Posted by Administrator on November 17th, 2024
AC/DC fans are speculating that the Aussie headbangers may be gearing up to announce a new North American tour for 2025. While nothing has been officially announced by the band at time of writing, fans have begun speculating that a tour announcement is on the way after a new update briefly appeared online. On Nov. 11, several fan sites for the band reported how a Facebook event was listed for AC/DC -- taking place at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. on Apr. 11, 2025. It was soon removed from Facebook, and the band have yet to comment about it. Prior to it being taken down, the page reportedly stated that tickets would be going on sale on Nov. 15 -- meaning that if a US tour is to be announced, the official confirmation should be coming imminently. If a North America tour does come to fruition, it'll come on the heels of band wrapping up the 24th and final show of their "Power Up" UK and Europe tour. The last date of the extensive tour took place at Croke Park in Dublin on Aug. 17. AC/DC are also rumored to be among the headliners for the 2025 Glastonbury festival, alongside Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Green Day and more. - NME, 11/12/24...... 
As an expanded two-disc anniversary edition of George Harrison's 1973 chart-topping album Living In The Material World hit stores on Nov. 15, George's son Dhani Harrison says that his father "really loved this album because of what it stood for." "It was designed to help people living in the material world -- it had a purpose," says Dhani, who curated the new release with his mom and Harrison's widow Olivia Harrison. "It always meant a lot to him. He named his charity after it, so it was also the beginning of the foundation, which still goes on today." Royalties from the 50th anniversary edition will go to the Material World Foundation. The new set is part of an expanded deal with BMG that the Harrison estate's Dark Horse Records signed with BMG in 2023. It features a new mix of the original LP by Grammy Award-winning engineer Paul Hicks, a second disc (on LP and CD) that includes an outtake of each song as well as two rarities, "Miss O'Dell" and, on CD only, the unreleased "Sunshine Life For Me (Sail Away Raymond)" (which Harrison contributed to Ringo Starr's 1973 album, Ringo, and recorded with Starr and members of The Band). The package also includes a 60-page hardcover book featuring previously unseen images and memorabilia from the period. "We're going in chronological order," says Dark Horse CEO Dhani about the estate and label's approach to reissuing his father's catalog. "There was obviously (The Concert For) Bangladesh in-between but that's a full concert movie, so that doesn't affect the order as we release his solo studio albums." Dhani says the estate began working concurrently on The Concert for Bangladesh, with Peter Jackson helping to restore footage of the film "so it's of the same quality as Get Back." Dark Horse is looking at doing something similar with Harrison's 1974 tour as well. "If there's any way of doing Dark Horse (the album) and the Dark Horse '74 tour in the same way as well, that's my ultimate goal," Dhani says. "The band is incredible, and the shows set the template for bringing classical Indian music and rock n' roll together. "All these releases require so much work. It took us five years to do the All Things Must Pass 50th anniversary. We started doing all this in 2001 -- we've been at it for nearly 25 years and we're only up to the second album." - Billboard, 11/15/24...... In other Beatles-related news, a rare Patek Philippe watch bought for John Lennon by Yoko Ono just months before his death is to be returned to her. Estimated to be worth $4.5 million (£3.6 million), was a 40th birthday gift to the former Beatle in 1980. It bears the inscription "(JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER LOVE YOKO 1091980 N.Y.C", on the back of its 18-carat gold face -- a line from a song the couple composed together the same year, court documents showed. The watch is said to have changed hands and countries several times after it was taken by Ono's Turkish chauffeur in 2006, the court heard. He claimed he had her consent to take the watch. Once in Turkey, the watch, which Ono bought just two months before Lennon's assassination, changed hands again in 2010 before being sold to a German auction house who sold it to an Italian national living in China. The court heard she only discovered that it had been stolen in 2014 after a Geneva-based company, commissioned by the Italian to assess its value, tipped off her lawyer. On Nov. 14, a Swiss court ruled that the watch did not belong to the Italian, paving the way for its return to Ono. It is currently being held for safekeeping in Geneva by the lawyer of the appellant. - NME, 11/15/24...... 
In a new interview with Kate Thornton's Greatest Hits Radio podcast on Nov. 15, Elton John opened up about his children's relationship with his fame, saying they are "not interested in being in the limelight." The Rocket Man and his husband David Furnish have two sons, Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, 13, and Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John, 11, both born via surrogacy. Explaining how his parenting style is different from that of his own parents, he added: "When the kids were born I didn't want them to have any fear. I grew up in the 1950s and everything was 'children should be seen and not heard.' I was treading on eggshells everywhere and I didn't ever want my children to feel like that." Elton continued: "They're not interested in being in the limelight. In fact Zachary, our eldest, didn't really want to be filmed at all, he doesn't like it, but we explained the situation to him and he agreed to be filmed at the Dodgers Stadium." John was referring to the filming of Never Too Late, the new Disney+ documentary that followed him as he prepared for his final North American stadium show at the Los Angeles stadium in Nov. 2022. "At the end of the day what matters most? My career and my success or my family and I've got it in perspective now - my family matters most," John said. "I'm lucky enough to have had the career I've had and still have but now it's being able to enjoy that part of my life and really focus on the important things." The film has a limited theatrical release in the UK and US on Nov. 15, before its premiere on Disney+ on Dec. 13. The doc "pulls back the curtain" on Elton's life, featuring "never-before-seen concert footage of him over the past 50 years, as well as hand-written journals and present-day footage of him and his family." It received its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Also on Nov. 15, a song of the same name that was written specifically for the film was released and shared on YouTube, a duet between John and Brandi Carlile. The official trailer for Elton John: Never Too Late can also be viewed on YouTube. Meanwhile, Elton's friend and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin revealed in May that John's 32nd studio album is "all done and recorded," though no release date has been announced. - NME, 11/15/24...... Cher has revealed that her relationship with her former singing partner and late ex-husband Sonny Bono "wasn't love at first sight" because Sonny didn't find her "particularly attractive." In a new interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Cher gave her unfiltered side of the story of first time crossing paths with her Sonny & Cher counterpart. "I thought it was like when Tony met Maria," she told interviewer Anthony Mason, recalling how she met him at a coffee shop in 1962. "I mean, everybody disappeared. And it was just the two of us," Cher continued. "But he didn't like me. It wasn't love at first sight. It was something. I never felt it before." But while the "Believe" artist was all about Bono from the start, she says he preferred her friend. "He said, 'You know, you can come and stay with me,'" she reflected. "And I was like, 'Okay, you know.' And he went, 'No, no, I don't find you particularly attractive.' So, I was upset and happy at the same time." Cher was famously 16 when she met a then-27-year-old Sonny, with the couple eventually getting married in 1964 and rising to fame via their husband-and-wife band. They split up a decade later and finalized their divorced in 1975, and Sonny, a former member of Congress, tragically died in a 1998 skiing accident at age 62. While speaking to CBS, Cher also disputed that their age gap ever felt "strange." "[Sonny] was kind of childish," she said. "He got to be with me & because I didn't expect anything. I didn't want money. I didn't think about anything, you know. And all these other women that were his age, they wanted him to be grownup." A clip of Cher recounting her memories about Sonny can be viewed on X. - Billboard, 11/14/24...... 
A new documentary shows Elvis Presley like he's never been seen before. Netflix's Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis (streaming now) explores the significance of the rock and roll legend's Singer Presents....ELVIS, commonly called the "'68 Comeback Special," that aired on NBC on Dec. 3, 1968, when he was at a major crossroads in his career. Through its use of rarely seen rehearsal footage, the doc shows just how much unease Elvis had about this moment' "People would think, 'How could he be nervous? He's Elvis Presley," the singer's ex-wife Priscilla Presley says. "[But] he was very nervous." Though Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker, tried to get him to do a family-friendly Christmas special, Elvis insisted on a return to his rock roots. The special went on to become the highest-rated show of the year for NBC. Elvis dedicated himself to live performances from then on, and he played hundreds more concerts before his death at age 42 in 1977. With the documentary, Priscilla says, "I really want the kids of this generation to know why he was the King of Rock and Roll." Meanwhile, Elvis Evolution, a new Presley immersive experience that's using AI to bring back the King, is set to debut in London in May. The show will use archival material and cutting-edge technology to bring Presley's musical journey to life. - People, 11/25/24...... After first announcing their farewell tour over two years ago, The B-52s are still going strong, announcing an additional run of dates for their ongoing Las Vegas residency on Nov. 12. Announced alongside the completion of their current residency, the New Wave vets will return to The Venetian Resort in Vegas next year, performing five shows across Apr. 11, 12, 16, 18, and 19. The trio, comprised of Cindy Wilson, Kate Pierson and Fred Schneider, initially announced shows at The Venetian back in 2022 when they revealed their ongoing farewell tour. That run of dates included three shows at the venue in Oct. 2022, though additional shows were announced for May, and Aug. and Sept. 2023. The group wrapped up their latest residency on Nov. 13, having played another handful of shows in April. Known for their pioneering status in the new wave genre and unique aesthetic, the group's lineup has revolved around the quartet of Schneider, Pierson, Wilson and Keith Strickland. Founding guitarist Ricky Wilson died from an AIDS-related illness in 1985. Strickland, meanwhile, has not been part of the touring ensemble since 2013. - Billboard, 11/12/24...... Some of John Lydon's (aka Johnny Rotten) handwritten lyrics to Sex Pistols songs are set to be auctioned through RR Auctions. In 1977, Lydon penned the lyrics to two Sex Pistol hits, "Holidays In The Sun" and "Submission," on a single sheet of paper when putting together the band's one and only album Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols. Lydon's handwritten lyric sheet also includes the lyric "A cheap holiday in other people's misery" at the top corner, suggesting it might've been a last-minute addition. The lyric sheet is the spotlight item in RR Auction's Marvels of Modern Music sale, which also includes a copy of With The Beatles signed by all four members, a signed copy of Queen's A Night At The Opera, a custom Prince guitar and more. The auctions can be checked out at the RR Auctions website. Meanwhile, Lydon and his band Public Image Ltd (PiL) have announced a UK and Ireland headline tour for 2025, set to kick off on May 22 at Bristol's O2 Academy. - NME, 11/13/24...... The United States Postal Service (USPS) announced on Nov. 15 that beloved late actress Betty White will adorn one of its 2025 Forever stamps. Known for roles in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls, Boston Legal, and others, the actress died in late Dec. 2021, less than three weeks before her 100th birthday. The Postal Service hasn't announced a release date for the stamp. "An icon of American television, Betty White (1922-2021) shared her wit and warmth with viewers for seven decades," the Postal Service said in announcing the stamp, which depicts a smiling White based on a 2010 photograph by celebrity photographer Kwaku Alston. "The comedic actor, who gained younger generations of fans as she entered her 90s, was also revered as a compassionate advocate for animals." Boston-based artist Dale Stephanos created the digital illustration from Alston's photo. "I'd love to send a letter back to my 18-year-old self with this stamp on it and tell him that everything is going to be OK," Stephanos posted on Facebook. - Billboard, 11/16/24...... 
Rod Stewart is threatening to sell his luxury Italian sports cars due to a long-running battle over potholes in his native UK. "I am extremely fortunate and eternally grateful to be the owner of these five beautiful hybrid sports cars, which, in my opinion, are true 'works of art'," posted "Hot Rod," who lives in Harlow, Essex, on his Instagram account. He continued: "Unfortunately, because of the potholes on our roads, I may have to find new owners for them. I've been driving these iconic Italian cars since the 70s, and I absolutely love and adore them. This post is for my fans -- thank you, as you are the sole reason I own them. And to all the trolls don't bother; I never read the comments." Stewart's latest pothole rant comes after he previously took it upon himself to try to fix the roads in 2022, claiming "no one can be bothered to do it" in a post of himself and friends filling in the holes. "People are bashing their cars up. The other day, there was an ambulance with a burst tyre. My Ferrari can't go through here at all," he posted at the time. "This is the state of the road near where I live in Harlow and it's been like this for ages. So me and the boys thought we would come and do it ourselves." In response to his latest pothole concerns, a spokesperson for Essex County Council told BBC News: "We'd like to reassure Sir Rod Stewart that Essex County Council is investing more money this year than ever in maintaining and repairing the roads of Essex. An additional 37m is being invested to address potholes and carry out larger scale works, like resurfacing and vegetation clearance, through our priority one programme. As a result, more potholes around the county are being fixed, so Sir Rod can join other Essex residents sailing along our roads." - New Musical Express, 11/15/24...... The cause of death of music legend Quincy Jones, who passed on Nov. 3 at age 91, has been revealed. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health revealed on Nov. 13 that he died of pancreatic cancer, with no other contributing factors cited. On Nov. 11, the 28-time Grammy-winning producer, arranger and composer was laid to rest in an "intimate ceremony included Mr. Jones' seven children, his brother, two sisters, and immediate family members," according to a statement shared with The Associated Press. Among his family's survivors are his seven children, including actress Rashida Jones. - Billboard, 11/13/24...... Peter Sinfield, a songwriter and lyricist for '60s/'70s prog-rock icons King Crimson and also collaborated with the likes of Roxy Music, Cher, Cliff Richard and Celine Dion, died on Nov. 14. He was 80. Although no cause of death was announced, Mr. Sinfield was said to have been suffering from declining health for several years. Instrumental in King Crimson's success, Mr. Sinfield co-founded the band with guitarist Robert Fripp and was responsible for naming them and finding their first rehearsal space in the cafe basement on Fulham Palace Road. The band's original roadie and lights operator, he also sourced the artwork by his friend Barry Godber for the front the cover of King Crimson's 1969 debut album, In The Court Of The Crimson King. From 1969 until 1971, he provided the group's lyrics and took on the role of art director commissioning the covers of the albums Court, In The Wake Of Poseidon, Lizard and Islands, which he also co-produced with Fripp. Mr. Sinfield departed from the band a year later, after Fripp asked him to leave, but he went on to produce Roxy Music's self-titled debut album before releasing his own solo album Still in 1973. That same year he was recruited by fellow prog pioneers Emerson, Lake & Palmer, with whom he contributed lyrics for "Benny The Bouncer" and "Karn Evil 9 3rd Impression" for their fourth studio album Brain Salad Surgery, as well as other ELP songs. In 1975, he also co-wrote the UK Number Two ELP hit, "I Believe in Father Christmas," with Greg Lake. During the '80s and the '90s, he was responsible for co-writing successful hit singles for the likes of Cher, Cliff Richard, Celine Dion, Bucks Fizz and Five Star. In 2014, Fripp invited Mr. Sinfield to provide an updated take on the lyrics of "21st Century' Schizoid Man." News of his passing was shared by Fripp on his and the band's X/Twitter page. - NME, 11/15/24...... 
Shel Talmy, the pioneering American producer behind the hits of '60s "British Invasion" bands including The Who and The Kinks, died at his Los Angeles home on Nov. 13 from complications due to a stroke, according to his friend, songwriter and archivist Alec Palao. He was 87. An instrumental figure in the British Invasion, Mr. Talmy helped shape British rock's sound in the 60s. Having moved from Chicago to London in 1962, he got his start in the music industry in the late fifties at Decca Records. He started working with The Kinks two years later, and produced their landmark hit, "You Really Got Me," and played a significant role in The Who's early career, having signed them to his production company and produced "My Generation" and "I Can't Explain." Elsewhere, he worked on David Bowie's early singles and produced for The Easybeats, Manfred Mann, Chad & Jeremy, Pentangle and more. In his later years, Mr. Talmy took to sharing tales of "swinging London" with fans on Facebook, and also prepared a written statement before his death that was shared posthumously: "Preferably [read] with 'You Really Got Me', 'My Generation', 'Friday On My Mind' or your choice of favourite ST production cranked in the background.... Hi to all, and many thanks to all of you who have been reading my rock stories for all this time, it has been greatly appreciated," it read. "Please note, that if you're reading this now, this is my final vignette, as I am no longer residing on this plane of existence, and have "moved on", to wherever that may be." Wrapping up the post, Mr. Talmy wrote that he "had a good run," but was "delighted" to have been told he had a "legacy that will last even longer." In the post's final line, he joked: "I look forward to meeting some of you in the future who are reading this, but LOL, don't hurry to get here, I'm not going anywhere!" Kinks guitarist Dave Davies has led tributes to Mr. Talmy, writing on X/Twitter: "I really loved the man. He was really crucial to the beginning of our career. I send all my love and condolences to his family. He was a really sweet gentle soul. Rest in Peace Shel Talmy." - NME, 11/15/24...... Jazz drumming pioneer Roy Haynes, who performed with the likes of Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and more, died on Nov. 12. He was 99 years old. In 1956, Mr. Haynes teamed up with Quincy Jones -- who sadly also died earlier in November at the age of 91 -- to release the split LP Jazz Abroad. The two would later reunite for Ray Charles' 1961 classic Genius + Soul = Jazz. Throughout the rest of his career, Mr. Haynes would on appear on jazz classics by such legendary artists as Coltraine, Davis, Eric Dolphy, Jackie McLean, and many more. He had appeared on hundreds of albums -- both as bandleader and a sideman -- and released his last album Roy-Alty in 2011. Among the numerous accolades he collected during his life include two Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys in 2012 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jazz Foundation of America in 2019. He was one of the last surviving drummers from the swing and bebop eras of jazz music. "Thanks for all your hipness dad R.I.P," his son Craig Holiday Haynes posted in tribute. - NME, 11/14/24.
On Nov. 11 The Who's Roger Daltrey announced plans for a 2025 UK solo tour set to launch on Apr. 20 at Brighton Dome. Daltrey will also play London (4/21), Southend-on-Sea (4/23), Wolverhampton (4/24), Dundee (4/26) and Glasgow (4/28), Edinburgh (4/30), and Gateshead (5/1) before wrapping at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall on May 4. "Here we go again!," Daltrey said about the tour. "After touring the US with this band of phenomenal musicians, I can't wait to get back on the road in the UK with these shows. It's a joy to be on stage performing -- up close and personal for the audience, chatting with them and playing familiar songs in an unfamiliar way." Meanwhile, Daltrey's surviving Who co-founder Pete Townshend recently revealed that he found Daltrey's pro-Brexit stance "very problematic." Townshend himself voted "Remain" in the 2016 EU referendum and told the UK's Daily Telegraph he didn't agree with his bandmate's stance on Brexit: "[That was] very problematic for me. I think he was wrong. But we are a nation divided down the middle." Despite Daltrey's views on Brexit, the guitarist added: "He's not a fascist Right-winger, he's a very decent man. But it felt to me that with respect to the arts, and particularly to music, the free flow of life from all of the history of Europe was going to be denied to our young people." The Who recently confirmed they would "definitely" return in 2025, according to Townshend. - New Musical Express, 11/11/24...... 
The estate of Jerry Garcia has partnered with an AI voice company to bring the late Grateful Dead guitarist, singer and songwriter's AI-recreated voice to its Iconic Listening Experience on the ElevenReader app. Now, Deadheads using the app can hear Garcia's voice read out audiobooks, e-books, articles, poetry, fan stories, PDFs and more in 32 different languages. In addition to the ElevenReader, Garcia's voice model will also be used in various upcoming projects associated with the Jerry Garcia Foundation. This could include narrated documentaries, audio art exhibits and more. Garcia is the latest in a string of partnerships between ElevenLabs and the estates of famous celebrities. Already, the AI voice company has rolled out voice models for Judy Garland, James Dean, Burt Reynolds and Sir Laurence Olivier to its Iconic Listening Experience. According to a company spokesperson, ElevenLabs worked "in close collaboration with the Jerry Garcia Estate to ensure that the reproduction of Garcia's voice was as authentic and true to his legacy as possible." - Billboard, 11/11/24...... Bruce Springsteen opened his first post-election concert in Toronto on Nov. 6 with a rousing performance of "Long Walk Home." "This is a fighting prayer for my country," Springsteen told the crowd at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto as he and the E Street Band launched into the 2007 song "Long Walk Home" from 2007's Magic album. The band then tore into the mid-tempo rocker whose lyrics felt especially timely in light of Springsteen's vocal, emphatic support of Vice President Kamala Harris' losing campaign against former and now future president Donald Trump. "Last night I stood at your doorstep/ Trying to figure out what went wrong," he sang on the song with the poignant refrain: "It's gonna be a long walk home/ Hey pretty darling, don't wait up for me/ Gonna be a long walk home." Though he didn't comment further on the relevance of the song's themes, their plainspoken poetry did the talking for him. "My father said 'Son, we're lucky in this town/ It's a beautiful place to be born/ It just wraps its arms around you/ Nobody crowds you and nobody goes it alone,'" he sang, followed by another verse layered with Springsteen's signature dream of a better tomorrow and faith in the resilience of the American spirit: "Your flag flyin' over the courthouse/ Means certain things are set in stone/ Who we are, what we'll do and what we won't." The Boss had been all-in for Harris, throwing his weight behind the 11th-hour candidacy by filming the moving "Hope and Dreams" campaign video in which he said, "This election is about a group of folks who want to fundamentally undermine our American way of life. Donald Trump does not understand this country, its history, or what it means to be deeply American. I want a president who reveres the Constitution, who wants to protect and guide our great democracy, who believes in the rule of law and the peaceful transfer of power, who will fight for women's rights and a woman's right to choose, and who wants to create a middle class economy that serves all our citizens." Fan video of the performance can be viewed on YouTube. - Billboard, 11/7/24...... Appearing on Steve-O's Wild Ride! podcast, Paul Stanley has said KISS' upcoming avatar show will be like "Cirque Du Soleil meets Star Wars and a KISS concert." The future production will be overseen by Pophouse Entertainment, the company behind ABBA's Voyage show, in which the Swedish pop quartet were represented by holographic virtual avatars on stage. "What we'll be doing with these amazing avatars will take us to another place, another level. Now, those [preview images] images at the Garden were really -- I had mixed feelings about showing those because they're so early on, they look nothing like that," the guitarist/vocalist said. He continued: "I mean, the avatars are identical. I mean, they look like us. And I think the idea was really just to show people that we're going to move on and continue, but it won't be like that. And what we're putting together with George Lucas and Pophouse, this amazing company out of Sweden, is an immersive experience that you'll come to, and there'll be heat and fire and wind and things flying around. The idea of us making a recreation of a concert, I mean, how long can you look and go, 'Wow, that looks just like an amplifier'? That's not what we're doing. I would say it's Cirque Du Soleil meets Star Wars and a KISS concert. So it's gonna be amazing." Pophouse acquired KISS' catalog, brand name and IP in April, while the band first unveiled their 'new era' at the final show of ftheir farewell tour last December in Madison Square Garden. After leaving the stage, the band members' avatars were revealed, and they went on to perform "God Gave Rock And Roll To You." Stanley's full interview can be viewed on YouTube. - NME, 11/9/24...... 
David Gilmour brought the first of five nonconsecutive shows in November to New York's Madison Square Garden on Nov. 9. Prior to the show beginning in earnest, Gilmour's bassist Guy Pratt (also a member of Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets band) came out to politely but firmly urge the audience to stay "present" throughout the show and avoid the urge to watch the entire thing through the screen of a cell phone -- and more importantly, keep your phone's flashlight off ("David hates that"). The songs from The Dark Side of the Moon in the first half of his set got the biggest roar of approval, and while it was immensely satisfying to hear faithful renderings of tunes like "Breathe (In the Air)" and "Time," his stripped-down take on "The Great Gig in the Sky" during the night's second half was arguably more memorable. The visuals on this tour behind his new solo album Luck and Strange aren't quite as theatrical or prop heavy as what former bandmate Roger Waters brings to the road, but it boasts its fair share of production flourishes, from bouncing inflatable balls during "High Hopes" to harrowing video animations to blazing green lasers. For the encore, Gilmour and his band performed "Comfortably Numb" from what looked like a prison cell of white lights. Despite the show featuring eight songs from Luck and Strange, the MSG crowd stayed present, riveted, mostly seated and "comfortably numb" until the very end. Meanwhile, in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Gilmour claims he was "bullied" into making the final Pink Floyd album The Endless River in 2014. Gilmour explained that while recording The Division Bell in 1994, they'd produced many hours worth of ambient music that was originally meant to make up a new instrumental record. However, when this release never happened, Gilmour claims their record label then insisted that the ambient recordings were released. Gilmour explained: "I'll tell you: When we did that album, there was a thing that Andy Jackson, our engineer, had put together called 'The Big Spliff' -- a collection of all these bits and pieces of jams [from the sessions for The Division Bell] that was out there on bootlegs. A lot of fans wanted this stuff that we'd done in that time, and we thought we'd give it to them. My mistake, I suppose, was in being bullied by the record company to have it out as a properly paid-for Pink Floyd record. It should have been clear what it was -- it was never intended to be the follow-up to The Division Bell. But, you know, it's never too late to get caught in one of these traps again." Gilmour also addressed rumors that Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon was written to synchronize with the 1939 classic movie The Wizard Of Oz during a Nov. 7 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. When asked if the theory was true, Gilmour joked: "Well of course it was." He went on: "We listened to it Polly [Samson, Gilmore's wife] and I, years ago. Somebody said you put the needle on and on the third roar of the MGM lion, you put the needle on for the beginning of 'Dark Side' and there's these strange synchronicities that happen." Gilmour then admitted: "There are these strange coincidences." In 2016, it was also suggested that the album syncs perfectly with Star Wars: The Force Awakens by another fan theory after a video was uploaded of the album playing in time with the movie. Gilmour's Tonight Show interview has been shared on YouTube, as well as his performance of "Dark and Velvet Nights" from Luck and Strange. - Billboard/NME, 11/10/24...... 
Robert Plant has starred in a new commercial for Italy's Trenitalia rail service and its Frecciarossa high-speed trains. The new ad, which has been shared on YouTube, features clips of the singer at a terminal in Rome, travelling on a train, and performing with his acoustic band, Saving Grace -- whose cover of Low's "Everybody's Song" soundtracks the ad. Plant is also seen having coffee with Saving Grace vocalist Suzy Dian at the first-class Freccia Lounge, and chatting to her in another moment while travelling in one of Frecciarossa's Executive Class train cars. Earlier in 2024, Plant and Dian completed a UK headline tour, and performed as part of this year's Teenage Cancer Trust concert series at London's Royal Albert Hall in March. Following the UK dates, Plant and Alison Krauss set off on a North American tour that wrapped in September, having last toured together in 2022, which itself was their first complete tour in 12 years. In June, they shared a new version of Led Zeppelin's classic track "When The Levee Breaks," the duo's first single since their second collaborative album Raise The Roof was released in 2021. The pair also performed Zeppelin classics "The Battle Of Evermore" and "Rock And Roll," as well as a medley that includes "Gallows Pole." It was recently revealed that the long awaited Zeppelin documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin has been completed and is finally set for a cinema release. The authorized film features new interviews with Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, as well as rare archival interviews with the late John Bonham, who died in 1980. An official release date for the documentary is yet to be announced. It is the first time that Led Zeppelin have participated in a documentary in 50 years. - NME, 11/8/24...... In other Led Zeppelin-related news, Jimmy Page's ongoing feud with neighbor Robbie Williams has reignited over plans to fell a "fungus-infested" tree. Williams has made a request to the Kensington and Chelsea Council to axe a tree in his garden, after his tree surgeon Michael Goatly has said the Norway maple is reportedly afflicted with honey fungus. But now an objection has been apparently submitted by Williams' neighbors. Page has not been explicitly listed in the objection, but he did previously object to Williams' plans to cut down trees last year. "There is no explanation as to why this tree need be felled, only a series of photos showing parts of it are damaged," the objection reads. "Should there not be a written report that accompanies each proposed felling and what courses of action could be done before the final resort of felling this tree?" The pair, who live in West London, have been involved in a long-running feud since 2014. Page originally objected to Williams' home renovations after concerns its vibrations would cause "catastrophic damage." Despite the Take That frontman being granted permission to renovate his reported £17.5 million home, Williams complained that he couldn't move into his home, and later calling the Led Zeppelin guitarist "mentally ill" -- for which he then apologized. The feud flared up once again in 2018 after reportedly Williams wanted to build an underground gym and pool, with Page once again citing his fears that the vibrations caused from the renovations could cause "irreversable damage." That same year, Kensington and Chelsea Council granted the singer permission to go ahead with the changes. - NME, 11/8/24...... On Nov. 8 The Beatles' purported "final song" "Now and Then" was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance at the 2025 Grammy Awards -- marking the first time a song created with the assistance of artificial intelligence has earned a Grammy nomination. When "Now and Then" first came out in late 2023, the disclosure that it was finalized utilizing AI caused an uproar. At the time, many fans assumed that the remaining Fab Four members -- Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr -- must have used generative AI to deepfake the late John Lennon. That was not actually the case. Instead, the Beatles used a form of AI known as "stem separation" to help them clean up a 47-year-old, low-fidelity demo recorded by Lennon around 1977 and to make it useable in a finished master recording. However, some fans have drawn attention to the use of AI to isolate Lennon's original demo recording in the song. One post on X/Twitter noted (in Spanish): "Everything is fine with The Beatles - But this Grammy nomination is quite forced - And on top of that with AI to try to separate John Lennon's vocals from the piano of the original demo." This was countered by another X user, however, who argued: "The Beatles DID NOT USE AI to create a song but rather to isolate John Lennon's voice from a record that already existed and recorded new parts in a traditional way. winning the Grammy would be the least they could do for the last song made by the greatest band of all time." The two nominations for "Now and Then" mark the Fab Four's first nominations at the Grammy Awards in decades and the fourth time the group has been nominated in the Record of the Year category. They were first nominated in the category in the mid-1960s with "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and were later nominated for "Hey Jude" and "Let It Be" as well. The Beatles have never won in this category. With this nomination, the Beatles are setting the record for the longest span between nominations for any artist in history. However, Lennon and Harrison, who died in 1980 and 2001 respectively, do not meet Grammy eligibility requirements as they did not contribute newly recorded elements to the track, and are not listed in the official nomination. The winners of the 68th Grammy Awards are set to be revealed at a ceremony on Feb. 2, 2025 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. - Billboard/NME, 11/8/24...... In other Grammy-related news, former president Jimmy Carter is on track to become the oldest Grammy winner ever for his audiobook Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration. Pres. Carter, 100 years old, is nominated for best audio book, narration and storytelling recording. If Pres. Carter wins, this would be his fourth Grammy, which is more than any other president. He previously won in 2007 for Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, in 2016 for A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety, and in 2019 for Faith -- A Journey for All. Two other former U.S. presidents, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, have each won two Grammys. The oldest Grammy winner record is currently held by blues pianist Pinetop Perkins, who was 97 in 2011 when he won best traditional blues album for Joined at the Hip. He is followed by the late Tony Bennett (95 in 2022), and the late George Burns (also 95 in 1991). Carter, who was president from 1977-1980, has had the longest life of any U.S. president. - Billboard, 11/11/24...... 
Sting has said he had doubts about appearing on as a mega mentor for Gwen Stefani and Snoop Dogg's teams on NBC's singing competition series The Voice on Nov. 11. "I was reticent, to be honest," Sting says. "The premise of the show is frightening to me, this sort of competition. I think art and music aren't really competitions. If you win the U.S. Open, you are the best player at that particular time. But singing is different. Everybody's voice is unique." But the former The Police frontman says he found the experience rewarding. "It was very nourishing to see a small piece advice that you're given and then their next run through, they put that into action and the whole thing is raised," he says. Sting, a former schoolteacher, adds he found the contestants needed very little instruction. "I'm still a student of music, but I've been doing it for a long time, so I can give them a tiny hint," he says, "but the standard of singing is so high, there's nothing you can say. They know how to sing. There's little bits of presentation or posture or the way that you present yourself I can probably help, but technically, they're great singers." As far as the best advice he ever got from a mentor came from his dad and he clearly took it to heart. "He said go to sea. See the world. Make something of yourself," he says. "Basically, take a risk." On Nov. 12, Sting's stripped-down "Sting 3.0" tour starts a five-date run in Los Angeles. The outing wraps in Sweden in July. Meanwhile, Sting has revealed his thoughts on the legacy of The Police's "Every Breath You Take" following the numerous allegations against Sean "Diddy" Combs. In 1997, Diddy sampled The Police's 1983 chart-topping song for his own release, "I'll Be Missing You." Now that Diddy is facing charges for sex trafficking, racketeering and transporting for prostitution, Sting has shared his thoughts on the disgraced rapper's sample. In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Sting replied when asked if he thought the Police hit had been polluted by Diddy's cover: "No. I mean, I don't know what went on [with Diddy]. But it doesn't taint the song at all for me. It's still my song." In 2023, Diddy said that he was forced to pay Sting £4,020 ($5,000) each day for the rest of his life for the sample. However, he quickly backtracked the comment, saying he was "was joking! It's called being facetious! Me and @OfficialSting have been friends for a long time! He never charged me $3K or $5K a day for 'Missing You.' He probably makes more than $5K a day from one of the biggest songs in history." Diddy was first arrested in September, and was charged with sex trafficking, transporting for prostitution and more. He was denied bail after offering a $50 million bond and was reportedly placed on suicide watch as he awaits trial in a Brooklyn, NY jail. The artist has since appealed against the bail denial. His trial date is scheduled for May 5, 2025. - Billboard/NME, 11/8/24...... Quincy Jones was laid to rest in a private ceremony in Los Angeles on Nov. 10, a week after his death in the Bel Air section of L.A. on Nov. 3 at age 91. The family of the 28-time Grammy-winning producer, arranger and composer said in a statement to The Associated Press that the "intimate ceremony included Mr. Jones' seven children, his brother, two sisters, and immediate family members." The family did not reveal the cemetery where the ceremony took place, and added that they remain "enormously grateful for the outpouring of condolences and tributes from his friends and fans from around the world." A larger, more public memorial is also being planned. Tributes to the music giant after his death came from some of the biggest figures in media and politics. Saturday Night Live, which he once hosted, paid tribute to him a night before his service with a memorial photo in a quiet moment of the show. In lieu of flowers, Jones' family asks for donations to JazzFoundation.org. - Billboard, 11/11/24.
Former president Donald Trump's decisive win over Vice Pres. Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 election has drawn stunned reaction from many in Hollywood and the music industry, including one of his longtime detractors, Bette Midler. Taking to social media, Midler quoted journalist and essayist H.L. Mencken in one of the night's most scathing responses. "When a candidate for public office faces the voters he does not face men of sense; he faces a mob of men whose chief distinguishing mark is the fact that they are quite incapable of weighing ideas, or even of comprehending any save the most elemental. The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people." The quote continues, "On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." Trump would be the first former president to return to power since Grover Cleveland regained the White House in the 1892 election. He also stands to be the first person convicted of a felony to be elected president and, at 78, he will be the oldest person at the outset of a presidential term. - Billboard, 11/6/24...... Former Genesis frontman and '80s solo star Peter Gabriel announced on Nov. 5 that his WOMAD festival will be taking a break next year, before returning to a "new home" for 2026. WOMAD, which stands for World of Music, Arts and Dance, was founded by Gabriel in 1980 with the aim of spotlighting an eclectic mixture of genres. Since then, the festival has travelled to 27 countries across the world, while the main UK event has taken place in Charlton Park in Wiltshire since 2007. This year was its 42nd edition and will be its last in Charlton Park. In a statement, Gabriel has shared that, after 17 years in Wiltshire, WOMAD is "moving to a new home" that is "not far" from the current site. "To ensure that the festival can continue to thrive for years to come in our new location, we have decided to take a year off in 2025 before returning fully charged in 2026," he added. In 2023 Gabriel appeared in a video by Artist for Action to Prevent Gun Violence, an organization that asks Americans to vote to eradicate gun violence in the country. "As much as I love the United States, I am always appalled at the ease with which anyone can get a weapon," Gabriel says in the video. He also weighed in on the AI debate, saying, "I'm probably just as scared [of AI] as everybody else, but I like to jump in the river rather than talk about itI do think about it quite a lot, and I think not enough people are thinking about it." - NME, 11/5/24...... 
Bruce Springsteen stopped by the set of the upcoming biopic about him, Deliver Me From Nowhere, on Nov. 4 to visit its titular star, Jeremy Allen White during filming. Springsteen and The Bear actor were photographed together alongside director Scott Cooper while shooting a scene in a car dealership in Bayonne, New Jersey. White and Springsteen were seen hugging and sharing a smile, as well as taking a look at some classic cars. The cars included a Chevrolet Z28 Camaro, which the Boss has said was the first car he ever bought, and could indicate the content of the scene being filmed. In the movie, White will play '80s-era Springsteen, with the film chronicling the recording of his acclaimed 1982 album Nebraska. The biopic is being produced by Disney's 20th Century Studios, and the shoot is happening mostly on location in Springsteen's native New Jersey and New York. The biopic was first announced in April. Springsteen recently shared his thoughts on White's casting, saying: "I only had to see him on The Bear, and I knew he was the right guy, because he had that interior life, but he also had a little swagger." Deliver Me From Nowhere does not yet have a confirmed release date, but should arrive on screen sometime in 2025. - NME, 11/6/24...... In a new interview with the UK paper The Sun, Art Garfunkel revealed that a recent reunion with Paul Simon left him in tears, feeling he had "hurt" his former musical partner. Simon & Garfunkel were one of the best-selling acts of the 1960s, selling over 100 million records and recording timeless hits such as 
It has been announced that Eddie Murphy will portray funk-rock legend George Clinton in an upcoming biopic directed by Bill Condon and produced by Murphy. The script, written by Virgil Williams, is based on Clinton's memoir Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard On You?, which traces his roots in 1940s North Carolina to becoming a pioneer of funk and founding the musical collective Parliament-Funkadelic. Murphy and Condon previously joined forces on 2006's Dreamgirls, another musical drama, inspired by Motown Records and The Supremes starring Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson. Murphy received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film. Parliament-Funkadelic released their last album Medicaid Fraud Dog in 2018, marking their first new music in 38 years. Shortly after, Clinton announced his retirement from the road in 2019 and played his final shows in 2022 after they were delayed by the pandemic. In 2024, he appeared on Kamasi Washington's new album Fearless Movement, on the track "Get Lit." Clinton has previously been portrayed by Wiz Khalifa in the 2023 film Spinning Gold. Clinton will also executive produce the new biopic. - NME, 11/2/24...... On Nov. 4, Iggy Pop took to 
Could '70s singer-songwriter and pop-rock hitmaker Andrew Gold be the new "King of Halloween"? For most of his career, Gold (who died 2011) was primarily associated with two singles: The heartrending story song "Lonely Boy" (a No. 7 hit in 1977) and the heartwarming "Thank You for Being a Friend" (a No. 28 hit in 1978 -- though better associated with a Cynthia Fee cover version, used as the theme to the '80s sitcom The Golden Girls). But thanks to some TikTok trending that first started at the end of the 2010s, Gold is now best known to younger fans as the guy behind 1996's "Spooky, Scary Skeletons," a cartoon-y Halloween number that has been remixed and memed to death over the past half-decade. "Skeletons" (available for streaming on 
Musical titan Quincy Jones, the composer and producer who added his tasteful polish to recordings by everyone from Ray Charles to Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson, died on the evening of Nov. 3 at his home in Bel Air, Calif., surrounded by his children, siblings and other family members. He was 91. "Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones' passing," the Jones family said in the statement. "And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him. He is truly one of a kind and we will miss him dearly; we take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created. Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones' heart will beat for eternity." A renowned jazz and pop musician, Mr. Jones was also a prolific cross-genre arranger, conductor, record label executive and civil rights advocate. His talent and drive led to an almost unparalleled career in entertainment, with a long and varied list of credits including composing the score for the Oscar-winning film, In the Heat of the Night," producing Michael Jackson's blockbuster 
In 1982 Mr. Jones had one of his most famous collaboration when he produced Michael Jackson's best-selling album Thriller. Thriller sold more than 20 million copies in 1983 alone, helped Jackson become the first major Black artist to have a video played on MTV and influenced countless performers. Three years later he called on Jackson and a host of other stars for the charity single "We Are the World." That same year he found success on the big screen with producing the Steven Spielberg-directed film The Color Purple. Jones also had a hit on the small screen with and the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which starred Will Smith. Mr. Jones was married to his high school sweetheart Jeri Caldwell from 1957 to 1966, and the couple had had one daughter, Jolie. In 1967 he married Swedish model Ulla Andersson, and they had two children, Martina and Quincy Jones III, before divorcing in 1974. That same year Mr. Jones married actress Peggy Lipton, a union which lasted until 1990, and produced two daughters, actresses Rashida Jones and Kidada Jones. He also had a daughter, Rachel, with dancer Carol Reynolds, and a daughter -- fashion model Kenya Kinski-Jones -- with actress Nastassja Kinski. Mr. Jones didn't slow down personally or professionally in his later years; in 2014 he produced the documentary Keep on Keepin' On about his mentor, jazz trumpeter Clark Terry. In 2023, Mr. Jones celebrated his 90th birthday with a star-studded two-night tribute at the Hollywood Bowl, which featured performances from Stevie Wonder among others. In the wake of his passing, Elton John was one of the many famous musicians who paid their respects with a photo of the two men together at one of the Elton John AIDS Foundation's Oscar viewing parties on Instagram. "Nobody had a career as incredible as Quincy Jones. He played with the best and he produced the best. What a guy. Loved him," John wrote on 
In related news, a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled on Nov. 1 that Ed Sheeran's hit "Thinking Out Loud" did not infringe the copyright to Marvin Gaye's 
As a newly remixed and restored edition of Queen's 
In a new interview with MSNBC's Morning Joe program, Stevie Nicks revealed she didn't vote until age 70, and she regrets it. "I never voted until I was 70, but I regret that. I've told everybody that onstage for the last two years," Nicks, 76, said. "I regret that and I don't have very many regrets. There's so many reasons. You can say, 'Oh, I didn't have time. I was this and that.' In the long run, you didn't have an hour? You didn't have an hour of your time that you could have gone and voted." The Fleetwood Mac frontwoman also discussed the inspiration behind her recently released track, 
Jackson Browne will be among the headliners for Steve Earle's 10th Annual Benefit to Help the Keswell School for Autistic Students concert at Town Hall in New York on Nov. 4. Earle's son, John Henry, was diagnosed with autism when he was 19 months old and for the past decade, Earle has used his artistry and career-long friendships to raise funds to help the school with an annual performance. The show is a rare opportunity to see Browne in a small venue. "Jackson and I have been showing up for each other's causes for a long time," says Earle. Presented by Earle and City Winery, the benefit will feature a guitar pull format, "all four artists on stage at the same time, just kind of swapping songs and telling stories," Earle says. "It's a unique experience for the audience." Earle will draw from his repertoire of classics like "Guitar Town" and "Copperhead Road," which he recently re-recorded live for his new solo acoustic concert album Alone Again. Other performers on the bill include Bob Dylan collaborator Margaret Glaspy and the husband-and wife duo of Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams. - Billboard, 11/1/24...... Speaking to the UK's Evening Standard, Pete Townshend says that The Who will "definitely return" in 2025. Townshend recently told the paper that the band will "do something next year," and though he never explicitly shared what the band's plans entail, his comments suggest that the band could be hitting the road sometime in 2025. Now he has revealed that he had "met with Roger [Daltrey] for lunch a couple of weeks ago," and that they're in "good form." "We love each other. We're both getting a bit creaky, but we will definitely do something next year," he said. The guitarist went on to explain: "The album side of it Roger's not keen. But I would love to do another album and I may try to bully him on that. The last big tours that we've done have been with a full orchestra, which was glorious, but we're now eager to make a noise and make a mess and make mistakes." In March, Townshend teased that the band had one "final" thing left to do before they "crawl off to die" and teased a farewell tour. Less than a month later, he retracted his statement, saying he was "being sarcastic." On another note, Townshed said he was "disappointed" that UK alternative faves Oasis have decided to reunite for a highly anticipated upcoming world tour, "because I really like their solo albums." Oasis's Liam Gallagher has released three solo records from 2017-2022, while brother Noel Gallagher made four records with his band High Flying Birds, that latest being 2023's Council Skies. - NME, 10/29/24...... Michael Jackson has scored his fifth entry in YouTube's "Billion Views Club" with his 1988 gangster-themed single "Smooth Criminal." The track from Jackson's seventh album, 1987's Bad, was brought to vivid life by director Colin Chilvers, who tapped into a 1930 gangster nightclub vibe for one of MJ's most beloved videos. Jackson also paid homage to one of his musical and dancing heroes in it via a white suit and matching fedora that tipped its hat to dancer/actor/singer Fred Astaire. The nearly 10-minute mini movie also features the King of Pop's signature "anti-gravity lean." "Smooth Criminal," which can be watched on 
Prolific actress/singer/dancer Terri Garr, who brought her buoyant personality to Mel Brooks' 1974 classic 
In related news, Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters took to 
In 1980, King Crimson co-founder Robert Fripp contributed lead guitar to David Bowie's album track "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)" for Bowie's Scary Monsters album. Now to celebrate Halloween, Fripp and his wife Toyah Wilcox have covered "Scary Monsters" as part of their ongoing Sunday Lunch video series. The duo's performance clip can be viewed on 
Blondie co-founder, guitarist and photographer Chris Stein took to his official 
Actor Ron Ely, the hunky and handsome Texas native who portrayed the Lord of the Jungle on the first Tarzan series for television in the 1960s, died on Sept. 29 at the home of one of his daughters near Santa Barbara, Calif. He was 86. The 6-foot-4, blue-eyed Mr. Ely had appeared opposite Clint Walker in The Night of the Grizzly and with Ursula Andress in Once Before I Die in films released in 1966 when he was hired to don the loincloth in a new NBC series executive produced by Sy Weintraub. Mr. Ely was offered the Tarzan gig after former NFL linebacker Mike Henry, who had played the Edgar Rice Burroughs creation in three '60s films, abruptly quit after he was bitten in the jaw by a chimp. (He would go on to sue over unsafe working conditions.) Tarzan, which also filmed in Central America and Mexico, premiered in Sept. 1966, and Mr. Ely had to perform his own stunts during the two-season, 57-episode run. (Since he was wearing hardly any clothing, it was hard to find a look-alike stunt double, he said.) Ronald Pierce Ely was born on June 21, 1938, in Hereford, Tex. He graduated from Amarillo (Texas) High School in 1956 and then attended the University of Texas at Austin for a year before heading to California. He made his screen debut playing a pilot in the 1958 film adaptation of "South Pacific", then signed a contract with 20th Century Fox. A year later, he tried to smooch Betty Anderson (Elinor Donahue) on an episode of Father Knows Best, played the older brother of Dwayne Hickman's character in the pilot for The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and appeared with Barbara Eden on the syndicated TV version of How to Marry a Millionaire. He also starred as the pulp adventurer Doc Savage in a 1975 film and replaced Bert Parks as host of the Miss America pageant. In the 1990s, he played a retired Superman on Superboy and a big-game hunter in the syndicated Tarzan the Hunted and had published two novels that featured private eye Jake Sands. A tragedy in Mr. Ely's life occurred on Oct. 15, 2019, when his second wife, former Miss Florida Valerie Lundeen Ely, 62, was stabbed to death in their Santa Barbara-area home by their son, Cameron, 30, who deputies found outside the house and fatally shot. Survivors include his daughters Kirsten and Kaitland. "The impact he had on others is something that I have never witnessed in any other person -- there was something truly magical about him," Kirsten said in a statement. - The Hollywood Reporter, 10/23/24...... Singer Jack Jones -- the velvet-voiced crooner who had such hits as "Wives and Lovers" and "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)," but may be best-known today for singing TV's The Love Boat theme -- died on Oct. 23 at Eisenhower Medical in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He was 86. His widow, Eleonara Jones, said the cause of his death was leukemia, which he had battled for two years. Mr. Jones had three No. 1 hits on Billboard's Easy Listening chart (now known as Adult Contemporary): "The Race Is On" (1965), "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)" (1966) and "Lady" (1967). Mr. Jones received a Grammy nod for best vocal performance, male for "The Impossible Dream," the standout ballad from the Broadway musical "Man of La Mancha." The song, which also received a Grammy nod for song of the year, was so popular on TV variety shows and in nightclubs that it became a cliché. Earlier in the 1960s, Mr. Jones won two Grammys for best vocal performance, male for his renditions of Tony Velona's "Lollipops and Roses" and Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "Wives and Lovers." Mr. Jones had three top 20 albums on the Billboard Hot 200: Wives and Lovers, Dear Heart and The Impossible Dream. Mr. Jones' death comes just seven months after Steve Lawrence, a singer of similar quality and style, died at 88. They were two of the finest singers of what was then known as easy listening music -- music that fell out of favor as rock boomed in the late 1960s and 1970s. That music has seen a rebirth in recent decades under a new branding -- traditional pop -- with such new stars as Michael Bublé. Mr. Jones, born in Los Angeles on Jan. 14, 1938, was married to actress Jill St. John from 1967-69. They were one of the top celebrity couples of that era, each with a highly successful career. It was one of Mr. Jones's six marriages. He continued to perform in casinos, performing arts centers and cabarets until shortly before his death. In addition to his current wife Eleonora Donata Peters, he is survived by two daughters and two stepdaughters. - Billboard, 10/24/24...... 
Grateful Dead bassist and co-founder Phil Lesh "passed peacefully" on Oct. 25, according to a statement from his family. He was 84 and died of as yet undisclosed causes. "He was surrounded by his family and full of love. Phil brought immense joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love. We request that you respect the Lesh family's privacy at this time," the statement read. Born in Berkeley, Calif. on Mar. 15, 1940, Mr. Lesh was originally a classically trained trumpeter and appreciator of avant-garde classical and free jazz. After short-lived studies at a variety of music schools, he met bluegrass banjo player Jerry Garcia in 1962. He was part of the original line-up of Grateful Dead in 1965, alongside Garcia (on lead guitar and vocals), Bob Weir (on rhythm guitar and vocals), Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (on keyboards, harmonica, and vocals), and Bill Kreutzmann (on drums). He was the last to join the band under their original name of the Warlocks before they changed it to Grateful Dead. At the time of joining, Mr. Lesh had never picked up a bass guitar but grew to develop a distinctive style influenced by jazz in particular that sometimes made his instrument sound like a second lead guitar. He contributed especially significantly to some of the band's earliest works and played on all 13 of the Dead's studio releases and 10 official live albums between 1967 and 1990. Following the death of Garcia in 1995, Mr. Lesh participated in various touring iterations of the band including the Other Ones (1998-99), the Dead (2003-04, 2008-09) and Furthur (2009-13). The surviving members performed publicly together for the last time on the "Fare Thee Well" tour shows in Northern California and Chicago. Mr. Lesh was not a part of the recent incarnation Dead & Company featuring Weir and the band's other significant drummer Mickey Hart alongside John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti and Jay Lane. He did, however, play in Phil Lesh and Friends and with the Terrapin Family Band, an offshoot of his family-run music hall and restaurant Terrapin Crossroads, which opened in California in 2012. Mr. Lesh had run into health issues in the final decades of his life, including a liver transplant in 1998. He was treated for prostate cancer in 2006 and later bladder cancer in 2015 before undergoing surgery on his back in 2019. In 2017, Bass Player magazine ranked Mr. Lesh as the 57th greatest bassist of all time. "More an improvising composer than mere bassist, Lesh elevated the Grateful Dead from hippie jam band to an artistic ensemble capable of reaching heights of interactive ecstasy," the magazine wrote. "Balancing roots with bouncy, offbeat upper-register figures, he could spin long motivic statements sometimes lasting over a minute, often steering the band into daring new harmonic territory." - NME/Billboard, 10/25/24.