Akon and Angel of the Morning Under His Umbrella

    Akon with his great new song Angel is certain to be another hit for the talented singer producer and with the fortuitous signing of Lady Ga Ga to his recording company in 2008.He must be finding life pretty good compared to his life of crime and jail period a few years back.How things can turn around after a few years.Which brings us to our flashbackthis week to the classic Chip Taylor song Angel of the Morning pretty much what Ga Ga must be for Akon. Two genuine super talented artists.The future looks very promising for both in music and life in general.

 Akon Angel

     

 AKON

   Aliaune Damala Dakha Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam, often going by the shorter Aliaune Thiam, is best known by his fans simply as Akon. Born on April 30, 1973 in St Louis Missouri . He lived his early childhood in Senegal then returned to the states when 7 years old.

He was jailed for armed robbery and drug distribution charges. He used his time to begin writing his own songs.

    Being brought up in an environment that treasures the true artistic value of musicianship and revels in the mastering of instrumental skill, it was Akon's deep rooted love and passion for music that later on encouraged him to record tracks in a home studio upon being freed . The tapes found their way to SRC/Universal which eventually released Akon's debut LP "Trouble" in June 2004. This catapulted him to international stardom, thanks to the hit single "Locked Up," written based on his experience of serving a three-year jail sentence for grand theft auto, that brought him a Sixshot Award for Best Single of 2004.
     Konvicted was released on November 14, 2006 and raised his fame meter even higher. Its first single "Smack That," featured Eminem and shot to #2 in Billboard Hot 100 chart and stayed at the No 2 spot for five consecutive weeks. "I Wanna Love You", the second single off "Konvicted," was released in September the same year. Featured a collaboration with Snoop Dog, this single topped the U.S. charts for two consecutive weeks, earning Akon his first number one single on the Billboard Hot 100.It was at this time he bought the record label and signed Lady Ga Ga to his KonLive label an imprint of Interscope and the rest is Money,Money,Money.

Akon  and Lady Ga Ga Interview

 Akon on Lady Ga Ga

    She's pretty much retired me,the singer said of Gaga, who is signed to his KonLive label at Interscope Records. "She was definitely a blessing. She came at the right moment. I'm glad I believed in her, boy. That goes to show you, if you believe in something strong enough, it will pay off."

Gaga, one of last year's top-selling artists, was dropped from at least one major record label. She was available just as Akon closed his deal with Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine, the Senegalese singer said in a recent interview.

"And I was like 'Yo, I want to sign that right there. She needs to be under my umbrella,'" Akon said. "Jimmy was like 'Yeah, whatever you want. Take her. Let's get it done.' And she just blossomed into a super megastar, man.

 Lady Ga Ga Disco Heaven

Angel of the Morning Merrilee Rush

There'll be no strings to bind your hands
not if my love can't bind your heart.
And there's no need to take a stand
for it was I who chose to start.
I see no reason to take me home,
I'm old enough to face the dawn.

Chip Taylor

Angelina Jolies uncle 

    Born in 1944 and raised in Yonkers, New York, Chip a.k.a. James Wesley Voight began his love affair with music early in life.His ability to write in varied voices and styles is demonstrated in two of his best known songs, "Wild Thing" and "Angel of The Morning". The ubiquitous, "Wild Thing", (Jimi Hendrix, The Troggs, X) with its guitar driven, sexually charged theme is in direct contrast to the hauntingly romantic, "Angel Of The Morning"

Angel 

Shaggy and his take on the song by Chip Taylor