Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on June 10th, 2016

Black Sabbath revealed its final ever tour dates on flyers handed out at the UK's Download Festival, which Black Sabbath will headline on June 11. The tour, a seven-city trek of the UK, will kick off in Manchester on Jan. 22, 2017, and then visit Glasgow (1/24), Leeds (1/26), and London's O2 for three shows (1/29-31), before wrappiing with a two nights in their hometown of Birmingham on Jan. 29 and Jan. 31. The tour is said to be the final leg of Sabbath's farewell tour "The End," which began in January 2016. "When we're home where we started, we always find it a bit nervewracking," guitarist Tony Iommi said in March. "But Birmingham means such a lot to us. It would be nice to think it could finish where it all started, in Birmingham." - New Musical Express, 6/9/16...... A new David Bowie-inspired ballet titled "Star Dust" will have its world premiere June 18 at Detroit's Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts. Commissioned during the early spring and announced in May, "Star Dust" will be about 35 minutes long and feature all 15 of New York's Complexion Contemporary Ballet dancers performing routines to several Bowie favorites such as "Space Oddity," "Changes," "Modern Love" and "Life on Mars?" - Billboard, 6/8/16...... Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has revealed details of his first ever solo album, a country-infuenced LP titled We're All Somebody From Somewhere. Hitting stores on July 15, the LP was co-produced by Tyler, T Bone Burnett, Dan Huff and others. Well-known Nashville songwriters Chris DeStefano, Rhett Akins, the Warren Brothers and Hillary Lindsay also contributed. Tyler gushed that the music "fell from a star" and that "I had nothing to do with this shit, it's just Nashville. There's something so magical about this town and me writing with all these people." Tyler also remarked how important a good melody is to him: "Country music still plays stuff with melody. I have a sorcerer's grasp of melody, I like to think. I'm a freak for that, so thank God they're still playing it in country." - Rolling Stone, 6/8/16...... The childhood home of Janis Joplin in Port Arthur, Tex., has been put up for sale with an asking price of $500,000. Joplin was a preschooler when her family moved into the nearly 1,500-square-foot house, which according to tax records has been appraised at only $52,500. The home has a Texas Historical Commission marker outside confirming she lived at the residence, and the seller hasn't been made public. Officials with the Museum of the Gulf Coast were contacted about acquiring the house before it went on the market this month, but declined. - AP, 6/7/16...... The beloved '60 pop band The Monkees have earned their highest-charting album since 1968 as their new LP Good Times, featuring all-new songs from such younger artists as Rivers Cuomo, Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller, debuted at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart. The Monkees' first studio album since 1996 (and first recorded without the late Davy Jones, who died in 2012), Good Times sold 23,000 equivalent album units (22,000 in pure album sales) and commemorates the 50th anniversary of the group's formation in 1965 and the debut of its eponymous, Emmy Award-winning TV show in 1966. The three surviving Monkees (Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork) all appear on Good Times!, as does Jones on one track, via an archival recording. Also on the LP are recently completed songs that date back to the 1960s by some of the same writers who penned some of the group's biggest hits, including Neil Diamond, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. The Monkees last charted higher on the Billboard 200 back in 1968, when The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees peaked at No. 3. - Billboard, 6/9/16...... Queen guitarist Brian May posted a note on his personal website on June 8 blasting US Republican presidential hopeful Donald J. Trump's use of Queen's triumphant classic song "We Are the Champions" as Trump walked onstage after he swept the final Republican primaries the evening before. "I've had an avalanche of complaints - some of which you can see in our 'LETTERS' page - about Donald Trump using our 'We Are The Champions' track as his 'theme' song on USA TV," May wrote. "This is not an official Queen statement, but I can confirm that permission to use the track was neither sought nor given. We are taking advice on what steps we can take to ensure this use does not continue. Regardless of our views on Mr Trump's platform, it has always been against our policy to allow Queen music to be used as a political campaigning tool. Our music embodies our own dreams and beliefs, but it is for all who care to listen and enjoy." - Billboard, 6/9/16...... In other presidential campaign news, Barbra Streisand has weighed in on Hillary Clinton's historic achievement of becoming the first woman in history to become the presumptive nominee of a major American political party. "I feel a tremendous rush of pride because this is a woman who is more than qualified to be president," Streisand said in a statement. "Isn't it interesting how a barrier seems insurmountable -- until it comes down? I hope girls across the country are thinking, 'That could be me.' And like I said after the first woman got a best director Academy Award, it's about time!" - Billboard, 6/8/16...... Meanwhile, former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne has expressed his general disgust with the state of the 2016 US presidential race, saying he's "saddened by the low level to which US politics has sunk." "We're better than this," writes Byrne, without ever naming any current or former candidates. "We are a country that, to the surprise of many, elected a black president In fact, folks turned out in droves to vote for (Barack) Obama. Citizens in many areas -- especially places with young, low-income, and minority populations -- got out to the polls and made themselves heard. We need to do this again." Byrne added that citizens can become involved by supporting organizations such as the Community Voters Project, whose staffers hit the pavement to register voters one-by-one, and Project Vote, a legal group that provides "advocacy, litigation, research, and technical assistance to promote voter registration laws." - Billboard, 6/6/2016...... The four original members of ABBA -- Agnetha Faltskog, Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstand and Bjorn Ulvaeus -- reunited on June 5 for a brief 50th anniversary performance a private party in a Stockholm hotel. According to Swedish newspaper Expressen, the party featured a performance from Faltskog and Lyngstad, who sang the ABBA song "The Way Old Friends Do." Ulvaeus and Andersson joined them on stage towards the end of the song, completing a brief reunion performance from the group. Afterward, Lyngstad was quoted as saying the reunion was "absolutely amazing" and "very nostalgic," while Andersson called it a "great night." The night marked 50 years to the day since the group's principal songwriters, Ulvaeus and Andersson, first met. In 2015, Ulvaeus said that ABBA will never reform. "We took a break in '82, and it was meant to be a break," he said. "It's still a break and will remain so. You'll never see us onstage again. We don't need the money, for one thing. Usually the reason bands have reunions is that one of them is destitute and the others want to help. Fortunately that has not happened to us." - New Musical Express, 6/6/16...... In a new video interview to promote his forthcoming compilation Pure McCartney, Paul McCartney discusses how he was in Bob Dylan's hotel room in the 1960s when he began having "a mystical experience." "I could feel myself climbing a spiral walkway as I was talking to Dylan. I felt like I was figuring it all out, the meaning of life." McCartney goes on to say that he then ordered Beatles roadie Mal Evans to write down the key to it all on a piece of paper. "Mal gave me the piece of paper the next day, and on it was written 'There are seven levels.' Well, there you go, the meaning of life|" Pure McCartney drops on June 10. The new video is the third instalment of McCartney's six-part documentary for the release. - New Musical Express, 6/8/16...... In other Beatles-related news, an Internet hacker broke into the Twitter account for George Harrison, run by his estate, on June 7. Harrison's account was hacked to change his bio information to "Hey George, follow @j5zlol when you see this and shoot me a DM. I'll help you secure your accounts :) I don't want to cause you any harm, bud". The Twitter account of @j5zlol (now suspended) then claimed to not know of Harrison's death, tweeting: "Well shit I hacked someone and I didn't even know they was dead.. my bad." The hack of Harrison's Twitter account was the latest in a series of similar hacks suffered by music stars recently, including Keith Richards, Tame Impala and Tenacious D. - NME, 6/8/16...... Paul Simon is on track to score his highest charting album in 29 years with his new studio effort Stranger to Stranger. The album may bow at No. 3 on the June 25-dated Billboard 200 with over 60,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending June 9. That would mark Simon's highest ranking set since Graceland peaked at No. 3 on Apr. 4, 1987. It would also mark Simon's highest debut ever, his previous highest debut being 2011's So Beautiful or So What, which bowed at No. 4. Meanwhile, on June 3 Simon broke the bad news of boxing champ Muhammad Ali's death that same day to fans during his gig in Los Angeles. "I'm sorry to tell you this in this way, but Muhammad Ali passed away," Simon told the crowd before delivering the final verse of his song, "The Boxer." "I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains," he then sang with added poignancy. Simon also dedicated "The Sound Of Silence" to Ali during his encore. - Billboard, 6/8/16...... Cher filed a lawsuit on June 8 in Los Angeles County Superior Court against a financial management partnership she claims defrauded her out of more than $800,000 in investments that went belly-up. Cher's suit accuses SAIL Venture Partners and related firms of bundling her money into "risky and unsound" investments, and alleges SAIL's principals engaged in "malicious and fraudulent" behavior. The suit seeks financial restitution and punitive damages but didn't specify amounts. - AP, 6/8/16...... The Who is denying reports that the band has endorsed a sequel to Quadrophenia, the 1979 film based on its own rock opera set around the clashes between rival gangs in 1960s Brighton. Rumors of a Quadrophenia sequel emerned in late May, with reports in the U.K. press that it would pick up the story 37 years on from the first and feature several members of the original cast. But now Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and the band's manager Bill Curbishley, who produced the original film, have rejected any suggestions they are backing the new film. "Quadrophenia has an enduring appeal and will forever be the definitive mod film," Curbishley said in a statement on June 8. "Quadrophenia is a significant and influential film based on The Who's music, not some Carry On franchise. Any follow-up to this film could only be made by the authors of the original and would need to be worthy of the name. This karaoke sequel announced recently in the press would be totally ridiculous." He added that it was a "blatant attempt to cash in" on the original's popularity. - The Hollywood Reporter, 6/8/16...... Yusuf Islam, the singer formerly known as Cat Stevens, has released a video for a new song he has written called "He Was Alone," which was inspired by child refugees. Islam appears in the video for the spare, emotional ballad playing the haunting electric organ accompaniment amid scenes of a child fending for himself after leaving his family behind. "He was alone, when he was 12 / Only his thoughts, which he kept to himself / He didn't have a place to play / A friend to call, or a word to say," Islam sings in the track that mixes the fear and desperation of child refugees with hopeful dreams of rainbows, white horses and a return home. The song is the first new music from Islam since his 2014 album Tell 'Em I'm Gone. Islam will perform at a concert at the Westminster Central Hall on June 14 in honor of the #YouAreNot Alone charity. - Billboard, 6/7/16...... Bruce Springsteen, who just wrapped his five-show swing through England and Ireland, has announced he will release live albums of every one of his recent European tour stops. One show a week will be available starting June 15, with each also receiving a broadcast on the Boss' SiriusXM E Street Radio channel. Fans can pre-order any of the shows as MP3s, lossless FLAC or ALAC, high-resolution 24 bit FLAC-HD or ALAC-HD and collectible three-CD sets. His "River Tour: Europe 2016" kicked off with a May 14 show in Barcelona and included stops in Lisbon, Madrid, Dublin and London. It will continue through a July 31 date in Zurich. - Billboard, 6/7/16...... Making his first public appearance since the death of his late wife Rose Woodward, Tom Jones broke down in tears during an intervew at the Hay Festival on June 5 as he recalled his love for his late wife. "I realized that she's always been very important to me, throughout my life, but I now realize she might have been the most important thing in my life - and she still is," he said, as tears came to his eyes. Jones, 75, was interviewed by CQ editor Dylan Jones about his six-decade career in the music industry at the thirty-year-old annual gathering of artists, writers and thinkers. - Billboard, 6/7/16.... Late Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious is at the center of a copyright suit against contemporary artist Richard Prince. Prince is being accused by photographer Dennis Morris of "causing significant advertising injury" to him over several photos Morris took of Sid Vicious that Prince incorporated and/or appropriated into two of his works. The case will center around the nebulous legal principle of "fair use," which allows for the use of copyrighted works under certain conditions. Fair use requires that a piece refer back to the original piece but furthers it artistically, or "adds value." Morris' suit was filed in California on June 9 and seeks damages and any profits that came from the use and sale of Prince's work. - Billboard, 6/9/16.

Carlos Santana and his wife/drummer Cindy Blackman are set to perform the "Star-Spangled Banner" to kick off Game 2 of the 2016 NBA Finals between Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Caveliers on June 5. The global rock star will perform the national anthem in the Warriors' hometown venue of Oracle Arena in Oakland. Blackman also joined her husband in performing the national anthem at the 2015 NBA Finals. - Billboard, 6/4/16...... With former Jackson 5 member Tito Jackson scoring his first solo hit, "Get It Baby," on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, all 9 Jackson family siblings have now placed a solo single on the Hot 100 chart. "Get It Baby," featuring Big Daddy Kane, debuted at No. 30 on the Billboard + Twitter Top Tracks chart dated June 11, and climbed to No. 26 on the Adult R&B Songs airplay chart in its second week. The Jackson siblings' solo chart runs date back to Oct. 30, 1971, when Michael Jackson's debut single, "Got to Be There," bowed at No. 89 on the Hot 100. Since then, Rebbie, Jackie, Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon, Randy, Janet and now Tito Jackson have all scored hits on a Billboard songs chart. In other Jackson news, the Las Vegas mansion where Michael reportedly occasionally lived from 2007 until his death in 2009 is up for sale for $9.5 million. Known as the "Thriller Villa," the 1.7-acre compound with seven bedrooms and 12 full bathrooms is northwest of the famous Las Vegas Strip. In June 2009, Jackson was found dead at another rented home in California. - Billboard/AP, 6/3/16...... In an interview with London's The Evening Standard paper, David Bowie's producer Tony Visconti revealed that "great" unreleased Bowie music is likely to be released in the near future. "I think it's logical that, over the next few years, you're going to hear a lot of stuff that you haven't heard before. I'm in talks with his management and his label - there's going to be some great Bowie stuff coming out," Visconti said. But the producer added that he couldn't confirm the whereabouts of five additional songs he produced during the sessions of Bowie's final album Blackstar. "I haven't heard those songs yet. I might actually have to help his management company find them. I have an idea where he might have recorded them." Visconti said it was more likely initially that extra songs recorded during sessions for other Bowie albums would be released first. Bowie is known to have recorded many songs that were never officially released before his January 2016 death, including an entire album, Toy, recorded in 2001 in between his LPs Hours and Heathen. In July, a new BBC4 documentary The People's History of Pop will also feature unreased Bowie music. - New Musical Express, 6/3/16...... An Axl Rose-fronted AC/DC played its first ever gig at London's Olympic stadium on June 4 in a spectacular show which featured pyrotechnics, flames, fireworks and, of course, giant cannons. This time Rose was walking instead of sitting in the "throne" he borrowed from Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl after recently breaking his foot, wearing a boot which allowed him to move around freely as he rattled through AC/DC classics during the mammoth two hour and 10 minutes set. The band's encores included "Highway to Hell" before cannons appeared onstage for the finale on "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)." The track ended with a short firework display. On June 1, AC/DC announced the rescheduled U.S. dates of their Rock or Bust Tour. The leg begins on Aug. 27 in Greensboro, N.C., also visiting Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Atlanta, Columbus, Oh., Cleveland, Detroit, Buffalo, New York City, and Washington, D.C. before wrapping on Sept. 20 in Philadelphia. It will be the last dates with Rose on vocals. On June 4, the band's previous vocalist, Brian Johnson, said he had met with an in-ear technology specialist and is employing technology which absorbs harmful pneumatic pressures inside your ear canal and could help restore his hearing. "It works. It just totally works and you can't argue with that. I was really moved and amazed to be able to hear music again like I haven't heard for several years now," Johnson said in a statement. Johnson added he "can't wait for it to be miniaturised so I can use it in every situation from normal communication, going out to noisy restaurants, [and] performing live music onstage." - NME/Rolling Stone, 6/5/16...... Ringo Starr kicked off a 19-date U.S. tour with his All-Starr Band on June 3 in Syracuse, N.Y., and the legendary drummer says he's working on 8 songs as his home studio in Los Angeles for a new album release, the followup to 2015's Postcards From Paradise, hopefully in early 2017. Ringo says two were co-written with Toto and All-Starr Band guitarist Steve Lukather and will be finished during the upcoming tour. "We've got the tracks down; now we have to write the words," Starr says. "We know where it's going. We've got the idea. We've got the first verse of one of them. The second will be a ballad. We're gonna finish them while we're on the road." Another track, meanwhile, is a collaboration with Dave Stewart originally intended for a country album the two were hoping to finish in June before the All-Starr tour was scheduled. "We'll do the country album another time now. There's lots you can do," Ringo says. Meanwhile, Starr is gearing up for his 75th birthday celebration on July 7 -- with details to be announced -- as well as the 10th anniversary of the Cirque du Soleil LOVE show in Las Vegas and the fall 2016 premiere of Ron Howard's documentary about the Beatles' touring years in America. - Billboard, 6/2/16...... The Grateful Dead spinoff band Dead & Co. announced on June 2 that they will still perform their June 10 show in Charlotte, N.C., despite speaking out against that state's controversial anti-LGBT law. Instead of canceling the concert, Dead & Co. say they plan on donating $100,000 to the Human Rights Campaign and Equality North Carolina. They will also host organizations fighting discrimination so concertgoers can learn more about the law and its impact. The band added that it will "assemble a 'Participation Row' social action area at the show, where we'll host local organizations fighting discrimination and national organizations dedicated to voter registration and protecting the planet." - Billboard, 6/2/16...... The death of Prince in his Minnesota home on the morning of Apr. 21 has been attributed to an opioid overdose, according to tests results seen by law enforcement officials. Since his death, it was widely reported that the 57-year-old musicians had been abusing painkillers, and that he had been scheduled to meet with an addiction specialist doctor on Apr. 22. The Carver County, Minn. Sheriff's Office opened a criminal investigation shortly after the singer's death. A search warrant was issued, but the documents were sealed, so details are unclear. - The Hollywood Reporter, 6/2/16...... In a new interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Roger Daltrey slammed the practice of Internet streaming, saying "musicians are getting robbed every day." "You get paid for streaming, my ass," Daltrey said. "Musicians are getting robbed every day. And now it's creeping into film and television, everything now. You notice, the Internet is a slowly but surely destructive thing in all ways." The Who singer added that he's unconvinced that the Internet has improved people's lives: "Look up for a while. Live in the real world." Daltrey added that he's working on a solo record, but has no idea if he'd ever release it. As for a new the Who album, Daltrey said "We've talked about it, but it's not going to be easy... Why would I make a record? I would have to pay to make a record. There's no royalties so I can't see that ever happening. There's no record business. How do you get the money to make the records? I don't know. I'm certainly not going to pay money to give my music away free. I can't afford to do that. I've got other things I could waste the money on." The musician also noted that his battle with viral meningitis in 2015 "took quite a heavy toll on me physically... My legs aren't good. My feet aren't good. But I think being able to manage it with the adrenaline of the show, that's all the matters. It's two hours of losing myself and forgetting about my feet." - Rolling Stone, 6/2/16...... Tom Petty's side project Mudcrutch has released its sophomore effort, 2, and this one feels like more of a band effort than 2008's decades-delayed debut. All of the members get writing credit, and the songs tend to lean toward punchy Southern rock. But guitarist Tom Leadon's "The Other Side of the Moutnain" is a bluegrass benediction cut with psych-rock guitar charge. The album has debuted on Billboard's Top Rock album chart at No. 3 on its initial week of release, moving 32,000 units. Mudcrutch's 2008 self-titled debut album hit No. 2 on the same chart. - Rolling Stone/Billboard, 6/2/16...... Meanwhile, Eric Clapton's latest effort I Still Do has debuted at No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums chart dated June 11, with 44,000 copies sold. I Still Do is Clapton's 23rd solo studio album is his first No. 1 on Top Rock Albums since 2010's self-titled Clapton LP, which sold 47,000 in its first week. Right behind Slowhand on the chart is Bob Dylan, whose Fallen Angels bowed at No. 2 in its first week, with 42,000 sold. Fallen Angels is Dylan's 22nd top 10 LP, a tally begun with 1965's No. 6-peaking Bringing It All Back Home. - Billboard, 6/2/16...... Speaking of Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones have reportedly collaborated with the legendary guitarist on their new album. According to the UK tabloid The Sun, Clapton and the Stones recently ran into each other at a west London recording studio and have since recorded two songs together with producer Don Was. "Eric was in the next studio along so he came in to say hello. They ended up jamming and recorded two songs," a source is quoted as saying in the paper. "Don reckons it's the best thing he has ever done with the Stones." - New Musical Express, 6/2/16...... On June 3, Billy Joel dedicated his 1974 song "The Entertainer" to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during his show at Madison Square Garden, with a quip about how "entertaining" Trump has been over the past few months. Although many people took the Piano Man's dedication to Trump as a jab at the controversial politician, Trump himself apparently thought it was a compliment, tweeting on May 28: "Thank you @BillyJoel- many friends just told me you gave a very kind shoutout at MSG. Appreciate it- love your music!." In response, one fan tweeted that it "sounds like classic BillyJoel sarcasm. Democratic Gov. Cuomo is godfather to Billy's daughter." Reacting to the minor flurry of tweets about the nod to Trump, Joel emailed Time magazine on June 4 to play down the political nature of his actions. "I'm in the entertainment business. Donald Trump's campaign has been very entertaining. Aside from that, who cares about the political opinions of a piano player?" A spokesperson for Joel could not be reached for additional comment. - Billboard, 6/1/16...... A box set of Sex Pistols concerts from the 1970s entitled Live 76 will be released on Aug. 19 that includes the punk rockers' influential show at Manchester Free Trade Hall on June 4, 1976. The concert was attended by such musicians as future members of Joy Division, Morrisey and Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall. Other shows are from London, Burton-on-Trent and a concert at Chelmsford Prison. Available on CD and vinyl, the 40th anniversary Live 76 release will also feature photographs and a reproduction of The Sex Pistols' official press kit. The songs would go on to form the basis of The Sex Pistols' sole album Never Mind The Bollocks in 1977. - NME, 6/3/16...... The A&E/History Channel's remake of the classic 1977 TV miniseries Roots drew 5.3 million viewers on May 30, a somewhat modest debut in the face of stiff competition from NBA playoff basketball. However that number was enough to make Roots the most watched scripted miniseries premiere in the Nielsen ratings since 2013's Bonnie and Clyde. The original 8-part miniseries debuted on Jan. 23, 1977, and became among the top 20 highest rated telecasts of the decade.- Variety, 5/31/16...... Influential folk musician Dave Swarbrick, best known for his work as a violin player with Fairport Convention, died on June 2 in a UK hospital after a battle with emphysema. He was 75. Often referred to as "Swarb," Swarbrick began his music career in the 1950s as a guitarist in a Celtic folk band, before he went on to join Ian Campbell's group as a fiddle player. But it was his time with Fairport Convention that helped him to achieve international recognition, joining the band as a session musician in 1969 before becoming a fully-fledged member. He also worked with other luminaries of folk music, including Ewan McColl and Bert Jansch. In 2004, he underwent a double lung transplant, but still continued to play live after recovering from the operation. - NME, 6/3/16...... Boxing legend Muhammad Ali, the three-time heavyweight champion of the world and known as the most recognizable person on the planet, died on June 3 at a Phoenix, Ariz., hospital. He was 74. Born Cassius Clay in Louisville, Ky., on Jan. 17, 1942, Ali first entered the world spotlight when he captured a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. At age 22 in Feb. 1964, he surprised the surly 7-to-1 favorite Sonny Liston in Miami to take the heavyweight title for the first time. "I shook up the world! I shook up the world," he shouted in the ring. Ali beat Liston again 15 months later in Lewiston, Maine. In April 1967, he was arrested in Houston after he refused induction into the U.S. Armed Forces. The New York State Athletic Commission quickly suspended his boxing license and stripped him of his title, and other state commissions followed suit. On June 28, 1971, the Supreme Court overturned Ali's conviction, and in his third fight since returning from suspension, he lost to Joe Frazier in a 15-round unanimous decision in March 1971 in New York's Madison Square Garden in "The Fight of the Century." After avenging that defeat in a non-title bout back at the Garden in January 1974, Ali fought "The Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasa, Zaire, with heavyweight champ George Foreman on Oct. 30, 1974, then met his old rival Frazier again in October 1975 in the Philippines for "The Thrilla in Manilla," with Ali prevailing when Frazier could not come off his stool for the 14th round. Both fighters were exhausted and struggling to survive. In September 1976, Ali beat Ken Norton in Yankee Stadium in New York in their third meeting, and seven months after a shocking loss to Leon Spinks, he avenged that defeat in New Orleans in September 1978 to become heavyweight champ for an unprecedented third time. Ali played himself in The Greatest, a 1977 Columbia film adapted from his autobiography, and in the late 1970s, he even voiced his own Saturday morning cartoon, I Am the Greatest!: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali, which saw his character jetting around the world fighting evil. Ali, named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated in 1999, was married four times, the last to the former Lonnie Williams, who survives him, as does his nine children: Maryum, Rasheda, Jamillah, Hana, Laila (a former boxer herself and reality TV star), Khaliah, Miya, Muhammad and Asaad. In his autobiography, Ali reflected on his legacy and how he would be judged. "When I'm gone, they'll just have to look at the records and look at my actions. Then it is up to the people to rank me where they want," he wrote. - Variety, 6/4/16.