Legacy Recordings and Columbia Records Celebrate Johnny Mathis’s 80th Birthday with Release of Johnny Mathis: The Singles on September 25, 2015

Definitive Four Disc Anthology Brings Together 87 Non-LP and Compilation-Only Tracks including Landmark Hits “It’s Not For Me to Say,” “Chances Are” and “The Twelfth of Never”

Legacy Recordings and Columbia Records will celebrate the 80th birthday of legendary crooner Johnny Mathis with the release of Johnny Mathis: The Singles, a definitive four disc anthology, on September 25, 2015.

Born September 30, 1935, a then-teenaged Johnny Mathis signed with Columbia Records in 1956, first entering the Pop charts with his inaugural Columbia single, “Wonderful! Wonderful!” the following year. Peaking at #14, “Wonderful! Wonderful!” laid the foundation, and predicted the future, for one of the most remarkable careers in pop music history, leading to a string of singles successes which includes perennials like “It’s Not For Me To Say,” “Chances Are,” “The Twelfth Of Never” and many others.

Johnny Mathis: The Singles brings together, for the first time in one anthology, every Johnny Mathis recording which was first issued for the singles market, as well as tracks released exclusively on compilations (1958’s Johnny’s Greatest Hits, considered the first “greatest hits” collection ever created by the music industry, 1959’s More Johnny’s Greatest Hits and 1981’s The First 25 Years–The Silver Anniversary Album).

31 of the 87 tracks on Johnny Mathis: The Singles, are being released on CD for the very first time. The four-disc anthology compiles, for the very first time, every non-LP single side re-leased for the label between 1956 and 1981.

“When over the course of a career you record as many songs as I have recorded, you tend to for-get a few,” said Johnny Mathis. “Revisiting this music was a complete surprise. I was thrilled beyond belief that some of the songs that I recorded specifically for single records, some of which had simply disappeared once they had been released, are now going to be heard again. Listening to this collection, not only was I amazed at how great it sounds, but I was being re-minded of some songs I had totally forgotten. It is my greatest hope that my fans will share my enthusiasm.”

Johnny Mathis is one of the longest-running artists on the Columbia Records label, with 17 million RIAA certified album and singles sales in the US alone. A sublime vocalist whose approach to pop music transcends passing fads and trends, Mathis has performed songs in an incredible variety of styles and categories — from music composed for stage and film to golden era jazz standards, contemporary pop hits, and holiday music both sacred and secular — assuring his reputation as one of the most enduring traditional pop vocalists in music history.

Perhaps best-known for his landmark singles (three of his recordings–“Chances Are,” “It’s Not For Me To Say,” and “Misty“–have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame) Mathis was one of the very first musical artists to embrace the album concept and record fully-realized thematically and sonically coherent collections of songs. His 1958 release, Johnny’s Greatest Hits inaugurated the ongoing “greatest hits” anthology phenomenon becoming one of the most popular albums of all time after spending an unprecedented 490 continuous weeks (almost ten years) on the BILLBOARD Top Albums Chart; 1959’s Heavenly spent 295 consecutive weeks on the same chart. Johnny Mathis was given the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 2003.

Mathis had 18 Top 40 hits between 1957 and 1963 and 19 Top 40 albums between 1957 and 1978. He has earned 10 gold, 4 platinum and 2 multi-platinum awards from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Mathis was a star student athlete in San Francisco who sang weekends at a local jazz club. Columbia Records’ George Avakian was in attendance during one performance, and famously wired back to the label office: “Have found phenomenal 19-year old boy who could go all the way. Send blank contracts.” After his jazzy debut LP was largely ignored upon its release in 1956, Mathis began working closely with Columbia’s vice-president and producer Mitch Miller to develop an unbeatable lush pop style, picking romantic ballads that made extensive use of his recognizable, vibrato-heavy croon.

Pharrell Williams To Release New Album “G I R L” Monday, March 3

Global superstar Pharrell Williams has just announced the release of his Columbia Records debut album, G  I  R  L.  Highlighted by his Oscar-nominated hit single “Happy,” G  I  R  L will be released worldwide Monday, March 3. Pre-order the album here: http://smarturl.it/GIRLalbum.

Pharrell Williams To Release New Album “G I R L” Monday, March 3. (PRNewsFoto/Columbia Records)

Redefining cool for a new generation, Williams is a creative force, using music, fashion, and design to express his distinctive style. From his beginnings as a teenage prodigy and multi-instrumentalist in Virginia Beach back in the early ’90s, through enough hits to earn him Billboard’s Producer of the Decade in 2010, to his current status as multi-media superstar, Williams has never stopped creating. Starting his producing career as one half of The Neptunes with Chad Hugo, Williams has helped create such classics as Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,”Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” Nelly’s “Hot in Herre,” Jay-Z’s “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me),” Britney Spears’ “I’m A Slave 4 U,” and Justin Timberlake’s “Like I Love You.”

“When Columbia Records presented me with the opportunity to make an album, three things came to mind,” says Pharrell. “One was the sense of overwhelming honor that I felt when I realized that they were interested in partnering with me on the album that I had always dreamt of making.  Two, it would have to feel festive and urgent.  And three, I instantly knew it would be called G  I  R  L. I hope you like it.”

Pharrell is currently in London, where he will perform “Happy” at the BRIT Awards this evening, and on Sunday, March 2, Pharrell is slated to perform the song on the 86th Annual Academy Awards. Pharrell will also perform on Germany’s Wetten Das and France’s Le Grand Journal later this month. This past Sunday, Pharrell kicked off the NBA All-Star Game with an incredible–and well-received–retrospective performance of some of his greatest hits.

“Happy,” which was first featured on Despicable Me 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), has become an international phenomenon and radio smash. Currently #1 on the iTunes’ Songs chart in the U.S., the song has topped the chart in more than 175 countries, selling more than 2.3 million downloads worldwide. In addition to jumping to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, “Happy” has also become the highest-charting Oscar-nominated song in more than a decade. With more than 120 million in audience, the song is currently charting at seven U.S. radio formats—Top 40, Rhythm, AC, Hot AC, Urban, Urban AC, and AAA. Around the world, “Happy” tops radio charts in 14 countries including Australia, France, Germany, U.K., Belgium, Denmark, Hungary,Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, and Poland.

Just last month, Pharrell took home four GRAMMY® awards, including Producer of the Year, Album of the Year for Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, and Record of the Year as well as Best Pop Duo/Performance for Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.” Pharrell has won a career-spanning total of seven GRAMMYs

With over 100 million copies of his productions sold, his music sounds like something no one else has thought of just yet. He’s also created a new way of looking at established stars like Snoop Dogg, Madonna, and even the Rolling Stones. Over four albums, Williams and Hugo along with Shae Haley created an unpredictable hybrid as part of the alt-rock/hip-hop group N.E.R.D. His prolific body of work also ranges from designing a sculpture withTokyo-born artist Takashi Murakami to accessories and jewelry for luxury goods brands Louis Vuitton and Moncler. Now, with his latest venture i am OTHER — a multi-media creative collective that serves as an umbrella for all his endeavors, including Billionaire Boys Club & ICECREAM apparel, textile company Bionic Yarn and dedicated YouTube channel — Williams’ vision continues to push pop culture forward.

“Life Is But A Dream” To Be Released On DVD on November 25 Worldwide

THE BEYONCE PRODUCED DOCUMENTARY FILM BOASTS A 2-DISC SET WITH BONUS CONCERT AND NEW MUSIC

PRE-SALE STARTS TODAY ON AMAZON.COM

Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records announce the upcoming DVD release of “Life Is But A Dream,” the documentary film executive-produced by Beyonce Knowles-Carter.

Available worldwide on Monday, November 25, the 2-Disc set with never-before-seen bonus concert footage also features a new song, “God Made You Beautiful,” from the film, included with every in-store purchase.  Pre-sale starts today on Amazon.com.

“Life Is But A Dream” is a multi-faceted, intimate portrait of Beyonce Knowles-Carter, the 17-time Grammy Award-winning global entertainer, and with footage culled from her video diaries and personal archives, it marks a pivotal year in her life and career filled with changes and personal discoveries.

At the time of the film’s debut, Knowles-Carter explained why it was important to her to make.  “I wouldn’t have released a film just for the sake of self documentation,” she said.  “I wanted it to express what I believe to be true about life – that it’s not random, that everything has a reason and that we need to be conscious of life’s little clues and how the dots all connect or we miss out.”

The 2-Disc set of “Life Is But A Dream” includes the DVD, Live In Atlantic City, featuring performances filmed over four consecutive nights at Revel Casino Hotel in May 2012, with never-before-seen performances including “Flaws And All,” “Love On Top” and “Schoolin’ Life.”

Executive-produced by Knowles-Carter and directed by the artist and Ed Burke for her own Parkwood Entertainment, the film debuted on HBO last February to 1.8 million viewers making it the most viewed documentary on HBO in almost a decade.

Holiday 2013 Gift Guide: Barbra Streisand’s “Back To Brooklyn” Concert To Debut November 25 As Columbia Records CD/DVD Package

“Barbra Streisand: Back to Brooklyn” will also air on Great Performances on Friday, November 29 at 9 p.m. (check local listings) as part of the PBS Arts Fall Festival.

Columbia Records has announced the simultaneous release of a CD and a CD/DVD package of Barbra Streisand’s critically acclaimed 2012 “Back To Brooklyn” concert, set to be released on November 25.  Filmed and recorded over two nights, the CD and DVD capture the superstar’s celebratory return to her hometown of Brooklyn, NY. With the CD, DVD and Deluxe CD/DVD, Barbra Streisand achieves yet another career milestone and proves along the way that you can take the girl out of Brooklyn, but you can’t take Brooklyn out of the girl.

A unique and compelling attraction of “Back To Brooklyn” is that the CD and CD/DVD combo features nine never previously performed songs by the star in concert. Ms. Streisand is the only recording artist to have accomplished #1 albums in five consecutive decades.  She has 51 gold albums, 30 platinum and 13 multi-platinum albums. Streisand has also earned eight gold DVDs, six of which have gone platinum and three of which have gone multi-platinum.

Barbra Streisand’s “Back To Brooklyn” Concert To Debut November 25 As Columbia Records CD/DVD Package. (PRNewsFoto/Columbia Records, Russell James, Copyright Barwood)

The DVD provides biographical video and still photo images of the artist’s childhood and early career. The evening marked her first musical performance in her native Brooklyn since she departed at age 16 to pursue her acting career and became one of the most popular and famous musical performers of her time.  Throughout the concert, Barbra reflects upon her years growing up in Brooklyn, and to mark the occasion, she commissioned special lyrics for two songs:

ACT I opens with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” which she turns into an homage to “the Brooklyn docks, the nova lox” and other fond memories of the sights and sounds of her youth.  When she triumphantly sings, “I’ve come home at last,” the audience rises from their seats with a thunderous welcome back ovation.

Barbra Streisand’s “Back To Brooklyn” Concert To Debut November 25 As Columbia Records CD/DVD Package. (PRNewsFoto/Columbia Records, Russell James, Copyright Barwood)

Barbra Streisand’s “Back To Brooklyn” Concert To Debut November 25 As Columbia Records CD/DVD Package. (PRNewsFoto/Columbia Records, Russell James, Copyright Barwood)

ACT II pays tribute to the people and places in Brooklyn today, with a re-written lyric to Cole Porter’s “You’re The Top“: “You’re the top, you’re a Brooklyn trolley…you’re the top you’re a hot bialy!”

Boz Scaggs’ Collection, THE ESSENTIAL BOZ SCAGGS, Tracks Hitmaking Career Over Course Of Five Decades

32-SONG, DOUBLE-CD MULTI-LABEL PACKAGE SPANS 1969 TO 2013, INCLUDES 23 COLUMBIA RECORDS SINGLE AND ALBUM TRACKS, PLUS CUTS FROM VIRGIN AND 429

AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE OCTOBER 29, 2013, THROUGH COLUMBIA/LEGACY

Grammy Award®-winner Boz Scaggs’ unique mix of blues and soul, rock, and sophisticated R&B all comes together on THE ESSENTIAL BOZ SCAGGS (http://smarturl.it/boz_essential_amzn), a new collection of his work that will be available everywhere October 29^th  through Columbia/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.

THE ESSENTIAL BOZ SCAGGS is the first 32-song, double-CD collection to track his solo career from 1969 (his seminal self-titled American debut LP on Atlantic Records, produced by  Rolling Stone editor/publisher Jann Wenner in Muscle Shoals, with Duane Allman on lead guitar) all the way to 2013 (his Memphis album, a tribute to that city’s musical greats).  At the heart of this collection are 23 cuts that cover his near two-decade stay at Columbia Records starting in 1971, including 14 Hot 100 chart singles that established him on radio in the U.S.

 

The well-crafted liner notes essay for THE ESSENTIAL BOZ SCAGGS (which utilizes exclusive interview material gathered for the occasion) is written by Rolling Stone contributing editor Anthony DeCurtis.  He analyzes Scaggs’ Texas rhythm & blues-flavored vocal mastery, and points to his hitmaking years at Columbia as “a seemingly unstoppable roll.”

Columbia Records To Release Music From The Motion Picture Carrie On October 15

SOUNDTRACK INCLUDES SONGS FROM PASSION PIT, THE CIVIL WARS, HAIM, KREWELLA, CULTS, HAERTS, AND AN EXCLUSIVE NEW COVER BY MATRIMONY

VISIT EW.COM TODAY TO HEAR THE SOUNDTRACK

Columbia Records has announced the release of Music From the Motion Picture Carrie, the musical companion to the highly anticipated reimagining of the classic horror tale. The soundtrack arrives everywhere Tuesday, October 15; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Screen Gems will release Carrie nationwide on Friday, October 18. Pre-order Music From the Motion Picture Carrie today at http://smarturl.it/carrieamz.

Columbia Records To Release Music From The Motion Picture Carrie On October 15. (PRNewsFoto/Columbia Records)

Carrie is a reimagining of the classic Stephen King horror tale about Carrie White (Chloe Grace Moretz), a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother (Julianne Moore), who unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom. Based on the best-selling novel by King, Carrie is directed by Kimberly Peirce and produced by Kevin Misher with a screenplay by Lawrence D. Cohen and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.

Highlighted by Matrimony’s never-before-heard cover of Bob Dylan’s classic “Tombstone Blues,” the soundtrack also features music from artists including Passion Pit, The Civil Wars, HAIM, Krewella, Cults, HAERTS and more (see below for track listing). Visit www.EW.com today to hear the soundtrack.

Music From the Motion Picture Carrie track listing:
1. Ends of the Earth – Lord Huron
2. College – Rogue Wave
3. Hip Hop Kids – Portugal. the Man
4. Let Me Go – HAIM
5. Diane Young – Vampire Weekend
6. Young Blood (Radio Edit) – The Naked & Famous
7. Live for the Night – Krewella
8. Dust to Dust – The Civil Wars
9. All The Days – HAERTS
10. Take a Walk – Passion Pit
11. I Can Hardly Make You Mine – Cults
12. Tombstone Blues (Bonus Track) – Matrimony

http://youwillknowhername.com/

Columbia Records Announces The Release Of Loved Me Back To Life, The New Studio Album From Celine Dion

Columbia Records has announced the release of Loved Me Back To Life, the highly anticipated new album from multi-platinum-selling and five-time Grammy Award-winning singer Celine Dion. Loved Me Back To Life, Dion’s first English-language album in six years, will be released in the U.S. Tuesday, November 5 on Columbia Records (see track list below). (Listen to “Loved Me Back To Life” on www.CelineDion.com now.)

(Groupe CNW/CELINE DION)

The album’s pulsating, upbeat first single, also titled “Loved Me Back To Life,” is available digitally today. and Pre-ordering of the album through www.CelineDion.com, iTunes, and www.Amazon.com.  Dion will perform “Loved Me Back To Life” live on Jimmy Kimmel Live! this Friday, September 6 and on The Ellen DeGeneres Show next Wednesday, September 11.

Loved Me Back To Life track list:

1. Loved Me Back To Life

2. Somebody Loves Somebody

3. Incredible (duet with Ne-Yo)

4. Water And A Flame

5. Breakaway

6. Save Your Soul

7. Didn’t Know Love

8. Thank You

9. Overjoyed (duet with Stevie Wonder)

10. Thankful

11. At Seventeen

12. Always Be Your Girl

13. Unfinished Songs

Having sold more than 220 million albums around the world, Celine Dion (www.facebook.com/celinedion, www.twitter.com/celinedion) is one of the most immediately recognized and successful performers in pop music history. In addition to numerous U.S. and international gold, platinum and multi-platinum certifications, Dion has seen two of her albums—Falling Into You and Let’s Talk About Love—each achieve RIAA Diamond status in recognition of sales of more than 10 million copies in the U.S. alone (each selling more than 30 million worldwide). She has been awarded five Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “My Heart Will Go On” in 1998, Album of the Year and Best Pop Album for Falling Into You in 1996, and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for “Beauty and the Beast” in 1992. Both “My Heart Will Go On” and “Beauty and the Beast” received Best Song Academy Awards for their respective years of release.

Loved Me Back To Life offered Dion the chance to work with a team of exceptional producers and songwriters including Ne-Yo, Diane Warren, Tricky Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Eg White, Daniel Merriweather, Babyface, Audra Mae Butts, Play Production, Eman, Janis Ian, Danny Mercer, Andrew Goldstein, Shaffer Smith, Jessi Alexander, Tommy Lee James, Corparal, Sauce, Kyle Townsend, Dana Parish, Andrew Hollander, Aaron Pearce, Kuk Harrell, and Walter Afanasieff. The album’s single and title track was written by Sham & Motesart and Sia. In addition, Ne-Yo and Stevie Wonder lend their incredible talents as Dion’s duet partners.

In December of 2007, Dion concluded an unprecedented concert engagement in Las Vegas—five consecutive years of sold-out shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, a $100 million venue built exclusively for her performances.  This historic, original show, entitled “A New Day…“, was one of the highest grossing concerts in music history, selling more than 3 million tickets in its run and helping make Dion the highest-grossing touring artist in the world from 2000 to 2010.  In 2011, Celine returned to The Colosseum with a brand-new critically-acclaimed show, simply entitled “Celine,” playing to sold-out audiences since opening night.  This spectacular show, which will continue for several years to come, features Dion’s greatest hits, some surprising covers, and a few songs featured on Loved Me Back To Life, including the title track.

MUSIC INDUSTRY VETERAN SYLVIA RHONE ANNOUNCES JOINT VENTURE WITH EPIC RECORDS

EPIC RECORDS has inked an exclusive joint venture with renowned music industry executive SYLVIA RHONE to form VESTED IN CULTURE (VIC), it was announced today by DOUG MORRIS, CEO of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, L.A. REID, CHAIRMAN & CEO of Epic Records, and Rhone.

Sylvia Rhone Announces Joint Venture With Epic Records. (PRNewsFoto/Epic Records Vested in Culture)

“The partnership between Vested in Culture and Epic Records marks an exciting new chapter in my career,” stated Rhone. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Doug Morris and L.A. Reid, and couldn’t ask to work with better music men than them. I look forward to building a great label and being a part of their continued success.”

DEPECHE MODE NEW STUDIO ALBUM ‘DELTA MACHINE’ SET FOR RELEASE MARCH 26TH ON COLUMBIA RECORDS

DEPECHE MODE TO DEBUT VIDEO FOR FIRST SINGLE ‘HEAVEN’ ON VEVO NEXT FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST

DEPECHE MODE have announced they will release their highly anticipated 13^th studio album, entitled “DELTA MACHINE,” on March 26^th worldwide via COLUMBIA RECORDS. The album, recorded over the last year in Santa Barbara, California and New York City, was produced by BEN HILLIER and mixed by FLOOD. In addition to the album announcement, the group have also confirmed that the video for the first single “Heaven” will debut on VEVO next Friday, February 1^st.

Depeche Mode New Studio Album ‘Delta Machine’ Set For Release March 26th on Columbia Records. (PRNewsFoto/Columbia Records)

Alongside a standard CD format, DEPECHE MODE will release DELTA MACHINE in an exclusive DELUXE EDITION with four additional new tracks and accompanied by a 28 page hardcover book including photos by longtime artistic collaborator ANTON CORBIJN (please see track listing, as well as album and single configurations below).

GLEE: THE MUSIC SEASON 4, VOLUME 1 AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 27

FEATURING BRAND NEW TRACKS FROM UPCOMING EPISODES

COLUMBIA RECORDS –On Tuesday, November 27, COLUMBIA RECORDS and TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX TELEVISION will release GLEE: THE MUSIC SEASON 4, VOLUME 1, the next official release in the GLEE MUSIC COLLECTION. Available in both standard and deluxe versions, GLEE: THE MUSIC SEASON 4, VOLUME 1 will feature songs performed by the GLEE CAST favorites and the show’s newcomers, including heartfelt renditions of IMAGINE DRAGONS‘ “It’s Time,” COLDPLAY‘s “The Scientist” and TAYLOR SWIFT‘s “Mine.” The album will also premiere brand new tracks from upcoming episodes, such as ONE DIRECTION‘s wildly popular “Live While We’re Young” and PSY‘s dance anthem “Gangnam Style.” The deluxe version, available digitally only, will include tracks that showcase special guest stars KATE HUDSON and SARAH JESSICA PARKER (see below for track-listing).

Glee – The Music Season 4, Volume 1 Available November 27