Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on July 16th, 2018

A Mississippi State University biology professor has concluded that, at least to ladybugs, rock and roll is indeed "noise pollution," contrary to the classic AC/DC track "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" from their 1980 album Back In Black. Biology Professor Brandon Barton told a Starkville, Miss., newspaper that he decided to test an alternative hypothesis that rock and roll is noise pollution as he was listening AC/DC's song one day. Barton and some students put ladybugs into soybeans infested with aphids, a common pest of the staple crop. The team then bathed the environment in various sounds, including Back in Black's title track, other classic rock, an outlaw country album, a folk album, city sounds and aircraft noise. "We immediately discovered that after about a day or a half day, 15 hours or so, the ones who had been exposed to the hard rock music, AC/DC, or even the city sounds, those loud kind of harsh sounds really reduced the number of aphids they consumed by a lot," Barton said. Barton says the soybeans and the aphids seemed unaffected however. "The plants didn't care and the aphids didn't care about music," he said. - AP, 7/16/18...... A new David Bowie documentary titled David Bowie: The First Five Years is reportedly in the works, the Bowie fansite David Bowie News reported on July 15. It will act as the prequel to David Bowie: Five Years and David Bowie: The Last Five Years, which previously aired on the BBC, and air sometime in 2019. In other Bowie-related news, The Muppets covered the late rock legend during their show at London's The O2 on July 14. The beloved troupe marked their final show at the venue with a cover of Bowie's 1972 track "Suffragette City," and also covered Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." They also gave a shout-out to England's World Cup performance. - New Musical Express, 7/15/18...... Sony/ATV Music Publishing announced on July 13 that it will become a co-producer and investor of the new Elvis Presley stage musical, "Heartbreak Hotel." The musical will be a prequel to the Tony-award winning "Million Dollar Quartet," which featured early recordings by Presley, Jerry Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash at Sam Phillips's Sun Studios in Memphis. Sony/ATV has also agreed to license to Heartbreak Hotel more than a dozen songs recorded by Presley, including his first No. 1, "Heartbreak Hotel," as well as "Jailhouse Rock," "Mystery Train," Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and "Rip It Up." The Floyd Mutrux-written and directed musical recently had a record-breaking world premiere at the Ogunquit Playhouse, and will next be presented in Chicago. - Billboard, 7/13/18...... In related news, the soundtrack of the new ABBA-based musical movie Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was released on July 14, six days before the movie hits theaters. The soundtrack features 18 ABBA songs that were produced and arranged by ABBA's Benny Andersson and performed by the film's all-star cast, which includes returning cast members Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth with Mamma Mia newcomers Cher and Andy Garcia, who team up on the track "Fernando." - Billboard, 7/13/18...... Bruce Springsteen treated fans to an unexpected encore for the first time on July 11 during the 155th performance of his Broadway show "Springsteen on Broadway." Rarely ever straying from the setlist, and never before having played past his closing song "Born To Run," the Boss treated lucky fans to an encore performance of "This Hard Land." - Billboard, 7/12/18...... Longtime pals Sir Elton John and actor Neil Patrick Harris shared a few adorable snapshots from their joint family vacation together in Saint-Tropez on Instagram on July 11. "Summer magic," Elton captioned an Instagram pic of the stars and their families enjoying their time at the French Riviera resort. Elton and his husband David Furnish were depicted with their arms wrapped around their adorable sons who smiled ear to ear, while Harris and husband David Burtka looked delighted to be joining the couple with their son and daughter, happily smiling as well. - Billboard, 7/11/18...... Mick Jagger, who unexpectedly released a pair of solo songs in 2017 including "England Lost" which starts with the tale of someone ostensibly going to watch England play a soccer match and finishes with some political commentary about Britain's exit from the European Union, reinforced the idea that he is something of a jinx at World Cup soccer stadiums as he was in attendance in Moscow on July 11 when England lost to Croatia in a semi-final match. Jagger arrived in Russia for the World Cup after he and his Rolling Stones bandmates completed a short European tour in Warsaw on July 8. He attended the July 10 match between France and Belgium in St. Petersburg, and then travelled to Moscow with his sons Lucas and James to see his home national team play -- and lose to -- Croatia. Jagger has also been cited as a harbinger of bad luck in soccer games featuring Brazil, Portugal and Italy. - AP, 7/11/18...... John Travolta joined the Foo Fighters onstage on July 14 for the second time this year for a cover of his Grease classic "You're The One That I Want." In April, Travolta joined the Foo Fighters to jam on the same song during a Jacksonville, Fla., concert. This time, the legendary actor showed off those classic dance moves that he (more or less) still has. - NME, 7/15/18...... The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" was played as U.S. Pres. Donald Trump arrived in London on June 12 for a meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May and Queen Elizabeth II. "President Trump is in London," CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins posted on Twitter. "When he arrived at the Winfield House, the U.S. ambassador's residence, there was a song playing in the background. Which one? 'We Can Work It Out' by The Beatles." The president's trip prompted several protests in London, and there was little indication he was sincere in "working it out" with the British head of state, saying that he thought former London mayor Boris Johnson "would be a good Prime Minister" in May's presence. - Billboard, 7/12/18...... In other Beatles-related news, an excerpt from an upcoming book by author Kenneth Womack about Beatles producer George Martin reveals that George Harrison thought that "Hey Jude" was too long and wanted his lead guitar to echo Paul McCartney's lyrics in a call-and-response style, but McCartney snubbed that idea. "...I couldn't understand what he was on about by just going round and round the same thing. And of course, it does become hypnotic," George is quoted as saying. Harrison also observed that "for the last couple of albums, the freedom to be able to play as a musician was being curtailed, mainly by Paul. Paul had fixed an idea in his brain as to how to record one of his songs. He wasn't open to anybody else's suggestions." Womack's book, a sequel to his first George Martin book, is titled, Sound Pictures: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin -- The Later Years, 1966 - 2016, will be released on Sept. 4. - New Musical Express, 7/13/18...... Influential '70s German experimental rock pioneers Faust kicked off their U.S. "Vagabondages Tour" on July 11 in Chicago, and Faust's Jean-Herve Peron say that fans are "much more enthusiastic" in the U.S. than in Europe. Peron adds that Faust's shows will still be provocative, but without some of the shock value that's been the band's stock in trade over the years. He said that it was never Faust's intention to scare people, but that "we were trying to bring out audience out of balance and hoping that in that state they would be more receptive to the music." "It was more of a psychological thing," Peron says. "But we don't do this anymore. We don't use those very direct, extremely powerful explosions, fire, things like that. We're not smashing TVs or welding on stage or things like that. We try other methods now." Faust will play 15 dates while in North America, behind their latest album, 2017's Fresh Air. - Billboard, 7/12/18...... Paul Simon announced on July 12 that he'll release a new album called In the Blue Light that will see him offering a fresh perspective on 10 of his favorite solo songs, including "One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor" and "Ren and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War." "I hope the listener will find these new versions of old songs refreshed, like a new coat of paint on the walls of an old family home," Simon said in a statement. In the Blue Light will be Simon's 14th studio album, and is due on Sept. 7. Simon added that a wide cast of musicians will be contributing to the project. "Happily, this opportunity also gave me the gift of playing with an extraordinary group of musicians, most of whom I hadn't recorded with before," he said. The new LP will coincide with Simon's final leg of his "Homeward Bound - The Farewell Tour" in September, including four performances in the New York City area and culminating with the Final Performance on Sept. 22 in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Simon recently played a farewell show in the U.K. as part of the British Summer Time Festival. - New Musical Express, 7/12/18...... Heritage Auctions announced on July 11 that it will be auctioning off 27 items personally owned by Prince in Dallas on July 21. Items include everything from a personally owned and worn blue silk suit to a Jehovah's Witness Bible, and come with a certificate of authentication. Also included in the auction are various documents, such as unused bank checks and a note to a lawyer -- with opening bid prices at $500 and $750, respectively. The Prince Estate issued a statement saying it is not associated with the auction and says it "has requested the return of any items belonging to the Estate." - Billboard, 7/11/18...... In a new interview with Sirius XM radio, the Kinks frontman Ray Davies gave an update on a potential Kinks reunion, which he first hinted at in June. "I've got all these great songs -- I think they're great -- that need to be aired," Davies told hosts Mark Goodman and Alan Light. "There's something about the chemistry of the Kinks -- if I can get them on the right day, we can produce it. It will be down to the music -- if we can make four or five tracks that we really feel are energized and in keeping with what we can do, I'll consider it." "Individually they're both up for it," Davies added, referring to his brother Dave Davies and Mick Avory. "There's a whole reservoir of songs we half-did in the '70s and '80s, so there's material there -- we wouldn't just go out and play the hits. If I can get Dave and Mick in the same room -- I've spoken with them independently and they're both on board spiritually, but whether they can handle it, I don't know," he said. The band's last album was 1994's To The Bone and the Davies brothers haven't performed together since 1996. - New Musical Express, 7/13/18...... Lou Reed's solo years following the initial end of his tenure in the Velvet Underground will be the subject of a new book titled My Week Beats Your Year: Encounters With Lou Reed. Edited by Pat Thomas and compiled by Michael Heath, the book will be published in August and feature over 30 archive interviews with Reed, who passed away in October 2013 at the age of 71. - NME, 7/12/18...... Michael Jackson's daughter Paris Jackson revealed that she's bisexual during an impromptu Q&A on Instagram on July 14. "Are you bi?" asked one of Paris' 3.2 million Instagram followers when she told them they could ask her anything. Paris replied: "that's what you guys call it so i (sic) guess but who needs labels." Rumours of bisexuality first surrounded Jackson after she was spotted getting cosy with British model Cara Delevingne at a restaurant in West Hollywood in March. However, sources close to the pair told People that the girls were just having fun and have a "flirty friendship." - WENN.com, 7/15/18...... Nancy Sinatra Sr., the childhood sweetheart of Frank Sinatra who became the first of his four wives and the mother of his three children, including pop singer Nancy Sinatra, died on July 13 at the age of 101. Nancy Sr., whose maiden name was Nancy Barbato, and Frank began dating as teenagers and were married on Feb. 4, 1939, just as Frank's singing career was about to take off. During the marriage's early years, the Sinatras lived in a modest apartment in Jersey City, where their two eldest children were born. For a time she was employed as a secretary while her husband worked as a singing waiter. "My mother passed away peacefully tonight at the age of 101," Nancy Jr. posted on Twitter. "She was a blessing and the light of my life. Godspeed, Momma. Thank you for everything." - cbsnews.com, 7/14/18.

A 4-disc boxed set of unreleased Tom Petty music entitled American Treasure will be released on Sept. 28, it was announced on July 10 on the Petty Sirius XM channel. The 60-song set, compiled by Petty's wife Dana, daughter Adria, studio collaborator and Petty's Heartbreakers members Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, will include unreleased live and studio tracks and alternate versions. Before then, two new Petty releases, Live: New York 1983 with Stevie Nicks and On the Box, a collection of his TV appearances from 1977 through 1994, will hit stores in August. Meanwhile, a 1965 Gibson SG electric guitar owned by Petty that the late rocker played during his 1986 tour with Bob Dylan is being auctioned to benefit homeless and animal rescue charities. Heritage Auctions says the guitar will be auctioned on July 21, along with one of Petty's top hats. The items are owned by Norm Harris, a rare guitar shop owner who says he sold Petty the Gibson SG, then Petty traded it to him in exchange for another rare instrument. Petty died on October 2, 2017 after he accidentally overdosed on a variety of medications. - Billboard/AP, 7/10/18...... Elvis Costello has revealed that he is battling a "very aggressive" form of cancer and has cancelled his European tour. The 63-year-old London-born musician, whose real name is Declan Patrick MacManus, has been advised to rest by his doctor following surgery for cancer. Costello, whose pseudonym comes from a mixture of Elvis Presley and his musician father's stage name, was due to perform gigs in Manchester, Pula, Croatia, Graz and Vienna in Austria, Tysnes in Norway and Rattvik, Sweden. He had previously cancelled dates in Southend and Plymouth in June and at the time said it was due to "medical reasons." - The Daily Mail UK, 7/6/18...... Tom Osmond, the 70-year-old older brother of Donny and Marie Osmond, is reportedly on life support after undergoing quadruple bi-pass heart surgery. "He's on life support right now & fighting to hang on... We don't know what the future holds, but it's in the Lord's hands," Donny posted on Twitter on July 10. "Our entire family would appreciate your thoughts & prayers on behalf of my sweet brother." Tom, who was born with a severe hearing impairment, is the second oldest of the nine Osmond family brothers and sisters and performed occasionally with the famous family band on their 1970s and 80s TV specials." My brother Tom is a great example of our Savior's love," Marie Osmond posted on July 8. "He has a broken -- and contrite spirit!... see why he needs prayers today. I love you my sweet Brother." - Billboard, 7/10/18...... The childhood home of Bruce Springsteen at 39 Institute Street in Freehold, N.J., has been sold for $255,000 after originally being listed for $269,900 in November 2017. The Springsteens lived on the left side of the two-family home, according to the Asbury Park Press. In other Springsteen news, the Boss officially released his legendary 1978 Roxy concert through his ongoing archival live series on live.brucespringsteen.net on July 7, the day before its 40th anniversary. Clocking in at four hours, the entire set -- newly mixed and remastered -- was recorded at the West Hollywood venue and broadcast live on KMET-FM Los Angeles. Its songs have been widely circulated between fans for years, and seven performances from the show were previously released on Springsteen's Live 1975-1985 collection. - AP/Billboard, 7/9/18...... Michael Jackson has posthumously earned his 30th Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 hit as a featured artist on Drake's "Don't Matter to Me." The song is featured on Drake's new album Scorpion, which has debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 200 album chart. "Don't Matter to Me" becomes Jackson's 30th solo Hot 100 Top 10, making him one of just five artists to reach the milestone in the chart's 59-year history, along with Drake, Madonna, the Beatles and Rhianna. "Matter" is also Jackson's fourth posthumous Hot 100 entry, and his first Hot 100 hit (among 51 total) on which he is billed as a featured artist. - Billboard, - Billboard, 7/9/18...... Elvis Presley's Rolls Royce, the suits the Beatles wore on their first tour of America, Bruce Springsteen's sleeveless faded denim jacket and colorful headband, and Michael Jackson's famous glove are among the items of music memorabilia on display at Atlantic City's new Hard Rock casino. The Hard Rock Atlantic City opened June 28 in what used to be the Trump Taj Mahal, the casino opened in 1990 by Donald Trump. Also on display are outfits worn by such divas as Lady Gaga, Cher, Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, and shoes from Elton John, Buddy Holly and Gene Simmons. An upstairs room is devoted to New Jersey artists including Springsteen, Bon Jovi and Debbie Harry of Blondie, as well as Frank Sinatra, Whitney Houston and the famous Stone Pony rock club. - AP, 7/7/18...... Ringo Starr celebrated his 78th birthday on July 7 in Nice, France, where he and his All-Starr Band were currently on tour. Sir Ringo and his wife, Lady Barbara Starkey, joined with fans to say "Peace & Love" at noon around the world, according to his representative. Also on hand were his brother-in-law Joe Walsh and his wife Marjorie, who is Barbara's sister, plus All-Starr Band members Graham Gouldman, Colin Hay, Steve Lukather, Gregg Bissonette and Warren Ham, who performed two of the Beatles drummer's hits for him in tribute. Ringo's annual Peace & Love celebrations began in Chicago in 2008 and have since included events in New York, Hamburg, Germany, Nashville and Los Angeles. After playing two dates in Italy on July 9 and 11, Ringo and his band will travel to the US for a stateside tour beginning on Sept. 1 at the Hard Rock Cafe in Tulsa, Okla. Meanwhile, Ringo's former bandmate Paul McCartney recently confirmed in an interview that The Beatles will be doing some celebrating of their own this year with a deluxe re-release of The Beatles (The White Album) for the album's 50th anniversary. There's been no official announcement yet of when it will be released or what it will contain. - Billboard, 7/9/18...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, beginning on July 9 Beatles fans will be able to see theater screenings of the best-looking version of the 1968 animated classic Yellow Submarine they've ever seen. Triage Motion Picture Services has re-scanned the film to the 4k resolution used on the Blu-ray and DVD release in 2012, as well as the theatrical cut that has just debuted. "The restoration that I did is state-of-the-art, the best that it can be," says Triage's Paul Rutan Jr. Although most of the work was used for the release of the Blu-ray and DVD, there have been other improvements that theater viewers will notice, too. "The changes that were made were made basically was replacing scenes that had been shortened, correcting sequences that had been changed for the United States market, and also inserting the 'Hey Bulldog' sequence (which was not seen in the version of the film originally shown in the U.S.)," Rutan notes. "And Apple did a new 5.1 stereo track." "The film is as fresh, clever and exciting 50 years on as it was in 1968. It's all in the mind, you know," says Beatles historian and author Bruce Spizer. Spizer will be introducing the film at several screenings July 13 through 15 at the Prytania Theatre in New Orleans. - Billboard, 7/9/18...... In more Beatles-related news, George Harrison's first wife Pattie Boyd has been interviewed by pop queen Taylor Swift about being married to Harrison during the height of Beatlemania for a new feature in Harper's Bazarre magazine. Swift asked Boyd what living inside Beatlemania was actually like to which Boyd replied, "absolutely terrifying." "I got to see the Beatles play at a theater in London, and George told me that I should leave with my friends before the last number," she told Swift. "So before the last song, we got up from our seats and walked toward the nearest exit door, and there were these girls behind me. They followed us out, and they were kicking me and pulling my hair and pushing us all the way down this long passageway." Boyd also said she was "heartbroken" when John Lennon couldn't attend her marriage to second husband Eric Clapton, which was attended by George, his wife Olivia, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. "John couldn't go. He said later that he would have loved to come. That night there was a huge jam session, and had he been there it would have been the last time the Beatles played together. Can you imagine? I was heartbroken." - New Musical Express, 7/10/18...... '70s rocker Elvin Bishop will release the second LP from his current band Big Fun Trio, called Something Smells Funky 'Round Here, on July 13. Bishop says he formed BFT during 2015 with guitarist/pianist Bob Welsh and percussionist Willy Jordan. "With the trio you've got to be there all the time. There's no place to hide. You've got to be kicking something in there. It keeps you interested." Something Smells Funky 'Round Here features covers of Jackie Wilson's "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" and Ann Peebles' "I Can't Stand the Rain" -- alongside six band originals. Although Bishop says he's "not really a political guy," he says the title track is "my little two cents' worth on the situation that's happening now... I think Trump's kind of a mean-spirited guy and he's making it hard for people to be decent to one another." Bishop's BFT are currently on the road and will be touring extensively in 2018 in support of the new album. - Billboard, 7/10/18...... Backed by his longtime band Utopia, Todd Rundgren appeared on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! on July 9 to perform his 1982 hit single "One World" ahead of his North American "Unpredictable Tour." The 70-year-old rock virtuoso gave a nostalgic performance of "One World" with his signature pop bounce and urgent vocals that brought to mind late rock icon Warren Zevon. Rundgren says he decided to reform Utopia after a 25-year hiatus for a summer tour dedicated to their catalog of hits, which include "Love in Action," "Set Me Free" and "Feet Don't Fail Me Now," as well as their more prog-rock leaning tunes. - Billboard, 7/10/18...... Gene Simmons of Kiss has settled a lawsuit alleging sexual battery, gender violence, battery and assault against a female radio and television broadcaster, according to court documents filed in Los Angeles County on July 2. Simmons and the plaintiff, identified as "Jane Doe," announced to Los Angeles County Supreme Court Judge Daniel S. Murphy that their case had been settled. The terms of the settlement are unclear. Simmons was originally sued in December for allegedly groping the plaintiff and making "unwanted, unwarranted sexual advances" during a Nov. 1 interview with Simmons and his Kiss bandmate Paul Stanley at their Rock & Brews restaurant at San Manuel Casino in Highland, Calif. According to the lawsuit, Simmons repeatedly grabbed the plaintiff's hand and "forcefully placed it on his knee and held it on his knee." It also alleged the rocker "forcibly flicked/struck" the plaintiff's throat, later providing an "incoherent explanation" for his behavior. The suit also said that while posing for a promotional photograph together after the interview, Simmons "reached toward Plaintiff Doe's buttocks and touched it." The parties will need to submit an official request for dismissal to end the lawsuit. - Billboard, 7/9/18...... Mick Jagger reportedly spoke out on behalf of Poland's controversial judicial system overhaul during a Rolling Stones concert in Warsaw on July 8. Jagger spoke in Polish to fans at the concert in Warsaw's National Stadium, saying: "I am too old to be a judge but not too old to sing." One of the judicial changes is setting a maximum age of 65 for judges, forcing many of them to retire. Meanwhile, the Stones and Universal Music Group announced an expanded worldwide deal on July 8. The agreement covers iconic band's recorded music and audio-visual catalogues, archives, global merchandising and brand management. UMG will continue to distribute the band's celebrated recorded music catalogue globally with future projects and reissues to be released through UMG's labels and networks around the world. - AP/Billboard, 7/9/18...... In a shocking new interview, Michael Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray slammed recently deceased Jackson family patriarch Joe Jackson as "one of the worst fathers to his children in history." "I would not shed a single tear for the passing of this cruel and evil man, Joe Jackson," said Murray, who was found guilty and jailed for his role in Michael's death in 2009. "It is said that only the good die young. I hope Joe Jackson finds redemption in Hell," added Murray. Michael's daughter Paris Jackson and other members of the Jackson clan are not taking Murray's words lightly -- they have reportedly "contacted their lawyers and are willing to do whatever they need to do in order to silence Conrad Murray," according to a source close to the family. - Canoe.com, 7/6/18...... Actor Tab Hunter, the 1950s Hollywood heartthrob who appeared in Damn Yankees! and also made a name for himself in the music industry, died suddenly on July 8 of a blood clot in his leg that caused cardiac arrest," his spouse Allan Glaser said. He was three days shy of his 87th birthday. Mr. Hunter made a flurry of movies in the latter half of the 1950s, aimed at capitalizing on his popularity with young girls. The films included such war dramas as 1955's Battle Cry and 1958's Lafayette Escadrille, as well as such Westerns as 1956's The Burning Hills and 1959's They Came to Cordura. From 1957 through 1959, Mr. Hunter also charted seven songs on the Billboard Hot 100 pop charts, including the million-selling No. 1 US and UK hit "Young Love," and in 1960-61 he was the star of his own regular series, The Tab Hunter Show. Other notable roles include 1955's The Sea Chase (1955), Ride the Wild Surf (1964), The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), the TV-movie Katie: Portrait of a Centerfold (1978), and Grease 2 (1982). In 2015, a documentary about his life entitled Tab Hunter Confidential based on his autobiography of the same name. - FoxNews.com, 7/9/18...... Vince Martin, an influential singer-songwriter in New York's Greenwich Village and Florida's Coconut Grove folk scenes, died in a nursing home facility near his native Sheepshead Bay, N.Y., on July 7 after being diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis and hospitalized in March. He was 81. Mr. Martin's career began when he recorded the 1956 pop song "Cindy, Oh Cindy," with the Tarriers. The song was Mr. Martin's only Top 40 hit and peaked at No. 9. Eddie Fisher covered the song and his version broke the Top 40 in the same year. "Cindy, Oh Cindy" was revived in 1962 when the Beach Boys released a standalone cover that would later appear as a bonus track on reissues of Surfin' Safari/Surfin' U.S.A. In Greenwich Village in the early 1960s, Mr. Martin formed a duo with singer-songwriter Fred Neil. When Mr. Martin moved to south Florida in the early 1970s, he became similarly influential in Miami's Coconut Grove scene of the 1960s, out of which David Crosby and Joni Mitchell emerged. His second album, Vince Martin, was released in 1973. In 2003, he released what would be his final album, Full Circle, on a small New York label. He remained active in music ever since. - 7/7/18...... Acclaimed British composer Oliver Knussen has died at age 66 following a short, undisclosed illness. The beloved English classical music figure was known for his operatic adaptations of two children's works in conjunction with author Maurice Sendak: "Where The Wild Things Are" and "Higglety Pigglety Pop!." His Third Symphony (1973-9), dedicated to American composer/pianist Michael Tilson Thomas, is regarded as a twentieth-century classic. In addition to the 1980s Sendak collaborations, Knussen left behind several ensemble works of note, including 1975's Ophelia Dances and 1979's Coursing (1979). - Billboard, 7/9/18.