The upcoming SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Tex. in mid-March will feature the premiere of a new Western movie titled Paradox and starring Neil Young, Willie Nelson and Nelson's sons Lukas and Micah Nelson. Music from Young, as well as his sometime backup band Promise of the Real which features Lukas and Micah, will also be included in the film, which is described on the official SXSW website as "a far-fetched, whimsical western tale of music and love." The SXSW Film Festival, an annual conglomerate of film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences, kicks off on Mar. 9. - New Musical Express, 2/1/18...... 
The estate of John Denver announced on Jan. 30 it was launching a Patreon.com page on where fans of the late singer-songwriter can listen to a bounty of previously unreleased tracks and sample unique content, including Denver's artwork and photography, much of which has never been seen before. "John Denver's Estate continually seeks new ways to bring John's fans content in a way we feel John would have supported," Brian Schwartz, the manager of Denver's estate, told Billboard. "Patreon is an innovative way for the estate to do just this. We can offer rare and exclusive content to excited consumers with ease and in the true spirit of John Denver, in a way that supports environmental causes." Patreon.com is a membership platform that allows content creators to house subscription sites for their followers. To date it claims to have more than 50,000 active creators, which include musicians, videographers, animators, podcasters and game developers, who are paid directly by a reported 1 million customers interested in their art. In October, Denver's estate released a previously unheard version of Judy Collins' "The Blizzard" that was recorded during the early 1990s but never released. - Billboard, 1/30/18...... Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne has posted a playlist of Carribbean and African music titled "The Beautiful Shitholes" on his official website DavidByrne.com in response to Pres. Donald Trump's recent comments during a meeting at the White House in which he purportedly said, "Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here? Why do we need more Haitians? Take them out." "I assume I don't have to explain where the shithole reference came from," Byrne said in his playlist's description. "Here's a playlist that gives just the smallest sample of the depth and range of creativity that continues to pour out of the countries in Africa and the Caribbean. It is undeniable. Can music help us empathize with its makers?" Byrne added that "Trump is not the issue... We know and have known for a long time that he is racist... What is truly disturbing is the Republicans who go along with this person" and urged his fans to "remember that at voting time." - NME, 2/1/18...... The B-52s were among the honorees at the sixth annual She Rocks Awards, held on Jan. 26 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, Calif. The B-52s' Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson accepted the Vanguard Award, and other female artists recognized during the event included Pat Benatar and Melissa Etheridge. - Billboard, 1/27/18...... Lionel Richie has announced he'll be heading back to the UK this summer for a 12-city tour, performing in towns that he's never previously visited including Lincolnshire, Shrewsbury, Leigh, Carlisle, Scarborough, Chesterfield and Hove. The tour will kick off on June 1 in Northampton and also hit London on June 6. "I've been missing the UK and cant wait to make my long awaited return and to see parts of the country I've never made it out to before," Richie said in a press release. - New Musical Express, 1/30/18...... 
Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain will release his memoir, titled Don't Stop Believin' after the famous Journey song, on May 1 to coincide with Journey's upcoming co-headlining tour with Def Leppard which begins three weeks later. Cain says he started writing the book "10 years ago" and that it's "a musical, songwriter's book." "It's about dealing with the setbacks of the music business -- the ups and downs, the dedications, the rejection, dealing with everybody that says 'You're not good enough' and carrying on," he says. "Just because somebody tells you you can't write and you can't sing doesn't mean you've got to quit, it just means you haven't gotten to the right position yet. So it's a book of hope and faith." Cain credits his late dad Leonard Friga for telling him to not to stop believing and that Jonathan's tenure with The Babys before hitting it big with Journey was "just a stepping stone." Cain also details the inner-workings of Journey in the book, providing insights into his relationship with former frontman Steve Perry, both as a songwriter and a friend. As for the upcoming tour, Cain says Journey is "clicking" even though the tensions between him and guitarist Neal Schon that surfaced last year via social media haven't been fully rectified. - Billboard, 1/31/18...... In a new interview with GQ magazine, legendary producer Quincy Jones dissed pop sensation Taylor Swift by saying, "We need more songs, man. F---ing songs, not hooks." "Some people consider her the greatest songwriter of our age," to which the producer laughed and commented, "Whatever crumbles your cookie." Jones added that "a great song can make the worst singer in the world a star. A bad song can't be saved by the three best singers in the world. I learned that 50 years ago." In the same interview, the 84-year-old producer also opened up about his very active love life, admitting he has been enjoying romances with women of all different backgrounds, with none of them older than 42. "I got 22 girlfriends," the father-of-seven smiled. Asked if he was serious, he replied, "Hell yeah. Everywhere. Cape Town. Cairo. Stockholm -- she's coming in next week. Brazil -- Belo Horizonte, Sao Paulo, and Rio. Shanghai -- got a great girl over there from Shanghai, man. Cairo, whew." - Billboard/WENN.com, 1/30/18...... An upcoming documentary and biopic on the life of legendary rock 'n' roller Chuck Berry, who passed away in March 2017, is being planned in cooperation with his estate and widow Themetta Berry. Cardinal Releasing Ltd, which has previously produced films on music legends including Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King and Nat King Cole, has already begun work on the documentary titled Chuck! The Documentary. "I am very privileged to be able to produce and direct this fully authorized and official story of the legendary Chuck Berry," Chuck! director Jon Brewer said in a statement. - Billboard, 1/30/18...... 
Paul Simon has apparently announced that his final show, at least in the United Kingdom, will be on July 15 at the Barclaycard British Summer Time Festival. According to a post on the festival's website, the 76-year-old, 12-time Grammy winner will close out the event in what is being billed as "Paul Simon: Homeward Bound The Farewell Performance" with special guests James Taylor & His All-Star Band and Bonnie Raitt. The massive summer fest will kick off on July 6 with headliner Roger Waters, and other nights will feature the likes of Eric Clapton, Santana, Steve Winwood, Guy Clark Jr. and Bruno Mars. - Billboard, 1/30/18...... A Grammy viewing party hosted by Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler to benefit his Janie's Fund charity was held on Jan. 28 at the historic RED Studios in Hollywood. The event drew the likes of Alice Cooper, Caitlyn Jenner, Sharon Stone, Olivia Wilde and Randy Jackson, all dressed in their best "rock star chic." "My dreams are to do this next year and the year after and the year after," Tyler said prior to the event. "And if I die in the meantime, we'll have someone else do it. I'll get Slash involved or someone," he joked. The evening concluded with Tyler taking the stage with his Nashville-based band, Loving Mary, to perform a 10-song set, which included such Aerosmith classics as "Sweet Emotion," "Jaded," and "Dream On." Tyler raised an estimated $2.4 million for his Janie's Fund charity, which helps girls heal after suffering abuse and neglect, and an auction included a chance to spend a week at his Maui home (which went for $55,000). - Billboard, 1/29/18...... Meanwhile the actual Grammys event, which took place on Jan. 28 in New York City's Madison Square Garden, featured a performance of "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John with a beautifully dressed Miley Cyrus. The pair was all smiles as they sang the tear-jerking, sweeping pop ballad, with Cyrus imbuing the song -- which already has a touch of twang -- with some Southern vocal tone. Elton was also the subject of a Grammy salute on Jan. 30, which will air at a later date. Also performing during the show were Sting and Jamaican-American hitmaker Shaggy, who described themselves as "the not-so-odd couple." Sting opened with his jazzy 1987 reggae song "Englishman In New York," which they segued into their joint single "Don't Make Me Wait," and then back to "Englishman." The pair consider themselves besties and have announced they have a joint album coming out soon. - Billboard, 1/28/18...... In other Grammy-related news, late actress Carrie Fisher was awarded a posthumous Grammy in the Best Spoken Word category for her memoir The Princess Diarist, which gives a peek behind the curtain of her life while filming the first Star Wars movie. - Billboard, 1/28/18...... 
Aretha Franklin has chosen Jennifer Hudson to play her in an upcoming biopic on her life. Music mogul Clive Davis, a former mentor of Franklin's, made the announcement at his annual pre-Grammy bash on Jan. 28. Hudson reportedly sang Franklin classics like "Think" and "Respect" as part of her performance during Davis' gala. - Deadline.com, 1/28/18...... Cable TV's Showtime channel will premiere the Eric Clapton documentary Life in 12 Bars on Feb. 10 at 9:00 p.m. ET. The 135-minute rock doc, directed by Lili Fini Zanuck, relies solely on voice-overs to tell the story of the legend's life, with his memorable ups, like being the only three-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and tragic downs, including the death of his young son. - Entertainment Weekly, 2/2/18...... Songwriter-composer Robert Arthur, who famously tweaked the lyrics to the Rolling Stones' "Let's Spend the Night Together" so the band could perform it on the iconic CBS variety program in 1967, died on Jan. 21 at his Topanga Canyon home in Los Angeles. He was 89. A songwriter and composer, Mr. Arthur worked with newspaper columnist-turned-TV host Ed Sullivan from 1952, on Sullivan's earlier show Toast of the Town, until the renamed Ed Sullivan Show left the airwaves for good on June 6, 1971. Mr. Arthur handled all the music for Sullivan, arranging and composing songs for and working with such guests as The Beatles, Judy Garland, Sly Stone, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis Presley, Kate Smith, Count Basie, Perry Como and Diana Ross, among many others. Recalling his notorious reworking of "Let's Spend the Night Together," which could not pass CBS's censors, Mr. Arthur once said: "So I was sent to deal with them, because I was also a songwriter -- and I came up with a phrase that was almost the same thing and sounded almost the same, and it was, 'Let's spend some time together.' Mick Jagger agreed." Jagger appeared to roll his eyes as he sung the substituted line, however few in the screaming audience probably noticed the difference. After The Ed Sullivan Show went off the air, the Flushing, N.Y. native moved to Los Angeles, where he helped Dick Clark launch the American Music Awards. He also produced videos that Michael Jackson showed during his concerts; co-wrote the Natalie Cole hit "All About Love;" and had his tunes performed by Tony Bennett and Johnny Mathis. - 1/27/18.
Fleetwood Mac was presented with the MusiCares Person of the Year honor by former president Bill Clinton at the annual pre-Grammys gala at New York's Radio City Music Hall on Jan. 26. "I've had 'Don't Stop' played more for me than 'Hail to the Chief'," Pres. Clinton mused, referring to the song that became his 1992 presidential campaign's theme song. All members of Fleetwood Mac, except bassist John McVie spoke after receiving their award, with Lindsey Buckingham acknowledging the dysfunction that fueled so many of the band's hits, but added, "not very far below the level of dysfunction, what we are feeling more than ever in our career is love." Stevie Nicks took time to remember her late "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" duet partner Tom Petty during her speech, saying Petty's loss "has just about broken my heart" and "he was one of my best friends. Petty, who died of an accidental drug overdose on Oct. 2, was the 2017 MusiCares Person of the Year honoree. The ceremony featured performances of popular Fleetwood Mac songs by such artists as Imagine Dragons, Keith Urban and Miley Cyrus, with Fleetwood Mac performing their hits "The Chain," "Little Lies," "Tusk," "Gold Dust Woman" and "Go Your Own Way." The event raised nearly $7 million for the MusiCares charity, according to Recording Academy president/CEO Neil Portnow. - Billboard, 1/27/18...... 
Neil Diamond posted a statement on his official website on Jan. 22 announcing he was retiring from touring due to his recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. "I plan to remain active in writing, recording and other projects for a long time to come," the Grammy-winning singer wrote. "My thanks goes out to my loyal and devoted audiences around the world. You will always have my appreciation for your support and encouragement. This ride has been 'so good, so good, so good' thanks to you," he added. Diamond had planned to launch a tour of Australia and New Zealand in March, but now he is canceling the tour on the advice from his doctor. Thousands of fans down under who had bought Diamond concert tickets opted to donate their refunded ticket money to Parkinson's research, animal rescue groups and victim funds, among other charities. Diamond's wife and manager, Katie, then took to Twitter to express her gratitude to the fans. "My heart is so full of joy to see this silver lining. Faith in humanity = restored," she wrote. News of Diamond's retirement from live performing also prompted his friend and former labelmate, Elton John, to pay tribute to the "Solitary Man" singer: "I would like to pay my respects to him," John told reporters on Jan. 24. "He introduced me off his own back at the [iconic Hollywood venue] Troubadour because he loved my record -- he was a huge star then, and he's a huge star now. And I know that he's said he's not going to tour any more because he has Parkinson's. I'm going to contact to him personally, but I would like to say publicly that I love him and I can't thank him enough for what he did for me along the way." - Billboard, 1/22/18...... Speaking of Elton John, the Rocket Man held a press conference at New York's Gotham Hall on Jan. 24 to announce that he'll kick off a 300-city, three-year "farewell" tour this fall, beginning in September with stops including Allentown, Penn., New York City, Orlando, and Los Angeles. The event opened with a dazzling, psychedelic video going through some of John's biggest hits before cutting to him performing a live version of "Tiny Dancer" and "I'm Still Standing." "I'm not going to be touring anymore, apart from this global tour which launches in September," Elton told CNN's Anderson Cooper, noting he will be saying goodbye with a 300-date, three-year worldwide Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour promoted by AEG Presents. "My priorities have changed in my life," John told Cooper, noting the impact of his 2005 marriage to advertising executive David Furnish, as well as the birth of their two sons. "My priorities in my life are now my children, my husband and my family," he added. After the US leg, John will head to Europe in May 2019 and will add additional dates in South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Elton added that unlike Cher, who has launched several "farewell tours" in the past decades, he will not be returning to the road once his tour wraps: "I'm not Cher, even though I like wearing her clothes -- this is the end." - Billboard, 1/24/18...... 
Also planning a farewell tour are Southern Rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd, with the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers announcing on Jan. 25 that their final tour will begin May 4 in West Palm Beach, Fla., with special guests including .38 Special, ZZ Top, The Charlie Daniels Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, Bad Company, Hank Williams, Jr. and Kid Rock. Rossington added that the band is "just winding it down a little bit" and "even if the touring ends we'll still do special shows and special guest things here and there with the whole band." "I just want to go out on a high note and make sure the band's name stays in high regard instead of going out and playing fairs and casinos and things like that... I want to live it still filling arenas and sheds like we still can," he said. Formed in Jacksonville in 1966, Lynyrd Skynyrd was struck by tragedy in 1977 when a plane crash killed lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, backup singer Cassie Gaines and several members of the road crew. The lineup now includes Rossington and Johnny Van Zant, Ronnie's brother. Rossington says the group has "a lot of big plans (for) last kind of goodbye things here and there, special things," including a CMT-produced documentary and a new studio album, the follow-up to 2012's Last Of A Dyin' Breed. - AP/Billboard, 1/25/18...... Led Zeppelin will reissue their classic 2003 live LP How The West Was Won on Mar. 23, with remastered sound supervised by Jimmy Page. How The West Was Won features original performances from two dates on the band's 1972 US concert tour: Los Angeles Forum on June 25, 1972 and Long Beach Arena on June 27, 1972. Part of the band's 50th anniversary celebrations, the reissue will also include a "Super Deluxe Boxed Set" version featuring three CDs, four vinyl LPs, a download of the entire album, plus a book "filled with rare and previously unpublished photos of the band at each of the concert locations." - NME, 1/24/18...... In an interview with a Louisville radio station on Jan. 25, former Genesis member Tony Banks said he "wouldn't rule out" Genesis reuniting for more live shows. Banks said that he and former bandmate Mike Rutherford, and Rutherford as well as Phil Collins have also expressed interest in reforming the band in the past couple of years. "We don't rule it out. It'd be fun to try," Banks said. "But Phil's gotta survive his tour first of all and we'll see where it goes." Acknowledging the one "slight problem" that the band would have to navigate, Banks added: "Phil's our drummer and he can't drum anymore." Genesis last performed together in 2007 to mark the band's 40th anniversary, and Collins has announced he'll kick off a tour of South America in February in the next leg of his "Not Dead Yet" world tour. - New Musical Express, 1/25/18...... The 2018 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival announced on Jan. 24 that its headliners this year will include Aretha Franklin, Sting, Aerosmith, Lionel Richie, Jack White and Beck. The 2018 festival, held at the N.O. Fair Grounds Race Course, is scheduled for two weekends this spring -- April 27-29 and May 3-6. In addition, the festival is planning a tribute to Fats Domino and a celebration of New Orleans' 300th anniversary. - AP, 1/24/18...... 
Jackson Browne will be recognized with the Les Paul Innovation Award during the 33rd annual NAMM Technical Excellence and Creativity (TEC) Awards in Anaheim, Calif., on Jan. 27. "Jackson Browne's success as a singer, songwriter and guitarist has had a prolific impression on the music industry throughout his successful career," says Michael Braunstein, executive director of the Les Paul Foundation. "Like Les Paul, Jackson has never shied away from expressing his emotions or thoughts through his music. I have no doubt that Les would have liked to have shared a few jams with Jackson along the way." Four veteran sidemen -- guitarist Danny Kortchmar, keyboardist Craig Doerge, bassist Leland Sklar and drummer Russ Kunkel -- collectively known as The Section and known for their work with Browne, James Taylor, Carole King and Crosby, Stills & Nash will be inducted into the NAMM TEC Hall of Fame and will perform at the awards. Earlier in the day, the four sidemen will participate in a panel discussion on the making of Browne's best-selling 1977 album Running on Empty. - Billboard, 1/23/18...... Stevie Wonder reportedly called actor Raphael Saadiq to congratulate him on his Oscar nomination for co-writing "Mighty River" from the film Mudbound. "He just said, 'Congratulations, my Taurean brother,' because we're both Tauruses," Saadiq told Billboard. "Mighty River" is a gospel-tinged song that plays over the movie's end credits, and was co-written with Mary J. Blige and Taura Stinson. - Billboard, 1/23/18...... George Harrison's son Dhani Harrison has played a key role in the making of M.I.A's upcoming biography documentary, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier in January. The score of the documentary, Matangi/Maya/M.I.A, was co-written by Harrison and his Thenewno2 bandmate Paul Hicks. - New Musical Express, 1/24/18...... A paper cup used by Elvis Presley that dates back to a 1956 tour stop in Tulsa, Okla., by the King when it ended up in the hands of a fan sold has sold at auction for $3,300. The buyer of the decades-old cup owns the Icon Hotel in Luton, England, and the seller was aiming to get only $1,000 for it. - TMZ.com, 1/23/18...... Former Judas Priest drummer Dave Holland died at age 69. Holland played in a series of pop and rock band including Finders Keepers and Trapeze, which also featured future Deep Purple bassist Glenn Hughes. After leaving Trapeze to play with Priest, Holland appeared on a number of the group's best-selling albums, including 1980's British Steel, 1981's Point of Entry, Screaming for Vengeance, Defenders of the Faith, Turbo and 1988's Ram it Down; he was replaced by drummer Scott Travis on 1990's Painkiller. "It is with regret that we hear of the passing of Dave Holland," Judas Priest wrote in a statement. "Despite his actions since working with the band, his time with us was amongst the most productive and successful in the band's career and for that alone he shall be missed." - Billboard, 1/23/18...... 
Legendary South African musician Hugh Masekela died on Jan. 23 after a long battle with cancer, the South African government announced on its official Twitter page. He was 78. Known as the father of South African jazz, Masekela channeled the struggle against apartheid into soulful compositions that championed the experiences of ordinary South Africans. His 1986 song "Bring Him Back Home," written for Nelson Mandela, became an anthem of the 1980s anti-apartheid movement. The Grammy-nominated artist also toured with Paul Simon and was a major player on the jazz and world music scene for decades. "A loving father, brother, grandfather and friend, our hearts beat with profound loss," the family said in a statement released by his agents Dreamcatcher. In the 1960s, he went into exile in the United Kingdom and the United States, where he collaborated with American jazz legend Harry Belafonte and used his music to spread awareness about the oppressive system of white-minority rule in South Africa. He also scored an international number one hit in 1968 with "Grazing In The Grass," and was married to South African singer and activist Miriam Makeba for two years. In October 2017, Masekela issued a statement that he had been fighting prostate cancer since 2008 and would have to cancel his professional commitments to focus on his health. He said he started treatment after doctors found a "small 'speck'" on his bladder, and had surgery in Mar. 2016 after the cancer spread. South African President Jacob Zuma expressed his condolences, saying Masekela "kept the torch of freedom alive globally, fighting apartheid through his music and mobilizing international support for the struggle for liberation and raising awareness of the evils of apartheid... His contribution to the struggle for liberation will never be forgotten." - CNN, 1/23/18...... Actress Olivia Cole, an Emmy-winner best known for her performances in the 1970s miniseries Backstairs at the White House and Roots, died on Jan. 26 at her home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, of as yet undisclosed causes. She was 75. Cole also portrayed the gossipy Miss Sophie alongside Oprah Winfrey on the 1989 ABC miniseries The Women of Brewster Place and on a subsequent, short-lived series. She received her supporting actress Emmy for her turn as Matilda, the wife of Ben Vereen's Chicken George and mother of Georg Stanford Brown's Tom in Roots, which was broadcast on ABC in January 1977 on eight consecutive nights and watched by an estimated 140 million people. - The Hollywood Reporter, 1/24/18...... Actress Connie Sawyer, known as Hollywood's oldest working actress, has died peacefully at the age of 105 at her in Woodland Hills, Calif. To many, she is recognized as the lady in Dumb and Dumber who stole Jim Carrey's character's wallet. She also appeared in The Pineapple Express, as well as When Harry Met Sally. Ms. Sawyer also has numerous TV credits which span six decades, including The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Hawaii Five-O, Dynasty, Murder, She Wrote, Archie Bunker's Place, Home Improvement, Seinfeld, Will & Grace, ER, The Office, and How I Met Your Mother. Most recently she appeared in Showtime's Ray Donovan as James Woods' mother. - MSN.com, 1/23/18.
Dana Petty, the widow of rock legend Tom Petty, revealed in a Facebook post on Jan. 19 that her late husband died on Oct. 2 of an accidental overdose due to a mixture of medications. Dana and the couple's daughter, Adria, posted that according to the Los Angeles County Coroner Tom's organs failed due to "mixed drug toxicity" which included oxycodone, Xanax, and Fentanyl, and that Petty was taking a number of medications due to a series of ailments, including a fractured (and then broken) hip, knee problems and emphysema. Dana and Adria said they hope Tom's death leads to a greater conversation about the country's tragic opioid crisis. "Many people who overdose begin with a legitimate injury or simply do not understand the potency and deadly nature of these medications," they posted. The mom and daughter also noted that "on the day he died he was informed his hip had graduated to a full on break and it is our feeling that the pain was simply unbearable and was the cause for his over use of medication." "Unfortunately Tom's body suffered from many serious ailments including emphysema, knee problems and most significantly a fractured hip... Despite this painful injury he insisted on keeping his commitment to his fans and he toured for 53 dates with a fractured hip and, as he did, it worsened to a more serious injury," they added, concluding with a positive note: "We now know for certain he went painlessly and beautifully exhausted after doing what he loved the most, for one last time, performing live with his unmatchable rock band for his loyal fans on the biggest tour of his 40 plus year career. He was extremely proud of that achievement in the days before he passed." - Billboard, 1/19/18...... Hall & Oates announced a on Jan. 22 they'll kick off a 37-city North American tour on May 1 in Sacramento, Calif., with the pop-rock band Train as the opener. Stops also include St. Paul, Minn. (5/16), Philadephia (5/26), Washington D.C. (6/11), New York City (6/14),Atlanta (6/20) and Grand Rapids, Mich. (7/15), before wrapping on Aug. 11 in Seattle. While both Daryl Hall and John Oates have released individual projects in recent years, the legendary Philly soul duo hasn't released a project together since their 2006 effort Home for Christmas. - Billboard, 1/22/18...... 
Yoko Ono was among the many female celebrities supporting the Women's March 2018, which took place across the U.S. on Jan. 20, one year after millions of people gathered to protest the inauguration of Pres. Donald Trump. In a tweet featuring photos of herself at the Women's March in New York City, Ono simply wrote: "PEACE IS POWER." This year's Women's March was spurred by the political climate as well as the innumerable recently surfaced accounts of men abusing women, and the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements that have resulted. - Billboard, 1/20/18...... In other Beatles-related news, Michael Jackson's daughter Paris Jackson revealed that she "cried like a g--damn baby" after meeting Paul McCartney at an A-list Los Angeles party thrown by Sir Paul's daughter, fashion designer Stella McCartney, on Jan. 16. Paris said that Macca was "the love of my life" in a Teen Vogue interview last May, and the 19 year-old finally met McCartney at the party -- where he jammed with an all-star Beatles cover band -- and posted a pic with the rock icon captioned, "I cried like a g--damn baby." In the same interview Jackson revealed that she's already written a song she'd like McCartney to sing, adding "but it probs won't happen." - Billboard, 1/18/18...... Billy Joel announced on Jan. 22 that he'll play his record-breaking 100th career show at New York's Madison Square Garden on July 18. Joel was the first person to ever become a "music franchise" at the legendary Big Apple venue, as he began a residency in 2014, and has played a show every month since. His 100th career show will be his 54th consecutive show since the beginning of his stay, marking a record-setting music franchise at The Garden. Joel also announced plans to perform in Ireland, Germany, and the UK, all in between his June and July New York shows. - Billboard, 1/22/18...... In an interview with Louisville, Ky. radio station WFPK on Jan. 20, Robert Plant said he had "no idea" whether he and his former Led Zeppelin bandmate Jimmy Page would work together again. "It's not even within my countenance to imagine it, really," he said. When the interviewer noted that fans still hold the band "dear in their hearts," Plant responded: "Me too -- nobody more than me. But I don't want to do it a disservice either." Plant and Page last performed together in 2007 at a show at The O2 in London. Afterwards, the rest of Led Zeppelin, including bassit John Paul Jones and drummer Jason Bonham, were reportedly willing to tour and work on new material, but Plant was busy with other touring commitments. Jimmy Page recently revealed that since 2018 is the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin, "there's all manner of surprises coming out." - New Musical Express, 1/20/18...... 
Def Leppard and Journey have announced a co-headlining North American tour that will kick off on May 21 in Hartford, Conn. The ambitious 58-city tour will hit most major US cities and wrap on Oct. 6 in Los Angeles. The two bands also shared a co-headlining tour in the early 2000s. "We've toured together before and it was massive," said Def Leppard's Joe Elliott in a press release. This time it's going to be even bigger and better!" Journey's Jonathan Cain said "We are all anxious to share our sound with the world again and, along with Def Leppard, we are part of a world-class package to the rock stage that spans decades and represents a multi-platinum legacy." Meanwhile, Def Leppard are joining an esteemed list of formerly reluctant artists to abstain from streaming, announcing on Jan. 19 that its entire catalog is now available on all major streaming and download platforms. "It is with a mixture of relief and euphoria that we now see our entire catalog finally getting a digital release," said frontman Elliott. "Having embraced every other format with open arms, especially and more recently the reemergence of vinyl, we're now going to be available to everyone everywhere and honestly, it's as exciting as the original releases were." Def Leppard's dispute with their former label Mercury Records/UMG over licensing and compensation was at the core for the band's reluctance to make their earlier music available to stream or even download. - Billboard, 1/19/18...... Dead & Company have announced a 19-city summer tour to launch on May 30 in Mansfield, Mass. Featuring founding Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, as well as John Mayer and Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti, Dead & Company last toured in 2017. The 2018 tour will wrap with two dates in Boulder, Col., on July 13 and 14. - Billboard, 1/18/18...... The Eagles have announced they've settled their lawsuit with a Mexican hotel using the name of the band's famous song "Hotel California." A joint dismissal of the Eagles' lawsuit against the hotel in Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, was filed on Jan. 17 with the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The same day, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office accepted Hotel California Baja's request to permanently abandon its trademark application. "This matter has been settled by mutual agreement of the Parties," said Eagles' attorney Tom Jirgal in a statement. In the initial lawsuit filed in 2017, the Eagles argued that the hotel was trying to capitalize on its success. The Eagles' filing pointed out that the band has become synonymous with the song "Hotel California," and as the act's most popular album, Hotel California is the "essence of the band itself and, as such, all sorts of merchandise has been sold with the mark." The hotel's current owners, Debbie and John Stewart, bought the property in 2001, and denied their hotel was trying to mislead guests, arguing customers were unlikely to be confused. - Billboard, 1/18/18...... 
Country-pop legend Dolly Parton has collected two new Guinness World Records, for most decades with a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart (six) and most hits on the Hot Country Songs chart by a female artist (107). Parton, 71, said she was "humbled" and "blessed" when she received the Guinness certificates recognizing her newly-set records. "To receive these two Guinness World Records is so great," Dolly said on receiving her framed certificates. "Joining so many wonderful singers and songwriters who have been honored this way feels so special to me. You never know when you start out with your work how it's going to turn out, but to have these two world records makes me feel very humbled and blessed." - Billboard, 1/17/18...... Bassist Jim Rodford, who played with The Kinks and The Zombies and was also a founding member of the Zombies spin-off band Argent, died at his home in St. Albans, England, on Jan. 20. He was 76. Rodford was a cousin of Zombies and Argent member Rod Argent, who confirmed the news on the Zombies' Facebook page. "It is with deep sadness that I learned this morning that my dear cousin and lifelong friend, Jim Rodford, died this morning after a fall on the stairs," Argent wrote. "Jim was not only a magnificent bass player, but also from the first inextricably bound to the story of The Zombies. An enormous enabler for us," he continued. "To the end, Jim's life was dedicated to music. He was unfailingly committed to local music -- an ever present member of the local scene in St.Albans, where he had spent his whole life." - Billboard, 1/20/18.
Stephen Stills has recruited his former Crosby, Stills Nash & Young bandmate Neil Young for a 2018 edition of his Light Up The Blues concert to raise funds for Autism Speaks. Stills played the first Light Up The Blues concert in 2013, and aside from 2017, the concert has been held annually. In addition to Stills and Young the show, set for Los Angeles' Dolby Theater on Apr. 21, will also feature performances from the likes of Sheryl Crow, Burt Bacharach, Jack Black and Stills' former girlfriend Judy Collins, among others. Stills' dedication to the cause has its origins in his 21-year-old son Harry, who was diagnosed with autism shortly before his third birthday. Neil Young reportedly visited Stills at his home recently and convinced him to hold the event once more this year. All proceeds will go to Autism Speaks, the largest Autism non-profit in the world. - Billboard, 1/17/18...... Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson recently returned to Hawthorne High School in California -- where he graduated along with the rest of the original Beach Boys lineup -- to tour the school and receive an updated grade on an old piece of homework. Posting on his official Twitter account, Wilson said he submitted a composition for a music class in 1959 that received an F grade, and that composition wound up being "Surfin'," the Beach Boys' first hit. But that failing grade has now been changed to an A by the current school principal, Dr. Landesfeind. "[It] got an F, but it made a million dollars," according to Wilson's tweet. - Stereogum.com, 1/17/18...... Two years after his April 2016 death, a Prince tribute concert dubbed Prince: Live on the Big Screen has been announced for Apr. 21 at the Target Center in the late artist's hometown of Minneapolis, Minn. Featuring Prince's all-star band along with special guests, the event is described as featuring "newly remastered and never-before-released audio and video of Prince accompanied live on the Target Center stage by a super-group of musicians who performed alongside Prince throughout his legendary career." It will be part of a four-day Prince event known as Celebration 2018, which will honor the life and legacy of Prince from Apr. 19-22. - Billboard, 1/17/18...... 
The legendary funk outfit Parliament, fronted by George Clinton, has just released "I'm Gon Make U Sick O'Me," its first new single in 28 years. In the song, which features rapper Scarface, Clinton plays a character named Dr. Feel Good, a medic offering a magical antidote: "more funk for your ass." Promoting the release, on Reddit.com, Clinton discussed a forthcoming Parliament album which he says will be called Medicaid Fraud Dog. "It's Parliament's turn," he said. - Billboard, 1/17/18...... To mark the 50th anniversary of his iconic concert performance at California's Folsom State Prison, a new Johnny Cash documentary has been announced by Imperative Entertainment in association with Jurassic World producer Frank Marshall. The documentary, directed by Thom Zimmy who has previously helmed projects on such rock stars as Elvis Presley and Bruce Springsteen, will have the full support of the Cash estate and will explore Cash's music and biography through the prison concert. "While the linear narrative of the Folsom Prison performances will anchor our film, each song in the set list will open a door into a nonlinear presentation of Cash's emotional, musical and personal development," said Zimny in a statement. Cash, who died in 2003, was also the subject of a 2005 biopic called Walk The Line that featured an Oscar-nominated performance by Joaquin Phoenix in the title role. - The Hollywood Reporter, 1/15/18...... Former Police frontman Sting, famous for his reggae-flavored stylings, and Jamaican musician Shaggy have been collaborating on several "Caribbean-flavoured" tracks, and the pair debuted one of them, "Don't Make Me Wait," live at a charity concert in Jamaica on Jan. 6. The musicians performed as part of the Shaggy & Friends show that was held to benefit the Bustamante Hospital For Children in Kingston. According to a press release, the studio sessions happened late last year and resulted in music that reflects both Sting and Shaggy's "mutual love of Jamaica, its music, people and culture". The tracks are also described as being "island-influenced" and "Caribbean-flavoured." It is not clear whether the duo will release their work together as an album or EP, or a handful of standalone tracks. - New Musical Express, 1/11/18....... 
'70s artists Carole King and Doors drummer John Densmore are among a group of legacy artists who have submitted an amicus document in a case about pre-1972 sound recordings as the U.S. Congress prepares to debate legislation on the issue. The case against the streaming service Pandora was originally brought by Flo & Eddie, Inc., which owns the Turtles recordings, and is currently before the California Supreme Court. At stake is whether, and how, non-interactive streaming services like Pandora need to compensate performers and labels for their use of older recordings that are still covered by state law. The music industry has also been lobbying for a legislative answer to the question, and the recently introduced CLASSICS Act (Compensating Legacy Artists for their Songs, Service, & Important Contributions to Society Act) would require digital services to pay for the use of recordings made before 1972. On Jan. 26, the Friday before the Grammy Awards, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a "field hearing" in New York on this and other copyright issues, according to multiple sources. Also participating in the amicus brief are the estates of Jimi Hendrix, Hank Williams and Judy Garland, the Beatles' Apple Corps., and Grateful Dead Productions. - Billboard, 1/14/18...... A lawsuit brought by the estate of Michael Jackson over a documentary called Michael: The Last Photo Shoots will be moving to trial after U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty denied the executors' motion for summary judgment. Noval Williams Films in 2014 sued John Branca and John McClain, the executors of Jackson's estate, seeking a declaration that the documentary doesn't infringe the copyright in photos and video of the late King of Pop. Judge Crotty ruled on Jan. 12 that there are numerous factual disputes in the case -- including one over who actually owns video footage of Jackson taken during Vogue and Ebony photo shoots. Jackson's estate maintains that it is the owner of the footage because its original owner, Hasaun Muhammad, agreed that he wouldn't exploit it without Jackson's consent. - The Hollywood Reporter, 1/12/18...... The estate of late The Partridge Family star David Cassidy is being sued over $120,000 in alleged unpaid legal bills. Law firm Rodier & Rodier claims Cassidy owes them $102,834 for legal services, and attorney Damaso W. Saavedra claims he is owed $19,006. The personal representative of Cassidy's estate is objecting to both claims and refusing to pay the creditors, giving Rodier & Rodier and Saavedra each 30 days to file an action on the claim against the estate. Cassidy left $150,000 worth of assets to his only son, Beau, 26, with his three half-siblings granted music memorabilia. His estranged daughter Katie was left out of the will. "It is my specific intent not to provide any benefits hereunder to Katherine Evelyn Cassidy," he wrote, but it's important to note that the will was drafted in 2004, and Katie, 31, had an up-and-down relationship with her father. Cassidy died of organ failure Nov. 21 at the age of 67. - MSN.com, 1/15/18...... 
Cindy Frey, the widow of late Eagles singer/songwriter/guitarist Glenn Frey, has filed a lawsuit against Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan over its treatment of the musician before his death in 2016 at the age of 67. Cindy is accusing the hospital and gastroenterologist Steven Itzkowitz of negligence that rendered her late husband "sick, sore, lame and disabled," causing him pain and mental anguish leading up to his death. In the suit, she claims the hospital and Itzkowitz failed to properly treat her husband's ulcerative colitis, diagnose and treat infection and advise of the risks and side effects from treatment. According to the complaint, Glenn Frey was under Itzkowitz's care from Oct. 19. 2015, to Nov. 2015. Frey died on Jan. 18, 2016, due to complications from acute ulcerative colitis, pneumonia and rheumatoid arthritis, and Eagles manager Irving Azoff later said that Frey's illnesses were partly caused by the medication he was taking for his rheumatoid arthritis. "The colitis and pneumonia were side effects from all the meds," Azoff said in an interview with The Wrap. "He died from complications of ulcer and colitis after being treated with drugs for his rheumatoid arthritis which he had for over 15 years." Cindy Frey's lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. She had three children with her late husband and oversees his estate. - Billboard, 1/16/18...... TV creator and writer Hugh Wilson, who created the acclaimed sitcom 
American gospel musician/pianist/composer Edwin Hawkins, one of the originators of the urban contemporary gospel sound and probably best known for his arrangement of the 1968 hit "Oh Happy Day" by the Edwin Hawkins Singers, died on Jan. 15 at his home in Pleasanton, Calif., following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 74. Hawkins learned piano at an early age, and was the co-founder of the Northern California State Youth Choir of the Church of God in Christ, which included almost fifty members. This ensemble recorded its first album Let Us Go into the House of the Lord on the Century 70 custom label, hoping to sell 500 copies. "Oh Happy Day" was just one of the eight songs on the album, and the call-and-response hymn became very popular after radio stations in the bay area started playing it, becoming an international hit in 1969. Featuring the lead vocal of Dorothy Combs Morrison, the subsequently released single (on the newly created Pavilion label distributed by Buddah) rocketed to sales of over a million copies within two months. It crossed over to the pop charts making U.S. No. 4, UK No. 2, No. 2 on the Irish Singles Chart, and No. 1 on the German Singles Charts in 1969. Hawkins was awarded his first Grammy for his arrangement, and it was eventually covered by The Four Seasons on their 1970 album Half & Half. The following year the Hawkins singers backed Melanie on her top 10 hit 
John Fogerty is lashing out at a new action film starring Taraji P. Henson (Empire) named Proud Mary after the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman's 1969 hit. Fogerty, who penned the song, has issued a statement with a scorching rebuke of the movie and its attempt to capitalize on the popularity of his rock classic. Henson plays a hit woman in the movie, and Fogerty says in addition to he film's appropriation of his song title, he also objects from seeing the "Proud Mary" lyrics "working for the man every night and day" changed to "killing for the man every night and day" on the movie poster. "My songs are special to me. Precious," Fogerty wrote. "So it irks me when people seek to capitalize on the popularity of my music and the good will it has earned with the public for their own financial gain. Over the years, I have often found myself directly opposed to these uses," he continued. "This movie has nothing to do with me, or my song. They simply picked the title and wrote a completely fictitious story around it." While Fogerty can't take legal action against the filmmakers for using the song title, he says he's upset that no one from the film asked about using his song this way and makes it clear that if he has been asked, he would have declined. "This movie has nothing to do with me, or my song," Fogerty says. "They simply picked the title and wrote a completely fictitious story around it.... No one ever asked me about using my song this way, or even about the meaning of 'Proud Mary'" and that his song "was obviously a metaphor about leaving painful, stressful things behind for a more tranquil and meaningful life." - Billboard, 1/11/18...... Attendees at the annual CES tech gadget show in Las Vegas on Jan. 11 were treated to an impromptu performance by Motown legend Stevie Wonder. When piano teacher Gabie Perry of a California startup was demonstrating the company's internet-connected "smart" device designed to teach people how to play piano, someone told her that "Stevie Wonder would like to try it." Perry thought it was a joke, but Wonder then spent about 15 minutes playing tunes as a crowd gathered at The One Music Group's booth. Wonder, one of several celebrity musicians that included rapper Iggy Azalea and Aerosmith gutiarist Joe Perry, later said he likes to visit the conference to "see new things" and meet people. - AP, 1/11/18...... 
A new 
In an interview with the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, Queen guitarist Brian May had some harsh criticism for U.K. Prime Minister Teresa May, describing the Tory leader as being "driven by vanity and thirst for power" and the U.K.'s decision to leave the European Union as "the dumbest thing Britain has ever done in my lifetime." "She is, like [David] Cameron before her, driven by vanity and thirst for power," he said of Theresa May. "It was wrong from the beginning to ask the British to vote on Brexit, which has consequences that most were unaware of." Brian May continued: "I'm upset that a few politicians have managed to throw us under a bus. I sincerely hope that we can manage to get out of it again. It's a disaster, because the losses that are caused by it will be huge for us," he added. "Brexit is the dumbest thing Britain has ever done in my lifetime. For me and for many other Britons, this is an absolute tragedy, because the story is going in the wrong direction. It was always important to me to identify similarities and to work together. Brexit destroys the work of a whole generation that has brought Europe together." - New Musical Express, 1/10/18...... In other Queen-related news, the band will be among the Lifetime Achievement Awards recipients at the 2018 Grammy Awards, it was announced on Jan. 9. The honor, determined by the Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees, is presented to performers who have made impactful artistic contributions to the field of recording. A special award presentation ceremony and celebratory concert will be held in summer 2018. This year's recipents also include Tina Turner and Neil Diamond. The 2018 Grammy Awards will take place on Jan. 28 at New York City's Madison Square Garden. In other Grammy news, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler will be teaming up with Live Nation to hold the inaugural Janie's Fund gala and Grammy Awards viewing party. The event will include dinner, a live auction, the awards show telecast and a performance by Tyler and his Nashville-based band, Loving Mary. All proceeds from the event will benefit Janie's Fund, Tyler's charitable initiative in partnership with national family services nonprofit Youth Villages, which aims to help girls heal after suffering abuse and neglect. The initiative is named after Aerosmith's hit song "Janie's Got a Gun." Tyler's gala and viewing party will take place on Jan. 28 at the historic RED Studios in Hollywood. - Billboard, 1/9/18...... Thirty years after his death, the hologram company Base Hologram is taking a virtual Roy Orbison on an international tour with local symphony orchestras. Titled "In Dreams" after Orbison's hit single, the Orbison hologram will make its first-ever public appearance at the APAP Conference on Jan. 14. The U.K. leg of "In Dreams," which begins in April, has already sold over 70 percent of its tickets. After touring the U.K., the hologram will play a total of ten additional shows in Europe and Australia, before embarking on a three-month North American run in fall 2018. "It's important to make sure your core base is happy, but this [tour] is even more for the fans who missed Roy's shows while he was still alive," says Orbison's son Alex Orbison, president and co-founder of Orbison's estate, known as Roy's Boys. Base Entertainment, the parent company of Base Hologram, is the second-largest producer of live shows in Las Vegas behind Cirque du Soleil. In the future, it says it aims to work more with living artists, especially those who cannot otherwise meet the physically taxing demands of a 100-day world tour. - Billboard 1/11/18...... 
In a Jan. 9 interview with BBC Radio 2, Eric Clapton revealed that he is losing his hearing and has been diagnosed with the hearing loss condition tinnitus. "I am still going to work. I'm doing a few gigs," the 72-year old guitarist said in an interview promoting his new documentary, Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars. "I'm concerned with now is being in my 70s and being able to be proficient. I mean, I'm going deaf, I've got tinnitus, my hands just about work. I mean, I am hoping that people will come along and see me for more than that [because] I am a curiosity. I know that is part of it, because it's amazing to myself that I am still here." Clapton also suffers with peripheral neuropathy, which causes weakness and pain in hands and feet, making it difficult to play guitar. However, he still has some concerts lined up in New York and Los Angeles in March 2018. Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars premieres on the Showtime cable channel on Feb. 10. - Billboard, 1/10/18...... Paul McCartney has given his backing to the U.K. Music initiative, a Parlimentary campaign which aims to curb the rising number of music venue closures across the U.K. "Without the grassroots clubs, pubs and music venues my career could have been very different," Sir Paul said ahead of the campaign's Jan. 10 launch. "If we don't support music at this level, then the future of music in general is in danger," he added. The U.K. Music initiative is sponsored by Labour MP John Spellar, who has introduced a new bill in the House of Commons in an effort to implement the "Agent of Change" principle into UK law. Also supporting the bill are Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason and Billy Bragg. - NME, 1/10/18...... Eagles guitarist/singer/songwriter Joe Walsh has signed a new global publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Walsh's songwriting catalog includes his solo hits "Life's Been Good," "Rocky Mountain Way," "All Night Long" and "Lucky That Way," as well as "Life In The Fast Lane" and "In The City," which he wrote and recorded with the Eagles. "Joe's vast career catalog, both solo and with Barnstorm and the Eagles, have found the perfect home with Marty and Sony/ATV," Walsh's longtime manager Irving Azoff said in a statement. - Billboard, 1/10/18...... After abruptly ending a concert in San Diego earlier in January due to breathing difficulties, Willie Nelson has cancelled three upcoming shows in Palm Springs, Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nev. The 84-year-old had barely begun his opening number, "Whiskey River," in San Diego before concluding the performance early; he was coughing and experiencing difficulty breathing as he exited the stage. Nelson's publicist told the San Diego Union-Tribune that the musician was suffering from either "a bad cold or the flu" and was returning to Texas to recuperate. Nelson has yet to announce any cancellation of his February shows, which begin in Georgia on Feb. 7. In August, he ended a show near Salt Lake City early due to altitude sickness. - Spin.com, 1/9/18...... 
James Taylor announced on Jan. 9 that he'll kick off a 2018 summer tour on May 8 in Jacksonville, Fla. In a sequel to his 2017 tour with opener Bonnie Raitt, Taylor will once again be accompanied by his longtime friend and fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Raitt. The 17-date tour will also visit such cities as Orlando (5/9), Tampa (5/12), St. Louis (5/21), Kansas City (5/22), Denver (5/27), Phoenix (5/29), and Los Angeles (6/1, 3), wrapping on July 1 in Bufallo, N.Y. Meanwhile, Taylor performed his classic "Sweet Baby James" among other favorites at Sean Penn's Haiti Rising Gala at Milk Studios in Hollywood on Jan. 6. Taylor finished the night's performance with his hits "Carolina In My Mind" and "How Sweet It Is." The event was co-hosted by Penn and benefited the Haitian Relief Organization. - Billboard, 1/9/18...... Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne has announced he'll tour North America in the spring behind his upcoming solo effort, 
R&B singer/songwriter Denise LaSalle, whose hit "Trapped by a Thing Called Love" topped the R&B charts in 1971, died in a Jackson, Tenn., hospital on Jan. 8. She was 78. Media outlets report LaSalle suffered from health issues in recent months that resulted in the amputation of her right leg after she suffered a fall. Along with "Trapped by a Thing Called Love," the Mississippi native is also well known for the song "Now Run and Tell That." She had a string of successful singles in the 1970s and the early 1980s. "She had a very unique voice," said musician/producer Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell, whose father, Willie Mitchell, recorded LaSalle at Hi Records. LaSalle was a 2011 inductee in the Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis. Her citation for that year notes her "bold and bawdy stage act." She later sang blues as a recording artist for Mississippi-based Malaco records. - AP, 1/9/18...... Motorhead guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke passed away on Jan. 10 after a battle with pneumonia. He was 67. Fellow band member Mikkey Dee responded to the heartbreaking news. "I saw Eddie not too long ago and he was in great shape. So this is a complete shock," he said before adding his condolences to Eddie's "family and close ones." - Billboard, 1/11/18...... French pop icon France Gall, who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1965, where she was representing Luxembourg, with the song "Poupe De Cire, Poupe De Son," has died at age 70. Gall, whose real name was Isabelle Genevive Marie Anne Gall, released her debut single "Ne Sois Pas Si Bte" in 1963, when she was 16 years old. She went on to release 28 albums in total, concluding with 2004's Videment compilation. Gall retired from music following the death of her eldest child, Pauline, in 1997. She had been working on humanitarian projects since then. Gall had been suffering from cancer for two years, and was taken to hospital near Paris in December for treatment on a severe infection. - New Musical Express, 1/7/18.
Ray Thomas, the flautist and vocalist for The Moody Blues, died suddenly at his home in Surrey, near London, on Jan. 4, according to his record label Esoteric Recordings/Cherry Red Records. He was 76. No cause of death was given, but Thomas disclosed in 2014 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. "It is with profound sorrow and sadness that Cherry Red Records and Esoteric Recordings regret to announce that Ray Thomas, founder member, flautist and vocalist of the Moody Blues, passed away suddenly at his home in Surrey on Thursday 4th January 2018," the company said in a statement. "We are deeply shocked by his passing and will miss his warmth, humour and kindness. It was a privilege to have known and worked with him and our thoughts are with his family and his wife Lee at this sad time," the statement added. Born on Dec. 29, 1941, in Stourport-on-Severn, England, Thomas founded The Moody Blues in 1964 with fellow musicians including Mike Pinder and Denny Laine, and the group was among the first to make extensive use of the Mellotron and the flute. The band soon swapped its blues roots for a more orchestral sound that came to be called progressive rock. Thomas's flute solo was a key ingredient on one of the band's biggest hits, "Nights in White Satin," and he was also the principal composer of such Moodys tracks as "Twilight Time" and "For My Lady." Thomas also released the solo LPs From the Mighty Oaks (1975) and Hopes Wishes and Dreams (1976). John Lodge also honored Thomas on Twitter, noting that "Ray and I have been on this magical journey through life together since we were 14...two young kids from Birmingham who reached for the stars...and we made it together. El Riot you will always be by my side." The Moody Blues are due to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio in April. - AP, 1/7/18...... A 1981 Volvo 262C Bertone Coupe that was once owned by David Bowie was sold for approximately $218,000 in an auction in Switzerland on Jan. 3. Bowie's Volvo was one of the last of the line produced in 1981, and it was delivered to his Swiss home in June of that year. It was registered under Bowie's legal name, David Robert Jones, before being transferred over to the record company Belway Bros. It sold with over 33,000 miles on the odometer. - Stereogum.com, 1/5/18...... In related news, a Honda Monkey-Trail Bike XUC 91H used by John Lennon between 1969 and 1971 to get around his Tittenhurst Park estate in the Surrey countryside has been obtained by the classic motorcycle company H&H Classics and will be put up for auction on Mar. 4 at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull, UK. Henry Graham acquired the bike from Lennon in 1971, before selling it on to its current vendor, John Harington, in the same year. Harington has kept the bike ever since, and has displayed it at various events and shows throughout the past 47 years. Experts estimate the motorbike could command as much as £30,000. - NME, 1/3/18...... A group of music and film artists including Roger Waters, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, Tom Morello, John Cusak, Viggo Mortensen and John Cusak have signed a letter in support of New Zealand singer Lorde following her cancelling a scheduled gig in Israel. Lorde had been scheduled to perform in Tel Aviv in June, but announced on Christmas Eve the show was cancelled after facing a backlash from fans. They argued the concert would act as an endorsement of Israel's occupation of Palestine. Shmuley Boteach, an outspoken rabbi, had branded Lorde an anti-semetic "bigot" in a full-page advertiesment in the Washington Post for her decision, and now the artists have signed a letter supporting her "right to take a stand." "We write in support of Lorde, who made public her decision not to perform in Israel and has now been branded a 'bigot'," reads their full page advertisement in the Washington Post. "We deplore the bullying tactics being used to defend injustice against Palestinians and to suppress an artist's freedom of conscience. We support Lorde's right to take a stand," it continued. - New Musical Express, 1/7/18...... 
The Doors drummer John Densmore gathered with dozens of friends, family and fans in Los Angeles on Jan. 4 to unveil a pair of street signs informing motorists they have just arrived at the corner of Morrison Street and Densmore Avenue. Until now, the street names had been on signs placed on poles on separate corners. City officials, who had declared Jan. 4, 2017, the Day of the Doors in honor of the 50th anniversary of the release of the band's first album, recently took care of that problem when they put signs naming both streets on the same pole in front of a stately, two-story home on the second anniversary of the celebration. "I come up a few blocks. You're kidding? Densmore Street crosses Morrison Street," Densmore recalled as the crowd laughed. Densmore also quietly recited some of the words to late Doors frontman Jim Morrison's poem "An American Prayer" before pulling the string to unveil the signs. "Oh great creator of being, grant us one more hour to perform our art and perfect our lives," he concluded. The Doors formed in 1965 in LA's beachfront community of Venice, where last year's Day of the Doors celebration was held. Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger are the band's only surviving members. Morrison died in 1971 and keyboardist Ray Manzarek passed in 2013. - AP, 1/5/18...... Country singer and restaurant/bar operator Mickey Gilley and his son were injured in a car accident near Corrigan, Texas, on Jan. 3 when their car rolled over, leaving the 81-year-old Gilley with a fractured ankle and a fractured right shoulder. The two are recovering, and Gilley announced he will reschedule his next concert scheduled for Greeneville, Texas, on Jan. 6. Gilley's namesake Texas honky tonk club inspired the 1980 film Urban Cowboy and the resulting nationwide fad for Western-themed nightspots in the 1980s. He is known for such country hits as "Room Full of Roses," "Stand By Me," "Window Up Above," and the honky-tonk anthem "Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time." - AP, 1/5/18...... Cable TV's HBO will premiere a new Elvis Presley documentary called Elvis Presley: The Searcher this spring that will give fans an unprecedentedly deep look at his life and music, from his first forays into Memphis blues clubs to his early stardom, up through his late '60s comeback and exhausting '70s touring. The nearly three-and-a-half-hour-long, two-part documentary (which will also get a soundtrack released through Sony/Legacy) features new interviews with scholars, stars like Bruce Springsteen and the late Tom Petty, and -- most notably -- Priscilla Presley, who famously met the superstar when she was 14 and was married to him from 1967 to 1973. Priscilla, 72, says she was excited to share the details of the King as an artist, and even though the couple eventually divorced, "we remained very close." "We had long conversations at night," she says. "He wanted to perform, to get out. He had nervous energy. In fact, he wanted to go all over the world. He wanted to explore." - Billboard, 1/5/18...... Elton John posted a touching tribute to his late mum Sheila Farebrother, who died on Dec. 4 at age 92, on Jan. 3 on Instagram. In a post featuring a picture of a memorial plaque, Sir Elton wrote, "Dear Mum, Today's funeral was perfect. Having the service in the family chapel and attended by your brother and sister brought us all comfort. Having the service where Nan lived out her final days brought you and your Mother back together again." Just days after Ms. Farebrother's death, John paid homage to her during a concert at Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany, where he dedicated "Your Song" to her. Though the two were estranged for years, they had reconciled in recent years. Following her death, John said he had gotten together with her a week before she passed and was "in shock" at her passing. "I'm glad to say she passed away peacefully, with no pain," he said at the show. "But maybe sooner than she should have done, so I was quite shocked. And I was thinking how I could pay tribute to her tonight, and what song I should choose." - Billboard, 1/4/18...... 
Elvis Costello has composed a new song for the film Film Stars Dn't Die in Liverpool, a movie about the life of actress Gloria Grahame. "You Shouldn't Look at Me That Way," is a haunting, piano-based tune that conveys the complex, true relationship between the aging, struggling Grahame, played by Annette Bening, and much younger actor Peter Turner, played by Jamie Bell, in the Sony Pictures Classic film, currently in theaters. Costello is scheduled to begin a six-show residency in Las Vegas in February, and is working on a musical based on the 1957 classic film A Face in the Crowd, which he says seems more relevant than ever in the age of Donald Trump. "It's about the ability of television to make monsters," Costello told Billboard. "I wouldn't demean the story by comparing it to the present resident of the White House because that would be somebody too mediocre to trouble with because this will pass." - Billboard, 1/3/18...... The ABC television network has scrapped a planned three-hour special about Rolling Stone magazine that was slated to air on Feb. 7 after the magazine's founder, Jann Wenner, was accused by a journalist in November of offering a writing deal in exchange for sex. Wenner has denied allegation, and a new sexual harassment claim surfaced in late December against the publisher. The 50th Anniversary Rolling Stone special was scheduled to showcase live performances, short films, iconic onstage moments, never-before-seen musical pairings and stars who have helped to shape pop culture, music and politics over 50 years of the magazine. - The Hollywood Reporter, 1/3/18...... Alabama record producer Rick Hall, who recorded some of the biggest musical acts of the 1960s and '70s and helped develop the fabled "Muscle Shoals sound," died at his home on Jan. 2 following a battle with cancer. He was 85. Mr. Hall founded FAME Recording Studios in northwestern Alabama in 1959 and went on to record major acts including R&B stars Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett. Mr. Hall also recorded country artists including George Jones and Brenda Lee and produced pop acts including Paul Anka and The Osmonds. A new generation of listeners became familiar with Mr. Hall through the 2013 documentary Muscle Shoals, which tells the story of the producer, the region's musicians, and its distinctive, soulful sound featuring heavy bass, electric piano or organ and drums. Rock musician Micheal Des Barres remembered Mr. Hall in a tweet, calling him "The King of Muscle Shoals" who "wrote and produced for some of the greatest musicians of all time." - AP, 1/2/18...... Tony Calder, who once promoted the Beatles in the early stages of their career and co-founded the Immediate Records label, has died at the age of 74 of complications from pneumonia at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. Calder worked for Decca Records in the early 1960s, and in 1962 was tasked by Brian Epstein with promoting the Beatles' first single, "Love Me Do," after it failed to receive any radio play in the first week of its release. Calder personally sent 100 copies of the single to clubs all over the UK, attaching a note which claimed it was "a guaranteed floor-filler." "We mailed it on the Monday. By Wednesday, they were all playing it," Calder recalled. The song reached number 17 in the UK singles chart as a result. He would later go on to co-found the PR company Image with the manager of the Rolling Stones, Andrew Loog Oldham. Together, the pair went about creating a reputation for the Stones in the mid-1960s as the bad boys of British music. Calder and Oldham also founded the short-lived independent label Immediate Records in 1965, signing a host of acts including the Small Faces, Rod Stewart, Nico and Fleetwood Mac, before it was forced to fold in 1970 after going bankrupt. Later in his career, Calder also signed Black Sabbath and The Bay City Rollers, while he also enjoyed a stint managing Eddie Grant. "Tony had ears and balls. I loved him and he will be missed," Andrew Olham said in tribute to his friend and business partner. - New Musical Express, 1/4/18...... 
Actor/comedian Jerry Van Dyke died on the afternoon of Jan. 5 at his ranch in Arkansas. He was 86. Mr. Van Dyke's widow, Shirley, said her husband's health had deteriorated since the two were involved in a car accident over two years ago. A beloved comedian just like his old brother Dick Van Dyke, Jerry pursued stand-up as a young man and performed at military bases around the world. He made his acting debut on The Dick Van Dyke show and followed that up with appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show before becoming a regular on The Judy Garland Show. However he was best known for his role on the sitcom Coach, where he earned 4 Emmy nominations playing Asst. Coach Luther Van Dam alongside Craig T. Nelson. He also had major roles on Yes, Dear and most recently, The Middle. He is survived by his wife and two children. - TMZ.com, 1/6/18...... It has been recently announced that actor Harry Landers, who co-starred in the popular 1960's series Ben Casey passed away in October at 96 years old. Following the successful five-year run (1961-1966) of the Ben Casy series, Mr. Landers continued to work in film and television. His extensive resume includes episodes of such classic television series as Quincy M.E., Star Trek, Mannix, The Virginian, The Rat Patrol, Combat! Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dennis the Menace, The Untouchables, Have Gun-Will Travel and The Roy Rogers Show, among many others. His wife, Jeanne Vaughn Thompson, an actress and runner-up Miss America, preceded him in death, and he is survived by his sons, Scott and Logan. - Deadline.com, 1/4/18.