Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on April 16th, 2014

The Who will launch a 50th anniversary tour later in 2014 beginning around Christmas in the U.K. before heading to North America in 2015, according to guitarist Pete Townshend. "It will be a world tour. I'm not crazy about going on the road, but I'm in good shape and once I start doing it -- and I'm still very good at it -- I'll take some pleasure from it," Townshend recently told Billboard. Townshend also said there's a possibility the band will be releasing some new music: "I'm trying to [look] through my 20,000 hours of complete and utter disorganized music [to find possible songs]. I'll be pulling some songs out of [his long-gestating project] "Floss" to give to Roger [Daltrey] to see if we've got enough to make an album. It might be a big waste of time, but I'm hoping there will be an album." The Who last toured in 2012 and 2013 on their "Quadrophenia and More" tour that celebrated their landmark 1973 album. They will issue a concert film of their performance from that tour, Quadrophenia: Live in London, on June 10, which contains all 17 tracks on the album as well as a six-song set of some of the rockers' greatest hits, including "Who Are You" and "Pinball Wizard." The last time they toured behind new music was the "Endless Wire" trek of 112 shows in 2006 and '07. Meanwhile, Roger Daltrey and former Dr. Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson just released "Going Back Home" on Universal Music's Chess Records label. Daltrey will also attend the upcoming IndyCar Series race in Long Beach, Calif., to raise awareness of Teen Cancer America. Daltrey and Townshend co-founded Teen Cancer America, which seeks to ensure that cancer patients throughout the United States have access to special units and treatments. - Billboard, 4/16/14.

Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson will release a second consecutive album called Homo Erraticus on Apr. 15, and its liner notes reportedly affirm that the long-lived group is effectively no more. "The huge body of work that is the Jethro Tull catalogue stands firm close beside me and in good stead... But I think I prefer, in my twilight years, to use my own name for the most part being composer of virtually all Tull songs and music since 1968," Anderson writes. He also recently told Billboard that "nothing is going on at all" with Jethro Tull these days. "...I think that, if we look back on it, it kind of came more or less to an end during the last 10 years or so (with) a couple of live albums and a studio album of Christmas material. That might define the last albums under the name Jethro Tull. It's a body of work I rather think is now kind of historical, since the weight of it lies back in the 70s and 80s in terms of volume. And I rather think it's nice to kind of leave that as legacy," Anderson explained. Anderson and his current band -- all of whom have served tenures as part of Jethro Tull -- hit the road to promote Homo Erraticus starting April 28 in U.K., with European dates into August and U.S. shows during the fall. He plans to play the new album in its entirety, with a second half that will include "a selection of the best of Jethro Tull's sort of classic songs." He'll also be digging deep for three songs that Anderson says "are quite well-known pieces by Jethro Tull" that have been rarely played live but are going to be part of this year's set. - Billboard, 4/14/14.

AC/DC is denying rumors that surfaced on Apr. 14 in the group's native Australia that the band is on the verge of announcing their retirement due to one band member's serious illness. The band says rhythm guitarist Malcom Young will be "taking a break" from the band he co-founded 40 years ago to address an illness that lead singer Brian Johnson described as "debilitating." "Malcolm would like to thank the group's diehard legions of fans worldwide for their never-ending love and support," the statement on the band's Facebook page reads. "In light of this news, AC/DC asks that Malcolm and his familys privacy be respected during this time." The statement added that "the band will continue to make music." Johnson recently told a UK paper that AC/DC will enter a Vancouver recording studio in May to work on new songs. "We're going to pick up some guitars, have a plonk, and see if anybody has got any tunes or ideas... If anything happens, we'll record it," he said. Johnson said in the same interview that "one of the band's members" was not well. "One of the boys has a debilitating illness, but I don't want to say too much about it," he said. "He is very proud and private, a wonderful chap. We've been pals for 35 years and I look up to him very much." Johnson added that despite Young's illness he's still hopeful the group can pull off a 40-date tour to commemorate the group's 40th anniversary. "That would be a wonderful way to say bye bye," he said. "We would love to do it. But it's all up in the air at the moment." - Billboard, 4/16/14.

The Rolling Stones have announced they'll restart their trek of Australia and New Zealand on Oct. 25 with a concert at the Adelaide Oval. Their new 9-date "14 On Fire" run will include additional concerts at Perth Arena (Nov. 1) and at the Hope Estate winery in the Hunter Valley (Nov. 15) before wrapping at the Mt. Smart Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand, on Nov. 22. The Stones had planned to tour these parts in March and April, but the seven dates were nixed following the death of L'Wren Scott, the girlfriend of frontman Mick Jagger. The Stones first toured Australia in January/February 1965, and their most recent trek, A Bigger Bang, played four shows in Australia and New Zealand back in 2006. - Billboard, 4/15/14.

A musical version of Soul Train may he heading toward Broadway after stage and film producer Matthew Weaver acquired the theatrical stage rights to the famous black song-and-dance TV show. Weaver, whose credits include the successful "Rock of Ages" show, says he hopes to turn Soul Train into a show that attracts both die-hard Broadway fans and those who usually avoid Times Square. Soul Train, with its trademark animated train opening, was founded by Don Cornelius in 1970 in Chicago and served as its host until 1993. It provided a national, weekly showcase for R&B artists, black culture and fashion, and featured such acts as James Brown, Al Green, Ike and Tina Turner, Hall & Oates, Donna Summer, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Whitney Houston and David Bowie. Weaver, who also produced such films as We're the Millers and The Heartbreak Kid, has grown "Rock of Ages" into an international brand, with a film version, three national tours and productions of the show in Las Vegas, London, Australia, Toronto, Japan and South Korea. - AP, 4/15/14.

Bob Dylan is now off the hook in a French anti-discrimination case that was brought against the rock legend after he made comments in late 2013 about Croatians that were alleged to violate the country's anti-discrimination laws. "Blacks know that some whites didn't want to give up slavery -- that if they had their way, they would still be under the yoke . . ., and they can't pretend they don't know that. If you got a slave master or Klan in your blood, blacks can sense that. That stuff lingers to this day. Just like Jews can sense Nazi blood and the Serbs can sense Croatian blood," Dylan told the French edition of Rolling Stone. Now, French officials are looking to indict the French Rolling Stone for printing Dylan's remarks in the first place. Its publisher, Michael Birnbaum, faces up to one year in jail and a maximum fine of 45,000 francs ($62,000) for publishing the remarks. - Billboard, 4/16/14.

A campaign on the Kickstarter.com website to fund Neil Young's Pono music player reached its goal of $800,000 less than 10 hours after it went live. Now, the campaign has ended after earning nearly eight times that figure. It is officially the third highest-funded campaign in Kickstarter history. The Pono music player has a suggested retail price of $399 and contains 128 gigabytes of memory, which can store between 1,000 and 2,000 high-resolution songs. The device will also accept memory cards to hold more music and playlists. After years of planning, Young announced Pono in March at the South by Southwest music festival, and recruited a number of his famous friends, including Beck, Norah Jones, Rick Rubin, Jack White, Arcade Fire, Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Dave Grohl, Elvis Costello, Elton John, Jackson Browne, Dave Matthews, Patti Smith and Kid Rock, to appear in a video and offer testimonies to the player's sound quality. - Rolling Stone, 4/15/14.

The estate of Elvis Presley is reportedly suing a gun manufacturer for using the singer's likeness in an advertisement. According to the celebrity gossip site TMZ.com, Elvis Presley Enterprises has filed a lawsuit against the Beretta company, claiming they wrongfully used The King's image without permission to advertise their new "692" shotgun. They also used Elvis impersonators at the 2014 Shot Show in Las Vegas. The lawsuit allegedly mentions the fact that Elvis was a big gun lover. However, it states that the estate has never given permission to Beretta. Elvis Presley Enterprises is suing for damages and has demanded that Beretta stop using Elvis' image for now on. Meanwhile, a dozen dentists across the UK will be hosting an "Elvis Day" in May 2014 to promote awareness of mouth cancer. Each practice will host a model of Presley's teeth plus a genuine dental crown made for the rock 'n' roller by former Memphis dentist Henry J Weiss. Each Elvis Day will involve costumes, music and free mouth cancer screenings, according to the organizers. - New Musical Express, 4/13/14.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has ruled that Michael Jackson's mother should pay more than $800,000 in trial costs to a concert promoter that she targeted in a failed negligent hiring lawsuit involving the death of her son. Judge Yvette Palazuelos said on Apr. 14 that Katherine Jackson should be required to pay AEG Live LLC after it won the case. The tentative ruling is expected to be finalized after AEG Live submits an amended list of its costs for items such as court filing fees, court reporters and travel. Attorneys for the company and Katherine Jackson agreed not to argue Palazuelos' tentative ruling, but it might be appealed. Katherine Jackson's attorney Kevin Boyle said a decision on appealing the order would be made after reviewing its final language. The verdict and rulings in the case are currently being appealed. AEG Live initially sought more than $1.2 million to cover its costs. Katherine Jackson's lawyers claimed only about a quarter of that amount was justified. Meanwhile, Jackson's family has issued a warning to Debbie Rowe, the mother of two of Jackson's children, that they will fight her if she considers taking custody of Prince and Paris Jackson. According to various reports, Rowe is concerned about the welfare her children who are in custody of Katherine and is planning on filing court papers to take them under her care. However, the children's uncles, Tito, Randy, Jermaine and Jackie Jackson insist Rowe has no right to take the kids away from their care after agreeing to give Michael full custody of them for an alleged cash pay-out in 1999. A posthumous Michael Jackson album entitled Xscape will be released on May 13, with one of its eight songs titled "Do You Know Where Your Children Are?" - AP/New Musical Express, 4/15/14.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda star Valerie Harper has declared herself cancer-free, just over a year after doctors warned her she had months to live. "I'm absolutely cancer-free!," the 74-year-old actress told Closer magazine. "My last scans have been positive, and my doctors are very happy. (The oncologist) looked at the scans and said, 'Oh my God, Valerie, this is very encouraging!'" But Harper added her medics are a little more hesitant to say she's completely in remission: "My doctor doesn't use that term (in remission). He likes to say, 'I give you a treatment, and it's either responsive or non-responsive -- and you are having a phenomenal response.'" Harper says she's still taking a number of pills to combat the illness, but she only has to check in with her doctor every eight weeks. "I take medication once a week, a lot of pills at once, what they call a pulse dose. They can be difficult, but I try to sleep them off -- I usually lay in bed very quietly to keep them down," she said. - WENN.com, 4/16/14.

The 2014 Rock And Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held on Apr. 10 at the Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, with Cat Stevens (now known as Yusuf Islam), Peter Gabriel, KISS, Linda Ronstadt, Hall & Oates and Nirvana inducted into the Cleveland-based hall and museum. Peter Gabriel was the first performer of the evening, playing "Digging in the Dirt" from 1992's Us. Gabriel was inducted by Chris Martin of Coldplay, and during his acceptance speech he thanked his family and the musicians who he had played and collaborated with. KISS was inducted by superfan and devotee Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, who saluted the "KISS Army" before genuine and sincere acceptance speeches from the original four members -- Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss. Art Garfunkel inducted Cat Stevens with a speech that was affectionate and lyrical, quoting liberally from Stevens' work and speaking to it with deep knowledge and respect. Stevens then took to the stage with an acoustic guitar, joined by Waddy Wachtel, for a moving performance of "Father and Son." The Eagles' Glen Frey appeared in support of his friend and former bandmate Linda Ronstadt, with a straight-forward tribute describing her history and achievements, especially calling out her support of his own musical efforts. "She, more than anyone else, helped us put together the Eagles," said Frey, who concluded by saying "Linda lives in a place where art trumps commerce." Health prevented Ronstadt from attending, so instead she was saluted by Carrie Underwood, who performed the Stone Poneys' "Different Drum," Ronstadt's first hit single. Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson from the Roots represented Philadephia soul with his induction of Hall & Oates, who then took the stage and launched into "She's Gone," "I Can't Go For That" and "You Make My Dreams Come True." The E Street Band was honored with a special Award for Musical Excellence by none other than The Boss himself, as Bruce Springsteen affectionately reminisced how he met each member of the band, before concluding, "I told a story with the E Street Band that was bigger and better than the story I could have told on my own." Receiving Ahmet Ertegun Awards during the cermony were Beatles manager Brian Epstein and early Rolling Stones impresario Andrew Loog Oldham. The 29th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony was taped and highlights will be aired on HBO on May 31. - Billboard, 4/11/14.

Esteemed anti-war singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester, who became an icon of the anti-war movement after moving to Canada to escape the draft during the Vietnam War, died at a hospice in Virginia on Apr. 11 after a battle with bladder cancer. He was 69. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1944, Winchester started playing music in Memphis, where his family later relocated. In 1967, he received a draft induction letter, but instead of showing up, he took a plane to Montreal. "I was so offended by someone's coming up to me and presuming to tell me who I should kill and what my life was worth," he told Rolling Stone magazine in 1977, the same year he was pardoned by Pres. Carter and allowed to tour the U.S. He arrived in Canada with only $300 and no connections, but settled into a new life, joining a local band and finally writing his own material. Winchester was introduced to Albert Grossman, the manager of Bob Dylan and the Band, by the Band's Robbie Robertson, and Robertson also produced Winchester's eponymous 1970 debut album, recorded in Toronto. He released several more albums, including 1972's Third Down, 110 to Go, produced by Todd Rundgren. While never as well known as peers like James Taylor and Jackson Browne, Winchester wrote some of the defining singer-songwriter tracks of the seventies -- evocations of American and Southern life like "Yankee Lady," "Biloxi," "Mississippi You're on My Mind" and "The Brand New Tennessee Waltz" that ached with feelings of loss for the country he decided he had to leave. The songs gained him a cult following and critical respect, and were covered by everyone from George Strait to Tim Hardin. Winchester was considered such a formidable songwriter that a 2012 tribute album, Quiet About It, featured versions of his songs by Taylor, Elvis Costello, Jimmy Buffett, Rosanne Cash, Lucinda Williams and Vince Gill, among others. He continued recording sporadic albums and, about a decade ago, returned to the United States, relocating to Memphis before finally settling into Charlottesville, Va. In 2011, Winchester was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus, but he beat the disease and eventually mustered the energy to record a new album, A Reasonable Amount of Trouble. Produced by Mac McAnally, the album will be released this August. But this February, the cancer returned, to his bladder, and Winchester had spent the last week in a hospice. - Rolling Stone, 4/11/14.

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry have recorded a new arrangement of their 1973 hit "Dream On" to honor victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. Tyler and Perry are accompanied by the Southern California Children's Chorus in the video of their signature hit. Aerosmith had performed "Dream On" during the Boston Strong Concert benefit last May. The song is part of the ESPN special Dream On: Stories from Boston's Strongest that will first air on Apr. 12 on ABC, then re-aired on ESPN on Apr. 15, the anniversary of the attacks. Three people were killed and more than 260 were injured when two bombs exploded near the finish line of the 2013 marathon. Aerosmith has also announced they will kick off a 19-city summer "Let Rock Rule" tour of the U.S. on July 10 at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, N.Y., running through a Sept. 9 show at the DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, Mich. The band performed an intimate club show at the famed Los Angeles venue Whisky A Go Go on Apr. 8, the first time they had performed there since Dec. 4, 1973. On the itinerary are such major markets as Cincinnati (7/22), Las Vegas (8/2), Denver (8/19), Dallas (8/22) and Atlanta (8/28). Opening for Aerosmith on the upcoming tour will be Slash (featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators). Aerosmith will also be among the headliners at the 2014 London Calling Festival in late June, along with Stevie Wonder. - AP, 4/10/14.

Debbie Harry of Blondie has revealed that she's bisexual to the UK paper Daily Mail. Harry says she doesn't really have a preference for her sexual partners, but admits she finds women "more sensual." "I don't know if I have any specific requirements. Just somebody nice, who has a good sense of humour and loves to have sex. What more could you ask for?," she told the paper. Harry was involved in a long-term relationship with bandmate Chris Stein in the 1980s, but she has never named any of her female lovers. Harry and Blondie made headlines in February after turning down an offer to play the Winter Olympics in Sochi because of Russia's anti-gay legislation. "We feel very strongly about these friendships and associations, and don't feel good about participating in a situation where biases and prejudices are paramount," Harry said at the time. - WENN.com, 4/8/14.

Mick Fleetwood will host a series of television specials called 24 Hours with Mick, during which the Fleetwood Mac drummer/founder will "spend a day with each guest probing their thoughts, interests and ideas," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series will showcase an eclectic lineup of interview subjects from a variety of fields, including music and entertainment to technology and politics, art, architecture and more." So far, no network or premiere date has been announced. Fleetwood, who will personally select the guests, will film the show at his Hawaiian home and on the road with Fleetwood Mac. The band recently put tickets on sale for their first tour with Christine McVie since she left Fleetwood Mac in 1998. - Rolling Stone, 4/9/14.

The opening of an off-Broadway musical based on the life of Janis Joplin has been delayed "due to production issues." The show made a splash on Broadway in October and was to open on Apr. 10 at the smaller Gramercy Theatre in Chelsea. Featuring a powerful performance by Mary Bridget Davies as Joplin alongside a quartet of extremely talented singers, the loud, colorful, '60s-saturated spectacle featured most of the singer's hits, including "Down on Me," "Piece of My Heart," "Mercedes Benz" and "Me and Bobby McGee." Meanwhile, Daryl Hall's critically acclaimed, award-winning performance series Live from Daryl's House has renewed for another season. The new shows will premiere in early 2015 on Viacom's high-definition music channel Palladia. This past season Hall's guests included ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Amos Lee, Gavin DeGraw and Brett Dennen. - AP/The Hollywood Reporter, 4/10/14.

Michael Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe has announced she will marry a friend of the late King of Pop, gay porn producer Marc Schaffel, after insisting in March that they were not engaged. Previous reports suggested Rowe was set to wed Schaffel after she was photographed wearing what appeared to be an engagement ring, she denied the claims then. Rowe now says she initially turned down the proposal because she feared she had terminal cancer, after doctors found irregularities with her lymph nodes. However, test results have shown that the former nurse, who is mother to Jackson's two eldest children Prince Michael and Paris, is actually suffering from autoimmune disease sarcoidosis, which is not life-threatening, and now she has decided to marry Schaffel. " [Marc] loves me, knows my kids, loves my kids and we'll see where this goes," Rowe told the celebrity gossip site TMZ.com. The couple has yet to set a wedding date. - WENN.com, 4/10/14.