Latest news with #AlwaysonMyMind
The South African
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The South African
Jackie Chan reveals how country music helped him learn English
Martial arts legend Jackie Chan, now 71, recently shared a charming and unexpected story on The Kelly Clarkson Show that will resonate with fans worldwide. The Hong Kong-born star revealed that he learned to speak English by listening to country music. Jackie Chan explained that when he first arrived in the United States, he struggled to understand directors on film sets. 'I didn't understand what they were saying,' he admitted. 'I had to rely on my dialogue coach to translate.' But he found a clever solution: he listened to country songs because 'country songs are slow.' This made it easier for him to catch the words and learn the language gradually, according to People. In a delightful moment on the show, Chan then serenaded host Kelly Clarkson with the chorus of Willie Nelson's classic Always on My Mind . The audience erupted in applause, and Clarkson was visibly moved, saying, 'I'm sorry, I just got serenaded by Jackie Chan. That's how I'm going to take this day away.' It was a rare and heartwarming glimpse of the actor's softer side. He showed off his singing skills alongside his martial arts prowess. The song Always on My Mind has a rich history. The song was first recorded in the early 1970s and famously covered by Elvis Presley before Willie Nelson made it his own in 1982. It's a haunting ballad about love and regret, and its slower tempo made it perfect for Chan's English-learning journey. Jackie Chan's story is especially inspiring for South Africans, where English is widely spoken but often learned as a second or third language. His approach shows the power of music as a tool for language acquisition, a universal lesson that transcends borders and cultures. The actor appeared on the show alongside his Karate Kid: Legends co-stars Ralph Macchio and Ben Wang. Macchio, 63, also revealed that after 41 years, he finally earned his black belt in karate. This was a testament to dedication and perseverance that echoes Chan's career. Karate Kid: Legends , featuring Jackie Chan reprising his role as Mr. Han, is now showing in cinemas, offering local audiences a chance to see their hero in action once again. As Chan put it on the show, 'I learn English in country songs, because country songs are slow.' Jackie Chan's story is proof that sometimes the best teachers come in unexpected forms, even a country ballad from Texas can open doors worldwide. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Karate Kid: Legends star Jackie Chan learnt English through country music
Jackie Chan learnt English through country music. The 71-year-old actor - who grew up in Hong Kong and whose native language is Cantonese - found it easier to follow the lyrics of the genre because the songs are typically fairly "slow". During an appearance on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' on Tuesday (03.06.25), he said: "I learn English in country songs because country songs [are] slow." Jackie then went on to sing the chorus from 'Always on My Mind' by Willie Nelson, which sparked cheers from the audience and thrilled the host. Kelly exclaimed: "I just got serenaded by Jackie Chan! "That's how I'm going to take this day away." In 1998's 'Rush Hour', Jackie was famously asked by co-star Chris Tucker: 'Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?" And the 'Karate Kid: Legends' star admitted he didn't have "a clue" what his castmate was saying throughout the film. He said: 'The whole movie, I don't know what Chris Tucker's saying. Not a clue.' Jackie admitted his dialogue was "different" in "every shot" because of his struggles to get to grips with what was being said. He said: 'My dialogue coach sits right behind the camera. Every scene, every shot, different dialogue. "Every shot [was] different. Every time I just watched behind [the camera], the dialogue coach [went], 'Your turn. OK, let's go.'" Kelly asked the 'Ride On' actor if there was an "improv moment" when he did not understand what a fellow 'Rush Hour' cast member or crew member was saying, and he admitted there were many. Jackie said: "Yes! "The worst thing [was when they said], 'Cut. Take a rest. Jackie... [then something quickly]' "Then [I] turned around and said to my dialogue coach, 'What did he say?' [They] speak so fast!" In his latest movie 'Karate Kid: Legends', Jackie returns as Mr. Han and mentors his young nephew Li (Ben Wang) in martial arts after he is subject to bullying at school in New York City, and the screen legend admitted he did not need any training because he has learnt fight choreography since the 1960s. Jackie - who joined the 'Karate Kid' franchise in 2010 alongside Jaden Smith - said: 'I don't need to anymore. I've been training every day for 64 years. I've been fighting, fighting, fighting.'
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Melinda Gates reveals bizarre new details about divorce conversation she had with Bill after Epstein scandal
Melinda and Bill Gates decided how they would 'separate their lives' over burgers and a Willie Nelson song, according to her new book. The philanthropist, 60, reveals details of her separation from the Microsoft founder on her new book, The Next Day. The former power couple of 27 years divorced in 2021 after Bill's links to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein were unveiled. Melinda writes that she told Bill she wanted a divorce in August, 2020, and the two shared a long, sometimes 'tender' conversation, as reported by People. 'And then I got in the car to drive home,' she shared. 'On the way back, I pulled over into a parking lot and put on a Willie Nelson song we used to listen to together, Always on My Mind. I bawled, sobbing over the steering wheel.' Melinda added that 'The day that followed was even weirder and more painful.' 'I drove back out to Hood Canal so I could check on Bill and so we could start talking about how we'd tell our kids. Eventually, we got hungry, so we went out to get burgers,' she wrote. 'It was a scene that had played out hundreds of times between us. But this time, we were talking about how we were going to separate our lives.' Melinda also reveals in her new book that she started having nightmares of her family falling apart in the months before she decided it was time to separate from Bill. 'Bill has publicly acknowledged that he wasn't always faithful to me,' she admits, noting the 'deeply disturbing' article that reported on Bill's meetings with Epstein. The has billionaire admitted to an affair with a Microsoft employee in 2000 and while the couple worked through it, Melinda said it left her struggling to trust him. 'I knew, in that moment, that I was going to have to make a decision—and that I was going to have to make it by myself,' she said about the moment she had a nightmare where she 'plummeted' into a void alongside her family. The mom-of-three recalled how she and Bill took a trip to New Mexico together in February 2020 which she had initially planned to take alone. On the final night, she sat the billionaire Microsoft founder down and told him she wanted to start living apart. 'It was one of the scariest conversations I'd have had,' Melinda wrote. Her agonizing decision came in the wake of controversy over her ex-husband's friendship with sex trafficker Epstein, who was found dead in his jail cell while awaiting trial in 2019. In the book she revealed that Bill was, 'sad and upset' but also 'understanding and respectful.' Melinda has previously said the friendship was a factor in her pushing for divorce. Bill has said he deeply regrets spending time with Epstein but has never been accused of any wrongdoing in relation to the predator. 'I did not like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein,' she told CBS' Gayle King. 'I made that clear to him. I also met Jeffrey Epstein exactly one time. I wanted to see who this man was and I regretted it from the second I stepped in the door. 'He was abhorrent, evil personified. I had nightmares about it afterwards. That's why my heart breaks for these young women. That's how I felt, and I am an older woman. He was awful.' After making the decision, Melinda shared that she had panic attacks thinking about the divorce negotiations, noting that Bill was known as being 'one of the toughest negotiators in the world.' The philanthropist told People that she is focused on her children and grandchildren, and it appears she had put ex-husband and Microsoft founder Bill out of mind. 'Naturally, Bill and I see each other every now and then at family events, such as graduations,' she said. 'When we do, it's friendly.' Bill, on his part, recently said the divorce is the 'failure' he regrets the most. In an interview with Elle, Melinda was asked about the comments and said: 'Look, divorces are painful, and it's not something I would wish on any family. 'But again, I knew when I got divorced, I would be okay on my own. And I think that was the most important thing.' Bill has publicly moved on with girlfriend Paula Hurd, 62, the widow of former Oracle CEO Mark Hurd.
Boston Globe
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Gwen McCrae, singer who helped open the dance floor to disco, dies at 81
She released most of her best-known songs through TK Records, a regional powerhouse founded by Henry Stone that counted other proto-disco acts, including Betty Wright and KC and the Sunshine Band, among its stable. She began performing with George McCrae as a duo. They recorded their own albums, sang backup on others, and carved a presence for themselves in the clubs of South Florida. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up They also performed separately, and Gwen McCrae's repertoire was not limited to dance songs. On her own, she was the first person to release a version of the ballad 'You Were Always on My Mind,' in 1972; sometimes shortened to 'Always on My Mind,' it was later recorded by the likes of Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, and the Pet Shop Boys. Advertisement "She was an amazing talent," Harry Wayne Casey, a songwriter at TK Records and the lead singer of KC and the Sunshine Band, said in an interview. "She had one of the most soulful voices I've ever heard." After the worldwide success of George McCrae's signature hit, "Rock Your Baby," in 1974, Gwen McCrae recorded her own hit the next year: "Rockin' Chair," a sensual, swinging tune that topped the Billboard R&B chart and reached No. 9 on the Hot 100 pop chart. There was some dispute over how the two came to record their respective songs. Gwen McCrae later said that Casey and Richard Finch had written 'Rock Your Baby' for her, but that she had given it to her husband to help his career — and then asked for her own hit song once his went big. Advertisement But George McCrae had a different spin: Their marriage was on the rocks, he said, and she had given him "Rock Your Baby" in a bid to keep them together. Regardless, their marriage did not last. They divorced a year later. After TK Records closed in 1981, she moved to New York City and signed with Atlantic, where she had a minor hit with "Funky Sensation" in 1981 and recorded two albums. Although her career had begun to slow in the postdisco era, she found a new fan base in Europe, especially in Britain, where the discovery of classic American soul, sometimes called 'rare groove,' was underway in the 1980s. DJs and hip-hop artists sampled her songs. She became known as the 'queen of rare groove' across Britain and Europe. "When I went overseas, I didn't know people loved me so much. They really loved my old stuff," she said in a 1996 interview with a Swedish journalist. "Yeah, I was shocked!" Gwendolyn Patricia Mosley was born Dec. 21, 1943, in Pensacola, Fla. Her father, Aaron, died when she was young, and she was raised by her mother, Winnie (Lee) Mosley. She began singing gospel songs in church and aspired to make religious singing her career. Even later in her career, when she was belting out disco tracks filled with double entendres, she found it uncomfortable to be too explicit. "I had the worst time singing 'Damn Right It's Good,'" she said in the 1996 interview, referring to a song she released in 1976. "I sang like 'Darn right it's good, you better knock on wood'; I could not sing 'Damn right it's good.' And I still can hardly say it. It ain't me!" Advertisement She met George McCrae in 1963, when he was stationed in Pensacola with the Navy. They married soon after, and they began singing together once he left the service in 1967. She leaves two daughters from her marriage to McCrae: Sophia and Leah; a daughter from a previous relationship, Wanda; a son from a later relationship, Alex; 12 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Although 'Funky Sensation' was her last hit in the United States, Ms. McCrae continued to make music and to draw a dedicated following for her live performances, both at home and in Europe. In 2004, she released a gospel album, "I'm Not Worried." Two years later, she worked once more with Stone, recording an album of standards from the TK Records catalog, "Gwen McCrae Sings TK." Although she claimed Florida as her primary residence, she toured Europe extensively. She stopped in 2012, when a stroke after a concert in England left her paralyzed on the left side of her body. This article originally appeared in
New York Times
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Gwen McCrae, Singer Who Helped Open the Dance Floor to Disco, Dies at 81
Gwen McCrae, whose gospel-infused R&B hits of the early 1970s like 'Lead Me On' and 'Rockin' Chair' featured bouncing, dance-floor-friendly grooves that helped open the door to disco, died on Feb. 21 in Miami. She was 81. Her former husband and frequent singing partner, George McCrae, said she died in a care facility from complications of a stroke she had in 2012. Though she had her share of nationwide hits, Ms. McCrae was best known on the music scene in the Miami area, where her upbeat R&B fit perfectly with the hot nights and subtropical vibe. She released most of her best-known songs through TK Records, a regional powerhouse founded by Henry Stone that counted other proto-disco acts, like Betty Wright and KC and the Sunshine Band, among its stable. She began performing with Mr. McCrae as a duo. They recorded their own albums, sang backup on others and carved a presence for themselves in the clubs of South Florida. They also performed separately, and Ms. McCrae's repertoire was not limited to dance songs. On her own, she was the first person to release a version of the ballad 'You Were Always on My Mind,' in 1972; sometimes shortened to 'Always on My Mind,' it was later recorded by the likes of Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson and the Pet Shop Boys. 'She was an amazing talent,' Harry Wayne Casey, a songwriter at TK Records and the lead singer of KC and the Sunshine Band, said in an interview. 'She had one of the most soulful voices I've ever heard.' After the worldwide success of Mr. McCrae's signature hit, 'Rock Your Baby,' in 1974, Ms. McCrae recorded her own hit the next year: 'Rockin' Chair,' a sensual, swinging tune that topped the Billboard R&B chart and reached No. 9 on the Hot 100 pop chart. There was some dispute over how the two came to record their respective songs. Ms. McCrae later said that Mr. Casey and Richard Finch had written 'Rock Your Baby' for her, but that she had given it to her husband to help his career — and then asked for her own hit song once his went big. But Mr. McCrae had a different spin: Their marriage was on the rocks, he said, and she had given him 'Rock Your Baby' in a bid to keep them together. Regardless, their marriage did not last. They divorced a year later. After TK Records closed in 1981, she moved to New York City and signed with Atlantic, where she had a minor hit with 'Funky Sensation' in 1981 and recorded two albums. Though her career had begun to slow in the post-disco era, she found a new fan base in Europe, especially in Britain, where the discovery of classic American soul — sometimes called 'rare groove' — was underway in the 1980s. She recorded new songs and rerecorded old ones for regional markets, and she found a steady stream of singing gigs over the next few decades. D.J.s and hip-hop artists sampled her songs. She became known as the 'queen of rare groove' across Britain and Europe. 'When I went overseas, I didn't know people loved me so much. They really loved my old stuff,' she said in a 1996 interview with a Swedish journalist, adding, 'Yeah, I was shocked!' Gwendolyn Patricia Mosley was born on Dec. 21, 1943, in Pensacola, Fla. Her father, Aaron, died when she was young, and she was raised by her mother, Winnie (Lee) Mosley. She began singing gospel songs in church and aspired to make religious singing her career. Even later in her career, when she was belting out disco tracks filled with double entendres, she found it uncomfortable to be too explicit. 'I had the worst time singing 'Damn Right It's Good,'' she told Ms. Granditsky, referring to a song she released in 1976. 'I sang like 'Darn right it's good, you better knock on wood'; I could not sing 'Damn right it's good.' And I still can hardly say it. It ain't me!' She met George McCrae in 1963, when he was stationed in Pensacola with the U.S. Navy. They married soon after, and they began singing together once he left the service in 1967. She is survived by two daughters from her marriage to Mr. McCrae, Sophia and Leah; a daughter from a previous relationship, Wanda; a son from a later relationship, Alex; 12 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Although 'Funky Sensation' was her last hit in the United States, Ms. McCrae continued to make music, and to draw a dedicated following for her live performances, both at home and in Europe. In 2004 she released a gospel album, 'I'm Not Worried.' Two years later she worked once more with Mr. Stone, recording an album of standards from the TK Records catalog, 'Gwen McCrae Sings TK.' Though she claimed Florida as her primary residence, she toured Europe extensively. She finally stopped in 2012, when a stroke after a concert in England left her paralyzed on the left side of her body.
