Maxine Clark has been Chief Executive Bear of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. since the companys inception in 1997 and has served as chairman of the board of directors since conversion to a corporation in April 2000. Widely recognized as one of the nations leading and most creative entrepreneurs, her book, The Bear Necessities of Business: Building a Company with Heart, reveals... read full bio
Tony Rice spans the range of acoustic music, from straight-ahead bluegrass to jazz-inflected new acoustic music, to songwriter-oriented folk. He is perhaps the greatest innovator in acoustic flat-picked guitar. Over the course of his career he has played alongside J.D. Crowe in the New South. The New South was known as one of the best and most progressive bluegrass groups... read full bio
Michelle Shocked has never been one to care what anyone thinks about her creative notions. She's based her career on defying convention, making each album stylistically different and managing to escape a major-label contract with complete ownership of all her work, another precedent-setting achievement.... read full bio
Michala Petri is a Danish recorder player. Petri is sought after as a soloist with many noted orchestras, including the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. She has released 34 recordings, toured extensively over four continents, and has had dozens of pieces written for her. Her debut as a soloist was in 1969. She is the step-granddaughter of famous... read full bio
Montserrat cabal became an international star overnight, and her performance entered the annals of legendary opera moments. Her Carnegie Hall success led to an immediate invitation to sing at the Metropolitan Opera House, where she made an equally stunning debut as Marguerite in Gounod's Faust. A discography of over 80 opera, recital and concert recordings supports her reputation as one... read full bio
Mickey Jones has enjoyed considerable success in the music business both as a musician and a singer. In the past few years he has added acting to his already outstanding credits, having been featured in numerous guest star roles in hit TV shows such as ... read full bio
Mindy Smith became an overnight sensation when she contributed to the Dolly Parton tribute album, Just Because I'm a Woman. She began winning awards, appearing on national TV, inspiring critics and artists to sing her praises (and her songs), and riding the momentum of One Moment More, her Vanguard debut. But when she wasn't accepting Best New Artist honors from... read full bio
Whitfield is cutting across musical boundaries and attracting all sorts of fans with his incredibly fast pick and a delicious knack for melody. ""The guitar has an unusual appeal, even to people who don't know much about jazz,"" says Whitfield.... read full bio
Originally from The Maritimes, Canada, Melanie Doane grew up in a musical family in Nova Scotia. She began playing the violin at age 3 and from there went on to learn a number of different instruments including piano, ukulele and stand-up bass. She studied voice in college, but decided to leave school to pursue theater. Eventually she started to write... read full bio
Max Carl Gronenthal is an American rock singer, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter. He is the current lead singer of the classic rock band Grand Funk Railroad. In addition, he spent several years as the keyboardist and lead singer for the southern rock band 38 Special, for whom he co-wrote and sang lead on the hit song ""Second Chance"".... read full bio
Mickey Avalon (real name Yeshe Perl) is a rap artist from Hollywood, California. His debut self-titled solo album was released Nov. 7, 2006 on Interscope/Shoot to Kill Records in association with MySpace Records. Avalon blends dark, lewd, and crizzled lyrical hooks with hip-hop beats.... read full bio
Menomena is a band from Portland, Oregon made up of multi-instrumentalists Justin Harris and Danny Seim. Both members of the band share singing/songwriting duties while recording themselves in their homes. In concert, Seim plays drums while Harris swaps between a myriad of instruments.... read full bio
Devoted to the teaching of tolerance, the value of understanding, and the beauty in acceptance, Dees has done much to promote diversity. His efforts have resulted in many achievements, including the Civil Rights Memorial, lawsuits that bankrupted the KKK, the Aryan Nation and imprisoned perpetrators of hate crimes. He is chief trial counsel for The Southern Poverty Law Center, a... read full bio
Marc Jordan is a multi-genre Canadian musician, known both as a songwriter and session musician for other artists, and as a singer in his own right. The son of Canadian singer Charles Jordan, Marc grew up in a musical household in Toronto after his father returned to Canada. He studied filmmaking at Brock University, but he soon turned to music;... read full bio
Before deciding to follow his first love, music, Mark Masri was training to become a doctor. If he weren't a singer, he would be one. Mark is singing songs of love and loss, grief and hope, with his strong tenor voice. With songs that will make you laugh and cry, Mark is showing his distinct theatrical pop style and remarkable... read full bio
Dr. Marjorie Blanchard has earned a reputation worldwide as a compelling motivational speaker, an accomplished management consultant and trainer, a best-selling author and an entrepreneur. Recently, she was chosen Speaker of the Year by New Woman magazine and American Express. She also was the co-recipient with her husband, Ken Blanchard, of the Entrepreneur of the Year award from Cornell University.... read full bio
A psychologist with over 35 years of experience, Madeline Levine, Ph.D., has worked as a therapist, consultant, educator, and author. Her New York Times best-seller, The Price of Privilege, delves at the causes of the pandemic rates of emotional issues among kids from wealthy backgrounds. Teach Your Children Well, her New York Times best-selling follow-up book, addresses the narrow... read full bio
Best known as writer of children's books. He writes as well as illustrates his Arthur books. He is best-known for the Arthur series and its spin-offs. He currently lives in Hingham, Massachusetts. The names of his two sons, Tolon and Tucker, have been hidden in all of the Arthur books except for one. He also has a daughter named Eliza,... read full bio
Mikky Ekko is an indie pop music artist and record producer, most well known for his appearance on Rihannas song Stay, which has charted in several countries across the globe, becoming Ekkos first-charting material. Stay was originally co-written by Ekko, and he performed it with Rihanna at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times gave... read full bio
The first female vocalist signed by Blue Note Records in 1972, Marlena Shaw has never strayed far from her jazz roots. A former singer with the Count Basie Orchestra, she swings with ease and authority, has a mastery of space an timing. . .[and] every phrase she utters has a delightfully improvisatory feel,' notes critic Richard Chon. She has the... read full bio
