Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on April 7th, 2018

Before the CBS Elton John special I'm Still Standing -- A Grammy Salute was filmed in January, more than one person warned executive producer Ken Ehrlich that John may get up and leave during the performances. "He's really not a fan of watching other people do his songs," Ehrlich admits. But the legend never left his seat while Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, John Legend, and others performed his hits, or when Neil Patrick Harris paid tribute to Elton's pal Ryan White, who became a poster child for HIV/AIDS before dying in 1990. Says Ehrlich: "Elton was just bawling." The two-hour I'm Still Standing -- A Grammy Salute airs on CBS on Apr. 10 at 9:00 p.m. EDT. - Entertainment Weekly, 4/13/18...... In other Elton John news, two Elton tribute covers albums, Revamp and Restoration, were released on Apr. 6, the former featuring modern pop and rock acts hand-selected by Elton himself taking a crack at his classic tunes, while the latter, organized by his longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, finds country musicians doing the same. Revamp's 13-tracks feature artists ranging from Lady Gaga to Queens of the Stone Age to Mary J. Blige, while Restoration's highlights include country star Chris Stapleton offering a faithful rendition of "I Want Love." - Stereogum.com, 4/6/18...... A famous 1963 painting by pop art icon Andy Warhol of Elvis Presley called "Double Elvis [Ferus Type]" is expected to fetch as much as $30 million when it goes up for sale in a Christie's auction in New York on May 17. "Double Elvis" is Warhol's only full-length portrait, and depicts the hip-swiveling musician holding a revolver, as he appeared in the 1960 movie Western Flaming Star. A ghostly duplicate image hovers in the background. The Elvis painting, along with other Warhol paintings that are expected to bring similar high prices, are on display at Christie's London showroom from Apr. 6 until Apr. 10. The record for a Warhol work is $105 million paid for "Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)" at a 2013 Sotheby's auction. In other Elvis news, a new Presley documentary titled The Searcher premieres on cable channel HBO on Apr. 14. The film traces the King's life from childhood to the 1976 Jungle Room recording sessions, featuring interviews with musicians, producers, and more artists. It is exec-produced by Jerry Schilling, one of Elvis' longtime friends, along with Priscilla Presley, Elvis' ex-wife, and director Thom Zimny had full access to the vault at Elvis' Graceland mansion. - AP/Entertainment Weekly, 4/6/18...... Country-folk singer/songwriter John Prine has signed a worldwide publishing deal with Downtown, the company announced on Apr. 5. Downtown will now rep over 230 compositions from Prine's songbook, which includes the majority of his output as a solo artist, as well as songs recorded by Johnny Cash, Bonnie Raitt, The Everly Brothers, John Denver, Kris Kristofferson and many others. The agreement also covers Prine's forthcoming album, The Tree of Forgiveness, featuring his first new material in 13 years, which drops on Apr. 13 via his own Oh Boy Records imprint. - Billboard, 5/5/18...... Bob Dylan is among several artists who have reimagined popular love songs to honor the LGBTQ community by switching pronouns for a new six-song EP called Universal Love. Dylan re-worked "She's Funny That Way" into "He's Funny That Way," singing lines like "I got a man crazy for me." Universal Love, which also features such artists as Kesha and St. Vincent, is available on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music and distributed through Sony Music's Legacy Recordings. - AP, 4/5/18...... Alice Cooper, who recently appeared in a live TV production of Jesus Christ Superstar, has revealed to Entertainment Weekly magazine how he once nearly died in the 1980s after a hanging stunt went wrong. Magician James Randi concepted the stunt, which which had Cooper attached to a harness that was attached to rafters by a thick piano wire. For the simulation, the noose was above his neck, and for the most part, the rig had protected him. But as he performed the stunt at London's Wembley Stadium in 1988, the stunt backfired. "Everything has its stress limit and after doing so many shows, I never thought about changing the wire. You know, I figured it'll last forever," Cooper recalled. He added: "The wire snaps. I could hear the rope hit my chin and in an instant I flipped my head back. That must've been a fraction of a second because if it caught my chin it would have been a different result. It went over my neck and gave me a pretty good burn. I went down to the floor and pretty much blacked out." Cooper, 70, says he still performs the stunt "but with some really strong wire." Cooper and his "supergroup" Hollywood Vampires featuring himself, Joe Perry and Johnny Depp have announced they'll make their UK debut in June for an arena tour. - NME/Entertainment Weekly, 4/4/18...... A five-minute clip honoring late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assasinated 50 years ago on Apr. 4, 1968, was posted by Stevie Wonder on his YouTube and Facebook page on Apr. 4 at 7:05 p.m. CT, which is the exact time King was fatally shot. In the video, Wonder and a wide variety of celebrities -- from Barack and Michelle Obama to Paul McCartney and Harry Styles -- shared a dream they see for the future. The caption encourages viewers to "create and post your own 'Dream Still Lives' video with #DreamStillLives. Spread love...spread hope." - Billboard, 4/4/18...... After a tweet from a Twitter user known as @bottledfleet that features Fleetwood Mac's classic 1977 track "Dreams" went viral, the song has re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at No. 14. "Fleetwood Mac's music is so boring, you can't even dance to it," the tweet reads, followed by "Me, an intellectual:," The tweet then features a 38-second clip of a marching band's dance team dancing to the track. "Dreams" received a 36% surge in download sales, and the song also racked up 1.9 million on-demand streams, marking a 24% gain. "Dreams" originally reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1977. - New Musical Express, 4/4/18...... A new Jimi Hendrix brand merchandise program including fashion apparel, headwear, footwear, tops, figures, wall art, accessories, jewelry, home decor, digital products and collectibles will begin arriving at retail outlets by early summer 2018. The "Authentic Hendrix" program is a collaboration between Experience Hendrix, which oversees the legacy of Jimi Hendrix, and Epic Rights and Perryscope Productions, who represent retail branding for such artists as David Bowie, John Lennon, Pink Floyd, Genesis and Janis Joplin. - Billboard, 4/5/18...... Legendary Detroit rock combo MC5 has announced it will launch a 35-city US tour this fall in honor of the 50th anniversary of its signature 1969 album, Kick Out the Jams. MC5, led by guitarist Wayne Kramer, will kick off the tour on Sept. 5 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and hit most major US markets, wrapping with two shows in their hometown of Detroit on Oct. 26 and 27, playing both St. Andrew's Hall and The Fillmore, respectively. - Spin.com, 4/4/18...... Country star Kenny Rogers has announced he will be canceling the remainder of his farewell 2018 performances on doctor's orders. The singer's Cherokee, N.C., show on May 26 was cancelled among other shows reportedly due to a "series of health issues." According to a release sent to the venues, the doctors expect Rogers to be okay, but they recommend he cancels the rest of his "The Gambler's Last Deal" tour to help recovery. Fans who expected to attend the concert will get a full refund of their ticket purchase. - Billboard, 4/4/18...... After hearing how Pres. Donald Trump tweeted out his "thoughts and prayers" after the recent mass shooting at YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, Calif. on Apr. 3, Bette Midler had some thoughts of her own about Pres. Trump and the series of gun violence incidents in the US. "Mr. Trump, you know in your heart that no one needs or wants your 'thoughts and prayers'... what people long for is to feel safe and secure in their schools and workplaces and houses of worship. You nearly stood up to the NRA. What changed your mind??," Midler tweeted on Apr. 3. - Billboard, 4/3/18...... Almost Famous director Cameron Crowe has announced he'll produce a new documentary on the life and music of folk-rock icon David Crosby. Crowe's Vinyl Films will produce the A.J. Eaton-directed film about the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer with BMG, which is financing and executive producing the doc. In addition to producing the documentary, Crowe has conducted multiple interviews with Crosby that will cast a new light on the artist, whose career includes stints in the Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, as well as a vibrant solo career. "David Crosby has been near the forefront of music and social change for the last four decades. Now 76, he's forging a new path by seeking out younger musicians and trying to make a mark in a world now so different from the generation he came to define in the 60's," Crowe said in a statement. Crowe, an Oscar-winning director/journalist, previously wrote and directed the musical documentaries Pearl Jam Twenty (PJ20) and The Union, a making-of featuring the collaboration between Elton John and Leon Russell. - Billboard, 4/3/18...... The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson has announced he will perform the Beach Boys' 1964 Christmas Album in its entirety this winter on a month-long holiday tour. Wilson's fellow original Beach Boy Al Jardine and longtime collaborator Blondie Chaplin will be featured on the run of dates. Wilson's decision to highlight this particular Beach Boys album is noteworthy, as the group itself had its roots when the then-teenaged family band sang Christmas carols in the Wilson family home in Hawthorne, Calif. Wilson's Christmas Album tour launches Nov. 28 in Minneapolis, Minn., and the 12-date trek will also include shows in Indiana, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Florida and Texas before wrapping on Dec. 20 in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Wilson will also highlight tracks from his 2005 seasonal LP, What I Really Want for Christmas. - Billboard, 4/2/18...... Country duo The Bellamy Brothers will release their autobiography, Let Your Love Flow, on Apr. 17. The book, which takes its name from the brothers' biggest hit, was co-authored with veteran music journalist Michael Kosser and details the unlikely career trajectory of the Bellamy siblings from their growing up years in Florida all the way to their string of hit records and their newest endeavor -- a reality series titled Honky Tonk Ranch, which premieres on Apr. 8 on cable TV's The Cowboy Channel. - Billboard, 4/3/18...... Billboard is reporting that the Beatles will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine by bringing back the beloved movie -- sporting a new 4K digital restoration and a 5.1 stereo surround sound remix -- to theaters across North America this July. A new trailer and film poster have been released for the film's return. The Beatles previously announced a similar 50th anniversary event in January for the U.K. and Ireland with the film playing on big screens there on July 8. "We're thrilled to have the privilege of bringing Yellow Submarine back to the big screen so that three generations of happy Beatles fans can enjoy the ground-breaking animation and classic tunes that have long been part of our collective cultural DNA," said Richard Abramowitz of Abramorama, who is co-producing the project with the Beatles' Apple Corps Ltd. and Universal Music Group. - Billboard, 4/3/18...... Police in Dallas, Tex., have recovered four guitars stolen from E Street Band member Nils Lofgren as he was preparing to perform a solo concert in the city. Dallas police tweeted on Apr. 2 that they also have made an arrest in the theft, but provided no further details. Lofgren tweeted his gratitude that his instruments have been recovered, saying: "Looks like my guitars are coming back to me," and thanking fellow musicians who offered to loan him their guitars. The instruments were left in a van parked outside a Holiday Inn on Mar. 29. The theft was discovered the next morning, and Lofgren used borrowed instruments when he performed solo at the Kessler Theater in Dallas on Mar. 29. - AP, 4/3/18...... Surviving cast members of TV's Dallas recently gathered with fans of the show at Southfork Ranch, where the hit series was set, to celebrate the show's 40th anniversary. Linda Gray, who portrayed Sue Ellen Ewing, said her former co-star Larry Hagman (J.R.) used to "hate it" when she told people how "wonderful he was and how lovely and generous and kind." "He would not be very happy. He'd reprimand me. He'd say, 'You're supposed to not like me. You can't tell me how nice I am,'" the actress said. "It was so funny. We never stopped laughing. And then we played these dreadful, dysfunctional people on camera," she added. The cast all agreed that Hagman, who died at 81 in 2012, was "one of the best actors ever." Added Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), "I don't miss him because I'm so full of him. He was my best friend. And I can't think of him without smiling." Dallas also broke traditional barriers by featuring a gay character in multiple episodes. "We had to use the word 'homosexual,'" Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing) said. "You couldn't even say the word 'gay.'" After 14 seasons, 357 episodes, two reunion movies and a reboot on TNT, would the cast consider taking on their characters again? "Who knows? Never say never," Gray and Duffy both said. - ABC News, 4/2/18...... Rocky star Sylvester Stallone surprised fans of his iconic 1976 boxing film on Apr. 6 when he made a surprise visit to the statue of his iconic Rocky Balboa character in Philadelphia. The 71-year-old Stallone has played the underdog boxing champ in seven Rocky films since 1976 and is currently in the City of Brotherly Love making the sequel to the 2015 hit Creed, called Creed II. Stallone took a break from shooting to join Philly Mayor Jim Kenney at the statue, next to the Philadelphia Art Museum steps he famously climbed in the first Rocky film. They rededicated a plaque that had been lost for 12 years and Kenney presented him with a personalized jersey from the Super Bowl champion Eagles. - AP, 4/6/18...... Cecil Taylor, the visionary pianist who revolutionized jazz by launching the free-jazz movement in the late '50s, died on Apr. 5 at his home in Brooklyn. He was 89. Mr. Taylor, born in New York on Mar. 25, 1929, was known as one of the pioneers of the free jazz movement, and was seen as both a grounding breaking and uncompromising artist. He released his first album, Jazz Advance, in 1956, and was also known as a poet and would recite his poems at live shows. He returned to the stage in 2016 in New York City after years away, using a cane and holding his assistant's arm. He received a standing ovation. - AP, 4/6/18.

Pre-orders are available for a new remastered Bruce Springsteen vinyl box set of the Boss' releases from 1987-1996. Bruce Springsteen: The Album Collection Vol. 2, 1987-1996 includes the studio albums Tunnel of Love (1987), Human Touch (1992), Lucky Town (1992) and The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995), plus EPs Chimes of Freedom (1988) and Blood Brothers (1996), along with live album In Concert/MTV Plugged (1993). The 10-disc set, which comes with a 60-page book featuring vintage press clippings, rare photos, and other memorabilia, will be released on May 18 through Columbia/Legacy Recordings. - Billboard, 3/29/18...... In related news, guitarist Nils Lofgren, a member of Springsteen's E Street Band, had four guitars and an electric harp stolen from a van outside a Holiday Inn Express as he was preparing to play a solo show in the Dallas suburb of West Oak Cliff, Tex., on on Mar. 29. "I am devastated by this robbery," the guitarist tweeted after the incident. "These are my first shows out after a very difficult year." Lofgren was able to perform that night thanks to a loaner guitar from one of his former bandmates, and his next headlining set is at Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland, Calif., on Apr. 12. - Spin.com, 3/31/18...... Patti Smith has announced a new concert documentary film titled Horses: Patti Smith and her Band which will celebrate the 40th anniversary tour of her seminal debut album Horses. Shot at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles in early 2016, the film captures the final gig of the Horses anniversary tour and will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC on Apr. 23. Meanwhile, Smith is preparing to play selected dates in the UK and Ireland this summer, including the All Points East Festival and a concert in Dublin in June. - New Musical Express, 3/29/18...... Former President Jimmy Carter appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Mar. 30 as part of his promotional tour for his new book, Faith: A Journey For All, and during the lively interview the 39th president told host Stephen Colbert that he regularly prays that Pres. Donald Trump will not use nuclear weapons and that he will support human rights. "Do you think your prayers are being answered?" Colbert asked. Carter responded with an anecdote from his pastor: "When you pray, God has one of three answers: yes, no and you've got to be kidding. Not sure which one it is [with Trump] yet." When Colbert asked the 93-year-old Carter if he thinks America "wants a jerk for president," Pres. Carter deadpanned, "Apparently, from this recent election year." - The Hollywood Reporter, 3/31/18...... Ted Nugent has accused students of Florida's Parkland High School of having "no soul" and being "mushy brained children" after they led a nationwide protest for more gun restrictions in response to the recent shooting at the school. Nugent made the comments on Mar. 30 during The Joe Page Show, a nationally syndicated conservative radio program. Nugent, an board member of the National Rifle Association, said survivors of the Parkland school shooting are wrong to blame the NRA for mass shootings. "The evidence is irrefutable, they have no soul," said the 69-year-old Nugent. "The measures they support amount to spiritual suicide." A rep for Nugent did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and his comments were made the same day several TV advertisers dropped Fox News personality Laura Ingraham after she mocked a survivor of the Parkland shooting online. - AP, 3/31/18...... In a new inteview with the fashion magazine V, Elton John discussed his influence on fashion and his costumes for his upcoming "Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour" which kicks off this fall. For the farewell tour costumes, which are exclusively designed by Gucci's Alessandro Michele, the 71-year-old John happily referenced his style throughout his career. "I've kept an archive of my stage costumes from the very beginning of my career and thought it would be fun to open up my little treasure chest with Alessandro and his design team," he told V. Elton also discussed how influential the spirit of the '70s is to today's fashion: "I feel so blessed to have been a songwriter and performer in the '70s. It was a decade with an unprecedented explosion of creativity in music, fashion, and filmmaking." The Rocket Man also noted that he is "proud of the part I played in moving eyewear from function to fashion," saying that his assortment of oversized, rhinestone glasses, while expressive, were actually an attempt to hide his "extreme shyness." - Billboard, 3/29/18...... Neil Young has released a new video for his 2016 track "Peace Trails" directed by Young's girlfriend, actress Daryl Hannah. The video sees Young and his backing band Promise of the Real performing under a tent as characters from Young's new film Paradox drift in and out of frame. Young stars in Paradox along with Willie Nelson and his sons Lukas and Micah. Paradox premiered at the SXSW Music Festival on Mar. 15, and Netflix has acquired the global rights to the musical and began streaming the movie on its site on Mar. 25. - NME, 4/1/18...... Hall & Oates have teamed up with their summer tour partners Train to record an ode to their hometown and the first new Hall & Oates track in 15 years, "Philly Forget Me Not." "It will be cool to play a new song on this upcoming tour with Train," said John Oates. "These songs pretty much describe my feeling about Philly, my music home," Daryl Hall added. In addition, iHeart Radio will exclusively stream a live performance from Daryl's House, a live music venue and restaurant in Pawling NY, featuring the musicians on Apr. 3. - Billboard, 3/30/18...... On Apr. 5 Chicago will release a new career-spanning box set called VI Decades Live (This Is What We Do) featuring 4 CDs and a DVD featuring material from 1964-2014, including the original lineup's performance at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival and vintage shows from Washington D.C., Paris, Oakland and, of course, Chicago. The DVD, meanwhile, showcases a 1977 appearance on Germany's Rockpalast TV show. Chicago co-founder and keyboardist Robert Lamm says of "especially the early stuff," the band "never really thought the quality was worth pursuing or releasing, so it just sat in the vaults... But they've been dusted off and somewhat improved; Lee Loughnane is kind of our archivist and the guy who oversees the mixes, and he spent a lot of time on the box set, sitting and tweaking. In certain cases as we were going through the remixes we thought they were too good; They sounded kind of fake, so we went back to try to get the original live recording and get them in shape." Chicago, fresh off a Las Vegas residency at the Venetian, is gearing up for a summer tour with REO Speedwagon. - Billboard, 3/29/18...... A 1965 Fender Telecaster guitar played by Bob Dylan during his first "electric tour" and on his legendary LPs Blonde on Blonde and The Basement Tapes will be auctioned as part of Julien's Auctions' upcoming Music Icons sale to be held at NYC's Hard Rock Cafe and online on May 19. Also played by Dylan during several of his outings with The Band including their Rock of Ages tour, the instrument is expected to bring as much as $400,000 to $500,000. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the American Indian College Fund. Prior to the sale, Julien's is holding a free exhibition of various entertainment memorabilia at the same location May 14-18. - Billboard, 3/29/18...... Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood has revealed that he is now cancer-free after having a health scare in 2017. Then the rock icon revealed that he had prepared to "say goodbye" to his loved ones before he underwent five hours of surgery to remove cancer from one of his lungs. Now, Wood says he's been given the all clear. "I had three months of check-ups and it was all clear and they said 'go and enjoy life'.... There was none in the rest of my body so I didn't require chemo." Wood told a UK paper. Asked about what advice he'd give to anyone battling cancer, he urged them to "stay positive and stay strong." "I've had a great life and I was all ready to go," he added. "Wow! I didn't know I was going to be given the ticket to last this long. What a reprieve." Meanwhile, the Stones are preparing for a 9-date tour of the UK and Ireland set to launch on May 17 in Dublin, and Ryan Adams will headline a tribute concert for the Stones' seminal album Exile on Main St. The show, titled "Exile on Bourbon St.," will take place at New Orleans' Saenger Theatre on May 5. - New Musical Express/Spin.com, 3/29/18...... The reclusive personal life of groundbreaking pop/funk/rock fusion icon Sly Stone will be examined in a new documentary produced by Network Entertainment and filmmaker Derik Murray. While there have been previous documentaries about Stone, this marks the first film about his life that Stone has participated in, having already sat for one interview with more to potentially come. Murray says he's also working with the various rights holders of Sly & The Family Stone's masters to license them for the film. The film will trace Stone's life from child prodigy to current-day recluse through classic performances, archival footage and fresh interviews. The enigmatic Stone has seldom been seen over the past 20 years outside of Sly & The Family Stone's 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction and turning up for a tribute at the 2006 Grammy Awards. Stone's longtime representative and the documentary's co-executive producer, Robert Allan, said, "Sly felt it was the right time for him to return to the spotlight and share his incredible journey with the world." Vancouver-based Network Entertainment has produced a number of acclaimed projects, including films on Martin Luther King, Jr., Johnny Cash, Muhammad Ali, Heath Ledger, Steve McQueen and more. - Billboard, 3/28/18...... Legendary TV producer and writer Steven Bochoone, who created such successful shows as L.A. Law, Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue, died on Apr. 1 after a battle with leukemia. He was 74. Over the course of his career, Bochco won 10 Emmy Awards and a handful of Peabody Awards and Writers Guild Awards, and he also popularized the idea of a primetime TV show having a large ensemble cast and multiple ongoing story arcs. Bochco was diagnosed with leukemia several years ago, but a then-anonymous stem cell donation in 2014 did manage to prolong his life. - The Hollywood Reporter, 4/1/18.