Everlast, the former lead rapper of the group House of Pain, has proven that white guys can rap. Born Erik Schrody on Long Island, New York, Everlast moved to the San Fernando Valley area near Los Angeles at the age of 11. While in school, he was one of the only kids - white or black - that listened to the burgeoning form of music known as rap, and even attempted some songs of his own in the genre. One of his friends gave a tape of Everlast to well-known rapper Ice-T, and soon the two were working together in Ice-T's Rhyme Syndicate Cartel.

Not long after, Everlast dropped out of high school just short of graduating in order to go on a European tour with Ice-T. By the beginning of the next decade, he had released his debut solo album, Forever Everlasting. The album was a bust, and Everlast turned to doing odd jobs while continuing to try and make music. He got together with school friend Danny Boy and DJ Lethal to form the hip-hop group House of Pain later that year. With the release of the group's self-titled debut album in 1992, featuring the hit song "Jump Around," the group became one of the first successful white rap groups.

House of Pain released two more albums before they broke up in 1996. Everlast continued making music, working on another solo album to be released in 1998. Just after finishing the album Whitey Ford Sings the Blues, Everlast suffered a major heart attack. When he awoke, he had a new mechanical heart valve to replace the defective one that he had had since birth. With his new and improved heart, and a conversion to Islam, Everlast was poised to make his mark on the music once again. The album became a huge success behind the hit song "What It's Like," with its combination of bluesy guitar, rap-style lyrics, and DJ scratching. Everlast has also appeared in several films during the 1990s, including Judgment Night and Lowball, and started a pizza restaurant with Danny Boy and actor Mickey Rourke.
Climb to Fame
Rapper formerly of the group House of Pain, and currently performing solo
Work History
(1999) Re-releases his debut solo album, Forever Everlasting.

(1998) Releases the solo album Whitey Ford Sings the Blues.

(1996) House of Pain disbands.

(1996) Releases the House of Pain album Truth Crushed to Earth Shall Rise Again.

(1994) Releases the House of Pain album Same As It Ever Was.

(1993) Appears in the film Judgment Night as the character Rhodes.

(1992) Releases the album House of Pain, featuring the hit song "Jump Around."

(1990) Forms the group House of Pain.

(1990) Releases the debut album Forever Everlasting. The album bombs.

(late 1980s) Member of Ice-T's Rhyme Syndicate Cartel.

Known for his introspective looks into the relationship between the characters in his movies, instead of the typical flash and dazzle, German director Wim Wenders helped launch the New German Cinema of the late 1960s and early 1970s. With his sweeping visuals, often times of sparse surroundings, the writer/director and sometime cinematographer has created many memorable films. Wilhelm Ernst Wenders began his filmmaking career while in college, where he made seven small films before his first feature titled Summer in the City, which he dedicated to the rock group the Kinks.

After gaining notoriety in his native Germany and throughout the rest of Europe, Wenders first journeyed to the United States to film the 1977 movie The American Friend. The film, which was based on Patricia Highsmith's novel Ripley's Game and starred Dennis Hopper, was a critical success and garnered Wenders international acclaim for his storytelling. More international awards came in 1984 when the director directed the film Paris, Texas, based on a script written by it's star Sam Shepard. The film's tale of a lonely drifter reuniting with his family won Wenders the Palme d'Or at the annual Cannes Film Festival.

Wenders' German film Wings of Desire got the Hollywood touch-up with the 1998 remake titled City of Angels. Although he did not direct it, the film followed in the typical theme of self-awareness, featuring the story of one man's search for his existence. Wenders followed this with the hugely popular and critically acclaimed documentary titled Buena Vista Social Club. The film was a look at the lives and careers of various Cuban musicians, winning multiple awards, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary, and helped spawn a resurgance of Latin music around the world.
Climb to Fame
German filmmaker, who has gained international acclaim for his films such as Paris, Texas and Buena Vista Social Club.
Work History
(2000) Directs the film Million Dollar Hotel.

(1999) Directs the documentary Buena Vista Social Club, based on the lives of various Cuban musicians.

(1998) Writes the film City of Angels, a remake of his earlier German film Wings of Desire.

(1991) Becomes the chair for the European Film Academy.

(1984) Directs the film Paris, Texas, winning the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival that same year.

(1977) Directs the film The American Friend, featuring Dennis Hopper. It is the first film to garner international attention for Wenders.

(1970) Makes his first full-length feature titled Summer in the City. He dedicated the film to the musical group The Kinks.

(1968-1970) Works for the magazine Filmtrak and the newspaper Die Suddeutsche Zeitung, both as a critic.

(1967) Creates his first short-film titled Schauplatze/Locations.
Affiliations
Filmverlag der Autoren/The Filmmaker's Company

European Film Academy
Awards
Wim Wenders has also won numerous Awards

John Otto got his chance to be in the band Limp Bizkit in 1994 when his cousin Sam Rivers recommended him to friend Fred Durst as a drummer. After the addition of Wes Borland on guitar (and later DJ Lethal), Limp Bizkit was formed. The result was not exactly a new type of music, but one that helped bring the rock-rap sound to the forefront of the charts.

Otto and the band began to have a large following in the Jacksonville area, as the band was known for their stage antics and raucous sound. After giving one of their demo tapes to the members of the band Korn, Limp Bizkit got to release an EP in 1997, which they followed later that year with their debut album Three Dollar Bill Y’All. The hit song “Faith”, a cover of the George Michael song, helped the album’s sales and got the band’s name out quickly. They soon were touring everywhere, including the Warped Tour in 1997 and 1998, and Ozzfest and the Family Values tour in 1998. The band was also becoming famous for their impromptu concerts on rooftops or parking garages around the country.

In 1999, the band headed back to the studio to record their next album, Significant Other, which debuted at number one in July of that year, and quickly went platinum. Limp Bizkit played Woodstock ‘99 and later in the year headlined the Family Values tour.
Work History
(1994) Formed the group Limp Bizkit.

(1997) Released the EP Counterfeit/Nobody Loves Me.

(1997) Released debut album Three Dollar Bill Y’All.

(1997) Performed on the Warped tour.

(1998) Performed on the Warped tour.

(1998) Performed on the Ozzfest tour.

(1998) Performed on the Family Values tour.

(1999) Released album Significant Other.

(1999) Performed at Woodstock ‘99.

(1999) Headlined the Family Values Tour.

Gregory Hines attributes much of his success as a dancer to Sammy Davis Jr. whom he met around the age of nine, and stated that everytime he was with his idol he learned something new from him. Davis’s sincerity helped Gregory to keep the "show business" life in perspective.

Like Sammy Davis Jr., Gregory is also nearly blind in his right eye. An accident at age 9 damaged

his sight, which has deteriorated over the years. It hasn't effected his dancing ability, Hines can entrance an audience with his footwork.

The father of three, Gregory's children are all taking after their Dad. Daughter Daria dances tap, ballet. Daughter Jessica prefers modern and son Zachary likes "hip-hop."
Work History
dancer, singer, actor. Involved in show business since childhood

A member of " Hines, Hines and Dad" as a child. This was a tap dancing act with his father and

brother.
Awards
Gregory Hines has also won numerous Awards

Many people feel that the only important thing about Yoko Ono is that she was the cause of the breakup of the musical group the Beatles. Those people would be suprised when they find out the importance of her work not just as an avant-garde artist, but as a now-realized important contributor to music; not just the wife of John Lennon, but an artist unto herself.

Ono was born in Tokyo, Japan, to a family of unsuccessful artists who drove her to be successful in ways they could not. Her father was a gifted piano player, but was not allowed to pursue it as a career, while her mother was a struggling artist. The family moved to the United States in 1951, after moving between there and Japan over the years. By the early ‘60s, Ono became an important part in the Fluxus avant-garde art movement in New York, and began perfoming musically as well.

At an art exhibit of hers in London in 1968, Ono met Lennon, then-lead singer of the Beatles. Ono has said that she had never heard the group’s music before, but the two soon became inseparable. Their meeting came at a time when the Fab Four were starting to fight, and they eventually disband due to the turmoil. For this reason, many Beatles fans consider Ono to be the reason for the fighting, when in actuality the band had already been fighting for some time. Ono formed the Plastic Ono Band in 1969, and released a debut album the following year. Many critics felt her singing was terrible, and the music she made was unlistenable. However, years later, many saw that she was simply ahead of her time.

Ono left music for a large part of the ‘70s due to the birth of the now-married couple’s son Sean, but returned with Lennon on the 1980 release Double Fantasy. The album became a huge hit, both commercially and critically. Despite John’s tragic murder later that December, Ono carried on with her music and art. Since then, she has also contributed much of Lennon’s unreleased music and films in various collections, including the 1988 film Imagine, and the 1998 album set The John Lennon Anthology.

Ono has contributed to stage productions as well, including her own New York Rock in 1994. Today, Ono performs in public on occassion and continues to release her own albums, including the 1997 album A Story. Son Sean, also a successful musician, occassionally performs with his mother, as the two did for a benefit concert for the Kosovar refugees early in 1999.
Climb to Fame
Avant-garde artist with the Fluxus group, and wife of the late John Lennon.
Work History
(1960s) Member of the Fluxus art group.

(1961) Held debut musical performance at the Villiage Gate in New York city.

(1968) Held an art exhibit of work in London, where she met John Lennon.

(1970) Released the album Plastic Ono Band.

(1980) Released the album Double Fantasy.

(1989) Held an art exhibit at the Whitney Museum.

(1994) Wrote and composer the stage production New York Rock.

(1998) Produced the John Lennon Anthology set.
Awards
Yoko Ono has also won numerous Awards

Ol' Dirty Bastard, a founding members of the popular rap group the Wu-Tang Clan, has taken his East Coast, hard-core rapping style and parlayed it into a successful solo career. ODB was born Russell Tyrone Jones in New York City, and began rapping as a youth in the city's rough neighborhoods with his cousins, the future rappers the Genius and Raekwon. Wu-Tang Clan, named after a school of martial arts, was formed in 1991 by ODB and eight other rappers. The idea was to work as a group to release Wu-Tang albums, but also to use the group as a launching pad for their solo careers.

ODB did just that with the release of his highly successful debut solo album, Return To The 36 Chambers. Along with his recording career, ODB became a business mogul with the other members of the Wu-Tang Clan by starting their own record label and urban-themed clothing line. As successful as he has been, ODB - who sometimes goes by the alias Big Baby Jesus - has been most famous for his run-ins with the law rather than his music. These have included alleged attempted murder, drug possession, terrorist threats, and having the distinguished honor of being the first person to be arrested under the California state law banning convicted fellons from wearing body armor.

Possibly ODB's most famous moment came in 1998 when he bounded onstage and interrupted singer Shawn Colvin's acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards. Grabbing the microphone, he announced that Wu-Tang was better than Puffy - referring to rap mogul Sean "Puffy" Combs.
Climb to Fame
Rapper with the group Wu-Tang Clan
Work History
(1999) Releases the solo album Nigga Please.

(1998) During the Grammy Awards, interrupts singer Shawn Colvin's acceptance speech proclaiming that Wu-Tang Clan was better than Puffy, and that they were doing it for the children.

(1998) Helps save a four-year-old girl's life after she became pinned underneath a car. He and several others helped lift the car off the girl, who only suffered burns from the accident.

(1997) Releases the Wu-Tang Clan album Wu-Tang Forever.

(1995) With the rest of Wu-Tang, starts their own line of clothing called Wu-Wear.

(1995) Releases his debut solo album, Return to the 36 Chambers.

(1993) Releases the debut full-length album by the Wu-Tang Clang titled Enter The Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers).

(1991) Helps form the rap group Wu-Tang Clan with RZA and the Genius. The group releases their first single "Protect Ya Neck" later that same year.
Awards
Ol Dirty Bastard has also won numerous Awards

With his soulful voice, bald head, trim body, and gold chains, Isaac Hayes charged into the music scene of the late ‘60s, quickly becoming an icon for black power. Widely recognized for his talents as a session musician, Hayes never really liked being labeled the “Black Moses”, but his fans loved the message that he brought to them through his music.

Hayes was born in Covington, Tennessee, but moved to Memphis to live with his grandparents after his parents died when he was young. In ninth grade, Hayes decided that he had had enough of school and needed to fend for himself to make ends meat. This did not sit well with his teachers, as they felt he had too much promise to simply drop out. They convinced him to come back and he eventually started on his path to a musical career by winning a talent show, singing Nat “King” Cole’s “Looking Back.” He received several college vocal scholarships, but opted instead to try to make it on his own.

He began playing in various groups during the early ‘60s, including Sir Isaac and the Doo-Dahs and Sir Calvin and His Swinging Cats. By 1964, Hayes was the saxophonist in the band the Mar-Keys, and soon became a session musican at the Stax record label. He remained there for several years, contributing to the works of such soul legends as Otis Redding, and wrote over 200 songs with his writing partner David Porter. For all of his hard work, Stax rewarded Hayes with his own album in 1967 titled Presenting. The album did not sell well, but he tried again in 1969 with Hot Buttered Soul.

Soul, which contained only four extended-length songs, was a smash hit, with Hayes laying down the foundation for the disco sound that would erupt several years later. In 1971, Hayes wrote and performed the music for the film Shaft, which became his biggest hit of his career. He won several Grammy Awards for his work on the soundtrack and became the first black composer to win an Academy Award. After having a falling out with Stax records, he formed his own label, Hot Buttered Soul, in 1975.

During the mid ‘70s, Hayes turned to acting, appearing in such films as Truck Turner and Tough Guys. He continued to put out albums until 1980, when he took a break from music. Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s he continued acting, starring in such films as Escape From New York, I’m Gonna Git You Sucker, and CB4. In 1996, Hayes began working as a DJ at New York’s KISS-FM, and quickly became the station’s favorite personality. 1997 brought to the television airwaves a new animated show called South Park, and Hayes lent his voice to the character Chef. The show became a huge hit, and Chef, who breaks into songs about love and sex at any given moment, became one of the most popular characters.

Throughout his career, Hayes has used his celebrity status to teach inner-city youth the importance of literacy as the first spokesman for the World Literacy Crusade in 1993. He has also been a crusader for human rights and has helped the nation of Ghana in increasing thier economic stability. For his help, the nation made him an honorary member of the royal family, and gave him the name Nene Katey Ocansey I. He has also worked with the nation of Nigeria, where he was named an honorary chief.
Climb to Fame
First black composer to win an Academy Award; voice of Chef on animated series South Park
Work History
(1963) Formed the group Isaac Hayes and the Doo-Dads.

(1964) Played in the group the Mar-Keys.

(1964-1967) Worked as a session musician for Stax-Volt records.

(1967) Released debut solo album Presenting.

(1974) Starred in the film Truck Turner.

(1975) Formed his own record label, Hot Buttered Soul.

(1976) Filed for bankruptcy.

(1981) Starred in the film Escape From New York.

(1988) Starred in the film I’m Gonna Git You Sucker.

(1993) Became spokesman for the World Literacy Crusade.

(1993) Starred in the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

(1996) Worked as a DJ for KISS-FM in New York.

(1997) Began lending his voice for the animated television series South Park.

(1999) Lent his voice to the animated film South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut.
Affiliations
World Literacy Crusade
Awards
Isaac Hayes has also won numerous Awards

Work History
Grateful Dead

One of the earliest performers to fuse Afro-Carribean rythyms with the sounds of a big band, Tito Puente became one of America's most famous and beloved artists. The five-time Grammy Award winner worked with numerous luminaries in the music world over his 60-year career, including such legends as Celia Cruz, Machito, and Woody Herman. With well over 100 albums recorded during his lifetime, Puente deserved the nickname "El Rey (The King)."

Puente was born in Spanish Harlem in 1923, and quickly began his long musical journey by taking piano lessons at the age of seven. Three years later, he swithched to the drums and other various percussion instruments, which led to gigs with such early groups as Los Happy Boys and more importantly, with Frank "Machito" Grillo and his orchestra. It was Machito who persuaded Puente to switch to the timbales, the type of drums that would make Puente famous.

Despite a three-year hiatus from music after being drafted by the US Navy to fight in World War II, Puente continued in music after his discharge while earning a degree in music theory from the famed Juilliard School of Music. Puente formed his own group called The Piccadilly Boys, later changing the name to the Tito Puente Orchestra, and releasing his first single titled "Abaniquito" in 1949.

Perhaps the song that is synonomous with Puente is "Oye Como Va." The song was a major hit for him during the 1960s, but became an ever bigger hit the following decade when the rock group Santana covered it. Throughout his long career, Puente toured relentelessly and recorded almost as hard. in 1991, he recorded his 100th album titled El Numer Cien, but this would not be his last.

Puente's illustrious career came to an end on May 31, 2000. He had suffered heart problems earlier in the month while on tour in Puerto Rico, but continued to perform in spite of them. After entering the hospital on May 31 to have heart surgery, Puente slipped into a coma and never woke. Puente was to perform during New York's Puerto Rican Day parade the following week, and was scheduled to have his final album released later that year.
Climb to Fame
King of Latin based Jazz, or mambo, known for his hit song "Oye Como Va," later made famous by the rock group Santana.
Work History
(1997) Is awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Clinton.

(1992) Appears in the film Mambo Kings.

(1990) Releases his 100th album titled El Numero Cien (Number 100).

(1979) Performs for President Jimmy Carter.

(1968) Hosts his own television variety show called The World of Tito Puente.

(1960s) Begins to perform more Jazz based music, playing with such musicians as Woody Herman and Buddy Morrow.

(1949) Records his first single titled "Abaniquito" for Tico Records. Later that year he is signed to RCA Records.

(1948) Forms his own group called the Piccadilly Boys, later changing the name to the Tito Puente Orchestra.

(1942-1945) Is drafted by the U.S. Navy to fight in World War II. Upon leaving the Navy, Puente is awarded a Presidential Commendation.

(1941) Joins the Latin big band of Frank "Machito" Grillo.

(1936) Performs for the first time in public with the group Los Happy Boys.
Affiliations
Tito Puente Scholarship Foundation
Awards
Tito Puente has also won numerous Awards