Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on April 17th, 2018

Bruce Springsteen treated his 92-year-old mother Adele Springsteen on Apr. 15 at the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, N.J., to an early birthday celebration before Mother Nature spoiled the party. The 68-year-old Boss and his mom, who will turn 93 on May 4, danced to two songs before severe storms caused the club to lose power. They were there to see the Eddie Testa Band, reportedly one of Adele's favorite bands. Patrons say the Springsteens -- along with the rocker's 24-year-old son Sam -- were in the club for about 90 minutes. Springsteen recently extended his run on Broadway until December as the rock legend's unusually intimate "Springsteen on Broadway" show keeps selling out tickets. It marks the third extension by Springsteen, who started the performances in October in the 960-seat Walter Kerr Theatre. - AP, 4/16/18......

Seventies artists The Moody Blues, The Cars and Dire Straits were among the six music acts inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Cleveland, Oh., on Apr. 14. "The Moody Blues are and always have been a kick-ass rock 'n' roll band," Ann Wilson of Heart said as she inducted group. "It was so long that we were eligible and didn't make it that I got a real sour grapes [feeling] for everything about it," said the Moodys' Graeme Edge. "When it actually became something for us all to appreciate and have, I did realize that it means the world to me," he added. Edge was acknowledging the English prog rock band's long period of eligibility before finally being nominated, thanks in part to aggressive campaigning on behalf of the band's fans. Edge's fellow band co-founders Justin Hayward and John Lodge both thanked American radio disc jockeys who championed the band, and following the speech, the Moodys picked up their instruments for a set that included "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)," a galvanizing "Nights in White Satin" and "Ride My See Saw." The Cars, inducted after two previous times on the ballot and ushered in by Brandon Flowers of The Killers, spent much of their time paying homage to late bassist/singer Benjamin Orr, a native of Cleveland, much to the delight of the hometown Public Auditorium crowd. "When the band first started, Ben was supposed to be the lead singer and I was supposed to be the good-looking guy in the band -- but after a couple of gigs, I kinda got demoted to the songwriter," said Ric Ocasek. "But obviously it's hard not to notice that Benjamin Orr is not here. He would've been elated to be here on this stage. It still feels strange to be up here without him," he added. The group's set included "My Best Friend's Girl," "You Might Think," "Moving in Stereo" and "Just What I Needed." Without a designated presenter for Dire Straits (frontman Mark Knopfler and his brother David Knopfler had previously announced they wouldn't be attending the ceremony), band bassist and co-founder John Illsley took it upon himself to do the honors and subsequently make an acceptance speech. Illsley said the Knopfler brothers' absence was "for personal reasons, let's just leave it at that," and that Dire Straits "is really more about a group of people more than one person. It's a collective, a brotherhood, and that's something that needs acknowledging tonight... the many musicians who have worked with Dire Straits over the years and made the band's success possible and led us all the way to Cleveland tonight." Also inducted during the 33rd annual ceremony were New Jersey rocker Bon Jovi Nina Simone and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The late Tom Petty and Soundgarden's Chris Cornell were both honored in memorial segments by The Killers and Ann Wilson, respectively. Notably, the Rock Hall also inducted songs for the first time, with the first inductees including "Rocket 88" by Jackie Breston and his Delta Cats (1951), Link Wray and his Ray Men's "Rumble" (1958), "Louie Louie" by The Kingsmen (1963), Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" (1967) and Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" (1968). The ceremony, which was filmed by HBO for a May 5 premiere, differed from other years in that Rock Hall co-founder Jann Wenner, who was accused by a journalist in November of offering a writing deal in exchange for sex, did not address the gathering, and there was no finale that brought inductees and presenters together. - Billboard, 4/14/18...... As the hit 1978 movie Grease and its soundtrack turn 40 this year, Grease star Olivia Newton-John says she thinks that the Grease songs "are timeless." "They're fun and have great energy," Olivia says. "The '50s-feel music has always been popular, and it's nostalgic for my generation, and then the young kids are rediscovering it every 10 years or so, it seems. People buying the album was a way for them to remember those feelings of watching the movie and feelings of that time period. I feel very grateful to be a part of this movie that's still loved so much," she added. Newton-John, who was a "reluctant Sandy," says she insisted on doing a screen test after the failure of her 1970 musical film Toomorrow and asked that her frequent collaborator John Farrar be brought in to produce and write two of the four new songs added to the original Broadway score by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. "It's always great fun recording with John because he's been my friend since I was 15," says Newton-John of her fellow Melbourne, Australia native, who she had worked with on hits like 1973's "Let Me Be There," 1974's "I Honestly Love You" and 1975's "Have You Never Been Mellow." "I think John Farrar is one of the greatest songwriters of all time. He's a brilliant musician." "You're the One That I Want," which went all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, was another immediate hit with Newton-John. "John stayed up all night writing it and finishing it, came to my trailer early in the morning, played it for me, and I knew it was a smash," she recalled. Frankie Valli, who racked up the last No. 1 single of his career with "Grease," says he has continued to spread "the word" ever since by performing the song regularly in his concerts. "Oh yes -- It's a definite part of my show. It's been a very important song in my career," says Valli, who praises other Grease soundtrack cuts too: "I liked all of the songs that were sung by Olivia, and I was always a big [John] Travolta fan. It was really put together very well musically." - Billboard, 4/14/18...... Speaking of John Travolta, a former security officer for the Church of Scientology has revealed the bitter blood between the actor/singer and another high flyer in the controversial religion, actor Tom Cruse. "Cruise is the only celeb with a direct line to [Scientology leader] David Miscavige. Travolta and Kirstie [Alley] don't have that," former member Brendan Tighe told the UK paper The Daily Mail. "Travolta doesn't get anything free, no one is giving him absurd gifts like an airplane hangar, custom-made bikes, or over the top favours," Tighe added. According to Tighe, when the 55-year-old Mission: Impossible star was recently given Scientology's Freedom Medal of Valor for his devotion, Travolta was furious. Until that point, Travolta was considered Miscavige's protege. - Canoe.com, 4/16/18...... The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati has honored singer and activist Mavis Staples with one of the museum's highest honors. The center presented Staples with the Everyday Freedom Hero Award at a reception on Apr.. Staples received the reward prior to her concert performance, "An Evening with Mavis Staples." The Freedom Center says it created the Everyday Freedom Hero Award to recognize individuals and organizations that strive to live up to the ideals of the Underground Railroad movement while using their resources for the well-being and betterment of their communities. - AP, 4/14/18...... New David Bowie subway cards have just been introduced in New York City's massive subway system. Bowie MetroCards are now available at Broadway-Lafayette station, just a few blocks from where the late rock legend used to live in SoHo for a portion of his life. The entire Broadway-Lafayette station has been transformed into something of a tribute to Bowie, too Advertisements for the "David Bowie Is" exhibition -- currently in progress at the Brooklyn Museum -- decorate the station, and outside, there's another giant Bowie mural. Costing $6.50, the new MetroCards reportedly have a two ride minimum. Meanwhile, Bowie's former collaborators are bringing Bowie's musical "Lazarus" back to life in New York City. "Lazarus" will be returning to the Big Apple for the first time since Bowie's death, in a one-night performance on May 2 at Kings Theater in Brooklyn. The new iteration is a screening of a previously filmed London performance accompanied by a live band. Dexter's Michael C. Hall will return to his leading role, with the original band performing 20 of Bowie's songs as they were arranged by the artist and band leader Henry Hey. The one night performance boasts a team of Bowie's peers behind the scenes, who joined the new project in order to preserve the artist's original vision. "I would like people to know that David Bowie really was -- far above being an incredible artist and an incredible performer -- he was, most importantly, an amazing human being," Hey said. - New Musical Express/Billboard, 4/17/18...... James Taylor and Bonnie Raiit are gearing up for a 17-date co-headlining summer tour that's set to kick off May 8 in Jacksonville, Fla. "We're a good 30 percent ahead of where we were last time," says Taylor's manager, Sam Feldman, of ticket sales for the upcoming arena road trip. The tour will cover 30-plus markets between the U.S. and Europe, where the pair will join fellow legend Paul Simon's farewell tour for two shows in Dublin and London. - Billboard, 4/13/18...... Doors from rooms where such iconic rockers as Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Joni Mitchell once stayed at the Chelsea Hotel in New York have been sold at auction, selling for thousands of dollars each. Dylan's door went for a whopping $100,000 alone, while the door to a room occupied by Cohen and Joplin during an affair that is rumoured to have inspired Cohen's track "Chelsea Hotel No. 22" went for $85,000. Jimi Hendrix and Madonna's doors went for $13,000 each. The doors were reportedly rescued by Jim Georgiou, a former tenant, who saw them being thrown away and arranged to take possession of them. - New Musical Express, 4/13/18...... Director Milos Forman, who earned Oscars for his movie masterpieces One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus, died on Apr. 13 in Danbury Hospital near his home in Warren, Conn., after a short illness. He was 86. Mr. Forman left his native Czechoslovakia for creative freedom in the U.S., and his films generally appealed to sophisticated audiences, though he could reach the mainstream with his savvy flourishes. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), adapted from Ken Kesey's 1962 novel, dealt with life inside an Oregon mental institution. Starring Jack Nicholson as an insurgent patient, it was a sensation at the Oscars, winning five major categories (picture, director, actor, actress and adapted screenplay). Amadeus (1984), starring Tom Hulce as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, raked in 11 Oscar noms and eight wins, including those for best picture and director. He also played a minor role in Heartburn (1986), which reunited him with Nicholson. Mr. Forman served as a professor of film and co-chair of the film division of Columbia University's School of the Arts, and he wrote an autobiography, Turnaround, which was published in 1994. He is survived by his third wife Martina Zborilova and their twin sons, Andrew and James. - The Hollywood Reporter, 4/14/18...... British pop singer Cliff Richard has begun his High Court battle against the BBC, after the corporation broadcast a police raid on his Berkshire home in 2014. Richard, 77, is seeking "very substantial" damages after the BBC acted on a tip-off from South Yorkshire Police and offered live coverage of a raid on his apartment in Sunningdale, Berkshire, as part of an investigation into a historical child sex abuse allegation. Sir Cliff was previously questioned over the allegation, but he has constantly maintained his innocence and has never faced charges. The BBC has confirmed that they will "defend ourselves rigorously," and argued in court that South Yorkshire Police attempted to "shoot its messenger." The public broadcaster also claims that it was in the public interest to broadcast the raid, and insists that their reporting "fully respected the presumption of innocence" of the popular singer. The BBC previously offered an apology to the singer in 2016. - NME, 4/13/18...... Character actor Tim O'Connor, best known for portraying Elliot Carson, Mia Farrow's father and Dorothy Malone's husband on more than 400 episodes of the 1960s ABC primetime soap Peyton Place, has died. He was 90. Mr. O'Connor also starred as Dr. Elias Huer on the 1979-81 NBC sci-fi series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, starring Gil Gerard, and on a memorable 1975 episode of All in the Family, he guest-starred as a former sweetheart of Edith's (Jean Stapleton) from Scranton, Pennsylvania, who's interested in rekindling their childhood romance. - The Hollywood Reporter, 4/12/18...... Actor R. Lee Emery, best known for his Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, has died after complications from pneumonia. He was 74. Ermey had several other mostly authority figure roles to his credit, including Sheriff Hoyt in 2003's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, a police captain in Se7en, and the voice of the plastic army men's leader Sarge in Toy Story. - Variety.com, 4/16/18...... Sitcom actor Harry Anderson, who presided over the hit NBC comedy Night Court for nine seasons, was found dead at his home in Asheville, N.C., on Apr. 16. He was 65. No foul play was suspected, according to police. After his family moved to Los Angeles, the amiable Rhode Island native began performing magic on variety TV series like The Mike Douglas Show, The Late Show With David Letterman, and Saturday Night Live; the latter led to his role as con artist Harry "The Hat" Gittes on Cheers, which in turn led to a starring role as Judge Harry Stone on Night Court. - Variety.com, 4/16/18.

Rhino Records has released a 50th anniversary boxed set of the classic Love album Forever Changes featuring alternate mixes, demos, studio banter and other oddities. Bruce Botnick, who co-produced the LP, says Love frontman Arthur Lee was "always into his head...getting loaded, being on the street, taking advantage of the scene, of the politics, love and his relationships." "He was an incredibly prolific and romantic figure with an amazing sense of humor," Botnick added. - Billboard, 4/12/18...... In a new interview for the Elvis Presley documentary The Searcher, Presley's ex-wife Priscilla Presley claims that Elvis was well aware of the risks associated with taking drugs before he died in 1977. "People go, well why didn't anyone do anything? Well, that's not true," Priscilla says. "People there in the inner group did, but you did not tell Elvis Presley what to do. You did not. I mean, you'd be out of there faster than a scratched cat. They would try and no way." The Searcher is set to premiere on cable TV's HBO on Apr. 14. - New Musical Express, 4/9/18...... Fleetwood Mac released a statement on Apr. 9 announcing that Lindsey Buckingham will be replaced on the band's upcoming tour by both Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Neil Finn of Crowded House. A disagreement with Buckingham over the tour was apparently the reason for his firing, and the band said it "wishes Lindsey all the best." There was no comment regarding his future plans with the group. The band's Facebook page was also updated on Apr. 9 to an illustrated image, notably scrubbing Buckingham's image from its profile (although band images including Buckingham still remain on the page). The news initially broke in the first week of April after former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Billy Burnette posted -- then deleted -- a tweet declaring Buckingham out. The band added that it is "thrilled to welcome the musical talents of the caliber of Mike Campbell and Neil Finn into the Mac family... With Mike and Neil, we'll be performing all the hits that the fans love, plus we'll be surprising our audiences with some racks from our historic catalogue of songs... Fleetwood Mac has always been a creative evolution... We look forward to honoring that spirit on this upcoming tour." Buckingham, responsible for such hits as "Tusk" and "Go Your Own Way," joined Fleetwood Mac along with his then-girlfriend Stevie Nicks in 1974 and has been with them on an intermittent basis since then, taking time away to record six solo albums. Although Fleetwood Mac are yet to release specific details of their 2018 tour, it's believed that it will kick off in the US in the fall. - Rolling Stone/Billboard, 4/9/18...... An electronic treatment of Paul Simon's classic 1986 solo album Graceland is being prepped for a June 1 release. Graceland - The Remixes features some of the biggest names in the electronic arena, including Paul Oakenfold, Groove Armada, Thievery Corporation, and others. Simon, who recently announced that he is retiring from touring, will bring his farewell "Homeward Bound" tour to the UK and Europe this summer. - New Musical Express, 4/7/18...... A new project called Songwriters Fonts has created downloadable typefaces built from the handwriting of dead rock legends including David Bowie, John Lennon, Leonard Cohen and Kurt Cobain. Each font was created using the songwriter's "original handwritten letters and notes" and comes with the disclaimer, "This font is for a personal use only." "The Songwriters fonts have been created to give musicians inspiration," according to the Songwriters Fonts website. "Writing lyrics with the handwriting of influential songwriters helps imagination to develop. Being in the mood of Bowie, Cobain, Cohen, Gainsbourg, Lennon, might be purely imaginative but that's precisely the point." - Stereogum.com, 4/9/18...... To celebrate the 40th anniversary of their 1978 trend-setting stoner film Up In Smoke, Cheech & Chong have recorded "Up In Smoke 2018," a track with revised lyrics that will accompany the film's re-release on Blu-ray and a new deluxe vinyl edition of the soundtrack. "It was so easy," Tommy Chong told Billboard about getting back into his original Up In Smoke character. "I think I wrote my part in about a half-hour and Cheech [Marin] wrote his part in about a half-hour, then we recorded it in another half-hour. It was real simple. We've been on the road doing Cheech & Chong ever since, so it wasn't a real big stretch to get back in the studio and do it." "Yeah, we had chops and shit," Marin adds. The track "Up In Smoke" initially came out as a single during August of 1978 to coincide with the movie's release. The soundtrack features dialogue as well as other songs, including a cover of War's "Low Rider," while the 40th anniversary edition also includes a previously unreleased version of "Up In Smoke" with an additional Spanish verse by Marin. The re-release also brings the soundtrack back to vinyl for the first time since its original release. The 40th anniversary edition DVD of the film, meanwhile, features new commentary by Marin and Cisco Adler, the documentaries How Pedro Met The Man: Up In Smoke at 40 and Lighting It Up: A Look Back At Up In Smoke, the theatrical trailer and vintage radio spots. The definitive doper duo add that they're happy with the state of marijuana law reform in the U.S. now. "There's 29 states that have some sort of legalized form of marijuana," Marin says. "I think we're moving in the right direction." Chong, who credits marijuana use with helping him battle cancer, adds that, "The Trump people would like to think different but, no, we're definitely moving in the right direction. People know." - Billboard, 4/12/18...... Dire Straits is set to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Apr. 14 in Cleveland, Oh., but frontman Mark Knopfler and his brother and fellow guitarist David Knopfler won't be in attendance. "He just didn't feel like coming, it's as simple as that," says band co-founder John Illsley, who co-owns the Dire Straits band name with Knopfler. "It just didn't appeal to him, and I appealed to him on several occasions. I said, 'Look, I'd love you to get your head around this.' He said, 'Look, I just can't do it, John. I'm really sorry. It's a great honor for us and all the rest of it, and I just can't get my head around it,' so I've just got to respect it. He's got his reasons, which he really doesn't want to share with me which is unusual because we've shared most things over the years." Illsley added that he's "very proud of being inducted... I think it's fantastic for the band. I think it's fantastic for all the musicians who have worked with us over the years, who have been part of the journey... and all the producers and engineers we worked with over the years." - Billboard, 4/12/18...... BMG Music announced on Apr. 10 that it has inked an exclusive worldwide publishing deal with Ringo Starr that will cover Starr's Beatles and solo catalog, spanning nearly 50 years, as well as future compositions. Among the over 150 titles included in the deal are his songwriting contributions with the Beatles' "What Goes On" from Rubber Soul, "Flying" from Magical Mystery Tour, "Don't Pass Me By" from the "White Album," "Octopus's Garden" from Abbey Road and "Dig It" and "Maggie Mae" from Let It Be, as well as other rarities. As a solo artist, Starr has released 19 studio albums, spanning from 1970's Sentimental Journey to last year's Give More Love. Starr has been awarded nine Grammy Awards and has twice been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- first as a Beatle and again as a solo artist. In March, he was honored with a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II for services to music and his charity work. "I love making music and the song writing process -- and putting new music out there to play along side the old," Ringo said in a statement. "How great to be working with BMG who are excited to have my entire catalogue." Starr will be heading out on tour later this year with a new iteration of his All Starr Band. - Billboard, 4/10/18...... In other Beatles-related news, authorities in Toronto, Canada are working to identify a woman who allegedly stole an individual stone from a Yoko exhibit at the Gardiner Museum on Apr. 6. The rock, which has an appraised insurance value of $17,500, was part of a three-part interactive instillation from Ono called The Riverbed. One of these three parts is an interactive work called "Stone Piece," which "features a pile of river stones that have been honed and shaped by water over time," according to the museum's website. "Ono has inscribed some of the stones with words, such as dream, wish, and remember. Visitors are invited to pick up a stone and hold it, concentrating on the word, and then placing the stone upon the pile of other stones in the center of the room." - Spin.com, 4/9/18...... About 300 Merle Haggard fans turned up in the late country music icon's hometown of Bakersfield, Calif., on Apr. 7 to celebrate the naming of a United States Post Office in Haggard's honor. The event fell on the two-year anniversary of Haggard's death -- and what would have been his 81st birthday -- and was also attended by his sister. Norm Hamlet, who played in the "Okie From Muskogee" singer's band for nearly a half-century, told a local paper that Haggard would've been humbled by the honor. - AP, 4/8/18...... Soul songwriter Ron Dunbar, who co-wrote countless soul classics including Freda Payne's "Band of Gold," Chairmen of the Board's "Give Me Just a Little More Time" and Clarence Carter's "Patches," has died at age 77. Dunbar was a songwriter and producer supreme, best known for his work with the post-Motown Holland-Dozier-Holland label Invictus and with the Parliament-Funkadelic world of George Clinton. By the 1990s Dunbar became an independent producer again and also worked with the Holland brothers. - 4/5/18...... Gospel/pop singer Yvonne Staples, who rose to fame as one of the voices of powerhouse trio The Staple Singers, died at her home in Chicago's South Shore on Apr. 10. She was 80. Yvonne performed on the Staple Singers hits including "Respect Yourself," "I'll Take You There" and "Heavy Makes You Happy" with her sisters Mavis and Cleotha and their father, guitarist Pops Staples. Yvonne was born in Chicago to Pops and Oceola Staples, both with Mississippi roots. She started singing with Mavis and their brother Pervis in the 1940s at their uncle's church, and in 1970 replaced her brother in the group. The Staple Singers made more than 30 albums, with their greatest chart successes on Stax Records in the early 1970s. Their performance was a highlight of the film Wattstax, a documentary of a 1972 Los Angeles concert dubbed the "Black Woodstock." The Staple Singers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. Pops Staples died in 2000 and Cleotha died in 2013. - Billboard, 4/10/18...... Country music singer/songwriter Kenny O'Dell, who penned the smash Charlie Rich hits "Behind Closed Doors" and "I Take It On Home" as well as "Mama He's Crazy" for The Judds, has died at age 73. Early in his career, O'Dell worked with guitarist Duane Eddy, and his own band, Guys and Dolls. O'Dell also had his own country hits with "Beautiful People" and "Let's Shake Hands and Come Out Lovin'." When O'Dell first moved to Nashville, he ran Bobby Goldsboro's publishing company. He has had other hit covers including "Trouble in Paradise" by Loretta Lynn in 1974. - 3/30/18...... Rock vocalist Mike Harrison of Spooky Tooth passed away on Mar. 25 at the age of 72. From 1966 to 1970 and in 1972-1973, Harrison sang on Spooky Tooth songs mostly written by keyboard player Gary Wright, along with covers such as Bob Dylan's "The Weight." - 3/28/18...... Mitzi Shore, the owner of L.A.'s legendary The Comedy Store where such comedy legends as Robin Williams, Richard Pryor, Jay Leno, Jim Carrey, Chris Rock and Roseanne Barr cut their teeth, died on Apr. 11. She was 87. "It is with great sadness and very heavy hearts that we report the passing of Mitzi Shore, the legendary Godmother of the world famous Comedy Store," according to a statement from The Comedy Store. "Mitzi was an extraordinary businesswoman and decades ahead of her time who cultivated and celebrated the artistry of stand-up comedy. She was also a loving mother, not only to her own four children, but to the myriad of comedians who adored her. She leaves behind an indelible mark and legacy and has helped change the face of comedy." No cause of death was provided for Ms. Shore, who was the mother of comedian Pauly Shore. Survivors also include sons Peter and Scott and a daughter, Sandi. - The Hollywood Reporter, 4/11/18.