Jan 21, 3:56 PM (ET)By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr.
(AP) In this Jan. 17, 2009 file photo, Senegalese-American singer Akon arrives at the Cannes festival...Full Image
p {margin:12px 0px 0px 0px;}
ATLANTA (AP) - Even though Akon has a birth certificate, he says his age is still a mystery - and he'd rather keep it that way. "All it's going to do is depress me," he told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "I don't want to know I'm getting older. Then I'll start to think about getting checkups and insurance. I don't want that."
Numerous reports have put his age between 25 to 35 years old. In 2006, he gave his age as 25. But now, he claims his birth certificate shows he was born on April 16, 1977, which would make him 31.
Some have accused Akon of trying to push back his age. But the singer, who was born in the United States but spent his early life in Senegal, where his family is from, says he never knew it.
"In Africa ... age is not important over there. They don't care. People only focus on it here (America) and in Europe."
Akon says when people ask, he just gives him a figure that comes to mind.
"I feel like I'm 21 right now," he says. "And I'll be 21 for the next 10 years."
Akon went multiplatinum with his 2006 CD "Konvicted," which included hits such as "Smack That" with Eminem and "Don't Matter." His most recent album, "Freedom," was released in December.
---
On the Net:
http://www.akononline.com/
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Jazz musician David 'Fathead' Newman dies at 75
Jan 21, 10:47 PM (ET)
p {margin:12px 0px 0px 0px;}
KINGSTON, N.Y. (AP) - David "Fathead" Newman, a jazz musician who played with the Ray Charles Band and won fame as a tenor sax soloist, has died at age 75.
Manager Karen Nemman says the jazz musician died Tuesday of pancreatic cancer in a Kingston, N.Y., hospital.
The Dallas native left college to tour with Charlie Parker's mentor, Buster Smith.
According to his Web site, Newman spent 12 years with the Ray Charles Band beginning in 1954. He began as the baritone sax player and became the star tenor sax soloist.
He returned to Dallas and led his own bands before moving to New York City. As a studio musician, he worked with musicians including Herbie Mann, Aretha Franklin and Aaron Neville.
---
On the Net:
David Newman, http://www.davidfatheadnewman.com/
p {margin:12px 0px 0px 0px;}
KINGSTON, N.Y. (AP) - David "Fathead" Newman, a jazz musician who played with the Ray Charles Band and won fame as a tenor sax soloist, has died at age 75.
Manager Karen Nemman says the jazz musician died Tuesday of pancreatic cancer in a Kingston, N.Y., hospital.
The Dallas native left college to tour with Charlie Parker's mentor, Buster Smith.
According to his Web site, Newman spent 12 years with the Ray Charles Band beginning in 1954. He began as the baritone sax player and became the star tenor sax soloist.
He returned to Dallas and led his own bands before moving to New York City. As a studio musician, he worked with musicians including Herbie Mann, Aretha Franklin and Aaron Neville.
---
On the Net:
David Newman, http://www.davidfatheadnewman.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
