Elton John

Synopsis

Elton John is a British singer, pianist and composer whose unique blend of pop and rock styles turned him into one of the biggest music icons of the 20th century. He excelled in music from a young age, attending the prestigious Academy of Music on a scholarship at just eleven years old. In 1970 he released his first self-titled American album, making him a huge international star. Some of his most famous hits include "Crocodile Rock," "Philadelphia Freedom.

" and "Candle in the Wind." He also found success on Broadway, composing the score for Billy Elliot (2008), which went on to win ten Tony Awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He was knighted in 1998.

Jerry Lee Lewis

Early life

Lewis was born to the poor family of Elmo and Mamie Lewis in Ferriday, in Concordia Parish, in eastern Louisiana, and began playing piano in his youth with two cousins, Mickey Gilley (later a popular country music singer) and Jimmy Swaggart (later a popular TV evangelist).

His parents mortgaged their farm to buy him a piano. Lewis was influenced by a piano-playing older cousin, Carl McVoy (who later recorded with Bill Black's Combo), the radio, and the sounds from Haney's Big House, a black juke joint across the tracks. On the live album By Request, More of the Greatest Live Show on Earth, Lewis is heard naming Moon Mullican as an artist who inspired him.

Adam Levine

Synopsis

Adam Levine is the Grammy-winning singer for the band Maroon 5, whose success includes several chart-topping hits and gold and platinum albums. In 2011, he branched out to television as a judge on the reality singing show The Voice.

Alicia Keys

Synopsis

Alicia Keys was born on January 25, 1981, in New York, NY and began piano lessons at age 7. After graduating from the Professional Performance Arts School, she signed a deal with Clive Davis, the head of Arista Records. Davis left Arista to start J Records and Keys followed. Her debut album "Songs in A Minor" went platinum five times over and earned her five Grammys.

David Bowie

Synopsis

David Bowie is an English rock musician whose sound and outfits gave rock a new identity in the 1970s. His first hit, "Space Oddity," reached U.K. audiences in 1969. His distinctive voice and the intellectual depth of his work were expressed through myriad personas: androgynous glam-rock star to understated and minimalist folk singer. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

Britney Spears

Synopsis

Singer, songwriter, and actress Britney Spears was born on December 2, 1981, in Kentwood, Louisiana. She became a cast member of the TV show The New Mickey Mouse Club when she was 11. Her song Baby One More Time reached the top of the pop charts at the end of January 1999. Britney Spears has since been one of the most successful—and sometimes controversial—solo acts in popular music.

 Child Star

Singer, songwriter, actress. Born on December 2, 1981, in Kentwood, Louisiana. For more than a decade, Britney Spears has been one of the most successful—and sometimes controversial—solo acts in popular music. For a time, however, she was better known for her personal struggles. Spears launched her latest comeback in 2008, releasing a new album and setting out on a world tour.

Eminem

Synopsis
American rapper, record producer, and actor Eminem was born October 17, 1972 in St. Joseph, MO. Mathers had a turbulent childhood. Eminem released The Slim Shady LP early in 1999. The album went multiplatinum, and he won two Grammy Awards and four MTV Video Music Awards. In 2000 Eminem released The Marshall Mathers LP--the fastest-selling album in the history of rap.

Fergie

Synopsis

Singer Fergie was born Stacy Ferguson on March 27, 1975 in Hacienda Heights, California. She started out appearing in commercials and on the cast of Kids Incorporated in 1984. She joined the hip-hop rock band the Black Eyed Peas and their 2003 album.

George Michael

Synopsis

George Michael was born in London on June 25, 1963. The high school out formed the band Wham! Their first U.S. hit was “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.” In 1986, he went solo. Over time he recorded edgier work, such as the hit “I Want Your Sex.” The album sold 7 million copies. In 1998, he announced he was gay after being arrested for lewd conduct in a public restroom. He continues to perform and make music.

Janet Jackson

Synopsis

Born on May 16, 1966 in Gary, Indiana, Janet Jackson was the youngest child of the famous Jackson musical clan. After appearing as Penny on the sitcom Good Times, she went on to have a mega-recording career, with albums Control, Rhythm Nation 1814, Janet. and The Velvet Rope all going multi-platinum and producing a slew of hit singles. She has also acted in films.

Jennifer Lopez

Synopsis

Once a dancer on the television show In Living Color, Jennifer Lopez, often nicknamed J.Lo, is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, fashion designer and television producer. Lopez's first leading role was in the biographical film Selena, in which she earned an ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress. To date, Lopez has sold over 25 million albums worldwide.

Katy Perry

Synopsis

Katy Perry was born October 25, 1984, in Santa Barbara, California. After having three record deals fall apart, she signed with Capitol in 2007. Later that year, she released her first single, "Ur So Gay." Still, her career did not fully take off until the release of her next single, "I Kissed a Girl". Her album Teenage Dreams was released in August 2010. Conservative Upbringing.

Madonna

Synopsis

Pop music singer Madonna was born in Bay City, Michigan, on August 16, 1958. In 1981 she went solo as a pop singer and became a sensation on the then male-dominated 80s music scene. By 1991, she had achieved 21 Top 10 hits in the United States and sold more than 70 million albums internationally. In January 2008, she was named the world's wealthiest female musician by Forbes magazine.

Martina McBride

Synopsis
Born in Kansas in 1966, country singer Martina McBride got her big break when Garth Brooks, for whom her husband worked on a sound crew, gave her an opening slot on his concert tour in 1990. She became highly successful and her songs topped country charts for the next fifteen years.

Melanie Chisholm

Synopsis

Melanie Chisholm was born on January 12, 1974 in Whiston, Merseyside, England. In 1994, she became "Sporty Spice" in the all-girl British pop group the Spice Girls. In 1999, Chisholm released her first single, "When You're Gone," which reached number three on the U.K. charts. Chisholm was nominated for a "Best Actress" Laurence Olivier Award for her role in Blood Brothers.

Adele Laurie

Synopsis
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born in north London, England, on May 5, 1988. A huge fan of Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald as a child, Adele was a music fiend beginning at the age of three. She attended the BRIT School, a free school for the performing arts. Her first two albums, 19 and 21, earned her critical success and a level of commercial viability on par with the Beatles and Bob Marley.

Christina Maria Aguilera

Synopsis

Singer-songwriter Christina Maria Aguilera was born on December 18, 1980 in Staten Island, New York. Aguilera began her career as a cast member on The New Mickey Mouse Club. She rapidly rose to stardom following the release of her hit single, "Genie In A Bottle," which earned her a Grammy award for Best New Artist. Her other hit singles include "What A Girl Wants," "Come on Over Baby," "Lady Marmalade" and the sexually charged "Dirrty."

Celine Dion

Synopsis

Singer Celine Dion was born March 30, 1968, in Quebec, Canada. By the age of 18, Dion had recorded nine French albums and won numerous awards. She recorded her first English language album, Unison, in 1990. Dion's real breakthrough into pop music stardom came in 1992, when she recorded the theme to Disney's hit animated feature, Beauty and the Beast. The song became a No. 1 smash.

Shania Twain

Synopsis

Shania Twain was born Eileen Regina Edwards in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, on August 28, 1965. Twain recorded her first album in 1993. Her next album, The Woman in Me, sold millions of copies and established Twain as a crossover star. Come on Over, released in 1997, sold more than 40 million records to become the bestselling album by a female artist, and the bestselling country music record ever.

Steven Tyler

Synopsis

Steven Tyler is the frontman of the rock band Aerosmith. In the 1970s, Tyler rose to prominence with the rock albums Toys in the Attic and Rocks. In the 1970s and 1980s, Tyler was heavily addicted to drugs and alcohol. He completed drug rehabilitation in 1986. Sober and still inspired, Aerosmith launched a remarkable comeback with the albums Permanent Vacation, Pump and Get a Grip.