Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on February 11th, 2018

Elton John has announced he's canceling two shows this spring set for Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas in order to attend the upcoming royal wedding of Britain's Prince Harry and his fiancee, Meghan Markle. "I spent some time with [Harry] in Sicily last summer and I could tell he was totally in love," Sir Elton said of Prince Harry in a recent interview. The Caesar's Palace shows affected by Elton's change of plans fall on May 18 and 19, with May 19 being Harry and Meghan's wedding date. John announced in January that he would mount an epic "farewell" tour beginning this fall that would visit around 300 cities and last three years. - New Musical Express, 2/7/18...... In a new extensive profile of Jimmy Buffett in the New York Times, the Parrothead-In-Chief revealed that he's been following a strict diet recently: "No sugar and no carbs... Except on Sunday." Buffett also said he has stopped smoking weed and instead opts for vape oils sometimes after working. But while he's no longer "searching for his lost shaker of salt," he says he still hasn't given up his beloved tequila, which he now imbibes with "a lot of water." - Billboard, 2/8/18...... Ozzy Osbourne held a press conference at his L.A. home on Feb. 6 to announce dates for the first North American leg of his farewell "No More Tours 2" tour, which takes its name from his hit album No More Tears. "I'm 70-something. I've missed my family over the years," Ozzy said, with wife Sharon Osbourne at his side. "I've always been out on the road the whole time with a few breaks here and there. It's just time," he added. Ozzy, a grandfather who recently welcomed his eighth grandchild, is looking to slow down after his final tour but insists it isn't the end for his music career. "I'm not retiring from the music business; I'm just not doing world tours anymore. I'll be doing gigs," he said. When asked about what kind of shows fans can expect from the heavy metal musician, Sharon responded, "Anything but Coachella." Ozzy confirmed that his Ozzfest tour, which was put together by himself, Sharon and son Jack Osbourne, will continue. He will play two dates in the US, on Apr. 27 in Jacksonville, Fla., and Apr. 29 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., before traveling to Central America and then Europe and Israel in May, June and July. His No More Tears 2 tour will kick off on Aug. 30 in Allentown, Pa., playing 32 dates in mostly smaller markets before wrapping on Oct. 13 in Las Vegas. Ozzy and the band that made him famous as its frontman, Black Sabbath, wound up their farewell tour in Feb. 2017 in their hometown of Birmingham, UK. "It is the greatest love affair I've ever had in my life," he said of his days with Black Sabbath. - Billboard, 2/6/18...... Carly Simon has signed a global administration deal for the entirety of her song catalog with Universal Music Publishing Group, the company announced on Feb. 8. "From my generation to my daughter's, her music continues to be a source of inspiration and emotional resonance for people around the world," said UMPG chairperson and CEO Jody Gerson. "UMPG is thrilled to welcome her to our world-class family of songwriters." During her lengthy career the "You're So Vain" singer has won a total of three Grammys and has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall Fame and named to the ASCAP Founders Award, among numerous other prestigious honors. - Billboard, 2/8/18...... Hollywood Vampires, the "supergroup" comprised of Alice Cooper, Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, and actor Johnny Depp announced details of a four-city summer UK tour on Feb. 7. The band, making their live debut in the country, will play Birmingham's Genting Arena on June 16, the Manchester Arena on June 17, Glasgow's SSE Hydro on June 19, and London's SSE Arena in Wembley on June 20. Hollywood Vampires began back in the 1970s on the Sunset Strip at the Rainbow Bar & Grill's upstairs bar, and has welcomed a rotation of stars passing through LA throughout the years. "To join the club, one simply had to out drink all of the members," Alice Cooper once recalled of his drinking buddies. "I would walk in on a typical night and John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, Keith Moon would be there, then another time Bernie Taupin, Jim Morrison or Mickey Dolenz might be there." - New Musical Express, 2/7/18....... Film company Magnolia Pictures has acquired distribution rights for the new Joan Jett documentary Bad Reputation, which follows the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee from her early years as the founder of The Runaways through her major mainstream chart success with songs like "I Love Rock 'n Roll" and "Crimson and Clover." Directed by Kevin Kerslake and written by Joel Marcus, Bad Reputation will likely be released by Magnolia sometime later in 2018. - The Hollywood Reporter, 2/9/18...... Kiss singer/guitarist Paul Stanley exhibited his own paintings and sculptures on Feb. 9 and 10 at the Wentworth Gallery in Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton, respectively. "I enjoy going to the galleries. I enjoy meeting people. People acquire pieces and we get a chance to talk about those pieces and I'm interested in their take and what they're getting out of the piece," said Stanley, who studied art as a youth and returned to active painting a decade ago. "I'm a big believer that people are intimidated by art and theater because critics have intimidated them. Nobody needs to be told what good art is; Good art is what you like and bad art is what you don't like," he added. Stanley's Florida exhibitions included a variety of works, ranging from paintings (including pieces of he and Kiss co-founder Gene Simmons on stage) to an acrylic guitar sculpture that represents some of his most recent artistic interests. Stanley, who also fronts a 13-piece R&B group called Soul Station, says he has more time for painting hobby in what looks like a light year for Kiss. The group has a handful of festival and headlining dates during July in Spain and Portugal but will be spending most of the year off the road. Stanley and Soul Station recently played a dozen shows in Japan and says he'd like the band to "really bring Philly soul and Motown live, the way it was done, in the studio." He added that the group is also considering some original material. "I have some friends of mine who are some of the top producer/writers, and we may do some new material that's very much in that vein," he noted. - Billboard, 2/7/18...... The estate of late Steely Dan member Walter Becker has filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Steely Dan's Donald Fagen over ownership of Steely Dan. In November, Fagen sued Becker's estate for full ownership of Steely Dan Inc. based on a Buy/Sell agreement drawn up between Becker and Fagen in 1972 that stated that if a member of Steely Dan dies or leaves the group, the other members would then buy their shares. Now Becker's estate has issued a statement criticizing Fagen for having "his lawyer send a demand letter" trying to claim total ownership of Steely Dan Inc. one day after his bandmate of 50 years passed away, on Oct. 29. Fagen's attorneys responded with a motion claiming that Becker's estate "already received its fair share of Steely Dan's revenues based on Becker's contributions to the band while he was alive," and argue that it would be unfair for Becker's estate to earn the revenue Fagen generates by continuing to tour as Steely Dan. Meanwhile, Fagen has announced plans to launch a new Steely Dan tour with the Doobie Brothers in May. - Spin.com, 2/7/18...... A new album featuring previously undiscovered poems and lyrics written by late country icon Johnny Cash is being planned for this spring. Johnny Cash: Forever Words will be released on Apr. 6 via Sony's Legacy Recordings and feature such artists as Cash's daughters Roseanne Cash and Carlene Carter, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Elvis Costello, Braid Paisley, Alison Kraus, Jewel and the late Chris Cornell. Cash's son John Carter Cash was a co-producer of the new project and described it as a "monstrous amassment" of undiscovered material. The track "You Never Knew My Mind" is sung and performed by Cornell as one of the late Soundgarden artist's final recordings. It will be released almost 21 years after Cash covered Soundgarden's "Rusty Cage" for his acclaimed late career album, Unchained. - NME, 2/7/18...... Streams of '70s disco legend Donna Summer's 1982 single "State of Independence" have increased dramatically after producer Quincy Jones claimed in a recent interview that Michael Jackson "stole" the song for his own smash single, "Billie Jean." On Feb. 7, the day Jones' interview was published in Vulture, as well as Feb. 8, Nielsen Music reported that "State" racked up more than 150,000 on-demand audio and video streams -- up more than 12,000 percent compared to its on-demand streaming sum on Feb. 5 and 6 (less than 2,000 streams). Streams of "Billie Jean" also grew in streaming activity, to a lesser extent. Clearly, readers of Jones' interview were very curious to see if they could hear anything in "State" that sounded similar to "Billie Jean." Jones was the producer of Summer's "State of Independence," and he co-produced "Billie Jean" with Jackson. Meanwhile in the same Vulture interview, Quincy Jones claimed late comedian Richard Pryor once had sex with Marlon Brando "He'd f-- a mailbox. James Baldwin. Richard Pryor. Marvin Gaye," Jones said of Brando. And now, Pryor's widow Jennifer has apparently confirmed Jones' claim. "It was the '70s! Drugs were still good, especially quaaludes," she told the gossip site TMZ.com. "If you did enough cocaine, you'd f-- a radiator and send it flowers in the morning." Jennifer said she plans on publishing Pryor's diary entries -- which allegedly document his sexual escapades -- later in 2018. - Billboard/PostMedia News, 2/10/18...... Legendary rock guitarist Robin Trower has announced a one-off UK show at the Islington Assembly Hall in London on Feb. 27. Trower released his latest album, Time and Emotion, in 2017, and in the upcoming concert will be supported by the New York based blues vocalist Sari Schorr Trio featuring guitarist Ash Wilson and keyboardist Bob Fridzema (former King King). "I can honestly say I don't know when I have been happier with an album," the 72-year-old guitarist said of his last LP. "I feel Time and Emotion contains some of my very best work." Tickets for the show can be purchased at TheGigCartel.com or the venue's website, http://bit.ly/19KfXmW. - Noble PR, 2/8/18...... Memorabilia company Molecule8.com has announced it's first flagship release, a John Lennon 1:6 scale figure set, featuring Lennon's likeness captured by internationally celebrated sculptor and Molecule8 collaborator Ms. K.A.KIM. The "John Lennon: IMAGINE" figure set also incorporates Molecule8's internal Mark I Endoskeleton and soft skin technology. More info can be found on the Molecule8.com website. - Molecule8.com, 2/9/18...... Actor John Gavin, best known for appearing in such classic films as Psycho, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Spartacus, Imitation of Life, Back Street and Midnight Lace, died on the morning of Feb. 9 died from complications with pneumonia. He was 86. The handsome thespian also served as Ambassador to Mexico under Pres. Ronald Reagan, and once accompanied First Lady Nancy Reagan on a tour to survey earthquake damage in Mexico City in 1985. Mr. Gavin won a Golden Globe for his role in the 1958 TV movie A Time to Love and a Time To Die, and was also a familiar face on TV, playing Harrison Destry in 1960s series Destry, and appearing on hit shows like Convoy, The Love Boat and The New Adventures of Heidi. His last credit came in the late 1970s series Fantasy Island. - WENN.com, 2/9/18..... Songwriter and digital rights advocate John Perry Barlow, who penned numerous songs for the Grateful Dead from 1971 to 1995, including "Cassidy," "Mexicali Blues" and "Black-Throated Wind," reportedly passed away in his sleep on Feb. 7. He was 70. The Grateful Dead's Bob Weir has paid tribute to Barlow on Twitter, writing: "This life is fleeting, as we all know -- the Muse we serve is not. John had a way of taking life's most difficult things and framing them as challenges, therefore adventures. He was to be admired for that, even emulated. He'll live on in the songs we wrote." As well as his work with The Grateful Dead, Barlow was known for his vocal activism and defense of Internet freedom, digital rights and online liberties, and helped establish the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in 1990. "We will miss Barlow and his wisdom for decades to come, and he will always be an integral part of EFF. It is no exaggeration to say that major parts of the Internet we all know and love today exist and thrive because of Barlow's vision and leadership," the organization's Cindy Cohn said. - New Musical Express, 2/8/18.

Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne will be among the headliners at the 2018 Sasquatch! Festival in Washington state. Set for May 25-27, the event will also feature Bon Iver, Modest Mouse, Tyler and Spoon, among other artists. - Spin.com, 2/6/18...... Kool & the Gang and John Mellencamp will be among the inductees into the class of 2018 Songwriters Hall of Fame, the organization announced on Feb. 6. Kool & the Gang members Robert "Kool" Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown and James "JT" Taylor will be inducted into the Hall during a June 14 ceremony, with country artists Alan Jackson and Bill Anderson and hip-hop act Jermaine Dupri also being recognized. "The 2018 roster of Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees is a prodigious representation of creators of cross-genre hits, certain to resonate with everyone," Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, the organization's co-chairs, and Linda Moran, its president and CEO, said in a joint statement. - AP, 2/6/18...... The famous ruffled, sparkly outfits worn by Prince along with his white "cloud" guitars will be among the memorabilia belonging to the late funk superstar in a two-day "music icons" sale, Julien's Auctions announced on Feb. 5. The Prince items are being sold by family members and former employees, and the auction will take place both online and live at the Hard Rock Cafe on May 18. A purple glitter outfit worn by Prince during tours in 1997 and 1998 could bring between $6,000 to $8,000, and a custom electric blue two-piece ensemble Prince wore onstage in a 1999 pay-per-view concert at Paisley Park has an estimated value of $40,000 to $50,000. Meanwhile, Prince's sister Tyka Nelson, says her late brother wouldn't have been mad at Justin Timberlake halftime Super Bowl tribute to Prince on Feb. 4 in Prince's hometown of Minneapolis. Some fans of Prince have complained that the musician wouldn't have approved of Timberlake covering Prince's "I Would Die 4 U" before a giant projected image of Minneapolis' finest, considering Prince once dinged Timberlake over his hit "SexyBack" with a quip about how "sexy never left," and Justin smacking back on "Give It To Me" with the line "Now if sexy never left, then why is everybody on my shit." But Tyka says that she was "pleasantly surprised" by JT's performance and enjoyed the tribute to her late brother, though the family was not previously aware that Prince would appear via a large video projection. Tyka added that her brother would have been fine with the tribute, and "said what he said and kept it moving." - AP, 2/5/18...... In related news, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler was featured in a surprisingly sad Super Bowl commercial on Feb. 4 for automaker Kia. In the ad, Tyler steps behind the wheel of a Kia Stinger on a dusty race track, throws the car into reverse and puts the pedal to the medal. When Tyler emerges from the car, he's 40 years younger (thanks to CGI), resembling the shaggy-haired hippie who belted out classics on Toys In the Attic and Rocks. The message? "Feel something again." - Billboard, 2/4/18...... Willie Nelson announced on Feb. 5 that he will be canceling the remainder of his shows set for the month of February as he recovers from the flu and needs "a few extra weeks to recover completely." Nelson, 84, was also forced to cancel shows due to illness in January and in 2017 also scrapped some shows in February and ended an August concert early. Nelson's next anticipated tour date is on Mar. 5 in Greenville, S.C. - Billboard, 2/5/18...... Queen + Adam Lambert announced on Feb. 5 that they'll mount another European tour in 2018 that kicks off on June 13 in Cologne, Germany, also visiting Berlin (6/19), Hamburg (6/20) and Milan, Italy (6/25) before wrapping at London's O2 Arena on July 2. It will be Queen + Adam Lambert's first European tour since a 25 date trek in November and December of 2017. - NME, 2/5/18...... A year after touring a hologram of late rocker Ronnie James Dio, production company Eyellusion has announced it will be launching a new hologram for Frank Zappa. "The Bizarre World of Frank Zappa" tour will include a hologram of the "Don't Eat Yellow Snow" singer who passed away in 1993, along with appearances by living musicians who performed with Zappa including Ray White, Mike Keneally, Scott Thunes and Robert Martin. They will be joined on the tour at various stops by Steve Vai, Warren Cuccurullo, Ian Underwood, Vinnie Colaiuta and Napoleon Murphy Brock. Eyellusion said it constructed the Zappa hologram using hours of never-before-seen Zappa performance footage taped in his Los Angeles studio in 1974 and witnessed only by camera operators until it was unveiled earlier this year in cooperation with the Zappa Family Trust. Eyellusion debuted the hologram technology for the "Dio Returns" tour of 2016. Meanwhile, a Roy Orbison hologram show put on by BASE Entertainment will kick off in the UK in April and reach North America in the fall. - Billboard, 2/5/18...... A source close to AC/DC, biographer Murray Engleheart, is claiming that the Aussie rockers will continue to tour and record with Guns N' Roses leader Axl Rose in the future. In a recent Facebook post, Engleheart wrote: "Speculate all you want but I've said it before and I'll say it again: AC/DC will continue with Axl on vocals -- new album, touring, the whole nine yards... What was a massive gamble by Angus (Young) turned out to be an equally enormous triumph that has set the scene for the future." Axl Rose joined AC/DC in 2016 after previous frontman Brian Johnson was forced to retire from performing after suffering from hearing loss. Guns N' Roses are currently scheduled to finish touring in July 2018, when their Not In This Lifetime world tour wraps up in Sweden. Before it concludes, they will headline Download Festival at Leicestershire's Donington Park on June 9. - New Musical Express, 2/5/18...... Paul Simon confirmed on Feb. 5 that he will indeed playing his farewell tour in 2018, announcing North American dates for what he is calling "Homeward Bound - The Farewell Tour." Simon, 76, posted that he's spent much time considering his decision to retire from live performing, and while he's emotionally torn of it, now feels like the right time to bow out gracefully. "I've often wondered what it would feel like to reach the point where I'd consider bringing my performing career to a natural end," he said. "Now I know: it feels a little unsettling, a touch exhilarating and something of a relief. I love making music, my voice is still strong, and my band is a tight, extraordinary group of gifted musicians. I think about music constantly." Simon goes on to note that his band recently lost their lead guitarist and friend of 30 years: Vincent N'guini, who passed in December. "His loss is not the only reason I've decided to stop touring, but it is a contributing factor," Simon explained. "Mostly, though, I feel the travel and time away from my wife and family takes a toll that detracts from the joy of playing." Simon's 19-city farewell tour will get underway on May 16 in Vancouver, BC, hitting several major cities including Portland, Seattle, Las Vegas, Denver, Dallas, Chicago, Toronto, Boston and Philadelphia before wrapping on June 20 in Nashville, Tenn. - Billboard, 2/5/18...... A new documentary about late David Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson titled Beside Bowie: The Mick Ronson Story has been released that sheds light on the crucial and creative member of Bowie's influential early '70s band the Spiders From Mars. Currently streaming through Amazon Prime and also available on Blu-ray, the 2017 documentary showcases the shaggy-haired guitar virtuoso whose "grit and energy cut through the room," as Bowie observes in the film. Interviews about Ronson with contemporaries and collaborators, including producer Tony Visconti, Lou Reed, Rick Wakeman and Bowie's first wife Angie Bowie are included in the documentary directed by Jon Brewer. Ronson died in 1993 of liver cancer, the disease that also claimed Bowie in 2016, at age 46. - Billboard, 2/5/18...... In other Bowie-related news, keyboardist Mike Garson who performed and recorded with the "Space Oddity" singer throughout his career has announced he will be publishing an updated edition of his 2015 biography Bowie's Piano Man: The Life of Mike Garson on May 15 which contains stories he couldn't tell before, including an incident when Bowie met with a psychic during the late 70s who accurately forecasted his Jan. 2016 passing. "(The psychic) told him he was going to die exactly when he died," says Garson, who's preparing to lead the next leg of his all-star "Celebrating David Bowie" tour in North America. "There are a lot of psychics who are out of their minds and full of it, but this one was real," Garson added. "David knew it and didn't doubt it for a second. He told me about (the reading) with certainty, accepted it and planned his future out based on that. He had 30, 40 years to plan out his life." - Billboard, 2/2/18...... David Crosby's latest album Sky Trails features a song that is included in the new independent film Little Pink House, which centers on the Susette Kelo Supreme Court decision concerning eminent domain. Crosby says he wrote the song with his son James after they saw the film and were moved by it. "With eminent domain, where they take away your property, there's usually people being paid under the table," Crosby notes. "They took this woman's home away from her. It was brutal, underhanded and completely wrong, and everybody knew it. She fought it all the way to the Supreme Court. It was a tough tale to look at. It was a moving thing," he added. - The Hollywood Reporter, 2/5/18...... The Beatles' companies Apple Corps Ltd. and Subafilms Ltd. filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit on Feb. 1 against a list of 48 internet dealers and aliases for promoting, distributing and selling items that bear counterfeit logos or imitations of their respective trademarks. The defendants in the suit include shirtsforyou.net, B.F. Store, Good luck to you, GreenMango Store and HOOK ON YOU. The lawsuit alleges trademark counterfeiting and infringement, "false designation of origins" to confuse potential buyers, common law unfair competition and common law trademark infringement. According to the lawsuit, the defendants are either located in or distribute their products from territories with lax trademark enforcement. Besides their own websites, the suit says the goods were also available from the sellers on commercial sites such as Amazon, eBay, Bonanza.com and Etsy. Apple Corps Ltd. -- owned by the two living Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and the estates of the late John Lennon and George Harrison -- owns and controls the exclusive merchandising rights "and other intangible rights in the name of the Beatles," according to the complaint. Subafilms Ltd. is an associated company also owned by the Beatles related to the merchandising rights from the Fab Four's 1967 animated movie Yellow Submarine. - Billboard, 1/2/18...... Nile Rodgers of Chic says that Chic's long-awaited new album It's About Time is "absolutely coming this year." In 2015, Rodgers and his legendary act Chic was supposed to release its first album since 1992. Dubbed It's About Time, its title would turn out to be an ironic one considering it's been delayed since, with sudden passings (Chris Cornell, Prince, David Bowie) and Rodgers' medical issues getting in the way. But Rodgers says it's "100 percent" that the album will be released this year. "The reason I don't have a specific release date right now is because we're looking at visuals and concepts with different video directors," he says. "This album is sort of like a musical compendium, if you will. It really taught me a lot. It's me saying, 'This is how I got here, I'm so appreciative, it's so fun, this is how we do it and this is what I believe in.'" - Billboard, 2/1/18...... Retailer Best Buy announced on Feb. 2 that it plans to pull compact discs from its stores on July 1, and threatened to pay labels for CDs only when customers buy them. At one point, Best Buy was the most powerful music merchandiser in the U.S., but nowadays it's a shadow of its former self, with a reduced offering of CDs, which Best Buy says were down 18.5 percent in sales in 2017. While it says it's planning to pull out CDs, Best Buy will continue to carry vinyl for the next two years, keeping a commitment it made to vendors. The vinyl will now be merchandised with the turntables, sources suggest. - Billboard, 2/2/18...... Ozzy and Jack Osbourne's A&E show Ozzy & Jack's World Detour has been renewed for a third season, Jack Osbourne announced in a Facebook post on Feb. 1. "Everyone keeps asking if we're doing a season 3 of World Detour well guess what today is? Day 1 of season 3 baby!!! Woooohoooo," Jack wrote. The series follows the Osbournes they hit the road on a father-son journey they've waited years to take. Season 2 saw the duo visiting Disaster City, Texas, testing their battle skills while riding in a tank, and hunting for pythons in Florida, among other adventures. - Deadline.com, 2/1/18...... Actor Robert Wagner has been named a "person of interest" in the death of his late wife Natalie Wood, who disappeared from her family's yacht off the coast of Catalina Island in Nov. 1981 and was found floating in the water the next day in a red down jacket and flannel nightgown. Los Angeles County investigators say they believe Wood's then-husband Wagner is a "person of interest" in the case, which was reopened in 2011 after initially being ruled an accident. "[W]e know now that he was the last person to be with Natalie before she disappeared," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Lieutenant John Corina says. Investigators noted the autopsy report indicates there were a number of bruises that appeared to be fresh on Wood's body, and that Wagner's "version of events just don't add up." Wagner, who maintains he had nothing to do with his wife's death, has refused to speak with them since the case was reopened. "We have not been able to prove this was a homicide. And we haven't been able to prove that this was an accident, either," an LA Sheriff's Dept. detective says. - Jezebel.com, 2/1/18...... The Temptations singer Dennis Edwards, who replaced David Ruffin in the Motown group in 1968, died at his home in Chicago on Feb. 2. He was 74. Edwards began his career as lead singer of another Motown group, The Contours, before being recruited to replace Ruffin after the singer's fallout with the group. Edwards' voice defined the sound of The Temptations through their funkiest period, in which he sang lead on major hits like "I Can't Get Next To You," "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," "Cloud Nine" and "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)". Edwards remained the lead singer of the group through 1977, when they left Motown Records, and was reinstated when they returned to the label in 1980. He also released three solo albums, and his 1984 Motown debut Don't Look Any Further and its title track charted in the top five of the R&B charts. Edwards continued to perform Temptations material as part of splinter group The Temptations Revue Featuring Dennis Edwards up until last year. - Spin.com, 2/2/18...... Ndugu Chancler, a session drummer who crafted the legendary intro to Michael Jackson's 1983 smash hit "Billie Jean" and worked with many of musics' most notable acts over a 50-plus year career, passed away on Feb. 3. He was 65. Chancler also played with the likes of Thelonius Monk, Frank Sinatra and Lionel Richie, and is co-credited as a songwriter on Dazz Band's Grammy-nominated 1982 record "Let It Whip." His cause of death has not yet been revealed. - Billboard, 2/5/18.