Michael Been
Michael Been ( born March 17, 1950 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma as Michael Kenneth termination; † August 19, 2010 in Hasselt, Belgium) was an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, bassist, record producer and actor. He was best known as the frontman of Californian rock band The Call.
Life and work
Michael Been, born in 1950 in Oklahoma City, grew up in Chicago, where he was a member of various psychedelic rock band, was also, for example the band " aorta " or the group " HP Lovecraft ". He then played with the earlier Moby Grape members Jerry Miller and Bob Mosley in the band " Fine Wine " and with Miller later in the band " Original Haze " and bass on the 1974 album " With Footnotes " by the band 2nd Chapter of Acts.
The late 1970s, founded Michael Been ( bass, lead vocals) then with Scott Musick ( drums, vocals ), Tom Ferrier (guitar, vocals) and Greg Freeman ( bass) formed his own band called The Call.
Thus was formed also in 1982, supervised by producer Hugh Padgham and self-titled first album THE CALL, supplemented by the keyboardist Garth Hudson ( synthesizer, piano, saxophone). The 1983 released album " Modern Romans " led to a world tour as the opening act of musician Peter Gabriel. With the title song "When the Walls Came Down" you gained a lot of attention at MTV.
Between 1982 and 2000, the group led by frontman Michael Been published 12 albums together. Among eight studio albums, three albums Best of 1991: The Call - The Walls Came Down ( The Best Of The Mercury Years ), 1997: The Best of The Call, (WEA Records) 2000: The Call - The Millennium Collection, ( Hip -O Records) and in the same year, the live album "Live Under the Red Moon". Most albums which were produced by Michael Been and The Call.
In the 1990s, Michael Been published then two solo albums. One was the soundtrack to Paul Schrader's Light Sleeper 1992 erschienenem crime again with Willem Dafoe in the title role, as well as Susan Sarandon and Dana Delany in the female roles. In 1994 the album "On the Verge of a Nervous Breakthrough" at ( Qwest Records), also produced the completion of the matter itself again.
The single " Let The Day Begin" from the eponymous album by The Call written by Michael Been was the official anthem for Al Gore 's Democrats in the election campaign for President of the United States in 2000 in the United States.
In addition to his band The Call Michael Been often found occasion as guest vocalist at other rock band or musician friends perform. Among other things, Peter Gabriel album "So " from 1986.
Conversely played from the beginning again and again famous guest musicians on The Call with. Already in 1986 were on the CD " Reconciled " Jim Kerr of Simple Minds and listen to Peter Gabriel. Garth Hudson, organist and saxophonist of the band The band was on the first three albums as a keyboardist in use. The actor Harry Dean Stanton played the harmonica on " For Love " from the album "Let The Day Begin". U2's Bono sang on the 90 album " Red Moon " in the background.
Besides music, Michael Been made with another talent attention. Director Martin Scorsese occupied Completed in 1988 in his much-discussed Christ filming alongside actors like Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, John Lurie, Harry Dean Stanton and Barbara Hershey in The Last Temptation of Christ in the role of the apostle John.
The band was founded in 1998 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Robert Levon Been of his son Michael Been was in the 2000s more often on tour. There he functioned often during concerts as their sound engineer and Tonberater. During the 2010 tour termination died on August 19, 2010 in Hasselt, Belgium the effects of a heart attack during the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club presence of his son at the Pukkelpop music festival.