Bruce Springsteen played a two-hour benefit show in his hometown of Asbury Park, N.J. on the evening of Nov. 16 for a fundraiser for Boston College, where his son Evan once attended. The 500-capacity Stone Pony club saw the rock icon, backed by his E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg and former Asbury Jukes guitarist Bobby Bandiera and his band, perform a 22-song set that mixed in classics such as "Born to Run," "Dancing in the Dark" and "Spirit in the Night" with covers including "Twist and Shout." An encore set featured a medley of Detroit songs and a final acoustic take on "Thunder Road." Springsteen previously played a benefit for the private Jesuit University in Chestnut Hill, Mass., at the Stone Pony in 2011. Footage from the event of Springsteen playing "10th Avenue Freezout" with the full band was shared on YouTube. - Billboard, 11/18/19...... 
In a new interview with Billboard, Paul McCartney revealed he and his wife Nancy Shevell snook into a cinema near their home in the Hamptons over the summer for a screening of the recent Beatles-themed movie Yesterday. Sir Paul said he politely declined an offer to see the film at an official screening, but decided to see the movie after he heard Danny Boyle would direct it. "I thought, 'They must think they can pull it off.' And I thought nothing more of it until they asked if I wanted to see a screening," Paul said. "I asked Nancy, and we said, 'Let's go, you and me, on a date to the cinema'. We were in the Hamptons in the summer and there it was, so we got two tickets and walked in when the cinema went dark. Only a couple of people saw us. We were in the back row, giggling away, especially at all the mentions of Paul McCartney. A couple of people in front of us spotted us, but everyone else was watching the film. We loved it.'" Yesterday stars Himesh Patel as singer/songwriter Jack Malik, who lives in a world where nobody knows that the iconic Liverpool band ever existed. McCartney also gave an update on his forthcoming musical adaptation of the movie It's a Wonderful Life, which is due out in 2020. "The reason I never wanted to do a musical is I couldn't think of a strong enough story," he said. "But a guy I've known since school in Liverpool became a theatrical impresario in London [Bill Kenwright], and he rang me up and said, 'I've got the musical rights to It's a Wonderful Life. That's a strong story. So I met with the writer, Lee Hall, and I asked him to write the first 20 minutes of how he sees this as a play. So I was on holiday in the Hamptons, and I had lots of free time. So I read it and thought, 'That's a good opening, I like this', and I sat at the piano and threw this melody at these dummy lyrics he had written. This was August. I sent it to them, and they said, 'You've nailed it'. So it's going well." Macca was interviewed by Billboard after the magazine named the Beatles as topping their list of the "Top 125 Artists of All Time" on the occasion of its 125th anniversary. The Rolling Stones claimed the No. 2 spot on the list, with Elton John named the No. 3 act and top solo artist.- Billboard, 11/14/19...... In other McCartney news, Glastonbury UK festival organizer Emily Eavis has announced that the Beatles icon will headline the legendary festival in 2020 just hours after Paul shared an image of American composer Philip Glass, actress Emma Stone and rock legend Chuck Berry. When the surnames of all three are combined, the not-so-subtle clue of "Glass-Stone-Bury" is provided. Eavis wrote on Twitter: "IT'S REAL!! So excited.. Having Paul McCartney coming back to headline the Pyramid next year is an absolute dream come true. There really was no one that we wanted more for the 50th anniversary." McCartney also confirmed the news, posting: "Hey Glasto - excited to be part of your Anniversary celebrations. See ya next summer!" The announcement ends months of speculation surrounding a headline slot for Macca at Glastonbury's fiftieth anniversary in 2020. Paul last headlined the festival in 2004, alongside Muse and Oasis. Meanwhile McCartney, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour and Jeff Lynne are among some of the names who have signed a guitar to help raise money for former Fairport Convention guitarist Jerry Donahue, who suffered a severe stroke in 2016 and has been disabled since. The guitar -- a signature Jerry Donahue Fender Telecaster -- is expected to sell for in the region of between £10,000 and £20,000. Other big names who have signed the guitar include The Who's Pete Townshend, Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi, Dire Straits's Mark Knopfler and The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. - New Musical Express, 11/18/19...... German artist TrippieSteff has reimagined the cover of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album with 21st century celebrities as part of a remake of several classic album covers, including Blondie's Parallel Lines and Nirvana's Nevermind, by a team of graphic designers and artists. TrippieSteff's new Sgt. Pepper's artwork features Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Drake and Lil Nas X in place of the original Fab Four at the center, and the artwork also depicts a range of other contemporary figures including Elon Musk, Kylie Jenner, Bernie Sanders and BoJack Horseman. "The original cover was a blend of high and low cultural figures that depicted the zeitgeist mindset of the late 60s," TrippieSteff explained. "It was also a group of influential figures that were 'heroes' to the Beatles. With a desire to keep the same theme, I chose to feature the most iconic and influential figures of the past decade. These are people that have been controversial figures in music, politics, television, human rights and more. By putting them together in the same image, I wanted to show that they are all equally important." - NME, 11/15/19...... 
Randy Newman has been nominated in both the Best Original Song and Best Score categories at the upcoming Oscars for his contribution to the Toy Story 4 soundtrack. Newman, 75, has two eligible titles in the song category: "The Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy" and "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away." Newman, a 20-time Oscar nominee and two-time winner, is the only songwriter in Academy Awards history to receive a nomination for Best Original Song for three films from the same franchise. His tunes have been nominated for each of the first three Toy Story films -- "You've Got a Friend in Me" (1995), "When She Loved Me" (1999) and 2010 winner "We Belong Together," and he could extend his streak come Jan. 13, 2020, with the two new titles. While Newman is the only songwriter to receive a nod for best original song for three films in the same franchise, legendary composer John Williams has equaled or surpassed this feat in the Best Original Score category with two franchises: He was nominated for best original score for five Star Wars films (he won for scoring the 1977 original) and three Indiana Jones movies. He may land his sixth Star Wars nom for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, out Dec. 20. - Billboard, 11/15/19...... Wade Robson and James Safechuck, the two men who accused Michael Jackson of sexually abusing them as children, could bring their lawsuits to trial thanks to an update in California's child sexual abuse law. The pair, whose accusations were featured in the documentary Leaving Neverland as well as in a 2013 lawsuit that was dismissed four years later, could find themselves back in court as the new law comes into force. Both men had appealed the 2017 decision to discharge their cases, which was due to a statute of limitations, but these appeals have since been on hold in the appellate court. But the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse cases has since been extended in Californian law, and the California Court of Appeal has issued a tentative ruling that could overturn the 2017 dismissals. Should a trial be granted, Robson and Safechuck would be able to sue the Jackson estate for millions of dollars like they attempted to do so six years ago. The estate, his family, and Jackson himself before he died in 2009 have denied all accusations of sexual misconduct levelled against him. In other MJ news, the famous episode of The Simpsons featuring Michael Jackson has been excluded from the show's catalog available on the newly launched Disney+ streaming service. In the wake of the increased controversy surrounding the allegations made in Leaving Neverland, it was announced earlier in 2019 that the 1991 episode would be pulled from broadcast rotation, with Simpson showrunner Al Jean recently going as far to say that the late singer used his cameo "to groom young boys." The episode, titled "Stark Raving Dad," featured Jackson as the voice of Leon Kompowsky, a psychiatric hospital patient who ends up sharing a room with Homer Simpson. The white, overweight Kompowsky tries to convince Homer that he is the late King of Pop, and is even seen singing "Billie Jean" and showing off his legendary moonwalk dance moves. The episode ends with Kompowsky helping Bart compose a song as a birthday present to Lisa, before admitting that he knows he isn't really Michael Jackson. - New Musical Express, 11/18/19...... In a new interview with People, Ozzy Osbourne's daughter Kelly Osbourne revealed the Osbourne family are the "closest" they've ever been to reviving their hit MTV reality series, The Osbournes. "I'm not joking, every single year about every three months or so someone else gives us another offer and we keep saying no," Kelly said. "It keeps coming 'round. Right now there's another offer on the table and I think this is the closest we've ever come to accepting one. But whether that will happen or not, I don't know." The 35-year-old singer/actress/fashion designer added that it would be more difficult to shoot a new series of the show now that the Osbourne clan has expanded. "We've got other people to think about. My brother [Jack Osbourne] has three kids. Do we want that life for them without them being old enough to choose if they want to do it or not like my brother and I were?" Meanwhile, father Ozzy has just announced that he's going on a joint tour with Marilyn Manson after Ozzy previously postponed world tour dates after a long spate of illness. Osbourne's "No More Tours 2" trek will begin with Manson on May 27 in Atlanta and conclude July 31 in Las Vegas. October and November will then see the Black Sabbath legend embark of rescheduled UK and European dates with Judas Priest. Ozzy also recently announced his first solo album in 10 years, Ordinary Man, with the launch single "Under The Graveyeard." It is expected to drop in January. - NME, 11/15/19...... KISS added some dates to their 2020 schedule, which kicks off with a Feb. 1 show at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, N.H., and sees the shock rockers on the road for 44 dates through an Oct. 2 show at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Tex. The band says their "End Of the Road Tour" will end on July 21, 2021, at an as-yet-unannounced venue in their home turf of New York after a half century of giving their best to the KISS Army. The news of the new dates came just hours after the band canceled a planned Australia/New Zealand tour after singer Paul Stanley fell ill with the flu and was advised by a doctor to rest. The opening date was recently pushed back due to Stanley's illness, and now the singer says he's suffered an additional infection in his throat. "Words cannot begin to convey our massive disappointment in having to cancel our 'End Of The Road' tour of your incredible country," Stanley said in a message to the band's Australia/NZ fans. "Our connection to you is unparalleled and decades deep." - Billboard, 11/14/19...... To mark the 40th anniversary of its seminal 1979 album London Calling, The Clash has opened a new exhibition at the Museum of London which should prove to be a near-essential pilgrimage for fans of the punk icons across the globe. Upon entering, fans will immediately notice Paul Simonon's broken bass guitar, after he famously smashed the instrument on stage at The Palladium in New York City. The moment went on to become immortalized on the cover of London Calling. Other items on display include Joe Strummer's note book with early lyrics to London Calling and Topper Headon's drum sticks -- the only item of Headon's that remains from this time. The exhibition will run through Apr. 19, 2020. - NME, 11/15/19...... 
A previously unseen interview with the late drummer Buddy Miles, a member of Jimi Hendrix's band Band of Gypsys, has just been shared online and sees Miles discussing how he worked with Hendrix to create the now legendary song "Machine Gun." In the new clip posted to YouTube and filmed prior to Miles' death in 2008, he discusses how the three became the Band of Gypsys. "The Band of Gypsys was a strong statement from three brothers, because we all had intimacy and love," Miles explains in the clip. "We also had a feel for what we thought was right and what we enjoyed playing." As for 'Machine Gun' itself, he describes how the classic track was inspired by Hendrix's love of Delta Blues. "It was taken from a style called Delta Blues. He had a deep fascination with Muddy Waters too, but that track was most definitely from the Deep South." On Nov. 22, a new Band of Gypsys box set entitled Songs For Groovy Children: The Fillmore East Concerts will drop. It captures all four historic concerts by Hendrix and the band at New York's Fillmore East. - NME, 11/15/19...... The Monkees members Michael Nesmith and Mickey Dolenz announced on Nov. 13 they'll be hitting the road in 2020 for an "Evening With the Monkees" tour. Nesmith and Dolenz, the only surviving members of the beloved 1960s quartet, will also release their first live album as a duo, The Monkees - The Mike and Mickey Show Live, on Apr. 3. Their tour is set to launch on the new album's release day with a performance at Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. The 14-date trek will run through Seattle, Sacramento, Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and more. Dates will close out on Apr. 26 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville. The duo, who previously toured in 2018, will perform material from throughout their more than 50 years in the Monkees and beyond with hits from the band's 1966 self-titled debut to 2016's Good Times. That album was recorded with the three surviving members at the time: Nesmith, Dolenz and Peter Tork. Tork passed away in February this year, while original member and singer Davy Jones passed away in 2012. - Billboard, 11/13/19...... The blue velvet gown worn by the late Princess Diana when she famously enjoyed a dance with Saturday Night Fever icon John Travolta at a White House dinner in 1985 is expected to fetch $452,000 when in goes under the hammer soon at auction. The late British royal donned the stunning Victor Edelstein dress during a state dinner hosted by then-U.S. Pres. Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan in Washington, D.C., and hit the dancefloor with fellow guest Travolta. The off-the-shoulder designer outfit had initially been offloaded at a charity auction in New York in June, 1997, just two months before Diana's death in Paris, France, and it was sold to the highest bidder again in 2013 as part of a collection of the princess' gowns. "This is arguably her most iconic gown, the photos of her being twirled around the dance floor by a handsome John Travolta at the White House caused a sensation at the time, and are still memorable today," said a rep for Kerry Taylor's Auctions. The auction is set to take place in December. - WENN/Canoe.com, 11/18/19...... 
Terry O'Neill, an iconic British photographer known for capturing the 1960s culture through his work with such famous music and film celebrities as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Elton John and Frank Sinatra, died at his home on Nov. 16 after battling prostate cancer. He was 81. Recognized as one of the world's most collected photographers, Mr. O'Neill began his career at the birth of the 1960s, as he chronicled the emerging faces of film, fashion and music that would go on to define the Swinging Sixties era. He famously captured images of figures such as Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Elvis Presley and Audrey Hepburn and was also one of the first photographers to work with then new 007 franchise starring Sean Connery as James Bond. He also photographed the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, as well as photographed backstage reportage with David Bowie, Elton John, Eric Clapton and Chuck Berry. Elton John paid tribute to Mr. O'Neill on Twitter, where he praised the late photographer. "Terry O'Neill took the most iconic photographs of me throughout the years, completely capturing my moods," Elton wrote. "He was brilliant, funny and I absolutely loved his company. A real character who has now passed on. RIP you wonderful man. Love, Elton," the singer posted alongside a photo Mr. O'Neill took of him. Mr. O'Neill was awarded the Royal Photographic Society Centenary Medal in 2011 in recognition of his significant contribution to the art of photography and an Honorary Fellowship of the Society. Earlier this year, he was also awarded a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to Photography in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours list. - The Hollywood Reporter, 11/17/19.
Elton John announced the final 2020 North American dates for his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour on Nov. 13. John will kick off North American dates of the second year of his three-year tour worldwide tour with a two-night stand at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena on Mar. 28 and 29. Other dates include Montreal (4/2, 3), Miami (5/30), St. Paul (6/15, 16), Chicago (6/19, 20), New Orleans (6/24) and Houston (6/30, 7/1) before wrapping at Kansas City's Sprint Center on July 8. The 24 new dates join previously announced dates that include double headers at Madison Square Garden in New York, Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, Little Caesars Arena in Detroit and American Airlines Center in Dallas. Elton launched his goodbye tour in September of 2018 and has sold out every show so far. The three-year trek is expected to close out in 2021. - Billboard, 11/13/19...... The new Jeff Lynne's ELO album From Out of Nowhere has become the first U.K. chart-topping studio set from the recording act masterminded by Lynne (formerly billed as the Electric Light Orchestra and then ELO) since Time in 1981. ELO previously hit No. 1 with Discovery in 1979 and subsequently with the All Over The World - The Very Best Of compilation, as new audiences were being drawn to their music in 2016. - Billboard, 11/8/19...... 
Edgar Winter has announced he's prepping a star-studded tribute album to his late rocker older brother Johnny Winter that he hopes to release sometime in 2020. "It's really turned out to be a wonderful blessing in my life, doing this," says Edgar, who received early encouragement and support from Johnny including having Edgar as part of his band when it played the legendary 1969 Woodstock festival. "Johnny's my all-time musical hero. If it weren't for him I wouldn't be where I am now. I just feel like I need to acknowledge that and put out a record he would love." Edgar says the 16-song set will include a mix of Johnny Winter originals as well as some of his signature covers, such as Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode," the Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash," Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" and Rick Derringer's "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo," which Johnny Winter recorded first, in 1970. Contributors to the project include Joe Walsh, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Buddy Guy, Joe Bonamassa, Robben Ford and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, with more guests to be announced soon. Meanwhile, Edgar is among the contributors of Ringo Starr's new album What's My Name, and describes the former Beatles drummer as "such a unique, just joyful gentleman." "And beyond that he's such a heartfelt advocate and spokesman for peace and love, and being an old hippie and having played Woodstock, I just love that idea of spreading that light and that message," Winter notes. "I think the Beatles did that, and Ringo carries it on in admirable fashion." - Billboard, 11/13/19...... The Bellamy Brothers have shared a clip of the title track of their latest album Over the Moon on YouTube, with brothers David and Howard Bellamy singing the sweet ballad of new love set to the backdrop of a star-filled sky. The "Let Your Love Flow" hitmakers will be once again joining country star Blake Shelton on his 2020 "Friends and Heroes" tour, which kicks off Feb. 13 in Portland. - Billboard, 11/13/19...... During a visit to Fargo, N.D. on Nov. 9 for a performance at the Fargo Theatre, Kris Kristofferson surprised customers when he performed with an acoustic guitar at a local downtown bar and asked to sing with the band 32 Below. According to radio station KFGO-AM, members of the band had taped a note to Kristofferson's tour bus door. The note said the band was "huge fans" and "would be absolutely stoked" if the famous country star came to the bar and allowed them to buy him "a beer or five." Kristofferson decided to show up at Dempsey's Public House bar and perform a rendition of his classic "Me and Bobby McGee" with the band. 32 Below later said on Facebook: "We played a legendary song with the legend who wrote it!" - AP, 11/13/19...... Some British fans of the Clash have taken to Twitter to air their dismay over UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's recent declaration that the Clash and the Rolling Stones are his two favourite bands. "(My favourite band is) either the Clash or the Rolling Stones, and mainly I listen to the Rolling Stones nowadays, so you can make of that what you will," he said. Johnson made the remarks in new general election campaign video in which he's seen walking around the Conservative Party headquarters answering questions. "Don't pretend to like the Clash, you lying Tory," one Clash fan posted to Twitter on Nov. 13, while another wrote, "I can assure you there is no chance that you are the Clash's favourite PM. You represent EVERYTHING the Clash stand against." The surviving members of the Clash are yet comment on Johnson's remarks. - New Musical Express, 11/13/19...... In celebration of Motown Records' 60th anniversary, the Ryan Gordy Foundation honored Motown founder Berry Gordy and Motown legend Smokey Robinson during a gala in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Nov. 11. Berry Gordy was presented a Power of Love Award statuette by Michael Jackson's two eldest children, Paris and Prince. "We honor you and your lifetime of incredible achievements across music and entertainment," noted Prince, with Paris adding, "This is a man that we love so dearly and appreciate with all of our hearts." Smokey Robinson next took the stage to pay tribute to Gordy. He said, "You've been my mentor, my motivator, my encourager, my confidant, my go-to and -- back in the days when we lived in the hood -- we were each other's 'N'-word, a high and prestigious position. But the sum total of all these and other my's is that you are my best friend. I love you." "I accept this award in appreciation for the precious years I spent with my dear grandson Ryan Gordy. He inspired me with thoughts beyond his years and his love for life. He was a fighter who never gave up. For all those sharing in the power of love tonight, I thank you," said Gordy, who turns 90 on Nov. 28. Hosted by comedian Chris Tucker and helmed by chairperson Frances Robinson, the dinner and awards event raised $250,000 toward the building of a center for the RGF. Launched in 2017, RGF is named after Gordy's grandson Ryan, who died of leukemia at the age of 29 in 2016. Smokey Robinson accepted his own award, RGF's Legendary R&B Pioneer and Humanitarian Award, from Lionel Richie, who called Robinson "my hero." "What you feel about Berry, Smokey, I feel about you. I love you man, and thank you for being exactly who you are in my life," Richie added. - Billboard, 11/12/19...... Marie Osmond told the audience on her television talk show The Talk on Nov. 11 that she's ready to perform the final week of an 11-year run with her brother Donny Osmond at the Flamingo Las Vegas, even though she was forced to cancel a Nov. 9 show after chipping her knee the previous week. Osmond, 60, was forced to back out of that show but is promising audiences she will be back for the final week of shows in the third week of November. Front-row seats for the last concert by the popular '70s performers on Nov. 16 are reportedly going for $4,000 or more, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. - AP, 11/12/19...... 
In a new interview with the toy railroad hobby magazine Railway Modeller, Rod Stewart revealed that he has spent almost 26-years building a huge, 124-ft-long intricate model of a city influenced by both New York and Chicago. Later, after the interview was shared, Stewart rang BBC Radio 2's Jeremy Vine Show to refute accusations that he hadn't made the model railway himself. "I would say 90% of it I built myself," Sir Rod declared. "The only thing I wasn't very good at and still am not is the electricals, so I had someone else do that. A lot of people laugh at it being a silly hobby, but it's a wonderful hobby," he added. Stewart also told the magazine that he often worked on the model while on tour, sometimes requesting an extra room for his constructions in hotels. "We would tell them in advance and they were really accommodating, taking out the beds and providing fans to improve air circulation and ventilation," the musician said. "When I take on something creative like this, I have to give it 110%," he added. "For me it's addictive. I started, so I just had to finish. I'm lucky I had the room. If I'd have realised at the start it would have taken so long, I'd have probably said, 'No! No! Nah!'" Stewart also revealed that he works on the railway in the attic of his Los Angeles home. - New Musical Express, 11/13/19...... Documentaries about such diverse music figures as Linda Ronstadt, Miles Davis, Luciano Pavarotti, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash are among the 159 feature films that have been submitted in the Best Documentary Feature category for the 92nd Academy Awards, set for Feb. 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. At least seven of the 159 films were also entered for best music film in the upcoming 62nd annual Grammy Awards process. Those films that are vying for both Oscar and Grammy noms are: Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes; David Crosby: Remember My Name; Echo in the Canyon; Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles; Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool; Pavarotti and Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese. Other music docs that are entered in the Oscar process include The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash; Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice; Western Stars (starring Bruce Springsteen) and Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation. A shortlist of the 15 films that are advancing in the category will be revealed on Dec. 16. Nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards will be announced on Jan. 13, 2020. - Billboard, 11/12/19...... On Nov. 12 Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters was announced as a keynote speaker for the 2020 South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Tex. "Roger Waters is a true creative visionary, and we're pleased to have him participate for 2020," said Hugh Forrest, the event's chief programming officer. "SXSW continues to be a unique destination for innovation and discovery, and we're excited about the addition of the many groundbreaking pioneers, influential voices and business leaders that we've added to this year's lineup." Other keynotes include artist and former Sonic Youth basist Kim Gordon and director/producer/writer Erin Lee Carr. Previously announced featured speakers include Chic legend Nile Rodgers and comedic actor Cheech Marin. The 2020 edition of SXSW runs from Mar. 13-22 in Austin, Tex. - Billboard, 11/12/19...... Punk poetess Patti Smith will be among the headliners at the 2020 Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tenn., set for next spring. Smith will play with her band and participate in the literary program. The three-day fest (March 26-29), which focuses on "the avant garde, unexpected and surprising," will pay tribute to the 100th anniversary of the invention of the Theremin, with Rob Schwimmer, a master of the eerie instrument leading a trio featuring pianist Uri Caine and violinist Mark Feldman in a 20th anniversary celebration of their album Theremin Noir. - Billboard, 11/12/19...... Singer/songwriter legend Joni Mitchell and jazz great Wayne Shorter were honored by the likes of Quincy Jones, Chaka Khan, Ray Parker, Jr. and Rita Wilson during a fundraiser for the Jazz Foundation on Nov. 10, 2019 in Los Angeles. Heralding Mitchell and Shorter's "transcendent art and boundless imagination" in his opening remarks, JFA executive director Joseph Petrucelli introduced Quincy Jones, who noted that "jazz means freedom." A top-notch crew of session musicians then backed the aforementioned performers in paying homage to Shorter and Mitchell. The Joni Mitchell tribute concluded with a special performance by Chaka Khan of Mitchell's "Man from Mars" and "Hissing of Summer Lawns." Noted Khan as she came onstage, "Wherever Joni goes, there I am." - Billboard, 11/11/19...... In a new interview with the UK's Yorkshire Post, the Who's Pete Townshend said that his "increasingly affectionate relationship" with singer Roger Daltrey is a major reason for the Who's impressive longevity. "I still perform partly because of my ongoing, developing and increasingly affectionate relationship with Roger," said Townshend, who formed the Who with Daltrey, John Entwistle and Keith Moon in 1964. "When you look back at where we started, I wouldn't say we despised each other but we had very little in common. Now, we have very little in common but we really care about each other deeply." Townshend continued: "We are really comfortable with each other. He says, 'You've got your guitar and your pen, I've got my voice'. We meet in the middle and it just happens to be performing." - NME, 11/13/19...... Billy Joel will participate in a special SiriusXM event at the Faena Theater in Miami Beach, Fla. on Dec. 5. "Billy Joel: An Evening of Questions and Answers" will feature the legendary musician sitting in front of a piano taking questions from SiriusXM subscribers in the audience. SiriusXM subscribers will be able to call in to the live event at (844)-365-BILLY (2455) and ask Billy Joel a question. Joel will also be sharing stories behind his music as well as performing portions of songs in between conversation. The exclusive event will broadcast live on Joel's SiriusXM channel, The Billy Joel Channel, at 8pm ET on Dec. 5. The limited-run channel that features the works of the iconic superstar including music spanning his 5 decades-long career along with exclusive stories from Joel will run through Dec. 6 at 3am ET. - Billboard, 11/11/19...... 
On Nov. 11, Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood announced an all-star tribute to the early years of Fleetwood Mac and the band's original co-founder, Peter Green, that will take place on Feb. 25 at the London Palladium. "The concert is a celebration of those early blues days where we all began, and it's important to recognize the profound impact Peter and the early Fleetwood Mac had on the world of music," Mick Fleetwood said in a statement. Among the killer lineup of musicians pitching in will be Mick's Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie, along with ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, Jonny Lang, John Mayall, Andy Fairweather Low, Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler and former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman. The show will be filmed for later broadcast, and some of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust. Green, 73, and Fleetwood co-founded Fleetwood Mac in 1967 with John McVie, Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer. - Billboard, 11/11/19...... KISS announced on Nov. 11 that they have pushed back the kick off of the Australian leg of their "End of the Road" tour due to singer/guitarist Paul Stanley becoming ill. "Due to a bad case of Influenza, doctors have advised Paul Stanley to rest for the next few days and not to undertake the long trip from Los Angeles to Perth," read the note from the group, which had been slated to leave the U.S. on Nov. 12 for the Perth launch of the outing on Nov. 16. "With the expectation of Australian audiences high, KISS don't want to not give 100% and so have made changes to the Australian and New Zealand dates," the note added. As a result, the gig at Perth's RAC Arena has been moved from Nov. 16 to the end of the Australian tour on Dec. 3. - Billboard, 11/11/19...... In related news, Ozzy Osbourne has rescheduled the postponed UK and European dates on his "No More Tours 2" tour after being forced to push them back following a series of illnesses and a fall at home earlier in 2019 that re-aggravated an old injury. According to a roster of dates, the tour is now slated to kick off on Oct. 23 at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle. The dates are currently scheduled to last through a Dec. 2 show at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland. Fellow British metal icons Judas Priest will open the dates. The six-week tour was originally scheduled for January. The outing includes a return to Ozzy's hometown of Birmingham for a Halloween show, as well as gigs in Sweden, Switzerland, Spain and Italy. Osbourne's upcoming solo album, Ordinary Man, is due out in January and his first solo single in nearly a decade, "Under the Graveyard," dropped earlier in November, and its video has been shared on YouTube. His upcoming box set, See You on the Other Side, hits stores on Nov. 29. - Billboard, 11/11/19...... Neil Young has penned a letter and posted it on his Neil Youg Archives website about his frustrating experience attempting to obtain citizenship in the United States ahead of the 2020 presidential election due to his marijuana use. "I want to be a dual citizen and vote," Young, who's a Canadian citizen, explained in a Nov. 8 post titled "I Have Been Very Successful in My Life." "When I recently applied for American citizenship, I passed the test. It was a conversation where I was asked many questions. I answered them truthfully and passed." "Recently however, I have been told that I must do another test, due to my use of marijuana and how some people who smoke it have exhibited a problem," he wrote in reference to a policy update issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services earlier in 2019. Young continued: "The problem is defined in an April 19, 2019 addition under Attorney General Sessions. USCIS issued a Policy Alert which includes: 'An applicant who is involved in certain marijuana related activities may lack GMC (Good Moral Character) if found to have violated federal law, even if such activity is not unlawful under applicable state of foreign laws.' I sincerely hope I have exhibited good moral character and will be able to vote my conscience on Donald J. Trump and his fellow American candidates, (as yet un-named)," he added. In October, Young told the Los Angeles Times that "If everything goes as planned, I'll be taking the oath of citizenship" soon after his Nov. 12 birthday. "I'm still a Canadian; there's nothing that can take that away from me," he noted. "But I live down here; I pay taxes down here; my beautiful family is all down here -- they're all Americans, so I want to register my opinion." - Billboard, 11/10/19...... Paul McCartney has paid tribute to revered Beatles photographer Robert Freeman, who has passed away at age 82. McCartney paid tribute to Mr. Freeman via a post on his blog on on paulmccartney.com, describing him as a "wonderful man" and "one of our favourite photographers who came up with some of our most iconic album covers... I will miss this wonderful man but will always cherish the fond memories I have of him." Mr. Freeman's work included the photos featured on the covers of classic Beatles LPs like the band's second album With The Beatles, Beatles For Sale, Help! and Rubber Soul. He also worked on the ending sequences of the first two Beatles films, A Hard Day's Night and Help!. Mr. Freeman suffered a severe stroke in 2014, and his family sold a copy of one of his John Lennon portraits to pay for his care and to help preserve his archive of photos. In addition to his work with the Beatles, Mr. Freeman took photos for a number of other artists including John Coltrane, as well as photographing political figures such as Nikita Kruschev for London's Sunday Times. - New Musical Express, 11/8/19...... In other Beatles-related news, the Fab Four's 1968 track "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" has been declared the most perfect pop song ever written by researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. The scientists analysed 80,000 different chord progressions from 700 songs recorded between 1958 and 1991, using machine learning to give a score to each chord based on how "surprising" it was compared to the chord preceding it. Chord sequences from 30 of the songs were then played to 39 volunteers, stripped of lyrics and melody to make the source track unrecognisable. The volunteers were asked to rate how enjoyable they felt each chord to be. The research found that when the volunteers were relatively sure what chord was coming next, they enjoyed being surprised instead. The research also found that being unsure of how the song would progress would cause activity in a region of the brain connected with musical pleasure. "Songs that we find pleasant strike a good balance between us knowing what is going to happen next and surprising us with something we did not expect," said the institute's Vincent Cheung, a PhD student. "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" was the closest song the researchers could find to "perfection," followed by Genesis' "Invisible Touch," and BJ Thomas' "Hooked on a Feeling." Despite what science has to say, John Lennon once famously disparaged the Paul McCartney-written song, declaring it "granny music shit." - NME, 11/8/19...... 
Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne has announced plans for an immersive new theatre production entitled "Theater of the Mind." The production is inspired by historical and recent lab research, according to Byrne. "It will be in a warehouse, where it's divided into a bunch of different rooms," Byrne told Rolling Stone. "A group of 16 audience members will go from room to room and experience these perceptual things. When they leave one room, another group goes in there. That way, you can get 400 people in from 6 pm to 10. You get the same number as if it were a theatre show, but you get more in small groups." The production is set to open in Denver in August 2020. Byrne recently took his "American Utopia" tour to Broadway. The residency will run until Jan. 20, 2020. - NME, 11/8/19...... Robert "Bob" Norris, who played the iconic "Marlboro Man" in cigarette ads for more than a decade beginning in the 1960s, has died at his Colorado ranch at 90. According to multiple sources, Mr. Norris was never a smoker. Mr. Norris landed the high-profile ad campaign for the Philip Morris cigarette brand by happenstance, after advertising executives sought him out after spotting him in a newspaper photo alongside a famous actor friend, John Wayne. Mr. Norris's son Bobby Noris said his father stepped away from playing the company mascot conceived in the '60s, just as consumers were learning how cigarettes affected their health. "He always told us kids, 'I don't ever want to see you smoking," the younger Norris said, "so one of us finally asked, 'If you don't want us smoking, why are you doing cigarette commercials? He called up Phillip Morris and quit that day." The company stopped using the Marlboro Man in its advertisements only after other men who starred in its campaign died of lung cancer, NPR reported in October 2002. Marlboro aside, Mr. Norris, whose ranch in Colorado eventually covered more than 100,000 acres, was vital to his community. Not only was he held roles in local rodeo organizations, but he was an ardent philanthropist, and a local venue is named after him. His family remembered him in a public service held on Nov. 8. - MSN.com, 11/9/19.
The Band's 1969 seminal self-titled album, which will be released as a deluxe 50th anniversary edition on Nov. 15, will feature their entire 11-song performance at the legendary 1969 Woodstock festival, including a cover of The Four Tops' "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever." 
Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh will headline his third annual VetsAid benefit concert on Nov. 10 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Tex. Walsh -- the son of a Gold Star veteran who died while on active duty when Walsh was just 20 months old -- launched VetsAid in 2016 to help fund local, grassroots veterans aid agencies. So far the charity has distributed nearly $1.2 million in grants. The 2019 VetsAid benefit will also feature the Doobie Brothers, ZZ Top, Brad Paisley, Sheryl Crow and Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit. "I aimed it at the little vet-run organizations in the Midwest and stuff that didn't have a budget," Walsh explains. "If a vet gets home and he's pretty alone and not a lot of people understand him, that's the beginning of the depression and the isolation, and that's the seed of the suicides. So it's so important to keep those organizations going, and that's what we've been able to do." Walsh says VetsAid will continue to play different cities each year rather than settle into one city. Meanwhile he's also touring with the Eagles, which kicked off a tour in October in Las Vegas, playing Hotel California in its entirety, accompanied by orchestras and choirs. "There's stuff on that album we never played," notes Walsh. We had to go back and figure 'em out, and it was a lot of work. I had to go back and really study, so playing the whole thing live really took some focus, and somehow we tamed the orchestra so it doesn't overwhelm the show -- it enhances it. When I got a chance to finally just sit back and be part of it and hear the orchestra behind us, I got emotional." - Billboard, 11/6/19...... Speaking of performing classic '70s albums in their entirety, Neil Young says he "turned down millions of dollars" to perform his chart-topping 1972 album Harvest in a new interview with AARP magazine. "I was just offered millions of dollars for a tour to do Harvest," says Young, who halted his seven-year hiatus from music to release his 13th studio album 
KISS reportedly announced via television screens on their KISS Kruise, which ran from Oct. 30 to Nov. 4 on the luxury cruise ship the Norwegian Pearl, that they are extending their "End Of The Road" world tour with 75 new dates for 2020, including a slate of summer shows in Europe surrounding their previously announced headlining slot at the UK's Download Festival. The new batch of tour dates begins with a North American tour leg that runs from Feb. 1, 2020 in Manchester, N.H. to March 15 in Biloxi, Miss. KISS will then perform in South America from Apr. 24 to May 19, covering El Salvador, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and more. The band then heads to Europe, kicking things off in Paris on June 9 before headlining Download Festival alongside Iron Maiden and System Of A Down. After Europe and a stop in Johannesburg, South Africa, KISS will return to the US for more tour dates until Oct. 3. During the KISS Kruise, KISS vocalist/guitarist Paul Stanley also announced that the "End Of The Road" tour will come to an end on July 17, 2021 in New York City, and that original KISS members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss have been approached about performing with the group at their final concert. Criss was replaced by drummer Eric Carr in 1980, while Frehley was replaced by Vinnie Vincent two years later. Both Frehley and Criss have returned to KISS for short periods since their departures. - NME/Canoe.com, 11/4/19...... In a new interview in the British heavy metal mag Heavy Consequence, Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford revealed that he once dreamed of forming the UK's "Big Four" metal bands with Black Sabbath, Motörhead and Iron Maiden. "My dream had always been to have like 'The Big Four of the UK', without turning this into a kind of depressing way," Halford said, but acknowledged that the death of Motörhead's Lemmy Kilmister and the retirement of Black Sabbath would make that difficult to accomplish: "Sadly, two-fourths of that has gone, but the music lives forever. That's the main thing." Halford also expressed his enthusiasm for a Judas Priest and Iron Maiden joint tour, which his bandmate Ian Hill had previously supported. "I think both bands would look to do that," Halford said. "It's all about the timing of doing such a thing. We're good friends." In October, both Motörhead and Judas Priest were announced as nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 2020. - New Musical Express, 11/6/19...... On Nov. 4, Ringo Starr announced upcoming 2020 North American tour dates for his Ringo and his All Starr Band. Starr and the band's 20-show run will kick off May 29 with back-to-back nights at Casino Rama in Rama, Ont., before hitting major U.S. cities like Pittsburgh (6/20), Philadelphia (6/21) and Atlanta (6/23, 24) and wrapping up June 28 at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Fla. The tour will also include three shows at New York City's iconic Beacon Theatre on June 2, 3 and 5, with support from the Avett Brothers on three of the tour's dates, and Edgar Winter on two dates. Ringo released his 20th solo album, 
In a new interview with the UK's The Big Issue magazine, the Who's Pete Townshend said his past behaviour in which he smashed up his instruments on stage was "a waste of time" despite it helping to get people to listen to his band. "I was always pretty snobby about rock and roll," said Townshend, who added that he was "in it for the art." "Getting into auto-destruction was straight out of art college. People still say that I should never have smashed instruments," he said, before concluding: "F--- off. It is how I got you to listen to me." Elsewhere in the interview Townshend said that his generation of "the hippy era" of the '60s "misused the power" for social change. "My generation felt disenfranchised," he said. "That is a complex word for feeling like we had nothing to live for. It made us not so much angry as loose. We were loose-living. And when psychedelic drugs and more importantly the pill came along, away we went. Then we took power. But I think we misused the power to a great extent. The hippy era could have turned into something much better than it did." - NME, 11/4/19...... Olivia Newton-John's iconic Grease leather jacket and skintight pants fetched $405,700 during an auction on Nov. 2 in Beverly Hills. According to Julien's Auctions, the leather jacket sold for $243,200 and the pants, which Newton-John famously had to be sewn into, went for $162,500. Other Grease memorabilia included a Pink Ladies jacket that went for $50,000 and a poster signed by Newton-John, John Travolta, director Randal Kleiser and producer and songwriter John Farrar, which sold for $64,000. The proceeds from the jacket and pants, as well as a portion of the other items sold, will go the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre in Australia. Meanwhile, a pair of Michael Jackson's sparkly socks worn during his first ever "moonwalk" as he performed "Billie Jean" during the 1983 Motown 25th anniversary are expected to command up to $1 million (or £776,000) during an auction organised by GottaHaveRockandRoll.com which begins on Nov. 13. In Chippenham, U.K., a rare copy of the Sex Pistols' single "God Save the Queen" fetched £13K. One of the rarest and most sought after records in the world, it was expected to fetch between £12,000-£15,000. - AP/NME, 11/4/19.
The entertainment site Deadline.com reported on Oct. 31 that Paramount Pictures, a new producer and financier company named Sister, Bohemian Rhapsody producer Graham King, and Steven Spielberg's production company Amblin are teaming up to develop a biopic on the eight-time Grammy winning pop group the Bee Gees. Paramount purchased the life rights to the Gibbs family estate, which includes deceased Bee Gees members Maurice and Robin Gibb and sole surviving member Barry Gibb, with the help of King, which ensures original Bee Gees music will be featured in the biopic. A Bee Gees project would mark a return to the rock biopic world for both Paramount and King, with the studio still enjoying critical acclaim and modest financial success from its Elton John biopic Rocketman, which has the possibility of Academy Award success similar to Bohemian Rhapsody's 5 Oscar nods and 4 wins, including Best Actor for Rami Malek and Freddie Mercury. The Bee Gees film has not been written yet, and no roles have been assigned. The Gibb brothers formed their pop trio in their native Australia in 1958, rising to popularity in the late '60s to early '70s with the rise of the disco era and selling over 220 million records worldwide. The were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. - Deadline.com/Billboard/Hollywood Reporter, 10/31/19...... Michael Jackson has once again been named the highest earning dead celebrity after the late King of Pop topped the latest list for 2019 compiled by Forbes magazine. The news comes after the estate of Jackson, who died in 2009 aged 50 following an overdose of the anaesthetic propofol, earned over £46 million in the last 12 months, with his streaming numbers "surging" according to Forbes despite the controversy that followed the release of the controversial MJ documentary Leaving Neverland earlier in 2019. "With proceeds flowing from his Mijac Music catalogue, a Las Vegas show and a long-term deal with Sony, he retains his post mortem cash crown for the seventh consecutive year," Forbes reports. Coming in right behind Jackson on the list was Elvis Presley, whose estate made over £30 million in the past year. - New Musical Express, 11/1/19...... The three-year stretch when Bob Dylan laid low after his 1966 world tour which, although considered his creative peak, saw him living behind dark glasses and flying on amphetamines while in the throes of drug abuse and paranoia is captured on Dylan's latest Columbia release, 
Electric Light Orchestra mastermind Jeff Lynne says he wasn't particularly focused on making an album to follow up 2015's Alone in the Universe under his Jeff Lynne's ELO banner, but inspiration for his just released JLE album 
In conjunction with the Nov. 22 release of the new Harry Nilsson box set 
The sexy outfit worn by Olivia Newton-John in one of the final scenes of her 1978 movie 
In other Halloween-related news, Ozzy Osbourne says he's hoping to scare up the weirdest, wildest Halloween costume contest ever by challenging fans on Oct. 24 to dress up as their favorite version of Ozzy and send in a pic for a chance to win a signed bone like the one that appears on the cover of his upcoming box set, See You on the Other Side, which drops on Nov. 29. Ozzy's official site already features dozens of amazing entries, which Ozzy will accept through Nov. 1. See You on the Other Side collects all 10 of Ozzy's solo albums and the "Mr. Crowley" and "Just Say Ozzy" EPs, as well as the Tribute double live album, Live & Loud, Live at Budokan and the Flippin' the B-Side rarities collection. Ozzy has shared a 
Grammy-winning record producer Peter Asher, a former member of the '60s British Invasion pop duo Peter & Gordon who has produced for artists such as James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, has just released a new Beatles-related book titled 
John Fogerty has shared a rippin' live version of the title track of his 1985 album Centerfield on 
Carlos Santana announced on Oct. 28 the itinerary for his upcoming spring 2020 European leg of his "Miraculous 2020" world tour. Santana will kick off the jaunt on Mar. 14 at the Unipol Arena in Bologna, Italy, playing several cities including Budapest (3/19), Vienna (3/20), Cologne (3/23), Glasgow (3/26), London (3/27), Amsterdam (3/31) and Stockholm (4/3) before wrapping in Helsinki on Apr. 5. The Grammy-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is marking the 20th anniversary of his Supernatural album and the 50th anniversary of his classic 1970 sophomore release, Abraxas. The tour will also feature what Santana calls "the new hymns and songs of tomorrow" from his band -- which includes his wife and drummer Cindy Blackman Santana -- from his 2019 Rick Rubin-produced album 
Veteran movie producer and former Paramount Pictures chief Robert Evans, who produced such classic '70s and '80s films as Chinatown and Urban Cowboy, passed away on the evening of Oct. 26. He was 89. Even though Hollywood history is filled with colorful characters, few can match the tale of Mr. Evans, whose life would seem far-fetched if it were fiction. With his matinee-idol looks but little acting talent, Mr. Evans was given starring roles in a few movies and then, with no studio experience, was handed the production reins at Paramount in the 1960s. When he left the exec ranks, his first film as a producer was the classic Chinatown, and he followed with other hits, like Marathon Man and Urban Cowboy. Eventually, his distinctive look and speaking style turned him into a cult figure, and he had the distinction of being the only film executive who starred in his own animated TV series. Amid the successes, his wife, actress Ali MacGraw, left him for Steve McQueen, her costar in the 1972 caper movie The Getaway, a love triangle that got huge media attention. (MacGraw was the third of Mr. Evans' seven wives.) In 1980, Mr. Evans was arrested for cocaine possession and a few years later, was involved in an even bigger scandal: the murder of would-be Hollywood player Roy Radin during the production of The Cotton Club. Due to his association with Radin, Mr. Evans became a material witness in the execution-style slaying, though no proof of Mr. Evans' knowledge of or connection to the murder was ever established. Drug dependency and the studios' changing corporate culture plagued Mr. Evans' later career. When he eventually resurfaced at Paramount in the '90s, his production track record was mostly undistinguished (The Saint, Sliver). But by then his larger-than-life persona was already the stuff of Hollywood legend. Evans parodied himself in the film Burn, Hollywood, Burn (1998), and Dustin Hoffman, a longtime friend, borrowed liberally from Mr. Evans in creating the character of an outrageous producer in the 1997 satire Wag the Dog, earning an Oscar nomination in the process. In 1998 Mr. Evans suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed on one side and unable to speak, but he eventually made a full recovery after much therapy. He made a triumphant return in some sense with the 2002 documentary adaptation of The Kid Stays in the Picture, in which Mr. Evans idiosyncratically discussed his life. Mr. Evans, who was married and divorced seven times, is survived by his son, Josh, an actor and director, and a grandson. - Reuters/Variety.com, 10/28/19.
Paul McCartney shared a new music video on Oct. 23 for his 1993 animal rights advocacy tune 
An estate auction of late Steely Dan guitarist Walter Becker took place at Julien's Auctions' Beverly Hills location on Oct. 18 and 19 and fetched $3.3 million, overall, surpassing initial estimates of $1-$2 million on opening day. The auction featured 600 guitars and 400 amps that belonged to the acclaimed musician, renowned for his quiet perfectionism in the studio with longtime musical partner Donald Fagen. "It's phenomenal," said Darren Julien, owner of Julien's Auctions. "Who else had this many guitars and this many amps? Who else had a collection like this? It's unbelievable. And he didn't just buy them because they looked great. He literally played all of them and that's what made this collection unique." The auction was attended by Becker's widow, Delia, who said her husband was "obsessed with sound" and guitars were stored "everywhere." In addition to storage spaces in New York and Hawaii, their New York apartment was filled with guitars and Delia said "amps were lined up at the foot of the bed, under every table, the dining room table was all amps and then all the floor space." One of Becker's favorite guitars to play at concerts, a green sparkly Strat-style guitar purchased from New York based guitar maker Chihoe Hahn in 2011, sold for a whopping $68,750 to a buyer bidding over the phone. At a private VIP reception held a couple of days before the auction, guests included Becker's daughter, Sayan, Men at Work frontman Colin Hay and Village Studios owner Jeff Greenberg, where some of Steely Dan's best known hits "Peg" and "Hey Nineteen" were recorded. "I'd rather have Walter here and not see all this stuff for sale," said Greenberg. "But it's pretty trippy, right? These are spectacular guitars. He was magical. Their records are still magical. It's some of the greatest music ever made." Becker died of esophageal cancer at age 67 in 2017. - Billboard, 10/21/19...... Appearing recently on the U.K. TV programme The Jonathan Ross Show, punk rock icon Iggy Pop was asked about his younger days in the Stooges and how he once stuck his tongue into an electric socket. "Well it was an electric train transformer," said Pop correcting Ross before adding: "I tried spider webs too. I tried to smoke them. You know you've got to start somewhere." As for the experience itself, he described it as "harsh." When host Jonathan Ross asked Pop if he was surprised that he's still alive, he said: "No its brinksmanship. My psychiatrist told me in the '70s 'you have amazing brinkmanship, you go to a certain place and you know when to pull back'. I always have and I'm a very conservative guy in my daily life. I go to bed early." Pop released his latest album, 
Carly Simon is getting mixed reviews for 
Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker and Marlon Wayans have joined Jennifer Hudson in MGM's upcoming Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect. Whitaker will play Franklin's father, a Baptist minister and popular preacher who was unfaithful to his wife, while Wayans will play Ted White, Franklin's first husband, whom she married when she was 19 and who was abusive. Hudson is portraying Franklin. Directed by Tony winner Liesl Tommy, the biopic follows the Queen of Soul's rise to fame in the 1960s and 1970s and chronicles her abusive marriage. The film will feature several of Aretha's best known songs, including "Respect," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Think," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "Spanish Harlem," "Amazing Grace" and "Chain of Fools." - Billboard, 10/18/19...... Nick Tosches, a literary music writer who looked older than his years and cloaked himself in a noir-ish persona, died on Oct. 20 t the age of 69. Tosches made a career of questioning the origins of inspiration, often tracing it back to ancient times, and finding the precise language with which to express it. Tosches was known by music fans for his essays and reviews, and especially his two classic biographies. His book on Jerry Lee Lewis, 1982's Hellfire, was once described by Rolling Stone magazine as "quite simply the best rock and roll biography ever written." A decade later, his biography of Dean Martin explored the life of the boozy pop singer and actor with reportorial detail and literary language, and it was once rumored to be a Martin Scorsese film, with Tom Hanks attached to star. - Billboard, 10/23/19...... Ed Cherney, a Grammy and Emmy-winning recording engineer who worked on such seminal works as Bonnie Raitt's Nick of Time, Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven," The Rolling Stones' Bridges to Babylon, and Willie Nelson's "My Way" among hundreds more, died on Oct. 22 from cancer. He was 69. Other artists he worked with included Bob Dylan, Bette Midler, Elton John, Sting, Etta James, Bob Seger and Jackson Browne, among others. "Eddie was a real sonic genius," says producer Don Was, who worked with Cherney on the Raitt and Rolling Stones' albums, among others. "He knew how to add some ear-pleasing sparkle and sheen while keeping the music feeling intimate and natural... A terrific person and a great friend. He is utterly irreplaceable." - Billboard, 10/22/19.