A native of Turkey,born in Istanbul, Fahir Atakoğlu is an international award winning composer and pianist, in the fields of large symphonic works and film music. His works have also been performed in various music festivals in Europe and across The United States to much acclaim. He is now finding a growing audience in Europe, Japan and in North America as well. His sensitivity as a composer deeply moves the audience by his unique rhythmic, melodic and harmonic sense. His music reflects his extraordinary talent in blending different musical cultures which make his compositions speak with striking originality, and always wonderfully connected to the culture of his motherland. Fahir Atakoğlu, since 1986, composed jingles, documentary and film music for many national and international productions. Following his first album in 1994 he released 14 albums in 17 countries including USA and sold over nearly 2 million copies since. Amongst his many awards, he won First prize for Documentary at the Milano Film Festival 2000 for "Exile in Buyukada" and the best Song Award of Mega Channel, Greece, 2002, with Telos Dios Telos, sold over 400.000 copies. Ahmet Ertegun, of Atlantic Records, referred to Fahir Atakoğlu as" .. one of the outstanding pianists and composers in Europe today ... at the cutting edge of the world music

".... Given how long Willie Nelson has been in the music business, it's not a surprise that he could easily fill a second volume in the 16 BIGGEST HITS series ...."

Tom Jans was just like his girlfriend Valerie Carter a representative of the typical LA-sound of the seventies. He made 5 albums (of which the last one 'Champions' was only released in a very limited edition and became some sort of a myth to all Jans fans), that showed his immense talent as a songwriter and a singer. Members of Little Feat, Toto and other West-Coast greats accompanied him in the studio and he developed a special friendship with that other Tom (Waits). After his untimely death in 1984 (of which the cause still is a mystery: in her book "And a voice to sing with", Joan Baez says Tom Jans died in a car crash, others say he was found dead in his house in Brentwood on 25th March 1984 and also the story goes that Tom was in a serious motorcycle accident prior to his death and the complications from it had a lot to do with his demise) Tom Waits said about his song Whistle Down the Wind he dedicated to Tom Jans: "He's an old friend of ours who died in '84. A songwriter and friend of Kathleen's and mine. From the central coast of California, kind of a Steinbeck upbringing in a small town. We dedicated it to him. He wrote 'Lovin' Arms.' Dobie Gray recorded it, and also Elvis did it. He used to play with Mimi Farina. It was written about another friend, but it was the kind of song that Tom Jans would have written. He was there in spirit."

Oh Susanna (Suzie Ungerleider) returns to her roots here by emphasising her voice and lyrics, and rises to the challenge with graceful ease. That voice really is a marvel, a haunting, expressive instrument that can proudly stand alongside those of Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch in the roots elite. Sparse and subtle accompaniment comes from her A-list players, including Luke Doucet, David Baxter, Blue Rodeo’s Bazil Donovan and Bob Packwood, Justin Rutledge (who harmonises beautifully on “Pretty Penny”) and drummer/hubby Cam Giroux. Strings are used judiciously and effectively on “Miss Liberty” and powerful closer “Filled With Gold.” Lyrically, Suzie presents a rich, colourful cast of characters, telling their stories with real empathy. There’s the “beauty queen strapped to a Coke machine” and the teenager who gave up her baby then ran off to “hang my heart on a hitching post where they got clean air to breathe” on “Greyhound Bus.” Even Billy The Kid makes an appearance, via her fine cover of Dylan’s “Billy 4.” This album stresses mood and narrative over melody to stunning effect.