John Gary

John Gary (born John Gary Strader; November 29, 1932 – January 4, 1998) was an American singer, recording artist, television host, and performer on the musical stage.

Early life

From Watertown, New York, Gary started singing at the age of 5. He joined his older sister, Shirley Strader. At the age of 9, he won a 3-year scholarship to the prestigious Cathedral School of St John in Manhattan. He auditioned for the choir master, Norman Coke-Jeffcott. At the age of 10, Gary had won two (2) pins of distinction from the American Theatre Wing Merchant Seaman's Club for the Stage Door Canteen. Aged 12, he toured the southern states with Frank Pursley, a blind pianist for the Mason Conservatory.

Career

Gary sang in movies, on Broadway, had his own television show, and appeared at Carnegie Hall, with numerous symphonies. He appeared thirty times as a guest on The Tonight Show with Jack Paar, Steve Allen and Johnny Carson. He traveled across the US and Canada with approximately 40 concerts per year. For six years he gave community concerts in over 400 cities and towns. He was a stylized singer, who recorded 23 albums for RCA Victor Records.

Nicole Scherzinger

Nicole Scherzinger (/niˈkoʊl ˈʃɜːrzɪŋər/; born Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente; June 29, 1978) is an American recording artist, actress and television personality. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, she performed in various singing competitions and musicals before joining American rock band Days of the New as a backing vocalist and later becoming one of the members of the ill-fated girl group Eden's Crush in 2001. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the burlesque troupe turned-recording act, the Pussycat Dolls becoming one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. During their hiatus Scherzinger planned to embark on her solo career with Her Name is Nicole but was later shelved after four singles failed to impact the charts. Following the disbandment of the Pussycat Dolls, Scherzinger became a judge for two seasons of The Sing-Off and in 2010 won the tenth season of Dancing with the Stars.

In 2011 she released her debut studio album, Killer Love to moderate success. It featured the top-ten hits "Don't Hold Your Breath" and "Right There". Later that year she served as a judge during the first season of the American version of The X Factor before heading to the UK version for two years in 2012. Her second studio album, Big Fat Lie (2014) had a minor impact on the charts. Its release was preceded by three singles including, "Your Love". For starring in the 2014 West End revival of the musical Cats Scherzinger garnered a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical.

Craig David

Craig Ashley David (born 5 May 1981) is an English singer-songwriter who rose to fame in 1999 featuring on the single "Re-Rewind" by Artful Dodger. David's debut album, Born to Do It, was released in 2000, after which he has released a further five studio albums and worked with a variety of artists such as Tinchy Stryder, Kano, Jay Sean, Rita Ora and Sting. David has 14 UK Top 10 singles, and six UK Top 20 albums, selling over 13 million records worldwide as a solo artist.

David has been nominated for twelve Brit Awards: three times for Best British Male, and twice received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Early life

David was born in Southampton, Hampshire, the son of Tina (née Loftus), a retail assistant at Superdrug, and George David, a carpenter, and grew up in the Holyrood estate. David's father is Afro-Grenadian and David's mother is Anglo-Jewish and related to the founders of the Accurist watch-making company; David's maternal grandfather was an Orthodox Jew and his maternal grandmother a convert to Judaism. David's parents separated when he was eight and he was raised by his mother. He attended Bellemoor School and Southampton City College.

Selah

Selah (/ˈsiːlə/; Hebrew: סֶלָה‎, also transliterated as selāh) is a word used seventy-four times in the Hebrew Bible—seventy-one times in the Psalms and three times in Habakkuk. The meaning of the word is not known, though various interpretations are given below. (It should not be confused with the Hebrew word sela‘ (Hebrew: סֶלַע‎) which means "rock".) It is probably either a liturgico-musical mark or an instruction on the reading of the text, something like "stop and listen." Selah can also be used to indicate that there is to be a musical interlude at that point in the Psalm. The Amplified Bible translates selah as "pause, and think of that." It can also be interpreted as a form of underlining in preparation for the next paragraph.

At least some of the Psalms were sung accompanied by musical instruments and there are references to this in many chapters. Thirty-one of the thirty-nine psalms with the caption "To the choir-master" include the word selah. Selah may indicate a break in the song whose purpose is similar to that of Amen (Hebrew: "so be it") in that it stresses the truth and importance of the preceding passage; this interpretation is consistent with the meaning of the Semitic root ṣ-l-ḥ also reflected in Arabic cognate salih (variously "valid" [in the logical sense of "truth-preserving"], "honest," and "righteous"). Alternatively, selah may mean "forever," as it does in some places in the liturgy (notably the second to last blessing of the Amidah). Another interpretation claims that selah comes from the primary Hebrew root word salah (סָלָה) which means "to hang," and by implication to measure (weigh).

Selah (band)

Selah is a contemporary Christian vocal trio consisting of Todd Smith, Allan Hall, and Amy Perry. They have won seven Gospel Music Association Dove Awards and sold more than 4 million album and single units combined. The group has been featured on The 700 Club, The Hour of Power, and TBN.

History

Original lineup (1997–2004)

Selah was originally formed by brother and sister, Todd and Nicol Smith (now Nicol Sponberg), along with friend Allan Hall. The group quickly gained success with the release of their first album, Be Still My Soul, in 1999. They quickly earned a reputation for being able to reveal the heart of any song they recorded, transforming old Christian hymns into a more modern style and with their powerful voices and beautiful harmonies. Todd and Nicol, who spent their childhood in Subsaharan Africa, brought many African elements to their songs as well. They are as comfortable singing in Kituba, as they are in English. Todd gives credit for his music career to his missionary upbringing. "I've been singing in front of people since I was three," he said. "My parents are missionaries. When we came back to the United States, we had to visit each church that sponsored us. That was a good training ground." They also did well-known covers of already-famous songs such as "You Raise Me Up" by Secret Garden and "Bless the Broken Road" by Marcus Hummon. Selah went on to win a Dove Award for their debut album.

Selah (Vic Mignogna album)

Selah: Music for the Quiet Time (often known simply as Selah) is an album by Vic Mignogna. It is a collection of piano tracks and a tribute to God.