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Björk

BJÖRK

 
Björk  (born Björk Guðmundsdóttir; 21 November 1965) is an Icelandic singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and occasional actress.  She initially became known as the lead singer of the alternative rock band The Sugarcubes, whose 1987 single “Birthday” was a hit on US and UK indie stations and a favorite among music critics.  Her first solo album, Debut is widely credited as one of the first albums to introduce electronic dance music into mainstream pop.  Now in the third decade of her solo career, Björk has developed an eclectic musical style that incorporates aspects of dance, rock, trip hop, jazz, electronic, classical, experimental and avant-garde music.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 
Mel Jefferson was the engineer for the Ja Ja Ja music; he later worked with the Sugarcubes and Björk.  
 
(February 2012)
 
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Opposition to the unfair imprisonment of two women in Pussy Riot became a cause célèbre of many Western celebrities plus musicians from every genre imaginable:  Bryan Adams, Beastie Boys, the Black Keys, John Cale, Peter Gabriel, Green Day, Nina Hagen, Kathleen Hanna, Paul McCartney, Moby, Yoko Ono, Pet Shop Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Patti Smith, Sting, Pete Townshend, etc.  Pussy Riot was featured on 60 Minutes as well. 

 

For their part, the bandmembers in Pussy Riot that were not in prison distanced themselves from all of this attention and were quoted as saying:  “We’re flattered, of course, that Madonna and Björk have offered to perform with us.  But the only performances we’ll participate in are illegal ones.  We refuse to perform as part of the capitalist system, at concerts where they sell tickets.” 

 

(December 2013)

 
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One of the hallmarks of the bandmembers in early punk rock bands is picking new names for themselves.  Not everyone did that, and most musicians perform under their own names.  For the record, as best I can tell, Frank Zappa, Fats Domino, Major Lance, Kris Kristofferson, and Stonewall Jackson are using their real names (with Fats being a nickname, though Major and Stonewall are not).  Grace Slick is her married name; she was born Grace Wing.  Most though not all of the one-name performers are also using one of their real names, with slight spelling changes and anglicizing here and there:  Madonna, Prince, Jewel, Cher, Björk, Enya, Beck, Donovan, Morrissey,  Liberace, Sade, Seal, Shakira, Rihanna, Adele, Dido, Melanie, Beyoncé, etc. 
 
(March 2017)