U2 is an Irish rock band that was created in Dublin, Ireland in 1976.
Members of the band include Bono, who is the lead singer and plays guitar, the Edge, who also sings, plays the keyboard and the guitar, Adam Clayton, who is on bass guitar, and Larry Mullen Jr, who is the drummer and plays percussion for the band.
Their fans might think they know everything there is to know about them but they may not know everything yet. Here are 10 amazing facts about U2.
10. The Joshua Tree is ranked 89th best album
The album, “The Joshua Tree” has been ranked 89th best album of all time. It has sold over 20 million copies and was named after a national park in California.
9. The band’s friend chose the order of the track listing for a song
The band’s friend, Kirsty MacColl, who died in 2000, ended up choosing the track listing for the album, “The Joshua Tree” in order of her favorite songs.
TLC is an American all girl group that once consisted of Crystal Jones, Tionne Watkins and Lisa Lopes.
However, once Crystal put an ad in the paper calling for two more singers, she was replaced by Rozonda Thomas who did backup dancing for the group.
Since then, the group consisted of Tionne T-Boz Watkins, Lisa Left Eye Lopes and Rozonda Chili Thomas. Their fans might think they know all there is to know about the group but they might not know everything yet. Here are 9 things you might not know about TLC.
9, Tionne T-Boz Watkins has had Sickle Cell Anemia all her life
Sickle Cell Anemia is a disease that affects one in 12 of African descent. It is a blood disorder. T-Boz has been suffering from it all her life and because of this disease, she has been in and out of the hospital all her life.
It’s April 3rd, 2016 and Johnny Reid is about to take the stage in St. John’s Newfoundland. He meets Brenda Lake at a meet and greet prior to this second to last show on his ‘What Love is All About Tour’. Brenda is a cancer patient that has been waiting a lifetime to attend a Johnny Reid concert. Her daughter finagled the meet and greet, which made the concert experience that much more special. Little did she know this was only the beginning of a night full of surprises. Brenda’s story had touched Johnny Reid and he planned to thank her later. He did so by calling her up on stage and serenading her with his latest hit “What Love is All About”, leaving Brenda speechless. Brenda later said she was surprised as she didn’t realize she had made an impression on Johnny. But she did, and he later told her that she made an impact on his life and she helped him see life in a different way.
It’s evident through this and other acts of kindness by Johnny Reid that he is deeply connected to his loyal fan base. It also seems that good things happen to good people. 2016 is turning out to be an amazing year for Johnny Reid. He won the JUNO for 2016 Adult Contemporary Album of the Year, the night before he invited Brenda on stage and performed the last show of the biggest tour in Canadian history the night after the special serenade.
With a whopping 47 concerts, Johnny Reid’s ‘What Love is All About Tour’ is being called the biggest Canadian concert tour by the sheer number of shows performed in the 2-month span. From Vancouver to St. John’s, and a myriad of cities in between, no other Canadian artist has completed a tour as long or as inclusive as Johnny Reid. With attendance numbers well over 140k, Johnny’s tour is anticipated to surpass the 125k estimated to attend the ‘#HelloWorld Tour’ headlined by Canadian darlings Hedley.
How does one successfully book 47 shows across Canada? Well, starting by making music that people like definitely helps. Sarcasm aside, Johnny Reid got it right. With more than 10 years on the music scene, the popularity of his music is undeniable. Johnny Reid has amassed album sales of over 1.4 million units since the beginning of his career. He has a loyal Tartan Army fan base that has kept coming back for his music over the course of 8 album releases. This is because his brand of adult contemporary has a dynamic blue collar every man feel and his lyrics speak to the working class hero. Add to this, production value from Canada’s top music producers like Bob Ezrin (Lou Reed, KISS, Pink Floyd) and you have a recipe for the kind of mass appeal that adult contemporary music is known for.
Even with a sound that has been compared to Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, and Rod Stewart, Johnny Reid has benefitted from more than the quality of his music on this tour. Strategy has played a big role in his ability to complete 47 shows across Canada. In fact, Johnny Reid has taken control of his own management through his Johnny Mac Entertainment company. The company partnered with concert promoting veterans Ron Sakamoto and Vinny Cinquemani from Feldman Agency 18 months prior to announcing the tour. Part of their strategy included leaving room in their calendar to book multiple dates in certain cities. This proved effective in many cities where multiple shows were sold out and new dates had to be added. In fact, Johnny sold out not two but three nights at Winnipeg’s Club Regent Casino within a day. They complimented this strategy by splitting markets. This meant shows were booked in neighboring cities within certain regions. For example, in the western Greater Toronto Area, multiple nights are typically booked in Hamilton. However, Johnny opted to perform in Hamilton and nearby St. Catharines in order to get closer to more fans. While the production cost of this strategy was higher, the ability to attract a bigger audience was worth it.
While it is clear that the ‘What Love Is All About Tour’ kept Johnny Reid busy for the first quarter of 2016, he is showing no signs of slowing down. He is already at work on his next musical project which will bring him to the US and UK while his next Canadian tour will likely be in the spring of 2018.
Nirvana was formed by lead singer, Kurt Cobain and guitarist, Krist Novoselic in 1987 in Aberdeen, Washington. In 1989, they released their first album, “Bleach” under the independent record label, Sub Pop.
However, they found their success with their first single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from their second album, “Nevermind” in 1991.
Their fans might think they know everything there is to know about the group but they might not know everything just yet. Here are 10 things you should know about Nirvana.
10, Kurt Cobain dropped out of high school
Not only did Kurt Cobain drop out of high school, but after he dropped out of school, he worked as a janitor there for a little while. In fact, the dancing janitor in the song, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was an inside joke for the band. Only a few people knew about this until now.
9, They went through a lot of drummers
Before settling on the drummer, Dave Grohl, they went through about 5 previous ones. Although Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic were always the original members, they had a hard time finding the right drummer for the band until they found Dave Grohl and hired him.
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that got started in 1990 in Seattle, Washington.
The members of the band include Eddie Vedder who is on lead vocals, Mike McCready who is on lead guitar, Stone Gossard who is on rhythm guitar, Jeff Ament who is on bass, and their drummer, Matt Cameron.
Many of their fans might think they know everything there is to know about Pearl Jam but they probably don’t know everything yet. Here are 7 things you didn’t know about Pearl Jam.
7, Their first name
Their very first name was Mookie Blaylock. They had named the band after the basketball player, Mookie Blaylock who played for the New Jersey Nets back then. They needed a name for the band in a hurry and one of his trading cards somehow got inside their tape case of one of their demo tapes. Since they needed a fast name for a gig they needed to go to, they decided to name the band Mookie Blaylock because they saw his trading card there. Their very first album is named after Mookie’s jersey number, 10.
6, They only use Ticketmaster when they really have to
They believed that Ticketmaster was playing Monopoly with their fans and overcharging them so they filed a complaint against them at one time. They avoid using them as often as possible and will only do so when they can’t find anyone else.
5, Eddie Vedder’s wife had her own band once
Eddie Vedder’s wife, Beth and a few of her friends had their own band they called, “Hovercraft.” Eddie even played the drums for their very first single. Eddie was married to Beth from 1994 to 2000.
4, They used to have their own trading cards
After they released their album, “No Code” they also released their own trading cards. Each card represented a song on the album.
3, What Eddie Vedder did before making it big with the band
Before starting the band and making it big with them, Eddie Vedder had a bunch of low-paying jobs to make ends meet with. He used to be a gas station attendant, a security guard at a hotel, as well as a waiter. He was actually fired from the security guard job for neglecting his duties so he could play the guitar.
2, Eddie Vedder used to climb and leap into the crowd
When Eddie Vedder was younger, he would climb just about anything dangerous and leap into the crowd. He would climb lighting rigs, camera mounts, and anything he could find that was even somewhat dangerous. Although he says he wasn’t afraid, his band members were always afraid he would hurt himself. He says he wouldn’t feel anything at the time but the next day he would have bruises on him and that was when he would feel the pain.
1, In 2000, 9 fans died by being crushed to death
On June 30, 2000, 9 of their fans died from being crushed to death when the crowd went forward during one of their concerts in Europe. This had a huge effect on the band and they considered quitting the group. However, they went on with it and even went on tour in the US a month later.
These are just a few things you didn’t know about Pearl Jam. Do you know anything else about the band?
Guns-N-Roses was started in 1985 and are an American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles.
The original members include Axl Rose, who sang, Slash, who played guitar, Izzy Stradlin, who played rhythm guitar, Steven Adler, who played the drums, and Duff McKagen, who was the bassist.
However, Axl Rose is the only original member still with the band. Now, the band members include Dizzy Reed on keyboard, Richard Fortus on guitar, Tommy Stinson on bass, Frank Ferrer on drums, and Chris Pitman also on keyboard. Their fans might think they know everything there is to know about them but they probably don’t know everything yet. Here are 10 random facts about Guns-N-Roses.
10, Axl Rose was married to Erin Everly
Axl Rose was once married to Don Everly’s daughter, Erin Everly for one year between 1990 and 1991. However, the marriage was ended on allegations of abuse. Erin said that Axl beat her constantly and even removed the doors of their home so he could see her all the time and keep an eye on her constantly. She sued him in 1994 and was even called to testify at Axl’s ex-girlfriend’s court appearance for similar allegations where Axl’s girlfriend said he beat her too.
9, Who started the band?
Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin started the band. They got their name for Guns-N-Roses after two different bands each of them played in before they formed Guns-N-Roses. One band was called Guns and the other one called, Hollywood Rose, so it ended up being named Guns-N-Roses.
Dustin Lynch was born on May 14, 1985 In Tullahoma, Tennessee. His real full name is Dustin Charles Lynch and he is an American country music singer and songwriter.
Dustin moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2003 to start his career in music.
His fans might think they know all there is to know about him but they probably don’t know everything yet. Here are 7 interesting facts about Dustin Lynch.
7, The first celebrity he ever met
Vince Gill was the first celebrity Dustin ever met. They were at an inner city children’s golf tournament. Dustin was there to help out and Vince was there as the celebrity. Dustin told him he was there to write songs and Vince took him under his arm. He took him out to the car and showed him some golf clubs that weren’t even on the market yet.
Called “America’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band” and “The Bad Boys of Boston,” Aerosmith is an American rock band that was formed in 1970 in Boston, Massachusetts.
The members include Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Joe Kramer, Brad Whitford, and Tom Hamilton.
Their fans might think they know everything there is to know about them but they probably don’t know everything yet. Here are 10 curious facts about Aerosmith.
10, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry were cocaine addicts
The money sure went to their head when the band became famous. More like it went to their nose. As Steven Tyler puts it, “I must have snorted all of Peru.” He and Joe Perry were constantly snorting cocaine and throwing parties in hotel rooms. They trashed a lot of hotel rooms while partying too and even brought in a chainsaw to help them trash the room. They would also bring extension cords and use them so they could see the TV’s explode when they threw them into the pool. They were so wild with their parties that they also even admit that their performances suffered from it. Joe Perry even said, “A lot of times we really sucked, but we’d stopped giving a sh–. ”
9, Steven Tyler’s real name
Steven Tyler’s real name is Steven Tallerico. He was originally in a band called, The Strangeurs but they had to change the name to something else because there was already a band called, The Strangers. Then, he was in a band called Chain Reaction and he changed his name to Steven Tally. He later founded Aerosmith and became Steven Tyler. He originally wanted to change his name to Tyler Britt but his manager talked him into using Steven Tyler instead. They thought about naming themselves Spike Daniels or Jack Daniels at one time.
The Allman Brothers were formed in 1969 and are an American rock band.
The band’s members include Duane Allman, who played the slide guitar and was the lead guitarist, Greg Allman, who was the songwriter, singer, and played the keyboard, Dickey Betts, who was also on guitar, also sang, and helped write songs, Berry Oakley was on the bass guitar, Butch Trucks was on the drums, and Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson was also on the drums.
Their fans might think they know all there is to know about the rock band but they may not know everything yet. Here are 9 interesting facts about The Allman Brothers.
9, Duane and Greg’s father was murdered when the boys were little
Duane and Greg’s dad was killed when the boys were small. Duane was three years old and Greg was only two years old. He picked up a hitchhiker who ended up killing him. This happened in 1949.
Eric Clapton is a singer and songwriter that was born on March 30, 1945 in Surrey, England. Eric’s mother was young when he was born, she was only 16 years old.
Eric Clapton can easily be called the greatest rock and roll guitarist of all time.
His fans might think they know everything there is to know about him but they probably don’t know everything yet. Here are 10 things you might not know about Eric Clapton.
10. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times
Eric Clapton is the only artist to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times. His first time was for his membership in The Yardbirds. One year later, he was inducted again for his role with the band, Cream. For his third and final time, in 2000, he was inducted as a solo artist.
9. He thought of retiring once he left The Yardbirds
The one time he thought of retiring was when he left the band, The Yardbirds.
George Strait is an American singer and songwriter who was born on May 18, 1952 in Texas and started out performing in a band while in the United States army. George was raised on his family’s farm in Texas.
He went to Southwest Texas State University where he studied agriculture. His fans might think they know everything there is to know about him but they probably don’t know everything yet. Here are 7 things you didn’t know about George Strait.
7. He was in the U.S army
George enlisted in the army in 1971 and performed with a band called, “Rambling Country.” He was honorably discharged and went to college after this. He earned a degree in agriculture from Southwest Texas State University, which is now called Texas State. However, while he was in the army, he met and married his now wife, Norma. They had their first child in 1972. He was discharged from the army in 1975. Since he earned a degree in agriculture, he still does farming of cattle at his home where he lives outside of San Antonia.
6. He thinks of his daughter when he sings, “You’ll be There”
George lost his daughter when she was just 13 years old. She was in a car accident where she was ejected from the car and she died instantly. Whenever he sings his song, “You’ll be There” he thinks of her. He says he is a religious person and believes there is a Heaven and that he will see his daughter there when it is his time to go.
5. He is an actor too
George is also an actor and has been in movies, including one called, “The Soldier.” This movie was about terrorists overtaking a plane. The movie didn’t make much money, $6 million, and isn’t very memorable. In fact, the only one anyone remembers in the movie is George.
4. He doesn’t like doing interviews
Although George isn’t a shy person at all, he doesn’t like doing interviews. In fact, he hasn’t done many of them and all of his interviews could be read, over the last 15 years, during a person’s lunch break at work. That is how much he hates doing interviews. Another thing he likes to avoid doing is music videos.
3. His mother left him when he was young
After his mom and dad got a divorce, his mother left the whole family. His dad raised him and his brothers from the time his mom left, until they were old enough to go out on their own. His dad was a math teacher and a farmer.
2. He was interested in rock music first
Although he is a famous country music singer now, he took an interest in rock music first. He didn’t listen to much music when he was young, instead he listened to the news and farm reports, since he helped his dad on the farm they lived on. However, once he was a teenager, he took an interest in music and first started listening to rock and then started getting into country.
1. He is not a member of the Grand Ole Opry
This is actually very surprising. One would figure the country music legend would have been one of the first few members. However, he just can’t make a commitment for it right now since he lives in Texas and says he can’t get there on a regular basis.
These are just a few things you didn’t know about George Strait. Do you know anything else about the legendary country music singer?
Groovy Rhino
