[Pianist] Biographies & Profiles
Adam Duritz
Adam Fredric Duritz is a founding member and principal composer for the rock band Counting Crows. Since its formation in 1991, Counting Crows has achieved worldwide success with over 20 million records sold, seven certified gold or platinum albums, two Grammy Award nominations and an Academy Award nomination. Duritz has also had musical success outside of the band, recording solo material, collaborating with other acts, and founding two record labels. He also wrote and co-wrote songs for film, receiving an award from BMI for his work on "Accidentally in Love" for the movie Shrek 2.
Regina Spektor
Regina Ilyinichna Spektor is a talented Russian-born American singer, songwriter, and pianist who has achieved mainstream popularity after self-releasing her first three records and gaining recognition in New York City's independent music scenes. She was signed with Sire Records in 2004 and her fourth album, Begin to Hope, achieved gold certification by the RIAA. Her subsequent two albums, Far and What We Saw from the Cheap Seats, both debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 and 2016's Remember Us to Life peaked at 23. To recognize her musical contributions, Mayor Bill de Blasio declared June 11, 2019 as Regina Spektor Day in New York City and she was inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame on May 18, 2019.
Olesya Rulin
Olesya Rulina is a Russian-American actress best known for her roles in the High School Musical trilogy. She also starred in Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous, Flying By, Expecting Mary, and Family Weekend. Rulina is a versatile actor and has played a variety of characters in a number of different genres. She has made appearances on numerous television shows including Everwood, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and House M.D. Rulina has also done voiceover work and made a notable appearance in the Disney Channel Original Movie, Nancy Drew. Rulina has also been a part of a number of series as a guest star.
Paul Reiser
Paul Reiser is an American actor, comedian, and television writer known for his roles in sitcoms such as My Two Dads, Mad About You and The Kominsky Method; movies such as Diner, Aliens, Beverly Hills Cop, Whiplash, and Stranger Things; and being ranked 77th on Comedy Central's 2004 list of the "100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time". He has showcased his acting range by going against his casting type and making memorable appearances in all kinds of media. His production company, Nuance Productions, is best known for his line in Diner, where he explains his discomfort with the word "nuance".
Noah Gray-Cabey
Noah Gray-Cabey is an American actor and pianist best known for his roles in "My Wife and Kids" and "Heroes". He has also appeared on various television shows and talk shows, including "Ripley's Believe It or Not!", "48 Hours", "The Tonight Show", "Good Morning America" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show". His most recent role was on the CBS medical drama "Code Black", where he portrayed Dr. Eliot Dixon.
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality who is best known for being the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls. She began acting at 14, studied musical theatre, and dropped out of college to tour with a rock band. She found success with Eden's Crush and became the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls. She has released two studio albums and ventured into television, winning Dancing with the Stars and judging several talent shows. Her other work includes roles in films, West End musicals, and a TV special. Throughout her career, she has sold over 16 million records, received Grammy and Laurence Olivier Award nominations, and had clothing lines, a fragrance, and charity ambassadorship.
Sara Bareilles
Sara Beth Bareilles is an American singer, songwriter, actress, Tony Award and Emmy Award nominee, and Grammy Award winner who has sold over three million albums and 15 million singles in the United States. She achieved recognition for her self-published album Careful Confessions in 2004 and a major record label release of Little Voice which included the hit single "Love Song" in 2008. Her third, fourth and sixth studio albums Kaleidoscope Heart (2010), The Blessed Unrest (2013) and Amidst the Chaos (2019) all received Grammy Award nominations, with Amidst the Chaos featuring the single "Saint Honesty" which earned her a Grammy. In addition, Bareilles made her Broadway debut in 2015 for Waitress, for which she earned a Tony and Grammy nominations, and returned to Broadway in 2022 for a revival of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods. On television, she recieved critical acclaim for her portrayal of Mary Magdalene in NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, and co-hosted the 72nd Tony Awards alongside Josh Groban, for which she was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards. She currently stars as Dawn Solano in Peacock's musical comedy Girls5eva.
Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist who has sold over 90 million records worldwide. After being signed at 15 years old by Columbia Records and later released her debut album in 2001, she went on to achieve great success with five Grammy Awards in 2002 for her second album and four more for her follow up. She has had four number-one songs, several Billboard Hot 100 charting singles, seven Billboard 200 topping albums, numerous awards and recognitions, and is also acclaimed for her philanthropy work.
Raven-Symoné
Raven-Symoné is an accomplished American actress, singer, and songwriter. She has won five NAACP Image Awards, two Kids' Choice Awards, three Young Artist Awards, and been nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards. She began her career as a child actress appearing in The Cosby Show and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, starred as Raven Baxter on the Disney Channel series That's So Raven, and received numerous accolades for her roles in Dr. Dolittle, The Princess Diaries 2 and College Road Trip. She also lent her voice to Kim Possible and Tinker Bell, reprised her role as Raven Baxter on Raven's Home, and released four studio albums and contributed vocals to several soundtracks, including The Cheetah Girls, which was certified platinum and gold. She was a co-host of the ABC daytime talk show The View from 2015 to 2016 and will host and executive produce the new reality show What Not to Design.
Delta Goodrem
Delta Lea Goodrem is an incredibly accomplished Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. She signed to Sony Music at 15 and has since gone on to have 9 number-one singles and 17 top-10 hits on the ARIA Singles Chart, while her five albums have all topped the ARIA Albums Chart. She won three World Music Awards and 9 ARIA Music Awards throughout her career, and she served as a coach on The Voice Australia from 2012 to 2013 and again from 2015 to 2020, where she reportedly earned A$2 million per season. She further increased her success with the release of her Christmas album Only Santa Knows, fostered by her annual Christmas show on Channel 9.
Tom Odell
Thomas Peter Odell is an English singer-songwriter who achieved recognition after winning the BRITs Critics' Choice Award in 2013. Since then, he has gone on to release four studio albums: Long Way Down (2013), Wrong Crowd (2016), Jubilee Road (2018) and Monsters (2021). His fifth album, Best Day Of My Life, will be released in 2022.
Nadine Coyle
Nadine Coyle is an Irish singer, songwriter, actress and model. She was chosen to be part of the girl group Girls Aloud in 2002, with whom they achieved great success, twenty consecutive UK top ten singles, two UK number one albums, five platinum-selling studio albums and five BRIT Award nominations - winning Best Single in 2009. In 2010 she released her own solo album and 2017 she released her single "Go to Work". Since then, Coyle has released multiple EPs and Singles, with her single "Fool for Love" reaching number 1 on iTunes Chart and "All That I Know" reaching number 62 on the Scottish Singles Chart.
Lena Meyer-Landrut
Lena Meyer-Landrut is a German singer who rose to fame after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with her song "Satellite". She made chart history in her home country by debuting with three songs in the top five of the German Singles Chart. Following that success, she released several albums and singles which became hits throughout German-speaking Europe, making her one of the best-selling female German artists in the early 2010s. Meyer-Landrut has also voiced characters in films and audiobooks, been a brand ambassador for L'Oréal products, featured as a coach on The Voice Kids, and joined the cast of Sing meinen Song.
Keith Urban
Keith Urban is a renowned New Zealand-born Australian musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has won four Grammy Awards, fifteen Academy of Country Music Awards, thirteen CMA Awards and six ARIA Music Awards. He wrote and performed the critically acclaimed song "For You" from the film Act of Valor. Urban has also released 11 studio albums, two with his band The Ranch, in addition to charting 37 singles on the US Hot Country Songs chart and working with dozens of different genres of artists. Additionally, he was a coach on the Australian version of The Voice and an American Idol judge, and has his own signature line of guitars and accessories.
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin was an American singer, songwriter and pianist, referred to as the "Queen of Soul" and one of the world's best-selling music artists. She grew up singing gospel in her father's church in Detroit and got her big break when she signed with Atlantic Records in 1966. She had a number of hit singles and albums, including "Respect", "A Natural Woman", "Chain of Fools", "Think" and "I Say a Little Prayer". Franklin won 18 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and UK Music Hall of Fame. In 2010, Rolling Stone ranked her as the greatest singer of all time and in 2019, she became the first female artist to win a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation.
Sam Tsui
Samuel Tsui is an American singer, songwriter, and video producer who rose to fame as an internet celebrity for his covers and musical medleys of popular songs. He has since expanded to release original songs and mashups and frequently collaborates with his childhood friend YouTuber Kurt Hugo Schneider. Their one-man a cappella videos have been described as a combination of Glee and Attack of the Clones. As of June 2021, Tsui had earned over 3.18 million subscribers.
Alicia Witt
Alicia Roanne Witt is a multi-talented American actress, singer and pianist who first gained fame as a child actress after being discovered by David Lynch. She has starred in his films Dune and Twin Peaks alongside appearing in Cybill Shepherd's sitcom, Cybill for four seasons as well as critically acclaimed Fun, Mr. Holland's Opus, Urban Legend and Vanilla Sky. Witt has also appeared in other films such as Two Weeks Notice, Last Holiday and 88 Minutes as well as in a variety of TV shows such as The Walking Dead, The Sopranos, Nashville, Two and a Half Men, The Librarians, Friday Night Lights, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, The Mentalist, Justified, Twin Peaks: The Return, CSI: Miami and Orange Is the New Black. Her musical talents have seen her star in eight Hallmark Christmas movies and even serve as executive producer and storywriter of 2020's Christmas Tree Lane, which she also contributed two original songs for.
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. was an American singer, songwriter, pianist and alto saxophonist who was often referred to as "The Genius" by contemporaries. He pioneered the soul music genre in the 1950s by combining various genres such as blues, jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel into the music he recorded for Atlantic Records. His 1960 hit "Georgia On My Mind" was the first of his three career No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Through his influence and success, he contributed to the integration of different music genres such as country music, rhythm and blues and pop music during the 1960s. For his impressive musical career, Charles received many honors such as the Kennedy Center Honors, National Medal of Arts, Polar Music Prize, and several lifetime achievement awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and Rolling Stone ranked him No. 10 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2022, he was also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.
Dizzy Reed
Dizzy Reed is an American musician and occasional actor, best known for being the keyboardist for Guns N' Roses since 1990. He is the longest-standing member of GUNS N' Roses, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of Guns N' Roses in 2012. He is also currently a member of The Dead Daisies with Richard Fortus, Marco Mendoza, John Corabi and Brian Tichy.
Amanda Palmer
Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and performance artist best known for her work as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the duo The Dresden Dolls, a member of the duo Evelyn Evelyn, and the lead singer and songwriter of Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra. She has developed a cult fanbase throughout her career and was one of the first musical artists to successfully use crowdfunding platforms to support her projects.
Caroline Corr
Caroline Corr, known as the "Chick with the Stick" is a singer and drummer for the Celtic folk rock band The Corrs. She not only plays the drums but also the bodhrán, cajón, percussions and piano. In 2005, her and her siblings were appointed honorary MBEs in recognition of their music and charitable work, which have included raising money for the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne, victims of the Omagh Bombing and other charities.
Floor Jansen
Floor Jansen is a Dutch singer and songwriter, currently serving as the lead vocalist of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. She is also a frequent collaborator of Arjen Anthony Lucassen, and is a member of his progressive metal supergroup Star One, as well as having provided guest vocals on several Ayreon, MaYan and Avalon's albums. Jansen first became known as a member of symphonic metal band After Forever, joining at age 16 in 1997, and went on to form ReVamp before becoming a full-time member of Nightwish in 2013. Her sister Irene Jansen has also provided guest vocals for Arjen Anthony Lucassen.
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham AO is an Australian singer with a career spanning over five decades. He has had top-ten success internationally, becoming the only artist to have a number-one record in five consecutive decades and is the second-highest-selling album artist in Australia's history. He has received many honours and awards, including Australian of the Year and Officer of the Order of Australia, and has starred in numerous TV series and specials, as well as lead roles in stage productions. Highly respected in the entertainment industry, his affable sense of humour and unpretentious 'everyman' charm have served him well over the years.
Andrew W.K.
Andrew W.K. is an American performance artist, rock singer, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor from Michigan. He first gained attention in 2000 with the EP Girls Own Juice and then rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album I Get Wet in 2001. Since then, he has remained active in a variety of musical and non-musical ventures including television and radio work, motivational speaking and writing.
Ramiele Malubay
Ramiele Macrohon Malubay , also known as Ramiele, is a Filipino-American singer and the ninth place finalist on the seventh season of the television series American Idol.
Philip Bailey
Philip James Bailey is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B, soul, gospel, and funk singer, songwriter, percussionist, and former member of the band Earth, Wind & Fire known for his four-octave vocal range and distinctive falsetto register. Bailey's solo albums include Chinese Wall (1984) with the international hit duet "Easy Lover" with Phil Collins, which won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Overall Performance in a Video (1985) and was nominated for a Grammy. In May 2008, Bailey was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music and served as the commencement speaker.
Angie Stone
Angie Stone is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer who rose to fame in the late 1970s as a member of the hip hop trio The Sequence. She later found success as a solo artist with her albums Black Diamond, Mahogany Soul, Stone Love, and The Art of Love & War, and transitioned into acting in the 2000s appearing in films and television series. Her work has garnered her numerous awards including two Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards and the 2021 Soul Music Icon Award at the Black Music Honors. She has been nominated for three Grammy Awards.
Song Ji-eun
Song Ji-eun is a singer and actress from South Korea. She is best known as a member of the girl group Secret. She has released Solo songs as well as participated in various OSTs. Her single from 2011, "Going Crazy" featuring Bang Yong-Guk, was her first number one single on the Gaon Chart as a solo artist. Ji-eun is a very successful artist in both solo performances and with her group, Secret.
Glenn Frey
Glenn Lewis Frey was an American musician and founding member of the rock band Eagles, where he shared a role as lead singer and frontman with Don Henley with whom he wrote most of the Eagles' material. He is known for numerous hits with the Eagles such as "Take It Easy", "Peaceful Easy Feeling", "Tequila Sunrise", "Already Gone", "James Dean", "Lyin' Eyes", "New Kid in Town" and "Heartache Tonight". During the hiatus of the Eagles from 1980 to 1994, Frey embarked on a successful solo career, releasing his debut album "No Fun Aloud" and going on to produce numerous Top 40 hits such as "The One You Love", "Smuggler's Blues", "Sexy Girl", "The Heat Is On", "You Belong to the City", "True Love", "Soul Searchin'" and "Livin' Right". As a member of the Eagles, Frey won six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, and the Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. He accumulated 24 Top 40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 in total.
Tommy Flanagan
Thomas Lee Flanagan was an American jazz pianist and composer. Initially influenced by the likes of Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, and Nat King Cole, Flanagan was quick to make a name for himself by recording with Miles Davis in 1956 and his album Saxophone Colossus with Sonny Rollins. He went on to record over 200 albums as a sideman and over three dozen under his own name, as well as working as Ella Fitzgerald's accompanist and musical director for a decade. By the time of his death, he had earned a reputation for being one of the best jazz pianists and had seen his influence reach many other players.
David Rose (songwriter)
David Daniel Rose was a prolific composer, arranger, and orchestra leader. He was born in Britain but moved to the US where he wrote some of his most famous songs, including “The Stripper”, “Holiday for Strings”, and “Calypso Melody”. He also wrote music for many popular TV series such as It's a Great Life, The Tony Martin Show, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven, Bonanza, Leave It to Beaver, and Highway Patrol. His work earned him four Emmy Awards and he was the musical director of The Red Skelton Show for 21 years. Rose was also a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a music fraternity for men.
Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Hornsby is an American singer-songwriter and pianist who has won multiple Grammy Awards for his music which draws from various musical traditions such as folk rock, jazz, bluegrass, Southern rock, country rock, jam band, rock, heartland rock, and blues rock. He has toured with the Noisemakers, had a bluegrass project with Ricky Skaggs, and been a session and guest musician in the Grateful Dead from 1990 to 1992. His latest album Flicted is set to be released in May 2022.
Jesse Stone
Jesse Albert Stone was an influential American singer, songwriter, and musician who wrote songs under the pseudonyms Charles Calhoun and Chuck Calhoun. He is best known for his composition "Shake, Rattle and Roll", which had a lasting impact on the development of rock 'n' roll music. Ahmet Ertegun hailed him as having "done more to develop the basic rock 'n' roll sound than anybody else".
Seong-Jin Cho
Seong-Jin Cho is a South Korean pianist who achieved international fame when he became the first South Korean to win the XVII International Chopin Piano Competition in 2015. He is widely acclaimed for his tremendous talent and has since performed in many concerts and recitals around the world, captivating audiences with his perfect execution of Chopin's works. Cho's love for the piano started at a young age, and he went on to study in Paris and Berlin, where he developed his signature style. He has served as a professor at the Korean National University of Arts, and continues to inspire young pianists with his remarkable skill.
P. Lion
Pietro Paolo Pelandi , known by his stage name P. Lion, is an Italian singer, songwriter, musician and producer.
Roger O'Donnell
Roger O'Donnell is an English keyboardist best known for his work with The Cure. O'Donnell has also performed in The Psychedelic Furs, Thompson Twins and Berlin, as well as having an active solo career.
Bobby DeBarge
Robert Louis DeBarge Jr. was an iconic American singer and musician, known for his falsetto vocals as the lead singer of the Motown R&B/soul band Switch, as well as his contributions as both mentor and producer to his siblings' band, DeBarge. Despite a successful career in music, he eventually struggled with substance abuse, which led to drug trafficking charges in 1988, and later developed HIV in the 1980s, ultimately succumbing to AIDS related complications in 1995, at the age of 39.
Clara Schumann
Clara Josephine Schumann was a renowned German pianist, composer, and piano teacher of the Romantic era who made major contributions to the field by changing the recital format, composing solo piano pieces, a piano concerto, chamber music, and songs. Born in Leipzig to musical parents, she was a prodigy, trained by her father and touring from a young age. She later married the composer Robert Schumann and had eight children. After his death, she continued her career, teaching at Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium in Frankfurt and editing his work. Several films have been made about her life and since the bicentenary of her birth in 2019, there has been a revived interest in her compositions.