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.