Monday, July 27, 2009

Did Eddie Van Halen contribute to one of Michael Jackson's Greatest Hits?


Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, is known for his sweet and smooth melodic ballads along with his pop-dance music stylings.

As he ventured on beyond the Motown pop made famous with his brother on the "Jackson 5," he collaborated with mega-music producer Quincy Jones. Wanting to add a rock and roll vibe to his Thriller album, Jackson came up with the lyrics to the song "Beat It." Wanting to add a true rock guitar vibe to the song, Jones called Eddie Van Halen to record the riff.

Van Halen had built his reputation as a innovative guitarist. Eddie Van Halen's
approach to the guitar involves several distinctive components. His innovative use of two-handed tapping, natural and artificial harmonics, vibrato, and tremolo picking, combined with his rhythmic sensibility and melodic approach, have influenced an entire generation of guitarists.

Van Halen stated that he thought that it was a prank call, but after learning about the producer's true intention, he agreed to the offer and did the guitar solo free of charge.


Sunday, July 26, 2009

Was Madonna a University of Michigan Wolverine???


We have all heard stories of high school and college dropouts making something of themselves in the future.

For instance, Microsoft tycoon Bill Gates had dropped out of Harvard University to pursue his future in computer technology, MS-DOS, then his Windows franchise.

The University of Michigan is the home of another famous dropout known for her 80's pop music beats and her 2000 Euro dance grooves - Madonna!!

Madonna (born Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone) earned a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan and lived in Stockwell Hall (one of the all-women's residence halls on campus).

However, after two years on campus, she made her famous trek to New York City to pursue dreams of being famous.