephant?

Lion:

I’d wrap him up in cellophant!

Scarecrow:

What if it were a brontosaurus?

Lion:

I’d show him who was King of the Forest!

All Four:

How?

Lion:

How?

Courage! What makes a King out of a slave?

Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave?

Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk, in the misty mist or the dusky dusk?

What makes the muskrat guard his musk?

Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder?

Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder?

Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the “ape” in apricot?

What have they got that I ain’t got?

All Four:

Courage!

Lion:

Then you can say that again!

Courage can mean so many things to so many people. Many people hear the word courage and it conjurs up visions of firefighters, soldiers, policemen…yet, courage is that and so much more.

How many times in our everyday lives, do we show courage without ever realizing it? How many everyday people must have such courage just to get out of bed in the morning? Some people need courage to do things that others do without even thinking. This is just as courageous as a firefighter going into a burning building.

The definitions of courage are endless, from someone battling cancer, to someone fleeing an abusive relationship, to having to ask for a raise to even just seeing your true self. It is all courage.

Courage carries us through our everyday lives, why many times it takes courage just to drive to work in traffic each day. You don’t think about it, but it is courage.

Many people upon first thinking on the word courage will think of the big things, the heroic things, the things that make the six o’clock news. But what about the courage we show as humans in our everyday lives? The things we do because we must, for ourselves and for our families? The simple things. The acts of courage given in love, and compassion? The acts of courage given in kindness and service to another? The sharing of our hearts, our souls in relationships, is courage at it’s deepest.

Taking inventory of your life, and making changes, takes courage. Coming to any crossroads in your life and deciding which to continue on, putting faith in yourself and a higher power, trusting, stepping into the unknown, is so courageous.

Trusting yourself, trusting another, being vulnerable, reaching out for help, asking a question, reaching out to help another, taking the road less traveled. These are all acts of courage, that people take every day.

How many times have you thought that you couldn’t go on? That you hadn’t the strength? That you had reached the end of your rope? Only to look back and see that you had gone on, that you had found the strength? That you were able to pull yourself back up that rope? Human courage is an amazing gift that we all have, it is a bottomless well. It is what enables us to continue onward, when we truly believe that we cannot.

And you don’t need a big amount of courage, you need only a tiny glimmer, just enough that somewhere in your heart and soul you know its there, whether consciously or subconsciously. That tiny pin prick of courage is enough to sustain you whether you realize it is there or not.

We are all amazing, courageous souls. Just look back in your life to those times that were so trying you thought they may never end, and see the courage that came from inside you and sustained you, and allowed you to help others through. It is always there, you always have courage, even if you don’t feel brave. I am in awe of the courage I have seen in others, it inspires me and never ceases to amaze me.

Like the cowardly lion, we will all discover that we have been courageous all along, that we are brave though we feel afraid, that we can trust ourselves, though we think we can’t and that our courage will sustain us and give us strength throughout the entire travels of our lives.

Now I would like to share some inspiring quotes with you regarding courage.

Personal mastery teaches us to choose. Choosing is a courageous act: picking the results and actions which you will make into your destiny.

–Peter Senge

Courage is rarely reckless or foolish . . . courage usually involves a highly realistic estimate of the odds that must be faced.

–Margaret Truman

Definition of courage: ‘Grace under pressure.’

–Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else

–Erma Bombeck

I am old enough to know that victory is often a thing deferred, and rarely at the summit of courage. What is at the summit of courage, I think, is freedom. The freedom that comes with the knowledge that no earthly thing can break you

–Paula Giddings

The only courage that matters is the kind that gets you from one moment to the next.

–Mingnon McLaughlin

What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?

–Vincent Van Gogh

Within each of us is a hidden store of energy. Energy we can release to compete in the marathon of life Within each of us is a hidden store of courage. Courage to give us the strength to face any challenge Within each of us is a hidden store of determination. Determination to keep us in the race when all seems lost

–Roger Dawson The 13 Secrets of Power Performance by Roger Dawson

Courage is like love, it must have hope for nourishment.

–Napoleon Bonaparte

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.

–Albert Einstein

Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow that talent to dark place where it leads.

–Erica Jong

Courage consists of the power of self-recovery.

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That’s what little girls are made of; the hell with sugar and spice.

–Unknown

Courage is sometimes frail as hope is frail: a fragile shoot between two stones that grows brave toward the sun though warmth and brightness fail, striving and faith the only strength it knows

–Frances Rodman

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

–Lao Tso

The bravest thing you can do when you are not brave is to profess courage – and act accordingly

–Corra May White Harris

Pain nourishes courage. You can’t be brave if you’ve only had wonderful things happen to you.

–Mary Tyler Moore

Many of our fears are tissuepaper-thin, and a single courageous step would carry us through them.

–Brendan Francis

Strength and courage aren’t always measured in medals and victories. They are measured in the struggles they overcome. The strongest people aren’t always the people who win, but the people who don’t give up when they lose.

–Ashley Hodgeson

Courage is not the towering oak That sees storms come and go, It is the fragile blossom That opens in the snow

–Alice MacKenzie Swaim

To have courage for whatever comes in life-everything lies in that

–Mother Teresa

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

–Eleanor Roosevelt

Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.

–Sir Winston Churchill

Courage is to feel the daily daggers of relentless steel and keep on living.

–Douglas Malloch

Walk the Line – 2 Stars (Average)

“Walk the Line” is the story of Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix) and June Carter Cash (Reese Witherspoon). Born poor in Arkansas, Cash rises to fame in the country music world and destroys a lot of relationships along the way with drinking, drugs and pandering. Eventually, June Carter wins his heart.

Cash became who he was because the songs he wrote and sang were from his heart about his own life; they were not phony, and music lovers related to them in their own world.

Walk the Line was a struggle to produce as it took 4 years to secure the rights to the film and another 4 years to get the film made. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon did their own singing, both of them had 6 months of vocal training and also learned to play their instruments (guitar and auto-harp) from scratch.

Both Phoenix and Witherspoon showcase their talents in this film that had a great story line but not a great presentation. Based in part on Cash’s own book Man in Black and Cash: The Autobiography, the adaptation also is credited to Gill Dennis and James Mangold, who also directed the film. It is seldom a good idea for a director to also be a writer in the same film, and Mangold showed why.

Rather than be a good finder, it seemed that Mangold was determined to send his portrayal of Johnny Cash buck naked into the woods and drag Cash through the muck and mire far too long. It was unnecessary and added nothing to the film in my judgment. Mangold simply did not tell a good story well, he told a story.

Whatever sins Cash committed on his way to becoming a legend and country music icon could have been handled without trying to raise it to an art form. Let the writers and director who are without any sins cast the first stone. It seemed as if they wanted to drag Cash down in order to build themselves up.

Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon saved this film. Witherspoon won both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Actress. Phoenix was nominated for an Oscar and won the Golden Globe for Best Actor. Walk the Line won the Golden Globe for Best Picture, but not on my ballot. Walk the Line won additional Oscar nominations for Best Costume Design, Editing and Sound Mixing. Besides Witherspoon’s Oscar, the film had another 27 wins as well as 26 more nominations.

Walk the Line, released in 2005, has a special place in history as Johnny Cash recorded with Sun Records in Memphis, along with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins among others.

It was reported that Johnny Cash chose Joaquin Phoenix to play him in the film on the basis or his performance in “Gladiator”, and that June Carter Cash chose Reese Witherspoon for her role in the film. June Carter Cash died in May 2003 before production began on the film, and Johnny Cash died 4 months later in September 2003.

Cash was blessed with a deep, distinctive voice and known as “The Man in Black”. He wrote more than 1,000 songs and sold more than 90 million albums in a career that lasted nearly 5 decades. A diverse group of artists have paid tribune to Cash, among them Bob Dylan, Chris Isaak, Wyclef Jean, Norah Jones, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and U2.

Johnny Cash has a number of signature songs that will not be going away anytime soon, including “I Walk the Line”, “Folsom Prison Blues”, “Ring of Fire”, “Man in Black” and “A Boy Named Sue”.

Walk the Line is worth seeing just for Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. I would not watch it again, and was not a better person for having seen it, thus it gets my average rating which would have been higher with better writing and better direction.

Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley

We take a closer look at how rising crime rates have affected home-owners in America and the world-over and find out for you, dear readers, the best home security alarm books you can arm yourself with – so you and your precious family are protected against all odds!

Stick with us – and increase your knowledge of best home security alarm books and learn about their efficacy as guide books for savvy homeowners so you are always one step ahead of the felons abounding in this wicked world! For, whoever sang, It’s a wonderful world, never lived in these times, for sure – and here prevention is sure better than cure, especially when emergency situations can happen to irreplaceable things, like life or limb.

Going through the wide variety of home security ownership manuals, guides and books that are easily available for your perusal online as well as in bookstores, we can safely (no pun on that, at least not intended) say that there is no dearth of quality writing on this hot topic. Vivan Capel, the famous author of Home Security, Second Edition: Alarms, sensors and systems, offers the modern homeowner a practical guide to protecting property and outlines effective ways to safeguard the home, too. Tutorials include details on burglar-proofing your home, stopping thieves, selecting and installing your chosen home security system and the variety of products available today in this specialized field. Readers get an extensive knowledge of various home security gadgets in the market and product descriptions of circuits for 2 best home security device designs, so it’s definitely worth a look!

Other than the above, readers can also consult the Savvy Guide to Home Security by John Paul Mueller, who has authored more than 60 books, where homeowners are guided through various essential home security steps. These include how-to information on developing, purchasing or installing home security units besides learning to evaluate, plan and buy best devices for the home and tips on maintaining these security alarms. John thoughtfully covers the entire gamut of home security alarm systems that are also suitable for use in home office set-ups and has mentioned several practical tips gleaned from security experts, including matter on assessing security system reliability, brand choices, tips on choosing the right equipment and a glossary of relevant terms those new to the whole home security topic may find very useful.

Carl Hammer comes down hard on felons and potential criminals by giving readers today a taste of his updated knowledge of technology available to homeowners, office and automobile owners so they can choose reliable alarm and locks for their personal goods such as these. He bases his need for the book on the fact that every US citizen has at some point in time, suffered an instance of personal theft, for this was reported by the Department of Justice data he’d studied prior to compiling his work. He warns homeowners against falling for smooth-talking salesmen who cleverly compel trusting home owners to buy costly security alarms that are actually low-quality and only good to look at; one can never tell if the salesperson is actually setting them up for a break-in to occur. The author goes on to detail proven techniques for deterring burglars and outlines different low-tech, affordable and easy to maintain home security measures for protecting personal property – from home safes to storing guns properly and auto alarm system usage, there’s lots of information in this homeowner’s security beef-up guide.

Pick one up today – protect your home and family!

“Just be yourself!”

These were the rather stern words of this intimidatingly beautiful woman I was dating several years ago. And her ire was very much aimed squarely – at – me!

Ouch!

So in this article about being yourself I’m going to explore just what being yourself actually means, and why anyone would spend any time NOT being themselves.

And to help me, I’ve enlisted the services of 3 inspirational quotes.

So anyway, back to the date that wasn’t going well…

This woman’s words puzzled me. I could tell she was irritated by me not being myself – call it male intuition, or the fact that she was growling whilst she spoke – but I also knew that I’ve spent my whole life doing just that: BEING MYSELF.

So that’s why I was puzzled, and even a little bit frustrated. Because I knew I specialised in being myself. For example:

* I wore the clothes that I wanted to wear

* I had my own thoughts, and not someone else’s

* I did not conform, did not surrender myself to the often dreary ‘rules’ of life.

And I was more or less happy doing so, surrounded by friends happy with – me – being – me.

“The challenge is to be yourself in a world that is trying to make you like everyone else”

Anonymous said that. And I said “Tick” – challenge well and truly accepted.

So in what way was I not being myself?

Well, this is the part about being myself that I least understood at the time. But it’s EXACTLY what my beautiful companion was referring to when she complained, “Just be yourself!”

Simply put, what she was noticing was me saying one thing and FEELING another.

So I might have been feeling angry, that moment, but I pretended to be calm. I might have been feeling sad, but I’d put on my ‘happy’ face. I might even have been feeling intimidated in this woman’s company, but was too frightened to show it (even to myself).

Yes, quite often this state of ‘not being yourself’ is one you don’t even realise you’re in – these out-of-sync feelings could be so normal to you that just don’t notice them.

And for those times you DO realise you’re pretending with your feelings, well you’re usually doing that because… because of what the other person might think.

Ah, yes, now we’re onto familiar self-help territory. Now we’re seeing what stops us from being ourselves – either on the surface, with the fashion we follow, or deep down: we’re frightened of not being accepted by others.

And I’m sure I’m not the only one who suffers from this. Chances are, you, too, may compromise being yourself, because of what others might think; because others might ridicule your efforts at ‘individuality’.

Well fear not, because you and I get our very own inspirational quote that might just help us here:

“Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.”

— Henry Van Dyke

The stark truth is, ALL we can do is BE OURSELVES to the best of our ability. If we choose to sing, to dance, or to speak in public – however it is that we decide to express who we are, it just has to be to our best.

All we can do is EXPRESS ourselves as truthfully and self-knowingly as we can.

THEN… then we will be being ourselves, whatever the consequences, we will be being ourselves

But make no mistakes this journey of being yourself is not a trivial one. There will be hardships along the way; their will be distractions. And we may well take one step forward and two steps back. However, it is VITAL to be yourself, vital.

So I’d like to end this article with these words from author e e cummins, that pretty much sum what I’ve been trying to say here:

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”

Thank you, and I wish you well in your ‘being yourself’ journey. And should you ever chance across my date – I haven’t seen her for years, obviously – will you tell her ‘Thanks’, too.

Launched into stardom by winning runner up during the fifth season of American Idol in 2006, 23 year old Katharine Hope McPhee is a popular American singer whose powerful singing voice coupled with charming girl next door looks has capture the admiration not just of America but of the world as well.

From a very young age in Los Angeles, California where she was born and raised, McPhee has always dreamed of becoming a professional singer. With the vocal coaching of her mother, Patricia Burch McPhee, she first showed her vocal prowess at a tender age of 2.

McPhee enrolled at the prestigious Boston Conservatory of Music after high school and a decision to focus on singing. Even if she only attended one semester, she has greatly improved her singing skills.

It is no wonder why McPhee has great inclination towards music and entertainment and shining her way with them. Her mother is an accomplished singer, her father a television producer and her older sister is also an aspiring producer.

But it was her boyfriend, Nick Cokas, who made a pivotal turn in her life and career. Nick Cokas persuaded her to audition for American Idol in San Francisco where she sang “God Bless the Child” which was originally performed by Billie Holiday. Impressing Paula Abdul who commented that McPhee was “absolutely beautiful”, Randy Jackson who hailed her as the best of that season and the usually hard to please Simon Cowell who exclaimed about the performance as “absolutely fantastic”, McPhee has paved her own road towards superstardom.

After American Idol, McPhee signed up with Simon Fuller’s company and Sony BMG’s RCA Record on June 6, 2006 and a few days later on June 27, she had her debut single “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny”. As could be expected, both songs peaked on Billboard Hot 100.

McPhee e has also toured with world class Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli from June 9 through June 11, 2006 during the tenor’s United States tour.

McPhee has publicly confessed that she has previously suffered from bulimia. She missed the start of the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2006 because she was then also suffering from bronchitis and laryngitis. She caught up in Washington DC on July 28 when the ten finalists visited the White House and met President George W. Bush.

McPhee’s career continued to soar in 2007 when her self-titled debut album debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and sold over 116,000 copies during its first week. The first single “Over It” was on the Top 30 hit.

She has been lined up for a feature film debut “The Last Caller”. This dark romantic comedy is an indie film where her character is a narcissistic woman in search of love and the meaning of life. She is also reported to star with Anna Faris under the direction of Fred Wolf for Columbia Pictures and Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions. Her character will be a pregnant hippie.

“Holding Hands” is a very inspirational song sang by Steve Green. Every lyrics of this song is very realistic and inspiring. The song reminds us that although, married life is not easy, but with genuine love and faith in God, every couple can be able to surpass life’s challenges.

The first stanza of the song talks about how two people fell in love with each other and vowed to never part. Their love is intense. They promised each other to be together forever. Until reality sinks in that marriage is coupled with a lot of responsibilities. They need to face their bills, rear the children and provide for all of the family’s needs. This is reality in every love story. It is not at all times over flowing with milk and honey. But with God holding them together, everything falls into place. It is not easy, but with God’s grace everything is bearable.

The song reminds every couple how important it is not to let go of each others hands especially during the times of crisis and difficulty. It shows us that true love is indeed very powerful. It gives every couple the strength and courage to go on with life despite life’s challenges and difficulty. The most important thing is that the couple should face the world’s challenges together and holding hands.

The song also reminds us of the sanctity of marriage. It elaborates how important your marriage vows are. Remember that you promised each other to love each other for better or for worst for richer or for poorer until death do you part. This marriage vow is sacred. And every couple who promised God that they will forever love each other no matter what happens should keep their promise. And this is what this song emphasizes. The promise you made during the wedding was not only between you as a couple but also between God. Therefore you must keep it. And with God’s grace, you as a couple will be able to endure life’s challenges if you keep your love for God and for each other burning with passion. Keep God at the center of your relationship and it’s a guarantee that you will not only hold each other’s hands but God will also hold your hands.

Multi-talented actress, songwriter and singer of gospel, R&B and dance music Ann Nesby’s vocal repertoire epitomises the richness, essence, power and intensity we have come to associate with an illustrious line of great twentieth century gospel music divas, including towering icons like Dorothy Norwood, Shirley Caesar, Aretha Franklin and Bessie Griffin among others. In Nesby’s case however, her influence has gone well beyond the confines of traditional gospel music, attracting secular audiences far and wide.

Like Andrae Crouch whose music similarly drew large secular audiences, Nesby’s music combines pop and R&B with traditional gospel forms. This, and her appearances in musical theatre productions and in film have heightened her popularity not only among gospel audiences but also within secular culture.

Ann Nesby was born in Joliet, Illinois in 1958 to devout Christian parents both of whom sang gospel music. Her father, a church minister, had his own gospel quartet band and her mother, strongly influenced by the strong vocal range of Mahalia Jackson, gave her daughter regular voice lessons even before her third birthday. Little Ann made her first musical impression at the age of four at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church, making a debut solo performance, to rapturous applause from an elated audience.

In her early teens, Ann developed a leaning towards secular music but was soon dissuaded by her father. Her musical career lay largely dormant for the remainder of her teenage years and during this time she and her family moved to Rockford Illinois following her high school graduation. At sixteen she bore a child out of wedlock and three years later entered into a marriage which was later to prove unsuccessful.

Following the break-up of her marriage, Nesby sought to expand her music and received vocal lessons from the legendary gospel icon Reverend James Cleveland and in 1984 sang backup for Patti LaBelle who later recorded some of Nesby’s earlier works. In 1988 the aspiring Ann Nesby visited her sister Shirley Marie Graham, then a member of the popular Sounds of Blackness choir ensemble in Minneapolis. She was asked to stand-in at their Christmas musical by the choir’s musical director, Gary Hines and from then on, never looked back. Her musical career accelerated, gaining her critical acclaim as the choir’s lead vocalist, attracting secular audiences on a musical platform based on classical gospel brilliantly interwoven with R&B by producers Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam. Ann led Sounds of Blackness to two Grammy Awards in 1991 and 1993 with the albums Evolution of Gospel and A Soulful Celebration.

In 1996 Ann turned her energies towards a solo career and released her first solo album, I’m Here for You, produced by Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam. Although this album featured for sixty weeks in the R & B best-selling lists and was subsequently followed by a single, Nesby’s initial solo career did not quite make the impact she had originally hoped and she soon turned her creative energies to other fields. In 1997 she featured in the stage productions Diary of a Mad Black Woman, I Know I’ve Been Changed and T.D Jake’s gospel production Cover Girls.

Following successful stage appearances, Nesby resumed her singing career, and in 2002 released the album Put It on Paper which she co-produced with second husband Timothy Lee on the Time Child record label. Her strong leaning towards R&B was clearly evidenced in the album in which she featured in a duet with the legendary Al Green, gaining her a much deserved Grammy nomination in 2003 in the R&B category. Also in 2003, Nesby and her husband followed up with a popular R&B album hit, Make Me Better, a powerful and alluring combination of traditional soul, hip-hop and gospel, which won critical praise in the tabloids; much appreciated and lauded by an increasing fan base of gospel and secular audiences. The album gained Nesby a Grammy nomination in 2004. The following year, she was again nominated for another Grammy award for her contribution in The Fighting Temptations soundtrack which featured the legendary gospel diva Shirley Caesar.

In 2006 Ann and her husband released the album Ann Nesby Live and the following year, her unofficial comeback album This Is Love, which she wrote herself, was released, again to much popular acclaim both from her adoring fans and the tabloids.

Ann Nesby is a truly phenomenal and accomplished vocal powerhouse, who has stood the test of time, with the rare musical gift to capture and captivate audiences from diverse musical genres encompassing gospel, R&B and dance hall.

Justin Beiber, a Canadian pop and R&B singer is a 16 year old teenager. He rose to fame through YouTube; he posted his videos covering popular music hits in local singing competitions. Scooter Braun, who later became his manager, was the first one who noticed Justin’s talent via his performances on YouTube. Braun arranged for Justin to fly out to Atlanta and check out the studio. He met Usher there and wanted to sing one of his songs to him. The singing did not happen that day but later that year, Justin got a call from Scooter saying that Usher wanted to hear him sing. Justin wasted no time, flew to Atlanta, sang “You got it bad” to Usher, got signed on the spot and the rest, as they say, is history. Beiber signed to Raymond Braun Media group which is a joint venture between Braun and Usher. He also got into a recording contract with Island Records offered by L.A. Reid.

Justin’s debut single called “One Time” was released worldwide in 2009. It got into the top 30 in more than 10 countries. His debut release, My World, followed shortly and it became a certified platinum in the US. It made Justin the highest debut by a new artist and the first artist to have seven songs from a debut album to make it to the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Beiber was born to an 18 year old mother, Pattie Mallette. He was raised as an only child and his mother worked low paying office jobs. Justin taught himself to play the piano, drums, guitar and the trumpet. He was musically talented and participated in many singing competitions from an early age. Justin’s proud mother uploaded his performances on YouTube mainly for their friends and family to see the performances, but over the months Justin’s fame grew.

Scooter Braun was searching for videos of a different voice and a different singer when he chanced upon the videos of Justin’s performances. He tracked Justin down, found his school and contacted Pattie Mallette. Mallette was initially reluctant to have anything to do with Braun. But then she sought counsel with her church elders and finally permitted Justin to go to Atlanta to record some demo tapes. After Justin sang for Usher, the deal was done.

Justin’s story shows us how even small town people with talent and the right agent can make it to the top. Do a search on YouTube and you will find thousands of singers who spread across the entire spectrum of talent. Sure, if you are incredibly talented, you will be noticed. But you need to be noticed by the right people, and that’s what happened with Justin.

Bieber has performed in several live shows and tours and he routinely promotes his albums. He also performed for the US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House for Christmas.

Beiber shot to fame after he proved himself by attracting millions of views on his YouTube videos. He still continues to upload his videos and regularly interact with his fans via Twitter. Though this serves marketing purposes as well, it is part of the appeal of Justin Beiber, the teenage singer/song writer.