AstroDataBlog: Songwriter

Showing posts with label Songwriter. Show all posts

Sunday, 4 December 2016

Robbie Robertson (Canadian musician, songwriter, film composer, producer, actor, author)

* Robbie Robertson is best known for his work as lead guitarist and primary songwriter for the Band, and for his career as a solo recording artist. His work with the Band was instrumental in creating the Americana music genre. Robertson has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame as a member of the Band, and has been inducted to Canada's Walk of Fame both with the Band and on his own.

As a film soundtrack producer and composer, Robertson is best known for his numerous collaborations with director Martin Scorsese. Robertson's working relationship with Scorsese began with the influential rockumentary film The Last Waltz (1978), and continued through numerous dramatic films such as Raging Bull (1980) and Casino (1995). More at Wikipedia.

NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: Jaime Royal Robertson, 5 July 1943, 22:25 (10:25 PM) EWT (+4), Toronto, Ontario, Canada (43n39, 79w23). ASC: 9 Aquarius. RR: B. SOURCE: Sy Scholfield quotes from "Testimony" by Robbie Robertson (Random House, 2016): "On July 5, 1943, at 10:25 p.m., Dolly gave birth to a healthy baby boy, nine pounds, eleven ounces, at Toronto General Hospital. She named me Jaime Royal Robertson, partially after her cousin Royal, Aunt Beatrice's son."

Sunday, 18 September 2016

Ella Eyre (English singer and songwriter)

* Ella Eyre is best known for her collaborations with Rudimental on their UK number one single "Waiting All Night" (2013), which won the 2014 Brit Award for British Single of the Year, and with DJ Fresh on his single "Gravity" (2015). Her debut EP, Deeper, was released in 2013 and her debut album, Feline, was released in 2015. Eyre's musical influences include Lauryn Hill, Etta James, Basement Jaxx and Hans Zimmer.

NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: Ella Norris McMahon, 1 April 1994, 02:50 (2:50am), London, England (51n30, 0w10). ASC: 3 Capricorn. RR: A (from memory). SOURCE: Sy Scholfield quotes her mother Terry Norris on Twitter: "2.50am u were born at" after Eyre tweeted "i was actually born at 3 something am so technically i'm still 21" (posted 12:06am BST, 1 April 2016).

Thursday, 14 July 2016

Mika (British singer and songwriter)

* Mika released his first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, on Island Records in 2007, which sold more than 5.6 million copies worldwide and helped him win a Brit Award—winning Best British Breakthrough act, and earned him a Grammy Award nomination.

In an August 2012 interview with the magazine Instinct, the singer described himself as gay. In previous interviews he inferred he was bisexual.

Mika speaks English, French, Spanish and Italian fluently.

NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: Michael Holbrook Penniman, Jr, 18 August 1983, 00:01 (12:01 AM) EET (-2), Beirut, Lebanon (33n53, 35e30). ASC: 18 Gemini. RR: A (from memory). SOURCE: Sy Scholfield quotes him on Twitter: "So cool. Thank you so much for the birthday wishes and the World Wide TT. Was born a few seconds after midnight, so your timing is perfect X" (posted 12:30 AM GMT, 18 Aug 2012), "Thank you so much for all your birthday messages. I'm overwhelmed and very grateful. Yup. I am 30. But am a very lucky man. Thank you. X" (posted 12:36am GMT, 19 Aug 2013), "Why am I alwways overly quized at customs about being born in Beirut and as to weather I visit Yemen and Afganistan regularly. Infuriating!". Previously Paddy de Jabrun quoted the website www.mikafrance.com for 12:05 AM, no source given.

Tuesday, 3 May 2016

Richard Hell (American singer, songwriter, bass guitarist, writer)

* Richard Hell, known as an innovator of punk music and fashion, was one of the first to spike his hair and wear torn, cut and drawn-on shirts, often held together with safety pins. Malcolm McLaren, manager of the Sex Pistols, has credited Hell as a source of inspiration for the Sex Pistols' look and attitude, as well as the safety-pin and graphics accessorized clothing that McLaren sold in his London shop, Sex.

Hell was in several important, early punk bands, including Neon Boys, Television, and The Heartbreakers, after which he formed Richard Hell & The Voidoids. Their 1977 album Blank Generation influenced many other punk bands. Its title song was named "One of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock" by music writers in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listing and is ranked as one of the all-time Top 10 punk songs by a 2006 poll of original British punk figures, as reported in the Rough Guide to Punk.

Since the late 1980s, Hell has devoted himself primarily to writing, publishing two novels and several other books. He was the film critic for BlackBook magazine from 2004 to 2006.

NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: Richard Lester Meyers, 2 October 1949, 02:51 (2:51 AM) CST (+6), Lexington, Kentucky, USA (38n03, 84w30). ASC: 4 Virgo. RR: A (From memory). SOURCE: Sy Scholfield quotes from birth certificate in hand (long form, no time), born at Good Samaritan Hospital. On 3 May 2016 Hell replied to Scholfield's email request giving his birth time: "It's 2:51 AM."

Friday, 25 March 2016

Calvin Harris (Scottish DJ, singer, songwriter, record producer, recording artist, remixer)

* Calvin Harris topped Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid DJs for three consecutive years from 2013 to 2015.

His 2009 album, Ready for the Weekend debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and its lead single, "I'm Not Alone", became his first number one on the UK Singles Chart. Harris rose to international prominence in 2012 with the release of his third studio album, 18 Months. Topping the UK charts, the album became his first to chart on the Billboard 200 in the US, reaching number 19.

His collaboration with Rihanna led to two singles, "Where Have You Been" and "We Found Love". The latter became an international success, giving Harris his first US number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100.

Harris holds the record for the most top 10 songs from one studio album on the UK Singles Chart with nine top 10 entries, surpassing Michael Jackson. In October 2014, he became the first artist to place three songs simultaneously on the top 10 of Billboard's Dance/Electronic Songs chart. He also became the first British solo artist to reach more than one billion streams on Spotify.

Harris dated British singer Rita Ora from May 2013 to June 2014. In March 2015, Harris started dating American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.

NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: Adam Richard Wiles, 17 January 1984, 17:22 (5:22 PM) GMT (+0), Dumfries, Scotland (55n04, 3w37). ASC: 8 Leo. RR: AA (quoted birth record). SOURCE: Sy Scholfield requested the data from Caroline Gerard, who quoted birth certificate in an email on 18 March 2016.

Monday, 29 February 2016

Hank Williams Jr., AKA Bocephus (American singer-songwriter and musician)

* Hank Williams Jr.'s musical style is often considered a blend of Southern rock, blues, and traditional country. He is the son of legendary country music singer Hank Williams and the father of Hank Williams III, Holly Williams, Hilary Williams, Samuel Williams, and Katie Williams.

Williams began his career by following in his famed father's footsteps, singing his father's songs and imitating his father's style. Williams's own style slowly evolved as he struggled to find his own voice and place within the country music industry. This trend was interrupted by a near-fatal fall off the side of Ajax Peak in Montana on 8 August 1975. After an extended recovery, he challenged the country music establishment with a blend of country, rock, and blues. Williams enjoyed much success in the 1980s, from which he earned considerable recognition and popularity both inside and outside the country music industry.

As a multi-instrumentalist, Williams's repertoire of skills include guitar, bass guitar, upright bass, steel guitar, banjo, dobro, piano, keyboards, harmonica, fiddle, and drums.

NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: Randall Hank Williams, 26 May 1949, 01:45 (1:45 AM) CST (+6), Shreveport, Louisiana, USA (32n31, 93w45). ASC: 24 Pisces. RR: A (from memory). SOURCE: Sy Scholfield quotes from I Saw The Light: The Story of Hank Williams by Colin Escott (Hachette UK, 2015): "Audrey gave birth to Randall Hank on May 26, 1949. ... At 3:51 a.m., Hank excitedly telegrammed Fred and Lorene Rose: '10 lb boy borned this morning at 145. Both doeing fine.'"

Monday, 1 February 2016

Paul Kantner, 1941–2016 (American guitarist, singer and songwriter)

* Paul Kantner is known for co-founding Jefferson Airplane, a leading psychedelic rock band of the counterculture era, and its more commercial spin-off band Jefferson Starship. Kantner led Jefferson Airplane through its highly successful late 1960s period.

Kantner had the longest continuous membership with Jefferson Airplane; at times he was the only founding member still in the band from the original lineup, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with other band members in 1996.

Kantner had three children; sons Gareth (a film producer), and Alexander (a musician who sometimes played with Jefferson Starship), and daughter China (a former MTV VJ and actress; his child with Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship singer Grace Slick).

Kantner died in San Francisco at the age of 74 on 28 January 2016 due to multiple organ failure and septic shock after he suffered a heart attack days earlier.

NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: Paul Lorin Kantner, 17 March 1941, circa 20:00 (8pm) PST (+8), San Francisco, California, USA (37n46, 122w25). ASC: Libra. RR: C (rectified from approximate time). SOURCE: Sy Scholfield quotes Sun and Ascendant Signs ("Paul is Pisces, Libra rising") from "Paul Kantner interview by Patricia Kennealy/Morrison, Jazz & Pop, February 1971" [online version here]. Other data from California Birth Index. A speculative time of 8pm gives Libra rising.

Monday, 21 December 2015

Cassandra Wilson (American jazz musician, vocalist, songwriter)

* Cassandra Wilson incorporates blues, country, and folk music into her work. Her ancestry includes Fon, Yoruba, Irish and Welsh. Between her mother’s love for Motown and her father’s dedication to jazz, Wilson’s parents sparked her early interest in music.

Wilson has won two Grammy Awards: her 1996 album New Moon Daughter won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, and in 2009 she earned the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Loverly.

NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: Cassandra Wilson, 4 December 1955, 08:30 (8:30 am) CST (+6), Jackson, Mississippi, USA (32n17, 90w11). ASC: 3 Capricorn. RR: A (from memory). SOURCE: Sy Scholfield quotes her in an interview: "I was born at 8:30 a.m." ("Cassandra Wilson revives 'Blue Light 'Til Dawn'" by Richard Scheinin, San Jose Mercury News, 6 May 2014 [online]). Date, year and place from Jazzwomen: Conversations with Twenty-One Musicians by Wayne Enstice and Janis Stockhouse (Indiana University Press, 2004), p. 339.

Friday, 18 September 2015

Jackie Wilson, 1934–1984 (American soul singer-songwriter and performer)

* Jackie Wilson was a tenor with a four octave vocal range. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement," he was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Wilson was considered a master showman, and one of the most dynamic and influential singers and performers in R&B and rock 'n' roll history.

Gaining fame in his early years as a member of the R&B vocal group Billy Ward and His Dominoes, he went solo in 1957 and recorded over 50 hit singles that spanned R&B, pop, soul, doo-wop and easy listening. This included 16 R&B Top 10 hits, including 6 R&B # 1's. On the Billboard Hot 100, he scored 14 Top 20 Pop hits, 6 of which made it into the Pop Top 10. During a 1975 benefit concert, he collapsed on stage from a heart attack and subsequently fell into a coma that persisted for nearly nine years until his death on 21 January 1984, at the age of 49.

NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: Jack Leroy Wilson, Jr., 9 June 1934, 05:30 (5:30 AM) EST (+5), Highland Park, Wayne County, Michigan (42n24, 83w05). ASC: 25 Gemini. RR: B (from biography). SOURCE: Susan Carmichael emailed Sy Scholfield quoting from "Jackie Wilson: Lonely Teardrops by Tony Douglas (Routledge, 2005), p. 14: "born at 5.30 a.m. on Saturday, 9 June 1934 at the Herman Kiefer Hospital in Highland Park, Michigan."

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Tuesday, 25 August 2015

Rosanne Cash (American singer-songwriter, author)

* Rosanne Cash is the eldest daughter of country music icon Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Liberto Cash Distin.

Although Cash is often classified as a country artist, her music draws on many genres, including folk, pop, rock, blues, and most notably Americana.

She won a Grammy in 1985 for "I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me", and has received twelve other Grammy nominations. She has had eleven No. 1 country hit singles, twenty-one Top 40 country singles and two gold records.

NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: 24 May 1955, 20:00 (8pm) CST (+6), Memphis, Tennessee, USA (35n08, 90w02). ASC: 15 Sagittarius. RR: A/B (from autobiography). SOURCE: Sy Scholfield quotes from "Composed: A Memoir" by Rosanne Cash (Penguin, 2010): "I was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on May 24, 1955 ... at eight o'clock that evening."

Sunday, 9 August 2015

Siouxsie Sioux (English singer, songwriter, musician, producer)

* Siouxsie Sioux (photographed at the Edinburgh Tiffany's, 1980; at left) is best known as the lead singer of rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees (1976–1996) and its side project The Creatures (1981–2005). Siouxsie and the Banshees released 11 studio albums and several UK Top 20 singles including "Hong Kong Garden", "Happy House", "Peek-a-Boo" plus a Billboard Top 25 hit "Kiss Them for Me". With The Creatures, Siouxsie recorded four studio albums and the hit single "Right Now". She has also sung with artists such as Morrissey and John Cale. In the mid-2000s, she began a solo career and released Mantaray in 2007.

NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: Susan Janet Ballion, 27 May 1957, 21:12 (9:12 PM) BST (-1), London, England (51n30, 0w10). ASC: 9 Sagittarius. RR: A (from memory). SOURCE: Sy Scholfield quotes her friend Budgie in an online interview giving Siouxsie Sioux's and his own data: "Siouxsie: 27.05.57 - 21.12 hrs - London UK. Budgie: 21.08.57 - 11.00 hrs - St Helens UK."

Steven Severin (English musician, songwriter, composer, bass guitarist)

* Steven Severin (photographed in 1986, at left) was a co-founding member of English rock band, Siouxsie and the Banshees (1976-1996), along with vocalist Siouxsie Sioux.

Known as 'Steve Havoc' when he joined the Banshees, he took the name 'Severin' from the Leopold von Sacher-Masoch character that is the subject of the Velvet Underground song "Venus in Furs."

After the split of Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1996, Severin began a solo career and created his own label RE.

NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: Steven John Bailey, 25 September 1955, 04:00 (4 AM) BST (-1), Highgate, London, England (51n34, 0w08). ASC: 00 Virgo. RR: A (from memory). SOURCE: Sy Scholfield quotes him in an onlne interview: "25-9-1955 4.00 a.m. LONDON (Highgate) - Sun sign Libra, Virgo rising, Moon in Capricorn."

Friday, 24 July 2015

Lil' Mo (American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer)

* Lil' Mo debuted on the music scene as Missy Elliott's protégée and contributed guest vocals to some of Elliott's work, most notably the record-breaking "Hot Boyz". Under the wing of Elliott, Lil' Mo would land a contract deal with Elektra Records and release charting singles of her own, including "Ta Da", "Superwoman Pt. II", "4Ever", "Hot Girls", and her debut single "5 Minutes".

In addition to her solo work and collaborative efforts with Missy Elliott, Lil' Mo worked with former associate Ja Rule, with whom she penned chart-topping hits like "Put It on Me" and "I Cry". Thereafter, Lil' Mo would go on to release four studio albums, eleven music videos and over fourteen hit singles. Mo would also be largely responsible for bringing then-unknown rapper Fabolous to mainstream media attention. Aside from her work as a solo vocalist, Mo has contributed production and backing vocals to numerous artists' records throughout the years including: Nicole Wray, Jay-Z, Tamar Braxton, Gerald LeVert, Faith Evans, among many others.

NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: Cynthia Karen Loving, Jr, 19 November 1978, 23:49 (11:49 PM) EST (+5), Long Island, New York, USA (40n50, 73w00). ASC: 4 Virgo. RR: B (from autobiography). SOURCE: Sy Scholfield quotes from Taming Lil' Mo by Cynthia Loving (Next Level, 2014): "At exactly 11:49 p.m. on November 19th, I opened my eyes for the very first time."

Friday, 26 June 2015

Eric Bogle (Scottish-Australian folk singer-songwriter)

* Eric Bogle emigrated to Australia in 1969. On 25 January 1987, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his work as a singer-songwriter. In May 2001, the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named his song, "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda," as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time.

Bogle has a Taurus Midheaven ruled by unaspected Venus in Libra.

NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: 23 September 1944, 03:55 (3:55am) BST (-1), Peebles, Scotland (55n39, 3w12). ASC: 28 Leo. RR: AA (From birth record). SOURCE: Caroline Gerard quotes birth record, requested by Sy Scholfield.

Thursday, 26 March 2015

Beccy Cole (Australian country music singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist)

* Beccy Cole has released eight albums, with three reaching the ARIA Albums Chart top 40: Little Victories (20 January 2003), Preloved (3 September 2010) and Songs & Pictures (10 October 2011). Cole has received nine Golden Guitar trophies at the CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia.

In July 2012 Cole revealed that she is a lesbian on ABC-TV series, Australian Story. In October 2013 she was the inaugural ambassador for the Adelaide-based Feast Festival and in the following month she presented her show, The Queer of Country.

Cole reveals in her autobiography that she was born at 11:05 pm at Glenelg Hospital in Adelaide. She thus has the first degree of Cancer on her Ascendant ruled by the Moon in Cancer on her South Node in the first house.

NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: Rebecca Diane Thompson, 27 October 1972, 23:05 (11:05 pm) ACST (-9:30), Glenelg Hospital, Adelaide, Australia (34s59, 138e31). ASC: 00 Cancer. RR: B (from autobiography). SOURCE: Sy Scholfield quotes from "Poster Girl" by Beccy Cole (Hachette: 2015), p. 9: "Mum soon went back to singing but in 1972 she took more time away from the stage to have baby Rebecca on October the twenty-seventh - and I was bang on time for the last time in my life at 11:05 p.m. ... [at] Glenelg Hospital." Extract available online here.

Wednesday, 18 February 2015

Shane Filan (Irish singer and songwriter)

* Shane Filan was one of the lead singers and frontman of Irish boy band Westlife from the group's formation on 3 July 1998 until it was disbanded on 23 June 2012.

Westlife sold over 50 million records worldwide, a total that included studio albums, singles, video releases, and compilation albums. The group accumulated 14 number-one singles in the United Kingdom.

Filan released his debut solo album, You and Me, in 2013.

NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: Shane Steven Filan, 5 July 1979, 08:45 (8:45 am) BST (-1), Sligo, Ireland (54n17, 8w28). ASC: 19 Leo. RR: B (From autobiography). SOURCE: Sy Scholfield quotes from "My Side of Life" by Shane Filan (Virgin Digital: 2014): "I was clearly desperate to get out and arrived four weeks early, at 8.45 a.m. on 5 July 1979, at Sligo General Hospital."

Friday, 30 January 2015

John Lydon (English singer, songwriter, musician, visual artist)

* In his 2014 autobiography Anger Is an Energy: My Life Uncensored, John Lydon (formerly Johnny Rotten, lead singer of punk band the Sex Pistols) writes "I was born in the early wee hours of the 31st, in the bitterly cold January of 1956." A speculative time of 3 a.m. puts the last degree of icy Scorpio on the ascendant, ruled by sex/pistol Pluto high in the sky. "Anger is an Energy" is a keyword phrase for Mars-Saturn in Sagittarius on the ascendant and North Node. And the Moon on the MC in the 10th (using Equal or Placidus Houses) bespeaks the name of his post-punk band, Public Image Ltd (PiL).

NATAL DATA and ASTROLOGY CHART

BIRTH DATA: John Joseph Lydon, 31 January 1956, 03:00 (3AM) GMT (+0), London, England (51n30, 0w10). ASC: 29 Scorpio. RR: C (rectified from approximate time). SOURCE: Sy Scholfield quotes from "Anger Is an Energy: My Life Uncensored" by John Lydon (Simon & Schuster, 2014): "I was born in the early wee hours of the 31st, in the bitterly cold January of 1956."

The time of 3 a.m. is speculative.

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Over the past 15+ years, Sy Scholfield has provided the global astrological community with thousands of timed astro-data (over 15,000 in AstroDatabank). The result of his meticulous research ― as evidenced by their scholarly source notes ― these data pertain to people from many historical periods, geographical regions and walks of life. On this official blog, Sy continues his endeavour, posting new, updated and newsmaker data and charts from his vast collection of astrological information ― for your reference, study and enjoyment. Please feel free to share these data and charts with appropriate acknowledgment.