Clay Aiken News Network

Clay Aiken – Beautiful Melodies and Touching Lyrics

By musicfan123 · Comments (10)

Friday, August 12th, 2011

I got a bit off schedule last night. It seems I got lost watching YouTubes of Clay Aiken. I found one YouTube that, although it is not too old, I had forgotten about. It was a video of Clay and Lauren Kennedy performing together at the Bringing Broadway Home Concert in Raleigh. Held on June 21, 2010 at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, the concert was a benefit for the North Carolina Theatre.

Lauren and Clay joined together to sing a beautiful song titled In Whatever Time We Have. The song was unfamiliar to me, but it was beautiful and I decided to learn more about it.

In Whatever Time We Have is a song from the two-act musical play titled Children of Eden. Stephen Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics. The musical is based on the Book of Genesis. The play had a short run on London’s West End, but never made it to Broadway.

It was interesting to read more about Stephen Schwartz. Schwartz has been an accomplished composer for over 40 years. Some of the musicals he has written are Godspell, Pippin, and the very popular Wicked. At one time he had three award winning shows all running on Broadway at the same time.

Schwartz then began working in film. He collaborated with composer Alan Menken on the scores for Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He most recently collaborated with Alan Menken on the songs for Disney’s movie, ENCHANTED.

Schwartz has won almost every major award in his field, including three Oscars, four Grammys, four Drama Desk Awards, one Golden Globe Award, and the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theater. He has also received six Tony Award nominations. Mr. Schwartz was recently given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

OK…no wonder I liked the song!! Schwartz is an amazing talent. There are few people who can write both beautiful melodies and touching lyrics.

The following are the lyrics of In Whatever Time We Have. It is worth reading the words. Then, watch and listen to Clay and Lauren as they perform this beautiful song. It seems to be a perfect match.

In whatever time we have
For as long as we are living
We can face whatever comes
If we face it now as one
I could make it on my own
Now I know that I don’t have to
No one really wants to be alone
In whatever time we have

In whatever time we have
After all this time without you
It’s not easy to be sure
It’s not easy to believe

All we know for sure is this
Though the world could end tomorrow
You and I will be together
In whatever time we have

We know life can be a battlefield
But we won’t run
And we won’t heel
You’ll be my fortress
And I will be your shield
No one really wants to be alone
In whatever time we have

If at times we are afraid
With so little to believe in
It’s alright to feel afraid
I will hold you in the dark

We could live a hundred years
Or the world could end tomorrow
But we know we’ll be together
In whatever time

From this day forward nights won’t seem so black
From this day forward we will never look back
In whatever time we have
We will make the most of time
And at least we’ll be together
In whatever time we have

Clay Aiken – Celebrating Home!

By musicfan123 · Comments (10)

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

Today is the anniversary of Bringing Broadway Home, a benefit concert celebrating 27 seasons of Broadway at the NC Theatre. Held in the Memorial Hall in Raleigh, North Carolina, the show was an exciting evening for Clay Aiken fans and all fans of great Broadway music.

Clay was joined on the stage by Lauren Kennedy, Quiana Parler, Terrance Mann, and Sharon Lawrence.

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Categories : Clay News

Tags : Bringing Broadway Home, Clay Aiken, Lauren Kennedy, North Carolina Theatre, Quiana Parler, Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, Sharon Lawrence, Terrence Mann, Tried & True

Clay Aiken Sings From 500 Greatest Songs of All Time!

By musicfan123 · Comments (11)

Sunday, October 10th, 2010

During a conversation with some friends on Saturday night, the topic of the Beatles was brought to the table. Most of the conversation was remembrances of the excitement the Beatles brought to the world of music. Most of our group remembered the enormous popularity of the Beatles and someone even brought up the term, “Beatlemania.”

Formed in Liverpool, England, in 1960, the Beatles were one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music.

Saturday was John Lennon’s birthday. He would have been 70 on Oct. 9 had he not been killed in 1980 by a deranged fan at the age of 40.

Of course, talk about music with my friends means that Clay Aiken and his amazing musicianship will be a part of the conversation. After some discussion, we decided that Clay had performed three Beatles songs and one song from the pen of John Lennon.

As a contestant on American Idol in 2003, Clay sang Here, There and Everywhere. According to Wikipedia:

“Here, There and Everywhere” is a song written primarily by Paul McCartney, recorded for the Beatles 1966 album Revolver. In his biography Many Years From Now, McCartney said the song is one of his favorites. Beatles’ producer George Martin has also mentioned it as one of his favorite McCartney songs. John Lennon reportedly told McCartney it was “the best tune on the album” and said in his 1980 Playboy interview it was “one of my favorite songs of the Beatles.” Mojo ranked it the 4th greatest song of all time in 2000.

Clay included Can’t Buy Me Love as a part of the Jukebox Tour. As part of the 60’s medley, the song was a great hit.

According to Songfacts.com this was one of the first Pop songs to start with the chorus rather than a verse. That was producer George Martin’s idea.

When pressed by American journalists in 1966 to reveal the song’s “true” meaning, McCartney denied that “Can’t Buy Me Love” was about prostitution, stating that, although it was open to interpretation, that suggestion was going too far, saying: “The idea behind it was that all these material possessions are all very well, but they won’t buy me what I really want. ” Although he was to later comment: “It should have been ‘Can Buy Me Love’ ” when reflecting on the perks that money and fame had brought him

Can’t Buy Me Love” was recorded on 29 January 1964 in Paris, France.

In March, 2010, Clay sang a touching performance of In My Life. During the recording of his PBS Special, Clay introduced his former teachers and asked his 6^th grade teacher to take a special bow. He told the audience that this special lady was the reason he made it through 6^th grade. He then sang an amazing rendition of In My Life.

John Lennon wrote the original song, but McCartney contributed a great deal to the final version. The song was released on the 1965 album Rubber Soul. The song is ranked #5 on the list of the Beatles 100 Greatest Songs. It is also ranked 23^rd on Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

In 1971, John Lennon released an album titled Imagine. The title song was released as a single in the United States and reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Lennon always said that Imagine was as good as anything he had ever written with the Beatles. Rolling Stone also made the list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at #3

Clay sang Imagine as part of the finale of “Bringing Broadway Home”, a wonderful benefit concert for the North Carolina Theatre. Clay was joined by Lauren Kennedy, Sharon Lawrence, Terrence Mann, and Quiana Parler to close the exciting concert held on June 21, 2010.

Each of these performances by Clay Aiken is amazing. Which one is your favorite? Did I leave out any songs? A big “thank-you” to LovesClaysVoice for her help in finding the videos for this article.

Clay Aiken – Always In The News

By musicfan123 · Comments (7)

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Each day there seems to be new articles that mention Clay Aiken. Some are excellent, informative articles that report about what he has been doing or, perhaps, what is in his future plans. Then there are the rumor sites that take one sentence and take it out of context and use it as a headline. An example of the latter is the over 100 sites on google that are claiming that Clay wants to replace Simon Cowell on American Idol. It really is crazy, but I guess it means that his name still equals hits!!

The UPI is a legitimate news source. Their web page says the following about their organization:

Since 1907, United Press International (UPI) has been a leading provider of critical information to media outlets, businesses, governments and researchers worldwide. UPI is a global operation with offices in Beirut, Hong Kong, London, Santiago, Seoul and Tokyo. Our headquarters is located in downtown Washington, DC, surrounded by major international policy-making governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Over 2.8 million unique visitors visit our web site every month and the number is rising. In December of 2008 alone, UPI.com received 6.5 million page views.

Each day UPI publishes its content directly to UPI.com, reaching an online audience that is constantly growing.

On Tuesday, Jun 29th, UPI posted the following article about co-hosts on The View.

NEW YORK, June 29 (UPI) — Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Kate Gosselin and Clay Aiken have signed on as guest co-hosts of the U.S. chat show “The View,” ABC said Tuesday

The show’s regular hosts are Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd.

Numerous celebrities, including actor Ferguson, reality TV personality Gosselin and singer Aiken, have agreed to fill in for the regular hosts as they take days off in June and July, Bill Geddie, the show’s executive producer, said.

Also to appear as guest co-hosts are actresses Valerie Bertinelli, Yvette Nicole Brown and Rachael Harris; Jamyce Lee, winner of the “Good Morning America” Living the Dream contest and a 27-year-old mother of three; TV personality Bryant Gumbel; political commentator/talk show host Laura Ingraham; chef Marcella Valladolid; and TV/radio personality Jacque Reid.

Interesting that the one picture they have with the article is one of Clay Aiken. To see the article and the picture visit UPI

Robert W. McDowell is a writer for The Triangle Arts and Entertainment site. According to their site, it is A News Magazine Devoted To Visual and Performing Arts.

On Tuesday, McDowell wrote a nice review of the Bringing Broadway Home concert that was held in Raleigh on June 21st.

IN “BRINGING BROADWAY HOME,” CLAY AIKEN DELIGHTED HIS FANS, BUT LAUREN KENNEDY AND QUIANA PARLER WERE SHOWSTOPPERS, TOO

Last Monday night, the North Carolina Theatre, whose gala home-grown productions of big Broadway musicals compare favorably with many of the bus-and-truck tours that play the Triangle, staged BRINGING BROADWAY HOME: CELEBRATING 27 SEASONS OF BROADWAY, a spectacular benefit concert last Monday night, featuring effervescent performances by NCT alumni Clay Aiken, Lauren Kennedy, Sharon Lawrence, Terrence Mann, and Quiana Parler and a splendid orchestra led by frequent NCT musical director and conductor Edward G. Robinson.

Aiken is the 2003 “American Idol” runner-up and a multi-platinum recording artist who also played Sir Robin in MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT; Kennedy is a rising Broadway star, who has played Betty Schaefer in SUNSET BOULEVARD, Fantine in LES MISÉRABLES, and the Lady of the lake in SPAMALOT; and Lawrence is a television star probably most famous for playing assistant district attorney Sylvia Costas Sipowicz in the ground-breaking crime drama “NYPD Blue.”

Mann created the roles of the irrepressible Rum Tum Tugger and the implacable Inspector Javert in the American versions of CATS and LES MISÉRABLES, respectively, as well as starred as the Beast in the original Broadway production of DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST; and Parler is a superlative African-American actress and singer who gave a career-making performance as troubled diva Effie Melody White in the 2008 North Carolina Theatre production of DREAMGIRLS.

Hometown favorite Clay Aiken opened the show with a rousing rendition of “Home” from THE WIZ, then delighted his legion of local fans with two saucy selections from his new album “Tried and True,” released June 1st on Decca: “Mack the Knife” from THREE PENNY OPERA and “What Kind of Fool Am I?” from STOP THE WORLD I WANT TO GET OFF. Aiken also added crowd-pleasing performances of “This Is the Moment” from JEKYLL & HYDE and “Those Magic Changes” from GREASE, and sang dynamic duets of “Last Night of the World” from MISS SAIGON with Quiana Parler and “In Whatever Time We Have” from CHILDREN OF EDEN with Lauren Kennedy.

Another highlight of the evening was the delightful reprise of “What Do the Simple Folk Do?” from CAMELOT by Terrence Mann and Sharon Lawrence, who played Arthur and Guenevere in NCT’s very first production in May 1984. Mann also reprised his role as Inspector Javert with brio as he sang “Stars” from LES MISÉRABLES, and his vibrant version of “Where’s the Girl?” from THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL also earned applause.

From the moment she sashayed onstage to sing “Popular” from WICKED, wearing a rhinestone tiara and a purple boa over her little black sequined and fringed dress, with a white sash emblazoned with “Raleigh’s Own” printed on it tied diagonally across her chest, Raleigh’s own Lauren Kennedy OWNED the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium audience lock, stock, and barrel. Her perky performance continued with vivacious versions of Jason Robert Brown’s sassy “I Can Do Better Than That” from THE LAST 5 YEARS, Fantine’s (and Susan Boyle’s) showstopper “I Dreamed a Dream” from LES MISÉRABLES, the wistful “Send in the Clowns” from A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, and “Hold On” from THE SECRET GARDEN.

Sharon Lawrence served as an informal mistress of ceremonies and contributed a charming version of “Shy” from ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, and Quiana Parler’s solo on “What I Did for Love” from A CHORUS LINE sparkled. But even if Clay Aiken was the evening’s most flamboyant showman, his erstwhile singing partner Quiana Parler one-upped Aiken and the rest of this stellar cast with her simply fab-u-lous rendition of “(And I Am Telling You) I’m Not Going” from DREAMGIRLS. After that next-to-last number, the company’s grand finale of “Imagine” by ex-Beatle John Lennon seemed anti-climactic.

All in all, BRINGING BROADWAY HOME was a bracing program of music and reminiscences in which backstage tales were told and North Carolina Theatre founder and head honcho De Ann Jones and her son and successor, Wally Jones, were given their due. NCT is a shining jewel in this state’s cultural crown and, for one magical evening, a fabulous quintet of NCT alumni, emphatically demonstrated how excellent this critically acclaimed regional theater is as a springboard to show business fame and fortune.

The article includes nice pictures of Lauren Kennedy, Quiana Parler and a picture of Clay’s CD, On My Way Here.

Please take a moment and give the site a visit and leave a positive comment. It is important for the publication and Mr. McDowell to know that we support Clay and enjoy news and reports about him on their site. You can see the article at TRIANGLE ARTS

On Tuesday evening, the following was posted on Facebook by Universal Music Singapore:

Universal Music Singapore Gooood morning Singapore! First update of the day: To Clay Aiken’s fans. Tried and True will be available at all record store this coming July. Visit us more to find out the exact date.

It looks like the International Promo for Tried & True is starting. Of course, sales outside the United States do not show on the Billboard sales charts, but they do count towards total album sales statistics. RIAA recently awarded Clay a sales plaque for 6 million sales internationally.

Today is the last day of the month. We can only hope that the buzz around Clay Aiken continues in July. Are you ready?

Clay Aiken – A Broadway Solstice

By musicfan123 · Comments (5)

Monday, June 21st, 2010

Here I am, sitting at my computer on the first day of summer. I should be happy and I am. But, I am also envious of all the people who are able to attend the special concert, Bringing Broadway Home. The concert, a fundraiser for The North Carolina Theater will star Clay Aiken, Lauren Kennedy, Sharon Lawrence, Terrence Mann and Quiana Parler. Each star has a history with the theater and is hoping to raise money for the theater group.

For Clay Aiken fans, this is the opportunity to hear him sing songs that we have not heard he sing before. He has said that he will sing two songs from his new CD, Tried & True, but, but since all the songs will be from Broadway, he will be performing other songs too.

Clay has been active in promoting this concert. He has given many interviews on both regional radio and television to encourage people to attend the concert.

I hope that those who are lucky enough to attend will give us some great reports of the concert and the fun they had. I also hope that the concert brings much needed funds to the North Carolina Theatre.

Today is The Summer Solstice It’s the longest day of the year. The amount of daylight only goes down from here for the next six months. Summer Solstice is the meteorological start of summer. It’s time to enjoy vacations, great weather, pools, baseballs, and everything else that goes along with the favorite season of kids and most adults. Grab your favorite beverage and enjoy the season, because for many of us it is all too short.

The Summer Solstice has been a very special time of year for many cultures through history. People have built monuments dedicated to the solstice and tracking the sun and stars. Stonehenge in England and Machu Picchu in Peru are both believed to be such monuments. Midsummer has long been believed to be special for falling in love and getting married, and herbs and flowers harvested on Midsummer Day were thought to have magical qualities, like making people invisible.

Did you know? The sun does not set at the North Pole today. There is 24 hours of sunlight. Does it make up for that cold day in December when the sun does not rise above the horizon? No, but on this day it sure does feel good wherever you are!

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Categories : Clay News

Tags : Bringing Broadway Home, Clay Aiken, Lauren Kennedy, Machu Picchu, North Carolina Theatre, North Pole, Quiana Parler, Raleigh, Sharon Lawrence, Stonehenge, Summer, Summer Solstice, Terrence Mann

Clay Aiken – News, News and More News!

By musicfan123 · Comments (6)

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

On June 16th, Tracey Early at News 14 Carolina aired an interview with Clay Aiken and Lauren Kennedy about their participation in a benefit concert for the North Carolina Theatre. Titled Bringing Broadway Home, the concert will be on Monday, June 21st at 8pm at the Memorial Auditorium in Raleigh. The interview is short, but filled with lots of fun information about the program and the stars ties to the NCT. It is particularly fun to see the great rapport between Clay and Lauren. The video is on their site and you can see it at NEWS14

Angela Hampton is a reporter at ABC11 in the Raleigh, NC community. She reports on community events, organizations and activities that you and the entire family can take part in. On Wednesday afternoon, she wrote a short article about her interview with Clay Aiken and the benefit show. She said:

Clay Aiken came to our studio today to tape a segment for Heart of Carolina Perspectives (which airs Sunday, 6/20 11am). We had a blast! Even though I followed his rise to fame on “American Idol” and kept up with his successes and turmoils in the media, I have never had the opportunity to interview him, until now. He joined me on “HOCP” to talk about the benefit concert for North Carolina Theatre on Monday, June 21st at 8pm at Memorial Auditorium in Raleigh. Clay is joining four other artists who have performed at “NCT” who are lending their time and talent to this concert. It’s called “Bringing Broadway Home” and the lineup is impressive: multi-platinum recording artist Clay Aiken, Broadway actress Lauren Kennedy, Emmy nominated actress Sharon Lawrence, Tony-nominated Broadway actor Terrence Mann and singer/actress Quiana Parler. Lauren taped the segment with Clay, and they were a riot! They reminisced about early roles at N.C. Theatre and about their work on Broadway (Monty Python’s “Spamalot”) and other experiences as performers. One of the funniest moments came when I asked them if being parents had an impact on the projects they chose to do or the types of songs they sang. Clay said his son (who is still a toddler) doesn’t like to hear him sing! He verbally protests when Daddy breaks into song. Go figure! Clay has other anecdotes to share from growing up in Raleigh and performing at NCT. Check ‘em out this Sunday at 11am on “HOCP”. No matter your musical tastes, we should be proud of our local performers who’ve made it to the “big time” and are now giving back to the local community by helping a non-profit that helped them get their start. By the way, tickets are still available for Monday’s concert. I hope you’ll support NCT, the region’s only theater producing professional broadway musical revivals!

So…….lets all tune in to ABC11 on Sunday to hear Clay on the program, Heart of Carolina Perspectives. I am sure it will be another great interview. And, why not visit Angela’s article and leave a message to let her know we are looking forward to her interview with Clay. ABC11

Decca Music has a nice artist page for Clay Aiken on their website. Today, they added Clay’s performance of Unchained Melody on The View. It would be great to visit the page, watch the video and leave a comment to let them know we love Clay. DECCA

An interesting Tweet showed up on Wednesday from a company called MOTT MARKETING.

Check out @clayaiken on @popeater (AOL) on June 24th! They followed Clay for a day and documented it via photos, video, interview and more!

Popeater is an entertainment site that has been very supportive of Clay recently. It looks like they will have some more information about “A Day in the life of Clay Aiken.” Lets look for it on June 24th.

There is one more bit of news. Clay Aiken’s Official Fan Club announced a Meet & Greet Sweepstakes. OFC members will have the opportunity to win a M &G with Clay and Ruben on their upcoming “Timeless Tour” this summer. The sweepstakes will begin on June 17th and run for two weeks. So, if you are planning on attending one or more of the concerts this summer, why not try and win one of the 5 spots for each concert. For more information, visit the new Official Fan Club Site.

Clay Aiken – One Night Only

By musicfan123 · Comments (19)

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

The following was announced today!

I hope some of you will be able to attend this fabulous performance!

E-Mail was sent by NC Theatre

Comments (19)

Categories : Clay News

Tags : Bringing Broadway Home, Clay Aiken, Lauren Kennedy, North Carolina Theatre, Quiana Parler, Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, Sharon Lawrence, Terrence Mann