Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016), known by the mononym Prince, was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor.

Prince was renowned as an innovator, and was widely known for his eclectic work, flamboyant stage presence, and wide vocal range. He was widely regarded as the pioneer of Minneapolis sound. His music integrates a wide variety of styles, including funk, rock, R&B, soul, psychedelia, and pop.

Prince was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and developed an interest in music at an early age, writing his first song at age seven. After recording songs with his cousin's band 94 East, 19-year-old Prince recorded several unsuccessful demo tapes before releasing his debut album For You in 1978, under the guidance of manager Owen Husney.

His 1979 album Prince went platinum due to the success of the singles "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover". His next three records—Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981), and 1999 (1982)—continued his success, showcasing Prince's trademark of prominently sexual lyrics and incorporation of elements of funk, dance, and rock music. In 1984, he began referring to his backup band as The Revolution and released Purple Rain, which served as the soundtrack to his film debut of the same name.

A prolific songwriter, Prince in the 1980s wrote songs for and produced work by many other acts, often under pseudonyms. After releasing the albums Around the World in a Day (1985) and Parade (1986), The Revolution disbanded and Prince released the double album Sign o' the Times (1987) as a solo artist. He released three more solo albums before debuting The New Power Generation band in 1991.

He changed his stage name in 1993 to an unpronounceable symbol also known as the "Love Symbol".

He then began releasing new albums at a faster pace to remove himself from contractual obligations to Warner Bros.; he released five records between 1994 and 1996 before signing with Arista Records in 1998. In 2000, he began referring to himself as "Prince" again.

He released 15 albums after that; his final album, HITnRUN Phase Two, was first released exclusively on the Tidal streaming service on December 11, 2015.

On April 21, 2016, Prince died at his Paisley Park recording studio and home in Chanhassen, Minnesota, following two weeks of reported illness. Prince sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. He won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the first year of his eligibility. Rolling Stone ranked Prince at number 27 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

A tribute to one of the greatest artists of his generation.

Ronnie Corbett. "It's goodnight from me." "And it's goodnight from him."

“We will be talking to an out of work contortionist who says he can no longer make ends meet.”

Brilliant stuff.

It's wonderful that I cannot think of Ronnie Corbett without a smile on my face. He was really a comic genius, and in common with many true talents, he made it all look easy!

Ronnie Corbett, it has been a pleasure to have watched your shows over the last 40 years.

This E91 M3 is my first M-car and it has been a brilliant experience - I would definitely buy one again.

I looked at buying an E46 M3 for many years but I never got round to buying one.

Then one day i was at the BMW garage looking at a BMW convertible, and they started a V8 M3 (E90) to move it around the garage and it sounded wonderful. That V8 really sounds incredible.

After some research I found that prices had dropped on the E9X M3's to the point where I could afford one, so I started shopping and finally found a 2009 4 door E91 limousine for sale with the brilliant 7-speed double clutch gearbox.

I have now owned the car for 2 years and it has run faultlessly. For a car with 420 hp and 0-60 times sub 4 seconds (!) it is incredibly reliable and very cheap to run.

The engine sounds wonderful and is very, very smooth. The chassis is brilliant, with a very comfortable ride and absolutely no squeaks or rattles. The seats are really comfortable, the car looks great, and performance is very strong with little need to use more than 4'000 rpm or more than 1/4 throttle in normal driving.

The car is certainly a tribute to BMW and the M division.

Adele is simply brilliant - she has a sensational voice and she really deserves all the success It is great to see her at the top of the charts again with her new album '25'.

As a Brit, I am intensely proud of her incredible worldwide success. It's so easy to look back at some of the other great British singers, everyone from Shirley Bassey to Judie Tzuke, and complain that 'they don't make them like that any more' - but it's not true.

Along comes someone like Adele and proves that real, new talent is still coming from that small island in Northern Europe!

It is interesting that despite her incredible talent as a singer, Adele originally planned to go into A&R and help to find and develop talent for record companies. Thank goodness that she was discovered by someone and that we have an opportunity to hear her sing.

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born in London, England in 1988 and she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts, graduating in 2006. She recorded a demo which was posted on Myspace and led to her being discovered by XL Recordings who signed her up.

In 2008, her debut album '19' was released and was number one in the U.K. charts. By 2009, she received an award as 'Best New Artist' at the Grammys.

In 2011, Adele released her second album '21' which hit number one in 26 countries. Can you believe that '21' was the biggest selling album of the 21st century!

In 2015, Adele released '25', the third album in a trilogy - and delivered a record breaking performance. The lead single from the album 'Hello' was the fastest video to hit one billion views on YouTube. 'Hello' is such a great song. '25' was the fastest selling album in U.K. history, selling over 800,000 copies in the first week.

At the Grammy Awards in 2017, Adele won all five of her nominations; Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for 25, and Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Hello".

She also performed a tribute to George Michael and due to technical difficulties which occurred during the performance Adele decided to stop and restart, explaining "I can't mess this up for him".

Adele has a child with her husband, Simon Konecki.

Love you Adele!

Steve Lee from the Swiss band Gotthard was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident in 2010. He was a great singer and a brilliant frontman for Switzerland's best ever hard rock band.

"There's a time for everything

A time for love, for joy and for happiness

There's even a time for silence, for pain, for grief and a time for grateful remembrance.

(Kohelet 3,1-8)

In loving memory of our friend Steve Lee (1963 -2010)

Thanks for the memories."

Neil Peart from Rush is simply one of the world's greatest drummers. Modern Drummer magazine readers voted him best rock drummer for years and years in a row.

Not only is he a brilliant musician, but he has also written the lyrics for most of Rush's songs.

A quiet, modest man, he is also an incredible talent.

Neil Peart - this is in tribute to you.

I first came across Team Hoyt when searching for information on the Ironman Triathlon.

The story of Dick and Rick Hoyt is incredible. Rick takes his adult disabled son with him and they compete together. As if an Ironman is not hard enough, Dick Hoyt swims and tows his son behind him, and also pushes him on the run and carries him on the cycle leg.

Watch the video and let me know what you think. I was really moved. I hope that you find it inspiring.

An incredible team.

Shopping for art in St Tropez

I had one of these in 1996. Was this the last good Lancia? A really great car which was fun to drive on b-roads but also very civilised for motorway cruising. Despite the practicality of a 4-door bodyshell, I think it would probably look better as a 2-door - but I suppose it's 'wolf in sheep's clothing' appearance is part of the appeal.

Really sharp steering, coupled with good brakes and a strong mid-range surge made the car great dun to drive.

Judging by the wear profile on the front tyres, Lancia used a lot of negative camber which gave great grip and fast turn-in.

One of the few cars that I have owned which I sold for a profit!