MY FAVORITE KINDS OF MUSIC

My favorite kinds of music are Soul, and Rhythm and Blues, and these genres of music have had a great influence in my life for several reasons. I love these because I grew up with this music. Another reason is that some of my better memories are connected to songs of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson and Michael McDonald. First, I grew up listening to the music of Motown Records, because many years ago, several radio stations often played songs of this recording company. Motown’s songs were a great discovery to me; it was fantastic to listen to the well-composed and beautiful songs of Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations and Marvin Gaye. I began to listen Soul music when I was child; I still have records of Marvin Gaye. Second, I relate my best-loved memories with these kinds of music. Indeed, every time that I miss the woman I love, suddenly, I imagine her listening to “One Hundred Ways” by James Ingram. When my wife and I visited Paris, I enjoyed listening to this song in the hotel. My wife, Paris, and music--what great memories! Third, when I come home after a hard day, I want peace and need to relax. How do I find it? It’s very easy for me; I only need to listen to Soul, and Rhythm and Blues, and the world looks better. I only need to start my computer and play "What a Fool Believes," and everything changes. Indeed, I feel like I’m in paradise. In conclusion, there is no greater pleasure for me than listening to my favorite genres of music, Soul and Rhythm and Blues, because when I do, all good feelings come to my heart. These types of music bring peace to my soul, and help me to relax.

JOHN LENNON, 30 YEARS AFTER

December 8, 1980, thirty-two years ago, I was returning to my home after a trip with my parents. When I came to house, I could see television images that were about a famous musician called John Lennon, who was killed by Mark Chapman in front of his house in "Dakota Building" New York. In this time, I didn’t understand who was Lennon, but several years after this event, I fully knew who this musician was. John Lennon died in The Roosevelt Hospital. The doctors officially certified his death at 11:15 pm the same day. The news of the death of John Lennon traveled the world in a few hours. The tears of all those fans that had grown up listening the songs of John Lennon were mixed with thousands of people gathered outside the artist's house. Lennon's body was cremated days later and the ashes were given to his widow Yoko Ono, who invited his followers to pray for him and share ten minutes of silence in Central Park on December 14. Over two hundred thousand people attended the event in New York. His ashes were scattered in the park although hundreds of tribute acts took place in other cities worldwide. Shortly before his death, after a voluntary retirement, and after several years without having released anything, Lennon returned to the music with the album "Double Fantasy", which was enthusiastically received by the public who had not forgotten him. A copy of this album was autographed by Lennon and was given to Chapman, at 5 pm on the December 8, 1980. 32 years may seem a short time or a lot, but all this time has not only increased the fame and legend of Lennon as one of the greatest musicians in history, leader of the most famous group of the twentieth century, "The Beatles" and composer of memorable songs. The people usually catalog John Lennon in many ways: icon, genius, myth, etc., but above all things he was a musician.

PERCY FAITH

Many years ago, when I was living in Lima City, I enjoyed listening to a musical genre called Easy Listening. In those times there was a very popular radio called “Radio Omega” that played this genre of music. It was a great and sensorial experience. A lot of beautiful melodies were played through Radio Omega and others. Musicians such as Ray Coniff, Paul Mauriat, Henry Mancini and Percy Faith were some of the most important icons of Easy Listening. Among all these musicians, Percy Faith was my favorite composer. Percy Faith was a legendary composer and musician from Canada. He began his musical career very young. In the beginning of his career, Percy Faith studied to play piano, but there was an even that affected his life forever. In 1926,he was injured in a house fire, and for this reason he was in the hospital for several months. This accident affected both of his hands, so he decided to write and compose music. He recorded his records in RCA, Decca Records and CBS Columbia He became very successful and famous in the first halt of the 50’s. His most popular songs of this period were “Delicado,” and “Song from Mouline Rouge.” In spite of the eruption of other genres like Rock and Roll, Faith maintained his popularity and fame. His most famous composition was "Theme from a Summer Place." For this work Faith won a Grammy Award for Best Recording in 1961. Because of the change of musical taste in the American Society, also the appearance of Psychodelic and Folk Music, his popularity decreased in the second half of the 60's. However, Percy Faith won his second Grammy in 1969 for “Love Theme From Romeo and Juliet.”

THREE BROTHERS: THE "BEE GEES"

Once upon a time there were three famous and successful musicians. What were their names? Their first names were Barry, Robin and Maurice, and their last names were Gibb. They were three British brothers that moved to Australia during the 60’s. In this country they developed their musical careers and formed one of the most successful bands ever. This group is known worldwide as the “Bee Gees.” They started to write and compose their songs in the first half of the 60’s, so they created their first hits while they were living in Australia. I clearly remember the first time I heard them 30 years ago. (How time flies!) I had an aunt with several daughters, who had the album "Saturday Night Fever." In 1978, it was impossible to not have heard a song from this soundtrack. But before “disco” became so popular, this wonderful group already had the backing of a solid career, founded several years prior in Australia in Redcliffe, Queensland. In fact, many people today still believe that they are Australian. A good question is what the origin of the name is. The band was originally called "The Rattlesnakes" and after “Wee Johnny Hayes & the Bluecats'. They were presented to a radio station DJ named “Bill Gates”-the racing promoter Bill Goode, who watched their performance at the Brisbane racetrack. Bill Gates met them at the Gibbs’ house, where Mrs. Barbara Gibb and the Gibb Brothers were. Given this situation, Gates said he saw a lot of 'BG' insignia in the room, and that that is what they should be called. The history of this group is usually related to the time before and after its success into “disco” and the huge impact that it had on the world. The Bee Gees composed many songs, 6 of which reached # 1 in the United States during 25 of 32 consecutive weeks. However, many people still maintain their preference for the period between 1967 and 1975, but we already know that this is a matter of taste.

MARVIN GAYE, "THE PRINCE OF SOUL"

I will write about one of the artists who has made history, an icon named Marvin Gaye, who was the most important artist of the "Motown Sound", born on April 2, 1939, as Marvin Pentz Gaye, Jr. This songwriter and musician is the greatest artist to come out of Motown Records. He died twenty five years ago, bringing an end to an eventful existence, yet his legacy is simply incomparable. He recorded the anthological album called "What's Going On" which has been considered for years as one of the best albums of all time. Concerning this disc, Gaye, well known as “The Prince of Soul," wrote on one side of the disc: "I don't need to tell you how great it is.” This majestic album was recorded in 10 days in March 1971, and came out in May of that year, after overcoming the initial opposition of Barry Gordy, the "boss" of Motown Records, who considered this album too political and out of Marvin Gaye’s style. This disc was a conceptual album about the situation of American society at that time, which was the subject of many of the musical compositions that were created at that time. This album is a delicious blend of soul with jazz and classical music, and addresses the environment, political corruption, abuse of drugs and the Vietnam War. Marvin Gaye threatened to not record any more for Motown Records until the album was published. With three decades of commercial success, artistic addition, and three singles in the top of the charts, this album is considered one of the best ever according to different studies around the world. Marvin Gaye was greatly affected by the death of his recording partner, Tammi Terrell. They recorded big hits like "Ain’t No Mountain High Enough" and "Your Precious Love." In the summer of 1967, Terrell collapsed onstage in Gaye's arms because of an undiagnosed brain tumor that would kill her. "I feel that, somehow, I died with her," Gaye said later. The death of Tammi Terrell, and drug abuse, tragically influenced his life. On April 1, 1984, Gaye was killed by his father, a preacher, and a minister of God's House (House of God), who was trying to exorcise the demons from his son, ending a life that in recent times had fallen into a tragic spiral of self-destruction.