Alice Cooper has thanked a man in his home state of Arizona with a signed copy of his latest album after the man found Cooper's credit card in a gas pump. After Cooper had been golfing in the Payson, Ariz. area, he'd lost his card at a gas station after leaving it at a pump. It was later found by a local named Geoff Guy, who somehow managed to get it back to the veteran shock-rocker, and was rewarded with a signed copy of his latest album, The Revenge Of Alice Cooper. After finding the card, Guy's wife suggested he call Cooper's Phoenix-based charity, the Alice Cooper Solid Rock Teen Center, and, after doing so, he was able to get it back to Cooper on June 8, right before the rocker set off on his European tour. "The guy is a legend for people of my generation, that's for sure, and I'm really glad I could help get it back to him," Guy told a local TV station. Cooper and Guy appeared side by side in a local news segment, with Cooper stopping for pictures and thanking Guy for making "a good call" right before he set off for his tour. The tour kick-off follows Cooper announcing details of a new "definitive autobiography" titled Devil On My Shoulder, and confirming plans for a new Q&A book tour for later in 2026. Guy was interviewed about the incident on the Chaz and AJ podcast, which can be streamed on Instagram. - New Musical Express, 6/14/26...... 
Carly Simon has revealed the first single on her upcoming first album in 20 years will be "Howl," a letter to a friend whose lover has just left them. "'Howl' lives in that space between betrayal and forgiveness, where anger has to be voiced before it can be released," the 82-year-old singer/songwriter said in a press release about the track. "It's about letting the frustration out, so it doesn't sit and simmer. The song begins in anger, but it moves toward forgiveness and speaks to any situation where trust has been broken." The lyrics include the words, "Howl like the wind/Roar like the river/Wail like the rain/Cry, shout, and shiver," before it says, "Call love a liar." Simon wrote and recorded her new album, titled Comes in Waves, at her studio in Martha's Vineyard. It contains nine new songs, plus two songs she had written previously and revisited. Her children, son Ben Taylor, and daughter, Sally Taylor, both feature on the album, and Sally produced the artwork for the album. Simon's label says the theme of Comes in Waves is "resetting oneself." The album "does not attempt to recreate the past," according to a statement, but "continues the conversation Simon has been having with her audience for decades, one grounded in truth, vulnerability, and a refusal to simplify emotion. It is a reminder of an artist still fully engaged with her craft, still asking questions, and still finding new ways to articulate what it means to live, to love, and to let go." Comes In Waves will drop on Aug. 14. - Music-News.com, 6/12/26...... Michael, the box office smash Michael Jackson biopic that premiered on Apr. 24, has surpassed the 2018 Freddie Mercury/Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody as the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, crossing $911.9 million worldwide as it continues its global rollout. The Lionsgate and Universal co-production has surpassed Bohemian Rhapsody's total gross with $358.6 million at the domestic box office and $553.3 million internationally -- with Universal generating $540.5 million of the international total after acquiring foreign theatrical and ancillary rights. With the film opening in Japan on June 14, Michael is expected to push past $1 billion worldwide in 2026, joining the company of Universal's Super Mario Galaxy Movie. By comparison, Bohemian Rhapsody grossed $216.6 million domestically and $694.3 million internationally for a $910.9 million global total. Both films were produced by Graham King, meaning King has now broken his own all-time box office record for music biopics. Michael's other records include the largest global opening weekend ever for a music biopic, the highest-grossing domestic biopic of all time, and the most successful biopic ever in France, surpassing La Vie en Rose. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by John Logan and with Michael's nephew Jaafar Jackson in the titular role, the film was forced to undertake $50 million in reshoots after the Jackson estate identified a key issue with a plot point in the screenplay concerning one of Jackson's accusers, who was not meant to be dramatised in the film. Meanwhile, MJ child abuse accusers James Safechuck and Wade Robson have been given a new trial date for 2028. The pair, who appeared in the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland where they detailed their alleged abuse by Jackson, allege that they were befriended by the singer and abused at his Neverland ranch in Santa Barbara, Calif., between the ages of 7 and 10. They also accused employees of his companies, MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures, of helping enable and conceal the alleged abuse. Robson, a choreographer and director, and Safechuck, a writer, actor, and director, sued MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures for negligence, breach of duty, and intentional infliction of emotional distress in separate lawsuits in 2013 and 2014, respectively. After consolidating their cases in 2024, the two men and their lawyer, John Carpenter, previously wanted their case heard before the release of the recently released Michael biopic, but the case faced a series of delays and was previously set for trial in October 2027. On June 12, a judge in California agreed to set a new trial date in the sexual abuse case brought by the men. Judge Michael E. Whitaker set the new trial date for Feb. 14, 2028, but he ordered everyone back for another hearing in September to keep the case on track. The Jackson estate has adamantly and repeatedly denied that he abused either of the boys, and has emphasised that Robson testified at Jackson's 2005 criminal trial that he had not been abused, and Safechuck said the same to authorities. - Billboard/NME, 6/14/26...... On June 10 the music publishing and talent management company Primary Wave announced it has entered into a new partnership with the estate of late '70s disco icon Donna Summer. The deal will see Primary Wave work alongside Summer's estate to expand the reach of her song catalog and recordings. It also includes her name, image and likeness (NIL) rights. Through the agreement, the company will work closely with the estate on new marketing, branding digital and sync opportunities, along with film and TV projects. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. According to a press release, Summer, a primary force in bringing disco to the mainstream, has sold more than 100 million albums globally. Her catalog includes 17 studio albums, three of which went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200. That includes 1978's Bad Girls, which spent six weeks atop the tally. She also enjoyed four No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, including "Hot Stuff," "Bad Girls," "MacArthur Park" and "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)," and placed a total of 14 songs in that chart's top 10. The five-time Grammy winner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2025. She died in 2012 at age 63. - Billboard, 6/10/26...... 
Speaking to reporters on the red carpet after attending the 55th annual Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony on June 11, John Fogerty said he thought "whoever that Bob Dylan guy was" would be a great fit to portray him in a planned biopic of the legendary Creedence Clearwater Revival co-founder and frontman. Fogerty, of course, was referring to the hot young actor Timothee Chalamet, who took on the role of the iconic singer-songwriter for the critically acclaimed biopic A Complete Unknown. Earning a BAFTA nod and eight Oscar nominations, the film saw Chalamet perform some of Dylan's biggest hits himself, rather than mime them. Fogerty said he was "really excited" about the biopic of his life which is currently in the works, with the script currently being written. "That's such an honou, to get a movie made about you," he said. "I'm thrilled and happy that this is finally going to come out. I think they're working on it. That's about all I can say." When asked who he'd want to play him in a film about him, Fogerty quipped, "I used to joke, 'Oh, Brad Pitt!'. Speaking to another reporter the same night, the "Centerfield" singer was asked about his dream casting, and said he'd pick: "Whoever that Bob Dylan guy was. That would be great." The musician kept details of the new film largely under wraps, but told The Hollywood Reporter he'd be content with whoever got cast. "Years ago, probably in the middle of all the dark times, I would tell people, 'Someday they're going to make a movie about me, but I'll be too old to play myself,'" he said. "It's kind of like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz singing about someday.... Whoever they find that makes it work, I'll be happy with." - NME, 6/14/26...... Speaking of Bob Dylan, the rock bard has delved into his The Basement Tapes LP once again, this time playing "I Shall Be Released" for the first time in 18 years at a recent concert. During his gig at Oregon's Cuthbert Amphitheatre on June 9, Dylan brought back the song he last played at a 2008 concert in Warsaw. He wrote the track in 1967, and he and the Band recorded it during their "Basement Tapes sessions." The Band also recorded their own version of the song without Dylan, and they used it as the closing track on their 1968 debut Music From Big Pink. It comes after he opened a previous Washington gig on June 6 with anotherBasement Tapes cut, "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere." The song, which he hasn't played in concert since 2012, saw him joined on vocals by his guitarists Doug Lancio and Bob Britt, a callback to the Larry Campbell and Charlie Sexton era in the late '90s to early '00s, when it was far more common for his bandmates to sing with him. - NME, 6/13/26...... Paul McCartney has paid tribute to his artist friend David Hockney, who passed away peacefully at his home in the UK on June 11 at the age of 88. The Bradford native died after a career that saw him lauded as one of the most influential and celebrated artists of the 20th century. A defining figure in British art, his works included "A Bigger Splash" and "Portrait Of An Artist (Pool With Two Figures)." One of the friends he made over the years was Beatles legend McCartney, who has shared a personal tribute to him on his Instagram page. Alongside a photo of the two arm in arm, McCartney wrote: "David Hockney was a friend and an incredible painter. I knew him during the 1960s and kept a friendship going till he died on Thursday, the 11th of June. He was very clever witty and fun to be with." "His paintings often gave off a feeling of great joy," he added. "Nancy and I enjoyed visiting his studios in California where we took a drive along Mulholland Drive which he made famous all over again in his sensational paintings. Or in his London studio. The rooms were filled with paintings. Often some of the most recent pictures that he had done. He would talk about them and his very particular views on art. He felt that it was important to see correctly. He wasn't a great fan of perspective and was always involved in inventing new ways to view the world. His many paintings, drawings, films and other media like iPad drawing he took readily to and mastered." Meanwhile, Sir Paul has defended the lyrics to "Momma Gets By," the closing track of his acclaimed new album The Boys of Dungeon Lane. The song concerns a put-upon wife who shoulders the burden of family life while her feckless husband shirks his responsibilities. "Momma gets by while papa gets high," McCartney sings, "She makes enough to raise a family." Later, he adds: "Even though he's complicated, she takes it in her stride / What are his silly faults compared to what she feels inside?" Certain corners of the internet and music press have questioned the song's gender politics, with one fan writing on Reddit: "It's a nice melody, lovely string arrangement, but the lyrics and message that it's ok to have a deadbeat drug addict absentee husband / co parent if you love him? Really odd, and so impersonal!" Speaking to UK comedian Rob Brydon onstage at The Roundhouse in north London on June 10, McCartney explained: "Sometimes you write songs about somebody you know, or an experience that you've had. And sometimes you just make 'em up 'cause you're in a more theatrical mood. I imagined this [track] like a play. I don't know the characters, but I'm imagining the woman and then the song is told from the perspective of the kid. So it just kind of unfolded itself. I was imagining the musical Porgy and Bess and that sort of thing. It's like a little theatrical story; a little musical theatre moment about this woman." He continued: "Some people would say, 'Oh, she's a bit of a sucker 'cause the guy's a bit of a waster.' But for me she's a very strong woman and it explains that in the song. I'm very proud of her and women like her." As the crowd cheered, McCartney added: "There's a lot of strong women out there." - NME, 6/13/26...... 
Queen drummer Roger Taylor has announced his seventh solo album, Violence Insane In A Beautiful World, will be arriving Sept.18. Marking his first full-length release since 2021's No. 3 UK LP Outsider, the drummer, songwriter and vocalist has launched the album with its first single, "Come On Summer (It's Party Time)," featuring a vibrant performance from South Africa's Ndlovu Youth Choir, who famously went viral for their Zulu-language rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. The album, recorded largely by Taylor himself with long-time collaborator Joshua J. Macrae and members of his touring band, explores what he calls the tension between the world's beauty and its escalating turmoil. He said: "There is a theme what a beautiful world we live in, don't f--- it up. The violence in the world seems to be as bad as it ever was but kindness is very important. It seems to be forgotten quite a lot." Although not a concept album, the record threads together Taylor's reflections on global conflict, environmental damage and political unrest, while still leaning into optimism and the "eclecticism" that has defined his solo work. The Ndlovu Youth Choir appear on three tracks -- a collaboration Taylor describes as transformative: "They're just wonderful it gives the songs a whole new dimension." The album also includes an emotional cover of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy," which Taylor calls "one of the greatest ballads ever written." Taylor will embark on a short UK tour behind the new album -- his only UK shows of 2026 - performing with the same band that joined him on the Outsider tour. The run begins Sept. 21 in Newcastle before heading to Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester, Swansea and London's Roundhouse, where Taylor last appeared as a guest of Foo Fighters in 2011. It wraps on Sept. 29 in Swansea. - Music-News.com, 6/10/26...... Bruce Springsteen has apologized to U2 frontman Bono for refusing to license "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" for a new advertisement for the clothing brand GAP in partnership with Bono's AIDS foundation (RED). While presenting Springsteen with the Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award at Tribeca Festival in New York on June 13, the Bono recalled asking the Boss to license the 2007 track after he'd joined forces with the clothing brand for the (PRODUCT) RED campaign, which raised money to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. "That was a big mistake," Springsteen said, drawing laughs. "I should have said yes." He called the song one of his "personal favorites" and one that the "audience doesn't really care" about. "That was just a song that I love," he continued. "Damn it, I still think back: 'Bono asked you to put this thing on a commercial on television.' I should have f---ing done it! People would hear it like a hit, you know? So I have to apologize." At the beginning of the event, Tribeca Festival founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal introduced Bono, who then heaped praise on the New Jersey rocker. "Bruce Springsteen is America," Bono said. "Bruce made poetry from the voices of the people and set that poetry to music. We honor him tonight as a musician and poet and as an activist and a patriot." In conversation, Bono and Springsteen talked about bringing political resistance to the masses with Springsteen's "Land Of Hope And Dreams" tour, throughout which he has used his time on stage to mount criticisms of the Donald Trump regime. It was prompted by the killing of two Minneapolis citizens by ICE agents earlier in the year, with the Boss saying that US citizens are "living through some very dark times" as the "American values that have sustained us for 250 years are being challenged as never before." Fan-shot video of Springsteen wrapping up the event by performing "Land of Hope and Dreams" can be viewed on Instagram. - NME, 6/14/26...... New Wave legends DEVO and The B-52s are set to perform at London's O2 on June 20, 2026, followed the next evening with a show at Manchester's AO Arena. The two UK dates come as an extension to their "Cosmic De-Evolution Tour," which has already seen them take to stages across the US and Canada. The two groups say they will rotate who tops the bill each night. "We keep trying to fight about who gets to be the opening band so we can go out to the restaurant after the show," said DEVO's Mark Mothersbaugh. Joining the two bands at the London and Manchester shows will be Scottish punk legends The Rezillos and fellow New Wave artist Lene Lovich. - NME, 6/13/26...... 
In a new interview with Vulture magazine, Paul Stanley says KISS' secret weapon has always been their larger-than-life personas. The rock icon says the face paint-wearing group have spent five decades as "Batman with a guitar and Superman with a Marshall amplifier," a comparison he made while looking back at the moments that turned KISS into one of rock's most enduring acts. Stanley pointed to the release of their raucous 1975 live album Alive! as the moment everything shifted. "Alive! was such a turning point for us," he said. "We wanted you to be in the crowd and have a sense of empowerment to hear the noise of people next to you between songs, because technology doesn't really allow for multisensory overload." The album, he added, finally showcased "the power and commitment of us as a band." He believes the band's visual identity -- the makeup and ageless personas -- has been just as crucial to their longevity as the music itself. Fans who see KISS today, he said, still feel like they're watching the same superhero figures they first encountered in the '70s. He added: "Part of what has been our strength over the years is looking the same onstage. The idea of being omnipotent, of being ageless, is incredibly powerful So in that way, we're timeless superheroes -- Batman with a guitar and Superman with a Marshall amplifier." Another way they are securing their legacy is with their digital avatar show. "There's no reason for us to live within the boundaries of other rock bands," the musician recently said on the Rock of Nations podcast. "They live within those boundaries because that's all they can be. And it's great, but we are not that -- we're KISS." - NME, 6/12/26...... The Rolling Stones have announced they're teaming up with Marvel Studios to launch a special vinyl collector series for their new album Foreign Tongues. For a limited time, a special collector's release of the album will be on offer -- replacing the original artwork with Marvel-inspired designs. There are five variants on offer, one shows the Hulk carrying a truck with the Stones' iconic lips logo on the side, one shows Spider-Man crafting the logo out of webs, and another shows Captain America crashing through a wall covered in the design. Other variations include Thor holding his hammer, with the lips logo being formed by lightning around him, and one of Wolverine standing in front of the design. Each design has been designed by Marvel illustrators especially for this release, and they can be pre-ordered at therollingstonesshop.com. Foreign Tongues is due July 10 via Polydor/Universal Music. Meanwhile, Stones frontman gave a surprise impromptu performance at the Half Moon pub in St Clements in Oxford on June 7, performing as part of the pub's weekly folk session. Jagger was in attendance with his partner, former American ballerina Melanie Hamrick, and they were there as guests of Oriel College. The college confirmed that the couple had drinks and dinner at the college, before heading off to the pub with Stones keyboard player Matt Clifford and Oriel Politics academic Robert Cheah. There, they delivered an impromptu performance of traditional song "Handsome Molly," which Jagger covered on his 1993 solo album Wandering Spirit. Speaking to BBC News about the surprise appearance, an employee at the Half Moon said that they were "delighted" by Jagger taking to the stage, and added that the venue "prides itself on its authentic atmosphere and welcoming community." "Our Sunday folk session has been going for many years and is open to everyone -- whether you're a beginner player or an international rock star," they added. "You never know what to expect at the Half Moon." Footage of the performance has been shared on Instagram. NME, 6/11/26...... As Taylor Swift prepares to wed fiance Travis Kelce in one of the biggest celebrity events of the season, the current reigning pop queen performed a duet with Randy Newman at the world premiere of Toy Story 5 in Los Angeles. Before a screening of the fifth instalment of Pixar's Toy Story film series, the music superstar took to the stage to sing "I Knew It, I Knew You" at a piano. In addition, Swift was joined by the Toy Story franchise's long-running composer Newman for a rendition of his 1995 track, "You've Got a Friend in Me." The theme song has been incorporated into the soundtracks of all of the Toy Story films, starting with the 1995 original. Swift, who recently became the youngest woman inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, thanked all the artists and animators who worked so hard on creating the feature. Swift's performance can be viewed on YouTube. - Music-News.com, 6/10/26...... 
A dystopian sci-fi movie based on the iconic 1973 Emerson, Lake & Palmer track "Karn Evil 9" is in development. The Radar Pictures-produced movie has secured a director and screenwriter, and reportedly has the cooperation of the band's management and surviving members. As reported by Variety, the film draws its name and thematic core from "Karn Evil 9," the sprawling half-hour track from the band's 1973 album, Brain Salad Surgery. Written by Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and lyricist Peter Sinfield, the piece fused rock, classical motifs, and futuristic dread in a way that had no clear precedent in popular music. Its album cover, designed by H.R. Giger, became an enduring image of the era. The official synopsis hints that the story complements contemporary anxieties. "When Zak, a brilliant but troubled musical prodigy, is invited to perform at a major music festival simulcast in the world's most popular video game, he is shocked to discover the game's mysterious creator may be using him to promote a terrifying new technology. In a harrowing twist, our hero comes to believe that this technology may be of inestimable benefit to humanity. And he is hunted by ruthless, anti-technology mercenaries." Isaac Ezban, the Mexican filmmaker behind the acclaimed thriller The Incident, has signed on to direct, while Tim Hedrick, a veteran writer on Avatar: The Last Airbender, has penned the screenplay. Ezban described the project in vivid terms. "This is, quite literally, a miracle of a movie and just the kind of movie I had always dreamt of directing," he said in a statement. Hedrick argued that "Karn Evil 9" functions as a cultural precursor to landmark sci-fi films. "'Karn Evil 9' predates The Matrix and The Terminator, but it anticipates both of those films, as well as our present moment of technological chaos. I can't wait to explore this world." - ComingSoon.net, 6/12/26.
Sunday, June 14, 2026
Favorite Seventies Artists In The News
Saturday, May 30, 2026
Favorite Seventies Artists In The News
In 2024, Disney World in Orlando announced that it would be rebranding its Aerosmith-themed roller coaster with a new ride centered around the Disney-owned The Muppets children's brand, and officially closed the ride in Dec. 2025. Now, the new Muppets-themed era has officially opened, and it features Muppets characters Dr. Teeth And The Electric Mayhem covering a 1997 hit from the English group Blur, "Song 2." Other songs featured on the soundtrack include Def Leppard's "Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)," Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild" featuring Camilla the Chicken, Katrina And The Waves' "Walking On Sunshine" featuring Kelly Clarkson, and Ohio Players' "Love Rollercoaster" featuring Jennifer Hudson and Questlove. The premise of the new ride is that the band, which features Animal on the drums, are on their way to a live show, but need to track down some of the members of The Electric Mayhem who have gone missing. The Aerosmith Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, which had been in operation for over two decades until its closing, was centered around an intense limousine ride to make it to a concert in time. The announcement of the new Disney ride can be viewed on Instagram. - New Musical Express, 6/8/26...... 
Paul McCartney's new studio effort The Boys of Dungeon Lane has debuted at No. 1 on three Billboard album charts, including Top Album Sales, Vinyl Albums and Indie Store Album Sales. The LP, which dropped on May 29, also launched at No. 2 on Top Rock Albums, No. 2 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums and No. 5 on the overall Billboard Hot 200 for the week dated June 13. Dungeon Lane is Macca's 22nd top 10 album on the Billboard 200, inclusive of his solo top 10s and his albums with Wings. Dungeon Lane earned 63,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its debut frame (week ending June 4), according to Luminate. The album's sales (59,500) were bolstered by its availability across 18 physical variants, including more than 10 vinyl editions. Vinyl purchases accounted for 32,000 of the album's opening-week sales. Meanwhile in the U.K., Dungeon Lane has extended Sir Paul's streak as the most successful albums artist on the U.K.'s Official Albums Chart, dated June 5. The album, produced by Andrew Watt and featuring Ringo Starr, is Macca's 24th chart-topping LP in the country, including his work with The Beatles, Wings and as a solo act. Elsewhere, McCartney has opened up to podcast host Zane Lowe about the strategies he uses to stay relatable while living under a lifelong global spotlight, as well as how modern technology has fundamentally changed his creative songwriting process. Reflecting on the realities of global fame, the artist admitted that he now enforces a strict boundary when fans approach him in public, explicitly refusing requests for casual photographs. "The thing nowadays though of course is photographs," he explained. "I'll meet someone and say, 'Oh, I know what they're reaching for'. They got the camera and it's coming out. But I've got a thing now and I say, 'I'm sorry I don't do pictures. So now I hope you understand, but I'm having a private evening.'" - Billboard/Music-News.com, 6/9/26...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, The Beatles and Apple Corps Ltd have come together to officially recognize Global Beatles Day, which will be celebrated on June 25 -- the same date back in 1967 when the legendary quartet walked into Studio One at London's Abbey Road Studios, and did the first international satellite television broadcast of their song, "All You Need Is Love." That now-iconic track was broadcast live as part of BBC's Our World, and reached an estimated 400 million people around the globe. It was the idea of lifelong Beatles fan Faith Cohen to commemorate the date in 2009, and it has been an unofficial way for fans to celebrate the band in the years since. Celebrations have included singalongs in Buenos Aires, and fan gatherings in Liverpool, tribute concerts in Tokyo and Beatles-themed exhibitions in New York City. Now, The Beatles and Apple Corps Ltd are formally acknowledging the day, and launching online and in-person events around the world that celebrate the band on June 25, 2026. More details about those events will be unveiled soon, and to mark the occasion, The Beatles will also release a colourized version of their aforementioned BBC Our World performance of "All You Need Is Love" for free. Available on YouTube from June 25, the release marks the first time the iconic performance has been made available online, and will give fans worldwide the chance to relive that moment from 1967 and share their reaction in the live chat. Writing to Cohen recently, Apple Corps CEO Tom Greene praised the fan-led initiative, and explained why they wanted to officially recognize the occasion. "More than ever, the message of The Beatles, and of 'All You Need Is Love' speaks to something vital for community, connection, and the power of bringing people together," he wrote. "That is what makes Global Beatles Day so special. It asks nothing more than for people, wherever they are, to stop, listen, and share a little joy." Meanwhile, Ringo Starr has announced he's teaming up with the charity WaterAid, which advocates clean water and sanitation for impoverished countries in Africa, Asia and Central America, to launch limited-edition merchandise to mark World Ocean Day on 8 June. A pop-art portrait of Starr, featuring his signature moustache and glasses, adorns a range of clothes and accessories including T shirts, hoodies and tote bags that will be available for purchase. The global water crisis is an issue close to Ringo's heart, and one he has championed for many years. "Clean water is a human right and everyone, everywhere should have it," the "Octopus's Garden" singer/songwriter explained. "That's why I support WaterAid and this exclusive design, available on a range of merchandise for a limited time only. The money raised will go towards their clean water projects around the world. Real change starts with water, together we can make a difference. Peace, love and water." - NME/Music-News.com, 6/4/26...... In other charity event news, Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews have announced that the 2026 edition of the long-running concert series will be held in Virginia this year for the first time. The latest fundraiser for American family farmers will touch down at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater on Sept. 26, with sets from the above-mentioned four acts, as well as Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff, Turnpike Troubadours, Lukas Nelson, Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, Jesse Welles, and more. "Family farmers grow our food and strengthen our communities. And when farmers struggle like they are now, communities feel it too," said Farm Aid Nelson in a statement. "The challenges farmers face threaten their livelihoods and put all of us at risk. We're bringing Farm Aid to Virginia to stand with the farmers and fishers who feed Hampton Roads and beyond -- and to grow a food system that works for everyone." Since its founding in 1985, Farm Aid has raised more than $90 million for programs that help support family farmers and expand the Good Food Movement, which prioritizes locally grown, organic, humanely raised food. According to a press release, attendees of this year's festival will get to see farmers' contributions firsthand via Homegrown Concessions, which will offer a fresh menu with ingredients grown and raised by farmers using ecological practices, as well as hands-on activities in exhibits about soil, water, energy and farming. More info can be found on the Farm Aid website. - Billboard, 6/9/26...... The Guess Who's 2026 North American reunion tour rolled into Calgary, Alberta on June 8, opening the set with a spirited run through "Runnin' Back to Saskatoon," a track from their 1972 concert LP Live at the Paramount. Band principals Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings, who are touring under the Guess Who banner for the first time in 25 years, did not offer a detailed history of the song about the Saskatchewan city, but the concert was full of history lessons -- well, given the vintage of most of the audience members, perhaps they were more reminders than lessons. Cummings announced to the Scotiabank Saddledome crowd that he has known Bachman for more than 60 years, having met him as a teenager In Winnipeg. A remarkable run, of course, and one that seems quintessentially Canadian despite the act's success in the U.S. Along the way, there were numerous breakups and reunions and a triumphant court win that finally allowed them to tour under the Guess Who name. But, 60 years later, they are back in filling stadiums rather than casinos. Although there was the odd stately ballad -- the slightly prog-ish "A Wednesday in Your Garden" and Cummings' melodic "hippie" tune "Share The Land" -- the band was best when serving up straight rock 'n' roll, which was usually preceded by Cummings' asking some variation on whether Alberta liked to rock 'n' roll. Bachman's mid-'70s spinoff group Bachman-Turner Overdrive were represented by three of their classic-rock staples, including the concert-closing "Takin' Care of Business" and "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet." And there was something endearing about Cummings gamely taken on the role of a tambourine-wielding sidekick/backup singer as Bachman howled through BTO's "Let it Ride." Former Eagles guitarist Don Felder and his backing band of session pros opened the show with offering a reasonable facsimile of the Eagles' easy harmonies on "One of These Nights," "Peaceful Easy Felling," "Heartache Tonight" and "Hotel California." - Canoe.com, 6/9/26...... 
Speaking of Canadian bands, a newly configured Rush launched its "Fifty Something Tour" at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on June 7, the first time the group's remaining members, singer/bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist/vocalist Alex Lifeson, have toured without their late beloved drummer Neil Peart in more than 50 years, since the trio rocket-launched out of Toronto in the mid-70s. As such it was only right to put Peart at the center of the affair, with the tour billed as a celebration of his legacy and of the band's half-century of music. Lee himself said that "Alex and I have done some serious soul searching and come to the decision that we f--king miss it So [we're] going to hit the road once again to pay tribute to our past and to Neil by performing a vast selection of Rush songs in a handful of cities. No small task, because as we all know Neil was irreplaceable." The show opened with a six-minute intro video that found a trio of young people entering a gothic castle while searching for Rush, encountering characters from the Rush universe, including the sausage-maker introduced during the band's 2010 "Time Machine Tour," the owl from the cover of Fly By Night and actors Jason Segel and Paul Rudd, who reprised their Rush-loving characters from the 2009 comedy I Love You, Man. Five standout elements from the evening included Peart's replacement Anika Nilles making her tour debut with an incredible performance behind the kit, playing mightily and with tremendous strength and stamina as she powered through the 22-song setlist. Forty percent of the setlist -- which unfolded over two sets broken up by a short intermission -- focused on Rush's hugely influential work from the early '80s. The band played three songs from 1980's Permanent Waves, four from 1981's Moving Pictures and two from 1984's Grace Under Pressure. But the rest of the setlist acknowledged that Rush also did important work in four other decades, taking from 1975's Fly By Night, 1991's Roll The Bones, 2007's Snakes & Arrows and more. They also created a sort of full circle by incorporating two songs from the band's final studio LP, Clockwork Angels, with the show closing with "Working Man" from Rush's 1974 self-titled debut. While Lee advised that the tour would "pay tribute to our past and to Neil," "tribute" seems too small a word for how Peart was thoughtfully and frequently woven into the show. There were two separate instances when his voice came through the speakers, as he first talked about getting into drumming as a kid who was, "smashing pots and pans and my parents got the idea that I liked to hit things with sticks, so for my 13th birthday they gave me drum lessons, this changed everything." The band then played "Bravado" while a photo montage of the later drummer flashed onscreen. - Billboard, 6/8/26...... Sharon Osbourne has responded to accusations of a "cash grab" over an new avatar of her late husband Ozzy Osbourne. News of an AI avatar of the Prince Of Darkness was confirmed by his widow and former manager Sharon in May, as well as by their son Jack Osbourne, during a discussion about the future of Ozzy's brand at Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. Speaking on a recent The Osbournes podcast, Sharon defended the decision to create an Ozzy AI avatar, and rejected claims that she and the family are simply doing it as a way to make money off the late rock legend. "The thing is, it's like when there were propellers and then there were jet planes. [People would question] 'Why go on a jet when there's a propeller? It's a cash grab'." "Well, you know what, technology moves on," she continued. "And I'm sorry for those people. I'm not asking you to come. I don't want your f--king money. I don't need your f--king money. I'm doing very well." She also said that she sees the endeavour as something that "will pass on through our family" and help their grandchildren remember Ozzy, while Jack said that it was only a matter of time before someone else took the idea. "Either we do it or someone else is gonna do it," he said, "And for me, it's not about pretending he's still alive. It's making sure he's never forgotten." - NME, 6/8/26...... Bob Dylan revisited a deep cut from his catalog at his June 6 show at the Chateau Ste Michelle Winery in Woodinville, Washington, performing The Basement Tapes track "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" for the first time in 14 years. The rock bard opened the show with the 1967 song, last played live in 2012, with guitarists Doug Lancio and Bob Britt providing light backing vocals. While the cut itself has long enjoyed a second life through cover versions -- most notably by The Byrds, who took their 1968 rendition to No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers -- Dylan himself has rarely returned to it onstage. The performances are the latest signs of Dylan continuing to mine his vast back catalog on the "Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour," which has now stretched on for more than five years since its launch in late 2021. Dylan also recently contributed a co-written song to Willie Nelson's new album Dream Chaser, released in May 2026, and was reported last year to be working on new music with members of his touring band in Albany, N.Y. - Billboard, 6/8/26...... 
Elvis Costello has told people who accused him of being "woke" for removing the N-word from his 1979 single "Oliver's Army" to "go f--k yourself." In 2022, the legendary British New Wave artist called on radio stations to stop playing the 1979 single, due to its controversial inclusion of the lyric, "Only takes one itchy trigger / One more widow, one less white n-----." Costello's anti-imperialist song was meant as a satirical take on how governments and militaries use working class young people as soldiers in their battles, and Elvis has long argued that the use of the N-word was a reference to how Catholics were historically referred to in Northern Ireland. However, he said in 2022 that he had decided to stop playing it live and called on radio stations to stop giving it airtime. "[Bleeping the word out] is a mistake," he said at the time. "They're making it worse by bleeping it for sure. Because they're highlighting it then. Just don't play the record!" Costello did decide to start playing the song again in 2025, switching the line to "one more widow, another pallbearer," and in a new interview with The London Times, the "Watching the Detectives" singer has once again explained why he has chosen not to use the original lyrics. "I no longer use words that go off like alarm clocks, because indignation about that word stops people hearing what the song is about," he said. "That is my position. People went, 'that's woke'. Well, go f--k yourself." He added further context to his decision to include the N-word in the first place, explaining: "That's what my grandfather was called in the British army -- it's historically a fact -- but people hear that word go off like a bell and accuse me of something that I didn't intend." Costello is currently touring the UK with The Imposters and Charlie Sexton, with dates in Birmingham, London, Portsmouth and Newcastle to come at the end of June and the start of July. They are also set to support Neil Young And The Chrome Hearts during a run of UK and European dates. Those dates kick off on June 19 in Manchester, and continue later in the month with stops in France and Scotland, before heading over to Ireland and Wales the following month. - NME, 6/8/26...... Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Public Enemy, Little Steven Van Zandt, Sheryl Crow, Jackson Browne, David Sancious, and more performed across two nights of the "Music America: The Songs That Shaped Us" concerts at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, this week, with the second night on June 5 featuring a particularly notable return -- Bon Jovi's first public performance in his native New Jersey since 2018. The two-night concert series serves as the cornerstone event for the opening of the new Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, N.J., which officially opens to the public June 13. Springsteen opened Friday's show with a roaring rendition of Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock," followed by Presley's "Burning Love," backed by the Disciples of Soul under music director Marc Ribler. Bon Jovi then took the stage for Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" -- his first public vocal performance in his home state since 2018, when he stepped back from touring due to vocal cord issues. The performance came as Bon Jovi's full band prepares for a nine-show residency at Madison Square Garden in July. Other highlights including Jackson Browne representing the 1970s singer-songwriter era with his own "For America," while 86-year-old singer/songwriting legend Dion delivering "The Wanderer" alongside a stirring "Abraham, Martin and John." Mavis Staples performed The Band's "The Weight" to represent the activist sounds of the 1960s while younger generations were treated to Public Enemy and "Fight the Power." The night closed with group performances of "Further On Down the Road," "Raise Your Hand" and "I Don't Want to Go Home," before Springsteen ended with a solo rendition of "Land of Hope and Dreams." The 30,000-square-foot Springsteen Center for American Music at Monmouth University is scheduled to open June 13, featuring multiple exhibit spaces, state-of-the-art archives, a 250-seat Dolby soundstage and over a dozen interactive experiences. - Billboard, 6/7/26...... Deep Purple have shared the latest taste of their upcoming new album SPLAT! with the pummelling track "Diablo." "It is all about taking chances," says DP frontman Ian Gillan. "Just for once in your life, do something exciting, step out of the mould, take that curious bend in the road instead of sticking to the highway and do something that will, for the rest of your life, either guide or warn you." SPLAT! sees Deep Purple reuniting with the celebrated producer Bob Ezrin (KISS, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed), and it has been described as one of the group's heaviest albums in several years, with the tracks having been laid down live in the studio. According to Gillan, "where we are now with this incarnation of Deep Purple feels very much like a very 'now' version of Deep Purple as it was in the seventies." "Diablo" is available on Spotify.com and other streaming services now, and the video premiered on June 7. - NME, 6/6/26...... 
In a new interview with the celebrity outlet Page Six, Peter Frampton says he's been staying positive amid his fight against the rare and progressive muscle disease Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM). Frampton, 76, said he feels like the "luckiest guy alive" despite announcing in 2019 that he was fighting the disease that causes a "slow, painless muscle weakening and inflammation," typically affecting the wrists, fingers and quadriceps, according to the Cleveland Clinic. While there is currently no cure for the disease, Frampton said he's a "very positive person. I know the endgame, but it doesn't bother me," describing how he's learned how to change his life by using a cane and a grabber tool at home, as well as switching up his signature guitar style. "It's a challenge, and I'm always up for a challenge," the guitarist/singer said about learning new ways to strum due to the disease, whose symptoms can be delayed somewhat by physical therapy. "My outlook on it is, 'That's life,'" said Frampton, who released his 19th studio album as a solo artist and first one of all new song in 16 years in May, Carry the Light. In addition, a new documentary, Frampton, was screened on June 4 at the Tribeca Festival in New York. "I've been so lucky. I've had an up-and-down career, but in the long run, I look at everything. Look at the last 60 years. Wow, I'm the luckiest guy alive!," he told Page Six. - Billboard, 6/5/26...... The Beach Boys are celebrating the 60th anniversary of their iconic, experimental album Pet Sounds with a new line of Pet Sounds merch and apparel that are available online, including a Pet Sounds T-shirt, nylon coaches jacket, giraffe tote bag, Rhino stainless steel insulated tumbler, and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" jersey. The items, along with a new Pet Sounds Sessions Highlights 2-CD set, will be available on Amazon.com on June 15. - Billboard, 6/4/26...... Timeless, an album of rare and unreleased tracks from the vault of late funk/rock icon Prince, will be released on Aug. 28 via Legacy Recordings. The 10-track LP spans across the iconic musician's four-decade career, all carefully curated by the Prince estate and never before released. Released in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of Prince's death from an accidental fentanyl overdose at the age of 57, it includes recordings created between 1977 and 2016, and it includes "With This Tear," the song shared in April on the exact anniversary of his passing. On June 1-7, Prince's hometown of Minneapolis celebrated "Prince Week," and the city's skyline was illuminated in purple on June 6, with listening sessions, archival presentations and other events taking place all week at Paisley Park and downtown Minneapolis. - NME, 6/4/26...... Jackson 5 member Jermaine Jackson has, for the first time, filed court papers denying that he raped a session musician coordinator in 1988 -- and he wants to axe a $6.5 million judgment in her lawsuit. Jackson was found liable by default in May after failing to respond to Rita Butler Barrett's sexual assault and battery claims for more than two years. But on June 2, Jackson said he didn't ignore the claims on purpose. "I did not know this lawsuit was pending in time to respond," wrote Jackson in a court declaration, obtained by Billboard. "I did not rape plaintiff. I did not sexually assault plaintiff. I deny the material allegations of the complaint, deny liability and dispute damages. I request the opportunity to defend this case on the merits." Barrett, a music contractor who worked with Jackson in the late 1980s, sued the singer in 2023 under a one-year legislative window that allowed rape victims to bring claims that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations. She alleged that in the spring of 1988, Jackson showed up at her Los Angeles-area home unannounced, forced his way through the door and violently raped her. Barrett's attorneys obtained a $6.5 million default judgment after trying and failing to serve Jackson at an Encino address and then publishing multiple notices in the Los Angeles Times. Yet Jackson maintains that all this was ineffectual because he lives abroad in Bahrain, and the newspaper notices used his "obsolete former legal name." Jackson changed his name in 2013 to "Jermaine LaJuane Jacksun." His attorney, Bret Lewis, argued in a motion that notices using the old name "Jermaine Jackson" were not enough to alert the singer to Barrett's claims. Jackson's June 2 motion urged Judge Elaine W. Mandel to vacate the $6.5 million default judgment and allow him to fully defend himself against Barrett's allegations. The judge is set to consider this request at a June 30 hearing in Los Angeles. In other Jackson family news, it's been revealed that Michael Jackson spent time working on his own dark fantasy game with an original soundtrack. In a new blog post on his site dperry.com, Shiny Entertainment founder David Perry revealed that Jackson contacted him to find out if he could play their upcoming game Enter The Matrix early. Afterwards, Jackson invited Perry to help him think about a Michael Jackson video game. "We began taking meetings at Neverland and exploring what the game could be. The important thing is that we were not trying to make a vanity project," Perry wrote. "The concept we explored was a serious, cinematic, third-person action-adventure game. Michael would not be the main character. Instead, he would bring something more powerful: original music, imagination, access to the worlds of film and celebrity, and his unique sense of wonder." The project was never completed because "life took its turn", says Perry. Seven months after Enter The Matrix launched, Jackson was charged with seven counts of child molestation, before being acquitted two years later. He died in June 2009. "We had never signed an actual contract to publish the game, and I will not be releasing the materials," Perry added. "But the conversations were real, and the idea still feels meaningful to me." - Billboard/NME, 6/4/26..... 
Motörhead have announced the seventh "Lemmy Forever" ceremony taking place at the UK's Download Festival 2026 taking place Donington Park in Leicestershire from June 10 to 14, and will house some of frontman Lemmy Kilmister's ashes permanently in Manchester after the festival. The iconic singer and bassist, who is considered to be one of the most influential figures in metal history, died in Dec. 2015 at age 70, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. For years now, there has been a tribute to him at Download Festival, following from the heavy metal icon playing there in 2005, 2008, 2010, and 2013, and also joining Slash on stage in 2013. Set to take place on June 12 at 3:00 pm GMT, the tribute comes as part of the ongoing "Lemmy Forever" initiative and will be held at the onsite Lemmy's Lounge. There, a miniature of Lemmy's custom urn containing a portion of some of his ashes will be enshrined in a classic fruit machine -- something those closest to him say he took on the road with him. After the festival wraps on June 14, those same ashes will be transported to Manchester Apollo, where a further "Lemmy Forever" ceremony will take place and those ashes will remain there permanently. At the Manchester ceremony, fans and friends are encouraged to come together and share stories about the Motörhead icon and remember the huge impact he had with his music. - NME, 6/9/26...... Legendary 94-year-old music executive Clive Davis was released from a New York hospital on June 4 after being admitted on May 29 for an upper respiratory issue. A representative for Davis told TMZ.com that he was admitted to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. The hospitalization came just days after Davis attended the Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction in New York City. A four-time Grammy winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Davis is widely regarded as one of the most influential executives in modern music history. - Billboard, 6/4/26.
On June 3 the team behind ABBA's virtual concert experience Voyage announced the launching of a new education program at east London's custom-built ABBA Arena, aimed at helping young people pursue careers in music and the creative industries. To help celebrate the launch, ABBA members Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad made a rare public appearance at ABBA Arena, situated in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, joining nearly 3,000 children for a one-off event that included a Q&A hosted by U.K. broadcaster Vernon Kay. "Music has an incredible ability to stimulate creativity and confidence in young people," ABBA said in a press release. "We hope this program helps inspire young people to be curious about the world of performing arts and what they can achieve in the future. We feel privileged that ABBA Voyage can play a part in that journey." Developed in partnership with the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), the initiative builds on a series of education and community projects that ABBA Voyage has run over the past four years which to date have te engaged more than 8,500 young people through concerts, careers workshops, employment opportunities and more. ABBA Voyage opened in London in May 2022, bringing the Swedish pop icons back to the stage as digital 'ABBAtars' alongside a live 10-piece band. The production has since welcomed millions of visitors and become one of the most successful live music attractions in the U.K. - Billboard, 6/3/26...... 
Meanwhile, Alice Cooper has issued a stark warning over his fears of an AI "rock star." Interviewed by Eddie Trunk on the SiriusXM channel Trunk Nation, Cooper explained how he could create a "rock star" on his own. "Well, here's the deal, I could right now create a rock star," said Alice, 78. "I could create a Yungblud, a guy that's really appealing, rock, tough, cool looking. I could create a guy named -- I don't care -- Starboy or whatever, and make him look great. He doesn't actually exist." The legendary shock-rocker went on to describe the kind of AI-generated rock star he could invent. "I could tell the AI, 'I want him to sound like Tom Petty and Freddie Mercury. And here's what the album's about. Write the songs,'" he said. "Okay, now you've got a rock star that doesn't exist, and you've got an album that doesn't exist except in this world." However, Alice -- who was born Vincent Damon Furnier but legally changed his name in 1975 -- pointed out there would be no original artist to claim authorship of the music. "What happens if it sells? Who gets the money? AI wrote the songs!" he said. "That's gonna happen. You watch that happen, because the guy that just suggested what it should be did not write the songs." The Coop also lamented the fact that AI "artists" had no lived experience of human emotion. "If I could tell it to write a song about Eddie Trunk joining The Rolling Stones, they would write you a great song - except for one thing," he declared. "The one thing it can't do - it's never been in love. It's never had its heart broken. It's never been angry. It's never been happy." This, he said, made it next to impossible for audiences to connect with AI-generated music. "It has no emotion," Alice said. "It has no heart, it has no feel, has no soul to it, and that's where it dies right there." - Music-News.com, 6/3/26...... As Taylor Swift prepares to release her own new music in early June, the contemporary pop sensation took to social media on June 2 for an Instagram Story post hyping up Paul McCartney's just-released new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane. Swift shared an Instagram post from Sir Paul promoting Dungeon Lane, and added her own message too (along with a bicep emoji): "Never not inspired by this eternally exceptional artist." The two pop superstars have previously crossed paths in 2015, sharing the stage to perform "Shake It Off" at a legendary Saturday Night Live 40th-anniversary afterparty. The pair also hooked up in 2020 for a Rolling Stone magazine feature in which McCartney revealed he had planned to ask Swift to join him onstage for his COVID-canceled Glastonbury set. "Were you going to invite me?" Swift asks. "I was hoping that you would," he said. "I was going to ask you." Not only was the Beatles legend going to extend his hand, he was planning to play "Shake It Off" with her again. "I know it, it's in C!" McCartney quipped. On June 5, Swift is set to release the song "I Knew It, I Knew You" from the Toy Story 5 soundtrack, and McCartney's Boys of Dungeon Lane dropped on May 29. Meanwhile, Macca has announced a special live event in London, where he'll discuss his new album. He'll appear in front of an audience at the Roundhouse in Camden Town on June 10 to speak about the journey behind the creation of his latest solo record, and reflect on the making of the LP from its earliest beginnings. The announcement post can be viewed on Instagram. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 6/2/26...... Amid continued buzz for the new Michael Jackson biopic Michael, the deep MJ cut "Chicago" has gone viral and debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 pop songs chart, among overall growth for his catalog as the late King of Pop's biopic Michael continues to dominate at the box office. The viral "Chicago" entered the Hot 100 for the week dated June 6 at No. 30, almost entirely from 10.7 million official chart-eligible streams (up 30% week over week) in the U.S. from May 22-28, according to data tracker Luminate. The song has drawn 388 million streams to date, with its latest frame up from 8.3 million (May 30-dated charts), 6.9 million (May 23), 5.4 million (May 16) and 3.8 million (May 9 -- reflecting the first week of tracking after Michael premiered on Apr. 24). Its May 9 chart sum was 83% higher than the week before. "Chicago" was released on Jackson's posthumous album Xscape in 2014, nearly five years after he died. The set produced two Hot 100 hits that year: "Love Never Felt So Good," with Justin Timberlake (No. 9 peak) and "Slave to the Rhythm" (No. 45). Jackson's iconic music has surged amid Michael's run, but "Chicago" stands out as not having been a major hit upon its original release -- and it's not featured in the film. On the May 23-dated Hot 100, six of his songs of charted simultaneously, with all having climbed to the top 10 and five having reached No. 1 in their original release schedules in the '70s-'80s: "Billie Jean," "Human Nature," "Beat It," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Dirty Diana" and "Rock With You." - Billboard, 6/1/26...... 
On June 1 a special concert event in New York City that supports "standing in unity against the authoritarian shifts threatening our democracy today" was announced for NYC's Town Hall on June 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Tickets can be purchased now at riseupsingout.com or on Ticketmaster.com. Viewers will also be able to livestream the concert event for free. "Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment" will feature performances by artists including Bette Midler, Patti Smith and Rufus Wainwright, with actresses Julia Roberts and Lily Gladstone also making appearances. Previously announced appearances include Jane Fonda -- who serves as founder of the Committee for the First Amendment -- plus Joy Reid, Sasha Allen and Broadway Inspirational Voices. "We can't sit idly by while our rights are at stake," Fonda said in a statement about the event. "History shows us that when democracy is threatened, song becomes one of our most powerful weapons. Right now, we are at a critical crossroads. It's time for us to rise up, raise our voices, and stand up against a government that refuses to put its people first. We are fighting back the best way we know how to: with our community and in solidarity." To coincide with the event, the No Kings Coalition is launching a nationwide organizing day on June 14 to bring people together at public and private watch parties in support of our First Amendment rights. - Billboard, 6/1/26...... Speaking on BBC Radio 2's Tracks of My Years on June 1, Mick Jagger said he "can't wait" to take The Rolling Stones back on the road, though fans shouldn't expect an imminent announcement. "I'd love to go on tour, I can't wait," the 82-year-old rock star said, before tempering expectations. "I don't think it's going to be this year. But hopefully it's going to be as soon as possible." Jagger's comments come after the band scrapped plans for a U.K. and European stadium tour in 2026 in late 2025, with reports that Keith Richards was unable to "commit" to the run. However Richards, also 82, has since hinted at a potential return to the road in 2027, and Jagger's latest remarks add weight to that possibility. Jagger's interview, with Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood also participating, comes ahead of the band's 25th studio album Foreign Tongues, due July 10 via Polydor/Universal Music. Meanwhile, Keith Richards has become a great-grandfather for the first time after his granddaughter, model Ella Richards announced the birth of her first child. Ella, who recently turned 30, revealed the happy news on Instagram, sharing a sweet photo of herself lying beside her newborn daughter, Luna, on a blanket. "30! Best birthday yet with our baby girl Luna," she captioned the image. Ella confirmed her pregnancy back in March with a black-and-white photograph showing her growing baby bump. Ella is the daughter of Marlon Richards, Keith's eldest son from his long relationship with the late model and actor Anita Pallenberg, who died in 2017 aged 75. Her mother is former model and stylist Lucie de la Falaise. Keith, who is a father of five and grandfather of eight, had been counting down to the birth ever since his granddaughter shared her pregnancy news in the spring. Reacting to her announcement on social media, the rocker commented, "Sending love and looking forward to welcoming my first great grandchild!" - Billboard/Music-News.com, 6/1/26...... Rod Stewart has addressed a recent health scare that forced him to cancel two Las Vegas shows at the last minute at the end of May. Stewart, 81, told fans at his concert on June 3 why he had to pull the plug on the shows. "I had this awful f---ing sinus infection. I should've gone to the hospital, but I didn't," he said in an Instagram video shared by user @jpasc24. Appearing relatively upbeat, the "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" singer assured fans that he's almost fully recovered. "When you've got your ears blocked up, it ruins your equilibrium," he explained, adding, "So I might stumble a bit tonight." On May 28, Stewart announced he had to cancel the weekend shows following advice from his doctor. "My apologies to my family of fans," he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I am on vocal rest as I recover from a sinus infection. I look forward to seeing you at a future show at Caesars Palace or on tour this summer. Sir Rod has had a lengthy series of concerts at Caesars Palace since 2011, beginning with the launch of his "The Hits" residency at the Colosseum, which wrapped up in 2024. In 2025, the venue welcomed him back for his new series, "The Encore Shows," which has concerts scheduled until the end of August. - The Toronto Sun, 6/3/26...... Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons have announced they will be touring this year due to frontman Valli's health. The singer, who turned 92 in May, canceled all remaining tour dates for 2026 in an Instagram announcement that went out on May 29. "I'm so sorry to disappoint the folks who have purchased tickets to my shows, but I have decided to take the rest of the year off from touring to focus on my health," Valli wrote. "I'm looking forward to getting healthy and seeing you all again soon," he added in his statement. "Thank you for all your good wishes." He did not provide further details about the unspecified health concerns. Valli has kept busy performing throughout the past few years on "The Last Encores Tour," the group's farewell run that started in 2023 and had most recently been extended through late 2026. He was expected to appear in select U.S. markets in June and July, followed by a string of dates in September through November. In 2025, Valli was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Recording Academy's Special Merit Awards, though he'd never won a Grammy -- and despite charting five No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 with The Four Seasons, dating back to 1962 with "Sherry," which launched at the top after Dick Clark introduced it on American Bandstand, and two as a solo performer, including the 1978 title track for Grease. "This has been an incredible evening," he said at the ceremony, quipping, "I don't know what took so long, but that's the way it goes." - Billboard, 5/30/26...... Appearing on ABC's Good Morning America on June 1, Barry Manilow said he has no idea if his voice is "coming back." But the "Mandy" hitmaker, who will release his latest studio effort What a Time on June 5, said he's raring to get back onstage and is in "great shape" physically, but his vocals have been impacted since undergoing a lobectomy to treat lung cancer. "My voice -- I don't know whether it's coming back," he told GMA. "I did my first sound check about a month ago and I didn't sound like me at all. I just couldn't believe that it's over," he added. Manilow, 82, is next due onstage on June 25. He also has a Las Vegas residency in July. In Dec. 2025, he announced he had been diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer after the disease was detected during an MRI after hearing about recent bouts of bronchitis. The singer postponed his farewell tour in December after doctors discovered the cancerous spot on his left lung. He later rescheduled additional shows, explaining that although he is getting "stronger," he has struggled with the slow pace of recovery. - Music-News.com, 6/3/26...... 
Art Garfunkel was among the special surprise guests during singer Charlie Puth's May 29 concert at Madison Square Garden. The first surprise was an appearance from Garfunkel for a heartfelt duet with Puth on Simon & Garfunkel's "The Boxer," a Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit in 1969 that was a track on the duo's final studio album, Bridge Over Troubled Water. "He learned how to make his records from me and Paul [Simon]," Garfunkel told the Big Apple audience. "You're my student." Puth agreed: "I am your student. I'm not just saying that because all these wonderful people are here. The reason that I'm here right now is because of the music you've written with Paul. It's amazing." Other surprise guests included The Tonight Show's Jimmy Fallon and rapper Busta Rhymes. Puth headlined the famed NYC venue as part of his "Whatever's Clever World Tour," which kicked off in late April in support of his 2026 Whatever's Clever! album. Video from the show can be viewed on Instagram. - Billboard, 5/30/26...... Speaking of New York City, officials have announced they will co-name a street to honor late guitar god Jimi Hendrix. West 8th Street will be co-named "Jimi Hendrix Way" during a ceremony on June 10 at 11 a.m., honoring the legendary guitarist and cultural icon. Led by NYC Council Member Harvey Epstein, the Greenwich Village ceremony takes place at the corner of Sixth Avenue and West 8th Street, situated just one block from the historic Electric Lady Studios which Hendrix famously founded. The public celebration was originally scheduled for Feb. 24 but had to be postponed due to severe winter weather delays. The ceremony -- open to the public -- will feature a star-studded lineup of guest speakers, including TeachRock founder Stevie Van Zandt and Janie Hendrix, the President and CEO of Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. They will be joined by a host of musical luminaries, including Grammy-winning Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, legendary songwriter Valerie Simpson, longtime David Letterman orchestra guitarist Felicia Collins, and acclaimed audio engineer Eddie Kramer, who worked intimately with Hendrix to build Electric Lady Studios. Local students and educators will also attend to mark the connection between the historic neighborhood and modern classrooms. - Music-News.com, 6/3/26...... Legendary music mogul Clive Davis was hospitalized at a New York City hospital on May 29. A representative for the 94-year-old Davis told TMZ.com that he is being treated for an upper respiratory infection and was admitted to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. The hospitalization comes just days after Davis attended the Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction in New York City, Page Six reports. The iconic Columbia and Arista Records label boss, who helped shape the careers of artists including Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana and Alicia Keys, has faced health challenges in the past. In Feb. 2021, Davis postponed his annual pre-Grammy gala after being diagnosed with Bell's palsy, a temporary condition that causes weakness or paralysis in facial muscles. "He's being treated with antibiotics and steroids and will make a full recovery within six to eight weeks, at which point he plans to host the second installment of the virtual pre-Grammy gala," his rep said at the time. Davis' star-studded pre-Grammy gala has been held on the eve of the Grammy Awards each year since 1976. A four-time Grammy winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Davis is widely regarded as one of the most influential executives in modern music history. - Billboard, 5/30/26...... Ronald LaPread, a co-founder and former bassist of The Commodores, died on May 30. He was 75. "It is with very heavy heart that I must announce that my Father Ronald LaPread has passed," his daughter, music producer Soraya LaPread wrote on her Instagram Stories. According to the NZ Herald, LaPread died following a "sudden medical event" in Auckland. The musician had lived in New Zealand for the past 40 years. The Commodores formed in the late 1960s after its members met as students at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Originally made up of seven members, the lineup eventually included Thomas McClary, Lionel Richie, Walter "Clyde" Orange, William King and LaPread. After touring as the opening act for the Jackson 5, the R&B/funk group signed with Motown subsidiary MoWest in 1972. The Commodores scored their first hit in 1974 with the synthesizer-driven instrumental "Machine Gun," written by Milan Williams. The group would go on to earn seven No. 1 R&B hits, including "Slippery When Wet," "Just To Be Close to You," "Easy," "Nightshift," "Three Times a Lady" and "Still." The latter two songs also topped the pop chart. Richie left the group in 1982 to pursue a solo career, while the Commodores later signed with Polydor in the late 1980s. LaPread performed with the Commodores from 1970 to 1986, appearing on 11 of the group's albums and contributing to hits including "Brick House," "Three Times a Lady" and "Easy." After relocating to New Zealand in the late 1980s, the bassist continued performing with the Commodores during various concerts in the country. His death comes after the Commodores recently dropped out of Pres. Donald Trump's Freedom 250 Great American State Fair scheduled to take place at the National Mall in Washington DC between June 25 and July 10, though he was not part of the group's current lineup. - Billboard, 5/31/26...... 
Dexter Wansel, a forefather of alternative R&B and the gifted songwriter/producer of hits such as Patti LaBelle's "If Only You Knew," died on May 30 in Philadelphia of undisclosed causes. He was 75. A Philadelphia native born Aug. 22, 1950, keyboardist Wansel was an errand boy for the local Uptown Theater while growing up. Following a stint in the Army, he began working at the city's famed Sigma Sound Studios, where he gained the attention of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, the Grammy-winning co-founders of pioneering soul label Philadelphia International Records. As a recording artist for the label -- beginning with his influential 1976 debut album Life on Mars in addition to wearing multiple hats in-house as a writer, arranger, composer, conductor, producer and A&R director into the '80s -- Wansel earned a reputation as one of the vital craftsmen in developing the inimitable "Sound of Philadelphia." In a joint statement, Gamble & Huff commented, "Dexter Wansel brought a new age sound to our record label in the 1970s and '80s, arranging and producing hits for many of our artists such as The Jacksons, The Jones Girls, Jean Carne and MFSB Orchestra, and including hits for himself. Dexter's synthesizer and symphonic keyboard sounds were iconic." A statement from the Wansel family states, "We wish to express our gratitude for the outpouring of condolences we are receiving for our loved one, Grammy winner and one of the architects of the Sound of Philadelphia, Dexter Wansel. He's at peace now." Memorial details will be announced at a later date. - Billboard, 6/2/26...... Marcia Lucas, the Oscar-winning film editor behind Star Wars and the ex-wife of director George Lucas, died in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on May 26 after a battle with cancer. She was 80. A California native, Ms. Lucas (né Griffin) got her start in editing via the Motion Picture Editors Guild apprenticeship program and eventually became the assistant to lauded female film editor Verna Fields (Jaws, Paper Moon). It was while working with Fields that she met future husband Lucas, then a student in the film school at the University of Southern California, who had also been hired to assist Fields. Ms. Lucas, who married George in 1969, was an assistant editor on his feature directorial debut, THX 1138. With Fields, she edited his next film, American Graffiti, earning her first Oscar nomination for best film editing in 1974. William Reynolds took home the trophy that year for his work on The Sting, but Ms. Lucas would go on to earn the Oscar for one of Hollywood's most beloved films and her husband's biggest hit: Star Wars. The award was one of six Oscars that Star Wars won, including best art direction, sound, score, costume design and visual effects. Outside of her then-husband, Ms. Lucas worked with acclaimed filmmaker Martin Scorsese in the mid-70s. She edited Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, and supervised the edit on both Taxi Driver and New York, New York. She went on to edit another Star Wars movie, Return of the Jedi, which was released in 1983, the year she and George divorced. "I love film editing," she said in 1983 to Time magazine. "I have an innate ability to take good material and make it better, and to take bad material and make it fair." "Marcia will be remembered as a brilliant storyteller, a trailblazer for women in film, a loving mother and grandmother, a generous host and a loyal friend whose humor and sparkle filled every room she entered," her family said in a statement. "Her influence on film is indelible, but those who knew her best will remember the way she made life feel more vivid, more beautiful, more fun and more full of love." She is survived by daughters Amanda Lucas and Amy Soper, as well as her grandchildren. - The Hollywood Reporter, 5/29/26...... 
Peabo Bryson, the Grammy-winning and hitmaking R&B singer/producer of legendary love songs, died on June 2 after suffering a stroke the previous weekend and being placed under medical care. He was 75. "With broken hearts and profound sadness, the family of two-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and balladeer, Peabo Bryson, announces his passing," a statement from Bryson's family reads, adding: "He transitioned peacefully at 5:00 p.m. ET on the evening of Tuesday, June 2, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family and those closest to him." Over his decades-long career, Bryson placed 12 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, starting with "Lovers After All," his 1981 duet with Melissa Manchester, and including three top 10 hits. He topped the chart in 1993 thanks to his recording of Disney's "A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)" with Regina Belle. Bryson had previously found success with another Disney classic, recording "Beauty and the Beast" with a then-23-year-old Celine Dion and reaching No. 9 on the Hot 100 in 1992. Those two Disney success stories also brought Bryson his two Grammy wins out of eight nominations, with both duets taking home best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal in back-to-back years (1993 and 1994). On the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Bryson placed 41 hits spanning 1976-1993, including 10 top 10s -- two of which hit No. 1: "Show & Tell" and "Can You Stop the Rain." He also had 21 entries on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, spanning 1976-2007, seven of which hit the top 10 and one of them, Can You Stop the Rain, hit No. 1. Robert Peapo Bryson -- the nickname "Peabo" came from an early musical mentor, Moses Dillard, who had trouble pronouncing his given middle name -- first entered the Billboard charts in 1976 with "Do It With Feeling," which reached No. 25 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and became his first Billboard Hot 100 placement, with a No. 94 peak. Over the next decade-plus, the Greenville, S.C. native emerged into a constant R&B hitmaker, building a rsum of top 10 appearances. Successes included his own solo material, such as the No. 1 singles "Show & Tell" (1989) and "Can You Stop the Rain" (1991), while "Reaching for the Sky" (No. 6, 1978), "I'm So Into You" (No. 2, 1979) and "If You're Ever in My Arms Again" (No. 6, 1984) earned high positions. In addition, the powerhouse vocalist also teamed with R&B legends for stirring duets. He and Natalie Cole took "Gimme Some Time" to No. 8 in 1980, and he performed multiple hits with Roberta Flack, including their highest charting collaboration, "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love," a No. 5 hit in 1983. - Billboard, 6/2/26.
For the past decade, Sting has been mounting versions of his Tony-nominated musical, "The Last Ship," all around the world, even stepping in to play the titular role of Jackie White in several productions and tours. Announcing that the show will return to London's West End this fall in a new interview with The Guardian, the former The Police frontman suggested that the loss of physically demanding jobs in which men use their hands has helped drive up the prevalence of "toxic masculinity" in our modern society. "I work with my hands every day as a musician, and I'm lucky. It's a rare thing for modern men to actually use their hands and use their strengths to do anything. We've lost something there," said the 74-year-old musician, who earlier in May praised his adult children's "extraordinary work ethic" in confirming that he doesn't plan to hand over his considerable fortune to them. "I don't have any answers, but maybe the toxicity in society at the moment is [a result of the fact] that we've lost that direction for our energy, that male strength. It's rare we have to use it." The Last Ship debuted in Chicago in 2014 before moving on to Broadway, the U.K./Ireland, Toronto and then North American and world tours. It tells the story of the men who toil at a shipyard similar to the Swan Hunter's yard at Wallsend, near where Sting grew up, before deindustrialization in the 1970s and 80s led to their closure. The show, kicks off a run at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London in September, features a mostly original score written by Sting, along with four previously released songs from his solo catalog, "Island of Souls," "All This Time," "When We Dance" and "Ghost Story." Sting is currently on the road with his "3.0 Tour" solo band, who will begin a run of nine shows at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York on June 9. - Billboard, 5/29/26...... 
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Roger Daltrey claims that The Who "were the first heavy metal band" and paved the way for the genre in the 1960s. "We were just different than everybody else," the singer said, noting that the British quartet demonstrated multiple sounds, live performance tricks and more that would go on to be synonymous with heavy metal. "[Americans] generally "don't really know The Who from the early '60s, if they were to look back, they'd see that their style back then had elements reminiscent of what would later be considered metal. As the drummer of Deep Purple [Ian Paice] said recently: 'The Who started it all.' We were the first heavy metal band," Daltrey said. "Jim Marshall invented the 412 [speaker cabinet], 100-watt stack for [Who guitarist] Pete Townshend... All the guitar smashing that Jimi Hendrix became famous for, in his style, was basically copied from Pete Townshend," Daltrey continued. And the first rock opera, of course, we elevated rock to be maybe up its own ass in a way, you could say it," he added. "We were doing it before anyone, but it's not important in the long run." The rock icon's comments come as he recently announced a solo tour across the US later in 2026. The Who played their final-ever live shows in 2025, however, earlier this year Townshend hinted that there could be more to come from the band. "We are always trying to come up with something special, and God willing will continue to do that, hoping one day we can astound you the way we used to," the guitarist said. It isn't clear what exactly The Who may have planned, although the hopes of more Who news has been circulating since Townshend told fans at the final show of the farewell tour that he was "sure we'll get up to all kinds of mischief" and continue to "do stuff together." - New Musical Express, 5/29/26...... Barry Manilow has given an update on his lung cancer battle in a new interview with Good Morning America, telling interviewer Chris Connelly that he also fought life-threatening pneumonia for a week. "It took longer than I thought it was going to take to get past this lung cancer thing," Manilow said. "I didn't know about pneumonia. I was in [the] ICU for seven days because they couldn't grasp this pneumonia that was just about killing me," he added. Manilow, 82, subsequently pushed back his planned February Las Vegas residency dates, then his February, March and April arena shows on doctor's advice that he needed more time to recover. His Vegas residency at Westgate is scheduled to run through Dec. 2026, and his farewell arena tour -- dubbed "The Last Concerts" -- has rescheduled a number of dates in the wake of his illness. The star also confirmed that he plans to be ready for his June arena shows in the U.K. In March, the singer's new single, "Once Before I Go," became a top 10 hit on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, making himthe only artist in history to score an A/C hit in six consecutive decades during a run that has stretched from the 1970s through the 2020s. His first new album in 15 years, What a Time, will be his first collection of nearly all-original material in almost 15 years and will drop June 5. Meanwhile, Barry recently revealed to the Los Angeles Times that he's only ever had one facelift, and "after that it's just been a little here, a little there," slamming rumours of constant Botox procedures. "I look fantastic, but I'm a hundred years old, right?" he quipped in the interview published May 27. "I don't know how that happened, by the way -- I don't get Botox or anything." - Billboard, 5/29/26...... 
Barry Gibb is alive and well, despite a recent viral social media post claiming that The Bee Gees legend had passed away. Rumours of the "How Deep Is Your Love" singer's death gained traction on May 24 when a Facebook page titled "R.I.P. Barry Gibb" racked up nearly one million likes. The page, which now appears to have been taken down, featured a detailed false account claiming that the 79-year-old British hitmaker had died earlier that day. Although the page was deleted, the rumours had already spread across social media and online message boards, with multiple Facebook posts reporting the false news alongside AI-created images of Gibb. However, family sources have confirmed to TMZ.com that Barry "is healthy, happy, and living life at his Miami-area home" despite the false death reports. He is the last surviving member of the iconic singing trio, with Maurice Gibb dying in 2003 at the age of 53 and Robin Gibb passing away in 2012 at the age of 62. Gibb is the latest celebrity to be subjected to an online viral death hoax, following in the footsteps of stars including Justin Bieber, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks and Michael J. Fox. - Music-News.com, 5/28/26...... Bruce Springsteen is continuing to call out his longtime nemesis Pres. Donald J. Trump on stage, this time declaring Trump's recently announced "anti-weaponization fund" an "American outrage." Performing at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on May 27, the Boss tore into the Trump DOJ's new plan to set aside nearly $1.8 billion for those who have "suffered weaponization and lawfare," language that detractors have speculated refers to people who faced legal repercussions for their involvement in the riots that followed shortly after Trump's loss in the 2020 election. "We have a president who wants to create a $1.8 billion fund to compensate and reward people who attacked our nation's capitol," Springsteen lamented between songs. "Attacked our democracy. Assaulted our police officers on Jan. 6. This is an American outrage, and this is happening now. This American tragedy can only be stopped by the American people. There is no one coming to save us. We've got to do it ourselves. Let them hear you at the f-king White House!," he added. The DOJ first published its intention to establish a $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization fund" on May 18. It comes as part of the settlement agreement in Trump's now-dismissed lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department over the leak of his tax returns in 2019, and it will offer monetary relief to applicants who feel they've been mistreated by law enforcement, potentially including those convicted of assaulting Capitol Police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot. Springsteen's "Land of Hope & Dreams Tour" is scheduled to wrap on May 30 in Philadelphia. Elsewhere, Springsteen's current tour partner Tom Morello has announced plans to rage against the machine later in 2026 with a special, all-star festival. On May 28, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and activist announced that a "Power to the People Festival" will be a one-day event featuring Springsteen and Foo Fighters, among many others. Set for Oct. 3 at Merriweather Post Pavilion In Columbia, MD, Power to the People is conceived as "a celebration of peace, justice, solidarity, music, and community action." Other artists confirmed include Dave Matthews, Joan Baez, Brittany Howard, Dropkick Murphys and a band fronted by Jack Black featuring Roman Morello, Revel Ian, Yoyoka Soma and Hugo Weiss. Additional special guests will be announced in the weeks ahead. A poster for the show can be viewed on Instagram. - Billboard, 5/28/26...... 
Carlos Santana and rising singer Becky G have released a new collaboration, "Mi Gran Amor," to benefit families impacted by the US Dept. of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement program (ICE). The pan-Latin rock track -- written and produced by Edgar Barrera -- was released on May 28 and pairs an urgent narrative with Santana's searing guitar work and Becky's emotionally grounded vocal. The song brings together three Mexican and Mexican-American artists from different generations and corners of Latin music. It also marks Santana's third single tied to his forthcoming album, following recent team-ups with Grupo Frontera ("Me Retiro") and Carn Len ("Velas"). For Santana, "Mi Gran Amor" was an opportunity to make his playing communicate something bigger than the lyrics alone. "As always, I want my guitar, the melodies, to sound and feel like a universal hug," the guitarist told Billboard in Detroit before heading on stage. "Now more than ever in this planet, we need unity, harmony and oneness. That's a universal hug." On the track, Becky sings, "Migra, mi gran amor se fue por culpa de la migra" ("Migra, my great love is gone because of la migra") using the colloquial Spanish term often used to refer to U.S. immigration authorities such as ICE. "As someone who was born here in the States, I will never truly understand what it is to walk those steps," Becky added. Instead, she says, she approached the song by "allowing myself to be just a vessel for those voices that can't speak up right now." Santana, who is set to carry that same spirit onto the road with his ongoing "Oneness Tour" with the Doobie Brothers, returns to the message he hears inside the song itself: connection over division. Later this year, he'll also bring it to Las Vegas for his An Intimate Evening With Santana: Greatest Hits Live run. "Anybody who comes to a concert, they're going to be validated and celebrated," says the legendary guitarist. "Santana is a force that speaks way beyond politics or religion. It's a unifying frequency." A teaser of "Mi Gran Amor" can be heard on TikTok. - Billboard, 5/28/26...... Legal experts are saying that Billy Joel's fight against a recently announced unauthorized biopic about the "Uptown Girl" singer could be an uphill battle. Joel's spokesperson, Claire Mercuri, recently told Billboard that "any attempt to move forward without it would be both legally and professionally misguided," and though Joel could theoretically sue the filmmakers of Billy & Me in New York or California under state-level laws that protect that right of publicity, right of publicity laws have been invoked in many previous celebrity biopic lawsuits -- including Frank Sinatra and Olivia de Havilland -- and have ended typically without success. "The legal rule is no one has a monopoly on historical facts," says Elizabeth Seidlin-Bernstein, a media lawyer at the firm Ballard Spahr. "No one has veto power over the making of a biopic about them. The First Amendment protects that kind of expression." While a right of publicity lawsuit would thus face long odds for Joel, there is another type of legal action that could also be available to him after the movie comes out: a defamation lawsuit. "If there are significant mischaracterizations or untruths that potentially harm the reputation of a subject of a film, there could potentially be defamation claims," says Tal Dickstein, an entertainment litigator at Loeb & Loeb. In a statement to Billboard, Joel spokesperson Mercuri said, "At no time has Billy Joel even suggested that he would seek to enjoin this proposed film. Instead, he has made clear that his music will not be licensed and he has not authorized those associated with the proposed film to depict him visually or vocally and he reserves his rights to protect his valuable state law rights." - Billboard, 5/28/26...... 
Former Sex Pistols member Glen Matlock has responded to the band's former frontman John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) describing the current iteration of Sex Pistols as a "tribute act." Lydon has criticized the recent Pistols reunion multiple times in the past, describing it as "karaoke" and "almost malicious in its intent," and Matlock has said if Lydon ever wanted to rejoin the band, "it's just not gonna happen." The discussion from the bassist comes as he is the subject of a new documentary called I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol. Directed by Andre Relis (Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon) and Nick Mead (Who Do I Think I Am?), the film is out now on Apple TV and Prime Video, and is based on his 1996 memoir of the same title. Featuring guest appearances from Matlock alongside his close friends and peers -- including Billy Idol and members of Blondie -- the film explores Matlock's place in the punk scene and the impact he had on Sex Pistols. The bassist co-wrote 10 of the 12 songs on their 1977 album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, before leaving the group later that year. His time and contributions to the band have also been somewhat overlooked over the years too, with the infamous image and reputation of Sid Vicious, who replaced Matlock in the band, often taking the spotlight. Matlock has always insisted that he chose to leave the group, while other band members have said that he was fired, and after departing the line-up Matlock formed Rich Kids with Midge Ure, and also worked with Blondie, The Damned, Iggy Pop and Faces. The Sex Pistols and vocalist Frank Carter will be going on tour later in 2026 to celebrate their 50th anniversary -- shows include multiple festival appearances and US dates kick off in September, before heading to the UK in December. - NME, 5/27/26...... An appeals court has ruled that George Clinton must face a trial to determine whether a portion of the Parliament-Funkadelic catalog is co-owned by the heirs of late keyboardist Bernie Worrell. In September, a federal judge in Detroit threw out the lawsuit brought by Worrell's widow after determining that the statute of limitations had long expired. But the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that dismissal on May 27, holding that it's up to a jury to decide whether the claims are timely or not. "The estate has successfully pointed to facts potentially rendering this the rare case in which a copyright-ownership claim may be brought a half-century after-the-fact," wrote a panel of three appellate judges in the ruling, obtained by Billboard. The dispute stems from a 1976 contract between Worrell and Clinton, in which the keyboardist released his ownership stake in the P-Funk masters in exchange for recorded royalties. This led to numerous court battles over the years about how to properly split these royalties, both during Worrell's life and after his death from lung cancer in 2016. Clinton is separately suing Universal Music Group (UMG) for freezing his royalties amid the Worrell litigation. That case remains pending. - Billboard, 5/27/26...... As he promotes his newly released LP The Boys of Dungeon Lane across multiple media outlets, Paul McCartney has finally admitted that The Beatles are probably "the greatest band ever," after years of dismissing the title. Speaking on a livestream Q&A with fans on TikTok, McCartney said: "I think The Beatles were the greatest band ever and I'm a fan." He also explained that neither he nor his bandmates ever expected their legacy to stick around as long as it has -- revealing that he thought their fame would only last a couple of years. "When we started out, we were just kids and rock 'n' roll was just really coming in," he said. "We thought, 'If we're lucky, we've got a couple of years. That's how long people normally lasted. We expected maybe five years max, and then that became 10, and we were kind of still going, and the scene's still there," he continued. "Then it became 20, then 30, and now it's right up there. It's great; it is a lovely feeling. People will come to me and say, 'My kids love your music' and that's something, because you can't indoctrinate kids. They just either like it or they don't." Sir Paul also recalled the "pinch yourself" moment he experienced after he and the other three Beatles met Elvis Presley ("He wasn't a disappointment at all"), and that fellow music legend Bob Dylan is the one artist he's "nervous to approach" (I was wowed when we met last at the 2016 Desert Trip festival"). Macca has also participated in a conversation with actor Paul Mescal, who is set to portray the "cute Beatle" in the upcoming The Beatles: A Four-Film Cinematic Event series of films, which can be viewed on Amazon.com. - NME, 5/29/26...... Speaking with podcaster Rick Beato on YouTube, Rush's Geddy Lee has said he did not want "Tom Sawyer" to be included on the 1981 Moving Pictures album as he was so "sick" of it. "It was a very difficult song to make [and] difficult song to mix," Lee said. "Every step of the recording was beset with problems. And at the end, I was so sick of that fucking song, I didn't want to put it on the record. "So, can you imagine how dumb that was?" he added. "Like, let's not put our most popular song on the record." "Tom Sawyer" went on to become one of the defining songs of the band's career, receiving heavy radio and MTV airplay, and eventually being inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Rush played their first show together since 2015 this past March, alongside their new drummer Anika Nilles. She has since been recruited to replace the legendary Neil Peart, who died from brain cancer in early 2020. The band played vintage footage from Peart on big screens behind them during the show at the Juno Awards in their native Canada. Rush have also announced that they will be touring across the UK, Europe and South America in 2027. 24 shows in 13 countries have been confirmed, marking the first time they will have played in Europe since 2013, and their first visit to South America in 17 years. - NME, 5/25/26...... Jack Osbourne is pushing back at criticism over the return of his father, Ozzy Osbourne, as an AI-powered avatar. Jack and his mother, Sharon Osbourne, made the announcement during a discussion about the future of Ozzy's brand at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas on May 20, partnering with digital human tech company Hyperreal to create an Ozzy avatar with the ability to "have conversations with fans and move, speak, and respond as Ozzy would." The announcement has sparked a backlash online, with some fans criticizing the concept as disrespectful or overly commercial. The iconic Black Sabbath frontman passed away in July 2025 at the age of 76. "Poor dude's soul was literally floating away but was quickly lassoed by Sharon and then yanked back down to earth, where he'll be on digital life support and forced to continue dancing for every sad soul who wants to ask him a questionexcept it's not even him," one user wrote on X. Another added, "Wow! A year hasn't even passed since Ozzy's passing and they are already trying to commercialize and profit from his memory." "Can't just let his legacy speak for itself, this would be f--kin disgraceful," a third skeptic commented. But Jack pushed back against the criticism during a YouTube livestream. "Here's the thing, it's gonna be so tasteful what we're doing. It's not gonna be f--king lame," he said. "It's really complex what we're doing. This isn't just like hooking up an image of my dad to ChatGPT. This is some high-level technology that we're gonna be working with, and it's gonna feel very real, and it's kind of wild how it will be utilized." Jack also said the idea had been discussed with his father before his death. "It's really cool, and it's something that I think my dad would be into," he said. "We actually talked about it before he passed, about doing something like this. So, yeah. I know he would be into this." Jack's full livestream has been shared on YouTube. - Billboard, 5/25/26...... David Gilmour has paid tribute to his longtime friend and Pink Floyd collaborator Dick Parry in the wake of the saxophonist's passing on May 22 at age 83. "My dear friend Dick Parry died," Gilmour began his post on social media, accompanied by a series of pictures of Mr. Parry playing the saxophone. "Since I was seventeen, I have played in bands with Dick on saxophone, including Pink Floyd. His feel and tone make his saxophone playing unmistakable, a signature of enormous beauty that is known to millions and is such a big part of songs such as Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Us and Them and Money." Gilmour continued, "He played in the last band I had that included Rick Wright for the On An Island Tour and at Live 8 with Pink Floyd." Mr. Parry played sax on several of Gilmour's solo albums, and toured with the band in the 1970s, returning for their 1994 world tour in support of their album The Division Bell. - Music-News.com, 5/25/26...... 
Speaking of great saxophonists, legendary tenor sax player Sonny Rollins, whose combination of technical mastery, melodic invention and raw improvisational power made him one of the most consequential figures in jazz history, died on May 25 at his home in Woodstock, N.Y., after a battle with pulmonary fibrosis. He was 95. Mr. Rollins' passing marks the end of a direct line to jazz's post-war golden age, with him coming of age alongside Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker -- and outlived them all, spending the decades after their deaths as a living link to that era's creative revolution. Born in New York City on Sept. 7, 1930, to parents who had emigrated from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mr. Rollins grew up in Harlem and came to the saxophone in his early teens -- first the alto, then the tenor, which he adopted in his mid-teens and never abandoned. By the time he finished high school at Benjamin Franklin, he was already recording. His earliest sessions in 1949 included work alongside singer Babs Gonzalez and pianist Bud Powell, and he was performing with Monk before the age of 20. The decade that followed established him as one of the instrument's pre-eminent voices. His 1956 album Saxophone Colossus -- recorded for Prestige in a single session -- is considered one of the essential documents in all of jazz, and the track "St. Thomas," a calypso-inflected original, became one of the music's most enduring standards. In 1959, feeling he had reached a plateau, Mr. Rollins stepped away from performing -- seeking a place to practice alone, he found one on New York's Williamsburg Bridge, where he played through the night without fear of disturbing anyone. His 1962 return was marked by the album The Bridge, which announced not just a comeback but an artist who had been quietly, privately working to push further. In 1995, New York City Hall named a day in his honour. In 2011, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2017, he donated his personal archives to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. His wife Lucille, his partner of nearly 40 years, died in 2004. - Billboard, 5/25/26...... John McClain, co-executor of Michael Jackson's estate and a longtime music executive, died on May 27 at the age of 71. Jackson co-executor John Branca confirmed the death of McClain, who had helped lead the King of Pop's estate since the star's death in 2009, to Billboard, saying he was "profoundly grieved at the loss of my partner and 'brother.'" "He brought a passion and sense of conviction to all that he did and was the most generous of friends," Branca said. "It is difficult to imagine a world without him." McClain was a longtime executive at A&M Records, where he helped launch Janet Jackson's career and executive produced her breakthrough 1986 album Control. He later did stints at Interscope Records and DreamWorks Records. When Michael died in 2009, McClain and Branca, a veteran music attorney, were named in his will as co-executors of his estate. Though the estate was reported to be nearly $500 million in debt at the time of his death and dogged by abuse allegations, it has since become a multi-billion business, including a $600 million deal to sell half his catalog to Sony Music and a smash hit biopic Michael earlier this year. A cause of death has not been given publicly for McClain. But TMZ, which first reported the news of his passing, reported that he had been "sick for several years" before his death. - Billboard, 5/27/26.