It has just come to my attention that Fox Searchlight Pictures is, right now, making a Notorious B.I.G. movie. It is set for a 2009 release. It’s called Notorious and it is being directed by George Tillman Jr. I’ve watched a couple of the production’s video blogs and the people involved seem really determined to get it right. I’m excited, but trepidatious.

When Walk The Line came out, one of the failings of that movie, according to Johnny Cash fans I know, was the whole thing about Johnny Cash was his voice. Joaquin Phoenix doing Johnny’s voice just didn’t play with the true fans. It’s the same thing with Christopher Wallace. A big part of his appeal was his voice, especially in his manner of speaking. Can Jamal Woolard pull off B.I.G.’s distinctive timbre? I’m not even talking about the rapping, I just mean conversational speech.

As for the rest of the casting, it looks like they’ve got a bunch of people who can at least pull off the physical demands of their portrayals. I am especially intrigued with Antonique Smith as Faith Evans (and even just intrigued with the woman generally after seeing her in a Beatles t-shirt. Zowie!) Getting Angela Bassett for Biggie’s mom was a nice boon. Speaking of Ms. Bassett, whatever happened to the talk of Shakespeare’s Macbeth starring her and Laurence Fishburne?

New York Magazine has posted a review of the Notorious script and they are not hopeful. They think that the scope of the movie is too big. With Biggie’s managers and mother all involved, it might be a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth. Christopher Wallace means something very profound but different to each of them, and there’s no way to please everyone. I remember reading Spike Lee’s production journal for Malcolm X, and the trouble he had with all of the various interested parties who each had their own interest in how Malcolm was portrayed. But at the end of the day, Spike had to take all of their opinions under advisement but then go off and do his own thing. There is the potential for Notorious to play like Man In the Moon where it wasn’t a story so much as a re-enactment of a series of moments from the man’s life.

But I hope New York Magazine is wrong. I am a huge Biggie fan. I mean, HUGE. This is just about as exciting for me as it would be if they were making a Beatles movie. So now we wait, and we watch. We watch the production video blogs, we watch the press, and we watch to see if this movie lives up to B.I.G.’s legacy.

The Sean Ward Show – new video every week, with news and opinion on the weekend.

http://www.seanward.net

It has just come to my attention that Fox Searchlight Pictures is, right now, making a Notorious B.I.G. movie. It is set for a 2009 release. It’s called Notorious and it is being directed by George Tillman Jr. I’ve watched a couple of the production’s video blogs and the people involved seem really determined to get it right. I’m excited, but trepidatious.

When Walk The Line came out, one of the failings of that movie, according to Johnny Cash fans I know, was the whole thing about Johnny Cash was his voice. Joaquin Phoenix doing Johnny’s voice just didn’t play with the true fans. It’s the same thing with Christopher Wallace. A big part of his appeal was his voice, especially in his manner of speaking. Can Jamal Woolard pull off B.I.G.’s distinctive timbre? I’m not even talking about the rapping, I just mean conversational speech.

As for the rest of the casting, it looks like they’ve got a bunch of people who can at least pull off the physical demands of their portrayals. I am especially intrigued with Antonique Smith as Faith Evans (and even just intrigued with the woman generally after seeing her in a Beatles t-shirt. Zowie!) Getting Angela Bassett for Biggie’s mom was a nice boon. Speaking of Ms. Bassett, whatever happened to the talk of Shakespeare’s Macbeth starring her and Laurence Fishburne?

New York Magazine has posted a review of the Notorious script and they are not hopeful. They think that the scope of the movie is too big. With Biggie’s managers and mother all involved, it might be a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth. Christopher Wallace means something very profound but different to each of them, and there’s no way to please everyone. I remember reading Spike Lee’s production journal for Malcolm X, and the trouble he had with all of the various interested parties who each had their own interest in how Malcolm was portrayed. But at the end of the day, Spike had to take all of their opinions under advisement but then go off and do his own thing. There is the potential for Notorious to play like Man In the Moon where it wasn’t a story so much as a re-enactment of a series of moments from the man’s life.

But I hope New York Magazine is wrong. I am a huge Biggie fan. I mean, HUGE. This is just about as exciting for me as it would be if they were making a Beatles movie. So now we wait, and we watch. We watch the production video blogs, we watch the press, and we watch to see if this movie lives up to B.I.G.’s legacy.

The Sean Ward Show – new video every week, with news and opinion on the weekend.

http://www.seanward.net

1. By using an easy song a beginner is able to learn the proper pace and rhythm of a song, which makes it much easier for them to learn how to play the guitar. Often just by listening to a song a beginner will be able to make use of some of the strings and so try to associate them with the tempo and pattern of the notes being played.

2. Using such songs will provide the person with a chance to create an ear for music. Often once a person learns how to listen attentively to the music they will be able to distinguish the right note from the right tab against those that are wrong.

Certainly for any beginner the use of easy songs to learn on guitar will make a major difference to their lessons.

There are many places where you can now find information on songs, which are easy to learn on the guitar, and one great source is the Internet. Also there are a large number of books that have been written on the subject with are readily available through your local music store, bookshop or through one of the many sites providing musical information online. You could even try places like Amazon online to see what they have available.

One book that is certainly good for this purpose is “Beatles Complete”. The first reason being is that it The Beatles and the second and probably the most important is that many of their songs were composed with relatively few but very easy to play chords such as those that appear in “I saw her standing there” which only has three. Also they do have songs that contain many unorthodox chords as well such as “Michelle”. This is certainly a great way for any one to learn new chords incrementally.

So why not surf the web today and see what other “easy songs to learn on guitar” you can find and I am sure that you will be amazed with what results are returned.

For more information on finding easy songs to play on the guitar try visiting http://www.your-guitar.com where you will find tips, advice and resources about topics such as how to strum the guitar.

A good way to determine a used instrument’s condition is to know who owned it in the past. If buying the instrument from a garage sale, it may be possible to meet the owner and ask him how long he used it and why it is being sold. If buying it online, make sure that the online shop has a good customer satisfaction rating, or better still, a return policy. There are several Web sites that have attractive and colorful pictures of musical instruments that they are selling. They also feature exhaustive information about the products. Having these pictures helps the buyer to make a better choice when ordering the instrument. Pictures are especially useful for locating a particular kind or rare kinds of musical instruments. If buying it from a music store, ask the salesperson if it is possible to know the name of its previous owner, how long it has been in the store, and other such details.

When buying a used instrument, it is advisable to be accompanied by someone who has a good knowledge of musical instruments. They can help decide whether the instrument is in a good condition by playing it and listening to how it sounds and how it feels while playing it. These things will help decide if the instrument is worth purchasing or not. Research all aspects of the instrument before purchasing it. Find out how much a brand new one costs by going to different music stores. Then compare the prices and the condition of the instruments and decide whether it is a good deal. When the final purchase decision is made, make sure that the money being paid for it is worth it.

Musical Instruments provides detailed information on Musical Instrument, Musical Instrument Stores, Musical Instrument Dealers, Pictures Of Musical Instruments and more. Musical Instruments is affiliated with Rock Music Code.

A good way to determine a used instrument’s condition is to know who owned it in the past. If buying the instrument from a garage sale, it may be possible to meet the owner and ask him how long he used it and why it is being sold. If buying it online, make sure that the online shop has a good customer satisfaction rating, or better still, a return policy. There are several Web sites that have attractive and colorful pictures of musical instruments that they are selling. They also feature exhaustive information about the products. Having these pictures helps the buyer to make a better choice when ordering the instrument. Pictures are especially useful for locating a particular kind or rare kinds of musical instruments. If buying it from a music store, ask the salesperson if it is possible to know the name of its previous owner, how long it has been in the store, and other such details.

When buying a used instrument, it is advisable to be accompanied by someone who has a good knowledge of musical instruments. They can help decide whether the instrument is in a good condition by playing it and listening to how it sounds and how it feels while playing it. These things will help decide if the instrument is worth purchasing or not. Research all aspects of the instrument before purchasing it. Find out how much a brand new one costs by going to different music stores. Then compare the prices and the condition of the instruments and decide whether it is a good deal. When the final purchase decision is made, make sure that the money being paid for it is worth it.

Musical Instruments provides detailed information on Musical Instrument, Musical Instrument Stores, Musical Instrument Dealers, Pictures Of Musical Instruments and more. Musical Instruments is affiliated with Rock Music Code.

For celebrities, age is not a real factor; older stars just like the younger ones have them too. We know all of these people well – but how much do we identify with the distinctive styles of artwork they choose?

One of America’s greatest movie stars, Robert DeNiro, has appeared in movies sporting no few tattoos. Whether or not his fans work out that they are only accessories for his films, the fact is in real life Robert DeNiro has only one tattoo, that of a black panther.

Another great actor who shows off assorted tattoos in his movies is Johnny Depp; however all of his, are real. Bruce Willis also has a few tattoos; notably the symbol of his movie “Die Hard.”

Tattoos have been in style for a very long time with the top musicians who can sport the largest number and most radical and hardcore of designs. The former teen idol Justin Timberlake has a guardian angel, amongst others. Rapper Eminem has more tattoos than you can shake a stick at, including his daughter’s name and his own. The wording on Keith Urban’s wrist, “Omni Vincit Amor” is Latin for ‘Love Conquers All;’ he also has an eagle on one arm.

Sports celebrities also known to go for tattoos. Michael Jordan has his fraternity symbol tattooed above his heart, whilst Dennis Rodman is a virtual canvas of artwork.

Not to be outdone, numerous female stars also show assorted degrees of artwork. Young actress Drew Barrymore is basically a canvas full of tattoos and it is said that she created the larger part of the designs herself. Reese Witherspoon is a little more subtle, wearing only one small star tattoo which is hardly ever visible.

Pamela Anderson has a variety of tattoos also, the most notable of these being the word ‘Mommy’ on one finger, which reportedly used to read ‘Tommy.’ Spice Girl Victoria Beckham has five stars to represent every member of her family, her husband’s initials, and the traditional Jewish phrase ‘I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.’

Some of the modern supermodels also brandish tattoos. Kate Moss, Christy Turlington, and Stephanie Seymour all have these changeless forms of fashion accessories. Many supermodels who opt for tattoos show fewer and smaller designs than celebrities in other fields. While very many celebrities have worn tattoos for a very long time, the popularity of tattoos amongst stars has been increasing, both in the group of celebrities who carry them and the multitude of tattoos that they wear. Only a very few have just one tattoo. More and more are taking on a generous bunch of tattoos as well as more visible tattoos, using skin as a canvas for nearly unlimited varieties of ageless artwork.

As celebrities show off their love of tattoos, and this is picked up by the media, it presents an ever-increasing influence for their fans, especially amongst the younger fans, who want to do likewise. As with anything else that stars do in the public eye, their influence with tattoos helps this form of artwork become more widespread, more trendy, and more acceptable to most of the American population altogether.

Mark has a great site full of tips on tattoo designs. Please take a look at http://www.tattoodesigns365.com

Different jewelry stores will sell different types of jewelry and they will also be located in different locations. If you are thinking of buying a certain type of jewelry, then you have a task to find out where you can get the best from.

From the stores you will find jewelry made from gold or silver, not forgetting other materials that are in use in the jewelry world. The design on them ranges from artistic, rap, hip-hop, ethnic, Victorian to classic styles among many more.

One of the stores in which you can find high quality and a great selection of jewelry is the costume jewelry store which provides you with a wide range of elegant looking jewelry that is also not very expensive, although they may not be of high quality as those pieces of jewelry found in the regular stores.

If you have a great taste, you can trying mixing you regular jewelry with the costume jewelry and you will just be amazed at the result. The secret behind this is to visit as many stores as you can and trying out different pieces and being careful to avoid buying what you may end up not using.

Peter Gitundu Researches and Reports on Jewelry. For More Information On finger rings, Visit His Site At FINGER RINGS. You Can Also Post Your Views About finger rings On My Blog Here FINGER RINGS

Astronumerology; Numerology and Astrology in Combination

The best method I know for learn what someone is really like if I can’t meet them in person is to turn to Astronumerology. This science combines the subject’s sun sign fro Astrology and their Life Path number from Numerology to derive one of (108) different personality types. Determining someone’s Horoscope sign is easy once you know their date of birth. Likewise, finding their Life Path number just involves summing the values of their Birth month, day, and year, and then reducing the total sum with fadic addition. In the case of John McCain, since he was born on August 29th, 1936, his Astrology Numerology combination works out to be Virgo with a Life Path value of (2).

Virgo (2) – The Constructive Consultant

People born with this combination are very private people by nature. They have a hard time sharing their innermost thoughts with anyone but a very select inner circle. These souls are usually journal keepers, and will record their inner thoughts privately rather than sharing them openly. Virgo twos are very hard on themselves, always second guessing their decisions, but hiding even that from the world. They tend to underestimate their own abilities, and be modest and self-effacing to those around them. These souls rarely give themselves the credit they deserve for the hard work they do. They have a rich fantasy life, but they hide it along with the rest of their personal moments.

The other side of the coin is the keen drive to serve others that these souls possess. Virgo twos seek out responsibility and obligations in the world, seeking real and meaningful work that they can accomplish. This work helps them deal with their own worst critic; themselves. Their lives tend to be quiet and orderly. Their peers usually recognize that these souls are excellent mediators, and will come to them with their differences that they can not resolve themselves.

Conclusion

John McCain’s Astrology / Numerology combination shows that he has the making of a good president, particularly when the country needs someone to mediate the differences that us so effectively. His drive to serve others, and his modesty would be refreshing qualities after the last eight years.

Keith Abbott is the developer and owner of -Numerology 4 You- where you can order your own Numerology reading, as well as the free Numerology Chart of over 500 celebrities. Visit him on the web today at http://www.numerology4you.com

For three years, I practiced with great determination, working tirelessly on the material and immaterial calms, eating very little. A few villagers occasionally gathered at the entrance to sit silently in my company after offering food, but they showed great respect and never caused me to break my silence.

The quiet and undisturbed atmosphere proved extremely effective. So much so that one day shortly after I first entered the cave, I was able to go deeper than I had ever gone before into the Fourth Material Calm of Equanimity and Mindfulness. While in this deep state, I saw, for one brief moment, the Infinite Space that was behind my concentration and surrounded it. This happened when my circle of light disappeared.

As soon as this happened, something dropped into my heart, opening my intuitive eye for just a moment as I incredibly slipped into the First Great Immaterial Calm of Infinite Space.

In that brief moment I could clearly see that the previous Material Calms of Applied and Sustained Concentration, Rapture, Equanimity and Bliss, and Equanimity and Mindfulness were dangerously close to the world and material existence; too close to the seeds of rebirth. I intuitively then replaced my object of concentration that served me for these many years; my circle of light, by the Infinite Space surrounding it. Then, when I fell into this Infinite Space, it felt as if a hole became unplugged! Yet, I was able to maintain a piercing awareness. In this state, my “wanting,” or my desire for anything in the material world was totally abandoned.

Now my inner work was becoming mature. My mind was becoming very deep and still, and the great Source of wisdom that rested within me, the Reality, was making itself known. I was truly that great “Source” of all things. Or rather, It was all of me. There was nothing that the old self, the old “king” could do except relax and begin falling into the arms of this “Source.” I had great confidence it would take me to my key.

The months flew by, and my inner work intensified in the uninterrupted, silent atmosphere of the cave. I trusted these peaceful surroundings. There were no surprises or disturbances, and interestingly enough, no feelings of emptiness or loneliness as I dropped into deeper and deeper states.

After concentrating intensely on ‘Infinite Space’ for a year, my awareness suddenly shifted to the ‘Consciousness that pervades this Infinite Space.’ These sudden attainments and shifts always came as great, unexpected surprises, and this particular change occurred with an immediate recognition – I understood that Infinite Space was too uncomfortably close to the Material Calms, and that this new ‘Consciousness Pervading Infinite Space’ was much safer. As my mind then concentrated on that Consciousness, I was able to attain the Second Great Immaterial Calm of ‘Boundless Consciousness.’

While this was all happening, the connections to the Source, the very same seven centers that caused my illness and near demise on the mountaintop, began to open naturally in my body. My focus on the ‘Consciousness that Pervades Infinite Space’ became very concentrated, and one afternoon while in this deep state, my mind caught a glimpse of Nothingness – or the Void. The ‘Consciousness that Pervaded Infinite Space’ had now disappeared and there was nothing. Everything was gone. Everything was entirely empty, and nothing was left as I fell into the Third Great Immaterial Calm of ‘Nothingness.’ My exceedingly lucid mind became exceptionally clear; so clear that it realized the previous ‘Great Immaterial calm of Consciousness’ was merely an observation, and actually there was only nothing; just emptiness.

While focusing on this new area of ‘Nothingness,’ I again detected a sensitivity in parts of my body; the centers near the crown of my head, my forehead, my throat, heart, solar plexus, the area just below my naval and the base of my spine.

As I concentrated on each of these centers, each for a few months at a time, I learned more about them. The top of the head was seen as the most stunning with its light orchid splendor surrounded by radiant white and gold compliments, all flowing, and vibrating at intense levels of activity. I knew that this area was the key to unification with the Source of all there is, with Reality.

The purple forehead center appeared to be the most important but not easy to explain. It seemed to reflect my inner being in some way. It caused attachments to disappear and I could recognize the origins and outcomes of situations. There was a blurring of the opposites of power/weakness, love/hate, and so forth, as their differences became non-existent. Nothing bothered me any longer and I experienced bits and pieces of vague scenes, seemingly from past lives or existences, some of which appeared to be from the perspective of a plant or mineral; all very difficult to explain. I also envisioned beautiful colors of all kinds, vast landscapes of flowing, brilliant hues, sometimes in the form of flowers or designs. I also heard voices in my mind – similar to the voice that that told me, “You are completely healed” – and they came up regularly while concentrating on this center.

Many of the things I heard were not immediately understandable and definitely not from my mind, but after some experience the insightful nature of their meanings at times became clear. The ringing in my ears that had been audible since my illness on the mountain became louder and constant, with two distinct tones ever-present, a high pitch and a low hum. This forehead center also made me feel that I was ready to flow with the wind, experiencing some kind of difficult to explain loving aloofness. It caused me to surrender to complete conviction, ready to engage myself fully in life at a new, wonderfully expansive level.

When working on the bluish silver throat, I had boundless hopefulness, experiencing steady serenity and seemingly impervious to ailments. There were no longer any worldly aspirations and I could clearly differentiate between truth and falsity.

The golden heart brought up extreme compassion toward all beings as I experienced other’s happiness and grief as if it were my own. Sleep was now required in only small increments, as my interest in the world completely dissolved.

Attention to the green solar plexus resulted in passages to strange places, descriptions of which would be difficult to comment on. There were also visions and dreams depicting incredible freedom, soaring through the air like a bird. I always would think, during the visions, that since it is so easy to fly, why haven’t I always done this? There was a definite feeling that I would only go forward now with no chance of backsliding, and that any problems in the future would never again be my individual difficulties. They would merely be tribulations of the human existence.

Odd intuitions were produced by focusing on the orange area below my naval. I couldn’t quite put my finger on them but they seemed to be both threatening and liberating at the same time, as if I was caught between them. Sexual attraction was also mysteriously replaced by empathy, patience, and mercy.

During my focus on the base of the spine, which was red in color, and which I felt intuitively between my legs, I surprisingly found myself relieved of my previous flaws of self, clinging, gluttony, lust and rage.

But this time I followed Sahmad’s instructions to the letter regarding the correct way to open, and above all, close the energy centers. It was essential to close them every time after the inner work, so without fail at the conclusion of each session I visualized each center closing similar to blowing out a candle, starting with the base of my spine and ending with the forehead, leaving the crown open.

During my second and third year I was often visited by immaterial beings in the form of silent points of light. They would simply land near me in the cave or hover silently. I had always hoped that Ariya would drop in again but she never did. However, during one very extraordinary full moon night, a being did visit by appearing to me in a vision during my inner work.

He was tall, young, and very handsome with a shaved head and wearing an orange robe. His demeanor was that of a great sage as he floated in from the entrance and stopped directly in front of me, hovering above the ground to my right.

The sage was sitting cross-legged with his right foot over his left thigh, and as he closed his eyes he began to speak in a strong, compelling voice, “There is the Truth of Discontent, which affects beings in the material and immaterial worlds. There is the Truth of the Cause of this Discontent. There is the Truth that a Cure for this Discontent exists. There is the Truth of a Way to Cure this Discontent.”

The presence of this powerful teacher and these simple, commanding words reinforced everything I felt over the years as I sought after the key.

“The cause of this constant discontent is wanting and craving,” continued the sage. “There is a cure for this constant wanting and craving. The way to realize this cure is to follow a life conducive to opening oneself to the Source of all there is. In this new life, you must first acknowledge your own discontent, realize the cause of this discontent, believe that there is a solution, and embark on a quest to achieve this solution.

To this end, you must cultivate energy, joy, tranquility, equanimity, concentration, investigation, and mindfulness. You must think in terms of renunciation, absence of ill will and absence of cruelty. You must abstain from false, slanderous, harsh, or frivolous speech. You must abstain from killing, from taking things that are not offered, and sexual misconduct. The quest for the key must be your only concern and you must arouse energy to this end, striving for the non-arising of evil and the abandoning of evil that has arisen.

“You must strive for wholesome states that have not arisen and the development and perfection of wholesome states that have arisen. You must cultivate the Great Calms. You must contemplate your body and mind and maintain constant, unbroken mindfulness. You must always be your own teacher, relying on yourself and not relying on others to help in the actual work. Only Truth must be your guiding light.”

The sage stopped speaking and opened his eyes. He smiled, then handed me a small, white flower, communicating an unspoken bond between us, after which he floated back toward the entrance to the cave, facing me until he disappeared.

Everything he mentioned reinforced my efforts and gave me great confidence to go on, so I therefore tried to remember every word. This vision was another turning point in my mission, instilling within me self-assurance that I would somehow be successful in the end.

I put the flower down and returned to my inner work. I put the flower down! . . . My heart soared as I grasped the enormity of what had just happened. The flower was real! What I experienced was not merely a vision! This cave was truly remarkable, and the fact that masters guided me to it only reinforced my undying pledge to live up to their expectations. The key would be mine.

Before long, three years had almost gone by. Soon I would be leaving this cave. My mind, now sharpened to a razor’s edge, was able to go very deep, deep enough to discern that the seven Calms that had so far been achieved were merely perceptions of the mind, and subject to change, and therefore not peaceful. The instant the mind saw this danger, it thought “Peace,” and realized that only in the complete cessation of Perception, and in the complete cessation of Non-Perception could this danger of “the influence of things,” whether they were seen, perceived or felt, be finally resolved. With this incredible, deep understanding, I was able to attain the last of the Great Immaterial Calms by absolutely exhausting everything that could be seen or perceived in any way. Then I attained the last Great Immaterial Calm of Neither Perception Nor Non-Perception.

Sahmad’s prediction proved true about the cave; I achieved the Immaterial Calms and the Seven Centers, acquiring my razor sharp Sword of Concentration. Having accomplished these rare attainments, then, my attention now focused on the strange drawing given to me by the holy man on the mountain.

I studied it again: A sketch of a man and then next to the man was a picture of the man’s head with four more pictures above it; a hand in a fire, a hand which apparently had been burned and was in pain, a man looking at his burned hand, and a man using fire to cook with. This strange sketch must have something to do with what was ahead.

Three years had passed far too quickly and the day arrived when it was time reluctantly to leave the cave. I emerged triumphant and walked directly to the stables where Conqueror was waiting. The old, crippled horse tried to run in his excitement but stumbled and fell, and as I helped him struggle to his feet, tears of gratitude streamed down my face as I put my arms around the neck of my gallant, undying companion and best friend for all these unbelievable years.

The villagers were saddened to see us go, but I insisted that there was some unfinished business to be taken care of; business that would make me a better teacher. The elder said I was good enough right now, but I just smiled, thanking him and his villagers for their generosity.

We left the village with everybody bowing and as we made our way past the cave, I caught a glimpse of something hiding in the trees. It was watching us intently, and when we were almost out of sight, I turned around and waived a final goodbye to a beautiful white tiger.

E. Raymond Rock of Fort Myers, Florida is cofounder and principal teacher at the Southwest Florida Insight Center, http://www.SouthwestFloridaInsightCenter.com His twenty-eight years of meditation experience has taken him across four continents, including two stopovers in Thailand where he practiced in the remote northeast forests as an ordained Theravada Buddhist monk. His book, A Year to Enlightenment (Career Press/New Page Books) is now available at major bookstores and online retailers. Visit http://www.AYearToEnlightenment.com

Benny Andersson was a member of the ‘Swedish Beatles’ band called the Hep Stars from 1964 to 1969. He met and formed a songwriting partnership with Bjorn Ulvaeus, who was a member of a well known rock group called The Hootenanny Singers. Both were successful in their bands and when they came together, wrote songs and working as producers for Polar music. Frida was a local celebrity with her solo singing career in Stockholm, and had formed a band called The Ann-Frid Four with bass player Ragnar Frederickson. Agnetha was singing with bands in Sweden since the age of 15 and belted consistent hits since the age of 18.

By 1970 Bjorn and Agnetha, Benny and Frida were in love and were living together while maintaining their solo careers. Polar Music was headed by Stig Anderson, a well known Swedish music business entrepreneur who had contributed more than 2000 songs in the 60s and 70s. When Stig’s partner died, he invited Bjorn to be a replacement who bought Benny along. Meanwhile, Bjorn and Agnetha moved into theatre and gave a massive hit “don’t know how to love him” in the Lloyd Webber musical, Jesus Christ Superstar. In 1972, Bjorn and Benny gave a big hit in Japan in the way of “People need love”. Owing to their great popularity, they were invited to the Eurovision song contest in the 1973 Swedish heat, the band was then named Benny &Bjorn, Agnetha & Frida and they entered with the famous “Ring Ring”. The audience loved the song, though the judges placed it at number 3. Due to the following public outcry, Swedish Eurovision entries began to be chosen through public voting since then.

The following year, Benny, Bjorn and Stig wrote and performed “Waterloo” and walked away with the Swedish Eurovision heat. The song became the first Swedish act to win the heat and “waterloo” launched ABBA as the first international pop act who performed in a language other than their native tongue. Their songs would always open at the top of the charts in the USA, UK, Germany, Scandinavia and they were as popular in the English speaking nations as in the non-English speaking countries. Despite their individual divorces, the band continued to make great music. Songs like “knowing me, knowing you”, “I have a dream”, and “lay all your love on me” were hits on both sides of the Atlantic. All their albums were a major success Voulez-Vous, Super Trouper and The visitors which was their last album together.

In 1982, ABBA took a break from being a band and each member continues with a successful solo career even today. For several years, ABBA was only next to Volvo in being Sweden’s biggest export earners. They have been revered and remain a legendary and most accomplished rock bands ever.

Christopher Schwebius is an entrepreneur who seeks out sharply defined, specifically focused topics to research. Upon finishing his research he provides relevant, un-biased information to his readers based on his discoveries and/or personal experiences.

One of his latest ongoing projects can be viewed at http://www.abbacostumes.org