Saturday, April 25, 2015

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on April 30th, 2015





In an interview with the UK music mag Uncut, The Who's Pete Townshend admitted that he doesn't find performing fulfilling anymore -- "but I'm brilliant at it." "The shows? I don't like them," Townshend said as the Who prepares to resume the North American leg of their "Who Hits 50" tour at the start of May. "I don't find them fulfilling. But I'm brilliant at it. I find it incredibly easy. I drift through it." Meanwhile, the guitarist will be honored for his charity work with a Stevie Ray Vaughan Award next month. The guitarist will be presented the award by Bruce Springsteen at a special benefit concert in New York on May 28. Townshend will also perform live at the event, with Joan Jett, Billy Idol and Foreigner's Mick Jones also set to appear. - New Musical Express, 4/30/15...... In related news, KISS principals Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley were honored with an ASCAP Founders Award at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards in Hollywood on Apr. 29, with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl doing the presentation. Grohl delivered a personal homage to the two that began from his own childhood days as a proud cadet in the KISS army. Accepting the award, Simmons declared that "Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters are carrying the flag that we hope will inspire the next generation of young kids." - Billboard, 4/30/15...... Paul McCartneyPaul McCartney returned to the hallowed Nippon Budokan venue, where the Beatles performed nearly 49 years agon in June and July 1966, on Apr. 28 for the last show on the Japan leg of his 2015 "Out There" tour. Sir Paul's current Japan shows, which also included a stop at the 40,000-seat Kyocera Dome in Osaka and three nights at the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome, are makeup concerts for a tour in November of last year that was canceled due to his health. Notably, Macca performed the Help! track "Another Girl" live for the first time ever during the Budokan show (the Fab Four never performed the song in concert). Speaking about the gig, McCartney commented: "It was sensational and quite emotional remembering the first time and then experiencing this fantastic audience tonight. It was thrilling for us and we think it was probably the best show we did in Japan and it was great to be doing the Budokan 49 years later. It was crazy. We loved it." - Billboard/NME, 4/29/15...... Police in Memphis, Tenn., have recovered a pair of Elton John's heart-shaped glasses after they were stolen from the Rock 'n' Soul Museum there on Apr. 21. After an employee discovered the glasses, which are valued at more than $2,000, had been taken out of a display case during business hours, an investigator lifted prints and matched them to a suspect identified as 26-year-old Matthew Colvin of Southaven, Miss. Police there retrieved the glasses, and an arrest warrant for theft was issued for Colvin. The glasses went back on display on Apr. 29. In other Elton news, Nile Rodgers of Chic has revealed that John will contribute to the new Chic album. The LP is expected to be released this summer. - Billboard, 4/28/15...... Queen guitarist Brian May has clarified his political views in a new interview, saying he's "not anti-Tory but anti-David Cameron." May, who recently backed Green Party MP Caroline Lucas for re-election, is also urging people to vote "colourblind" at the upcoming General Election, which he described as "very crucial." May is a staunch animal rights campaigner, having protested against the badger cull, as well as the Tories' attempts to bring back fox hunting. "[Prime Minister Cameron] stands for privilege, for the continuation and acceleration in the difference between the extremely rich and extremely poor," May said. "I find that iniquitous and almost beyond belief... If the outcome is another David Cameron-led government then we're back in the saltmines. Like many people, anything but that would be good." - New Musical Express, 4/30/15...... Joni MitchellReps for Joni Mitchell are denying Internet rumours and a report on TMZ.com that the folk-rock legend is in a coma nearly a month after she was admitted to a Los Angeles hospital. "Contrary to rumors circulating on the Internet today, Joni is not in a coma," a post on JoniMitchell.com was published on Apr. 28. "Joni is still in the hospital -- but she comprehends, she's alert, and she has her full senses. A full recovery is expected," it continues. On Apr. 3, a post on the site said that "Joni is currently in intensive care in an L.A. area hospital but is awake and in good spirits.... Joni remains under observation in the hospital and is resting comfortably. We are encouraged by her progress and she continues to improve and get stronger each day." The latest post added that "Joni is a strong-willed woman and is nowhere near giving up the fight. Please continue to keep Joni in your thoughts. You may add your well wishes for her at the website WeLoveYouJoni.com." However, according to TMZ, Mitchell's prognosis has seemingly changed, and multiple sources claim that her condition was far worse than the public was led to believe, with one insider alleging, "It's very serious." Prior to her recent hospitalization, Mitchell spoke publicly about suffering from Morgellons Disease, a rare skin condition which she described as "this weird, incurable disease that seems like it's from outer space." Morgellons is controversial in the medical community, with many doctors denying it even exists. - Billboard, 4/28/15...... Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne has given an update on the forthcoming Sabbath farewell album and tour. Speaking at a presser in Sao Paulo, Brazil, before he performed at the Monsters of Rock festival there, Osbourne said that "we are going to do another tour together... The plan is that next year [we'll do] the final Black Sabbath tour and album." On Apr. 9, a rep from Sabbath told Billboard, "There have been ongoing discussions about a Sabbath farewell tour, though nothing has been officially confirmed by the band." That same day, a version of Black Sabbath without drummer Bill Ward backed out of a November headlining appearance at Ozzfest Japan. They were replaced by an Ozzy Osbourne solo set. "Some want to work, some don't," Ozzy said in Sao Paulo, an apparent jab at Ward, who earlier in April wrote n his official Facebook page that he would not rejoin Sabbath without an apology from Osbourne for "often inaccurate statements" and a "signable" contract. Meanwhile, a planned reboot of Osbourne's MTV reality series The Osbournes won't be coming back after all, according to an exec with VH1. "We are no longer talking to the Osbournes about a series; that's not going to happen," Susan Levison, exec vp original programming and production at VH1. "We wish we could have worked it out, but it just didn't come together for us. The family has been absolutely lovely and we wish them the best. We'd love to figure out a way to work with them at some point in the future." VH1's plan to revive the series came 10 years after the show signed off at its sibling network, where its initial run was MTV's most-viewed series at that point. - Billboard/The Hollywood Reporter, 4/28/15...... The managers of Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tenn., released a statement on Apr. 26 stating Presley's Lisa Marie and the Hound Dog II custom-designed airplanes will permanently remain at the Memphis tourist attraction centered on the life and career of the late singer. The announcement ends confusion about the future of the airplanes, which had been owned by a company named OKC Partnership after Presley died in August 1977. On Apr. 21, OKC Partnership had received approval from the Memphis City Council to move the airplanes to another location just down the street from Graceland. Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, posted on Twitter that Graceland now owns the planes and they will remain at Graceland "4 ever." She did not elaborate. In other Elvis-related news, songwriter Sid Tepper, who penned such tunes for Presley as "The Lady Loves Me," "G.I. Blues," "Red Roses For A Blue Lady," and "Don't Come Running Back To Me," died on Apr. 24 at his home in Miami Beach, Fla., of natural causes. He was 96. In addition to Mr. Tepper's 45 songs for Elvis, he also wrote tracks for other artists including Frank Sinatra, Jeff Beck, The Beatles, Perry Como, Andy Williams, Ray Charles, Louie Armstrong, Wayne Newton, Robert Goulet and Nancy Wilson, among others. Mr. Tepper won a Country Music Award for Eddie Arnold's version of "Red Roses For A Blue Lady." In 2002, he was honored in Memphis for his work with Presley. - AP, 4/26/15...... Ann WilsonHeart singer Ann Wilson became a bride for the first time ever over the last weekend of April. Wilson, 64, wed her boyfriend Dean Wetter, according to a report on People magazine's site. "Dean and I first met in the '80s and went on a date where we both got smashed and I tried to seduce him," Wilson sweetly told the magazine. "Like the gentleman he is, he declined. Years passed, we got back in touch after we had both grown up, and Pow!... It worked! Did it ever!," she added. During the 1970s, Wilson was famously in a relationship with Heart's then manager, Mike Fisher. - Billboard, 4/28/15...... David Bowie has announced plans to re-release his No. 1 1975 single "Fame" to mark its 40th anniversary. "Fame," co-written by John Lennon and featured on the glam-rocker's Young Americans album which dropped on July 25, 1975, will now be reissued as a limited-edition picture disc on July 24, backed by an alternate mix of it fellow Young Americans track "Right." Bowie also recently revealed he is working on a new stage show based on his 1976 film The Man Who Fell To Earth. - NME, 4/27/15..... Former UFO and Scorpions guitarist Michael Schenker will embark on a 2016 nationwide UK tour starting at the Bilston Robin in January 2016. Schenker will perform tracks from his current studio album Spirit On A Mission which features the singles "Vigilante Man" and "Live and Let Live" plus all the UFO, Scorpions and MSG rock classics. The 9-date tour gets underway on Jan. 20 at Bilston Robin and will run through Jan. 30 with a show at the Islington Assembly Hall. - Noble PR, 4/27/15...... Cable channels History/A&E/Lifetime have greenlighted a new Roots miniseries to be simulcast on all three channels. Roots, which in its original version premiered to huge ratings in 1976, is a historical portrait of American slavery recounting the journey of one family's will to survive, endure and ultimately carry on their legacy despite enormous hardship and inhumanity. Mark Wolper will serve as executive producer for the new miniseries, which will also be co-executive produced by original Roots star, LeVar Burton....... A new museum dedicated to late country music legend George Jones opened to the public on Apr. 24 in Nashville. Huge crowds were in attendance at the George Jones Museum, which features many mementos from Jones's career, including a jacket worn by the singer during his stint in the United States Marines, a letter and Bible given to him by his mother not long before her death in 1974, and a pair of boxing gloves autographed by George Foreman after the video shoot for "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair" in 1992. "I'm just so happy that everyone is here," Jones's widow (and museum organizer) Nancy said. "It's an honor to show everyone what we've done. I loved my husband so much. I started in the '50s and went to 2000. I can't wait for everyone to see it." - Billboard, 4/27/15...... Merle HaggardIn other country music news, Merle Haggard, whose awards include a slew of Grammys, ACM Awards, and even a Kennedy Center Honor for "lifetime achievement," has just been presented with a high school diploma from his old high school, Kern High in Bakersfield, Cal. Haggard's elementary school friend Don Hemingway had petitioned the school to give his old pal a diploma for several years, and Kern High principal David Reese obligned prior to Haggard's show on Apr. 25 at Bakersfield's Fox Theater. "But I was only (in high school) nine days," said Haggard, who was described as bing "pleased but seemingly mystified." Haggard already has an honorary doctorate from Cal State Bakersfield. - Billboard, 4/29/15...... Actress Suzanne Crough, best known as tambourine-shaking daughter Tracy Partridge on the 1970-74 ABC sitcom The Partridge Family, died suddenly of undisclosed causes on at her home in Laughlin, near Las Vegas, Nev., on Apr. 27. She was 52. The child actress was also featured in TV commercials, and as an adult, she continued to work in movies for television and had a starring role in the film Teenage Father. The film won director Taylor Hackford an Oscar for best live action short film in 1979, and Crough was thanked in his acceptance speech. Las Vegas police said they believe Crough suffered a medical episode and that the circumstances of her death are not suspicious. Her husband, William Condray, said his wife was "a patient and loving wife, mother and grandmother." - AP, 4/28/15...... Singer Jack Ely, co-founder of the '60s band The Kingsmen and best known for his 1963 rendition of "Louie, Louie," died at home in Redmond, Ore., on Apr. 28, after a long illness. He was 71. Despite being one of the most famous songs of the 20th century, Ely's incoherent singing made the 1963 hit version of "Louie Louie" also one of the most misunderstood. The FBI was so mystified by the hard-to-understand lyrics that it conducted an investigation into whether the song was obscene. Ely had a falling out with the band shortly after the song was recorded. He later trained horses in Central Oregon. - AP, 4/28/15...... Comedian/actress Jayne Meadows, a longtime panelist on the classic CBS game show I've Got A Secret and the wife of former The Tonight Show host Steve Allen, died Apr. 26 of natural causes at her home in Encino, Cal. She was 95. Ms. Meadows' many film credits include Enchantment with Gregory Peck, The Thin Man with William Powell and Myrna Loy, and on TV she appeared on all the Golden Age drama series, including Hallmark Hall of Fame, Studio One and G.E. Theatre. She also appeared on the several long-running series -- from Hawaii Five-O and Adam-12 to The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. She appeared with her sister, Audrey Meadows, on NBC's dramatic series Sisters. - Deadline.com, 4/27/15.

Elton John is praising '70s Olympic champion and reality TV star Bruce Jenner for his "bravery" in deciding to discuss his reported transition from male to female during an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer on Apr. 24. "It's an incredibly brave thing to do, especially when you're older," Sir Elton told the Access Hollywood show on Apr. 23. "I admire him for doing it and I support him 100 percent." Jenner's two-hour interview proved to be ratings gold for ABC, scoring an impressive 5.2/17 among adults 18-49, with 16.9 million total viewers in the time period. - Billboard/ Deadline.com, 4/25/15...... Jeff LynneElectric Light Orchestra mastermind Jeff Lynne was honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during a ceremony on Apr. 23. Lynne's friends and fellow famous musicians Joe Walsh and Tom Petty were on hand to sing the praises of Lynne, with Walsh calling him "a true musical genius" and "one of the greatest stars rock has ever produced," and Petty gushing that Lynne was "the best overall musician I've ever met" and "the single greatest record producer I've ever encountered." "Let's put it this way," Petty said, "it says a lot when the Beatles get back together and George Martin can't make it, they get Jeff Lynne." "It was just so thrilling to think of all that and then having Tom and Joe say all those lovely things, it was very moving to me," Lynne told Billboard after the event. "You just think you're doing your bit and you don't realize that it's appreciated that much." Last September, the Birmingham, U.K. native made a triumphant return to the stage headlining a Hyde Park show for 50,000 fans, followed by a Grammy appearance in early 2015. Lynne has announced he has the first new ELO album since 2001's Zoom nearly completed, and will tour behind the new LP. - Billboard, 4/24/15...... As the Grateful Dead prepares for five "Fare Thee Well" shows in Santa Clara, Calif., and Chicago, Ill., in late June and early July, there are reports that the legendary San Francisco band is planning a fall tour with Grammy-winning singer-guitarist John Mayer in tow. The trek is reportedly due to kick off in October, with Mayer having already begun to jam in a rehearsal-like setting with select members of the group, chief among them Bob Weir, who is said to be very keen about the prospect. However, a rep for the band says that it's "premature" to suggest a Dead/Mayer tour is in the works. On Apr. 22, concert promoter Live Alliance announced that it will prduce a worldwide pay-per-view TV/Internet broadcast of the Fare Thee Well shows. Hosted by CNBC reporter Steve Liesman, the Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of Grateful Dead broadcast will will feature the four original members of the Dead, and the intermission will feature taped interviews with special guests, live fan interviews and aerial shots from Soldier Field, and a short documentary. - Billboard, 4/24/15...... Billy JoelBilly Joel has announced he'll play the final concert at Long Island's Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Aug. 4, before it is scheduled to be closed while undergoing renovation. Joel, a Long Island native, last played Memorial Coliseum in 1998, when he sold out nine shows at the arena. Following Joel's August performance, which will be his 32nd concert there, the Coliseum is scheduled to reopen as a sports and entertainment arena in Dec. 2016. Joel's 2015 U.S. tour, which is now in progress, will next take him to Kansas City's Sprint Center on May 1. He is also confirmed to headline the final night of the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tenn., on June 14. - Billboard, 4/24/15...... Alice Cooper says his new Hollywood Vampires album, a tribute to the social group that he partied with in the 1970s, is "done... mixed, ready to go and I'm very, very happy with it." Cooper says the LP is dedicated to his old drinking buddies, which included John Lennon, Keith Moon, Harry Nilsson and Ringo Starr. "[Paul] McCartney's on it. [Ringo Starr's drummer son] Zak [Starkey]'s on it. Dave Grohl is on it, [AC/DC frontman] Brian Johnson -- and in places where you wouldn't expect them to be, that's the cool thing." The Hollywood Vampires supergroup are due to play the Rock in Rio festival in September -- though it is unlikely that McCartney will join them on tour. - NME, 4/21/15...... Paul McCartney announced on Apr. 25 that he'll play an arena show at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center on June 21, his first appearance in the city since 2010. Sir Paul is also set to play at Firefly festival on June 19, and the Lollapalooza fest on July 31. On Apr. 21, the Beatles legend was mobbed by fans in Osaka, Japan as he arrived in the country to play a string of five tour dates. The singer, who is in Japan to perform rescheduled gigs which were called off in 2014 after he became ill, was greeted by over 500 fans at Osaka Airport. On Apr. 22, McCartney used the Earth Day observation to promote his global "Meat Free Monday" initiative, stating on Twitter that, "eating less meat is a real way to help." A day later, Macca was also revealed to be the richest musician in the UK according to London's Sunday Times. Data from the paper's annual rundown of the wealthiest figures in the British industry shows McCartney (plus wife Nancy Shevell, whose stake in a trucking business is said to be worth $225 million) placed at the top of the U.K. Music Rich List with an estimated fortune of $1.1 billion. Other '70s artists making the list include Elton John ($406 million), Mick Jagger ($338 million), Keith Richards ($315 million), Ringo Starr ($270 million), Sting ($270 million), and Roger Waters ($240 million). - New Musical Express, 4/25/15...... John LennonA John Lennon vinyl box set of the late musician's eight studio album is due on June 9, with the individual albums following separately on Aug. 21. The collection, titled simply Lennon, will feature the LPs John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Imagine, Some Time in New York City, Mind Games, Walls and Bridges, Rock 'n' Roll, Double Fantasy and Milk And Honey, all remastered. The remastered albums were previously released on CD and digital formats in 2010 as the John Lennon Signature Box. Speaking of the remastered LPs to Rolling Stone recently, Lennon's widow Yoko Ono said: "I thought it was going to be fine -- listening to John's songs has been a routine thing for me for the last 30 years. But this time, maybe because I listened to all of them, it was very hard, emotionally hard. 'I'm Losing You' -- that really hit me." - NME, 4/22/15...... One-time American Idol contestant Adam Lambert has recruited Queen guitarist Brian May to contribute to his next album. Lambert, who wrapped a UK arena tour fronting Queen in January, will release his LP The Original High via Warner Music on June 12, and Brian May described Lambert as the only performer the band had found capable of filling the shoes of iconic frontman Freddie Mercury. "Adam is the first person we've encountered who can do all the Queen catalogue without blinking," said May. "He is a gift from God." Queen drummer Roger Taylor had similar praise, adding: "He's incredibly musical, and we certainly take anything he says quite seriously." Lambert released the first single from the new LP, "Ghost Town," via YouTube on Apr. 22. - NME, 4/23/15...... Neil Young has revealed details about his upcoming new studio album, The Monsanto Years, which he is collaborating on with Willie Nelson's sons Lukas and Micah Nelson. Young says he will release a documentary film about the making of the record alongside the LP, which features protest songs against controversial agricultural company Monsanto, a company that Young has been publicly battling against for years. The Monsanto Years is due June 16. Young and the Nelsons will kick off a North American tour behind the new album in July, with support at select shows coming from Band Of Horses. - NME, 4/23/15...... John OatesHall & Oates member John Oates has signed a deal with St. Martin's Press for a memoir to be published in late 2016, it was announced on Apr. 23. The yet to be titled book will draw upon Oates's "pretty detailed" journals to tell an "intimate and fascinating" story about his life and career, the publisher says. Hall & Oates were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. - AP, 4/23/15...... Former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd pleaded guilty to threatening to kill and possession of meth and marijuana in New Zealand's Tauranga District Court on Apr. 21. Rudd had pleaded not guilty to these charges in Dec. 2014, when it was alleged he had threatened to kill a man who had been in his employment for three years. The maximum sentence for threatening to kill is seven years in jail. The case has been adjourned until June 26. Rudd's lawyer, Craig Tuck, sayks he will apply for a discharge without conviction for his client. - Billboard, 4/20/15...... Veteran country music singer Charley Pride will launch his first UK tour in three years on Apr. 29 at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall. Pride, one of the few African-American country musicians to experience massive-market commercial success in the country music industry and one of the few African-American singers to be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, will also perform in London (5/2), Southend Cliffs (5/3), Birmingham (5/4) and Glasgow (5/6). To coincide with the start of the tour, Pride will be interviewed on BBC Breakfast News (BBC One) on Apr. 29. - Noble PR, 4/21/15...... A new Elvis Presley exhibition dubbed "Graceland Presents Elvis: The Exhibition - The Show - The Experience" opened at the Westgate Las Vegas hotel and casino on Apr. 23, the same casino where Elvis performed several hundred shows when it was the Las Vegas Hilton and The International. The exhibit, chapel and show are the first permanent presentations from Graceland and Elvis Presley Enterprises outside of the performer's Tennessee home, launching 59 years to the day that Elvis first performed in Las Vegas. The grand opening included an appearance by Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley. - AP, 4/23/15...... Ronnie Carroll, a UK crooner who won two consecutive Eurovision song contests in 1962, died on Apr. 13 after a short illness. Carroll's biggest hit was in 1962 with a cover of Bobby Vinton's "Roses Are Red," which outsold Vinton's version in the UK and reached No. 2 there.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on April 20th, 2015





Ringo StarrRingo Starr was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist on Apr. 18 by his former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney in a star-studded ceremony that also honored Lou Reed, Bill Withers, Joan Jett, Green Day, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and The "5" Royales. Starr, already inducted in 1988 as a member of the Beatles, made a speech before a short performance. "I want to thank Paul for all the great things you told us some of them are true. You know, it's a great honor to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I was doing the press and they're all saying, 'Well, why did you wait so long?' It has nothing to do with me. You have to be invited. But anyway, apparently I'm invited and I love it." The 74-year-old stickman continued: "I've finally been invited and I love it. I got lucky and it was actually in Cleveland," he said to enormous applause. Introducing Ringo, McCartney recalled the first time Ringo sat in with the Beatles. Bill Withers"[We] were on the front line singing, and now behind us we had this guy we'd never played with before, and I remember the moment when he started to play -- I think it was Ray Charles, 'What'd I Say', and most of the drummers couldn't nail the drum part. It was a little difficult to do, but Ringo nailed it." John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono, also on hand to honor Ringo, spoke breifly backstage: "It's just sad John and George [Harrison] aren't here." Bill Withers, who was introduced by John Legend with a performance of Withers' "Use Me" backed by Stevie Wonder, called being inducted by Wonder "A lion holding the door for a kitty cat." The trio then jammed on a rendition of Withers' smash "Lean on Me." Joan JettJoan Jett, who was inducted by Miley Cyrus, joined her band the Blackhearts and Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl for a mini-set of her rockers including "Bad Reputation," the Runaways' "Cherry Bomb" and "Crimson and Clover," the Tommy James & the Shondelles cover that Jett took to No. 1. Lou Reed was paid a moving tribute by his friend Patti Smith and Reed's widow, musician Laurie Anderson, who shared the three rules for life that they came up with: "One: don't be afraid of anyone; Two: get a really good bullshit detector and learn how to use it; Three: be really, really tender." The ceremony closed with a rousing version of the Lennon-McCartney-penned "I Want to Be Your Man," with all the inductees and presenters participating. - Billboard, 4/19/15.

Neil Young surprised fans with an intimate performance at the SLO Brewing Co. in San Luis Obispo, Cal., on Apr. 17. Taking the stage at 9:00 p.m. for a three-hour show, Young was backed by Willie Nelson's sons Lukas and Micah Nelson on guitars, plus members of their band Lukas' Promise of the Real on bass and drums. Young's set was comprised of mosty new material, although he did perform several classic tunes, including a near-10 minute extended version of "Down By The River" plus "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" and "Walk On." Earlier in 2015, Young confirmed that he was recording a new album with the Nelson brothers tentatively titled The Monsanto Years. - New Musical Express, 4/20/15...... Don HenleyWisconsin-based outdoor apparel retailer Duluth Trading Co. has settled a lawsuit from founding Eagles member Don Henley alleging trademark infringement. Henley filed suit in federal court in October after the company used the pun "Don a Henley and Take it easy" in an ad selling a shirt style known as a "henley" -- a play on Henley's name and a title of a popular song by the classic rock band. The Belleville, Wisc.-based company agreed to never again use or imply Henley's name when selling the style of shirt. Duluth Trading Co. also issued an apology to Henley on its website, saying it was inappropriate to use his name and the song title. It also made an undisclosed contribution to a nonprofit Henley founded. - AP, 4/17/15...... Paul Simon has scored his first U.K. number one album in 25 years with his new U.K. greatest hits compilation, The Ultimate Collection. Simon, who last topped the charts in Britain in 1990 with his The Rhythm of the Saints LP, is also touring the U.K. with Sting. - NME, 4/19/15...... Vinyl LP sales in the U.S. are up over 50 percent for the first quarter of 2015, according to new research published by the Nielsen Co. Between January and March of 2015, sales were 53% higher than during the comparable period last year, driven largely by solid gains in catalog album sales. Current releases in the format are also performing well,up by 37% in the first three months compared with the corresponding period last time. Topping the vinyl chart is the Beatles' classic 1969 release Abbey Road, which has been the best-selling vinyl album since 2010 and moved 172,000 units in the first quarter. Other '70s acts making the top 10 include Pink Floyd (Dark Side of the Moon, No. 6 with 87,000 units sold) and Bob Marley & The Wailers (Legend, No. 7 with 83,000 units sold). In the U.K., the industry's official charts compiler OCC has just launched vinyl sales charts (singles and albums) which the OCC says reflects Britain's "renewed interest in music on vinyl." - Billboard, 4/17/15...... Paul McCartney has been confirmed as one of the headliners for the 2015 Lollapalooza music festival, set for July 31-Aug. 2 at Chicago's Grant Park. Also on the bill are Metallica, Florence + the Machine, Sam Smith, Alabama Shakes, A$AP Rocky and Tame Impala, among others. - The Chicago Tribune, 3/25/15...... Bill WymanFormer Rolling Stones bassist has announced he'll release his first solo album in 33 years on June 23. Titled Back to Basics, the album will be the follow-up to Wyman's 1982 self-titled set Bill Wyman, and is described as "a meld of styles and genres... uplifting in a jaunty, dancey way and pensive in a bluesy, narrative way" and inspired by such artists as Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen and JJ Cale. Speaking about the release, Wyman comments: "Initially I thought 'I'm a bit old for this' but then I thought all the old blues musicians played till they dropped so why don't I give it a go." The album is made up of eight new tracks and five songs reworked from old demos. Wyman, a member of the Stones from 1962 until 1993, declared in 2013 that he would "never" play live with the band again. A year earlier, he did join the band onstage for their 50th anniversary gigs at London's O2 Arena in Nov. 2012, but then said that he would not be interested in rejoining the group on a permanent basis because he has "better things to do." - New Musical Express, 4/17/15...... A new musical featuring songs by '70s reggae legend Bob Marley will make its world premier at the Center Stage theater in Baltimore, Md., on May 7. "Marley," written and directed by award-winning British playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah ("Elmina's Kitchen"), tells the pivotal moment in Marley's life when he returned to Jamaica after two years of self-imposed exile in London following an assassination attempt. The show uses events surrounding that homecoming to chronicle the musician's transformation into a 20th century cultural icon. The title role will be played by Mitchell Brunings, who became a YouTube sensation after performing Marley's songs on the Dutch version of The Voice. The project marks the first time that Marley's songs have been featured onstage in a biographical context. - Billboard, 4/16/15...... AC/DC performed "Baptism By Fire," a track from their 2014 album Rock or Bust, on Apr. 10 during their headlining set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Cal. The Aussie headbangers' show also included their iconic tracks 'Back In Black," "You Shook Me All Night Long," "Have A Drink On Me," "Hells Bells," "TNT," "and "Whole Lotta Rosie," which saw the group performing alongside a giant inflatable woman. The show was AC/DC's first full gig in almost five years, and their first full live performance by their new line-up, which includes drummer Chris Slade replacing former drummer Phil Rudd, following a brief, two-song appearance at the Grammy Awards in February. - Billboard, 4/17/15...... In other Heavy Metal news, Ozzy Osbourne has responded to former Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward after Ward posted a nearly 700-word rant on Facebook about his beef with the band on Apr. 15, which included a demand for an apology from Osbourne. Ozzy shot back the next day with his own Facebook post, but it certainly wasn't an apology. Osbourne questioned many of Ward's claims and telling his side of the ongoing saga. "Stop playing the victim and be honest with yourself and our fans," Osbourne posted. "Bill, we go back a long way, let's stop this now before it gets out of hand." - Billboard, 4/16/15...... Legendary '70s disco producer Giorgio Moroder has revealed the title and track list for his twenty-first studio album, dubbed Deja Vu. Due June 12 and featuring contributions from the likes of Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Sia, Charli XCX, Kelis and Foxes, the 11-track LP features such songs as "Right Here Right Now" and the aptly named "74 is the New 24," which are already available for individual download now. - Billboard, 4/16/15...... Mickey HartPhil LeshBob WeirThe Grateful Dead's three-night "farewell" concert run set for Chicago's Soldier Field on July 3, 4 and 5 will be simulcast live in select theaters across the U.S. Nightly five-hour screenings of Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of Grateful Dead will start at 8 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. CDT/6 p.m. MDT/5 p.m. PDT. The Grateful Dead performances, featuring surviving founding members Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir and Bill Kreutzmann, are taking place nearly 20 years to the day of the last Dead concert with late frontman Jerry Garcia. Trey Anastasio, Bruce Horrnsby and Weir associate Jeff Chimenti will be joining the band for the three shows. - Billboard, 4/16/15...... "And now for something completely different" -- Professor Stephen Hawking has covered Monty Python's "Galaxy Song" for Record Store Day on Apr. 18. The track, a facts-and-figures journey through the cosmos, was originally written by Eric Idle and John Du Prez and performed by Idle in the1983 comedy Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life. For the special elease "Stephen Hawking Sings Monty Python... Galaxy Song," the Cambridge University professor narrates the Python classic in his familiar synthesized tones (he lost his ability to speak in 1985 due to degenerative motor neuron disease). The track has been released as a limited edition 7" single for Record Store Day, and must surely rank as one of the unusual exclusives in the eight-year history of the event. - Billboard, 4/16/15...... Actor Ben Powers, known for his role in the 1970s CBS television sitcom Good Times, died on Apr. 6 in New Bedford, Mass., of undisclosed causes. He was 64. Powers played football player Keith Anderson, the husband of Thelma Evans (played by Bern Nadette Stanis) in Good Times, a Norman Lear hit about a black family in inner-city Chicago. Powers also appeared as Moochie in the 1980s CBS series Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer with Stacey Keach, and had guest roles on other TV shows including Gimmie a Break, Flamingo Road, The Greatest American Hero, The New Odd Couple, and Laverne & Shirley. He also acted in several 1980s movies including Cheech & Chong's Next Movie, Things Are Tough All Over and The Man Who Loved Women. - AP, 4/19/15.

Patti Smith will be among the headliners at the 2015 Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, south west England, it was announced on Apr. 14. Set for June 24-28 and again held at Worthy Farm, the festival had already confirmed Foo Fighters, Kanye West and Florence + The Machine to the 2015 bill. Also appearing will be Motorhead, Mary J. Blige and the Chemical Brothers, among many others. Meanwhile in other Patti Smith news, the punk poetess has announced she'll publish a sequel to her heartbreakingly beautiful 2010 memoir, Just Kids. Due in the fall, M Train will cover the second half of Smith's life, including her reflections on the loss of her husband, Fred "Sonic" Smith, of the legendary MC5. Just Kids, which was honored with the 2010 National Book Award for Non-Fiction, covered the first half of Smith's life, in particular her releationship with controversial photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. - Billboard, 4/13/15...... Nile RodgersAfter a 22-year absence on the Billboard charts, the Nile Rodgers-led Chic has returned with its new single, "I'll Be There." The song debuted at No. 40 on the Dance Club Songs chart for the week ending Apr. 25. It marks Chic's first visit to any of Billboard's US charts since Oct. 3, 1992, when "Your Love" last charted on the Dance Club Songs chart. Credited to "Chic featuring Nile Rodgers," "I'll Be There" is the first single from Chic's forthcoming studio LP, It's About Time, which is due in June via Warner Bros. - Billboard, 4/13/15...... A benefit concert in Chicago on May 14 will feature Pete Townshend of The Who performing with Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder on vocals. The musicians, which also include The Who's touring musicians Simon Townshend, Zak Starkey, Pino Palladino and John Corey, will run through The Who's back catalogue at the Rosemont Theatre on behalf of Teen Cancer America -- the US equivalent of the Teenage Cancer Trust which was founded in 2012 Townshend and The Who frontman Roger Daltrey. The Who is currently in the midst of their "The Who Hits 50" anniversary jaunt, which stretches throughout 2015, and in March played Teenage Cancer Trust benefit gigs at London's Royal Albert Hall. - New Musical Express, 4/14/15...... Cher, who has often been outspoken when it comes to national politics, is endorsing a candidate closer to home -- a contender for the West Hollywood City Council named Heidi Shink. "West Hollywood has a very special place in my heart. I began my career here, playing at places like the Whisky a Go Go and the Troubadour, and I have many friends and fans who call West Hollywood home... It is so crucial to me who is on the West Hollywood City Council and that's why this June election is so vital. I urge everyone to vote for Heidi," the singer-actress said in a recent interview. Cher also will be hosting a fundraiser for Shink on the evening of Apr. 18, and her son, Chaz, also has voiced his support for Shink. - The Hollywood Reporter, 4/14/15...... Billy JoelA representative for Billy Joel said on Apr. 14 that the 65-year-old singer-songwriter and his 33-year-old girlfriend Alexis Roderick are expecting their first child. Joel, also the father of budding musician Alexa Ray Joel from his first marriage to Christie Brinkley, has been dating Roderick since 2009. The statement from Joel's representative said the couple "opted to keep any further details of her pregnancy under wraps until their new addition makes an official debut." Joel is currently completing a month-to-month residency at Madison Square Garden in New York City, with his next show scheduled for May 28. - AP, 4/14/15...... Iconic musician-composer Quincy Jones participated in Loyola Marymount University's Hollywood Masters lecture series on Apr. 8, and told students that he "freaked out" when he learned of Michael Jackson's death in June 2009. Jones said he was in London and had just learned that two other stars had died -- Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon -- when he was told about Jackson. "I freaked out," he said. "You know, I couldn't believe it. No, it was heavy. Really heavy. Because, boy, the relationship with a producer and an artist is really special. And there's no room for BS at all. It's got to be pure." Jones, 79, also said he listened to 800 songs before choosing the ones for Jackson's 1982 pop masterpiece Thriller, and then recalled shooting the now-celebrated video for the title track in gang-infested territory. "Michael had no idea what we were doing there, man, with Thriller," he said. "You know, with Vincent Price there and Edgar Allan Poe narration, and stuff like that. There's crazy stuff on there. And people didn't get it until, I'd say, eight months later." The university's Hollywood Masters series, sponsored by its School of Film & TV, has also included Clint Eastwood, Sean Penn, Ethan Hawke and Ken Burns this season. It is scheduled to resume in the fall. - The Hollywood Reporter, 4/14/15...... Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne has revealed he will bring a new stage musical to London in 2016. Byrne, who previously collaborated with Norman Cook on a musical about the life of former Philippines First Lady Emelda Marcos, says that he's "got another one." "The entire thing's written, and probably some songs will get rearranged or rewritten or whatever. So I'm talking to producers [in London] about bringing it here, I don't know, in a year or so or something like that," said Byrne, who is in London to curate the 2015 Meltdown Festival. Pressed on the subject of his latest musical, Byrne would only say that "it's about another woman, whose life is in the historical record." - New Musical Express, 4/15/15...... On the subject of musicals, the Kinks-inspired production "Sunny Afternoon" was the big winner at the Oliver Awards in London on Apr. 12. The show, written by Joe Penhall, picked up four awards, including Best New Musical, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Outstanding Achievement in Music. Stars John Dagleish and George Macguire, who play brothers Ray and Dave Davies, were awarded Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in the musical category respectively. Earlier in 2015, the Davies brothers revealed that they have put their animosity behind them and are beginning to work on new material. - NME, 4/13/15...... Brian MaySpeaking in Brighton, UK on Apr. 13, Queen guitarist Brian May urged his fellow citizens to vote "colourblind" at the General Election on May 7. "It's politics without colour. It's colour-blind politics. What we are saying is do not assume that your vote will be wasted, get up off your ass and vote," said May, who runs the Common Decency project and campaign. "I think this is a very crucial election. I think it's different to anyone that's been before because for the first time the internet is all-powerful. It's much harder for politicians to get away with the deceits that they used to get away with," he added. May is a staunch animal rights campaigner, having protested against the badger cull, as well as the Tories' attempts to bring back fox hunting. - NME, 4/14/15...... Meanwhile another animal rights advocate, Paul McCartney, has marked the opening of Canada's seal hunting season by urging officials to make this the last year of the annual cull. Sir Paul has written an open letter opposing Canada's bloodiest bloodsport. "Canada's brutal commercial seal hunt has begun, and once again thousands of baby seals will be shot and bludgeoned to make fur products that nobody wants or needs," wrote Paul, who joined activists at Humane Society International (HSI) on the ice in 2006 to protest the slaughter, and is doing it again this year. The European Union's trade ban on commercial seal hunt products has already helped save more than one million baby seals from a horrible fate, but we need to ensure the EU keeps this strong ban intact. That's why my friends at Humane Society International are once again setting out for the ice flows for the grim task of catching this horror on film," he added. He went on to say that "videos of the bloody seal slaughter provide the only vital evidence to demonstrate year after year that these seals are dying a horrible death for their fur" and said that he wishes them well and "hopes that this will be the last year that Canada's ice turns red." - WENN.com, 4/13/15...... Organizers of the Rewind 80's Festivals in the UK have announced that three festivals are scheduled for 2015: Rewind Scotland will return for its fifth year at Scone Palace, Perth on July 24-26 and feature headline performances from Thompson Twins' Tom Bailey and performances from Bananarama, Howard Jones, Kim Wilde, Sister Sledge, Nik Kershaw and Belinda Carlisle. Rewind North returns to the North of England at Capesthorne Hall, Cheshire from Aug. 7-9. Headline performances include Human League, plus appearances from The Boomtown Rats, Heather Small, The Sugarhill Gang and ABC. Rewind South at Temple Island Meadows, Henley-on-Thames returns for its seventh year on Aug. 21-23 with headliners OMD and Human League, plus 80s stars Billy Ocean, T'Pau, Midge Ure, Kim Wilde, Hot Chocolate, Belinda Carlisle, Dave Edmunds and Slim Jim Phantom from The Stray Cats. Tickets for all three festivals are on sale now via the official website rewindfestival.com. - Noble PR, 4/14/15...... Dave Ball, a former member of Procul Harum, died on Apr. 1 in Australia after a battle with bowel cancer. He was 65. Ball joined Procul Harum, best known for the song "A Whiter Shade of Pale," in 1971, and played on one of its most successful tracks -- "Conquistador." He left the band in 1972 to join the army and left the world of rock and roll behind him. He later took on jobs in banking and computer software before, in 2000, he decided to return to his passion of making music and writing. After living around the world, he returned to the UK in 2010 and continued to write and sing. He continued to play music live but it was in 2012 when he noticed that he might be ill. Procul Harum frontman Gary Brooker said he was sad to hear that Ball had "moved on": "As a Procolite he made a great contribution during the early 70s and the band today, with the Geoffs, Matt, Josh and Chris, have spent happy days with him whenever and wherever he came to see us, which was often."...... Percy SledgeSoul singer Percy Sledge, whose signature song "When a Man Loves a Woman" became a No. 1 smash in 1966, died on the morning of Apr. 14 in his Baton Rouge, La. home after a long battle with cancer. He was 74. During the mid-sixties, Sledge worked as a hospital nurse while touring to get his music career off the ground. "When a Man Loves a Woman," his first song recorded under contract, was co-written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright, his bandmates in a group called The Esquires Combo. It was the only song the duo wrote together, and the first Muscle Shoals single to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It went on to feature in films such as The Rose (when it was covered by Bette Midler), The Big Chill and The Crying Game. In 1987 it was used in a Levi's ad in England and again hit the charts there, rising to No. 2, and a cover by Michael Bolton topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US in 1991. While Sledge's chart success stalled in the '70s, he continued to successfully tour the world and experienced a late career reappraisal when new generations discovered "When a Man Loves a Woman." The Alabama-born Sledge had been diagnosed with liver cancer in 2014. Steve Green from talent agency Artists International Management Inc. paid tribute to his client in a comment given to the BBC: "He was one of my first acts, he was a terrific person and you don't find that in this business very often... He was truly a standout." Sledge, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, is survived by his wife and children. - Billboard/Sky News/NME, 4/14/15...... Keith McCormack, who co-wrote the 1963 No. 1 hit "Sugar Shack," died on Apr. 10 in Springfield, Mo. He was 74. Raised in Plainview, Tex., McCormack and his childhood friend Aubrey deCordova were the founding members of The String-A-Longs, who had a No. 2 hit with "Wheels." After his composition "Sugar Shack," which he co-wrote with his aunt Faye Voss, was recorded by Jimmy Gilmer and The Fireballs, the song sold over one million copies in the US in 1963, spending nearly a month at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. McCormack stayed with music for many years to come, but also pursued many other interests in his life, including becoming a pilot and aviation instructor. McCormack also had just finished writing a fiction book, which was being edited to be published. - MyPlainvew.com, 4/13/15...... Bill Arhos, known as the "father of the Austin City Limits TV program," passed away on Apr. 11 in Austin, Tex. He was 80. Mr. Arhos worked for nearly 40 years as an executive at the Austin PBS station KLRU TV, beginning in 1961 with the station's launch and including a run from 1986 until his retirement in 1999 as president and general manager. He was executive producer of Austin City Limits from its start in 1974 up through 1999. He also served on the boards of PBS and the Country Music Association. - Billboard, 4/14/15.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on April 10th, 2015





AC/DC announced on Apr. 10 that they'll play five of the largest cities in their native Australia and two in New Zealand, starting with a Nov. 4 show in Sydney's ANZ Stadium. The homecoming lap of outdoor stadiums will continue on Nov. 12 at Brisbane, then hit Adelaide (11/21), Perth (11/27), Melbourne (12/6) and Auckland, N.Z. (12/15), before wrapping in Wellington, N.Z. on Dec. 18. It will be AC/DC's first tour Down Under since their Black Ice Tour in 2009. The rock titans' Rock or Bust World Tour kicks off May 5 in the Netherlands and continues across Europe through July. AC/DC is also set to headline the Coachella Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., which runs from Apr. 10-17. - Billboard, 4/10/15...... The Shelby County Land Use Control Board in Memphis, Tenn., approved a proposal on Apr. 9 to move two airplanes once owned by Elvis Presley, the "Lisa Marie" and the Hound Dog II," from Presley's Graceland mansion on Elvis Presley Boulevard to a location down the street. The planes have been situated at Graceland since the mid-1980s, where they are a popular tourist draw. They had been sold after Presley's death and were eventually purchased by OKC Partnership in Memphis, which will relocate the aircraft on a lot just steps from the Graceland property. The plan still requires approval from the Memphis City Council, and if the planes are moved to the new location, they would be part of an outdoor display and museum for tourists to visit. - AP, 4/9/15...... Ozzy OsbourneOn a late night post on their official Facebook page on Apr. 8, Black Sabbath announced they won't be playing a Nov. 22 show at the 2015 Ozzfest Japan, which was reported to be the heavy metal icons' last show ever. Instead, the concert will be a solo performance by Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne. "Despite previous reports, Black Sabbath will not appear on this year's Ozzfest Japan, the show will instead feature the festival's namesake, Ozzy Osbourne (and friends)," they wrote on Facebook. Ozzfest Japan, which still lists Black Sabbath as the Nov. 22 headliner on its official website, is scheduled for Nov. 21 and 22, at the Makuhari Messe venue, located outside Tokyo. Korn is listed as the Nov. 21 headliner. Meanwhile, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has responded to rumours that he is suffering from a cancer relapse. Posting on his Facebook page on Apr. 9, Iommi wrote: "Thank you for all the enquiries about my health, very kind. I'm not sure how the rumour of my being unwell started as I was away on holiday! Once you've had something like lymphoma the fear that it will return never leaves, all I can say is that right now I'm fine and have regular blood tests." Iommi was diagnosed with lymphoma in early 2012, undergoing successful treatment for the illness in Jan. 2013. He was expected to complete treatment and get the all clear during 2014. Fans began to speculate on his health again after Sabbath pulled out of the Ozzfest "farewell" show. However, Iommi has denied that this has any relation to his well being. The current line up of the band sees Iommi and Osbourne joined by third original member Geezer Butler on bass. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 4/9/15...... The Rolling Stones announced on Apr. 8 that they'll be among the headliners at the 11-day Quebec Fest music festival in Quebec City, Canada, which is set for July 9-19. Also on the bill will be such artists as Deep Purple, the Doobie Brothers, Keith Urban, Nickelback and Skrillex. Performances at the 47-year-old festival will take place indoors and outdoors, and will range from pop and rock to jazz and electronica. In other Stones news, Keith Richards has just backed Mick Jagger's plan to record a new Stones album. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Richards confirmed that the group are discussing the "idea" of recording their first album since 2005's A Bigger Bang. "We're talking about doing some recording after this tour, but there's nothing definite," he said. "We just threw out the idea. I'd like to get the boys back in the studio again." Also talking to Rolling Stone, Jagger said that he is not considering retirement. "Nah, not in the moment," he said. "I'm thinking about what the next tour is. I'm not thinking about retirement. I'm planning the next set of tours, so the answer is really, 'No, not really.'" The Stones announced on Mar. 31 that they will head out on the road in the US this May, June and July, beginning with a May 24 show in San Diego. - AP/New Musical Express, 4/8/15...... Ahead of his Apr. 18 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Oh., as a solo artist, Ringo Starr told Billboard that he'll definitely be performing during the ceremony, but as far as details, "I'm not telling you 'cause there goes the surprise." "We have several guests who are coming along to play with me, and some of them will be very surprising," Ringo said. Likely candidates appear to be Paul McCartney, who will be making the induction speech, Ringo's son Zak Starkey, who has a night off from "The Who Hits 50!" tour of North America, and Ringo's brother-in-law, Joe Walsh of the Eagles. Starr has also announced he will take his All-Starr Band troupe on the road again this fall, starting Oct. 1 in San Francisco. - Billboard, 4/8/15...... Barry ManilowPeople magazine is reporting that Barry Manilow secretly married his manager, Garry Kief, in a private ceremony in 2014. According to People's source, Barry and Garry invited "20 to 30 guests" to Manilow's Palm Springs house under the guise of a luncheon, which turned out to be a wedding ceremony. The magazine said Manilow and Kief did not sign any paperwork but are wearing wedding bands. The story was first broke by The National Enquirer. Earlier in 2015, Manilow revealed that his current world tour wouild be his last one. "It doesn't mean I'm retiring or anything. I'll do shows and I'll promote albums if I make any more, but no more big tours," Manilow said. "That's it. It's too much packing. It's 40 years -- more than that, really -- of packing and waiting for room service. People think it's glamorous, but glamorous is the last word I would use for this job. You don't see anything; you see the inside of your hotel room." - Billboard, 4/8/15...... Elton John and former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe are calling for the equal rights of transgender inmates following claims that a transgender woman was mistreated at a Georgia prison earlier in 2015. "Transgender women in male prisons have an equal right to protection from violence and abuse in prison, and yet they continue to face horrific injustices," the two musicians wrote in a joint statement on Apr. 7. In early April, the Justice Department said prison officials must treat an inmate's gender identity condition just as they would treat any other medical or mental health condition following a February lawsuit from the Southern Poverty Law Center filed against Georgia Department of Corrections officials on behalf of Ashley Diamond, a transgender woman. "More often than not, assaults in part go unreported because the perpetrators are prison guards, wardens and staff," said Stipe and John, who founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation. "This is outrageous, and the message it sends is horrific: that violence against and discrimination of trans people is not only allowed, but sanctioned." - AP, 4/7/15...... Pres. Barack Obama, who became the first U.S. president to visit Jamaica in three decades when he arrived in Kingston on Apr. 8, made a late evening visit to a museum dedicated to the island's favorite son, reggae legend Bob Marley. In shirt sleeves, Obama toured the museum as Marley's hit "One Love" played through the sound system. One of the rooms he explored held the late reggae star's platinum records and a Grammy award. "What a wonderful tour," he said after visiting the museum. The president is attempting to rekindle an enthusiasm that has waned amid a perceived lack of attention from America's head of state. When he was first elected president in 2008, calypso and reggae songs were written in his honor, the French Caribbean island of Martinique named a road after him, and Antigua's highest mountain officially became "Mount Obama" as the small country saluted him as a symbol of black achievement. - AP, 4/9/15...... Mac DavisSome of the biggest hit songwriters in country music will be honored at the City Winery in Nashville, Tenn., in the coming months, beginning on Apr. 14 with Mac Davis, Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin. "I'm always excited to work with Allen," Mac Davis told Billboard. "He's one of my best friends here. I don't know Tom Douglas well at all, but he's a great songwriter. It's always fun to work with these guys. I love the format of sitting in a couple of folding chairs and having a guitar pull, as we used to call it. I'm looking forward to it, and it's for a good cause." Though Davis, whose songs for such artists as Elvis Presley, Kenny Rogers & the First Edition and Bobby Golsboro made him one of the most successful composers of the late 1960s/early 1970s, hasn't been onstage much since the 1990s, he says his guitar has never been far away. "I've got it in my lap two or three times a day," he says. "I play golf, come home, put my guitar in my lap and start working on something." Those successes led to his own recording contract with Columbia and hit singles such as "Stop and Smell the Roses," "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me" and "I Believe in Music." - Billboard, 4/7/15...... In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, former Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar gave his thoughts on the new live offering from Van Halen, Tokyo Dome Live in Concert, which finds David Lee Roth (1974-1985, 2007-present) on the mic. "I'm trying to tread lightly on the whole thing," Hagar told the paper. "[But] they've got some pretty rough vocals. I try to stay away from criticism, but here I am, already starting this interview with it. It's impossible. It's impossible to stay away from. Standing back, I'm just going, 'What the [expletive] are these guys thinking?'" Hagar currently leads a band called the Circle, which includes classic Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham on drums and guitarist Vic Johnson. - Billboard, 4/7/15...... Legendary blues guitarist B.B. King was rushed to a Las Vegas hospital over the first weekend of April, according to the celebrity gossip site TMZ.com. King, 89, was reportedly treated for diabetes-related symptons and dehydration. On Apr. 7, King assured fans that his condition is improving and that he's leaving the hospital. "I want to thank everyone for their concern and good wishes. I'm feeling much better & am leaving the hospital today," he said via Facebook. King, a tireless road veteran, canceled all upcoming tour dates in late 2014 due to health issues. - Billboard, 4/7/15...... Veteran prog-rockers Yes will embark on a five-week co-headlining tour with Toto starting on Aug. 7. The 26-date trek begins at Foxwoods Casino's Grand Theater in Mashantucket, Conn., then winds across the United States with stops at the Borgata Hotel & Casino Event Center in Atlantic City (8/9), the Barclays Center in Brooklyn (8/11), the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines (8/18), and the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles (9/6) before ending at the Hard Rock Casino in Vancouver on Sept. 12. "Yes are childhood heroes of ours, so this pairing is a dream come true," said Toto guitarist Steve Lukather. "Plus, maybe we'll win over some new fans, because we've always had a prog-y edge to us." - Billboard, 4/6/15...... Saturday Night Fever star and longterm Scientologist John Travolta is speaking out to defend the religion in the wake of a new controversial HBO documentary. Travolta, a member of the church for 40 years, admitted he has not watched the show, titled Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, but is adamant Scientology is not dangerous. "I've been so happy with my experience in the last 40 years that I really don't have anything to say that would shed light on (a film) so decidedly negative," the actor told the Tampa Bay Times. He also praised church members for helping him to deal with his grief following the death of his 16-year-old son Jett in 2009, adding, "Oh, my God, I wouldn't have made it -- honestly... I've helped so many people through hard times. Loss of children, loved ones, physical illnesses. Through many tough, tough life situations I've used the technology to support them and help them. It's always worked... So, why would I even approach a negative perspective? That would be a crime to me, personally, to do that." Going Clear debuted in the U.S. in March and made several criticisms of the church and the treatment of its members. - WENN.com, 4/7/15...... Soul singer Billy Butler, creator of an exuberant 1960s Chicago soul sound whose compositions were recorded by Al Green, Isaac Hayes and Bobby "Blue" Bland, died of cancer Mar. 31 at a Chicago nursing home. He was 69. A recording artist, songwriter, musician, arranger and producer, Billy wasn't as well-known as his brother, Jerry "Iceman" Butler, as bad luck and timing made stardom elusive. "Billy was the guy who would have a hit record just as the record company went out of business," said Jerry Butler, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Billy Butler wrote "Bless Our Love," a song recorded by "Duke of Earl" Gene Chandler, and the Butler brothers co-wrote "I Stand Accused," a single by Isaac Hayes. Butler also formed another group, Infinity, and in his later years, he wrote many gospel songs and hoped to release a CD of those works, said his daughter, Yolanda Goff....... James BestActor James Best, best known for his portrayal of bumbling sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on the 1979-1985 CBS series The Dukes of Hazzard, died on Apr. 6 at a hospice in Hickory, N.C., of complications from pneumonia. He was 88. Although Mr. Best had been a busy actor for decades in theater and in Hollywood, appearing on scores of TV shows including The Andy Griffith Show, The Twilight Zone, Bonanza and Gunsmoke, he didn't become famous until 1979, when The Dukes of Hazzard's cornpone charms began beaming into millions of American homes almost every Friday night. For seven seasons, Best's Rosco P. Coltrane chased the moonshine-running Duke boys back and forth across the back roads of fictitious Hazzard County, Georgia, although his "hot pursuit" usually ended with him crashing his patrol car. Although Rosco was slow-witted and corrupt, Best gave him a childlike enthusiasm that got laughs and made him endearing. His character became known for his distinctive "kew-kew-kew" chuckle and for goofy catchphrases such as "cuff 'em and stuff 'em!" upon making an arrest. Among the most popular shows on TV in the early '80s, The Dukes of Hazzard ran until 1985 and spawned TV movies, an animated series and video games. Mr. Best later appeared in a handful of Burt Reynolds' movies, including Hooper and The End. - CNN, 4/7/15...... Actor Geoffrey Lewis, who appeared in several Clint Eastwood movies and made guest appearances on dozens of TV shows in the '60s through '80s, died on Apr. 7 in Woodland Hills, Calif. of natural causes, according to a family friend. He was 79. The character actor, who often appeared in Westerns, was the father of actress Juliette Lewis. He had roles in Eastwood's High Plains Drifter, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Every Which Way But Loose and Any Which Way You Can as well as in Bronco Billy, Pink Cadillac and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. He received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance on the 1980 series Flo, and appeared in numerous other shows including Barnaby Jones, Hawaii Five-O, Lou Grant, Little House on the Prairie, Falcon Crest, Lou Grant and Murder, She Wrote. - Variety, 4/8/15...... Stan Freberg an acclaimed satirist whose freewheeling career in advertising garnered him worldwide fame, died of natural causes at a Santa Monica, Cal., hospital on Apr. 7. He was 88. The godfather of humorous and irreverent commercials, Mr. Freberg lampooned cultural institutions and described himself as a "guerrilla satirist." In the pre-rock 'n' roll era, 10 of Mr. Freberg's parody records reached the top 30, with "St. George and the Dragonet" hitting No. 1 for four weeks in 1953. His recordings were so popular that he landed his own radio program in 1954, "That's Rich." In 1957, he presented "The Stan Freberg Show" on CBS Radio, where he regularly mocked commercials by advertising bogus products. - The Hollywood Reporter, 4/7/15.

Don McLeanThe lyrics to Don McLean's famed 1971 opus "American Pie," one of the most dissected and argued-about songs in the pop music canon, sold for $1.2 million on the morning of Apr. 7 to an anonymous bidder during an auction conducted by Christie's. Tom Lecky, a spokesman for the auction house, noted the lyrics, which were sold along with the original manuscript and accompanying notes, "achieved the 3rd highest auction price for an American literary manuscript, a fitting tribute to one the foremost singer-songwriters of his generation." In an interview with Rollling Stone magazine in February, the singer said it was time to part with the manuscript. "I'm going to be 70 this year. I have two children and a wife, and none of them seem to have the mercantile instinct. I want to get the best deal that I can for them. It's time," he said. The New Rochelle-born singer/songwriter has always admitted that the opening lines were inspired by the Feb. 3, 1959 death of Buddy Holly in a plane crash, but after that, it's all been conjecture, and the 8-minute, 33-second song has been analyzed endlessly by those trying to parse its cryptic symbols -- with some contending the "jester" is Bob Dylan and the "girl who sang the blues" is Janis Joplin. "Over the years I've dealt with all these stupid questions of 'Who's that?' and 'Who's that?'" McLean said. "These are things I never had in my head for a second when I wrote the song. I was trying to capture something very ephemeral and I did, but it took a long time." First entering the American Top 40 on Dec. 4, 1971, the song soared to number one in early 1972, despite its length. (The 45-rpm single split the song in half on its A and B sides.) The draft that was auctioned is 16 pages: 237 lines of manuscript and 26 lines of typed text, according to Christie's. It includes lines that didn't make the final version as well as extensive notes -- all of which "should be revealing," McLean said. The record for a popular music manuscript is held by Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," which sold for $2 million in June 2014. - CNN, 4/7/15.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on April 5th, 2015





Midwest prog-rock legends Kansas "and Toto too" have returned to the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart for the week ending Mar. 29. Kansas' new Miracles Out of Nowhere, which doubles as the soundtrack to a new documentary about the band with the same name, bowed at No. 61 on the chart, while Toto's Toto XIV bowed at No. 98. Kansas last visited the Hot 200 chart in 1988 with Spirit of Things, which peaked at No. 114, and Toto last charted in the Hot 200 with their 1990 greatest-hits compilation Past to Present 1977-1990, which reached No. 153 in 1990. Kansas' best charting LP ever was 1978's Point of Know Return, while Toto also reached No. 4 with its 1982 smash Toto IV, which also won a Grammy for Album of the Year. - Billboard, 4/3/15...... Joni MitchellAn update on Joni Mitchell's official website on Apr. 3 says the Canadian folk/rock legend is getting "stronger each day" after being rushed to the hospital on Mar. 31. Mitchell, 71, was found unconscious in her Los Angeles home, and was reportedly alert on her way to the hospital. "Joni has been hospitalized. We are awaiting official word on her condition and will post it here as soon as we know," her website first informed fans on Mar. 31. She has long suffered from a little-understood condition called Morgellons disease, which is characterized by an array of skin symptoms, including sores, a crawling sensation either on or under the skin, and what the Mayo Clinic describes as "fiber-like filaments emerging from the sores." Her site now says that she "remains under observation in the hospital and is resting comfortably... We are encouraged by her progress and she continues to improve and get stronger each day." "In America, the Morgellons is always diagnosed as 'delusion of parasites,' and they send you to a psychiatrist," Mitchell wrote in her autobiography Joni Mitchell: In Her Own Words. "I'm actually trying to get out of the music business to battle for Morgellons sufferers to receive the credibility that's owed to them." - Billboard/HuffingtonPost.com, 4/4/15...... Carlos Santana will be among two honorees at the Billboard Latin Music Awards, which is set for Apr. 30 at the University of Miami in Florida. Santana, who will be given the Spirit of Hope Award for his philanthropic and humanitarian contributions beyond his musical work, will also perform live at the ceremony, along with his fellow 2015 BLMA honoree, Brazilian singer/songwriter Roberto Carlos, who will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award. The Spirit of Hope Award was created in honor of the late Selena. The show will also be telecast live on Telemundo beginning at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CDT. - Billboard, 4/3/15...... Kiss and the Doobie Brothers will be among those honored at the upcoming 32nd Annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards on Apr. 29 at Loews Hollywood Hotel. Kiss will be presented with the ASCAP Founders Award, while the Doobie Brothers will be awarded the ASCAP Voice of Music Award for giving voice to the spirit of a generation. Kiss, who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013, are continuing their 40th anniversary world tour, and the Doobies' 2014 album Southbound features their best-loved songs in duet with such country acts as Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and Toby Keith, among other country artists. - The Hollywood Reporter, 4/2/15...... Bruce SpringsteenIn Bruce Springsteen lore, the fabled Asbury Park, N.J. club The Upstage is the equivalent of the Beatles' Cavern Club or the Sun Studios in Memphis, Tenn., where Elvis Presley first recorded. But a crowdfunding attempt to save The Upstage with a $3 million renovation has been a disappointment, as fans of The Boss have only contributed $500 so far over a 14-month period to save the club from the wrecking ball, and the property will likely turned into condominiums. The Upstage, which was shuttered in 1971 but still largely intact, is now up for sale, and Sirius E Street Radio contributer Kevin Farrell says that from 1969-71 it "was a place where Bruce, Southside Johnny, Little Steven Van Zandt and others all got their start... They would jam until the wee early hours of the morning." The building is currently owned by Richard Yorkowitz, who purchased the Cookman Ave. building for $1 million at a public auction. Additionally, a petition -- signed by notable supporters like photographer Eric Meola, known for his photos of Springsteen, including the iconic Born to Run cover art -- is circulating to save the venue from extinction. The petition can be signed at Change.org. - Billboard, 4/3/15...... The Rolling Stones say they're considering playing their classic 1971 album Sticky Finger in its entirety on their upcoming 15-date "Zip Code Tour" of North America. In an interview with Rolling Stone, frontman Mick Jagger says the band is "floating the idea of playing the whole album... At the very least, we'll play the songs we don't normally play." A deluxe expanded version of Sticky Fingers will drop May 26 in North America (a day earlier in the rest of the world) and contain an alternative version of "Brown Sugar" featuring Eric Clapton, unreleased interpretations of "Bitch," "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" and "Dead Flowers" as well as five tracks recorded live at London's The Roundhouse in 1971 including "Honky Tonk Women" and "Midnight Rambler." Ahead of the release, the Stones have issued a previously unrelased acoustic version of "Wild Horses." The Stones kick off their summer Zip Code Tour on May 24 in San Diego with tickets going on general sale April 13. - Billboard, 4/2/15...... As The Who prepare to kick off the U.S. leg of their "Who Hits 50" anniversary tour later in April, a new documentary profiling the two men who guided their career between 1965 and 1975 -- Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp -- is hitting US theaters this spring. Directed by James D. Cooper, Lambert + Stamp focuses on the two men's personalities and their unlikely pairing. Lambert was gay, cultured and educated; Stamp's a working-class East Ender, and in the Who, they saw a unique union of two working-class rockers (Roger Daltrey and John Entwhistle), an off-kilter personality (Keith Moon) and an art school student (Pete Townshend). Lambert + Stamp opened Apr. 3 in L.A. and New York, and will roll out through the country in later in April and May. - Billboard, 4/1/15...... David BowieDavid Bowie will bring the main character from his 1976 cult British sci-fi film The Man Who Fell to Earth to off-Broadway's New York Theater Workshop as part of its 2015-16 season. Bowie has written new songs for the world premiere project, titled "Lazarus," as well as new arrangements of previously recorded material. The musical inspired by the 1963 novel by Walter Tevis was turned into a film version by director Nicolas Roeg, in which Bowie portrayed an extraterrestrial who crash-lands on Earth while seeking water to save his drought-stricken planet. Bowie, who is writing the score with Irish playwright Edna Walsh, is not expected to appear in the stage production. - The Hollywood Reporter, 4/3/15...... Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Yoko Ono have remembered John Lennon's ex-wife Cynthia Lennon with posts to their respective websites and on Twitter. "The news of Cynthia's passing is very sad," McCartney wrote on his website. "She was a lovely lady who I've known since our early days together in Liverpool. She was a good mother to Julian and will be missed by us all, but I will always have great memories of our times together." "Peace and love to Julian Lennon God bless Cynthia love Ringo and Barbaraxx," Ringo tweeted on Apr. 1. Yoko Ono -- who married John Lennon in 1969, the year after his divorce from Cynthia -- shared a lovely statement about Cynthia's "strong zest for life" on her site ImaginePeace.com. "[She] was a great person and a wonderful mother to Julian. She had such a strong zest for life and I felt proud how we two women stood firm in the Beatles family. Please join me in sending love and support to Julian at this very sad time." Cynthia died on Apr. 1 after a brief battle with cancer. - Billboard, 4/1/15...... Meanwhile, Paul McCartney recently told the UK's Q magazine that he often finds inspiration for new songs on the toilet. "The trick is to go off on your own and finish it," Sir Paul said. "Go into the toilet -- toilets are good. Separate yourself." McCartney also revealed that he still feels "shy" and "embarrassed" when playing a new song to someone for the first time. He also added that he thought his recent collaborator Kayne West's performance of "All Day" at this year's Brit Awards "was great." "If you're gonna work with Kanye you have to accept who he is. Whether you like what Kanye does or you don't, he an artist and it's his prerogative," Macca said. - NME, 4/1/15...... It's been more than 50 years since Ringo Starr declared himself a fan of Beethoven -- "especially his poems." But all that time, he's reigned as one of rock & roll's most beloved sages. Postcards From Paradise, his 18th solo effort, is a masterful summary of Ringo-ness: his cheer, his cheek, his wisdom. He gets a little help from old friends like Joe Walsh (who also happens to be his brother-in-law) and Todd Rundgren -- and builds the title tune out of Beatles quips: "It's like I said the night before/I'll love you when you're 64." Best of all is "Rory and the Hurricanes," celebrating his pre-Beatles band -- the one that made Ringo a star in Liverpool when the other three Fabs were nobodies. - Rolling Stone, 4/9/15...... Brian Wilson's latest solo LP, No Pier Pressure, began as songs for the Beach Boys' followup to their 2012 intermittenly great reunion LP, That's Why God Made the Radio. But when the group ran aground once more, Wilson called in a quirky mixtape's worth of young collaborators, and it became something else: the sound of a famously cloistered artist finally leaving his room. The highlights aren't mere vocal cameos but writing collaborations, including "Guess You Had to Be There," a wry comment on Sixties nostalgia that was penned with country "It girl" Kacey Musgraves. There are a few too many retreads (the "Sloop John B"-ish "Sail Away"), but it adds up to Wilson's most forward-looking solo LP, 2004's Brian Wilson Presents Smile notwithstanding. - Rolling Stone, 4/9/15...... Frank ZappaFrank Zappa is thought to have recorded 100 albums throughout his career, and the final one, Dance Me This, is set to be released this summer. Prior to his passing in Dec. 1993 of cancer at age 52, Zappa told Guitarist magazine that he was working on "a Synclavier album called Dance Me This, which is designed to be used by modern dance groups." He had initially planned to release it the following year. Now the album has a confirmed release date of June 1. - NME, 4/4/15.... Rather than just bring in a few glossy names to decorate his greatest hits, Van Morrison digs up deep cuts from mostly overlooked albums on his latest, Duets: Re-Working the Catalogue. And his partners range from grizzled vets -- Steve Winwood, Mavis Staples, Taj Mahal -- to surprise guests like Natalie Cole, Mark Knopfler and Michael Bublé. Even if the artists probably figured they were signing on for "Into the Mystic" or "Tupelo Honey" karaoke, they rise to the Van challenge, helping him rescue songs like 1991's "Some Peace of Mind" and 1970's "Lord, If I Ever Needed Someone" that only die-hards know. - Rolling Stone, 4/9/15...... British heavy metal legends Judas Priest have announced it will release its own brand of "British Steel" coffee. The "ultimate hesher" blend has been produced by Chicago-based Dark Matter Coffee to mark the 35th anniversary of Priest's British Steel album and goes on sale Apr. 14 via DarkMatter.com's website and its three Chicago coffee shops. "Instantly recognizable for their peerless attack, the fuel for this inexorable juggernaut must be both ebullient and unremitting. The brewed crude sparkles cup after cup, sin after sin. Death to False Coffee," gushes the press release. Priced $18.00, each 12 oz. bag will come with a cassette single containing two of the band's songs -- "Grinder" and "Snakebite." - Billboard, 4/1/15...... After a planned reboot of Ozzy Osbourne and his family's reality show The Osbournes was announced by VH1 in March, Osbourne's son Jack Osbourne has filed several lawsuits against several companies, including some he partially owns, charging one is trying to unjustly claim revenue for upcoming episodes of the show. JOKS, the production company behind the 2002-05 MTV series, claims Schweet Entertainment, which Jack Osbourne owns with producing partners Rob Worsoff and Brian Wendel, contends it has a 55 percent interest in any upcoming episodes of The Osbournes. JOKS claims to be the exclusive owner of interest in the show. The Osbournes reboot featuring the Black Sabbath frontman, his wife Sharon Osbourne, his daughter (and recently exited Fashion Police host) Kelly and son Jack is expected to air later in 2015. - The Hollywood Reporter, 4/3/15...... Robert Burns Jr., the former drummer on one of the co-founders of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, died in a car crash near Cartersville, Ga., on Apr. 4. He was 64. According to the Georgia State Patrol, Burns' went off a curve in a road just before midnight on Apr. 4, striking a mailbox and a tree. Burns was killed in the wreck, and the single-vehicle accident remains under investigation. Burns was with Lynyrd Skynyrd as it recorded some of its biggest hits, including "Sweet Home Alabama," ''Gimme Three Steps," and "Free Bird." He left the band in 1974. - AP, 4/4/15...... Gary DahlGary Ross Dahl, best known for creating the wildly popular 1970s fad "The Pet Rock," died on Mar. 23 of obstructive pulmonary disease in the southern Oregon town of Jacksonville. He was 78. Born Dec. 18, 1936, in Bottineau, N.D., Dahl was raised in Spokane, Wash. In 1975, he was a Los Gatos, Cal., advertising executive when he came up with the Pet Rock idea. The smooth stones came packed in a cardboard box containing a tongue-in-cheek instruction pamphlet for "care and feeding." Dahl estimated he had sold 1.5 million Pet Rocks, which required no work and no time commitment, at roughly $4 each by the time the fad fizzled. The Pet Rock craze "was great fun when it happened," Dahl's wife Marguerite recalled in a telephone interview. Over time, however, "people would come to him with weird ideas, expecting him to do for them what he had done for himself. And a lot of times they were really, really stupid ideas." By 1988, Dahl told The Associated Press he had avoided interviews for years because of what he called "a bunch of wackos" appearing out of nowhere with threats and lawsuits. Of the little rock that became a household word, he said, "Sometimes I look back and wonder if my life wouldn't have been simpler if I hadn't done it." Dahl also the author of a "for Dummies" series book, Advertising for Dummies. He and his wife retired and moved to Jacksonville in 2006, and were avid sailors on San Francisco Bay, where she says she plans to sprinkle his ashes in May. - AP, 4/1/15.

Cynthia LennonCynthia Lennon, the former wife of John Lennon and mother of their son Julian Lennon, passed away at her home in Mallorca, Spain, on Apr. 1. Cynthia, 75, had been battling cancer and died with Julian by her side. Born Cynthia Powell in 1939, she met John Lennon in a calligraphy class at the Liverpool College of Art in 1957. Although engaged at the time, she broke up the relationship to date the future Beatle. Upon learning that she was pregnant in 1962, the couple married on Aug. 23 of that year followed by a lunch with George Harrison and Paul McCartney at a nearby restaurant, and later that evening John and the Beatles, who would gain international superstardom the following year, performed live. Julian LennonJulian Lennon was born on Apr. 8, 1963, and Beatles manager Brian Epstein urged the couple to keep their marriage secret as he felt it would affect the group's image. John Lennon reportedly had multiple affairs during the course of their marriage, and they divorced in Nov. 1968, after Cynthia discovered Lennon's relationship with his future second wife, Yoko Ono. In early 1970 Cynthia married an Italian hotelier named Roberto Bessanini, which ended in divorce in 1973. She later married an engineer named John Twist, but they ended their marriage in 1983. In 2002, she married a nightclub owner named Noel Charles and stayed with him until his death. Cynthia wrote two books about her life, A Twist of Lennon (1978) and John, which was published in 2005. Julian Lennon reported the news of her death on his website and also posted a video tribute to his mom that he created. It shows black-and-white pictures of Cynthia throughout her life, set to his 2011 song "Beautiful." - Rolling Stone, 4/1/15.