You have probably heard Don McLean’s song American Pie. In the song there is the phrase ‘The Day the Music Died’. At first when you listen to this song you may think the various phrases have no meaning to music but as you listen closer you will hear small facts about the musical world and the events behind these events. The phrase ‘The Day the Music Died’ refers to February 3rd 1959. On this day a small plane containing three of Americas well known rock n’ roll singers of that time crashed.

The singers were Buddy Holly, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and Ritchie Valens. In the plane crash wreckage that was found all three of these singers and the pilot had died on impact from massive trauma wounds. It is for this reason that McLean’s song has the words that music died as three very promising singers who greatly influenced the music scene had their lives and careers cut short.

A variety of reasons led the three performers to taking a single engine Beechcraft Bonanza airplane to their performance venue. For Buddy Holly the bus traveling frustration is what lead him to choose to fly to the next venue, for Richardson his bout of flu had made the decision to fly as the ride to their next performance and for Valens it was a new experience that promoted him to ask to be one of the passengers in the plane.

Not long after the single engine airplane with its three passengers took, off the radio tower in Clear Lake, Iowa saw the tail light of the plane descending. This plus the flight plan file which was never called in prompted the tower to ask for a search operation into the whereabouts of the Beechcraft Bonanza airplane. Shortly after the search was begun the wreckage of the plane was found and its three dead passengers and pilot were also discovered.

Today you can find the memorial site where these three promising performers had their lives cut short in a private farm land. A stainless steel monument shows this location. It was in that crash that music died or as Don McLean’s put it that was ‘The Day the Music Died’.

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Ronan Keating first emerged into our view as one of the performers in the Irish band Boyzone. However even though this is where the world first came into contact with this talented singer he has gone beyond being part of a group to that of a solo artist. As with his band mates in Boyzone Ronan Keating has a voice which is capable of making his fans enjoy the music, the depth of feeling he conveys in his every word and the fact that you can feel alive when you listen to his music.

Ronan Keating became part of the band Boyzone in 1993 when he was sixteen. It was in 1999 that Keating left the band to pursue a solo career. The musical genres he employs are dance pop, folk rock, pop and ballad. As you listen to how these musical genres have melded together you will be able to appreciate the talent behind these songs. To help his fans receive the songs he has created Ronan Keating signed on with the record label Polydor where to this date he releases his music.

During his career as a solo artist Keating has released 10 UK Top Singles and 4 UK Number One Albums. From the very beginning of his career as a solo artist Ronan Keating has managed to please his fans by making sure they have a good choice of music to listen to. Some of the songs he has released are “When You Say Nothing At All” which was for the motion picture Notting Hill, “The Long Goodbye” which is one of Keating most loved songs by his fans, “Its Only Christmas” and “Scars”.

As you listen to his music you can allow yourself the pleasure of relaxing and letting the music seep into your very being. Whether you are looking for relaxing music or mood music you will find these choices are possible with songs of Ronan Keating one of the musical world’s talented performers.

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The Irish pop group Westlife was formed in 1998. The band has been playing songs of note and depth from that time to the present. At the time of their formation Westlife was composed of five members. These individuals were Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, Kian Egan, Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden. When Brian McFadden left the group in 2004 he place was not filled but the band carried on with presenting their fans with quality music.

The musical styles which Westlife use in their compositions has evolved from teen pop, to pop which plays an emphasis on ballads. The other genres which can be found in their music are dance, R&B, pop rock, adult contemporary, big band and jazz. To help Westlife reach their numerous fans the group has singed on with some well known music labels. These music companies include ones like Artista, Sony BMG, Syco Music and RCA.

When Westlife first appeared on the music scene they were the idea of Louis Walsh. During a meeting with Shane Filan, Walsh came to know and hear a group of young men who called themselves IOYOU singing. While he was impressed with their songs they needed to make some changes before the group could sign with Simon Cowell and Sony BMG. The changes were member replacement – with 3 of the IOYOU members being replaced with Nick Byrne and Brian McFadden – and the band being given a new name. After some deliberation the name of Westlife was chosen and their professional career began.

From that point the band has released a number of fabulous songs. Each song they have released has been received outstandingly and you can hear from the composition of the songs how much hard work Westlife has put to provide their fans with music which can make you feel better or make you feel like dancing. Some of the music they have released are “I Lay My Love On You”, “Bop Bop Baby”, If I Let You Go”, “Swear It Again”, “I Have A Dream”, “Flying Without Wings”, “You Raise Me Up’ and other great songs. These great songs and the hard work Westlife has put in are some of the reasons why this band is so popular with their numerous fans the world over. So the next time you are looking for some great music to listen to try choosing something by Westlife and let your heart soar with the wind.

Many of you have heard of the Irish boy band known as Boyzone. This successful group was composed of 5 members. During the height of their career this group was one of the highly successful groups around. Boyzone began in 1993 under the management of Louis Walsh who first had the idea of creating an Irish group of male singers who could perform at the same level as the group Take That.

In order to get that perfect group of singer Walsh held auditions to see who would pass the requirements he needed. Out of the original 300 contestants 5 individual were chosen. These 5 people would comprise the original members of this boy band. They were Stephen, Ronan, Shane, Richard and Mark. Once Richard Rock left the band his void was filled by Mikey.

Boyzone’s songs belong to the pop genre and they are extremely wonderful to listen to. The group produced 4 albums which become number 1 hits and 6 singles which also become placed at the number 1 slot. Their first album which was released in 1995 was Said and Done. Prior to this Boyzone played mainly in Northern Ireland at pubs and bars before they were signed onto PolyGram Records and started their musical career in the eye of the international audiences.

From this beginning Boyzone have proven they have the ability to provide their fans with songs which are melodious and full of life. When you hear songs like “Love Me For A Reason”, “Working My Way Back To You”, “A Different Beat”, “Picture of You”, “Baby Can I Hold You” and “No Matter What” you will be able to hear the soulfulness of their voices.

This successful streak of Boyzone came to an end in 2000, but luckily for their myriad of fans the group made a comeback in 2007. Of the many songs they gave us from this time you will most likely have heard the song “Love You Anyway”. In October of 2009 Stephen Gately who shared the lead in vocals with Ronan Keating passed away from natural causes. Even though his void has not been filled the group has decided they will release some songs which were written by Gately for the group, as a tribute to him.

For those of you who are looking for a group which can make you feel wonderful and yet at the same time full of life you will love listening to Boyzone. Whether you choose songs from their past or ones from their present you can be assured that you are listening to a fantastic group who are truly fabulous.

One singer who does not need much introduction is Whitney Houston. This fabulous performer has a powerful and rich voice which can captivate all those who listen to her. While most of us recognize Whitney Houston as being a brilliant singer she is also an actress, former model, record producer and a film producer. You may think that wearing all of these hats means that Houston has lost her touch with giving fans great music but this is not the case.

Her career in music began at the tender age of eleven when she first started singing in junior gospel choir. As she grew older she joined her mother in singing at night clubs and this is where she was discovered by Clive Davis who was the head of Arista Records. Whitney’s debut album which was simply called “Whitney Houston” was released in 1985. It became one of the best selling debut albums released by a female artist. Her second album which was called “Whitney” debuted on the Billboard 200 albums chart at number 1.

It was due to Whitney Houston’s magnetic and powerful presence in the music industry which encouraged a number of African-American women to follow in her footsteps to musical independence. Following on the success which her earlier albums gave her, Whitney Houston has gone from strength to strength in providing her fans with appealing music. When you listen to music like “I Will Always Love You”, “You Give Good Love”, “Saving All My Love For You”, “The Greatest Love Of All”, and “I Look To You” you will agree that they are nothing short of amazing. (She also released a comeback album titled “I look to You” in August of 2009.)

With these songs under her belt it is easy to see why Whitney Houston is a favorite singer with so many people of all ages. Her easy style of singing coupled with her rich voice allows fans to slide into soulful music easily as if you were winging your way down a velvet slide.