All the Guest Stars on Kendrick Lamar & SZA's Grand National Tour So Far
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Playboi Carti was the first guest performer, popping out for 'Good Credit' at the Atlanta show in April after Dot had been performing the MUSIC track solo since the tour's opening night in Minneapolis on April 19. Both Baby Keem and Kaytranada came out as surprise guests, performing 'Family Ties' and Teedra Moses' 'Be Your Girl,' respectively, during the concert at the 'Kill Bill' singer's home state of New Jersey earlier in May. While SZA performed her 'Consideration' collaboration with Rihanna from the latter's iconic 2016 album Anti at the Jersey stop, fans could only hope and dream that RiRi would one day join her on stage.
The stars have also been spotted on the sidelines, as videos of Pusha T attending their Foxborough show went viral.
After AzChike performed during the DJ Hed & Friends portion of The Pop Out: Ken & Friends concert on Juneteenth last year, he became the first featured rapper on GNX to pop out as a guest during the trio of shows in Lamar's hometown of Los Angeles in May, when they performed 'Peekaboo' together. Meanwhile, SZA brought out Lizzo and Justin Bieber during the other two LA nights to perform the remixes of 'Special' and 'Snooze,' respectively.
Billboard rounded up all the guest stars who've popped up at the Grand National Tour, in order of oldest to most recent appearance.
Dot brought out Baby Boi in the latter rapper's hometown of Atlanta at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on April 29. The Interscope labelmates performed 'Good Credit' off Carti's Billboard 200-topping album MUSIC. 'Good Credit' reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the duo's other collaboration on the album, 'Backd00r' also featuring Jhené Aiko, peaked at No. 25.
Lamar brought out his younger cousin Baby Keem to perform 'Family Ties' at East Rutherford's MetLife Stadium on May 10. The pgLang dynamic duo took over arenas three years ago when Keem was one of the supporting acts for Lamar's Big Steppers Tour. They also headlined Camp Flog Gnaw in 2023, when they were billed as 'The Hillbillies.'
SZA had Kaytranada on the 1s and 2s while they performed his viral remix of Teedra Moses' 'Be Your Girl' during their MetLife Stadium tour stop on May 10. 'The OG of this song raised me . Kaytras version activates meee . Complex simplicity was so nuts . Humblest love to Teedra,' SZA wrote on X. Kaytra also DJed the after party for her Not Beauty brand that same night, which Lizzo and Ty Dolla $ign also attended.
SZA brought out her 'best friend' Lizzo 'for energy and positivity' during her and Dot's first SoFi Stadium stop in Inglewood, Calif., on May 21. They performed their remix of Lizzo's 'Special' from her 2022 Grammy-nominated album of the same name. 'Special' earned Lizzo her first and SZA's second No. 1 hit on Adult R&B Airplay in 2023 and hit the top 10 of Rhythmic Airplay.
SZA invited Justin Bieber to perform their 'Snooze' remix at their second SoFi Stadium stop on May 23. Bieber was featured on the acoustic version of 'Snooze' in September 2023, months after it was released as the sixth single from her 2022 blockbuster album SOS. 'Snooze' reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 and won the Grammy for best R&B song last year.
AzChike popped out to perform 'Peekaboo' with Dot in their hometown during the third SoFi Stadium stop on May 24. 'Peekaboo,' which samples Willie Hale's 1972 track 'Give Me a Helping Hand,' reached No. 13 on the Hot 100. 'Just shared the stage with my muthaf—king dawg, brotha, & the god damn goat tonight @kendricklamar. Hard work do pay off,' he wrote on X later that night, while sharing photos of him and Lamar on stage as well as of him and SZA backstage.
Doja Cat camouflaged herself while appearing in the middle of SZA's outdoorsy set design to perform 'Kiss Me More' at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium on May 31. 'Kiss Me More' reached No. 3 on the Hot 100 and won both artists their first Grammy in 2022 for best pop duo/group performance. 'First time performing together in soooo long,' SZA wrote on her Instagram Story with the heart organ emoji. 'THANK YOU @dojacat.'
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Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
The top song that came out the year you were born
BI looked at Billboard's year-end No. 1 singles since 1940 to determine the top song from each year. The list includes Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, Prince, Whitney Houston, Adele, Dua Lipa, and more. The biggest song of 2024 was "Lose Control" by Teddy Swims, according to Billboard. Take a look back at the defining hit from each year since 1940, listed below in chronological order. Kirsten Acuna contributed reporting. 1940: "I'll Never Smile Again" by Tommy Dorsey For songs prior to 1946, before Billboard's year-end list existed, we looked at the singles that stayed at No. 1 on the Billboard charts the longest. "I'll Never Smile Again" by Tommy Dorsey, which also features backing vocals from Frank Sinatra and the Pied Pipers, spent a dozen weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's singles chart. 1941: "Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy)" by Jimmy Dorsey Originally written by Spanish-American composer José Maria Lacalle Garcia, Jimmy Dorsey's popular version of the song remained at No. 1 on the Billboard charts for 10 weeks. Glenn Miller's "Chattanooga Choo Choo" was a close second for top song of 1941. It spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart. 1942: "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby Bing Crosby's version of the Irving Berlin song, which was featured in the film "White Christmas," holds the record for being the best-selling single since 2012. According to Guinness World Records, the holiday classic has sold an estimated 50 million copies. 1943: "I've Heard That Song Before" by Harry James "I've Heard That Song Before" appeared in the 1942 film "Youth on Parade" and was nominated for best original song at the Oscars. However, it lost to Crosby's "White Christmas." 1944: "Swinging on a Star" by Bing Crosby "Swinging on a Star" appeared in 1944's "Going My Way" and won an Academy Award for best original song. 1945: "'Till the End of Time" by Perry Como "'Till the End of Time" was No. 1 for nine weeks on the Billboard charts. Les Brown and Doris Day's "Sentimental Journey" also spent the same number of weeks atop the chart. 1946: "The Gypsy" by The Ink Spots Perry Como's "Prisoner of Love" may have been Billboard's year-end top single of the year, but the magazine voted "The Gypsy" as the year's top tune. 1948: "Buttons and Bows" by Dinah Shore Though Pee Wee Hunt's "Twelfth Street Rag" was the year-end No. 1 Billboard single of the year, the magazine named Dinah Shore's "Buttons and Bows" No. 1 on "the honor roll of hits" and the top "disk in the nation's jukeboxes." 1949: "Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)" by Vaughn Monroe Numerous recordings of Vaughn Monroe's country-western song have been made over the years by the likes of Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and even Sesame Street. 1950: "Goodnight, Irene" by Gordon Jenkins and The Weavers The Weavers' version of "Goodnight, Irene" was released a year after the death of Lead Belly, who sang the song first. 1951: "Too Young" by Nat King Cole "Too Young" was originally written by Sidney Lippman and Sylvia Dee. 1952: "Blue Tango" by Leroy Anderson Leroy Anderson's instrumental recording was the top Billboard song and seller of the year. 1953: "The Song From Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart)" by Percy Faith 1954: "Little Things Mean A Lot" by Kitty Kallen Kitty Kallen's version of the 1953 hit "Little Things Mean A Lot" is the most popular version of the song. It was ranked as Billboard's top song of 1954. 1955: "Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)" by Pérez Prado 1956: "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley Although "Heartbreak Hotel" was the No. 1 single of 1956, Presley's songs "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel" both spent several weeks atop the chart that same year. 1957: "All Shook Up" by Elvis Presley "All Shook Up" was so popular that The Beatles and Billy Joel have both recorded their own renditions of the song. 1958: "Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu (Volare)" by Domenico Modugno The Italian song, widely known as "Volare," received both song of the year and record of the year at the first annual Grammy Awards in 1959. 1959: "The Battle of New Orleans" by Johnny Horton 1960: "Theme From a Summer Place" by Percy Faith The instrumental track was featured in the 1959 film "A Summer Place," which starred Richard Egan, Dorothy McGuire, Troy Donahue, and Sandra Dee. 1961: "Tossin' and Turnin'" by Bobby Lewis 1962: "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons "Big Girls Don't Cry" was a hit on the Hot 100 for five weeks during the holiday season. 1963: "Surfin' U.S.A." by The Beach Boys Billboard ranked the Beach Boys' summer track the No. 1 song of 1963. 1964: "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles The sweet single hit No. 1 in the US, UK, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, and Australia. 1965: "I Can't Help Myself" by Four Tops 1966: "The Ballad of the Green Berets" by Staff Sergeant Barry Allen Sadler Written and performed by the Vietnam War veteran Barry Sadler, the patriotic song was No. 1 in the US for five weeks in 1966. 1967: "Respect" by Aretha Franklin Otis Redding originally released a different version of the song before it became a hit for Aretha Franklin. In 1968, she won two Grammys for "Respect." 1968: "Hey Jude" by The Beatles Paul McCartney originally wrote the song as "Hey Jules" for John Lennon's son during his parents' divorce. It's one of The Beatles' 20 No. 1 hits on the Hot 100. 1969: "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies 1970: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel "Bridge Over Troubled Water" won several Grammy Awards, including record of the year and song of the year. 1971: "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night 1972: "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green 1973: "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye "Let's Get It On" helped cement Marvin Gaye as a sex symbol and remains one of the singer's most popular singles. 1974: "The Way We Were" — Barbra Streisand "The Way We Were" was recorded as the theme song for the movie of the same name, starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. It won the Golden Globe for best original song in 1974 and song of the year at the Grammys the following year. 1975: "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain & Tennille American pop duo Captain & Tennille won record of the year for "Love Will Keep Us Together" at the 1976 Grammys. 1976: "Silly Love Songs" by The Wings McCartney wrote "Silly Love Songs" after people accused the former Beatle of only writing love songs. "The song was, in a way, to answer people who just accuse me of being soppy," McCartney told Billboard. 1977: "Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright)" by Rod Stewart "Tonight's the Night" was released as a single from Stewart's 1976 album "A Night on the Town." It has been covered by numerous artists, including Janet Jackson. 1978: "Shadow Dancing" by Andy Gibb "Shadow Dancing" reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks. 1979: "My Sharona" by The Knack "My Sharona" was released as The Knack's debut single. It has since appeared in the game "Rock Band" and the movie "Super 8." 1980: "Call Me" by Blondie "Call Me" was the theme song for the 1980 crime drama "American Gigolo." 1981: "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes "Bette Davis Eyes" edged out "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, which also rose to the top of the Billboard charts. Carnes' hit cover song won Grammy Awards for record of the year and song of the year. 1982: "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John "Physical" was released as the lead single from Newton-John's 12th album. It was later sampled by Dua Lipa in her single of the same name. 1983: "Every Breath You Take" by The Police Sting's song from the band's 1983 album "Synchronicity" was a hit in both the US and UK. "Every Breath You Take" was later sampled by Diddy for his hit song "I'll Be Missing You," though he didn't ask for Sting's permission until after the song was released. 1984: "When Doves Cry" by Prince "When Doves Cry" was released as the lead single from Prince's iconic album "Purple Rain." 1985: "Careless Whisper" — George Michael "Careless Whisper" was George Michael 's first solo single following his success with Wham! 1986: "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne Warwick featuring Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, and Gladys Knight, along with composer Elton John, won the Grammy for song of the year at the 29th annual awards show. "That's What Friends Are For" also won best pop group performance. 1987: "Walk Like An Egyptian" by The Bangles The song was the third single from The Bangles' album "Different Light." The group has since said it's one of their least favorite songs. 1988: "Faith" by George Michael "Faith" was featured on Michael's debut solo album. 1989: "Look Away" by Chicago "Look Away" topped the Hot 100 for two weeks. 1990: "Hold On" by Wilson Phillips "Hold On" won the Billboard Music Award for Hot 100 Single of the Year in 1990. 1991: "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" appeared on the "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" soundtrack and became an international hit. It won the Grammy for best song written for a motion picture or television. 1992: "End Of The Road" by Boyz II Men "End of the Road" charted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 for 13 weeks. The song won best R&B performance by a duo or group at the 1993 Grammys. 1993: "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston Whitney Houston recorded her version of the Dolly Parton classic for her movie, "The Bodyguard." The song won record of the year at the 1994 Grammys. 1994: "The Sign" by Ace of Base "The Sign" is one of three singles from the Swedish band's 1993 album of the same name. 1995: "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio featuring L.V. "Gangsta's Paradise" was featured on the soundtrack of Michelle Pfeiffer's 1995 movie "Dangerous Minds." 1996: "Macarena" by Los del Rio The ubiquitous dance hit of the '90s is a go-to song for parties and weddings. 1997: "Something About The Way You Look Tonight" by Elton John "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" was released as a double A-side single with "Candle in the Wind 1997." The same year, John's "Candlelight in the Wind" rose to the top of the chart after he performed a new version of his 1973 hit at Princess Diana's funeral. Billboard named both the top pop songs of the year. 1998: "Too Close" by Next "Too Close" is one of the great one-hit wonders of the '90s. It was featured on the soundtrack for "Save the Last Dance" and topped Billboard's end-of-year chart for 1998. 1999: "Believe" by Cher The dance-pop song was the lead single from Cher's 22nd album. It has appeared in episodes of "Friends," "Grey's Anatomy," and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." 2000: "Breathe" by Faith Hill Although "Breathe" never reached the top of the Hot 100, it was named Billboard's top-performing single of 2000, becoming the first country song to achieve the feat. 2001: "Hanging By A Moment" by Lifehouse "Hanging By A Moment" was the lead single released from the alternative band's debut album, "No Name Face." 2002: "How You Remind Me" by Nickelback According to Nielsen Soundscan, "How You Remind Me" was the most played song on US radio in the 2000s. 2003: "In Da Club" by 50 Cent "In Da Club" was the rapper's first No. 1 single. The song's music video won best rap video at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. 2004: "Yeah!" by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris The only song that overthrew Usher's "Yeah!" from the top of the Billboard chart in 2004 was his next single, "Burn." 2005: "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey "We Belong Together" arrived when some critics thought Mariah Carey's career was coming to an end. The smash hit single charted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 for 14 weeks. It later won best R&B song and best female R&B vocal performance at the 2006 Grammys. It was also nominated for record of the year and song of the year, but lost to Green Day and U2, respectively. 2006: "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter "Bad Day" has been parodied and used extensively in ads and TV shows. It's been used so much since its release that Powter said he felt " detached from the song" because it's essentially in the public domain. 2007: "Irreplaceable" by Beyoncé "Irreplaceable" was released as the third single from Beyoncé's second solo album, "B'Day," and was crowned the third-best breakup song of the 21st century by Business Insider. 2008: "Low" by Flo Rida featuring T-Pain "Low" was featured on the soundtrack for the 2008 film "Step Up 2: The Streets." 2009: "Boom Boom Pow" by The Black Eyed Peas "Boom Boom Pow" was the group's first No. 1 single in the US and won the Grammy for best short form music video. 2010: "Tik Tok" by Kesha Kesha's debut single has been parodied by Weird Al and appeared on an episode of "The Simpsons." 2011: "Rolling In The Deep" by Adele Adele's music video for "Rolling in the Deep" is one of the few to cross 1 billion views on YouTube. 2012: "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye featuring Kimbra The one-hit wonder won best pop duo/group performance and record of the year at the 2013 Grammys. 2013: "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz Macklemore's novelty hit won best rap performance and best rap song at the 2014 Grammys. 2014: "Happy" by Pharrell Williams Pharrell delivered the perfect feel-good song of the summer in 2014. It was recorded for the "Despicable Me 2" soundtrack and wound up being the year's biggest hit. 2015: "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth "See You Again" was made as a tribute to Paul Walker for the "Furious 7" soundtrack and spent 12 weeks at the top of the Hot 100. For several years, it was the most-watched music video on YouTube with more than 3 billion views. Bruno Mars's "Uptown Funk" was also a massive hit in 2015, topping the Billboard pop chart. 2016: "Love Yourself" by Justin Bieber "Love Yourself" was released as the third single from Justin Bieber's fourth album, "Purpose." It was one of the best-selling songs of 2016, and its music video has over 1 billion views on YouTube. 2017: "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber Although Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" was the top Billboard single of 2017, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's infectious club banger (with a boost from Bieber) claims one of the longest streaks atop the chart with 16 consecutive weeks throughout summer 2017. That's longer than Sheeran's 11 weeks with "Shape of You." The original music video for "Despacito" (sans Bieber) was the first in history to reach five billion views on YouTube. 2018: "God's Plan" by Drake Drake's "God's Plan" was Billboard's year-end No. 1 single for 2018. The rapper had another big hit that year when his song "In My Feelings" became a meme. 2019: "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus Lil Nas X enlisted Billy Ray Cyrus for a remix of "Old Town Road" because he was a childhood fan of "Hannah Montana," in which Cyrus costarred with his daughter, Miley Cyrus. The country-rap duet holds the record for the longest stretch at No. 1 with 19 weeks atop the chart. It also became the fastest song in history to be certified diamond. 2020: "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd Less than one year after "Blinding Lights" was crowned Billboard's top song of 2020, it was named the top Hot 100 song of all time. The Weeknd's smash hit spent 43 weeks in the chart's top five, 57 weeks in the top 10, 86 weeks in the top 40, and 90 weeks on the Hot 100. 2021: "Levitating" by Dua Lipa "Levitating" was originally released in March 2020 as the fifth track on Dua Lipa's sophomore album " Future Nostalgia." It was promoted as the album's fifth single and peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 in May 2021, eventually becoming the longest-charting song by a female artist, spending a total of 77 weeks on the chart. 2022: "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals In March 2022, "Heat Waves" completed an unprecedented 59-week climb to No. 1. The sleeper hit, written solely by Glass Animals front man Dave Bayley, reigned atop the chart for five straight weeks and ended the year as Billboard's top-performing hit. "Heat Waves" later became the longest-charting hit in the Hot 100's 64-year history. It spent 91 weeks on the chart, breaking the record set by The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights." (It has since been broken again by "Lose Control" by Teddy Swims.) An honorable mention goes out to "As It Was" by Harry Styles, which ended 2022 as Billboard's second-biggest song. The lead single from " Harry's House" spent 15 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, setting a record among British artists. 2023: "Last Night" by Morgan Wallen Despite a string of controversies, Morgan Wallen's single "Last Night" became the singer's first No. 1 hit on the Hot 100. It spent 16 weeks atop the chart in 2023, setting a record among solo artists. It has since been broken by Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)." 2024: "Lose Control" by Teddy Swims Although Taylor Swift topped the year-end Hot 100 Artists ranking and her album, " The Tortured Poets Department," topped the Billboard 200 Albums recap, the magazine crowned Teddy Swims' sleeper hit "Lose Control" as the top-performing single of 2024. "Lose Control" was originally released in June 2023 and debuted at No. 99 on the Hot 100. It reached No. 1 in March 2024 after a 32-week climb. In July 2025, "Lose Control" became the first song ever to spend 100 weeks on the all-genre chart.
CNET
2 hours ago
- CNET
San Diego Comic-Con 2025 Spotlight: The Biggest Drops So Far
San Diego Comic-Con 2025 kicked off Thursday, and we've already gotten sneak peeks at Lego and Hot Wheels releases and there's big news happening for TV shows, movies and games. We're excited to hear about Avatar: The Last Airbender, Tron: Ares, Gen V, Welcome to Derry and much more, so we're riding along with fans as announcements and trailer drops come out. We'll be posting highlights here from the four-day affair to help you keep up with the hottest, weirdest and most interesting stuff that hits. Stay tuned for our daily updates as the weekend rolls on. Avatar: Seven Havens first look It's a 20-year anniversary celebration for Avatar: The Last Airbender, the award-winning animated series that aired on Nickelodeon. Thursday's Comic-Con panel brought together original creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino and voice cast Zach Tyler Eisen, Jennie Kwan, Michaela Jill Murphy, Jack DeSena (Sokka), Dante Basco (Zuko) and Dee Bradley Baker for a look at the past and present, including Avatar: Seven Havens. The new, animated sequel series, which was originally announced this past February, has 26 episodes and will be split into two installments. Fans will meet Avatar Pavi when the series debuts, but for now, here's a glimpse at the bender picking up the mantle. Nickelodeon Five Nights at Freddy's 2 The sequel from Blumhouse sees an unsuspecting group pull up to the creepy pizzeria, not knowing about the killer, life-like animatronics with nothing but evil in store. They clearly don't know about Freddy's history. The film hits theaters on Dec. 5. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, season 2 release date Pack up for Camp Half-Blood when the fantasy series returns, this time introducing Tantalus, Thalia and the goddess Athena to the story. The new season arrives on Disney Plus on Dec. 10, and fans will see Percy dealing with more than fantastical monsters: Grover goes missing and there's drama with friends and a new sibling.
Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Jazz legend Chuck Mangione, known for ‘Feels So Good,' dies at 84
NEW YORK — Two-time Grammy Award-winning musician Chuck Mangione, who achieved international success in 1977 with his jazz-flavored single 'Feels So Good' and later became a voice actor on the animated TV comedy 'King of the Hill,' has died. He was 84. Mangione died at his home in Rochester, New York, on Tuesday in his sleep, said his attorney, Peter S. Matorin of Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLP. The musician had been retired since 2015. Perhaps his biggest hit — 'Feels So Good' — is a staple on most smooth-jazz radio stations and has been called one of the most recognized melodies since 'Michelle' by the Beatles. It hit No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top of the Billboard adult contemporary chart. 'It identified for a lot of people a song with an artist, even though I had a pretty strong base audience that kept us out there touring as often as we wanted to, that song just topped out there and took it to a whole other level,' Mangione told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2008. He followed that hit with 'Give It All You Got,' commissioned for the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, and he performed it at the closing ceremony. Mangione, a flugelhorn and trumpet player and jazz composer, released more than 30 albums during a career in which he built a sizable following after recording several albums, doing all the writing. He won his first Grammy Award in 1977 for his album 'Bellavia,' which was named in honor of his mother. Another album, 'Friends and Love,' was also Grammy-nominated, and he earned a best original score Golden Globe nomination and a second Grammy for the movie 'The Children of Sanchez.' Mangione introduced himself to a new audience when he appeared on the first several seasons of 'King of the Hill,' appearing as a commercial spokesman for Mega Lo Mart, where 'shopping feels so good.' Mangione, brother of jazz pianist Gap Mangione, with whom he partnered in The Jazz Brothers, started his career as a bebop jazz musician heavily inspired by Dizzy Gillespie. 'He also was one of the first musicians I saw who had a rapport with the audience by just telling the audience what he was going to play and who was in his band,' Mangione told the Post-Gazette. Mangione earned a bachelor's degree from the Eastman School of Music — where he would eventually return as director of the school's jazz ensemble — and left home to play with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. He donated his signature brown felt hat and the score of his Grammy-winning single 'Feels So Good,' as well as albums, songbooks and other ephemera from his long and illustrious career to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in 2009.
