Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on October 31st, 2014

On Oct. 30, lawyers for the family of Sarah Jones dropped Gregg Allman and Michael Lehman, the exec producer of the ill-fated Allman biopic Midnight Rider, from their civil lawsuit stemming from Jones' on-set death. The Jones family attorney, Jeff Harris of Harris Penn Lowry LLP, that the two defendants, as well as the unfinished film's distributor Open Road Films, would be dismissed as defendants from a wide-reaching civil suit. The news comes two days after a procedural hearing in Savannah, Ga., in which Chatham County Judge Gregory Sapp postponed the motions hearing to Nov. 13. The civil suit against the other defendants remains active. Currently, the family is suing the film producers and director Randall Miller and his production company, Unclaimed Freight, as well as several other writers, producers, and directors involved with the film. Meanwhile in other Allman Brothers Band related news, the ABB put the focus on legendary band guitarist Duane Allman during their final performances ever at New York's Beacon Theatre during the fourth week of October. Two Gibson Les Pauls that belonged to Duane Allman, the band's late leader, arrived from the Rock and Roll of Fame for the Oct. 24 show and apparently animated the band, which was described as playing its best show in five years. The final show was Oct. 29, when the band concluded its long-running rock opera at a venue that has become hallowed Allman Brothers ground (the band has sold out 238 shows there since 1989). - The Hollywood Reporter/Billboard,. 10/30/14.

Hal Leonard Books is releasing a softcover edition of the acclaimed guitar book 108 Rock Star Guitars by photographer/author Lisa S. Johnson on Nov. 11. The exquisite book, originally issued as an embossed, red leatherette-bound hardcover in limited quantity that USA Today called, "a monster of a coffee table book," will now be available to a much wider audience at a more affordable retail price. Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, Nancy Wilson, Bonnie Raitt, Slash, Carlos Santana, Jack White, Lou Reed, Ace Frehley, Billy Gibbons, Don Felder, Joe Walsh, Willie Nelson and Les Paul, who also wrote the foreword, are among the rock stars whose instruments are featured. Hailed as "impressive" and "jaw-dropping" by media and artists alike when the original hardcover version was released in Oct. 2013, 108 Rock Star Guitars received widespread accolades for its overall design and the artistry of the images -- up-close portraits of the cherished guitars belonging to some of the world's most iconic players. American Photo magazine named it one of the "Best Photo Books of the Year" for 2013, while Brian Setzer called it, "The classiest guitar book I have ever seen." Additionally, Johnson provides personal anecdotes describing her 17-year quest to photograph these guitars and documents her travels from the backstage hallways of some of the world's most famous venues to the artists' private homes. Johnson commented, "Even at a lower price, it was essential that this version maintained the style and beautiful quality of the hardcover edition, and I think anyone who sees this book will appreciate the care and detail that went into the new presentation." - Miles High Productions, 10/31/14.

The Spotify streaming music service has named Michael Jackson's "Thriller" as the most popular Halloween song of all time as it is the most featured track in more than 600,000 of its Halloween playlists. The survey also found that interest in Halloween was up 117%, with the more Halloween-themed playlists being created this year than ever before. Coming in behind "Thriller" on the list were the Bobby "Boris" Pickett classic "Monster Mash," and Ray Parker, Jr.'s "Ghostbusters." Also making the Top 10 were Blue Oyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (No. 6) and Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark at the Moon" (No. 8). - New Musical Express, 10/31/14...... In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour revealed that he's working on a new solo album for release in 2015, the follow-up to his 2006 solo set On an Island. "There are some sketches that aren't finished, and some of them will be started again. There's a few months' work in it yet. I'm hoping to get it out this following year," said Gilmour, who added that he plans on supporting the LP with an "old man's tour... not a 200-date sort of thing." Meanwhile, Pink Floyd's final album, The Endless River, will be released on Nov. 10. Gilmour says the idea of continuing with Pink Floyd beyond the new album "makes me break out in a cold sweat." "I'm really enjoying my life and my music. There's no room for Pink Floyd," he said. - New Musical Express, 10/30/14...... Also talking new solo material is Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, who says he's planning to return to his solo career and sees his new Memoirs of a Madman solo compilation as a bridge between the final Black Sabbath album and his solo work. "I'm going to do one more Black Sabbath tour, one more album with Black Sabbath, and it'll take about two or three years before I release solo stuff again. So Memoirs of a Madman is just to say to the fans that I haven't stopped." Ozzy added he's "in the process of collecting stuff that I'm writing" for his next solo project and has "about three songs" he's been working on, primarily with Billy Idol guitarist Billy Morrison. "The songs that are written are not completed," says Osbourne, who will headline the OZZFiesta May 27-31 at the Hard Rock Hotel in Riviera Maya, Mexico. "They're ideas now, but there's a good possibility that some of them will end up songs." Osbourne says he isn't sure when work on a new Sabbath album will begin. "I can't really say how long it's gonna take. Once we get going it won't take that long, I don't think, 'cause Rick Rubin -- I assume he's going to (produce) it again -- is very quick," he said. Hitting stores on Oct. 14, his Memoirs of a Madman package features a 17-song best-of disc as well as two DVDs featuring performance footage, videos and interviews. - Billboard, 10/31/14...... In still more soloing news, Queen drummer Roger Taylor will release two collections of his solo work this fall. Best, due out Oct. 27, features 18 selected tracks ranging from his 1977 rendition of Parliament's "I Wanna Testify" to his 2013 album Fun On Earth, as well as material from his side band The Cross that included guest appearances by Queen mates Freddie Mercury and Brian May. That will be followed on Nov. 11 by The Lot, a boxed set of all of Taylor's solo material on 12 CDs and one DVD, including a 64-page hardbound book. - Billboard, 10/27/14...... With her new album Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics hitting stores on Oct. 21, Aretha Franklin has earned her highest-charting LP since 1985. Great Diva Classics debuted at No. 3 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 200. Selling 23,000 units in its first week, it is Franklin's highest-charting debut ever on the Hot 200, surpassing the No. 30 bow of 1998's A Rose Is Still a Rose. - Billboard, 10/31/14...... Bob Dylan is reportedly planning on releasing a covers album of Frank Sinatra songs entitled Shadows in the Night in 2015. The news is confirmed by a note included in Dylan's new The Basement Tapes Complete: Bootleg Series Vol. 11 release that reads, "Bob Dylan, Shadows In The Night, new album coming in 2015." Earlier in 2014, Dylan unveiled a cover of Sinatra's "Full Moon and Empty Arms." - Billboard, 10/31/14...... Bruce Springsteen surprised fans at a listening party previewing his upcoming box set The Album Collection Vol 1 1973-1984 at Jack's Music Shoppe in Red Bank, N.J., on Sept. 24 when he appeared unannounced in the back of the room. "All of a sudden there he was," said SiriusXM Springsteen channel host Kevin Farrell, who moderated the event. "He was listening without us being aware of it... It was a shocking surprise, it added to the magic of the whole day," added Farrell, who said Springsteen disappeared as quickly as he appeared. The Album Collection Vol 1 is due Nov. 17 on both CD and vinyl on Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings. - Billboard, 10/29/14...... Deep Purple have announced plans for a one-off show at London's O2 Arena on Dec. 3, 2015. There are currently no other UK dates scheduled for the band. The classic riff from the hard rockers' "Smoke on the Water" was recently voted the fourth best riff of all time by BBC Radio 2 listeners in a list of the greatest guitar riffs. The band's latest album, Now What?!, was released in April 2013. - NME, 10/28/14...... Hitting bookstores on Oct. 28, author Fred Schruers's new Billy Joel biography Billy Joel is based on more than 100 hours of conversation with Joel and interviews with dozens of friends and family members. The two main threads in Schruers' biography are Joel's music and women. Schruers' account of Joel's 1970s rise is fantastic, rich in anecdotes about the origins of different songs. The business side of his career is a cautionary tale for aspiring musicians, with its assortment of greedy managers and unfair contracts. The private Joel comes across as a brilliant musician but a lonely and self-destructive, though not entirely unlikable, man. There's also plenty of embarrassing material presented, from Joel's suicide attempts to his struggles with alcohol to his three failed marriages and longtime financial problems. - Billboard, 10/29/14...... Meanwhile, Billy Joel's sometime touring coheadliner Elton John hosted his An Enduring Vision AIDS benefit show in New York City on Oct. 28 where he not only raised money for his AIDS Foundation, but also celebrated marriage equality. Wearing a sequined black blazer and sitting down often since he was recovering from knee surgery, John noted the growing acceptance of gay marriage throughout the U.S., and applauded Pope Francis for embracing tolerance and compassion, as shown when he asked about gay marriage. "'Who am I to judge?' What are we waiting for? Make him a saint now. He did more with those five words than the last five popes," he said from the stage. "He is my hero." The evening was hosted by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper and also in attendance were Matt Lauer of the Today show and actor Neil Patrick Harris. - The Hollywood Reporter, 10/29/14...... Barry Manilow released his new LP My Dream Duets, featuring the crooner singing duets with late singers including Whitney Houston, John denver, Louis Armstrong, Sammy Davis Jr., Dusty Springfield and Mama Cass, on Oct. 27. Appearing on The View talk show on Oct. 27, Manilow covered Houston's "I Believe in You and Me" with vocals from the late singer and visuals of a shadowy Whitney Houston impersonator. - Billboard, 10/28/14...... Taschen Publishers announced on Oct. 27 that it will release an autographed Rolling Stones coffee table book featuring hundreds of famous and little-known photographs on Dec. 15. Selling for the tidy sum of $5,000, The Rolling Stones is autographed by band members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Charlie Watts and has a limited edition run of 1,150 copies. A regular edition, unsigned and slightly smaller in dimension, goes for slightly under $100. Taschen says its 500-page plus book offers "unprecedented access to the Rolling Stones' own archives in New York and London adds an equally extraordinary, more private side to their story." The Stones are currently on tour Down Under, playing dates that were initially rescheduled when Jagger's partner L'Wren Scott died earlier this year. - AP, 10/27/14...... Eric Clapton posted an instrumental track dedicated to his late friend and fellow Cream member Jack Bruce on Oct. 26 following the passing of Bruce at age 71 the previous day. Accompanied by a photo of Bruce, the song is a melancholy musing on a gentle theme with Clapton humming behind his guitar. Clapton also posted to his Facebook page that Bruce was "a great musician and composer, and a tremendous inspiration to me." Bruce died of liver disease on Oct. 25 at his home in Suffolk, England. - Billboard, 10/28/14...... Appearing on the Fox News channel on Oct. 27 to support his new book Me, Inc: Build An Army Of One, Unleash Your Inner Rock God, Win In Life And Busines, Gene Simmons of Kiss offered his own unique advice to women around the world, telling reporters that women should "stop depending on men." Asked if he had any advice for the female population, Simmons said: "This is a very complex and difficult question to answer so I'm going to put it as simply as possible. Women: Stop depending on men. It's as simple as that. Imagine there are no men in life." The singer added: "Find out that thing that you're good for that makes the money and then get married and or have children from a position of strength." In August, Simmons issued an apology after causing controversy with comments about depression and suicide. He has claimed that people who "complain" about depression should "kill themselves." "To the extent my comments reported by the media speak of depression, I was wrong and in the spur of the moment made remarks that in hindsight were made without regard for those who truly suffer the struggles of depression," he wrote on Facebook. - New Musical Express, 10/27/14...... Actress Marcia Strassman, best known for her role as frequently exasperated wife Julie Kotter in the 1970s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, died on Oct. 24 in her Sherman Oaks, Calif., home, after a seven-year fight with breast cancer. She was 66. Born Apr. 28, 1948 in New York City and raised in New Jersey, Strassman relocated to Los Angeles when she was just 18 and was initially a singer in the late 1960s with some modest local success, most notably with "The Groovy World of Jack and Jill" and "The Flower Children." She also had a few TV roles, including three episodes of The Patty Duke Show. She left show business for a time before returning as an actress in a recurring role as nurse Margie Cutler in M*A*S*H In 1975, she had a breakout role opposite comedian Gabe Kaplan in the TV hit Welcome Back Kotter, which ran through 1979. Strassman worked steadily thereafter, most notably in major roles on several mostly short-lived TV shows, including Booker, Tremors, Third Watch, Providence, and Noah Knows Best and as a voice-over artist on the children's animated show Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and elsewhere. Her biggest film success came playing the wife and mother opposite Rick Moranis in Disney's hit comedy Honey I Shrunk The Kids and its equally successful sequel, Honey I Blew Up The Kids. She also appeared in 1985's The Aviator with Christopher Reeve and Roseanna Arquette. Strassman also served on the national board of the Screen Actors Guild. "She was the funniest, smartest person I ever met," said her sister Julie Strassman. "And talented. She knew everything. Now I won't be able to call her and ask her questions." - Deadline.com, 10/26/14...... Famed TV and film composer Ian Fraser, who earned 11 Emmy Awards and 32 nominations, died of cancer on Oct. 31 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 81. The British native, who was known for his long association with singer-actress Julie Andrews, was the most honored composer/conductor in the history of television, and became Andrews' musical director in 1973 when they recorded the first of their two Christmas albums, and his 1995 and 1997 Broadway albums with Andrews were Grammy Award nominees. Mr. Fraser received an Academy Award nomination for the musical film Scrooge (1970), and worked on such films as Hopscotch (1980), First Monday in October (1981) and Zorro: The Gay Blade (1981). Mr. Fraser also contributed to the iconic "The Little Drummer Boy/"Peace on Earth" duet between Bing Crosby and David Bowie in 1977 on Crosby's last Christmas TV special. - The Hollywood Reporter, 10/31/14.

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on October 26th, 2014

Jack Bruce, an acclaimed British bass musician best known as a member of Cream, died of liver disease on Oct. 25 at his home in Suffolk, England. He was 71. Born to musical parents in Glasgow, Scotland, on May 14, 1943, Bruce attended 14 different schools and finished his formal education at Bellahouston Academy and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, to which he won a scholarship for cello and composition. He left Scotland at the age of 16 and in 1962 joined his first important band, the influential Alexis Korner's Blues Inc., which also included future Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, in London. Cream, which also included guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker, was the prototypical blues-rock power trio, and in a three-year period sold 15 million records, played to SRO crowds throughout the U.S. and Europe, and redefined the instrumentalist's role in rock. It was formed in 1966 when Baker left Graham Bond's Organisation, Bruce (who had also played in Bond's band) left Manfred Mann, and Clapton, already a famous guitarist in the U.K., left John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Bruce wrote and sang most of Cream's songs, including "I Feel Free", "White Room," "Politician" and "Sunshine Of Your Love." But tension in the band led to a quick breakup, and the band gave its farewell concert, which was filmed as Goodbye Cream, on Nov. 26, 1968, at London's Royal Albert Hall. Clapton and Baker subsequently formed Blind Faith, and Bruce went solo. After a string of solo LP's, Bruce put together another power trio with Mountain's Leslie West and Corky Laing, and West, Bruce and Laing released albums in 1972, '73, and '74. He appeared on Frank Zappa's Apostrophe in 1974, and in 1975 he fronted the Jack Bruce Band, which mounted a tour of Europe, but did not record. Bruce continued to release solo albums through 1994, and he returned to the studio around 2000 to record his Shadows in the Air, which hit number five on the British jazz and blues chart. His most recent release in 2014, titled Silver Rails. In 1993, Cream was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with the three members reuniting to perform three songs at the ceremonies. A statement released by Bruce's family on Oct. 25 said "the world of music will be a poorer place without him but he lives on in his music and forever in our hearts." "It is with great sadness that we, Jack's family, announce the passing of our beloved Jack: husband, father, granddad, and all round legend," the statement said. "He was a great musician and composer, and a tremendous inspiration to me," Eric Clapton said on his Facebook page. Clapton also shared a lengthy biographical piece about Bruce on his website. - AP/Billboard/Rolling Stone, 10/26/14.

The Hollywood Music in Media Awards, an event created in 2009 to highlight the best music in film, TV and video games, has announced it will honor singer Glen Campbell at its fifth annual gala on Nov. 4 at the Fonda Theater in Hollywood. Campbell, whose slew of accolades includes five Grammys, three Grammy Hall of Fame honors, seven Academy of Country Music Awards, three American Music Awards, and two CMA Awards, recently released his final recording, "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," for the documentary Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me, which chronicles the music legend's struggles with Alzheimer's. Campbell recently notched his highest rank on Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 25 years with "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," which zoomed from No. 50 to No. 21. He last charted higher with "She's Gone, Gone, Gone," which reached No. 6 in late 1989. The Country Music Hall of Famer, 78, entered a long-term care facility earlier this year. "Sadly, Glen's condition has progressed enough that we were no longer able to keep him at home," Campbell's family said in a statement to Rolling Stone. "He is getting fantastic care and we get to see him every day. Our family wants to thank everyone for their continued prayers, love and support." - The Hollywood Reporter/Billboard, 10/24/14...... John Denver was honored with a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Oct. 24, 17 years after his tragic death in a 1997 plane crash at age 53. The unveiling of the star, the 2,531st on the venerable sidewalk, coincided with the opening of a Hollywood exhibition of photos called "Sweet Sweet Life: The Photographic Works of John Denver." The photos will be on display at Hollywood's Substrate Gallery for the next month. On hand for the unveiling of the star were were Denver's son, Zak Deutschendorf, and daughter, Jesse Belle Denver. - AP, 10/25/14...... 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee Joan Jett was honored as Rocker of the Year at the annual Little Kids Rock charity benefit on Oct. 23 at Manhattan's Hammerstein Ballroom. Among those performing her songs were Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Tommy James, Steven van Zandt and Billie Joe Armstrong. Cooper came out to trade verses on his slinkly "Be My Lover," a song Jett covered in 1990, while Cheap Trick tore through "I Hate Myself for Loving You," a Jett hit that the band says reminds them of their own material. The event ended up raising $1.5 million to provide free music education (and instruments) to more than 135,000 low-income public school children. - Billboard, 10/24/14...... Led Zeppelin has treated fans to an online preview of an alternate version of "Stairway to Heaven," which is featured on the upcoming deluxe version reissue of their fourth album, Led Zeppelin "IV." Recorded at LA's Sunset Sound in 1971, Led Zep bassist John Paul Jones spoke about the freshly unearthed mix to Rolling Stone, saying: "It's always interesting to hear stuff that you know really well and hear it differently, but the same. It does give a different perspective on it. You hear different things. I did read somewhere that the end of 'Stairway to Heaven' contained one of the best rock bass parts ever recorded. Unfortunately it comes underneath one of the greatest rock guitars so... But 'Stairway' is a favorite still. It's just got everything that we are about." Guitarist Jimmy Page added: "The Sunset Sound mix of 'Stairway To Heaven' was actually mixed at Sunset Sound in LA in advance of the version that everybody knows. I think it's a really good embodiment of everything that's on there. It's a guitar mix, really." Led Zeppelin "IV," along with a deluxe reissue of 1973's Houses of the Holy, drop on Oct. 27. The band has also released new animated video for 1971"s iconic hit "Rock and Roll" in conjunction with the releases. - New Musical Express, 10/25/14...... The Beatles' iconic song "All You Need Is Love" has returned to the Billboard Top 10 for the first time since 1967, this time as a remake by jazz musician Dave Koz. Dave Koz & Friends' version, which features an all-star lineup of contributors including Stevie Wonder, Richard Marx, Eric Benoit and Gloria Estefan, has risen to No. 10 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs radio airplay chart. The Fab Four's original "All You Need Is Love" topped the Billboard Hot 100 on Aug. 19, 1967. Four weeks later (Sept. 16, 1967), it dipped to No. 8, marking the last time any recording of the song would claim a top 10 spot for 47 years..... In other Beatles-related news, Paul McCartney's Out There Tour is the No. 1 tour on Billboard's Hot Tours list for third week of October, grossing $165 million (and counting) in box office revenue from five of the final U.S. performances on his world tour. Now in its home stretch, Macca's tour will close its final trek through North America on Oct. 30 after concerts in 21 cities. - Billboard, 10/24/14...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, George Harrison's childhood home in Liverpool has sold for just over $250,000 at an auction held at the legendary Cavern Club in the English city. Harrison's former house, located at 25 Upton Green, in the Speke area of Liverpool went to a Beatles fan who had tried and failed to buy John Lennon's home last year. George lived there from the age of six, and along with Lennon and Paul McCartney, the trio held rehearsals at the three bedroom house years before they joined up with Ringo Starr and go on to worldwide success with the Beatles. The winning bidder was Beatles fanatic Jackie Holmes from London who reportedly held off competition from an American telephone bidder and a reserve bidder from Liechtenstein. "I'm absolutely thrilled. This was the house where the Beatles rehearsed and now I own it. I missed out on John Lennon's house last year, so this is just a dream come true," Holmes told the Liverpool Echo. Holmes added she may well move to Liverpool after buying the house and also said she intended to put one of the rooms back to the way it was in the 1960s. The sale of Harrison's childhood home comes after Lennon's former childhood home at 9 Newcastle Road, in Wavertree, sold at auction for $770,000 in October. Meanwhile, a letter handwritten by John Lennon to television host Joe Franklin has sold at auction via Boston-based RR Auction for more than $28,000. The letter was penned on Apple Records stationary in 1971, with Lennon encouraging talk show host Franklin to listen to his wife Yoko Ono's latest album Fly. "Of course Yoko can explain her music better in person, this is a kind of introduction. For something rather more 'straight,' a track called 'Mrs Lennon' on 'Fly' is an example of her more conservative side," Lennon writes. "She was trained as a classical musician, and took music composition in Sarah Lawrence College as her major. It's far out, but don't let it frighten you." - The Hollywood Reporter/Rolling Stone, 10/26/14...... Legendary jazz/rock keyboardist Herbie Hancock released his long-awaited memoir, Herbie Hancock: Possibilities on Oct. 23, and among its revelations are the night Hancock's wife and daughter staged an intervention for his crack cocaine abuse in the 1990's. "Ever since I'd first smoked crack cocaine, I had been trying without success to stop. I managed to keep it under control for several years, sometimes going months without smoking it," Hancock writes. "But then [my wife] Gigi would go out of town and I'd think, 'I have a few days, I'll just do it one more time.' Toward the end of 1999 things were getting out of control. I was smoking a lot now, and acting in ways I'd never acted before. One day in November Gigi had an asthma attack, but instead of taking care of her or taking her to the doctor, I left the house. I couldn't handle it.... She'd been calling my cellphone, but I was so high, and so paranoid, that of course I didn't answer. I didn't want to speak to her until I could come down enough to talk normally. Finally, I picked up. Gigi told me that she'd called the police -- so I'd better get out now. She hadn't, but I didn't know that." - Billboard, 10/24/14...... Bob Seger's latest LP Ride Out has hit No. 1 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart, the Detroit rocker's first No. 1 on that chart since its 2006 inception, and Seger's highest-ever debut (No. 3) on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart. Notably, Seger's 17th studio album is his only one available for sale in the iTunes Store. Seger is still shunning streaming services, such as Spotify, where none of his current or back catalog is available. Non-traditional retailers, like amazon.com, account for 29 percent of Ride Out's first-week sales. - Billboard, 10/24/14...... The Grateful Dead, who will be celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2015, have announced plans for a career-spanning retrospective documentary executive produced by Martin Scorsese and directed by Amir Bar-Lev. The currently untitled project will combine previously unreleased footage of the jam band, vintage interviews and various candid moments captured on film over the half century, as well as new conversations with surviving members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, and other Deadheads from around their unique universe. - Billboard, 10/23/14...... In a new interview with The New Yorker magazine, Billy Joel says that he has no plan to hit the "treadmill," that grind of a continuous album release cycle and its near-inescapable law of diminishing creative returns. "Over the years, Elton [John] would say, "Why don"t you make more albums?" And I'd say, "Why don"t you make less?" -- Some people think it's because I'm lazy or I'm just being contrary. But, no, I think it's just -- I've had my say." He goes on to add, "If I put out an album now, it would probably sell pretty well, because of who I am, but that's no reason to do it. I'd want it to be good. And I've seen artists on that treadmill, putting out albums year after year, and the albums get worse and worse, less and less interesting, and it"s, like, maybe you should stop." - The New Yorker/Billboard, 10/22/14...... Neil Young is set to stage his very first art exhibition when he debuts a selection of his watercolours at the Robert Berman Gallery in Santa Monica, Calif., on Nov. 3 until the end of the month. Young will be present at the opening event. The exhibition will include the cover art for Young's new solo album, Storytone, which is also released on Nov. 3. The LP is his second of the year following A Letter Home, which was recorded in the vintage vinyl booth at Jack White's Third Man Records store in Nashville. - NME, 10/23/14...... Ambient music legend Brian Eno has announced he will re-release a series of albums dating back to the early-to-mid 1990's. Eno will reissue Nerve Net (1992), The Shutov Assembly (1992), Neroli (1993) and The Drop (1997) via All Saint Records on Dec. 2. Each album will come with a bonus selection of unreleased material. - NME, 10/24/14...... Foreigner are set to release a new high-definition live recording from their most successful album of all time, Foreigner 4. The Best of Foreigner 4 & More will be released on Dec. 5 on CD and vinyl, accompanied by limited edition posters and remake t-shirts from their 1981-1982 tour. Foreigner recorded live high-definition versions of their most enduring anthems on Foreigner 4 at the Borgata Hotel's Music Box theatre in Atlantic City on Oct. 3 4, 2014. The album includes some of rock's best-known hits including "Feels Like The First Time," "Cold As Ice," "Hot Blooded" and Foreigner's iconic ballad, "I Want To Know What Love Is." Foreigner 4 spent more weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts than any artist in the history of Atlantic Records, including AC/DC, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, and went on to sell more than 9 million albums worldwide. "Our music has touched a lot of people worldwide" says Foreigner founder, lead guitarist, Mick Jones, who also serves serves as executive producer of the new album. - Noble PR, 10/22/14...... In other live release news, the Rolling Stones have announced details of their upcoming concert DVD L.A. Forum Live in 1975. Hitting stores on Nov. 17, the release is the second from the band's "From the Vaults" series of archive footage. The band's trip to America in 1975 was their first with then new recruit Ronnie Wood. The footage on the DVD was captured during their five night stint at the Los Angeles venue in July of that year. - New Musical Express, 10/25/14...... In a recent interview with Esquire magazine, Ozzy Osbourne said that he wants his fellow cofounding Black Sabbath member Bill Ward to rejoin Sabbath for the band's next, and supposedly final, album. "I hope Bill Ward can get his stuff together to do this," Osbourne said. "One of the biggest things I"m proud of in my life was that Black Sabbath wasn't a band that was created by some business mogul in London or New York. We were four guys who had a great idea." Earlier in 2014, before the band's headline set in London's Hyde Park, Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi had stated that the gig could be the band's last outing due to his ongoing health problems. However, the band will now reunite for what is expected to be their last ever record. Black Sabbath have released 13 studio albums since forming in 1968. The current line up of the band sees Iommi and Osbourne joined by third original member Geezer Butler on bass. - NME, 10/24/14...... Speaking to Mojo magazine, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason compared his former bandmate Roger Waters to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, and claimed that the singer's departure from the band was like when the USSR lost their notorious autocratic leader. "It must have been the same when Stalin died. It took quite a while [to recover], it was a three or four year period," he said. "Roger thought we were all going to call it day, and David [Gilmour] and I thought Roger was going to call it a day and we were going to carry on," he added. "[But] the thing is, these slightly unbalanced people make great musicians. If we hadn't had the mad Syd [Barrett] and the mad Roger, we might have been doing 'Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep'." Waters, who left the prog-rock band in 1985, recently issued an angry statement about his lack of involvement in the upcoming Pink Floyd release The Endless River, which the band says will be their final LP. The album is on course to become Amazon's most pre-ordered album of all-time. - NME, 10/24/14...... British glam rocker Alvin Stardust, one of the biggest pop stars of his era in his native UK, died on Oct. 23 after battling metastatic prostate cancer. He was 72. Stardust, born Bernard Jewry on Sept. 27, 1942 in London, enjoyed a long line of top 10 hits in the '70s and early '80s, and topped the chart in his homeland with "Jealous Mind." He was once described by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards as "the Godfather of British Rock 'n' Roll," and will be remembered for his tough-guy persona and rockabilly quiff. Stardust also helmed shows on BBC Radio 2 and Radio 5, and at one stage hosted a Sunday morning children's TV series It's Stardust on Britain's free-to-air ITV. He appeared in various U.K. TV series, including Hollyoaks. Before his death, Alvin completed his first studio album in 30 years, which is scheduled for release on Nov. 3 through Conehead Records. - Billboard, 10/24/14...... Alfred Wertheimer, the photographer whose portraits of Elvis Presley documented the birth of a music legend, died of natural causes on Oct. 19 at his New York apartment. He was 85. Mr. Wertheimer was 26 when he was assigned to photograph the then unknown 21-year-old singer Presley. He traveled with Elvis from New York to Memphis by train and produced a series of now famous black and white portraits that were the subject of exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution and the Grammy Museum. Among the most famous shots: "The Kiss," a photo of Elvis nuzzling a woman fan backstage. "There has been no other photographer that Elvis ever allowed to get as up close and personal in his life through photos as he did with Alfred," Presley's ex-wife Priscilla Presley said on Oct. 21. "I'm deeply saddened by the death of Alfred Wertheimer. He was a dear friend and special soul. I feel he was a gift for all who knew him especially, Elvis Presley." - AP, 10/22/14.

Ben Bradlee, the charismatic former Washington Post editor who oversaw the paper during the Watergate scandal and Pentagon Papers controversy and was immortalized in the 1976 film All the President's Men, died on Oct. 21 at his home in Washington, D.C., of natural causes. He was 93. Born Benjamin Crowninshield Bradlee in Boston, Mass., on Aug. 26, 1921, Mr. Bradlee survived a childhood battle with polio. He served on a destroyer in the Navy during World War II and was a veteran of more than a dozen battles, including the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines. After the war, he helped start the New Hampshire Sunday News, a small paper in Manchester, which folded after two years. He was hired as a reporter for the Washinton Post in 1948 but left after three years to become assistant press attache at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. In 1954, he became a European correspondent for Newsweek magazine and returned to Washington with it in 1957, becoming bureau chief after the Post bought the magazine in 1961. As a reporter in the 1950s, Mr. Bradlee became friends with John F. Kennedy, who had moved into a house on the same block after winning his first election to Congress. Mr. Bradlee later wrote two books about his onetime neighbor and future president, the first in 1964, just after Kennedy's assassination. In 1965 he became managing editor of the Post and, three years later, executive editor as the paper joined with the New York Times in the Pentagon Papers case. Pres. Richard Nixon's administration had issued a temporary restraining order against publication of the leaked report, a history of the Vietnam War commissioned by former secretary of defense Robert McNamara, and both papers were vindicated when the Supreme Court ruled, 6-3, to lift the ban against publishing. Later in the decade, the Post won a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for its investigation of the 1974 Watergate scandal which brought down Pres. Nixon, and All the President's Men, Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's book about breaking the story, was made into a movie starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as the two reporters and Jason Robards memorably portraying Mr. Bradlee. He met his third wife, reporter Sally Quinn, during his tenure the paper, and the two married in 1978 and had a son, Quinn. He also has three other children by his first two marriages, including son Ben Bradlee, Jr., a longtime Boston Globe reporter and editor. His memoir, A Good Life, was published in 1995, and in November 2013 he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Pres. Barack Obama. Mr. Bradlee began end-of-life hospice care at his home in September after suffering from Alzheimer's disease and dementia for several years. "Ben was a true friend and genius leader in journalism," Woodward and Bernstein said in a statement. "He forever altered our business. His one unbending principle was the quest for the truth and the necessity of that pursuit." - CNN, 10/22/14.

Led Zeppelin has lost the first round of a "Stairway to Heaven" plagarism lawsuit brought by the heirs of co-founding Spirit member Randy Craig Wolf. The heirs sued Led Zep's Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and their music companies in June 2014, claiming that the story Page has told over the years about holing himself up in a remote cottage in Wales in 1970 and creating the iconic Classic Rock staple is false. The plaintiffs allege hat the music really came from Spirit, which once toured with Led Zeppelin in the late 1960s. On Oct. 19, U.S. District Court Judge Juan Snchez denied a motion to dismiss or transfer without prejudice after the defendants challenged the jurisdiction of the suit, saying "the individual defendants are British citizens residing in England, own no property in Pennsylvania and have no contacts with Pennsylvania, let alone ties sufficient to render them essentially at home here." The judge's ruling means that the plaintiffs can still try to sue Page and Plant again. Meanwhile, Jimmy Page said in a recent interview that "My master plan is to be playing live next year." "I haven't got another 20-30 years left in me, so I really need to get out there and present myself the way that I like to present myself and to be seen and be heard," he said, adding that he "will definitely play Led Zeppelin music because I'm really proud of the music that I did and the instrumental side of it -- things like "Black Mountain Side," "White Summer" and "Dazed and Confused," which only has two verses when you play as an instrumental -- you can take into another sort of feel. So I would do all that stuff, but I would do it well. I wouldn't go out and make it look like a tribute band." - The Hollywood Reporter/Billboard, 10/20/14.

During a recent podcast, Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer said he's feeling great after a health scare that forced Aerosmith to cancel a California concert in August. As TMZ.com reported at the time that Kramer was facing "heart complications," the drummer clarified the gossip website's report that he "had heart issues in the past." "The likes of TMZ and some other [media outlets] out there said that I had previous problems, that I had existing heart problems from the past and it was something that I always had, which was just completely not true," Kramer said. "I've never had any problems in the past. It's just strictly a hereditary thing. There's a family history, and I was the victim. But no more." Kramer said he had gone to see his doctor after experiencing what he had thought was acid reflux but turned out to be more serious. He said he wound up needing an angioplasty with two stents inserted to fix the blockage. "It wasn't my time. It wasn't time for my ticket to be punched." he said on the Eddie Trunk Podcast. "And so I got fixed, and I'm back 150 percent, and everything is as good as it can possibly be." Meanwhile, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler addressed eleven Maui Drug Court graduates and their families in Hawaii on Oct. 16 in 2nd Circuit Court. "I'm nervous here because I'm telling you all my truth," Tyler said. "I am also a drug addict and alcoholic and fighting it every day." As a guest speaker at the 49th Maui/Moloka'i Drug Court program graduation, Tyler encouraged graduates to continue in their recovery, in part by attending Alcoholics Anonymous and other support group meetings, as he does. "If you stop going to AA meetings, you're going to wind up using again," he said. "They're all over the island and they're all over the world. I express my joy all because of AA." - Billboard/Associated Press, 10/19/14.

During a Q&A session on Twitter on Oct. 20 to promote the reissue of the Wings albums Venus and Mars and Wings at the Speed of Sound which come out in November, Paul McCartney shared a rare track which will appear on the Speed of Sound reissue -- a previously unreleased take of "Beware My Love" featuring late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham on drums. "...here's the world premiere of it featuring John Bonham on drums," Sir Paul said, as he shared it via Twitter's new audio card. "Beware My Love" wasn't the only time McCartney and Bonham's paths crossed -- the LedZep drummer played on two tracks from Wings' final album, 1979's Back to the Egg. During the Twitter chat, fans also learned that Macca has no tattoos ("Not even on my ass"), he sings in the shower ("Singing in the Rain," "It's Raining Men" or "Waterfalls!") and he's loving the new Foo Fighters track "Something From Nothing" and Sia's "Chandelier." - Billboard, 10/21/14...... In other Beatles-related news, Ringo Starr is set to star in a new global marketing campaign for Skechers footwear starting in spring 2015. Starr will appear in comedic new television spots for Skechers' "Relaxed Fit" line that will be part of a campaign that has previously included such sports celebrities as Joe Montana, Mark Cuban, Joe Namath and Pete Rose. "As we move from the sports world to the music world with this campaign, Ringo is the perfect ambassador to illustrate how our comfortable footwear helps keep you relaxed in any situation," said Skechers president Michael Greenberg. - Billboard, 10/21/14...... Appearing on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Oct. 20, Neil Diamond said he once considered changing his name to "Ice Charry" or possibly "Noah Kaminsky" before the release of his debut album, The Feel of Neil Diamond, in 1966. "The names were brilliant and perfect," Diamond told host Jimmy Fallon. Kaminsky "was Biblical. It had depth, it had character." Diamond was unable to say why he though Ice Charry would have been a good option, only saying "something from Elvis or something?" Diamond, who also revealed he always wanted to play the accordion in a recent chat on Reddit, is promoting his latest album, Melody Road, which hit stores on Oct. 21. - Billboard, 10/21/14...... As Bob Seger's latest LP Ride Out hit stores on Oct. 14, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer says that the album's title isn't meant to suggest a farewell. "People have said, 'Ride Out; that sounds a little final there,' and I'm like, 'No, that's not really what I meant,'" the 69-year-old musician tells Billboard. "It's to ride out, clear your head from all the stuff that's making you crazy. But it could serve as a final title. So if I decide, when I turn 70 in May, that enough's enough, it is kind of like summing up. The deciding factor for whether I leave or not is my voice, whether it holds up. I want to be graceful about it. I don't want to overstay my welcome." Seger added that he "probably cut 25 songs for the new album...and then there were another five or six that I came real close to cutting because maybe were a little too esoteric -- or a little too one way or another." "I just try to keep the quality up as high as I can. It's an ongoing thing and I play them for everyone who's close to me and figure out which ones work the best together," he said. - Billboard, 10/20/14...... Yusuf, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, is streaming his first album in five years in its entirety now on the NPR website. The album, Tell 'Em I'm Gone, will drop via Sony Legacy on Oct. 27 and was co-produced by Rick Rubin and recorded in L.A., London, Dubai and Brussels. Stevens will mount a 6-date tour behind the new LP beginning in December, his first string of North American dates in 35 years. He'll also play a small handful of European shows. - Billboard, 10/20/14...... In other streaming news, a previously-unreleased Bob Dylan track entitled "Dress It Up, Better Have It All" is now available to listen online. The track is part of Dylan's upcoming six-disc The Basement Tapes Complete: Bootleg Series Vol. 11 release, which hits on Nov. 11. "Dress It Up, Better Have It All" is one of 30 tracks previously thought to have been lost from the 138-track collection. The set includes all known recordings from the songwriter's sessions for his Basement Tapes album, which was initially released in 1975. - New Musical Express, 10/16/14...... Jackson Browne's new album Standing in the Breach debuted on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart at No. 15 for the second week of October, giving the California folk-rocker his second-highest debut ever on the chart. Browne's best-ever launch came in 1980 with Hold Out, which debuted at No. 10 (later climbing to No. 1). A new John Lennon collection, Power to the People: The Hits, bowed at No. 133 on the Hot 200. The set was sale priced and promoted by various digital retailers, including Amazon MP3 and the iTunes Store. On the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, Glen Campbell made his first appearance in 21 years, as his song "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" debuted at No. 50. As Campbell enters the final stages of Alzheimer's disease, the track is his final recording. "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" is from a soundtrack EP accompanying the documentary Glen Campbell - I'll Be Me, which includes The Band Perry's cover of Campbell's 1967 hit "Gentle on My Mind." - Billboard, 10/17/14...... Singer Paul Rodgers of Free and Bad Company fame played a sold-out performance and participated in a Q&A session at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles on Oct. 15. Rodgers told the Foundation that he's always been a soul singer at heart -- particularly on his new album covering R&B classics, The Royal Sessions. Recorded at the iconic Memphis Royal Studios with some of the original session musicians, The Royal Sessions was produced by Perry Margoulef, who appeared with Rodgers for the event. Following the Q&A, the night ended with Rodgers performing three songs from the new album, starting with a stellar "That's How Strong My Love Is," followed by "I Can't Stand The Rain" and "Born Under A Bad Sign." - The Hollywood Reporter, 10/16/14...... Queen guitarist Brian May is currently exhibiting his collection of Victorian-era 3D photographs at London's Tate Britain. May has been collecting stereoscopic images since his band's early years and his collection includes over 100,000 pictures. The most expensive item in the collection -- an image of Queen Victoria -- cost the musician £36,000. 3D pictures were popular during the 19th century, with two images displayed through a special viewer to create the illusion of depth. May has even devised his very own apparatus to use in examining the pieces. "This is a very big thrill, being able to share my own excitement in these photographs," May told The Guardian newspaper. "In the 19th century somebody called them 'the poor man's art gallery' " but that was a derogatory term " they usually haven't been taken seriously as art or photography." "A Poor Man's Picture Gallery" will run at Tate Britain until Apr. 12, 2015, after opening there in mid-October. - New Musical Express, 10/21/14...... Barbra Streisand reportedly sent out an email on Oct. 18 asking her fellow Democrats to donate money immediately to candidates facing stiff opposition in the November midterm elections. "Have you seen Congress lately? It's a mess," the diva wrote. "And it's only going to get worse if people like Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers continue to treat corporations better than people." Streisand, who teamed up with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in sending out the email, urged donors to contributed at least $5 immediately. "We have to act now," Streisand wrote. "We're running out of time and money." The singer, whose latest album Great Diva Classics, arrives in stores on Oct. 21, also blasted a recent Supreme Court decision allowing Texas to use its strict voter identification law in the November election. "Just this week in Texas, voting rights were dismantled, essentially blocking minorities and many students and seniors from voting," she wrote. "There is still so much more we can do," she added in closing. "And that can only be achieved with an active Congress, not an obstructive one. That is why it is so important to support Democratic candidates." - The Hollywood Reporter, 10/19/14...... More artists have been added to the upcoming star-studded tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd, which is set for Atlanta's Fox Theatre on Nov. 12. Randy Houser, O.A.R. and Al Kooper, who discovered Skynyrd and produced many of their hits, are the newest additions to "One More For the Fans! - Celebrating the Songs & Music of Lynyrd Skynyrd," organizers announced on Oct. 17. They join a previously set lineup of rock and country acts that includes Lynyrd Skynyrd, Trace Adkins, Alabama, Gregg Allman, Charlie Daniels, Peter Frampton, Warren Haynes, John Hiatt, Jason Isbell, Jamey Johnson, Aaron Lewis, moe., Gov't Mule, Robert Randolph, Blackberry Smoke, Cheap Trick and Donnie Van Zant. Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded a live album, One More From the Road, at the Fox Theatre in 1976 as part of a campaign to save the historic venue from the wrecking ball. For the Nov. 12 concert, producer Don Was will serve as the music director and house band leader. - Billboard, 10/17/14...... Legendary fashion designer Oscar de la Renta, who had designed dresses for every first lady since Jacqueline Kennedy died on Oct. 20. He was 82. The cause of his death, announced by close family friends and industry colleagues, was not immediately clear. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2006, but said last year he was "totally clean." Often described as the "sultan of suave," Mr. de la Renta also dressed such female musicians as Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Lee Ann Womack, while movie stars Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz and Kristen Stewart were among the Dominican Republic-born designer's great fans. "He was a true, true gentlemen, in the truest sense of the word -- a real bright light -- and this is just a terrible, terrible loss for the fashion world," said Alina Cho, fashion journalist and editor at large at Random House. - The Hollywood Reporter, 10/20/14...... Saxophone player Raphael Ravenscroft, the man behind the sax hook on Gerry Rafferty's 1978 smash "Baker Street" which is considered the most recognizable sax riff in pop music history, passed away due to an apparent heart attack on Oct. 20. He was 60. Ravenscroft was reportedly paid for his "Baker Street" sessions work with a check that bounced, while Rafferty earned thousands in royalties on the song over the years. "Baker Street" peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978 and the riff continues to be one of the most celebrated sax hooks in history. Some music historians claim Ravenscroft's "Baker Street" sax solo is strongly inspired by a similar solo in jazz-rock fusion player Steve Marcus' 1968 track "Half a Heart." Ravenscroft also played tenor sax on Pink Floyd's The Final Cut and worked with a diverse roster of artists that included Robert Plant, America, Bonnie Tyler, Daft Punk and more. - Billboard, 10/21/14...... Tim Hauser, the founder and singer of the Grammy-winning vocal troupe The Manhattan Transfer, died on Oct. 16 from cardiac arrest. He was 72. Hauser founded Manhattan Transfer, who released their debut album in the early 1970s and released hits such as "Operator" and "The Boy from New York City." They went on to win multiple pop and jazz Grammy Awards. Their critically acclaimed album, 1985's Vocalese, earned a whopping 12 Grammy nominations. "Tim was the visionary behind The Manhattan Transfer," members of the group said in a statement. "It's incomprehensible to think of this world without him." Manhattan Transfer will continue their upcoming tour despite Hauser's death. Their next show is Oct. 23 in Manchester, N.H. - AP, 10/18/14...... Songwriter Paul Craft, who penned hits for such artists as the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Ray Stevens, Mark Chesnutt and Alison Krauss, died in a hospital in Nashville, Tenn., after years of deteriorating health. He was 76. Earlier in October, Craft was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame after being nominated numerous times over the years. Craft was also a member of American Mensa, a group for people whose IQ is in the top 2 percent of the population. Among his most well-known songs were "Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life," '"Dropkick Me, Jesus (Through the Goalposts of Life)," "Brother Jukebox," and "It's Me Again, Margaret," one of Ray Stevens' signature songs. - AP, 10/19/14.

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on October 16th, 2014

Appearing on the Comedy Network series The Colbert Report on Oct. 14, Neil Young said that Pres. Barack Obama should "be impeached" because of his apparent support for "fracking," the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas. "I think we should impeach him for fracking," said Young when asked by host Stephen Colbert if he thought Obama should be impeached over Iraq. "It's not in the interest of the American people... I am part of the free world, and he is the leader of the free world!" Young is making the media rounds to promote his new solo album Storytone, which hits stores on Nov. 3. Storytone is a double album with a second disc of the same songs backed by a 92-piece orchestra. Young is also hyping his new Pono music player and its updated website, which now has a preview of how the service's music store will function when launched. The PonoMusic.com store is comprised of a simple search bar and a selection of current albums by Prince, Ryan Adams and others, though there are currently no prices and you can't purchase anything yet. Young officially launched PonoMusic at the Salesforce Dreamforce conference on Thursday, Oct. 16 in San Francisco. Pono says it expects to have the complete catalogs of the three major labels (Sony, Universal and Warner) in the store, with a total of over 2 million tracks. - New Musical Express/Billboard, 10/15/14.

The Doobie Brothers will release Southbound, an album of collaborations featuring contributions from the likes of country music stars Blake Shelton, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill and others, on Nov. 4. The 12-track LP consists of reinterpretations of some of the Doobies' biggest hits, including "Black Water" (with Zac Brown Band), "China Grove" (with Chris Young), "Jesus Is Just Alright" (with Casey James), "Listen to the Music" (with Shelton) and "Long Train Running" (with Keith). Southbound also marks the first release in almost forty years to feature Doobie leads Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald and Patrick Simmons. In other country music-related news, The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn., has announced a new rock exhibit will be opening at the venue in March 2015. The "Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City" exhibit refers to such seminal country-influenced rock albums of the late 1960's and early 1970's recorded in the Music City, including Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde and Nashville Skyline, The Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo and Neil Young's Harvest. Michael Gray, museum editor and co-curator of the exhibit, said the exhibit is not only about the music made in Nashville during this period, but also the cultural changes the city experienced. "It was sort of thought of as a conservative town, maybe not as hip as the music circles in New York, San Francisco, L.A. or London," he said. Dylan's decision to record multiple albums in Nashville opened the floodgates for folk and rock musicians, he said. "It really did change perceptions about the city," he said. Johnny Cash also had a big role in welcoming these new musicians to town through his television program The Johnny Cash Show, which aired on ABC from 1969 to 1971 and featured both country and folk artists, including Dylan, Young, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt and Eric Clapton. - AP/Billboard, 10/15/14

Led Zeppelin has leaked another rare track from their upcoming reissues of 1971's Led Zeppelin IV and 1973's Houses of the Holy. An alternate take of "Rock and Roll" on Oct. 15 follows a different version of "The Rain Song" from the reissues, which drop Oct. 27 via Atlantic/Swan Song sporting a bounty of unreleased bonus tracks (on both CD and vinyl, regular and deluxe). Both will also be included in a box set, which also contains a coffee table book and a print of the cover art. Meanwhile, on Oct. 14 Led Zep's Jimmy Page released a widely-distributed version of a "photographic autobiography" featuring over 600 photos from the musician's archive as well as his own words telling the story of the mighty Zeppelin's rise. The book, simply titled Jimmy Page, was originally released in 2010 but limited to just 2,500 copies. "I've been asked on a number of occasions to do a written book and I thought of the other side of the coin," Page said at the book's original release. "I thought it would be unique to have an autobiography in photographs, charting my whole musical journey." - Billboard/New Musical Express, 10/16/14...... Country-pop icon Glen Campbell, who has been fighting the debilitating, destructive Alzheimer's brain disease, has released a powerful video for his final song, "I'm Not Gonna Miss You." Directed by James Keach, the clip is a portrait of Campbell's great career and his life away from music. But it's tempered by images of the treatment he's undergone for Alzheimer's. There's an emotional impact to the words and vision of "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" that recalls one of Johnny Cash's final recordings, "Hurt." "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," which Campbell recorded in Jan. 2013 for the soundtrack of the documentary Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me, opens with the lyric, "I'm still here but yet I'm gone. I don't play guitar or sing my song. It never defined who I am, the man who loves you till the end." Such famous musicians as Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift appeared in the documentary to pay tribute to the "Rhinestone Cowboy singer. Campbell, 78, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2011 and he was moved into a long-term care facility earlier this year. he was named both CMA Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year in 1968, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. The veteran performer has sold more than 45 million albums over the course of his career. - Billboard, 10/13/14....... Billy Joel has reportedly sold one of his beachfront mansions on Long Island. The 5,500-square-foot, four bedroom home that sits on 145 feet of beach front was sold earlier in October, and the buyer and price have not been disclosed. Sagaponack, a village in the Town of Southampton in Suffolk County, was been listed as the most expensive small village in the U.S in 2009. Joel has other homes on Long Island. - AP, 10/16/14...... Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon have announced plans for an inaugural "Ozzfiesta" at a Hard Rock hotel in Mexico for May 27-31, 2015. The five-day event is described as "an all-inclusive getaway with live music, meet and greets and more." The couple have put up a website devoted to the event, and Ozzy confirms he'll be playing a headlining set, and a dinner party will be hosted by Sharon. The first 500 rooms sold will also include a meet and greet with the singer. Osbourne has previously held a series of annual Ozzfest events in America; however, this is the first time the singer has taken the festival to Mexico. Meanwhile, Ozzy took to Twitter on Oct. 13 for a Q&A session with fans after beginning an #askOzzy hashtag on the site. The 65-year-old rocker revealed that he has "no vices" but "loves beans on toast." In still more Ozzy news, the musician is set to be receive the Global Icon award at the 2014 MTV EMAs, which are set for the SSE Hydro in Glasgow on Nov. 9. Osbourne will receive the MTV Global Icon award in recognition of his work as both a member of Black Sabbath and a solo artist. - New Musical Express, 10/16/14...... In more award show news, '70s artists Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Cat Stevens, Steve Miller, Steve Winwood, Harry Wayne "K.C." Casey and Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart are among the 12 nominees for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015. The selected songwriters will be inducted next June at a New York gala. Meanwhile, Nile Rodgers of Chic picked up a Song of the Year award at the 2014 BMI London awards at the citiy's Dorchester Hotel on Oct. 13. Rodgers accepted the award for "Get Lucky," which he co-wrote with Daft Punk and Pharrel Williams. Legendary lyricist Tim Rice, whose credits include Jesus Christ Superstar and The Lion King, was also honored with a BMI Icon award for his body of work. In BMI's always-interesting Million-Air Awards category, which honor's a song's combined radio plays in the U.S., awards went to Sting's "Every Breath You Take" (12 million), Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" (11 million), Eric Clapton's "Layla" (9 million), Free's "All Right Now" (5 million), and Eagle-Eye Cherry's "Save Tonight" (4 million). Attendees included Rice, Rodgers, Morrison, Cherry, Ray Davies, Don Black and BMI president Mike O'Neill. - AP/Billboard, 10/16/14...... A massive remastered collection of Joni Mitchell's greatest hits, Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting to Be Danced, will drop Nov. 15 and feature 53 songs from the Canadian folk-rock legend's successful career. Songs for the 4-disc box set were hand-picked by Mitchell herself and have been re-arranged into "themes" that reflect the quartet and ballet mentioned in the title. "Instead of it being an emotional roller coaster ride as it was before -- crammed into one disc -- themes began to develop... Moods sustained," Mitchell explained in a press release. "When this long editorial process [two years] finally came to rest, I had four ballets or a four-act ballet -- a quartet. I also had a box set." Mitchell says the new remastered tracks will be "familiar but fresh," with "a lot of sonic adjustment," which has all been crafted by herself. Mitchell's last studio album, Shine, was released in 2007 and saw her collaborating with members of the Alberta Ballet. - New Musical Express, 10/15/14...... In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham said the band are recording some "profound" new material for their next album, which they announced earlier in 2014. Buckingham says Fleetwood Mac is "exploring new turf" on the record, and also hailed the influence of returning member Christine McVie, who announced she was rejoining the band in January. Fleetwood Mac's last new release of new material was an EP entitled Extended Play in 2013. - NME, 10/16/14...... Six unused photos from the photo shoot for the Beatles' famous Abbey Road album cover are set to go on sale at auction in London on Nov. 21. The shots were taken on Aug. 8, 1969, photographer Iain Macmillan, who had only ten minutes to complete the entire shoot. Six photos were taken in all, including the photo that eventually made the final cut, as well as a scenery shot of the Abbey Road sign. "[The photos] are incredibly rare," said Sarah Wheeler of Bloomsbury Auctions. "I've spoken to other music dealers and no one has been able to find a complete set on the market for at least 10 years." Released in September 1969, Abbey Road's beloved iconic cover is one of the most parodied LP sleeves in history. The artwork is also the focus of several conspiracy theories, including one that Paul McCartney is in fact dead and was replaced on the sleeve by an imposter. - New Musical Express, 10/15/14...... Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Leonard Cohen has announced he'll release a new live album called Live in Dublin on Dec. 1, along with an accompanying concert film of the same name. The release's recordings date back to last September at Dublin's O2 Arena. Live in Dublin will be released as a 3-CD and DVD collection, and will be Cohen's first high-definition release.Cohen released his latest album, Popular Problems, in September 2014 to mark his 80th birthday. - NME, 10/15/14...... Bob Seger was the musical guest on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live on Oct. 14 and treated viewers to a cover of the John Hiatt-penned song "Detroit Made," which appears on the Detroit rocker's latest album, Ride Out. Seger was backed by a massive band, including five horn players and three backup singers, and Ride Out is his first release since 2006's Face the Promise. Seger, 69, was cheerful and enthusiastic throughout the performance, periodically pointing to various members of his band to highlight whatever they happened to be playing at the time. He begins a 23-city tour with his Silver Bullet Band this November. - Billboard, 10/15/14...... Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne will collaborate with contemporary singing sensation Alicia Keys at a live charity gig in New York at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Oct. 30. The pair will perform together at the annual Black Ball fundraiser, a venture organized by Keys herself. Proceeds from the show will go to the Keep A Child Alive foundation. "I've always been inspired by David Byrne and his ability to combine music and art," Keys says. "[We] have been talking about his new music and what we're going to perform and just the thought of it is amazing!" Previous Black Ball events have featured performances from Bono, Jay Z, Sade and others. - NME, 10/14/14...... Speaking at the UK's Cheltenham Literature Festival on Oct. 11, former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) said that he feels "a bit responsible" for the death of bandmate Sid Vicious, who died of a heroin overdose in 1979. "He didn't stand a chance," Lydon said "His mother was a heroin addict. I feel bad [that] I brought him into the band. He couldn't cope. I feel a bit responsible for his death... There you are, I have confessed my demons," said Lydon, who is promoting his new autobiography Anger Is an Energy. - NME, 10/13/14.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced their 2015 nominees on Oct. 9, with Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chic, Green Day, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Kraftwerk, The Marvelettes, Nine Inch Nails, N.W.A, Lou Reed, The Smiths, The Spinners, Sting, Stevie Ray Vaughan, War and Bill Withers making the cut for possible induction into the Cleveland-based hall and museum this time. First-time nominees include the Smiths, Sting, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Bill Withers. (Sting is already in the Rock Hall with the Police, but this is for his solo work.) Industry insiders say Green Day, Joan Jett, Nine Inch Nails, Lou Reed, Sting and Steve Ray Vaughan are likely locks for induction in 2015. For the third year, fans also have the opportunity to vote online, on Rolling Stone magazine's website, until Dec. 9. The induction ceremony will take place April 18, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. The 2014 inductees included Nirvana, Kiss, Linda Ronstadt, Hall & Oates, Peter Gabriel and Cat Stevens. - Billboard, 10/9/14.

Wisconsin-based clothing manufacturer Duluth Trading Company is being sued by Eagles principal Don Henley over the company's use of it's new marketing slogan, "Don a Henley and Take It Easy," a reference to the band's 1972 breakthrough single co-written by Jackson Browne and Eagles' member Glenn Frey. Attorneys representing Henley, who is known for being quite protective of his intellectual property, filed a suit in California district court on Oct. 10 claiming unauthorized use of the musician's name, trademarks and publicity rights. The suit charges Duluth Trading Company takes advantage of Henley's celebrity and is likely to cause confusion among consumers about the source of sponsorship. "This kind of thing happens with some degree of frequency and the members of the Eagles always defend their rights, often at great expense," a rep for Henley told The Hollywood Reporter. "One would think that the people in charge of marketing for these corporations would have learned by now that U.S. law forbids trading on the name of a celebrity without permission from that celebrity... Both Mr. Henley and the Eagles'... names are their trademarks and, therefore, they take offense when an individual or a business tries to piggyback and capitalize on their art, their hard work and their goodwill in the public arena." - The Hollywood Reporter, 10/10/14.

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has signed a new management deal with Larry Rudolph's ReignDeer Entertainment, the same firm that represents such acts as Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus. "At this exciting new time in my career, there was need for a big change," Tyler told Billbaord. "After meeting and getting to know Larry and (his partner) Rebecca Lambrecht and seeing that we all share the same vision, I knew it was the perfect time for me to work with people who truly have my best interest and well-being in mind. I look forward to making incredible history together and having FUN while we take over the world, work and travel on the most adventurous journey you could ever imagine." Tyler, who just wrapped Aerosmith's "Let Rock Rule" tour with the band, is currently working on a solo album. Meanwhile, Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry says that their will be "stuff that (Tyler) is going to take exception to" in his just-released memoir, Rocks: My Life In and Out of Aerosmith. Co-written with David Ritz, Perry says the memoir is "not your typical sex, drugs and rock'n'roll autobiography," with the musician writing about his love of nature (he wanted to be a marine biologist when he was a kid) and candidly confronts the human costs of his booze-and-drugs period instead of glorifying them. Perry says he couldn't predict how Tyler would react to his new book. "One thing I've learned about Steven is that I've never been able to figure him out," he says. "I think there's going to be stuff he's going to take exception to, (but) it will probably be just the opposite of the stuff that I think it is." - Billboard, 10/10/14.

Almost exactly 35 years after his 1979 single "Rise" topped the U.S. pop charts, the legendary Herb Alpert has returned to the Billboard Hot 200 album chart for the first time in 27 years with his new LP In the Mood. In the Mood debuted at No. 147 for the week ending Oct. 10, selling 2,000 copies in its first week and rising to No. 2 on the Traditional Jazz chart. Alpert last appeared on the Hot 200 with 1987's Keep Your Eye on Me, which peaked at No. 18. - Billboard, 10/10/14...... On Oct. 10 The Who announced itineraries for two North American "The Who Hits 50!" tour legs in 2015, with a 20-date spring trek kicking off Apr. 15 in Tampa, Fla., and running through May 30 in Forest Hills, N.Y. The tour then resumes in the fall on Sept. 14 in San Diego for 24 more shows and runs through Nov. 4 in Philadelphia. The tour will feature exclusive VIP packages, including reserved tickets for premium seats, access to a VIP pre-show soundcheck, pre-show VIP parties and autographed limited edition memorabilia. Tour details can be found on the band's official site, and additionally, $1 from each ticket sold on "The Who Hits 50!" tour will benefit the Roger Daltrey co-founded charity, Teen Cancer America. "This is the beginning of the long goodbye," Daltrey has said in a statement. A new Who greatest hits package of the same name will be released in conjunction with the tour this Oct. 27 via Geffen/Universal, spanning the band's first recordings as The High Numbers to its greatest Who hits to a brand-new track, titled "Be Lucky." - Billboard, 10/10/14...... In other tour news, Fleetwood Mac has just added 28 more dates to their in progress "On With The Show" tour, which had been set to wrap Dec. 20 in Tampa, Fla. The tour will now run into the spring of 2015 and conclude Mar. 31 in Witchita, Kansas. The band played back-to-back shows at Madison Square Garden in New York earlier in October, after kicking off the tour Sept. 30 in Minneapolis. - Billboard, 10/10/14...... Neil Young has announced his new LP Storytone will drop Nov. 4 in the U.S. via Reprise and feature 10 new tracks. The first track, "Who's Gonna Stand Up?," was originally performed at Young and Crazy Horse shows in the U.K. this summer and, more recently, as part of his solo acoustic set at Farm Aid. An EP with four unique versions of the ecologically-conscious song is currently available for download. Young "took a different approach with this record," according to a press release, "first recording the songs on his own in a solo-setting, then creating compelling versions of the songs in a new light with an orchestra and big band, resulting in a deeply-personal emotional listening experience throughout the new record." Configurations of the album, Young's 35th, release include a deluxe 180 gram double vinyl pressing, which will be released on Dec. 19 and will feature both the regular and 2-disc deluxe orchestral versions of the album. The album will also be available via Young's crowd-sourced music player Pono. Meanwhile, Young declared that Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young will "never, ever tour again" during a solo gig at Philadelphia's Academy of Music on Oct. 8. Young reportedly began talking about CSNY as he picked up a guitar that was "given to me by my good friend Stephen Stills." Then, responding to a fan's unheard question, he added: "CSNY will never tour again, ever... but I love those guys." - Billboard/New Musical Express, 10/10/14...... In an interview with the BBC on Oct. 9, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour said the band's upcoming LP The Endless River will be their final official album. "Well, Rick [Wright] is gone. This is the last thing that'll be out from us," Gilmour said, referring to the band's cofounding keyboardist who died in 2008 at the age of 65. "I didn't necessarily always give him his proper due," Gilmour says of Wright. "People have very different attitudes to the way they work and we can become very judgmental and think someone is not quite pulling his weight enough, without realizing that theirs is a different weight to pull." Hitting stores on Nov. 10, The Endless River will feature a cameo by theoretical physicist Steven Hawking, who contributes vocals to a new song entitled "Talkin' Hawkin'." It will mark Hawking's second collaboration with Pink Floyd, having previously appeared on their 1994 album The Division Bell. - Billboard, 10/9/14...... Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry will be among the headliners of a John Lennon charity tribute concert set for New York City's Symphony Space on Dec. 5. The nonprofit Theatre Within made the announcement on Oct. 8, a day before what would have been Lennon's 74th birthday. Other performers set to perform include Kate Pierson of the B-52s, Joan Osborne, Marshall Crenshaw and Ben E. King. Commenting on the event, Lennon's widow Yoko Ono said in a statement: "I share Theatre Within's belief that music and the performing arts have a special power to bring people together and inspire us to make a positive difference. It's beautiful that the Tribute continues to have such a powerful impact in John's memory." Proceeds will benefit Lennon and Ono's Spirit Foundation. Meanwhile, the full back catalog of John's solo work was made available on the popular streaming service Spotify on Oct. 7. From 1970's John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band to 1984's posthumous Milk and Honey, Spotify now offers listeners Lennon's eight proper solo albums and three official compilations. Not included are Lennon's trio of avant garde albums with Yoko (1968's Two Virgins and 1969's Life With the Lions and Wedding Album). Lennon now joins bandmates Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr to Spotify as solo artists. The Beatles, who have an exclusive arrangement with iTunes, are currently not available through Spotify. - AP/Billboard, 10/8/14...... In other Beatles-related news, Paul McCartney has offered his support to save St Luke's Church, an arts venue in his hometown of Liverpool. Posting on his official site, Sir Paul wrote: "The people of Liverpool should do everything possible to keep this venue open for the use of the people and run by the people. It is a place that is regularly staffed by students from LIPA and every-day people of all ages, religions and backgrounds. It would be a terrible shame if we lost this cultural icon." Representatives from the church, better known as "The Bombed-Out Church," have raised over £20,000 to help running costs of the iconic Leece Street building. The church was built in 1832 and has served as a concert hall before and since the 1941 Liverpool Blitz, which left the venue as a roofless shell. St Luke's curator Ambrose Reynolds said it "means the world for us to have the support of this international legend." McCartney joins the likes of Yoko Ono in lending his support to the cause. - New Musical Express, 10/8/14...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, George Harrison's childhood home will be auctioned off later in October in his hometown of Liverpool, England. Harrison was six years old when he and his family moved in to the house in 1950, and they remained there until 1962. The late musician, who died in 2001, was living there when he met Paul McCartney, and he, McCartney, John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe formed the Beatles in 1960. The Harrisons were offered the home as government-owned public housing, and the house today has been completely renovated. The property features three bedrooms, a sitting room and a garden, and the auction will begin bidding at roughly $160,600. John Lennon's former home sold for $772,000 in Oct. 2013. "Taking into consideration the location, the property itself and the background, we expect a lot of interest locally and internationally," said Stephen Giddins of Realtor Entwistle Green. - UPI, 10/8/14...... With her remake of Adele's 2011 No. 1 smash "Rolling in the Deep" debuting on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart at No. 47, Aretha Franklin has become the first female, and just the fourth artist overall, to place 100 career titles on that chart. Franklin's interpretation the song incorporates a choral arrangement of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," made famous in 1967 by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. "Rolling" is the first cut from Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics, due Oct. 21 on RCA Records. - Billboard, 10/8/14...... AC/DC has revealed the tracklist for their upcoming album Rock or Bust, their first new recording in six years. Its first single, "Play Ball," is their first new recording in six years and has already debuted in their native Australia. Recorded earlier in 2014 in Vancouver, Canada with producer Brendan O'Brien, Rock Or Bust is AC/DC's first album of new material since 2008's Black Ice, which debuted at No. 1 in 31 countries and has sold nearly 8 million copies worldwide, according to their label Sony. The band has also shared the so-called "three-dimensional lenticular cover" artwork for the album, which is posted on the official AC/DC website and will be available in the CD and vinyl versions of the album. - New Musical Express, 10/10/14...... Patti Smith has announced she will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of her acclaimed 1975 album Horses with a world tour in 2015. Next year on Nov. 10, the album's release date, Smith says she hopes to celebrate Horses in New York "in a special way," as well as hosting celebrations in Paris and London and "everywhere, because it's a true milestone." "I'm going to be happy to celebrate it, to perform the album with happiness, not with any kind of cynicism or a cashing-in thing. It will be a true, proud celebration," Smith says. She added that she is finishing her new book, a follow-up to 2010's Just Kids that won the National Book Award for Nonfiction, chronicling her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. - Rolling Stone, 10/7/14...... Former Journey singer Steve Perry led a sing-along of the band's ubiquitous hit "Don't Stop Believin'" on Oct. 6 during his beloved San Francisco Giants' MLB playoff game with the Washington Nationals. Perry lead the crowd in a spirited sing-along of "Don't Stop Believin'," but unfortunately for him and other Giants fans, the team ended up losing the game. - Billboard, 10/7/14...... Willie Nelson's signature braids sold for $37,000 at an auction in Phoenix on Oct. 5 as part of an estate sale conducted by Jesse Colter, the widow of late country music star Waylon Jennings. Nelson famously cut off his braids in 1983 to support Jennings in his sobriety, and presented them to his friend that year at a party thrown by Johnny Cash. Other items up for auction included Buddy Holly's motorcycle, which Jennings kept in his living room, and the contract between Jennings, Nelson, Cash and Kris Kristofferson when they agreed to form their super group The Highwaymen. - Billboard, 10/7/14...... David Bowie's new single "Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)" received its first play on the UK's BBC 6 over the second weekend in October. The song features on the forthcoming Bowie compilation Nothing Has Changed, which will drop on Nov. 17. - NME, 10/9/14...... '70s funnyman Steve Martin will be honored with the American Film Institute's prestigious Life Achievement Award in 2015. The 69-year-old comedian/actor joins past recipients including Jane Fonda, Mel Brooks, Morgan Freeman, Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Barbara Streisand, Harrison Ford, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg in receiving the award, which is presented to those "whose talent has in a fundamental way advanced the film art, whose accomplishment has been acknowledged by scholars, critics, professional peers, and the general public and whose work has stood the test of time," according to the AFI. Martin will be honored with the 43rd Life Achievement Award on June 4, 2015 at a gala tribute in Los Angeles, and the tribute special will air on TNT and TCM in June 2015. - Entertainment Tonight, 10/5/14...... Geoffrey Holder, a Tony Award-winning director, actor, painter, dancer and choreographer who during an eclectic show business career led the groundbreaking show "The Wiz" to Broadway, famously pitched 7-Up soda on TV during the 1970s and played a scary villain in a James Bond film, died on Oct. 5 of complications of pneumonia at Mount Sinai St. Luke's Hospital in New York. He was 84. The 6-foot-6, Trinidad-born Holder won Tonys in 1975 for directing and designing the costumes for his all-black retelling of "The Wizard of Oz." In 1978, he directed and choreographed the lavish Broadway musical "Timbuktu!" starring Eartha Kitt and earned another Tony nomination for best costumes. On TV, Holder played roles on TV's Tarzan, voiced the leader on the PBS Kids animated show Cyberchase and pitched 7-Up as "the un-cola" in a commercial in which he wore a white suit and hat, purring "maaarvelous" as he drank the soda. His film roles include playing Punjab in the 1982 film version of Annie, a role in 1967's Doctor Dolittle with Rex Harrison, opposite Eddie Murphy in Boomerang, narrating Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and playing the top-hatted voodoo villain Baron Samedi in 1973's Live and Let Die -- the first of the 007 movies to star Roger Moore. He is survived by his wife, the dancer Carmen de Lavallade, and their son, Leo. - AP/Huffington Post UK, 6/10/14.