January Artists of the Week
It’s time again to share this month’s Artists of the Week! For January, our four artists are: Celia Cruz, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, and Hank Williams… All three Hank Williams! These musicians are just a few of our favorites. If you haven’t already heard, you can find even more information on them in our 90 Days to Dance program. Or check out November and December’s AOW’s in our previous blog posts.
So, let’s dive in!
17. Celia Cruz
For our first January Artist of the Week, we feature Celia Cruz. Celia is a Cuban vocalist, born in Havana, in 1925.
Some of the songs from Celia that we love to dance to are:
- “Guantanamera” (117 BPM Cha Cha Cha)
- “La Negra Tiene Tumbao [Remix]” (121 BPM Merengue)
- “Cao Cao Mani Picao’ (175 BPM Mambo)
Celia, who passed away in 2003, recorded 23 gold albums, is known as the “Queen of Salsa” and appeared on a US Postal service stamp in 2011 honoring her “invaluable contributions to the entertainment industry.”
18. The Beatles
Our next Artist of the Week, The Beatles, are definitely the personification of “The British Invasion;” (a musical phenomenon from the mid 1960s featuring artists from the United Kingdom bringing their musical stylings to America).
Some of the songs from The Beatles that we love to dance to are:
- “Can’t Buy Me Love” (174 BPM Jitterbug)
- “Eleanor Rigby (134 BPM Tango)
- “P.S. I Love You (134 BPM Rumba)
- “Twist and Shout,” (124 BPM Triple Lindy)
The Beatles are highly prolific having the most number one albums in chart history, hail from Liverpool England and are most famously known as the “Fab Four.”
19. Bruce Springsteen
Our next artist hails from new Jersey and is known to everyone as “The Boss.” Bruce Springsteen, an American Rock and Roll vocalist, was born in Long Branch and made his fame fronting the E-Street band. He was a fixture on MTV during its heyday and is particularly remembered for his anthem “Born in the USA”.
He produced a plethora of danceable hit songs including:
- “Pink Cadillac,” (Triple Lindy 124 BPM)
- “Dancing in the Dark,” (Rhythm Two Step 145 BPM)
- “Badlands,” (Fox Trot 124 BPM)
“The Boss” is known as an accomplished songwriter and is credited for his impact on Arena Rock.
- He got his start playing the “Bar Circuit”
- Credits his father and Elvis Presley as influences
- In 2016 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
20. Hank Williams, Hank Williams, AND Hank Williams
The fourth Artist of the Week for January are all three Hank Williams (father, son, grandson).
- Hank the Senior (AKA Luke the Drifter, or The Hillbilly Shakespear) was born in Mount Olive, Alabama in 1923 and died very prematurely in 1953.
- Randall Hank Williams (AKA Hank Jr., or Bocephus) was born in Shreveport, Louisiana on May 26, 1949.
- Shelton Hank William III (AKA Hank III) was born December 12, 1972, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Together these three carry the name that singularly personifies the genre of Country Music. All three have led colorful lives, to say the least, and have lived up to the concept of “family tradition.”
Modern technology has given us a sampling of songs which feature all three members of this trio; we enjoy dancing to these:
- “Honky Tonk Blues,” (129 BPM Honky Tonk Stomp – Line Dance)
- “Move it on Over,” (160 BPM Two Step)
- “I’m a Long Gone Daddy,” (140 BPM East Coast Swing)
Artists of the Week Recap
Now, we hope that January’s Artists give you either some new songs to try dancing to this month, the inspiration to START dancing, or even just a little bit of fun for the month! We’ve had a lot of fun putting together all of these artists for you, and we hope that you find them helpful for your dancing career!
Photos Courtesy of:
Celia Cruz: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Celia_Cruz_1.jpg
The Beatles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Fabs.JPG
Bruce Springsteen: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bruce_Springsteen_-_Roskilde_Festival_2012.jpg
Hank Williams: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hank_Williams_Promotional_Photo.jpg
Hank Williams Jr.: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hank_Williams,_Jr._(2006).jpg
And, Hank Williams III: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hank_Williams_III_(Hank3)_-_Roskilde_Festival_2012.jpg
