Year 8, Day 62

Hey guys. Today's song is Hypnotic by Zella Day.

Photo by: Justin Higuchi

Zella Day is an American singer active since 2009 when she released her debut album independently. The success of that got her a publishing contract, writing music with some other artists. She released an EP in 2012, along with a cover song before being featured on a Sultan & Ned Shepard single. Her next EP was released in 2014, which is where this song is from. She released her next album in 2015, followed by a single in 2016 and some touring. She continued to release some singles before being released from her label in 2018. She's now signed on with a new label and released an EP in 2020, followed by some more singles so she's still going strong and we'll definitely see more from her soon enough.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 61

Hey guys. Today's song is Parachute by Cheryl Cole.

Cheryl Cole is Cheryl Tweedy, an English singer active since 2002. She started off on a reality show called Popstars: The Rivals that formed a boy and girl band, and was the first contestant that qualified as part of the girl group, forming Girls Aloud. The group released five albums together before taking a hiatus in 2009 to work on their solo careers. She then spent a couple years as a judge and mentor on the X Factor while working on her solo stuff. She released an album in 2009, then another in 2010, and another in 2012. After that, Girls Aloud reunited for a tenth anniversary celebration, releasing some singles, a greatest hits album, and a documentary before going on tour in 2013. After this they announced that the group would disband permanently, which isn't surprisingly since more than one member had a well established solo career by this point. Cheryl's fourth album came out in 2014 followed by a return to X Factor where she stayed for a few years until in 2016 she decided to focus on her music career again. She released another album in 2018 before signing with a new record label and starting to release singles instead. This wasn't met with the best reception, and there started to be a lot of scrutiny about her genuineness while performing. She was silent after the release of her last single in 2019, but it was teased that she had rejoined forces with Naughty Boy and former bandmate Nicola Roberts in writing music as of 2021. This video made me question if she ever had a stint on Dancing With The Stars, but it doesn't seem like she does although they had pegged her as a potential candidate in 2010. She did however date Derek Hough at one point and are apparently still good friends which explains his presence in the video. Basically if I see him my brain goes "ah another artist showing off that they can now dance after the show" but today she proved that that logic is incorrect. So I guess she wins today for confusing me.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 60

Hey guys. Today's song is W.I.T.C.H. by Devon Cole.

Devon Cole is a relatively new musician, active since 2020 when she moved to Toronto to release her first single. Fun Fact: She was actually from my hometown before she moved. She released her debut album in 2021 and is working on her next one for this year. So she's a fresh artist, but she has a lot of potential and when YouTube recommended this song to me I loved it instantly. So I hope you do too and will keep up with her career as it grows.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 59

Hey guys. Today's song is Pretty Little Lies by Jeremy Shada.

Photo by: Jake Guild

Jeremy Shada is an actor and musician, active since 2004. Most people will probably know him as the voice of Finn from Adventure Time, but I never watched that so my first introduction to him was from Julie and the Phantoms. He actually has a bunch of acting credits, a lot of it voice work, so he was kept pretty busy through childhood and got home schooled around his work stuff. He graduated in 2013, and that is also when his discography begins. The beginning is from soundtracks for shows he was part of, as he did some singing/rapping work on those, then in 2014 he and his brother Zack combined their music projects into a band called Make Out Monday. They've played a lot at conventions and have actually been associated with some pretty big names, but are purposefully enjoying their time as an unsigned group. They released an EP in 2014 and an album in 2018, and also have some singles still coming out with at least one from this year. As for Jeremy's solo stuff, he released some singles starting in 2020 and his first solo EP in 2021 so hopefully you'll check that out and give it some love.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 58

Hey guys. Today's song is Average Joe by Oscar Scheller.

Oscar Scheller is a British artist and producer, active since 2013. His parents were both musician, founding the Regents in the 70's, so he grew up around music. After graduating from art school, he started to focus on music, releasing his debut single in 2013, and got signed in 2014. He released an EP in the same year before moving and then releasing more singles before working on an album. He released his album in 2016 then went on tour with GIRLL. After that he spent some time focusing on songwriting and producing for other artists before coming back with a different style releasing an album in 2019 and another in 2021. He's already released another single this year so I expect there will be more in the future so keep an eye out.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 57

Hey guys. Today's song is Round And Round by Gym and Swim.

This is a band from Thailand active since 2013 and made up of Pokpong Jitdee, Chalermpon Sungsak, Hob, Mudmee, and Terk. They've released a couple of singles, an album in 2016, and an EP in 2019. Unfortunately because of the actions of Terk being a homophobic creep the lead singer left the band, and the rest of the group is now on a hiatus to figure out what they're going to do after kicking the guitarist out. So potentially the band is done as it is now, but who knows, maybe we'll see more from the other three members.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 56

Hey guys. Today's song is City Never Sleeps by Tourism.

I had to be careful with this one because there is a band called Tourism, but there is also an artist called Tourist that pops up with their stuff, and it's so similar that it's easy to get it messed up. But this is the band, hailing from Australia. There are four members, but because I can't find any official bio I don't know much about them. This song in particular came out in 2014, and while I found a channel for a band called tourism I honestly can't tell if it's the same guys or not so I wont link it here. For now just enjoy this song.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 55

Hey guys. Today's song is Come On People by Ben LaVain.

I honestly think I've had this song saved for three years, but I could just never find a good place to put it because it's such an unique sounding song. I still don't know if this is a good place but it's probably the best spot that I'll get so hopefully you like it. Unfortunately I don't have any information about the actual artist because there is nothing on the YouTube leading me to them, and a search only brings up a Canadian company with a slightly similar name, and that's clearly wrong. So all we get to do today is enjoy the song and for me bask in the fact that I am slowly catching up to where I left off when my computer died. We're getting closer! Soon I'll be back to one a day and I can't wait. Wish me luck!

Peace.

Year 8, Day 54

Hey guys. Today's song is Don't Mess With Me by Brody Dalle.

Photo by: Henry W. Laurisch

So Brody Dalle is an Australian singer active since 1993. She has been a part of a couple different things, starting off in a feminist collective called Rock 'n' Roll High School followed by a stint in the band Sourpuss, playing at a Summersault Festival where she met her future husband, and ended up moving to Los Angeles with him in 1997. It's here where she started the band The Distillers, releasing three albums together before disbanding in 2005 after growing sick of each other and burned out from an over-extended touring schedule. Dalle started working on a new project called Spinnerette, releasing an EP in 2008, and an album in 2009. She also spent some time doing vocal and guitar appearance, sometimes under a different moniker, on other artist's songs. In 2012 she announced she was working on a solo album, which was released in 2014 and is where this song is from. There wasn't much of anything after that from her, but in 2018 she teased that the Distillers were making their return. As of 2019 they were in the studio to record a new album,but I don't see anything about that being released so I guess we'll see. For now you get this song to rock out to.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 53

Hey guys. Today's song is Roadgame by Kavinsky.

Photo by: Brian Krofchick

So Kavinsky is the stage name for Vincent Belorgey, A French producer/DJ/actor active since 2005, although he did take a seven year hiatus before coming back in 2021. He started off acting before getting into music, inspired by some friends who also are DJs. Technically Kavinsky is a character made up by Belorgey, who is said to bare a striking resemblance to the man himself, but if made with a different backstory to life. Basically that in 1986 he crashed his Testarossa Ferrari (which is a model that inspired his first song) and then came back as a zombie in 2006. He also says that his musical style is made of the best parts of a bunch of movies from when he was growing up. Over his career he has released six EPs, a bunch of singles and two albums, one from 2013 and another this year. This is the first time I've heard of this artist, but I like what I've heard so far so I thought it would be something good to feature. Enjoy.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 52

Hey guys. Today's song is Artemis by Lindsey Stirling.

Photo by: Kmeron

I've featured and talked about Lindsey Stirling so much, so instead of yet another review of her career, today I'm going to share with you a bit of what's been going on with me over here. So my uncle is having his house painted which means they came and stayed in the guest room in the building for a couple days. And when I say room I mean room: there is a bed and not much else, so that means they've been in the apartment harassing me the entire time. Did I mention this is the uncle that has a 9 year old? Overall it wasn't too bad, but the way he parents and how his kid is growing up is driving me insane because he's setting her up for a rude awakening when she is faced with the reality that the world does not revolve around her. On another note, my other uncle and his wife had come to dinner the one night with all of us, and apparently according to them I look happier.... I feel complimented but also insulted by that at the same time because happier is not something I feel, but I know the observation comes from a sincere place. All I know is that between this and other stuff going on I have had entirely too much family time and would like to live in solitude for at least a week to recharge my mental batteries. Do you guys feel like this sometimes too?

Peace.

Year 8, Day 51

Hey guys. Today's song is LongMa by Nini Music.

This is kind of different than a lot of the other stuff I've featured, but that's the fun part about it. So Nini is a Taiwanese musician and this is considered Taiwanese Folk Metal. She's been playing various traditional folk instruments for decades and had done traditional performances as well as rock type stuff and is now working on combining the two mediums to do her own thing. Which I'd say mission accomplished because this is unique and awesome and I couldn't wait to share it with you guys.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 50

Hey guys. Today's song is RED by McFly.

Is anyone really surprised to see more McFly songs on here? I doubt it. Anyway, this is one of their more recent songs from the Lost Songs. So this is an English band active since 2003 and made up of Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter, and Harry Judd. Over their career they've released six albums, with the most recent from 2020, but have also done lots of other stuff in between. I'm gonna focus on their most recent stuff though because the band has been going through some struggles. In 2018 the band had gone on hiatus so they could all focus on other projects, and they honestly didn't know if they would come back, but by the end of the year had teased that they were. That comeback is where the Lost Songs came from, which were songs that they had done that got bumped off albums because they weren't fitting well or was a lone style, like this one is. They did a documentary talking about all the behind the scenes stuff that let to their break and subsequent reunion that explains better and honestly is worth watching even if you're not a fan of the band because it shows how even amazing relationships can become strained over time, but that communication can help mend those issues. And now they're back stronger than ever. So I hope you'll check it out.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 49

Hey guys. Today's song is Warriors by Imagine Dragons.

Photo by: Danazar

These guys are a pop rock group active since 2008 and currently made up of Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Ben McKee, and Daniel Platzman. I always wondered about the band name and it's apparently an anagram for a phrase known only by the band members. There was a lot of member shuffling before they released two EPs in 2010, followed quickly by another in 2011. They were signed the same year, then lucked out by replacing a band who couldn't perform for a huge audience boosting their fan base by a large margin. Then they kind of blew up. Their debut came out in 2012 and obviously got them international fame. They toured for awhile, then released a live album in 2013, followed by more touring while working on another album. That one was released in 2015, then a tour followed before the band took a hiatus in 2016. It lasted less than a year before the band was hyping their fans up for new stuff. Since then they've released four albums, one in 2017 and another in 2018. Those were followed by the two-parter album with part one released in 2021 and part two released this year, so you can go listen to their new stuff if you're interested.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 48

Hey guys. Today's song is Victorious by The Score.

This is an indie pop band active since 2015, and made up of Eddie Anthony and Edan Dover. The breakout for them came from a supermarket campaign looking for a musical presence who were unsigned and unknown. A song was featured, and due to the airtime they got signed. They released their debut EP that same year, and another extended EP in 2016, then followed it up with yet another the following year. During that time a couple different songs of theirs were used for events and pop culture creations. Since then there have been a bunch more EP's and three albums, released in 2017, 2020, and a new one out this year. So there is a lot for you guys to check out.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 47

Hey guys. Today's song is Do I Wanna Know? by Arctic Monkeys.

Photo by: Bill Ebbesen

So I've featured and listened to the Arctic Monkeys before, but this song in particular I've had saved since it was mentioned in one of the books I was reading. I love anytime I'm reading a book and they mention songs or have soundtracks that they played while writing because it gives me a new pool to go from. Anyway, today we're featuring Arctic Monkeys, and English band active since 2002 and currently made up of Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders, and Nick O'Malley with one past member being Andy Nicholson. They've released seven albums, the first in 2006 and the most recent from this year. They also have a tour schedule happening throughout this year and next year so if you can, go watch them in action.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 46

Hey guys. Today's song is Is Everybody Going Crazy? by Nothing But Thieves. 

These guys are an English rock band active since 2012 and made up of Conor Mason, Joe Langridge-Brown, Dominic Craik, Philip Blake, and James Price. Over the course of their career, they have released six EP's starting in 2013 with the most recent released in 2021. They've also released three albums in 2015, 2017, and 2020 respectively. I'm not gonna go into more detail because I've actually featured these guys a number of times before, they just keep making such good music that I can't help it haha. Anyway I hope you enjoy it.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 45

Hey guys. Today's song is My Little Secret by Citizen Soldier.

So these guys don't have an official bio I can work off of, so everything here is inferred from the information available on their website. These guys have been around since at least 2019 with the release of their first album, and have released four more since then with the most recent out this year. I actually have two songs of theirs saved to feature, so this is the first one and you can look forward to more down the line. The band is made up of Jake Segura, Matt Duffney, Kooper Hanosky, Wonitta, and Kyle Persell. Clearly they are still going strong and I love their sound so I hope you guys check them out.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 44

Hey guys. Today's song is Wicked Ways by Halestorm.

Photo by: Sven Mandel

Alright you guys should know Halestorm already because I've featured both the band before, and just Lzzy when she collaborated with Lindsey Stirling. Halestorm is an American band, active since 1997 and currently made up of Lzzy Hale, Arejay Hale, Joe Hottinger, and Josh Smith with past members including Leo Nessinger and Roger Hale. Over the years they've released a total of five albums, with the most recent coming out this year. I've said it before and I'll say it again: one of the better things to come out of the pandemic is creatives had the chance to work on their craft and make things that we now get to enjoy. There has been an influx of music, book, etc and I am so thankful for all of these people for that. This band too should all be recognized for actually giving a shit about their roadies and other behind the scenes people who make concerts happen by launching the #RoadieStrong campaign to fundraise for live entertainment crews during the pandemic. They were by far not the only band to be involved, but I have so much respect for all those that were. So today we are celebrating Halestorm, and I'll be over in my corner living out my rock star fantasy for a few minutes while I play this song. Feel free to join in.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 43

Hey guys. Today's song is The Rumbling by SiM.

Apologies in advance for the fact that I know absolutely nothing about this group other than what is on this YouTube channel because I'm trying to write a lot of these posts all at once and I just don't know the best way to search these guys up. So from what I can figure out, this is a Japanese group active since 2004, and SiM is short for Silence Iz Mine and the members are listed as SIN (シン, Ba) / GODRi (ゴリ, Dr) / MAH (マー, Vo) / SHOW-HATE (ショウヘイト, Gt). I may not know a lot about you guys, but I do enjoy this song despite it being a little harder in the beginning than I'm used to. It's a little funny that a song like this ended up her about a week after the showtune musical stuff, but sometimes that's how it works out. Hope you enjoy.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 42

Hey guys. Today's song is Nocturnal by MOTHICA.

Photo by: Justin Higuchi

So Mothica is the stage name for American singer McKenzie Ellis.Fun Fact: The name Mothica is a reference to how moths tend to be attracted to the light, and was picked out for her music and visual art moniker at 15. She started out with writing music, but never saw it as a career for herself, then started to produce songs when she was 18. After receiving a scholarship to the Pratt Institute for visual web programming, she was introduced to SoundCloud and her first song became an instant hit. She released an EP in 2015, with one of the songs hitting number six on the Viral Spotify Charts. In 2020 she started to promote her stuff of TikTok, which is kind of the perfect platform for that now. The popularity of one of her songs earned her the number two spot on the iTunes music charts and a spot on the Billboard charts. She also released an album in 2020, and another EP in 2021. This song I'm featuring is the title song from her second album which was released this year. As an artist she is self-made, not signed or working with anyone, and is very open about her struggle with depression, abuse, and sobriety which I give mad props to her for being so open and being able to move forward in her life. I love this song, and I hope you guys will to and give her a chance to be one of your new favourites.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 41

Hey guys. Today's song is Aimed To Kill by Jade LeMac.

Jade LeMac is a Canadian singer that is still relatively new in the industry, debuted as a featured vocalist in 2018 on a Dion Timmer song. Prior to that she was considered a TikTok star, but now she does do her own music, posting onto her YouTube channel over the last year. So go check her stuff out if you're curious.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 40

Hey guys. Today's song is Potential Breakup Song by Aly and AJ.

Photo from: Paparazzo Presents

As you guys have probably figured out from the post dump, I am back now. So my computer completely died and I didn't have a new one, but I also didn't want to just get any old thing and wanted to take the time to get the right kind of set up. I halfways have that now. I got a custom built computer ordered and built, and have it set up in a corner of my room so it's usable, but I am still lacking a desk and actual nice set up in which to work. But I'm locked in enough to try and catch up on here so I don't leave you hanging any longer. The fact that I've been gone for basically a month is insane, I didn't think it would take that long. I thought maybe a week and I'd be back. It'll still take me a bit to catch up to present day, but I'll try and do a couple posts at a time until I'm back with you guys. So enjoy the mass influx of music coming down the pike.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 39

Hey guys. Today's song is Omigod You Guys from Legally Blonde: The Musical.

Oddly enough, despite me being the musical guru in my family, it was my sister who found and was watching this one first. Of course I made her stop it and restart with me. This is another musical that we are lucky enough to be able to view in full, because it was recorded and aired on MTV as a kick off to find the next Elle Woods to replace Laura Bell Bundy when she left. And can we just give a little props to Laura for her performance because some of the songs she had to do are insanely difficult. So this musical was created in 2007 with music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach, and is based on (well the movie obviously but also) the novel by Amanda Brown called legally Blonde. it's had runs on both Broadway and West End, has been nominated for all kinds of awards and has won some too, including best New Musical at the Laurence Olivier Awards for the West End production. They recently had a revival this year in London over the summer, and I'm sure there will be more in the future. But like I said there is that full recording so give that a watch if you're curious.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 38

Hey guys. Today's song is You're The One That I Want by John Travolta and Olivia Newton John.

After my computer died, I had to postpone posting these, but I'm now back and backdating these posts so they are released on the right day, rather than at the end of the month which is when I'm writing this. So I had actually had this song selected and waiting to go in my musical week when I heard the news that Olivia Newton John had passed away. It's upsetting because this really was the first movie musical that I connected to and it and the cast hold a special place in my soul for that. So anyone who hasn't seen this movie really need to check it out.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 37

Hey guys. Today's song is Whatever Happened To Saturday Night by MeatLoaf.

Photo from: Super Festivals

This is sung by MeatLoaf, but it is from the musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show which I have definitely told you guys about before. Still, let's do a little recap: Rocky Horror was written by Richard O'Brien in the 1970's while living as a struggling actor in London. He then showed it to Jim Sharman, a director he has worked with on Jesus Christ Superstar before, and they worked out a showing of it in the Royal Court Theatre, which was used for testing new projects. Originally the project was called They Came From Denton High, but was changed right before previews, and I think that was the right call. It quickly transferred out of the smaller theatre, moving to a Chelsea Classic Cinema in 1973 before finding their more permanent home in the King's Road Theatre, running for six years. it did get productions in other countries including having a stint on Broadway, but I know it best from the film production of it, which was made in 1975. Sharman got to direct it, and O'Brien while also making the screenplay was cast in it. The movie didn't become very popular  until they started doing midnight screenings and got featured as the secret film at the Seattle Film Festival. Then it started to get popular as a cult classic, which is a title it still holds. So if you're curious go check that out, it's a weird one.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 36

Hey guys. Today's song is In Love With You from First Date: The Musical.

So First Date: The Musical is a relatively new production in terms of musicals, only debuting in 2012. The book was written by Austen Winsberg with music and lyrics done by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner. The cast is small, with only about six people, and it centres around (as you probably guessed) a first date, a blind date specifically. It ran for a few months in Seattle before moving to Broadway in 2013 with Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez as the leads. Which was exciting when I heard about it because i have loved Zachary since Chuck and I discovered Krysta on Smash and thought she was fantastic. Like I said on the other post, I wish there was an official version of each play that we could see with the original cast, especially because some never actually get revivals, but sometimes all we have is the cast recordings an if we're lucky a less than ideal quality version someone took so we can see the performance. So if you want to watch that it's here. Hope you enjoy it.

Peace.

Unexpected Hiatus

 Hey guys.

So my computer has been slowly dying for literal years and I've procrastinated for so long about getting a new one that it officially broke down a couple days ago. I had some posts already done and scheduled, but since I don't have access to an actual computer and doing this blog on a different advice is just super difficult for me, I'll be taking a break until I get a new computer and I don't know how long that'll be. When I'm back I will catch up so expect a mass exodus of posts backdated to when they should have been up, but for now you're on your own. Sorry.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 35

Hey guys. Today's song is Candy Store from Heather: The Musical.

The Heathers is not as big as the other musicals, but it is one of my new all time favorites. It's based off of the 1988 film Heathers, with Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy developing both the book and the music. They started with a table reading and performing it as a concert in 2010, but it wasn't until 2013 when the show gained success with it's first true shows for a two month run in LA. They moved to off-Broadway in the same year with some of the same cast including Barrett Wilbert Weed reprising her role as Veronica. They did a cast album in 2014, and their off-Broadway run ended not long after. Since then the show has been done in San Francisco, St. Louis, Sydney, and off the West End. I have more songs from the musical saved to put up, but I figured I'd start with the female group number since we had one of those yesterday too. So this song is brought to life by Heather, Heather, and Heather, otherwise known as Jessica Keenan Wynn, Alice Lee & Elle McLemore. I also used the video clip of their actual performance, but if you want a better one here is a video of them recording the official cast soundtrack. Now I will always advocate for enjoying the official release of  musicals, and I wish they all had one like what Hamilton did where it's literally the play in high quality, but I also abhor the idea that musicals only be for the rich who can afford to go at that one specific time something is in the theatre. So here is a link to the full show so you can enjoy it too. 

Peace.

Year 8, Day 34

Hey guys. Today's song is First Burn from Hamilton.

Okay so this is not technically in the musical Hamilton. Instead this was the first draft of a song that was actually in the musical, but it was so good that they released it as part of the Hamildrops project which is essentially the sequel to the Hamilton Mixtape. This is written by Lin Manuel Miranda, produced by Alex Lacamoire and Mike Elizondo and is sung by five actresses who all played Eliza in Hamilton at one point or another. Those actresses are Lexi Lawson, Arianna Afsar, Shoba Narayan, Rachelle Ann Go, and Julia Harriman. It's rumored that the song was redone because this one was seen as too harsh and offensive which... I guess. Eliza as a character is shown to be kind and forgiving, but even kind, forgiving people can be royally pissed off when there whole life has been stomped on. I do love Burn, which is what is in the play, but this song goes so hard that you can't help but be drawn to it. And the girls absolutely killed it in this one, so I hope you enjoy it.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 33

Hey guys. Today's song is Let Me Drown by Orville Peck.

So Orville Peck is is a singer active since 2017, and is based in Canada, but was originally from South Africa. Following the veins of some other artists, no one has ever seen his face because he always wear the fringed mask. Prior to starting his musical career he has apparently done many interesting things. He voiced a cartoon as a kid, he's done national tours for musicals, starred in something on West End, and has trained in ballet. Quite the eclectic array and I love it. So far he's released three EPs and two albums, the first from 2019 and another this year. Honestly his voice is amazing so I am so happy I found this song to share with you guys. I can't wait to hear more.

Peace.

Year 8, Day 32

Hey guys. Today's song is Lean On Me by Bill Withers.

Photo from: annulla

This song will always have a special place in my heart, along with all the other ones I sang in choir. I wont say we did a good job, because when I watch the video I have of us doing it makes me cringe, but I still do regard it differently after practicing it so much. Anyway, Bill Withers. William Withers Jr was a singer/songwriter active from 1967 until 1985. He first became interested in singing and songwriting while he was enlisted in the Navy which he was in for nine years. After that was when his music career started, moving to LA and recording demo tapes and performing in nightclubs while working as an assembler in factories. He was signed in 1970, releasing his first album in 1971. The success led to him touring, and even winning a Grammy in 1972. That same year he did his second album which is where this song is from, and (as you can imagine) was a huge hit. He had another album in 1974, but when a legal dispute popped up, he was frozen from recorded for awhile after that. Instead, he spent time writing, producing, and performing. In 1975 he signed with a new label and released a new album, followed by more in 1976, 1977, and 1978. After that he had trouble getting songs approved by the label for his albums, so he spent most of his career doing joint projects with other artists, some of which earns him nominations and wins for Grammys. His final album came out in 1985, which actually had many songs that were previously rejected by the label, and frustrations with the label led to him parting ways with them. Can't say I blame him. He was with Columbia who has been known to treat their artists badly through their history. It was his disdain for these record executives that stained his love of the music industry, and ultimately led to him ending his career, seeing no point in making more music when he no longer loved it, and he's said that he doesn't regret that decision. There's no denying the impact he's had on the industry as his songs are some of the most covered ones from that decade, so even though it's a relatively short career compared to some, I am forever greatly he gave us these masterpieces.

Peace.