Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood were the surprise guests of honor as they showed up at the U.K.'s 2017 Jazz FM Awards in London on Apr. 25 to collect two awards for the Rolling Stones -- Album of the Year (for Blue & Lonesome) and Blues Artists of the Year. "We started off a very long time ago in London trying to play clubs, and those clubs were jazz clubs," Jagger said. "We used to try and play these jazz clubs and they used to kick us out for playing blues. So this sort of feels full-circle," he added, then thanked the listeners of Jazz FM for voting. Producer Don Was, who also co-produced Blue & Lonesome, delivered a video message in which he called the veteran rock band "the most hard-working and talented musicians to ever step in front of a microphone." Also during the ceremony, American saxophonist Donny McCaslin, who memorably contributed to David Bowie's final studio album Blackstar, was honored the award for International Jazz Artist of the Year and performed at the ceremony. - Billboard, 4/25/17...... 
A MusiCares panel dedicated to treating artists and other music professionals who've become addicted to drugs and alcohol on Apr. 27 in New York City will feature Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke. Kirke, who works closely with Road Recovery, an organization that uses musicians to mentor teens battling addiction, will take part in "Plugged In - Treating The Music Professional and Leading Them Toward a Lifetime of Recovery," along with a panel of intervention and recovery experts. - Billboard, 4/21/17...... Two Classic Rock tracks have entered the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart for the week dated Apr. 29. Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song," which bowed at No. 16, is fueled by its appearance in the trailer for Thor: Ragnarok. The J. Geils Band (named after its founder and guitarist J. Geils, who passed away on Apr. 11) also makes its first appearance on the same chart as "Centerfold" debuted at No. 21. "Centerfold" was the group's only No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart, ruling for three weeks in 1982. - Billboard, 4/20/17...... 
Glen Campbell is scheduled to release a new studio album, 
In a recent interview with the UK paper The Daily Star, Queen guitarist Brian May revealed that the long-awaited biopic of late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury will be coming out in 2018. "The Freddie film is coming sooner than you might think, next year," May said. He also hinted that Queen may tour the UK and Europe soon with vocalist Adam Lambert: "We will be in America most of the summer and then probably be back around these parts at the end of the year." The Mercury biopic has been subject to many rumors and stumbling blocks since it was first announced over four years ago, with both Daniel Radcliffe and Sacha Baron Cohen believed to be portraying Mercury at different points before Mr Robot star Rami Malek landed the lead role. Meanwhile, Queen recently unveiled a new special "Queen edition" of Monopoly. - NME, 4/13/17...... In an interview with ABC Radio, former Journey frontman Steve Perry says he's working on a "cathartic" new collection of songs due later in 2017 inspired by a difficult period in his life. "I met someone and I feel in love with this person. And I lost this person to breast cancer four years ago," said Perry, who's last solo album, Strange Medicine, was released back in 1994. As for not performing with Journey when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier in April, Perry said he "kind of went my 'Separate Way'," in a not-so-subtle reference to his old band's 1983 hit. "And I had all kinds of reasons that were important to me to do so. [And] though I've been gone... the fans have always been in my heart." Perry has not announced a firm release date, or title, for the new album. - Billboard, 4/11/17...... Speaking to NBC News, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi revealed that Black Sabbath is planning a new documentary as well as a live album from recordings of their final shows. "I'm in the process of mixing the sound from the final Sabbath shows in Birmingham for a possible live album," Iommi said. "We'll actually be doing a documentary. My job at the moment is to have a listen to what we've done," he added. Iommi, who previously said Sabbath's "The End" tour only marked the end of the band as a live group, also says he has "bags" of riffs he came up with for Black Sabbath that might one day wind up on a solo album. - New Musical Express, 4/10/17...... 
Willie Nelson has organized an Outlaw Music Festival Tour this summer that will kick off on July 1 at New Orleans' Shrine on Airline with an A-list group of pals including The Avett Brothers, Sheryl Crow, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, plus other performers. Other stops on Nelson's tour include July 2 in Dallas (with Sheryl Crow and the Avett Brothers); July 6 in Rogers, Ark. (with Crow and Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit); July 8 in Detroit (with Crow, Isbell and Bob Dylan and His Band); July 9 in Milwaukee (with Crow, Isbell and Dylan); and July 16 in Syracuse, N.Y. (with Crow and My Morning Jacket). "We had such a blast launching and playing last year's Outlaw Music Festival in Scranton, we had to take it out on the road this summer," Nelson said a statement. - Billboard, 4/11/17...... Talking to the podcast Thunder Underground on Apr. 13, Gene Simmons of Kiss slammed free streaming sites for "killing" the music business by taking money away from aspiring musicians. "Good luck to 'em. I am not a supporter," Simmons quipped of such sites Spotify. "If you wanna earn a living, you can't get the music out there. So you're living in your mother's basement, you have to have a day job and the kids get your music for free. And the people that killed all the new bands are the fans themselves. It wasn't corporate America, it wasn't aliens from space. The people that killed the music they love are the people who love the music." Simmons, 67, also doesn't agree with the idea of fans paying however much they like for music, a scheme tested out by such bands as Radiohead. "It doesn't work. Charge people. Make them pay," he stated. "Make a cross, draw a line in the sand. This is commerce, and that's charity." - WENN.com, 4/14/17...... Fleetwood Mac members Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham have shared a track with Spotify users called "In My World" from their upcoming collaborative LP 
Guitarist J. Geils, the longtime leader of the J. Geils Band, was found dead in his Groton, Mass., home on Apr. 11. He was 71. Geils was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene, and police say a preliminary investigation indicates that he died of natural causes. Born John Warren Geils, Jr. on Feb. 20, 1946, in New York City, Geils formed The J. Geils Band in Boston in 1967 with Danny Klein, Magic Dick Salwitz, Stephen Jo Bladd and Peter Wolf (later Seth Justman joined) while studying mechanical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The J. Geils Band released 11 studio albums before breaking up in 1985, and the group would reunite on and off over the years following. The J. Geils Band had 17 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including 10 top 40-charting hits. The band's biggest single, "Centerfold," spent six weeks at No. 1 and "Freeze-Frame" peaked at No. 4. Their other charting singles include "Love Stinks" (No. 38), "Give It To Me" (No. 30), "Must of Got Lost" (No. 12) and "I Do" (No. 24). They also had 15 charting albums on the Billboard Hot 200 LP chart, including 1972's 
Gene Simmons of Kiss made an impromptu, tearful speech at the funeral of rock 'n' roll legend Chuck Berry at The Pageant club, where Berry often performed, in the musician's hometown of St. Louis, Mo., on Apr. 9. After spending most of the service at the back of the concert hall, Simmons was urged to speak and, with his voice breaking confessing that there were "real tears" behind his dark sunglasses, commended Berry for "(breaking) down the barriers, made all kinds of peoples' hearts and minds open up to the idea that we all belong to the same people." Simmons admitted that he had never had the opportunity to meet Berry in life, but felt he could not let the day go by without "coming here and honouring him," before going on to add that, without Berry, "I wouldn't be here." Simmons later posted on Facebook that "the open casket was on view, but I couldn't bear looking. It would break my heart." Letters from Paul McCartney and Bill Clinton were also read during the event. Fans began gathering before dawn to pay their respects during the four-hour public viewing for Berry, who lay in an open casket with his cherry red Gibson ES-335 electric guitar bolted to the inside of its lid. Flower arrangements were displayed in the room, including one in the shape of a guitar sent by the Rolling Stones. A private memorial service took place after the public viewing, with only Berry's friends and family permitted entry. Berry, who won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award in 1984 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 1986, passed away on the afternoon of Mar. 18 after being found unresponsive in his Missouri home. His first single, "Maybellene," was one of the first songs to be classified as a rock 'n' roll hit. - New Musical Express/AP, 4/10/17...... Daryl's House, the upstate New York eatery owned by Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates, is suing the village of Pawling, N.Y., over a dispute involving the venue, which features live music. Lawyers for Hall are seeking $3.2 million in compensation and claim the town illegally held up his plans to expand the venue to include an outdoor amphitheater, in an effort to force him to reduce capacity at the club. Hall says that if he has to do that, he'll be forced to close the venue, which has hosted acts from Todd Rundgren to Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. Residents of Pawling claim Daryl's House threatens to disrupt the area's beloved peace and quiet. - PageSix.com, 4/6/17...... 
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted its Class of 2017 on Apr. 7 at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, with Electric Light Orchestra, Journey, Yes, Joan Baez, Pearl Jam and Tupac Shakur entering the Cleveland-based Hall and Museum's ranks. ELO took charge of an homage to recently deceased rock pioneer Chuck Berry, delivering their cheeky cover of Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven." ELO was inducted by Dhani Harrison, whose late father George Harrison was a close friend and Traveling Wilburys bandmate of ELO frontman Jeff Lynne's. Not surprisingly, Joan Baez was the sharpest of the Rock Hall inductees, singing about deportees and talking social activism, and joked that a good portion of the audience probably "don't know who I am." After Rush's Geddy Lee helped "right a wrong" by inducting Yes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Lee joined his prog-rock heroes onstage for a crushingly loud run-through of "Roundabout. To the dismay of Journey fans, classic vocalist Steve Perry didn't reunite with his bandmates for their performance, but Perry did offer up a touching speech that included a nod to his high school R&B band, and the "magic fingers" of Journey guitarist Neal Schon. Journey played what has become their signature tune, "Don't Stop Believin'," to a wildly enthusiastic audience. As per tradition, the night was closed with an all-star jam, this time a cover of Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World." Also during the ceremony, disco pioneer and super producer Nile Rodgers received the Award for Musical Excellence. The show was taped and will air on HBO on Apr. 29. - Billboard, 4/8/17...... Diana Ross will open the 2017 Essence Festival in New Orleans on June 30. Other headliners at the three-night event include Mary J. Blige and Chance the Rapper. - Billboard, 4/6/17...... Iggy Pop will be among the headliners at the fourth annual Project Pabst festival, set for Portland, Ore., on Aug. 26-27. The lineup also includes Beck, Spoon and Father John Misty. - Billboard, 4/5/17...... Several jazz luminaries including Herbie Hancock, Esperanza Spalding and Cassandra Wilson will take part in the sixth annual International Jazz Festival in Havana, Cuba, on Apr. 30. Previous host cities for the event, which is coordinated by UNESCO and the Washington, D.C.-based Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, have included Osaka, Paris, Istanbul and Washington, D.C. - Billboard, 4/10/17...... 
Rush will be honored with the Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award for the Canadian power trio's social activism and support of humanitarian causes during the annual Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Awards gala dinner in Toronto on Apr. 20, an event during Canadian Music Week. "They're giving us an award for doing what everyone should do," says Rush bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee. "It should be a part of everyone's upbringing and routine of life: You share when you've been blessed with good fortune. The world needs a lot of work, and there are not enough workers. We try to help where we can." Beginning with its 2010 Time Machine Tour, Rush has donated $1 from every concert ticket to various organizations, including Doctors Without Borders. They also contributed $100,000 to Hurricane Katrina relief in 2008. - Billboard, 4/10/17...... The estate of renowned pop artist Andy Warhol filed a lawsuit in New York federal court on Apr. 7 against a photographer who is claiming that Warhol copied her photo of Prince. In 1984, Warhol painted a series of portraits of Prince and, according to the suit, he "drew inspiration from and transformed a publicity photograph" of the artist that was in circulation at the time. Now, three decades later, the estate claims photographer Lynn Goldsmith is complaining that the works, a sample from which is below, violate her copyright in the original 1981 photo. In a pre-emptive move, Warhol's estate is seeking a declaration that the Prince series does not infringe on Goldsmith's work, that the works in the series are transformative and protected by fair use and that any potential copyright claims are barred by the statute of limitations and the doctrine of laches. Meanwhile, a recent New York Times report says that many open questions remain about the 57-year-old musician's death on Apr. 21, 2016. Investigators still don't know how Prince came into possession of the powerful opioid fentanyl, which has been the cause of a rash of overdoses and death over the past few years. If Prince's fentanyl came from the black market -- which appears to be the case -- it will be difficult, if not impossible to track down the source without a paper trail. The Times report says that given the series of dead ends investigators have encountered so far, it's possible the true story of Prince's death may never be known. Prince's ex-wife, Mayte Garcia, has released a new memoir covering her 11 years with Prince, but says it's "no 'tell-all'." Garcia's The Most Beautiful Girl in the World takes its name from a Prince song he wrote about her. - The Hollywood Reporter/Billboard/AP, 4/7/17...... 
Late country singer Jerry Reed, "The Gambler" songwriter Don Schlitz, and current country sensation Alan Jackson will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame later in 2017, it was announced on Apr. 5. Reed, who died in 2008 at age 71, released a string of country/pop hits including Grammy-winning "When You're Hot, You're Hot" and "Amos Moses." After regularly appearing on Glen Campbell's TV show, he started a successful career in Hollywood. He starred opposite Burt Reynolds in the Smokey and the Bandit films and appeared in Adam Sandler's The Waterboy. - AP, 4/6/17...... Stevie Wonder will be presented with the inaugural Key of Life Award, named in his honor, at ASCAP's "I Create Music" Expo, set for Apr. 13-15 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles. The Key of Life Award, which recognizes songwriters who demonstrate their commitment to the art form, will be accepted by Wonder during his keynote interview, which will close the event. - Billboard, 4/10/17...... A trailer featuring Led Zepplin's "Immigrant Song" for the upcoming Marvel movie Thor: Ragnarok was released on Apr. 10. Thor: Ragnarok stars Cate Blanchett and is the third movie in the Thor franchise. - Billboard, 4/10/17...... Carole King's 1971 mega-selling album 
Legendary comedian Don Rickles, the honorary Rat Pack member and celebrity roast guest whose career spanned six decades, passed away on the morning of Apr. 6 at his home in Los Angeles from kidney failure, his longtime publicist Paul Shefrin confirmed. He was 90. Sarcastically nicknamed "Mr. Warmth," Mr. Rickles had mock disdain for stars, major public figures and all those who paid to see him, tweaking TV audiences and Las Vegas showroom crowds with his acerbic brand of takedown comedy. Mr. Rickles honed his reputation in numerous appearances on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts that ran on NBC from the mid-1970s to the mid-80s. In the 1960s and 1970s, Johnny Carson provided Mr. Rickles a late-night stage by making him one of The Tonight Show's most-frequent guests. On one memorable moment in 1968, Mr. Rickles cozied up to a half-naked Carson during a sketch with two Japanese female masseuses and said, "I'm so lonely, Johnny!" Carson threw him in a bathtub. More recently, he was a regular guest on Late Show With David Letterman, in which the CBS host treated Mr. Rickles like royalty. Born Donald Jay Rickles in the New York borough of Queens on May 8, 1926, Mr. Rickles studied acting and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. At age 32, Mr. Rickles landed a small part in Robert Wise's submarine drama Run Silent, Run Deep (1958), starring Clark Gable. Two years later, he was cast in The Rat Race with Tony Curtis and Debbie Reynolds. Both during his TV and Las Vegas nightclub entrances, Mr. Rickles would ome onstage accompanied by the old Spanish bullfight song "La Virgen de la Macarena," a subtle signal that someone was about to be metaphorically gored. His numerous TV guest appearances include episodes of The Twilight Zone, Wagon Train, Burke's Law, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., I Dream of Jeannie, I Spy, Get Smart (alongside his buddy, Don Adams), Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Sanford and Son, The Bernie Mac Show and Hot in Cleveland. He also appeared in his own series, NBC's CPO Sharkey, from 1976-78. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Barbara Sklar, and their two children, Mindy and Larry. - Variety.com, 4/6/17...... 
David Peel, the anti-establishment New York street singer and political activist known for his songs about marijuana and John Lennon, died on Apr. 6 after suffering a massive heart attack on Mar. 31. He was 73. Peel, real name David Rosario, released his first two albums, The American Revolution and Have a Marijuana, on Elektra Records in 1968 and 1970, respectively. Peel met up with Lennon and Yoko Ono when they were being shown around Greenwich Village in 1972. He was signed to the Beatles' Apple Records label and recorded an album produced by Lennon and Ono called The Pope Smokes Dope that was released in 1972 and immediately caused controversy because of its title. Peel also made a guest appearance on the Lennon-produced, self-titled Elephant's Memory album for the band that backed Lennon. Two of his eclectic albums made the Billboard 200 albums chart: Have a Marijuana peaked at No. 186 in 1969, while The Pope Smokes Dope peaked at No 191 in 1972. His later solo albums included tributes to Lennon: John Lennon for President and John Lennon Forever, plus Bring Back The Beatles and Long Live The Grateful Dead. - Billboard, 4/7/17.
Bob Dylan finally accepted the Nobel Prize for literature in person during a private event in Stockholm, Sweden on Apr. 1. Wearing a black hoodie and brown boots, the rock legend accepted the award in an event with no media present that "went very well indeed" according to a member of the Swedish Academy. Dylan, the first songwriter to receive the Nobel Prize for literature, later headed to the Stockholm Waterfront venue where he performed live. Dylan was named the recipient of the award in 2016, but missed the official prize-giving ceremony in December due to "previous commitments," and Patti Smith performed at the event in his place. A condition of receiving the 8m kroner (£727,000) prize money that accompanies the honor is giving a lecture, and the singer has until June to deliver his speech or forfeit the money. It is expected that he will give a taped version of his planned talk in the next few months. - New Musical Express, 1/1/17...... The Beatles' Apple Corps. officially announced on Apr. 5 that the band's classic 1967 album 
In other Beatles news, George Harrison's widow Olivia Harrison and their son Dhani Harrison recently hosted a 74th birthday tribute to George at Los Angeles' Subliminal Gallery. The event also marked the launch of a new "extended edition" of Harrison's 1980 classic memoir 
Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne attended a rally at New York's City Hall on Apr. 3 to protest Pres. Donald Trump's proposed elimination of publicly funded arts organizations like the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. "This is a political move -- it really doesn't amount to much money... it's a tiny part of the federal budget," Byrne has posted on his website. "The amount of federal funding is $741 million, which sounds like a lot, but is less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the United States' annual federal spending..." The musician also noted a recent study finding that non-profit arts generate $135.2 billion in economic activity in the US. "Why in the world would one want to walk away from such an incredible investment?," he asked. - Billboard/Stereogum, 4/4/17...... Nancy Wilson of Heart says her new side project Roadcase Royale is a "really cool new band for me." "With Liv Warfield at the front and center, there's a whole different rock power that is refreshingly different than Heart; It's still got the rock ethic but there's a flavor of the R&B that comes through Liv, the way she sings, and her power's just flattening," Nancy says. "She wanted to rock and I love the R&B world -- we said, 'We should get together,' and with most people, that never happens. But we followed up on it and it's really exciting." Roadcase Royale is also considering touring this summer -- including possible opening slots on major tours -- with a repertoire that will also include Heart favorites and at least one Prince song. Wilson is also looking forward to her first ever Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp gig during the June 29-July 2 session in Hollywood. "I'll be there to advise people to be careful with their aspirations and just help them have some fun with it," she says. - Billboard, 4/4/17...... Speaking with the BBC after being named as "Record Store Day Legend" ahead of this year's Record Store Day on Apr. 22, Elton John insisted that vinyl "sounds better" than CDs and streaming. "It does sound better. I know people say it doesn't, but it does," said Sir Elton, adding: "I've been around long enough to know. I've been in so many studios, I've made so many records. It just sounds better." To coincide with the 10th Record Store Day, John will release a new vinyl version of his 
Memorabilia dealer Moments in Time has just put up for sale a Bruce Springsteen collection of 300 items, including original lyrics, clothing, guitars, and more. Billed as the "Ultimate Springsteen Collection," the seller of the memorabilia accumulated the goods over an 11-year period of time that began after he first purchased the 1957 Chevy Bel Air Convertible in which Springsteen wrote "Born to Run" (which is not included in the sale). He then began collecting fervently, building his own personal museum of The Boss items and contributing pieces to exhibits at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Some of the items included in this set for sale are Springsteen's 4F card excusing him from service in the Vietnam War, different drafts of "Born to Run" lyrics, and the original flannel shirt Springsteen wore on the cover of his The River album. "It's extraordinary that one person could assemble such a truly unbelievable collection," said Gary Zimet of Moments in Time. The price for all the items is fixed at $7.5 million, but Zimet said he would consider selling pieces individually. - Billboard, 4/3/17...... Michael Jackson's eldest son Prince Jackson has reportedly paid tribute to his late dad with an impressive tattoo adorning the lower half of his leg. The tattoo depicts Michael -- who passed away in 2009, at the age of 50 -- in one of his signature dance poses, legs crossed and hands (one wearing his white glove) high in the air. Jackson's daughter Paris Jackson also has tattoos inspired by her father, including his Dangerous artwork, as well as "Queen of My Heart" inked in her father's handwriting. - Billboard, 4/1/17...... Lonnie Brooks, a Chicago blues man known for his intense guitar solos and raspy but strong voice, died on Apr. 1 at age 83. Mr. Brooks' relationship with his adopted hometown was cemented by his hit recording of Robert Johnson's "Sweet Home Chicago." He recorded a number of albums for Chicago-based Alligator Records' "Living Chicago Blues" series including classics such as "Bayou Lightning," "Hot Shot," and "Lone Star Shootout." He also appeared in Dan Aykroyd's film Blues Brothers 2000. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel described Mr. Brooks as a blues legend "with a towering talent and soulful style that won him legions of fans across the country and around the world." - AP, 4/3/17.
With the 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony set for Apr. 7 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain has told a Dayton, Oh. newspaper that Journey vocalist Steve Perry will attend the gala as Journey is inducted into the rock hall, however it's doubtful that he will perform with the band. "That's all I know, unless something changes," Cain said. Instead, Cain said replacement lead vocalist Arnel Pineda will "represent very well, like he always does" during Journey's performance. - Billboard/Stereogum.com, 3/31/17...... Barry Manilow has been tapped to receive the prestigious BMI Icon Award during the upcoming 65th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on May 9. "Barry Manilow is a visionary whose exceptional body of work has shaped the course of popular music for over five decades," said BMI exec Barbara Cane in a statement. Previous BMI Icon Award honorees include Sting, Stevie Nicks, Paul Simon, Carole King, John Fogerty, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Brian Wilson and Dolly Parton, among others. Manilow will release his latest studio album, 
Joni Mitchell made a rare public appearance at Elton John's 70th birthday party at Los Angeles' The Hammer Museum on Mar. 25. Mitchell was pictured arriving in a wheelchair at the star-studded bash and appeared to be in good spirits, reportedly getting out of the chair to make the short walk to her waiting car when leaving Elton's party. Mitchell, 73, has rarely appeared in public since she was rushed to hospital after collapsing at her home in March, 2015, but is now reportedly well on the road to recovery. She also attended a star-studded pre-Grammys party in February. - WENN.com, 3/27/17...... Speaking of Elton John, it has been revealed that the rock icon is developing an animated version of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" with the musical's songwriters, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. STX Entertainment chairman Adam Fogelson announced the project on Mar. 28 at CinemaCon, the annual gathering of theater owners and exhibitors. The musical, which Rice and Webber created in the late 1960s, is based on the "coat of many colors" story from the Book of Genesis. - AP, 3/29/17...... It was announced on Mar. 29 that a public funeral for Chuck Berry will take place in his hometown of St. Louis on Apr. 9. Public viewing will run from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at The Pageant, a well-known concert venue down the street from the club Blueberry Hill, where Berry held a nearly two decade-long residency that ended in 2014. Joe Edwards, The Pageant's owner and longtime Berry friend, says that Berry will lie in repose in an open casket, giving fans their last glimpse of the music legend. The public viewing will be followed by a private service for the late songwriter's family and friends. Berry passed away at his home near St. Louis on Mar. 18 at age 90. - AP/Spin.com, 3/29/17...... Paul McCartney has responded to Sony/ATV's suggestion that he brought an "unripe" lawsuit seeking confirmation he'll reclaim rights to Beatles songs in 2018. In a letter to the judge on Mar. 29, McCartney's lawyer Michael Jacobs writes, "Delay would not simplify the parties' dispute, but it would prejudice McCartney. As long as Sony/ATV refuses to disavow any right to sue for breach of contract, McCartney has a cloud over the title to his works, which devalues his rights." McCartney sued Sony/ATV in January and looked for assurance that under 304(c) of the U.S. Copyright Act, he has the ability to grab back rights to works by serving a notice of termination. The legendary former Beatle expects to do so in 2018, but he's worried, due to a case involving a Sony affiliate over in the U.K. There, an English court ruled that Duran Duran's contractual promise to not transfer its interest in copyrights foreclosed the band's ability to terminate a grant of rights. The British justice believes it isn't necessary to heed an aspect of American copyright law that states that termination of a grant "may be effected notwithstanding any agreement to the contrary." - The Hollywood Reporter, 3/29/17...... After releasing his latest single, "I Saved a Bird Today," in early March, Peter Frampton has just released an acoustic video performance of the song shot in his studio, and a behind-the-scenes video where he explains the full story of how he saved a bird that flew into a window at his house in Nashville, Tenn. "This is how the song sounded as we were writing it," Frampton says. "So much fun to play and I love that's it a true story about caring and compassion, which we need more of today." Frampton kicked off a spring U.S. tour on Mar. 13 in Fort Lauderdale that will run through Apr. 12 in Rutland, Vermont. Three days later, he'll launch a co-headlining tour with fellow Classic Rock legend Steve Miller on June 15 in Holmdel, N.J., that will run through Aug. 13 in Murphy's, Calif. - Billboard, 3/29/17...... 
The Who's Roger Daltrey told the U.K. music site New Musical Express that even a "dead dog" could have beaten Hillary Clinton in the last U.S. presidential election. Daltrey said that Donald Trump "really didn't win" the election because Democrats "threw it away." Daltrey also said he's in favor of the U.K. leaving the European union, and when the dust settles from the Brexit move, "I think that it'll be seen that it's the right thing for this country to have done." Daltrey added that he'll "probably hand his Teenage Cancer Trust gigs over to Noel Gallegher" in a few years. 2017 marks the 17th anniversary of Teenage Cancer Trust gigs being held at London's Royal Albert Hall in aid of the charity. "I'd like to do 20 years and that'd be enough for me," Daltrey said "I'll probably hand it over to Noel or someone. One of the younger mob." The Teenage Cancer Trust's run of gigs include Paul Weller on Mar. 31, The Who (play Tommy) on Apr. 1, and the Pet Shop Boys on Apr. 2. - AP/NME, 3/30/17...... Speaking of Donald Trump, John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) of the Sex Pistols has defended the controversial U.S. president in a new interview with Virgin Radio, calling him, among other things, a "joy to behold" and a "possible friend." Lydon also said the media was "trying to smear the bloke as a racist, and that's completely not true." "America now has a new president and whether you like him or not you have to support him or you will destroy the country. You got to make things work," he said. - Spin.com, 3/28/17...... Recordings by such famous '70s acts as David Bowie, Don McLean, Talking Heads and the Eagles were added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress on Mar. 29. Each year, the Librarian of Congress picks 25 titles that are "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" and at least 10 years old. The 2017 additions include Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, McLean's "American Pie," Talking Heads' Remain in Light, and the Eagles' Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975). Judy Collins' "Amazing Grace," Barbra Streisand's "People" and Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour" were also among the 25 recordings added. - Billboard, 3/29/17...... Donna Betts, the wife of former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts, was arrested after an altercation at her property in Sarasota County, Fla., on Mar. 28. Betts, 62, was accused of pointing her rifle at teenage members of the Sarasota Crew rowing team. Their practice facility at Bay Preserve sits adjacent to the Betts home. She was charged with 18 counts of aggravated assault with a firearm. According to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, Betts is alleged to have threatened the team's members and coaches. Footage captured on a phone supports the case, and the 911 caller claims she then threw her weapon into the water. A judge ordered the woman, who has a history of disputes between herself the rowing team, released on a $180,000 bond on the condition she did not use alcohol or drugs or access the backyard of her property. She has also been prohibited from possessing firearms. - New Musical Express, 3/30/17...... 
Sammy Hagar has recruited Mick Fleetwood, Dave Grohl and Bob Weir for the 2017 edition of his annual Acoustic-4-A-Cure Benefit, set for May 15 in San Francisco. Also performing will be Pat Benatar, ex-Eagles guitarist Don Felder, guitarists Vic Johnson and Steve Vai, and Sarah McLachlan. The all-star acoustic jam session hopes to raise $100,000 for pediatric cancer research at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. Hagar created the event three years ago with Metallica's James Hetfield after meeting Dr. Jean Nakamura, a physician and leading scientist searching for a cure to pediatric brain cancer. Hagar says Acoustic-4-A-Cure is inspired by Neil Young's annual Bridge School Benefit concert at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., as well as Hagar's support of charities in both California and Maui, where he lives part-time.- Billboard, 3/29/17...... Clem Curtis, the former lead vocalist of the 1960s soul group The Foundations, died on Mar. 27 of as yet undisclosed causes. He was 76. The Trinidad-born Curtis joined The Foundations in 1967, singing on the multi-racial soul group's breakout hit "Baby Now That I've Found You," which topped the singles charts in the U.K. and reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the States. Curtis fronted further Foundations singles in "Back on My Feet Again" (also a Hot 100 hit) and "Any Old Time (You're Lonely and Sad)" in 1968. He was no longer in the group, however, when the band released its biggest hit, "Build Me Up Buttercup," in 1968. Colin Young provided lead vocals for that song, which rose to No. 3 on the Billboard charts in America. Curtis would rejoin The Foundations in the mid-'70s, though by then, the group had fractured to the point where multiple members were leading their own iterations of the band. - Billboard, 3/28/17...... Screenwriter Allan Weiss, who worked on the scripts for six Elvis Presley movies including 1961's Blue Hawaii, 1962's Girls! Girls! Girls!, 1963's Fun in Acapulco, 1964's Roustabout, 1966's Paradise, Hawaiian Style and 1967's Easy Come, Easy Go died on Mar. 23 at a nursing facility in Mission Viejo, Calif. He was 90. Mr. Weiss, an associate of renowned producer Hal B. Wallis, once noted that to write a screenplay for an Elvis movie, "You had to make room for 12 songs, and they had to be integrated." He and Anthony Lawrence's script for Roustabout was nominated for a WGA award for best movie musical that year, losing out to Mary Poppins. Mr. Weiss received credit for just one other screenplay during his career -- for The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), the Henry Hathaway-directed film that starred John Wayne and Dean Martin. - The Hollywood Reporter, 3/27/17.