วันจันทร์ที่ ๒๘ พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๐

Latin Music Songwriter Estefano Shot



MIAMI (AP) -- Police said a handyman delivering drugs shot and critically wounded a prominent Latin music songwriter and producer inside a waterfront mansion।
Fabio Alonso Salgado was shot around 11:30 p.m. Friday in the chest and on the back of the head. A police report described the injuries as "near fatal" but also said Salgado was able to talk with authorities and identify his attacker in a photo.
Salgado, also known as Estefano, has worked with Latin music stars including Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Shakira, Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias and Julio Iglesias.
The handyman, Francisco Oliveira, 29, who had worked for Salgado for five years and was delivering marijuana to him, according to police, is being charged with attempted murder. He was being held at the Miami-Dade County Jail without bond, according to jail records. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney.
Telephone and e-mail messages left at Estefano Productions Group in Miami on Saturday were not immediately returned.
An administrator at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where the police report showed Salgado was taken, said she was not allowed to release any information about Salgado's condition or whether he was still at the hospital
.

Barbra Streisand canceled her concert in Rome next month


ROME (AP) -- Barbra Streisand canceled her concert in Rome next month - a move that followed protests by Italian consumer groups angered by what they said were excessively high ticket prices.
Concert organizers indicated the decision was not connected to the outcry, saying that production delays had forced them to scrap the June 15 concert in the capital's Stadio Flaminio, what would have been the singer's first concert in Italy and the start of her European tour.
"We met with unexpected production delays," said a statement by tour promoter Michael Cohl posted on the Web site of Milano Concerti, the Italian organizer of the event.
"We deeply apologize to the fans in Rome," Cohl said in the statement, adding that ticket holders would be refunded and given the opportunity to book a spot for one of Streisand's other European concerts.
Organizers were not immediately available Monday morning for further comment.
Last week, consumer groups Codacons and Adusbef protested as "absurd and shameful" ticket prices ranging from just under $200 to more than $1,200, calling on authorities to deny Streisand use of the 24,000-seat stadium.
The stadium "is public property and cannot be used for immoral deals that are shameful to a civilized country," the groups said in a statement.
Instead of the Rome concert, Streisand's Web site listed a new date - a June 18 concert in Zurich, Switzerland - as the kickoff for the star's tour.
Streisand's 2006 U.S. tour was ranked the second-highest grossing tour in North America last year, generating $92.5 million in gross sales, with the average ticket price at $298. The Rolling Stones tour ranked first.
After the Zurich event, Streisand's monthlong European tour has concerts scheduled in Austria, France, Ireland and Britain.

Pirates' Breaks Memorial Day Record


Entertainment Video

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" hauled in $142.1 million to commandeer the record for best Memorial Day weekend debut, capping a huge month that puts Hollywood on track for record summer business.
Disney's third "Pirates" adventure fell far short of breaking the best three-day opening ever, the $151.1 million haul for Sony's "Spider-Man 3" three weeks earlier, according to studio estimates Monday.
Yet "At World's End" cruised past last year's record for best four-day Memorial Day opening, $122.9 million for "X-Men: The Last Stand."
Compared to its predecessor in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, the $115.1 million that "At World's End" drew from Friday to Sunday was well behind the $135.6 million premiere last summer of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," the second-biggest debut ever.
Chuck Viane, Disney's head of distribution, said "At World's End" had been a longshot to break top box-office records.
The movie runs two hours, 47 minutes, about 15 minutes longer than "Dead Man's Chest" and almost half an hour longer than "Spider-Man 3." That limited the number of screenings theaters could fit in.
"Dead Man's Chest" and "Spider-Man 3" also opened amid lighter competition, while "At World's End" was up against "Spider-Man 3" and DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek the Third."
"This is probably the most competitive Memorial weekend ever if not one of the most competitive weekends all time. It speaks volumes for how well we did," Viane said. "Obviously, we fell short of the three-day record of 'Spidey.' Everything's really obvious and really good."
Adding in $14 million from Thursday night previews before its official Friday release, "At World's End" had taken in $156.1 million domestically.
The movie also grossed $245 million internationally since Wednesday, putting its worldwide total at $401 million in a matter of days.
The movie picks up where "Dead Man's Chest" left off, with Johnny Depp's wily pirate Jack Sparrow consigned to Davy Jones' locker and his old associates embarking on a rescue mission.
"At World's End" took over the top spot at the box office from "Shrek the Third," which slipped to No. 2 with $69.1 million, raising its domestic total to $219.4 million. "Spider-Man 3" came in third with $18 million, putting its domestic total at $307.6 million.
The weekend's only other new wide release, Lionsgate's psychological thriller "Bug," had a so-so opening, coming in at No. 4 with $4.2 million. Directed by William Friedkin ("The Exorcist"), the movie stars Ashley Judd as a waitress who takes up with a drifter and is drawn into his delusional conspiracy theories.
The combination of "At World's End," "Shrek the Third" and "Spider-Man 3" lifted Hollywood to a record Memorial Day weekend with overall revenues of $265 million, topping the previous high of $247 million set in 2004.
For the year, revenues are at $3.6 billion, 6.4 percent ahead of last year's, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers. Factoring in higher ticket prices, movie admissions are up 2.6 percent.
The rise in movie attendance leaves the industry in good shape for summer, which has an unusually strong lineup that includes "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," "Transformers," "Ocean's Thirteen," "The Bourne Ultimatum" and "The Simpsons Movie."
"Summer ain't over," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers, who predicted Hollywood could bring in record summer revenue topping $4 billion. "You've got a record number of people in theaters seeing all the trailers and marketing materials for these upcoming films. I've never seen a summer so well positioned."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Monday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Tuesday.
1. "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," $142.1 million.
2. "Shrek the Third," $69.1 million.
3. "Spider-Man 3," $18 million.
4. "Bug," $4.2 million.
5. "Waitress," $4 million.
6. "28 Weeks Later," $3.3 million.
7. "Disturbia," $2.4 million.
8. "Georgia Rule," $2.38 million.
9. "Fracture," $1.6 million.
10. "Wild Hogs," $1.4 million.
---
Universal Pictures and Focus Features are owned by NBC Universal, a joint venture of General Electric Co. and Vivendi Universal; Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; DreamWorks, Paramount and Paramount Vantage are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney's parent is The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is a division of The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox Atomic are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros., New Line, Warner Independent and Picturehouse are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a consortium of Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Sony Corp., Comcast Corp., DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and Quadrangle Group; Lionsgate is owned by Lionsgate Entertainment Corp.; IFC Films is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.

"Pirates of the Caribbean."



LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Box-office treasure is a little harder to come by on the new voyage of "Pirates of the Caribbean." The third installment in the Walt Disney Co. franchise, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," hauled in $112.5 million from Friday to Sunday, well below last summer's $135.6 million opening weekend for its predecessor, "Dead Man's Chest."
"At World's End" had the fifth-biggest three-day opening ever, with this month's "Spider-Man 3" ($151.1 million) and "Shrek the Third" ($121.6 million) both outperforming it.
Adding in $14 million from Thursday night preview screenings, "At World's End" had taken in $126.5 million domestically, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Thursday night screenings skewed the weekend figures for "At World's End," which likely would have done much of that business on Friday without those previews.
"At World's End" took in an additional $205.5 million internationally since it began rolling out overseas Wednesday, putting its worldwide total at $332 million.
Though it missed out on key box-office records, "At World's End" is on course to surpass last year's "X-Men: The Last Stand," which had the best four-day Memorial Day weekend debut with $122.9 million.
"We will go flying by that," said Chuck Viane, Disney head of distribution.
After 2003's acclaimed "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," reviews were mixed at best for both sequels.
Critics found the second and third movies more akin to the Disney theme-park attraction on which the franchise is based, cinematic thrill rides whose huge visual set pieces supplanted much of the charm of the first film, which earned Johnny Depp an Academy Award nomination as boozy buccaneer Jack Sparrow.
Released just 10 months after "Dead Man's Chest," the new movie picks up from that cliffhanger as Sparrow's friends and foes (Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush) set sail to rescue him from Davy Jones' locker.
It remains to be seen how well "At World's End" will measure up in the long run to "Curse of the Black Pearl," which topped out at $305 million, and "Dead Man's Chest," last year's biggest hit with $423 million.
"Fifth-biggest opening of all time. There's really nothing to complain about here," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "These numbers tell us that people love to see these `Pirates' movies, regardless of reviews, regardless of any other factors."
With a big first weekend behind it, "At World's End" appears positioned to avoid the fate of some third installments such as "Jurassic Park III" and "The Matrix Revolutions," whose returns fell far short of their predecessors.
The new "Pirates" poached the box-office crown from DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek the Third," whose No. 1 debut a week earlier was a record opening for an animated film. "Shrek the Third" slipped to second place with $51 million, pushing its domestic total just beyond $200 million.
With $13.7 million, Sony's "Spider-Man 3" came in third, raising its domestic take to $303.3 million. Worldwide, "Spider-Man 3" has topped $800 million.
"At World's End" was hindered by a running time of two hours, 47 minutes, limiting the number of screenings theaters could schedule. "Dead Man's Chest" was about 15 minutes shorter and "Spider-Man 3" was nearly a half-hour shorter.
But "At World's End" made up for that by playing in more theaters, an all-time high of 4,362, 110 more than "Spider-Man 3," the previous record-holder.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Tuesday.
1. "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," $112.5 million.
2. "Shrek the Third," $51 million.
3. "Spider-Man 3," $13.7 million.
4. "Bug," $3.3 million.
5. "Waitress," $3.1 million.
6. "28 Weeks Later," $2.5 million.
7. "Georgia Rule," $1.9 million.
8. "Disturbia," $1.8 million.
9. "Wild Hogs," $1.1 million.
10. "Fracture," $1.08 million.
---
Universal Pictures and Focus Features are owned by NBC Universal, a joint venture of General Electric Co. and Vivendi Universal; Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; DreamWorks, Paramount and Paramount Vantage are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney's parent is The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is a division of The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox Atomic are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros., New Line, Warner Independent and Picturehouse are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a consortium of Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Sony Corp., Comcast Corp., DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and Quadrangle Group; Lionsgate is owned by Lionsgate Entertainment Corp.; IFC Films is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.
© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy. Purchase this AP story for reprint.

Toby Keith 28 may 2007


OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Toby Keith is among eight people, including the new majority owner of an NBA franchise and a civil rights pioneer, chosen to be inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.
The hall was established in 1928 and has 613 members.
Keith, who was born in Clinton and is now living in Norman, has performed 22 No. 1 country hits, including his debut single, "Should've Been A Cowboy." He has sold 30 million CDs.
Oklahoma City businessman Clay Bennett led a group of investors to purchase the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics last year. Rounding out the class are civil rights activist Clara Luper, a Hoffman native, and Muskogee native Linda K. Twine, a renowned conductor, composer and music educator.
Luper coordinated one of the nation's early publicized sit-ins at a drug store lunch counter in Oklahoma City.
Twine's Broadway credits include "The Color Purple," "Carolina, or Change," "A Year with Frog and Toad," "Jelly's Last Jam," "Big River," "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "The Wiz."The induction banquet will be Nov. 8 in Oklahoma City.

วันอังคารที่ ๒๒ พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๐

High Quality Music Downloads

Part of the Megabop Digital brand, Mbop Megastore is a multi-genre online music store offering high quality mp3 downloads. Catering to all musical tastes and with a catalogue of over 1.5 million and climbing, Mbop Megastore provides everything from Classical oldies to R&B Funk with everything in between. Mbop mp3 music is compatible with any mp3 player and the iPod. Mbop Megastore provides both WMA files with DRM and mp3 with no DRMMusic from every genre for every generation is out motto, and we aim to provide a one stop shop for reviews, opinion, and music shopping. Mbop Megastore is a revolutionary music provider where you can find songs and music of any genre; The global brand boasts an affiliation with independent Record Labels as well as many of the great majors including SonyBMG and Warner Music Group; and with Beggars Banquet and Ministry of Sound in the pipeline, it’s easy to visualise the broad range that Mbop Megastore has to offer. Mixing contemporary labels with the industry leaders, the Megastore has a little something for everyone. With careful timing, Mbop Megastore has entered the market with a unique perspective on music. With options to sign up for a monthly newsletter, Mbop Megastore provides you with latest release information, industry updates and artist related features. Incorporating competitions, great deals and enticing promotions, Mbop Megastore is a one stop shop. Journalist for the Independent, Justin Stoneman wrote an article on the Mbop Global brand quoting ‘The New Mbop business has successfully launched an attack on the big boys’. With a unique perspective, founder of Megabop Global-Paul Balance, previously a singer with 70’s rock band Warm Jets, is approaching 40 years in the business and is placing his expertise behind the scenes at the Megabop Global Brand. The online mp3 download store has a philosophy to create and provide a social networking community inviting members to join an online society of music lovers to discuss, deliberate and share information. Mbop Megastore is more than just an online store, it aims to become a part of your Musical fix. Mbop Megastore aims to provide it’s members with an open forum for discussion, as well as a place where they can seek and find expert advice from a huge variety of industry experts. With many well respected taste makers on board, we expect that this will become a main attraction of the store. We are going to have editorial, reviews and recommendations by some of the most knowledgeable people in the industry so people can have a bespoke experience even whilst browsing one of the biggest online download stores in the world.This editorial content will also be complimented by download only compilations compiled and curated by cutting edge press and radio stations, both comprising new content and classic influences. Mbop Megastore is aiming to be more than just another mp3 download site – we aim to have a thriving music community that will grow and evolve according to the wishes and demands of it’s members.

An Introduction to 8-string guitar

8-String guitar comes with eight strings. There are many variants of this musical instrument guitar, one maybe invented from Russia along with the 7-string guitar alternative in the 19th century. The musical instrument 8-string guitar has started gaining popularity very recently, notably among jazz artists such as Charlie Hunter, The Special Purpose, Richard Scott, and Terje Rypdal and other metal artists like Meshuggah, Korn guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer also had also been appeared with 8 string guitar during occasional live shows. There are constantly increasing the number of online musical instrument store and musical instrument store offering 8 string guitars, and a production eight stings is been released during 2007 by Ibanez. Some of the other main manufacturing companies of 8 and also 9 strings guitars are Novax Guitars launched by Ralph Novak and Conklin Guitars. Advantages of 8 string guitars: • Full range of bass notes appears from A an octave lowers than the 5th guitar string, and up to the drop-D string. • Latest 19-century model smaller scale and thin neck facilitates access to all 8 strings, for even Barres. • It has the ability to play 10-string range of Mertz, and 7-string Coste range. • It has the ability to play Baroque transcriptions at actual pitch. • It plays Baroque 8-course lute pieces from originals. • Play drop-D pieces with contact to the usual 6-string and drop-D fingerings. • Low D and A quiver understandingly with 2 open strings. This period balanced 8-string guitar shaped by Reis in about 1840 is a hard surviving example of the multi-bass guitars. It is designed after the well-known Viennese builder Anton Stauffer, as many Viennese builders copied the same Stauffer's design. Note that the additional 2 strings are not fretted and they are only the open string could be played. The headstock is a usual figure 8 shape, where the gathering for the 7th and 8th strings is interlocked. The musical instrument 8 string variations can also be found in classical nylon strung instruments. They are usually tuned with two additional basses, which differ in pitch depending on the piece being played. Another general variation is to add an additional bass and treble string. The additional treble is almost forever tuned to A, while the added bass string generally falls on A, B, or C.
Article Source: http://www.superfeature.com
Rocky is a Copywriter of sound cardHe has written many articles in various topics.For more information visit:For more information visit: music editing software
Please Rate this Article

MBop Megastore

Mp3 downloads are responsible for probably the biggest change in music buying habits since the invention of vinyl. Whether it will be good or bad for the industry is a matter of some dispute, but it has happened, and a period of adjustment is inevitable whilst the old guard find their feet. Into this turbulent market have entered Megabop; comprising of two arms, MBop Global and MBop Digital, they are poised to take on the big boys in the brave new world of digital music.With a philosophy of community spirit and openness, MBop are trying to connect with consumers in a way that the major players have not yet managed. This direct connection is crucial, both to consumer and retailer, and this has not changed since the days of physical record purchases. What has changed, however, is the amount of choice available to mp3 purchasers. This is best explained by the theory of “The Long Tail”, first theorised by Chris Anderson; to paraphrase, the internet is about selling small amounts of many goods, rather than large amounts of a few goods.To help customers through this huge amount of independent and often undiscovered content, MBop are creating a true community network. In conjunction with many well known experts and major players of the industry, MBop are getting the consumer involved like never before. Along with handwritten editorial content from some well known music legends, they are planning download-only mp3 albums curated by renowned experts and cutting edge tastemakers. This will help guide people through the huge array of music on offer. Personal recommendations from music’s finest, available at music lovers fingertips will be a massive draw for MBop Megastore.Selling to the “Long Tail” or niche market is where MBop Megastore really comes into its own. With a large collection of back catalogue mp3’s, some unavailable anywhere else, and indie labels clamouring to join the MBop Megastore, there is music from Every Genre for Every Generation.A big difference between the online and physical music worlds is the ease with which it is possible to obtain illegal goods. This, as with so much else on the internet, has probably as much to do with the corporate world’s unwillingness to truly embrace the technology as it does with users willingness to thieve. The easy availability of illegal downloads can be turned to the industry’s advantage, and that is another thing MBop are attempting to do. Where possible the music from the Megastore is offered in non-DRM high quality mp3 format, as MBop believe that consumers do not like to be treated as criminals from the start. High quality mp3’s are worth paying for, and MBop believe that this will be enough to stem the tide of illegal downloads. Music will also be offered in DRM-enabled WMA format to appeal to the Major labels, as this is a business necessity.Aiming to mix both massive choice with personal recommendations, MBop has a mission to bring the experience of the small high street record shop back into the forefront of consumer’s minds, and maybe bring back the love of hearing and discovering new music all over again.

All You Need to Know About the Ipod

The site www.nanospot.org provides you all the required information about ipod and ipod nano. The ipod is basically a brand for moveable media players. They are designed as well as marketed by Apple. Ipod is able to play MP3, AAC/M4A, Protected AAC, AIFF, WAV, Audible audio book, and Apple Lossless audio file formats.The ipod has iTunes included in it, by which you can transfer tracks from the CD to MP3 format. All you have to do is connect the ipod to your PC and transfer the music along with the play list. Ipod is well suited for Macintosh computers that run on Mac OS X and PCs running on Windows 2000 or Windows XP.When the ipod or ipod nano is connected to your PC initially, it identifies the computer as “home” computer. Thus every time you connect, your ipod will automatically download the music stored in on the PC. Try connecting it with a different computer. The moment you do it, your ipod will tell you that it is connected to a computer that is different from the home computer and will ask you if you are interested in removing its contents and link it with the music library of the new computer.You can link more than one ipod with your PC. Every ipod provides an exclusive identification code to your computer. This allows you to derive the benefit of automatic transfer of music to the ipod inspite of the fact that you share the computer with another individual using ipod.All ipods and ipod nanos have been designed keeping in mind the active lifestyle of its target group. They are meant to be carried in your hand or put into the pocket even while running or any other outdoor activities.Ipods have various sizes of storage facilities. The capacities vary from 512 MB to 80 GB. The actual amount of music that your ipod can hold would actually depend on the rate of compression of your songs. For instance, twenty GB is comparable to over 5000 four-minute songs, or more than 500 CDs. If the case be that you have more music than the capacity of your ipod, then you need to update manually.Ipods stand out because of the very good quality sound they provide. The powerful amplifier has the capacity to produce a very loud sound. And, with its check feature you can even out the song volume. In addition, a good model of the ipod has an in-built battery that can support it for 10-20 hours.Your ipod can also double up as your computer’s hard disk. This feature helps you to transfer files from your PC and take it with you wherever you travel. Moreover, you need not worry…the ipod is intelligent enough to treat your data and music files separately. There is no chance of one overlapping the other. What more? The ipod also has a digital watch to help you maintain your schedule wherever you go.
Article Source: http://www.superfeature.com
Author Gigi Villanueva is an ipod and ipod nano fanatic. Click to visit his site, dedicated to all things ipod and ipod nano.

Different types of Guitar Amps

Once you have selected your guitar, you require finding an amp to go with it. Today there are various options available depending on size, sound, amplifier technology and configuration. We are here to give you some useful and necessary information that would steer you through the maze. Various types of AmplifiersThere are basically four types of guitar amplifiers: Solid-state (analog), Tube, Modeling (digital), and Hybrids. Solid-state Amps - These guitar amps are recognized solid-state as they use transistors for their preamp and for power sections as an alternative of tubes. They are extremely trustworthy and hardly ever require repairs. They normally have a very fresh tone, even though many come with "distortion" channels also. These amps are all the rage with players looking for a strong, dependable touring amp.Tube Amps - Tube amps are favored by many guitarists for their tepid, fat tone and as well for the "organic" distortion. Tube amps are generally sound louder than solid-state amps of the same wattage and have an exact "feel", which you do not acquire from solid-state amps. Most tube amps have different channels, which could be switched from clean to distorted tones instantly. Tube performance could also be deteriorating over time, so tubes require changing occasionally. Modeling Amps (Digital Amps) - Modeling amp uses digital processors to reproduce the sound of traditional and contemporary tube technology. Using software that "models" the sound of tube amplifiers (and cabinets); these amps put the sound of various amps in one box. Modeling amps are programmable, and frequently have fitted digital effects like delay, chorus, etc. Some as well comprise of digital or even for analog outputs with orator simulation for going direct in to a recording border or P A system.Hybrid Amps - Combining the best of each kind of guitar amp into one package, these amps use a real tube in combination with the solid state power part of their amps. Marshall Valve state amps use tubes in the preamp part and solid state circuitry in the power section to make a tube tone with no necessity the use of power tubes.
Article Source: http://www.superfeature.com
Rocky is a Copywriter of hard disk recordingHe has written many articles in various topics.For more information visit:For more

Classic Rock Performers Who Have Had A Lasting Influence On Music

Classic rock is a fundamental part of American history. Many of today's leading bands can trace their styles back to the influence of certain musicians. While every song made available to the world has had an impact on the music industry, there are certain performers who will eternally stand at the forefront of music.From folk rock to psychedelic rock, there have been many groundbreaking sounds and voices. Here are the top ten most influential classic rock bands in history.Elvis PresleyWhile Elvis is not traditionally viewed in the classic rock genre, it is impossible to ignore his influence on the world of Rock-n-Roll. As the first to expose mainstream America to something other than traditional family music, he faced a tremendous amount of opposition from the mainstream.Despite the extreme racism exhibited during the 1950's, Elvis never hesitated to give appropriate credit to his inspirations. Mainly African-American performers influenced Elvis' sound and style. Southern radio disc jockeys originally refused to play Elvis' singles, because they sounded "too Negro" for white stations to air.It was not just Elvis' sound, but also his performance, that drew controversy. The movement of his hips in a suggestive manner sparked an entire decade of debate.Despite the firestorm of criticism that surrounded Elvis' reign, his continuing popularity has ensured that Elvis' crown as the King of Rock and Roll would remain valid for decades, even decades after his death.The BeatlesAs the best selling musical act of all-time, it is hard to deny the influence of the Beatles, not only on the musical culture of America, but also on every aspect of human life. The Beatles included John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Star, and George Harrison.Their innovative style defined the music of the 1960's -- twice. They began their career in England, and when they came to America, they were already a huge success in the United States. In their early years, they had defined pop music for a new generation.As the hippy days of the late 1960's began to take hold of America's young people, the Beatles redefined their music again, with another new style of music lauded by the masses. Their very loud stance on drug use and war made them a controversial group, but their popularity never wavered. Although the Beatles retained the loyalty and admiration of their late 1960's audiences until the group broke up, the touring days of the Beatles ended in 1966 when John Lennon proclaimed, "The Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ."Bob DylanDylan has one of the most easily recognizable voices in the world. Raspy and full of passion, Bob Dylan's sound is distinctive. His songs are amazing and defined a generation obsessed with the themes of social unrest, an anti-war stance, and encouragement for the civil rights movement.A traditional folk singer, Dylan's works transcended all genres and appealed to countless young Americans. His sincere lyrics spoke to many and made it possible to empathize with his many causes.Jimi HendrixAs the undisputed master of the electric guitar, Jimi Hendrix is a classic rock foundation. The self-taught guitar player refused to be limited by many of the conventional views of guitar players.Prior to Jimi Hendrix's development as a guitar player, the electric guitar was considered to merely be a louder version of the acoustic guitar. Hendrix embraced the uniqueness of the electric guitar and showed his appreciation for it to the rest of the world.Pink FloydEasily considered the greatest band of all time, Pink Floyd's unique style and showmanship defined psychedelic rock. Their concept albums were thematic masterpieces that appealed to countless audiences. The Dark Side Of The Moon, Animals, and The Wall each still stand out today as great Rock masterpieces.The WhoAlso known for their thematic records, The Who pioneered the idea of rock opera. Most famous for their collaborative efforts with every major musical figure of their time, Tommy The Rock Opera ensured the longevity of the band into the future.Their success and fame were not limited to their unique approach to concept albums. Their musical skills are still highly regarded in both mainstream circles and in the entertainment industry. Their music is currently being used as the theme song for at least three of the most popular show on TV on the air today.The Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones have easily maintained their position as one of the longest lasting bands in recording history. Like most popular rock bands of the age, they were an England-based band that was more than happy to take on America.Their grungy unkempt image became so popular; many artists are still attempting to master it. Their unique sound and high quality lyrics have kept them at the top of the charts for almost 40 years.CreamCream, featuring guitarist Eric Clapton, was one of the most technically advanced music groups of their time. Their instrumental techniques became legendary and paved the way for other bands to focus on developing their instrument techniques, in addition to their lyrics.The DoorsThe Doors have always been one of the most controversial bands that had ever existed. Jim Morrison's wild behavior set the tone for the countless musical bad boys that would follow in his footsteps.The poetic lyrics of The Doors, as well as their outrageous behavior, made them a crowd favorite.Led ZeppelinThe road to heavy metal was paved by Led Zeppelin. Their first album was pivotal in its inclusion of distorted amplification techniques. Over the years, their experimentation included mixing acoustic and electric sounds, with the addition of synthesized melodies. The success of Led Zeppelin helped establish a strong base for the development of metal music.Few people of their generation or the current generation realize that like Elvis, Led Zeppelin took most of their inspiration from African-American performers. As a lifelong fan of Led Zeppelin, it is was oddly fascinating to listen to some of the not-so-famous African-American rhythm-and-blues performers of the 1930's, and to be able to hear the Led Zeppelin songs we have loved for years in a whole new way.Final ThoughtsClearly, these ten bands had a significant impact on the evolution of Rock-n-Roll music through the generations, but it is more difficult to put them into an ordered list of important groups. Let's just agree that most of us love all ten bands on this list.