Friday, September 28, 2018

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on September 29th, 2018



Marty BalinFormer Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship vocalist Marty Balin died on Sept. 27 of as yet undisclosed causes. He was 76. Born Martyn Jerel Buchwald in San Francisco on Jan. 30, 1943, Balin's tenor voice provided hits for the '60s psychedelic band and its more mellow '70s spin-off band, the Jefferson Starship. His songwriting credits for the Airplane included "It's No Secret," "Today," "Comin' Back To Me," "Plastic Fantastic Lover," "Share a Little Joke," and "Volunteers" -- the latter sung at the iconic 1969 Woodstock festival. During their Airplane concerts, Balin and vocalist Grace Slick traded vocals in battles that became increasingly feverish, giving the band a volatile sound. After the Jefferson Airplane unofficially retired in 1972, Slick and Airplane guitarist Paul Kantner formed the Jefferson Starship in 1974, and Balin tentatively rejoined the band in 1975. The group's big breakthrough came with Red Octopus, their first No. 1 LP, which hit the top position several times during that year and sold four million copies, helped by Balin's ballad "Miracles" which was a No. 3 single. The band was more popular than ever, but in Slick's opinion the music had become bland and corporate, and her rivalry with Balin had not diminished. Marty BalinTheir followup LP, 1976's Spitfire, became their first platinum album. After another platinum album, Earth, both Balin and Slick left. Kantner then left that band and formed the simply named Starship, which enjoyed even greater commercial success. In 1981, Balin released a solo LP of MOR love songs and in 1981 he had a hit single with "Hearts," which went to No. 8. In 1989, Kanter, Slick, Balin, and original Jefferson Airplane members Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen revived the early Jefferson Airplane lineup, and released the eponymous LP Jefferson Airplane, although it only reached the No. 85 position. The Jefferson Starship was then reformed by Kantner in 1991, and Balin rejoined that group the following year. It toured as "Jefferson Starship - The Next Generation" in the early '90s to positive reviews. Balin's wife, Susan Joy, was by his side when he died. In a statement released on Sept. 28, his family said: "Marty's fans describe him as having had a substantial impact for the better of the world: 'One of the greatest voices of all time, a writer of songs that will never fade, and founder of the quintessential San Francisco band of the sixties.' His music is known for being the soundtrack to all of life's monumental moments." - CNN/The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock, 9/28/18.

The Nile Rodgers-fronted group Chic released It's About Time, its first album in over 25 years, on Sept. 28. Rodgers says that It's About Time, which features contributions from the likes of Elton John, Lady Gaga, Hailee Steinfeld, Stefflon Don, Emeli Sande and Craig David, "is the most self-indulgent album I've ever done in my life." "I don't normally make records like this because I don't have the power to say 'this is how it's gonna go and I'm gonna tell this really big story.' So now that I do, I can do it my way and this is happening my way exactly," says the 66-years old Rodgers. "And I just hope people get it and like it and understand it. It's a geeky record, and a very idealistic record." Rodgers notes that It's About Time is the first album in a two-part collection of new Chic music, with the second part tentatively due in February 2019. - Billboard, 9/28/18...... Elton JohnTaron EgertonThe official website of the upcoming Elton John movie Rocketman shared the first official photo from the movie on Sept. 28. Welsh actor Taron Egerton, who portrays Sir Elton in the movie, is shown dressed in a gold bomber jacket and blue, red and gold winged boots. He is also seen sporting some glittery sunglasses and John's red hair. "TaronEgerton stars in #Rocketman, an epic musical fantasy about the uncensored human story of Sir Elton John's breakthrough years. Experience it in theatres Summer 2019. pic.twitter.com/fwMMoGxSnb," reads a tweet on the site. Rocketman, first announced in 2011, is billed as a "larger than life movie musical spectacle that tells the story of a child prodigy turned music legend." Dexter Fletcher, who worked on the Eddie The Eagle biopic with Tom Egerton, will be directing. John will serve as an executive producer on the project and is planning to "re-record many of his iconic hits to parallel the emotional beats of the film." In other Elton-related news, the singer has just added 25 more North American dates to his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour, in September, October and November of 2019. John kicked off the tour on Sept. 8 in Allentown, Pa. On the tour, fans will get a unique glimpse into the personal meaning behind many of the Rocket Man's hits, with never-before-seen photos and videos displayed throughout the show to commemorate his 50-year career. The tour is currently scheduled to wrap on Nov. 16, 2019, in Long Island, N.Y. - NME/Billboard, 9/28/18...... The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco has overturned a 2016 jury verdict that found that Led Zeppelin did not steal any original music from "Taurus," an obscure 1968 instrumental by the Los Angeles band Spirit. "Taurus" was written by the late Spirit guitarist Randy Wolfe, better known as Randy California, whose trust brought the copyright infringement lawsuit. A trustee for Wolfe's estate claims Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant was inspired to write "Stairway to Heaven" after hearing Spirit perform "Taurus" while the bands toured together in 1968 and 1969, and that Wolfe never got any credit. The jury in the 2016 trial found that the two songs were not substantially similar, and supported the defendants' claim that Wolfe was a songwriter for hire who did not have a copyright claim, and that the opening of "Stairway" -- a descending chromatic four-chord progression -- is a common musical convention that did not deserve copyright protection. Now the federal appeals court panel that overturned the 2016 ruling held that parts of the jury instructions in that trial were erroneous and prejudicial, and that the first trial abused its discretion by not allowing recordings of "Taurus" to be played during the proceedings. Meanwhile, Led Zeppelin continues the celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2018 with the release of a new 50th Anniversary Interviews album, which is currently available for streaming on Spotify.com. The release is comprised of 34 new interview clips from the band's surviving members, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones who reflect on their career, as well as specific songs and albums. The band has also digitally released their recent Record Store Day single, which featured unreleased versions of both "Rock And Roll" and "Friends." - NBCNews.com/New Musical Express, 9/28/18...... Rod Stewart's 30th studio album, Blood Red Roses, hit stores on Sept. 28, and unlike his contemporaries Elton John, Bob Seger and Paul Simon, the 73-year-old Stewart says that he's "not even thinking" about retiring from live performing. "We have a concert in Budapest next week, and it can't come around quick enough. I'm anxious. I love it," Stewart told Billboard. "Elton, he's doing 300 shows and he'll still do the odd show here and there. All good things must end. Not for me, not yet. I'm not even thinking about it," he added. Rod says he's also started work on his next album, and "it will be totally different from the last three." - Billboard, 9/27/18...... The BeatlesElsewhere on the Fab Four front, the Beatles announced on Sept. 24 that they are releasing new versions of The Beatles (White Album) on Nov. 9 -- adding new 2018 mixes and a wealth of unreleased demos from the vaults to celebrate the original two-disc album's 50th anniversary of release in November, 1968. The mixes for the new packages were done by producer Giles Martin and mix engineer Sam Okell. The packages include a 3 CD edition, a 6 CD + Blu-ray deluxe edition, and a 4-LP vinyl edition. The Beatles, which was the first to be released on the Beatles' Apple label, was issued in stereo and mono in the U.K., but only stereo in the U.S., and had long been seen as the first glimpses of the Beatles as solo artists. - Billboard, 9/24/18...... In a short video posted on publisher Puffin Books' YouTube account on Sept. 27, Paul McCartney announced that he has written his first illustrated children's book, titled Hey Grandude. The book follows the adventures of a magical man named Grandude and his four grandchildren, who he calls "Chillers." McCartney says he originally got the idea for the book after one of his eight grandchildren began to refer to him as "Grandude," and the nickname stuck. "I wanted to write it for grandparents everywhere, so it gives them something to read to the grandkids at bedtime," he said. Hey Grandude, illustrated by Kathryn Durst, will be published by Puffin Books in Sept. 2019. Although the famous former Beatle co-wrote the 2005 children's book High in the Clouds with Philip Ardagh, Hey Grandude will be his first solo literary venture. - Billboard, 9/27/18...... Prince was posthumously awarded an honorary degree by the University of Minnesota on Sept. 26 to recognize his influence on music and his role in shaping his hometown of Minneapolis. A special ceremony on the campus featuring Prince music performed by the university's School of Music was held to award the degree. The university had been preparing to present it to Prince himself before his death in 2016. - AP, 9/26/18...... Barbara Streisand released her first song since 2005, "Don't Lie to Me," on Sept. 27. Inspired by the Donald Trump administration and today's political climate, its chorus says "How do you sleep and the world keeps turning? All that we built has come undone." The 76-year-old singer said she initially aimed to include "very subtle" references to Trump, but confessed "I just went ballistic" in writing the lyrics. "I just can't stand what's going on," Streisand says. "His assault on our democracy, our institutions, our founders -- I think we're in a fight... We're in a war for the soul of America," she added. "Don't Lie to Me," along with other politically-themed songs including "Imagine" and "What the World Needs Now," will be featured on Streisand's new 11-track album, Walls, which drops Nov. 2. - DailyMail.co.uk, 9/27/18...... The Eagles announced on Sept. 26 they'll release a new Legacy box set on Nov. 2 that will include all seven of the band's studio albums, three live albums, and a compilation of singles and B-sides. The 12-disc set also includes their Hell Freezes Over and Farewell Melbourne concert videos on DVD and Blu-ray, respectively. Another box set, a 15-LP vinyl package, will also be released including everything but the concert videos from the CD set. Both box sets -- which include a hard-cover book of photos, memorabilia and artwork too -- are set for release Nov. 2 via Rhino Entertainment, with the CD set available for $179.98 and the vinyl set for $349.98. Meanwhile, the Eagles are in the midst of a 2019 tour with co-founder Don Henley and longtime members Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit joined by country star Vince Gill and Glenn Frey's son Deacon Frey. It will wrap on Dec. 7 in Honolulu. The band has also announced a massive 2019 world tour that's set to kick off on May 26 in Antwerp, Belgium before heading across Europe. It will include six stops in the UK in June. - Billboard/NME, 9/26/18...... The 33rd FarmAid benefit concert was held on Sept. 22 in Hartford, Conn. Neil Young, one of the co-founders of the annual show, spoke about supporting family farms and independent small businesses between songs. "When you see a farmer's market, just stop and go in and get to know them and buy something. Buy something good. Don't buy the shit you get at Safeway. Buy something that's really safe. All the crap you get in these big stores is not good. It's got a lot of chemicals in it and it kills the earth," Young said. Young, a self-described Libertarian, said that he's "been called a lot of things by this dickhead in the White House, but I am a Canadian, and I love America. There's nothing here that needs to be made 'great again." Young founded Farm Aid in 1985 with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp. - Billboard, 9/25/18...... Nick MasonPink Floyd drummer Nick Mason returned to London's Roundhouse venue on Sept. 24 for a gig with his new band Saucerful of Secrets, over a half century since he first played there with Pink Floyd. Mason's group kicked off the set with "Interstellar Overdrive" and "Astronomy Domine," both from the band's 1967 debut The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn. Mason said that his new live project Saucerful of Secrets, named after Pink Floyd's 1968 album, was born after he had "finally given up waiting for that phone call from Roger [Waters] or David [Gilmour]," adding that he was "thrilled to be back at The Roundhouse." Other highlights included a searing "Lucifer Sam" and the visceral white noise rush of "Set The Controls For The Heart of the Sun," while early singles "See Emily Play" and "Arnold Layne" were reborn with a fresh intensity and power. Pink Floyd famously opened the venue on Oct. 15, 1966, performing alongside The Soft Machine at an "All Night Rave" to launch the underground newspaper International Times. It was attended by a who's who of countercultere '60s London, including Paul McCartney, Marianne Faithfull and Blow Up director Michelangelo Antonioni. Acid-laced sugar cubes were said to have been handed out at the door. - Billboard, 9/25/18...... Former Deep Purple bassist/singer Glenn Hughes will kick off his "Glenn Hughes Performs Classic Deep Purple Live" tour of Ireland and the UK on Sept. 29 in Belfast. It will be the first time ever that Hughes performs Deep Purple material in Ireland. After a Sept. 30 show in Dublin, Hughes then will continue on to the UK on Oct. 2 in Bristol with special guest Laurence Jones. Hughes' eleven-date tour will also visit Leamington (10/3), Southampton (10/5), Cardiff (10/6), Leeds (10/9), Newcastle (10/10), Glasgow (10/12) and Manchester (10/13) before wrapping at London's Electric Ballroom on Oct. 15. - Noble PR, 9/27/18...... The estate of late teen idol and country/rock singer Rick Nelson filed a class action lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment on Sept. 25 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging the label violates contractual agreements with its artists by assessing an intercompany charge on international streaming revenue that deprives artists of accurate royalties from foreign sales. The suit alleges that Sony underreports revenue generated by artists abroad by adding a charge on revenues collected by region-specific subsidiaries such as Sony Music UK and Sony Music Australia. The lawsuit asks the court for a jury trial with hopes to compel Sony to remove the intercompany charge for international sales and include 100 percent of income in the accounting. Nelson signed with CBS/Epic in 1976, four years after his last big hit -- the country rock classic "Garden Party." A year after signing with Epic he released Intakes, which sold poorly. A followup for the label was recorded in 1978, though the tracks were shelved until after his death in 1985. - Billboard, 9/26/18...... Adam Cohen, the son and producer of late Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Leonard Cohen, revealed on Sept. 28 that he's working to complete some of his dad's unfinished songs for a new album to be released sometime in 2019. "I was tasked with finishing a few more songs of his that we started together on the last album, so his voice is literally still in my life," Adam said in an interview with CBC q's Tom Power. "To make a long story short, I believe that there are some really beautiful new songs of Leonard Cohen that no one's heard that are at some point going to come out," he added. Adam Cohen will also be releasing The Flame, a book of Leonard Cohen's unpublished poems, on Oct. 2. Leonard Cohen passed away in 2016 at the age of 82. - Billboard, 9/28/18...... Debbie HarryBlondie announced on Sept. 24 that they'll be playing two nights in Cuba next March as part of a four-day cultural exchange program. Blondie will play two concerts during their March 14-18 visit in Havana, which will also feature Cuban musicians Alain Perez, David Torrens and Sintesis. The program, in which fans can also come along, will also include visits to Cuban museums and cultural institutions, studios and galleries and photography and architecture tours. Pricing for the trip, which includes a hotel reservation, ranges from $2,700 to $5,600. Blondie drummer Clem Burke says the band has been experimenting with Caribbean sounds for years on songs like, "Rapture" and "The Tide Is High" and they've always loved Cuban music. - AP, 9/24/18...... Ventura County, Calif. detectives were called to the Malibu mansion of Cher on Sept. 27 to execute a search warrant a man related to a recent drug overdose that occurred in Thousand Oaks, Calif. The man is reportedly 23-year-old Donovan Ruiz, who is Cher's assistant's son. Ruiz was reportedly arrested for a felony for supplying narcotics to someone who died. Cher was not home during the incident, as she is in the midst of her international tour. Her next show is scheduled for Brisbane, Australia on Sept. 28. Meanwhile, during a recent appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Cher revealed that she would like to collaborate with Adele and Pink, but "not Madonna." Cher has expressed her disdain for Madonna since the 1990s, saying that while she respected Madonna's music and business-savvy approach to the industry, she found her to be "mean," "spoiled" and "a bitch." - Billboard, 9/27/18...... Appearing on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on Sept. 27, former Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson was asked about her brief love triangle with Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley. "Billy and I were living together in Central Park West, we were friendly. I think he was dating Christie at the time, just starting to. I got ousted," Macpherson said. Host Andy Cohen also questioned Elle over the rumour that Joel's 1983 song "Uptown Girl" was about her. But the blonde beauty insisted that the hit tune was inspired by a variety of women. "I think it's (about) all the uptown girls, put it that way. I don't need to take any ownership over that. He liked tall girls," the 54-year-old Macpherson mused. Joel and his second wife Brinkley were married from 1985 until 1994, with the pop star currently wed to his fourth wife, Alexis Roderick. - WENN/Canoe.com, 9/28/18...... Bill CosbyActor/comic Bill Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in state prison on Sept. 25 for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his Philadelphia home in 2004. Cosby, 81, was sentenced to "total confinement" by Judge Steven O'Neill, five months after his conviction in the first celebrity trial of the #MeToo era. Ahead of the sentencing, O'Neill ruled that Cosby is a "sexually violent predator." The classification means that Cosby must undergo monthly counseling for the rest of his life and report quarterly to authorities. His name will appear on a sex-offender registry sent to neighbors, schools and victims. Cosby, who was once known as "America's Dad" for his role as Dr. Cliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show, was facing anywhere from probation to 10 years in prison after being convicted in April. His lawyers had asked for house arrest, saying 81-year-old Cosby -- who is legally blind -- is too old and helpless to do time in prison. Prosecutors asked for five to 10 years behind bars, saying the TV icon could still be a threat to women. Cosby's publicist, Andrew Wyatt, denounced the outcome in a statement outside court, calling it "the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the United States." Cosby became the first black actor to star in a primetime TV show, I Spy, in 1965. He remained a Hollywood A-lister for much of the next half-century. - AP, 9/25/18...... Film producer Gary Kurtz, one of the major forces in the creation of the Star Wars movies, has passed away at age 78 from cancer. Kurtz was a hands-on producer for 1977's Star Wars, shepherding George Lucas' pet project from Flash Gordon-knockoff to problematic production to unprecedented sci-fi phenomenon. The film went on to become the highest-grossing movie of all-time, and set the pace for many of the studio blockbusters that followed. Kurtz was also involved to a greater extent in the follow up, 1980's The Empire Strikes Back, serving as both producer and second unit director under director Irvin Kershner in the absence of Lucas, who was busy building up his Lucasfilm empire. Kurtz and Lucas first partnered on 1973's seminal teen comedy American Graffiti, which revolutionized the use of music and cross-cutting of stories in film, and helped launch the acting careers of Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard and Harrison Ford. Kurtz also produced Monte Hellman's 1971 cult classic racing movie Two-Lane Blacktop, starring singer James Taylor. - ComingSoon.net, 9/25/18...... Actress Laurie Mitchell, who portrayed the villainess who faces off against Zsa Zsa Gabor on the planet Venus in the campy 1958 sci-fi classic Queen of Outer Space, died on Sept. 20 of natural causes at a long-term care facility in Perris, Calif. She was 90. Ms. Mitchell played a man-hating queen whose face is hidden by a glittery mask in Queen of Outer Space, which became a fan favorite at film festivals, and she participated in autograph shows for the movie for the rest of her life. Ms. Mitchell also worked alongside Marilyn Monroe as a member of Sweet Sue's band in Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot, (1959), which, she once said was "the most thrilling experience of my show business career." - The Hollywood Reporter, 9/24/18.

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on September 24th, 2018



Detroit's Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the same museum that hosted Aretha Franklin's public visitations after her death, will debut an exhibit honoring her legacy on Sept. 25. Billed as a "tribute to the Queen of Soul," the exhibit will feature photographs, videos and the red shoes she wore at the first funeral viewing that drew global attention. Images and artifacts that span her life, including a photo of her birth home in Memphis, Tenn., a framed copy of the first record she cut in her longtime home of Detroit, and a close-up shot of her singing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" at Pres. Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration, will be on display. Museum officials say the show, which will run through Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 21) in 2019, is a prelude to a larger, long-term exhibit that could debut later in 2019, or early 2020, which could evolve into a permanent museum honoring Franklin and her family. Museum officials say their museum takes great pride in hosting the Franklin exhibit, as well as maintaining a connection with Franklin, who died Aug. 16 at 76. They say roughly 31,000 people came through to pay their final respects to her during the Aug. 29-30 visitation period. - AP, 9/23/18...... Paul SimonPaul Simon wrapped his "Homeward Bound - The Farewell Tour" on Sept. 22 in Queens' Flushing Meadows Corona Park with his last-ever live show that included such solo hits as "Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War," "Kodachrome," "Late In the Evening" and "Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard," as well as Simon & Garfunkel classics as "America" and "The Sound of Silence." Telling the crowd that he wanted to "play a quick game of catch," Simon picked up a glove and threw a baseball into the crowd no less than three times, with lucky audience members tasked with tossing it back to him. During "Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard," Simon trotted out his wife, Edie Brickell, to take care of that tune's iconic whistling section, and the crowd whooped with glee to hear Simon sing about "Rosie queen of Corona" in Corona Park. He brought the two-and-a-half-hour show to a close with a hushed performance of "Sound of Silence. - Billboard, 9/23/18...... In a new interview with Canada's Radio X, Paul McCartney revealed that a "new version" of the 1970 Beatles film Let It Be is in the works for a special anniversary re-release in 2020. "We keep talking about [a re-release]," Paul said. "We have meetings at Apple, you know, the original Beatles Apple. And it's one of the things you never quite know what's gonna happen with it. So there's no [definite] story at the moment. But I keep saying 'what's gonna happen?', because people ask about it." McCartney continued: "I think there may be a new version of it. That's kind of the latest gossip. There's a lot of footage, and the original movie came out, and it was really sort of about the break-up of The Beatles. And so for me, it was a little sad, the movie. But I know people have been looking at the [unreleased] footage; there's about 56 hours of footage. And someone was talking to me the other day and said: 'The overall feeling is very joyous and very uplifting. It's like a bunch of guys making music and enjoying it', you know. So I think there is some talk about making a new movie, re-editing it from the same period, from the same footage. We can make a new film out of it. So who knows, that may be happening in a year or two." Capturing the making of what turned out to be the Beatles' final studio album, Let It Be was originally released in 1970 and has not officially been available to purchase in any format since the 1980s. Plans for a DVD re-release of the film were shelved in 2008 following a request from McCartney and Ringo Starr. - New Musical Express, 9/19/18...... In other McCartney news, the music legend has reacted to his latest album, Egypt Station, reaching No. 1 in the US on the Billboard Hot 200 chart. "You know, it feels really great," Sir Paul told Billboard, "'Cause you can't get much higher than No. 1, you know? It really feels great. We put a lot of really hard work into it. Me and all the guys on the team. Greg Kurstin, Ryan Tedder, all our engineers. We've got a great little team. Everyone really worked hard. We put our heart and soul into it. 'Cause we really wanted to make something that was worthwhile, you know, that we could be proud of. So it's just great that it's actually got the results." - Billboard, 9/19/18...... Meanwhile in other Beatles-related news, previously unseen raw footage of John Lennon and George Harrison during an intimate recording of Lennon's "How Do You Sleep" was posted on the internet on Sept. 21. Recorded in Ascot, England, the video shows Harrison playing on Lennon's blue guitar along with longtime friend Klaus Voormann on bass, Alan White on drums, Rod Lynton and Ted Turner on acoustic guitars, and a few other listeners present. The lyrics of "How Do You Sleep," originally released in 1971 on Lennon's Imagine album, were directed at John's former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney following the band's break-up the previous year. "How Do You Sleep?" (Takes 5 & 6, Raw Studio Mix Out-take) will appear on the upcoming six-disc album set Imagine: The Ultimate Collection which will be available on Oct 5. - Billboard, 9/21/18...... Dickey BettsAllman Brothers Band founding member Dickey Betts has undergone successful surgery after what was described as a "freak" accident on Sept. 17 in which he slipped and hit his head while playing with his dog in Florida. According to posts on Betts' social media accounts, the "Blue Sky" singer-songwriter was in his backyard in Little Sarasota Bay, Fla., playing with the family dog when he "slipped and cracked his head," which caused "bleeding from the brain." Betts was then transported to an undisclosed local hospital, where he was reported to be "in critical but stable condition." Betts' wife Donna posted that "The family appreciates all of your thoughts and prayers during this very trying time... Dickey is a notorious fighter and he is displaying that now!" It was only in August when the 74-year-old musician suffered a "mild stroke" at his home and had to cancel upcoming tour dates. He had been responding well to his treatment, his longtime friend and manager David Spero said, but with his latest health concern, a slate of upcoming November shows are canceled. "It is very unfortunate, for all involved, that we need to cancel those shows," Spero said in a statement. "Please add Dickey into your thoughts and prayers." Betts, who was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame with the Allman Brothers back in 1995, currently tours with the Dickey Betts Band, whose lineup features his son Duane Betts on guitar. - AP/Billboard, 9/22/18...... The legal battle between Ozzy Osbourne and concert promoter AEG came to a close on Sept. 21 after lawyers representing Osbourne agreed to drop a lawsuit against AEG after company officials announced plans to end its policy requiring acts that wanted to play the O2 Arena in London to also play Staples Center in Los Angeles. Ozzy's attorney Dan Wall filed a stipulation to dismiss the case before U.S. District Court Judge Dale Fischer, a procedural move that brings an end to the anti-trust lawsuit filed in March against AEG. The case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning Osbourne can't refile the lawsuit. "Sharon and Ozzy are pleased, there is nothing left to litigate," Wall said. - Billboard, 9/22/18...... Cher released her cover of the iconic ABBA song "One of Us" on Sept. 21, marking the third and final single to come off of Cher's new ABBA-based album Dancing Queen. While the original song is filled with funky melodies and rhythms to mix up the depressing lyrics, Cher trades them in for a piano and a few violins, making the already-melancholy song a bonafide heart-wrencher. Dancing Queen will drop on Sept. 28, and Cher has announced plans to tour behind the album via her new "Here We Go Again" tour, in which she will cover ABBA classics as well as some of her own best-known songs. - Billboard, 9/21/18...... Elton John announced on Sept.21 that his Rocket Entertainment company has struck a long-term partnership with Universal Music that will cover his recorded music, music publishing, merchandise, brand management and licensing rights for the rest of his career. The pact ensures that not only is all of John's voluminous catalog under one roof, but so are his future recordings. John has been signed to companies now under UMG's umbrella for his five-decade recording career. David Furnish, John's husband, became Rocket Entertainment CEO in 2015, with an eye toward growing John's presence on streaming services and social media, as well as enhancing his touring, branding and licensing. John is expected to release new music under the deal. His last studio album, Wonderful Crazy Night, came out in 2016. Earlier in 2018, Revamp, a pop collection of John/Bernie Taupin covers came out, as did a companion country album of covers, Restoration. Paramount will release Rocketman, a biopic based on John's life, in May 2019. - Billboard, 9/21/18...... In other Elton news, John and partner David Furnish have won a libel judgement against a UK media company that owns the tabloid The Sun over a story in February that claimed the couple's dog severely injured a child while on a play date and inflicted "Freddy Krueger-like injuries" -- a reference to the violent character in the Nightmare on Elm Street. The couple were not at London's High Court on Sept. 21 but their lawyer, Jenny Afia, says the allegation was false and that NGN agreed to apologize and to pay "significant damages as well as to reimburse their legal costs." - AP, 9/21/18...... The Rolling Stones' classic track "She's a Rainbow" has entered the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart after being featured in an Acura car commercial. "She's a Rainbow," from the band's 1967 album Their Satanic Majesties, made its maiden appearance on the chart for the week ending Sept. 13, with a boost of 274 percent in sales (to 6,000) and 138 percent in streams (to 366,000). Meanwhile, a cover of the Simon & Garfunkel standard "The Sound of Silence" by the band Disturbed has re-entered the same chart thanks to the recirculation of a 9/11 tribute video (originally uploaded in 2016) featuring the song. Disturbed's "Sound of Silence" re-entered at No. 9 for its 54th total week on the tally since its September 2015 debut; it peaked at No. 3 in April 2016. Also experiencing a boost in streaming is Earth, Wind & Fire's "September," which every year has a hefty streaming spike when September rolls around. In 2017, "September" saw a 286 percent increase in views on YouTube compared to its annual daily average. While the whole month of September is generally good for the track, the month also sees an annual spike in views for the band's "September" video. Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, the EWF "September" video should expect another surge on top of its over 225 million views to date. - Billboard, 9/20/18...... Bob DylanBob Dylan has announced he will release the latest album in his extensive bootleg series, More Tracks, More Blood - Volume 14, on Nov. 2. The 6-disc collection will include everything from the first recording session of his 1975 album, Blood on the Tracks, and will also be released as a condensed single CD and a double LP set. The deluxe edition will include every recording from the famed "New York Sessions," including studio commentary, and the most basic versions of hits like "Tangled Up in Blue," and "Idiot Wind," both of which appeared in their final form on Blood on the Tracks. The deluxe version will also include a replica of one of Dylan's notebooks from his golden era. - Billboard, 9/20/18...... The third single from Tom Petty's forthcoming box set An American Treasure, "Gainesville," has been released ahead of the set's Sept. 28 release. "Gainesville," a 1998 recording, pays homage to Petty's hometown and is a previously unreleased track from Petty's Echo recording sessions. An American Treasure will include 60 tracks over four CDs, including never-before-heard tracks, live performances, alternate versions of songs and much more. - Billboard, 9/20/18...... '70s soul singer Gladys Knight will be among the headliners at the 2018 Carousel of Hope Ball on Oct. 6 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. The biennial event, which benefits the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes and programs run by the Children's Diabetes Foundation, has raised more than $110 million since its 1977 inception. Past performers include Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Smokey Robinson, Sting and Whitney Houston. - Billboard, 9/20/18...... Stevie Wonder has grossed $4.2 million in August from seven shows at MGM-owned venues in Las Vegas and Oxon, Md., giving him a No. 3 position in the Billboard Hot Tours roundup dated Sept. 22. Wonder's shows mark a return to the road for the elusive Motown legend. Despite being wildly prolific throughout his career, Wonder has only toured once this decade, on the 2014-2015 trek celebrating his Grammy-winning 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life. - Billboard, 9/20/18...... The Beach Boys' lead singer Mike Love will release a Christmas album, Reason for the Season, on Oct. 26. The album will feature a 12-track mix of original holiday songs and Christmas classics, including "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" and "Little St. Nick," which the Beach Boys recorded back in 1964. Love and the Beach Boys will embark on a 22-city U.S. holiday tour on Nov. 16. - Billboard, 9/20/18...... In related news, Star Trek actor William Shatner has announced he will release his very first Christmas LP, Shatner Claus - The Christmas Album, in October. The album will feature an eclectic group of contributors including Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Judy Collins and more covering such yuletide classics as "Silent Night," "Jingle Bells," "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "White Christmas," respectively. - New Musical Express, 9/20/18...... Appearing on NBC's America's Got Talent on Sept. 19, KISS announced they will launch an "End Of The Road" farewell tour in the coming months. Dates have yet to be announced, but the band's website will have more information in the weeks to come. The multi-year stint will give fans one last opportunity to witness the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees' famous explosive live shows. "All that we have built and all that we have conquered over the past four decades could never have happened without the millions of people worldwide who've filled clubs, arenas and stadiums over those years," KISS said in a statement. "This will be the ultimate celebration for those who've seen us and a last chance for those who haven't. KISS Army, we're saying goodbye on our final tour with our biggest show yet and we'll go out the same way we came in... unapologetic and unstoppable." - Billboard, 9/19/18...... Burt ReynoldsAbout 80 of Burt Reynolds' friends and relatives, including his former wife Loni Anderson, shared memories of the late actor at a private memorial service in North Palm Beach, Fla., on Sept. 20. Anderson, who had a famously difficult divorce from Reynolds, shared fond memories of their time together, calling their son their "greatest collaboration." The couple's son, Quinton Anderson Reynolds, was also among the speakers at the service at Quattlebaum Funeral Home. Bobby Bowden, former football coach at Florida State University, where Reynolds was a player, opened the service with a prayer and stories from the actor's life. Reynolds died at age 82 on Sept. 6, and, according to a death certificate issued Sept. 10 that was obtained by Entertainment Tonight, he was cremated. No cause of death has been revealed. - AP, 9/21/18...... Nashville's legendary Grand Ole Opry will host a tribute concert to Ray Charles on Oct. 8. Hosted by Opry member Darius Rucker and featuring Boyz II Men, Cam, Brett Eldredge, Leela James, Lukas Nelson, Allen Stone, Travis Tritt and Chris Young, the concert will pay homage to to the iconic R&B artist, airing on PBS in November. The PBS special will also feature behind-the-scenes footage, a visit to the Ray Charles Library and rare video of the legendary artist, courtesy of the Ray Charles Foundation. - Billboard, 9/19/18...... One of James Brown's daughters, Venisha Brown, died on Sept. 19 at AU Health Medical Center in Augusta, Ga., due to complications from pneumonia. She was 53 years old. A songwriter and musician, Brown was active in the James Brown Family Foundation and is remembered as "one who fully embodied the dance moves of her father," who died on Christmas Day 2006. The foundation says Brown's family thanks everyone for their "prayers and telephone calls" but asked for privacy. - AP, 9/20/18.

A restored version of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's 1972 film Imagine began a one-off and limited-run of theater screenings worldwide on Sept. 17. The film has been restored, remixed and remastered with Ono serving as producer and creative director. Eagle Vision is pairing Imagine and another restored John and Yoko film, Gimme Some Truth, for release on DVD and Blu-ray on Oct. 5, the same day the six-disc box set, Imagine: The Ultimate Collection, drops. Paul Hicks, who remixed and remastered the soundtrack, won Grammys for his work on The Beatles Box Set and The Beatles' Love, and recommends people see it at the cinema for optimal audio and visual experience. He added the restoration of Imagine, which was originally made for TV and then did a theatrical run in America and the U.K., took eight years. - Billboard, 9/17/18............................ Ace FrehleyPeter CrissPaul StanleyGene SimmonsKiss announced on Sept. 18 that they'll celebrate their heady days of the '70s by reissuing their 1978 eponymous solo albums from all four members -- singer/guitarist Paul Stanley, bassist/singer Gene Simmons, drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley -- as a lavish box set on Oct. 19, exactly 40 years after they were released in 1978. Kiss: The Solo Albums -- 40th Anniversary Collection will be a limited-edition, 180-gram 4-LP box set from Casablanca/UMe with only 2,500 copies available. Simmons' album will be pressed on red vinyl, Stanley's purple, Frehley's blue and Criss' green, and all four packaged in a deluxe black-matte slipcase with glossy black images of each member's face surrounded by the band's iconic logo. The set will also include four 12x12-inch posters of each album cover and an exclusive turntable slipmat with the four Eraldo Carugati-painted album cover images from the originals. Meanwhile, Kiss will open the two-hour season finale of NBC's America's Got Talent series on Sept. 19. at 8 p.m. ET. America's Got Talent is currently in its 13th season, and 10 finalists will vie for the grand prize. - Billboard, 9/18/18...... As expected, Paul McCartney has achieved his first No. 1 album on Billboard's Hot 200 LP chart in over 36 years with his new album Egypt Station. Released via MPL/Capitol on Sept. 7, Egypt Station bowed with a larger-than-expected 153,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Sept. 13 according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 147,000 were in traditional album sales (his largest sales week for an album in over 10 years). Egypt Station is Sir Paul's eighth No. 1 on the chart, his last being a 3-week consecutive run in 1982 with Tug of War. The gap between those two albums gives Macca another record -- for the longest gap between No. 1's for a living artist in the history of the Billboard 200 chart. Egypt Station is also McCartney's first album ever to debut at No. 1 -- he had previously logged a pair of No. 2-debuting sets with 1997's Flaming Pie and 2001's Wingspan: Hits and History. Paul has also released a new video for one of Egypt Station's tracks, "Back In Brazil." The beautifully shot clip, which tells a tropical love story, follows its main character, Yasmin, in So Paulo, Brazil, as she goes about her day in the city streets, meets a man named Zach, falls in love, and more, mirroring the events in McCartney's lyrics. Meanwhile, the Spotify.com streaming site is prepping the release of "Paul McCartney & Spotify Singles: Under The Staircase," a playlist of exclusive audio and video recordings captured at one of McCartney's gigs at the famed Abbey Road Studios this past summer, at which he previewed tracks from Egypt Station. Spotify hosted McCartney at the intimate gig at Abbey Road's iconic Studio 2, where many of the Beatles' classic tracks were recorded. The session -- which was overseen by producer Giles Martin (son of "the fifth Beatle" Sir George Martin) -- featured many iconic tracks from the Beatles and Wings, as well songs from Egypt Station. Participating in an interview with New Musical Express on Sept. 16, Sir Paul was asked whether he's ever thought about playing a Beatles album in full on tour. "No," he replied. "I think that's kind of a cool idea but I'm not tempted at all to do that. It'd be too limiting. It's the kind of thing other people do, and I wish them well with it, but to me if I'm doing one album and 'Hey Jude' isn't on it, and I'm in a crowd of 40,000 people, I'm going to want to do 'Hey Jude' because it brings people together." - Billboard/New Musical Express, 9/16/18...... In other Beatles-related news, Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band headlined a two-hour show at New York's iconic Radio City Music Hall on Sept. 13. Audience members, who spanned three generations, may have come to be in the presence of a Beatle, but they also shared flashbacks of early MTV with such hits as Men At Work's "Down Under" and Toto's "Africa" and cheered on the old Santana jams "Black Magic Woman" and "Oye Como Va," courtesy of current All Starr Band contributors Colin Hay, Steve Lukather and Gregg Rolie, respectively. Ringo, 78, closed the show with his signature song, the Lennon-McCartney composed "With a Little Help from My Friends." He didn't need to introduce it, and hardly needed to sing it. He held out the microphone to the crowd and everyone seemed to join in. - AP, 9/14/18...... On Sept. 18 Bob Seger announced what he says will be the "final" outing with his Silver Bullet Band. Sixteen dates have already been announced as makeups for shows from his 2017 "Runaway Train Tour" which were postponed due to Seger's spinal surgery, while an additional 10 concerts have been announced, including the tour opener Nov. 21 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Dates are currently booked on his upcoming "Travelin' Man Tour" through May 2, 2019, and more shows will be announced in the coming weeks for Las Vegas, San Diego, Vancouver, cities in Florida, Fresno, Calif., and more. Seger has been entertaining the possibility of quitting touring for over 30, saying in 2014 that "The big deciding factor for whether I leave or don't leave is my voice, whether it holds up... I just want to be graceful about it, you know what I mean? I don't want to stay too long, that's all. So we'll see." - Billboard, 9/18/18...... Ringo StarrAs the family, former bandmates and friends of Tom Petty prepare to release a new 60-track Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers collection An American Treasure on Sept. 28, Petty's widow Dana says, "It was very emotional, and, especially at first, hearing the songs was brutal. But music is healing; it got easier. It felt like Tommy would be so proud of this." It took Dana, Petty's daughter Adria, Heartbreakers bandmates Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, and producer Ryan Ulyate roughly seven months to assemble the rarities, unreleased songs and live renditions. Dana says that "there's so much more in the vault, so much more that we tried to put on this record, that everyone needs to hear... I just don't want them to think we're greedy, because it's not about the money -- it's about getting the stuff out there for the world to love." - Billboard, 9/17/18...... Also due on Sept. 28 is a tribute to the legendary FAME Studio and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Muscle Shoals, Ala., which hosted greats like Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan and Etta James. Small Town, Big Sound is a 16-track set featuring the likes of Steven Tyler, Michael McDonald, Vince Gill, Chris Stapleton and Grace Potter, who were among the 22 artists who visited the 16.5-square-mile town to rerecord classics originally tracked at the two studios. - Billboard, 9/17/18...... Hitting stores on Nov. 9 will be a 50th anniversary box set of Jimi Hendrix's classic album Electric Ladyland. Electric Ladyland - 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition arrives 18 days before the late guitar god would have celebrated his 76th birthday and in addition to the original double album includes Electric Ladyland: The Early Takes, which gives fans a look into demos and studio outtakes from the recording period. The new deluxe edition will also give listeners a new 5.1 surround sound mix of the entire original album by Hendrix's original engineer, Eddie Kramer. The release also includes a full color, 48-page book that contains Hendrix's handwritten lyrics, poem and instructions to his record label, and never before published photos from the recording sessions shot by Kramer. - Billboard, 9/14/18...... Willie Nelson and friends' annual Farm Aid benefit bash is set for Sept. 22 in Hartford, Conn. "The crisis farmers are in now is even worse than 1985, because there are fewer farms left to lose," says John Mellencamp, co-founder of Farm Aid. "They have a whole system stacked against them. The crisis farmers are in now is even worse than 1985, because there are fewer farms left to lose. They have a whole system stacked against them, and time is running out for Americans to demand a fairer playing field. Farm Aid 2018 has to be a rallying cry for all of us to stand up and fight for these families," he added. At Hartford's Xfinity Theatre, the headlining foursome of Nelson, Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews will be joined by Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Kacey Musgraves, Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Jamey Johnson, Ian Mellencamp and Particle Kid to raise funds during the 33rd annual show for what Mellencamp says is "the most crucial benefit concert in a generation." - Billboard, 9/18/18...... Rod Stewart has just announced dates for his forthcoming 2019 UK tour. Stewart will kick off the 7-city jaunt on May 31 in Southampton, also hitting York (6/1), Milton (6/4), Ipswich (6/7), Wolverhampton (6/8), Aberdeen (6/12) and Bolton (6/14). He'll be supporting his upcoming album Blood Red Roses, which drops on Sept. 28. Stewart's UK tour is his first in three years there, following sold out runs with his "Hits" stadium tour and the arena tour "From Gasoline Alley to Another Country Hits." - New Musical Express, 9/15/18...... Joey RamoneArriving on Sept. 21 will be a reissue of The Ramones' 1978 LP Road to Ruin from Rhino Records featuring a new version of the punk icons' song "Don't Come Close." Not only does Road contain one of the NYC quartet's most enduring street hits "I Wanna Be Sedated," the original 12-track mix also featured maneuvers that were aimed directly at attaining the group more radio airplay. Road To Ruin - 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition contains two different mixes of the album, unissued rough mixes for every album track, and an unreleased 1979 Ramones concert in New York. - Billboard, 9/18/18...... A rep for The Rascals guitarist Gene Cornish said on Sept. 13 that the musician is recovering at home after being implanted with a pacemaker. Cornish, 74, collapsed onstage in Billings, Montana, on Sept. 7 while performing with keyboardist Felix Cavaliere and guest drummer Carmine Appice. The rep says Cornish, who suffered a heart arrythmia, has been cleared by doctors to start his rehabilitation and resume performances in October. The musician said in the statement he was grateful for the two nurses in attendance who came to his aid, along with others. - AP, 9/13/18...... The Memphis Music Hall of Fame announced on Sept. 13 that its Class of 2018 class will include the late soul songstress Aretha Franklin, the '60s rock/soul group The Box Tops, gospel artist O'Landa Draper, R&B singer-songwriter Eddie Floyd, and rockabilly pioneers The Rock and Roll Trio. Others being inducted include Memphis rappers 8Ball & MJG and George Klein, a radio personality and close friend of Elvis Presley. The Memphis MHOF will hold its induction ceremony on Nov. 1. - AP, 9/13/18...... As Fleetwood Mac gears up for the Oct. 3 launch of its "An Evening with Fleetwood Mac" tour, co-founding member Mick Fleetwood says that "change is not an unfamiliar thing in Fleetwood Mac." "Every man and woman in Fleetwood Mac wish Lindsey [Buckingham] well in any ventures he's doing and also have a huge respect for what he did with Fleetwood Mac," says Fleetwood about the recent departure of its longtime guitarist/vocalist. "Having said that, it wasn't working for us and we made the decision as a band to continue, and that's what we've done with open heart," Fleetwood says. "We've found two unbelievably talented gentlemen that have more than their own story to tell -- which, by the way, is what's made this work. They're stylists, and they have their own integrity as artists, which I think was a huge help in what we're doing," he adds. Joining Fleetwood, bassist John McVie, singer Stevie Nicks and singer-keyboardist Christine McVie on the upcoming trek will be Split Enz/Crowded House veteran Neil Finn and Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell in his first public endeavor since Tom Petty's death last Oct. 2. The tour kicks off on Oct. 3 in Tulsa, Okla. - Billboard, 9/13/18...... Cher has revealed in a new interview that her dyslexia once led to a bizarre fling with actor Tom Cruise, and that Cruise was one of her best lovers and they are still friends today. Cher says two stars first met at Sean Penn and Madonna's wedding in Malibu back in 1985, when Cruise was only 22 but already a star through his movie Risky Business. Cher, then 38, says she re-united with Cruise after the pair were invited to Ronald Reagan's White House with other fellow dyslexia victims. "Then a bunch of people who were dyslexic were invited to the White House, and Tom and I are both dyslexic," Cher revealed. And although the sparks didn't fly immediately the couple did later become an item. "No, no, no, we didn't go out till way later, but there definitely was a connection there," she said. Cher claims that she is currently single but is still on good time with most of her former lovers, who include Val Kilmer, David Geffen, Richie Sambora and Rob Camilletti. And she remains hopeful of finding love in the future. "I'm still on the lookout," she said. Cher will release her new ABBA-themed album, Dancing Queen, on Sept. 28. - American Media, Inc., 9/17/18...... Gilda RadnerIn theaters on Sept. 21, Love, Gilda is a heartfelt new documentary tracking the rise of legendary comic Gilda Radner from underground sensation to whirlwind star of Saturday Night Live to the coda of her life: a tragic battle with ovarian cancer, which she succumbed to in 1989. The Lisa D'Apolito-directed film's most touching storytelling tool -- stars like Amy Poehler and Melissa McCarthy reading the late comedian's personal diary entities -- will leave you wanting more... but then again, so did Radner's radiant and all-too-short career. - Entertainment Weekly, 9/21/18...... It has been revealed that actor Burt Reynolds, who died on Sept. 6 of cardiac arrest, excluded his only son Quinton Reynolds from his will, but not because he wanted to disinherit him. Burt's will specifically says that 30-year-old Quinton is intentionally omitted from the will, however it adds that Burt created a trust years ago for Quinton's benefit and the money from the trust will continue to go to Quinton. This is typically done to avoid estate taxes. It appears all of Burt's assets are in the trust, so the will is effectively a hollow document, providing that all assets not accounted for in the trust will funnel to it. - TMZ.com, 9/17/18...... Actor Peter Donat, whose long career spanned roles on Broadway, television and in films, died on Sept. 10 at home in Point Reyes Station, Calif. from complications of diabetes, according to his wife. He was 90. The Canadian-born character actor was best known for his role in six episodes of TV's The X Files, where he recurred as Agent Fox Mulder's father. Mr. Donat was a frequent presence on such TV series as The F.B.I., Hawaii Five-O, Mannix, McMillan & Wife, Hill Street Blues and Murder, She Wrote. One well-received television role came on the original Dallas as the doctor treating J. R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) after he had been shot in one of TV's most famous cliffhangers. Other roles include the lawyer in The Godfather Part II (1974) and as US Attorney Otto Kerner in the film Tucker: The Man and His Dream. - Deadline.com, 9/15/18.

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on September 14th, 2018



The Kinks co-founding member Dave Davies announced on Sept. 13 that he'll release Decade, an archival collection of 13 previously unheard solo tracks from 1971 to 1979, on Oct. 12. According to a press release from Davies, Decade's songs were found "under beds, in attics and in storage." Davies recorded the songs in the Kinks' own recording studio, Konk, during downtime between touring and recording sessions. His sons, Simon and Martin, unearthed, mixed and mastered the project. Meanwhile, Dave says the Kinks "have a couple of songs" for a Kinks reunion album that was announced earlier in 2018. "[My brother] Ray [Davies]'s got some tapes similar to Decade that we can work on, maybe, and do some new stuff. It'd be great." Dave says his relationship with Ray has "been much better over the last couple of years." "You have to realize, through all this history between me and Ray, we both really like to express what we want to do. Strong opinions. So that's where we've clashed, but also where we've met. It's interesting. We'll see," he said. - Billboard, 9/13/18...... Al GreenOne week after joining Twitter on Sept. 4, soul icon Al Green has released his first single in a decade, a cover of Freddy Fender's "Before the Next Teardrop Falls." The single was issued exclusively on Amazon Music as part of its "Produced By" series, which pairs producers with a collection of some of today's top artists across various genres. Green worked on the track with Memphis-based producer Matt Ross-Spang, who says the song "follows in the footsteps of [Green's producer] Willie [Mitchell] and Al reinterpreting country songs like 'For the Good Times' and 'Funny How Time Slips Away.' I still can't believe we actually got to do it!" - Billboard, 9/13/18...... Willie Nelson announced on Sept. 12 that he'll be headlining a rally in Austin on Sept. 29 for his fellow Texan and rising Democratic political star, Beto O'Rourke. The event, which takes place at Auditorium Shores, will also feature Joe Ely, Carrie Rodriguez, Tameca Jones, and Nelson's sons Lukas Nelson and Micah Nelson. O'Rourke, who is currently in a hotly contested senatorial race with incumbent Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, is also expected to speak at the rally, which is open to the public but requires registration online. This summer, Nelson invited O'Rourke onstage at his annual 4th of July Picnic to play guitar together for renditions of "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die" and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." - Billboard, 9/12/18...... In other country-related news, Dolly Parton has composed the soundtrack to the new Netflix film Dumplin', about a plus-size teenage daughter of a former beauty queen who adores Parton and her music. Adapted from the book by Julie Murphy, the film features collaborations and original music from Parton. "Here I Am," the debut track from the soundtrack performed by Parton and Sia, is currently available for download and streaming. Parton says she penned and recorded the song originally for her classic 1971 LP, Coat of Many Colors. The Dumplin' soundtrack features some of Dolly's most popular songs, in addition to six new original compositions co-written by Parton and Grammy nominee Linda Perry. Netflix will air Dumplin', which stars Jennifer Aniston and Danielle Macdonald, later in 2018 in the U.S. and select international territories, while the film will also be released in select theaters in the U.S. - Billboard, 9/12/18...... Billboard is reporting that SiriusXM radio will launch a limited-run Rod Stewart radio channel on Sept. 20, eight days before Stewart releases his latest studio album, Blood Red Roses. "Rod Stewart Radio," on Channel 30, will feature music from throughout Stewart's five-decade spanning musical career, including his early days in the Jeff Beck Group and the Faces up to previews of tracks on the new album. The channel will run through Sept. 30. - Billboard, 9/12/18...... In a new interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Ozzy Osbourne says that he "didn't have a great time" on Black Sabbath's final tour in 2017. "I spent nine or 10 years in Sabbath, but I'd been away from them for over 30 years. With them, I'm just a singer. With me, I get to do what I want to do. I was getting bad vibes from them for being Ozzy. I don't know, what the f--k else can I be?," Ozzy explained. Black Sabbath played their final show at Birmingham's Genting Arena on Feb. 4, 2017, where they bowed out with closing song "Paranoid," taken from the 1970 album of the same name. Osbourne added that he was not retiring altogether, despite the name of his current "No More Tours" tour. "What I'm stopping is doing what I'm doing now, going around the world all the time," he said. "I wish people would understand I'm not retiring. Is it my bad English accent? It's called the 'No More Tours' tour. It doesn't say 'No more tours ever.'" Osbourne's current tour will run through 2020, and in a statement in Nov. 2017, the rocker explained: "This will be my final world tour, but I can't say I won't do some shows here and there." - New Musical Express, 9/12/18...... Steven TylerAerosmith dropped by NBC's The Tonight Show on Sept. 12 for an irreverent "Classroom Instruments" rendition of their hit "Walk This Way" with host Jimmy Fallon and the Tonight Show house band, The Roots. Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler simultaneously played a harmonica and two apple shakers while singing the lyrics, as Fallon accompanied him with a wood block and mallet in hand. The rest of the rockers filled out next two rows, with Aerosmith members Joey Kramer on toy drum, Tom Hamilton jingling a tambourine, Brad Whitford shaking a maraca and Joe Perry strumming a ukulele. The Roots completed the instrumental harmonies with an array of xylophones, shakers and whistles. - The Hollywood Reporter, 9/12/18...... The first-known David Bowie recording has just sold at auction for nearly £40,000. The track, titled "I Never Dreamed," was discovered earlier in 2018 in an old bread basket by David Hadfield, who was the drummer for Bowie's early band, The Konrads, and also served as its manager. According to Omega Auctions, a "bidding frenzy" had caused the price for the tape to almost quadruple when it went up for sale on Sept. 11. Expected to sell for at least £10,000, the recording was finally sold for £39,360. Bowie was 16 years old when he played in The Konrads and the track was recorded. Bowie left the Konrads shortly after the recording was made, and four years later, he released his self-titled debut album but only began to achieve success in 1969 when he released "Space Oddity." - New Musical Express, 9/11/18...... Organizers of the 2018 Stand Up for Heroes fundraiser announced on Sept. 12 that Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, Jim Gaffigan and Seth Meyers will be among the headliners for the annual event, which benefits injured veterans and their families. Jimmy Carr and Eric Church are also on the bill for the Nov. 5 comedy event at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Stand Up for Heroes was first held in 2007. ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff, one of the event's organizers who was nearly killed during a 2006 attack in Iraq while embedded with U.S. troops, calls the event a chance to "put aside our differences" to "honor those who have and continue to sacrifice so much." - AP, 9/12/18...... Warner Bros. Pictures is distancing itself from producer Jon Peters, who is involved in the new A Star Is Born movie starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, after Jezebel.com took issue with Peters after he was ordered in 2011 to pay one of his former employees, Shelly Morita, more than $3.3 million in a harassment case she filed against the producer. Peters and Morita entered into a later agreement overturning the judgment in the case, and the terms were not disclosed. Warner Bros., which produced and will release the new A Star Is Born in October, said on Sept. 11 it was contractually bound to credit Peters. "Jon Peters' attachment to this property goes as far back as 1976," said the studio in a statement. "Legally, we had to honor the contractual obligation in order to make this film." Peters was instrumental in the making of the 1976 version of A Star Is Born, which starred his then-girlfriend Barbra Streisand. On Sept. 11, the Producers Guild of America confirmed that it has ruled that Peters did not work enough on the new film to receive a "producers mark." The movie premiered on Sept. 9 during 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. - AP, 9/12/18...... Freddie MercuryThe upcoming Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody is set to make its world premiere at the SSE Arena in London on Oct. 23, just a stone's throw away from Wembley Arena where Queen delivered its famous Live Aid performance in 1985. The film, which will see Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) portraying the band's late frontman Freddie Mercury, is currently set to make its official UK release the following day. Bohemian Rhapsody chronicles the 15-year period between Queen's formation as a band and their famous Live Aid performance at Wembley in 1985. Speaking about the significant location of the premiere, which is set to welcome 6,200 guests for the screening, Fox U.K.'s managing director Chris Green said: "We're delighted to be at The SSE Arena, Wembley giving Queen fans the chance to share in what is going to be a fantastic event. The venue is perfect for showcasing the show-stopping performances in the film." Earlier in September, it was announced that audio tracks recorded at Queen's 1985 Live Aid concert will be released for the first time as part of Bohemian Rhapsody's upcoming soundtrack release. - New Musical Express, 9/10/18...... Paul McCartney's new album Egypt Station, which dropped on Sept. 7 via MPL/Capitol Records, could debut on Billboard's Hot 200 album chart at the No. 2 slot, and is flirting with a No. 1 debut. If Egypt Station bows at No. 1, it will earn McCartney his eighth leader on the list, and his first since 1982's Tug of War. The album is on track to move 115,000-plus units for the week ending Sept. 6. McCartney has just released a cheeky video for a new single from the album, "Fuh You," in which two teenagers share a kiss on a Liverpool doorstep before the girl's mom interrupts and sends the young boy home. The love struck young Romeo then dances through the streets of the Beatles' hometown, smiling and singing along to the song's lyrics. When he finally arrives home in the evening, the boy goes upstairs to listen to his favorite tune, which of course is McCartney's "Fuh You." Meanwhile, in a candid new interview with GQ magazine promoting the new LP, Sir Paul shared a brief anecdote about a group masturbation session that involved himself, John Lennon and three of Lennon's friends. "What it was was over at John's house, and it was just a group of us," he told the magazine. "And instead of just getting roaring drunk and partying -- I don't even know if we were staying over or anything -- we were all just in these chairs, and the lights were out, and somebody started masturbating, so we all did." McCartney then went into further detail, saying that the five boys encouraged each other to shout various names of celebrities during the group masturbation session. "We were just, 'Brigitte Bardot!' 'Whoo!' and then everyone would thrash a bit more," said McCartney. "I think it was John sort of said, 'Winston Churchill!'" he added. Also during the GQ interview, McCartney responded to an interview with Quincy Jones in Vulture magazine in which the veteran producer described the Beatles as "no-playing motherf-----s" who were "the worst musicians in the world," and that Paul was "the worst bass player I ever heard." McCartney revealed how Jones rang him to apologize -- and claimed that he had never made the comments in the first place. "He rang me, and I'm at home on my own," said McCartney. "I said, 'If you had said that, you know what I would have said? F--k you, Quincy Jones!'" "And he laughed. So actually we just had a laugh. And he was like, 'Oh, Paul, you know I love you so much.' 'Yeah, I know you do, Quince'." Although Jones denied making the comments to Vulture, he later issued an apology after receiving a dressing down from his six daughters. "I love Quincy, even after this. He's a crazy motherf----r," McCartney added. "But I respect him, he's done a lot of very good things." - Billboard, 9/12/18...... In other Beatles-related news, Yoko Ono was among the celebrities tweeting heartfelt messages marking the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City. "Imagine all the people living life in peace. love, John & Yoko #September11th #NeverForget #911Memorial #ImaginePeace," Yoko tweeted. Others paying their respects on Twitter included Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon, singer Jewel, and former president Barack Obama. - Billboard, 9/11/18...... Aretha Franklin was honored during halftime ceremonies at the opening game of the 2018-19 Monday Night Football season. A two-minute video that played during the Los Angeles Rams/Oakland Raiders game was taped in Detroit on Sept. 9 and featured Boyz II Men and Tori Kelly singing Franklin's signature hit "Rock Steady." The footage was shot around the Motor City at iconic locations, including Motown Record's Hitsville, U.S.A. United Sound Systems studio and the Music Hall's recently re-dedicated Aretha's Jazz Cafe. - Billboard, 9/11/18...... Elton JohnMeanwhile, Elton John paid his respects to the late Queen of Soul during the opener of his multi-continent "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour on Sept. 8 at the PPL Center in Allentown, Penn. Before performing the heart-wrenching and more relevant than ever "Border Song," John praised Franklin's cover and said it was "incredible to have this woman sing this song." He dedicated his "Border Song" to Franklin, as well as other figures throughout history who he said inspired his work and life. A massive screen on the stage then flashed images of the likes of Martin Luther King Jr., Princess Diana, John Lennon, Elizabeth Taylor, Rosa Parks and Elvis Presley. Elton's tour also serves as a farewell love letter to his longtime bandmates (including drummer Nigel Olsson and the wildly entertaining and animated percussionist Ray Cooper) and his other musical collaborators (he spoke frequently, and with great affection, for his longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin). In a particularly somber moment, John dedicated "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" to rapper Mac Miller, who had passed away just a day before. "It's inconceivable that someone so young and with so much talent could be gone," John told the crowd, before asking that they send all of their love and best wishes to Miller's family. John closed the sold-out show with "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" while wearing a robe, which he later took off to reveal his name engraved in rhinestones on the back. - Billboard, 9/9/18...... It has been revealed that Chic will be opening for Cher during Cher's forthcoming tour in 2019, her first road trip in five years. "We can't wait to see you all with the incomparable Cher. Chic and Cher," Chic leader Nile Rodgers said in a statement on Sept. 10. Cher will be performing some of her biggest hits on the tour in addition to songs from her new ABBA-themed album, Dancing Queen, out Sept. 28. Cher will kick off her 30-city tour on Jan. 17 in Ft. Myers, Fla. - Billboard, 9/10/18...... Bob Dylan has been confirmed to open the newly renovated Met Philadelphia venue on Dec. 3, according to concert promoter Live Nation and developer Eric Blumenfeld. Also helping to open the venue will be Weezer on Dec. 12 and Ween on Dec. 14. "We are thrilled to offer an eclectic series of opening shows that will truly offer something for everyone at The Met," said Live Nation Philadelphia Regional President Geoff Gordon in a press release. - Billboard, 9/10/18...... Olivia Newton-JohnIn a new interview with Australia's Sunday Night TV show on Sept. 9, Olivia Newton-John has confirmed that she's battling cancer for the third time, and opened up for the first time about a 2013 bout with the disease -- her second -- that she previously decided to keep to herself. Newton-John, 69, first was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. When a minor car accident in 2013 led to the discovery that the disease had returned, she said she decided to not speak publicly about it: "I thought, 'It's my life,' and I just decided to keep it to myself.'" Now, Olivia says, doctors discovered a tumor at the base of her spine in 2017. She says she has undergone radiation therapy and is also pursuing natural remedies, including medical marijuana that her husband, John Easterling, grows on the couple's ranch in Santa Barbara. The Grease star says she remains optimistic and is determined to beat the disease again. "I believe I will win over it, and that's my goal," she said. - Billboard, 9/9/18...... Iggy Pop and his third wife, Nina Alu, have reportedly sold their 3-bedroom, 5,356 sq. ft. home in Palmetto Bay, Fla. for $1,225,000. The home was bought by Iggy in 2006 for $1,460,000, so he took a loss of about $235k on the sale. Iggy then transferred another of his Florida mansions that he bought in 2016, worth an estimated $4 million, from his trust to him and his wife individually. The singer then transferred the deed for the exclusive Coconut Grove property from him to his wife Nina, for her to own solely. In the court documents, Iggy did not give a reason for his decision to hand over the home to his wife. Iggy Pop and Nina Alu married in 2008 and have no kids. He has a son from a previous relationship. - TheBlast.com, 9/11/18.

Julien's Auctions announced on Sept. 7 that more than 30 dresses and accessories worn by late Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin will go on the auction block on Nov. 10 as part if a two-day "Icons & Idols: Rock-N-Roll at the Hard Rock" sale. The items include a red sequined dress Franklin wore at Radio City Music Hall in 1991, a knit jacket she appeared in with Pres. Bill Clinton at the National Medal of Arts ceremony in 1999, and a denim jacket given to crew members of The Blues Brothers, in which Franklin famously appeared. The items will go on display between Nov. 5 and Nov. 9. at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York, and the auction will take place both in person and online. - AP, 9/7/18...... Robby KriegerThe Doors will continue their 50th anniversary celebrations of 2018 with the Sept. 14 release of a deluxe edition of the L.A.-based band's third album, 1968's Waiting For the Sun. Produced and remastered by original Doors engineer Bruce Botnick, the Waiting For The Sun - 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition features 14 unreleased tracks, including nine rough mixes and five live tracks from a Copenhagen concert in 1968. "By the time of the third album we had enough money really spend a lot of time in the studio recording," says Doors guitarist Robby Krieger. "It wasn't like the first album, which was done in 10 days. So Jim [Morrison] would get really bored 'cause you'd spend six hours on snare drum sound and the vocal is always the last thing to be recorded. So he'd be sitting around all day and he got really bored and he would end up going to the bar and getting wasted and was useless after that... Jim was starting to get into his drunken stage, although he came up with some great stuff, too." Despite the tumultuous atmosphere during its recording, Waiting For the Sun became the band's lone No. 1 album on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart, also topping the Hot 100 pop chart with the single "Hello, I Love You." Krieger adds that discussions have not begun yet for a 50th anniversary reissue of 1969's The Soft Parade, though he's certainly there will be one. Krieger says he's also hoping to release a recording from 2017's tribute concert for the late Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek. - Billboard, 9/6/18...... Paul McCartney celebrated the release of his new album Egypt Station on Sept. 7 with a surprise pop-up concert the same day at Grand Central Station in New York City. In a nearly two-hour concert at the gorgeous landmark that was streamed live on YouTube, McCartney's setlist included the Egypt Station track "Who Cares," the Wings-era deep cut "Letting Go," and Beatles classics including "Blackbird" and "Let It Be." A-list celebrities on hand to watch Sir Paul entertain included Meryl Streep, Amy Schumer, Steve Buscemi, Chris Rock and Kate Moss. But it was two non-famous fans that got special treatment during the show, when McCartney asked for a show of hands of those who had been bullied in the past. He then pointed to two girls who raised their hands and requested they come up on the stage to share their stories of bullying. Macca then dedicated "Who Cares," which is an anti-bullying ode, to them and sang it directly to them as they danced around stage. McCartney ended the concert with the Abbey Road Side 2 medley, with the 300-strong crowd clamoring for more. The night before, the Beatles legend dropped by Jimmy Fallon's NBC late night talk show and hinted about his secret NYC show, and the conversation also included Paul's thoughts on Egypt Station's album cover. "We wanted to do something more like a concept album," the 76-year-old legend noted. "We can't really do the modern pop album that is just a bunch of singles... people like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé have that stuff covered. And they got better legs than me!," he quipped. On Sept. 5, McCartney promoted Egypt Station with an appearance on Howard Stern's SiriusXM radio show. In a typically candid interview conducted by Stern, Paul opened up about John Lennon leaving the Beatles ("John was the one who wanted out"), the "intrusive" Yoko Ono ("The guy was totally in love with her. And you've just got to respect that"), and a movie role he turned down (Romeo in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film Romeo and Juliet). He wrapped up the interview by talking about Egypt Station, and his love for touring. - Billboard/Fox News, 9/7/18...... In other Beatles-related news, the U.S. Postal Service is celebrating John Lennon with a new commemorative stamp. Lennon's widow Yoko Ono and their son Sean Lennon participated in a special ceremony announcing the release of the stamp, which feature's Lennon's iconic round glasses and shaggy 1970s mane, at New York City's Central Park on Sept. 9, along with hundreds of Lennon/Beatles fans. "I know that my father would have been really thrilled to be accepted, officially in this way, on a stamp," said Sean Lennon. "About as official as it gets, I think." The commemorative stamp, designed to look like 45 rpm record sleeve, features a photo of John taken in 1974 by Bob Gruen on the roof of his Manhattan apartment building. Gruen also spoke at the event. After the event, people lined up to buy the stamps and enjoy a day of Beatlemania in the couple's beloved New York City. - AP, 9/7/18...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, a Russian man who was known as the "biggest Beatles fan in Russia" has died at age 73 in St. Petersburg following a fall. Kolya Vasin was well known as the country's biggest Beatles fan during the Soviet era when communist authorities saw popular Western music as subversive. He discovered the music of the Beatles via bootleg recordings. "I was arrested many times, accused of 'breaching social order'. They said anyone who listened to the Beatles was spreading western propaganda," Vasin once said in a 2013 interview. Vasin also held parties in his flat to celebrate the birthdays of each of the Beatles, and many fans who couldn't access the music of the band were able to do so at these gatherings. Vasin, who turned his flat into a Beatles museum in their honor, also said his most treasured possession was copy of Live Peace in Toronto signed by both John Lennon and Yoko Ono. - New Musical Express, 9/4/18...... Paul SimonPaul Simon released his latest LP, In the Blue Light, on Sept. 7, which sees 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." What may be Simon's final album, In the Blue Light is the pop songwriting legend's 14th studio effort and ranges from 1973's "One Man's Ceiling" to a song from 2011's So Beautiful or So What. One standout is "Can't Run But" from 1990's The Rhythm of the Saints, which improves on the original version, as does the '80s obscurity "How the Heart Approaches What It Yearns" from his 1980 album One-Trick Pony. - Billboard, 9/7/18...... The complete discography of recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Joan Jett and the Blackhearts is now available for streaming for the first time following a deal between Jett's Blackheart Records label and Sony Music Entertainment/Legacy Recordings. Under the terms of the agreement, which was announced on Sept. 7, the entire Joan Jett catalog -- including singles, albums, music videos, concert films and more -- will be available under the SME/Legacy umbrella and released in digital and physical formats. Legacy Recordings will also release the soundtrack to the forthcoming Bad Reputation Joan Jett documentary, featuring a career-spanning track list and the new Joan Jett and the Blackhearts song "Fresh Start." - Billboard, 9/7/18...... During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Sept. 7, Cher announced that she'll launch her first tour in five years, dubbed the "Here We Go Again Tour," on Jan. 17, 2019, in Ft. Myers, Fla. The pop icon is expected to perform her biggest hits along with some new songs from her ABBA tribute album Dancing Queen, which drops on Sept. 28 and is currently available for pre-order. Cher's 30-city tour will visit most major markets in North America, including Atlanta, Chicago, Brooklyn, and wrap on May 18 in St. Paul, Minn. Cher received rave reviews for her role in the recent Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again movie, which opened in August. - Billboard, 9/7/18...... Speaking of ABBA, the quartet's Bjrn Ulvaeus was among the speakers at the "me Convention" in Stockholm, Sweden, on Sept. 5. Ulvaeus and Universal Music President Central Europe Frank Briegmann spoke on the future of the music industry during the conference. Ulvaeus reported that after the release of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again this summer, his iconic pop band's streaming numbers have increased significantly -- now clocking in at over 2 million a day. Meanwhile, Briegmann described ABBA as a global music phenomenon. "me Convention" is an open platform for creative people. After events in Austin, Texas, and Frankfurt, Germany, the conference's third edition took place in Stockholm from Sept. 4-6. The conference is a joint project of South by Southwest and Mercedes-Benz. - Billboard, 9/6/18...... Dusty SpringfieldActress Gemma Arterton, known for her roles in Their Finest and The Escape, is attached to play Dusty Springfield in an upcoming biopic of the soul icon called So Much Love. Set in 1968, So Much Love will follow Springfield, a Swinging Sixties icon who became one of the biggest British stars in the U.S., as she journeyed to Memphis, Tenn., to record her career-defining record, Dusty in Memphis, which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. It also dramatizes Springfield's destiny-altering encounter with the music of Motown, her stand against Apartheid policies during her aborted South African tour, and her thorny brushes with men in the music industry who were intimidated by both her talent and her insistence on molding perfect performances rather than settling for good ones. Springfield's greatest hits, including "Son of a Preacher Man" and "Just a Little Lovin,'" will feature in the film, set to shoot in the U.S. and the U.K. in spring 2019. - The Hollywood Reporter, 9/6/18...... Queen announced on Sept. 5 that they will release a series of unreleased live recordings from their legendary performance at Live Aid as part of the original soundtrack to Bohemian Rhapsody, the upcoming Queen biopic. The soundtrack contains 22 songs, featuring the Live Aid recordings of "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Radio Ga Ga," "We Are the Champions" and others from the iconic show, in addition to refreshing new takes on old favorites like "We Will Rock You" and "Don't Stop Me Now." Also featured is Queen's unique rendition of the "20th Century Fox Fanfare," along with unreleased live tracks from performances that took place in London, Paris and Rio de Janiero. The Bohemian Rhapsody - Original Soundtrack album will be released via Hollywood Records on Oct. 19, two weeks prior to the movie's Nov. 2 release date. Meanwhile, actor Rami Malek, who plays Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, appeared on The Jimmy Kimmel Show on Sept. 4. "The greatest honor I think from playing someone like Freddie Mercury is getting the acceptance of the legendary bandmates, Brian May and Roger Taylor," Malek told host Jimmy Kimmel. "I'm not gonna lie and say I wouldn't consider [an Oscar] a massive accomplishment," he added. - Billboard, 9/5/18...... The latest incarnation of Fleetwood Mac appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Sept. 5, performing a charming rendition of the band's classics "The Chain" and "Gypsy." It was the first appearance of new guitarists Mike Campbell (of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) and guitarist/vocalist Neil Finn (of Crowded House). Fleetwood Mac is preparing for their North American tour that kicks off in Tulsa, O.K in October, followed by a 52-date journey that will keep the legendary group on the road until April 2019. - Billboard, 9/5/18...... Two native Oklahoman members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister and backing Skynyrd vocalist Cassie Gaines, were inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame on Sept. 8. The pair were inducted into the organization in Miami, Fla., where they were raised. Both were killed along with lead singer Ronnie Van Zant when the band's chartered plane crashed in Mississippi in 1977. Lynyrd Skynyrd is currently on a tour that the current band has said will be the last. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. - AP, 9/6/18...... Joni MitchellJoni Mitchell has announced she'll be throwing a 2-day 75th birthday tribute concert on Nov. 6 and 7 at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. On Nov. 7, Mitchell's birthday, there will be a charity birthday dinner at the same venue, with tickets starting at $2,500 and reaching up to $100,000 for purchase. Among Mitchell's fellow iconic musicians scheduled to participate include Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Chaka Khan, Diana Krall, Kris Kristofferson, Los Lobos, Graham Nash, Seal and Rufus Wainwright. - Billboard, 9/5/18...... Former Journey singer Steve Perry released his first solo video in 25 years on Sept. 5, ending a near quarter-century drought with a live performance of his soulful track "No More Cryin'," which will be featured on his first solo album in 24 years, Traces. "'No More Cryin'' is a love song, but not in the way you would think. It starts in one place, and builds and lands somewhere entirely different," Perry said in a statement announcing the clip. "It's got many overtones, and can be applied to so many different kinds of relationships, including my own relationship with past isolation." Perry says he began work on Traces in May 2015, and he released the first single, "No Erasin'," in August. The 10-track album will hit stores on Oct. 5. - Billboard, 9/5/18...... Soul icon Al Green finally joined Twitter on Sept. 4 and sent out his first two tweet, which included a vintage 1976 promo photo and a simple message about an hour later. "It's been over 50 years since the beginning," he wrote. "And we're only just getting started." The legendary "Let's Stay Together" singer, often referred to as The Reverend Al Green, hasn't released a new album since 2008's Lay It Down, which was produced by The Roots' Questlove and James Poyser. - Billboard, 9/5/18...... Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger uploaded a video of him tearing it up on the harmonica in the studio on Sept. 4, providing fresh hope for Stones fans that new music is coming. The video, which features Jagger wailing on bluesy jam on harmonica in what appears to be a home studio, is captioned "new tunes" and also shows a computer with recording software open as he plays. The clip sparked further speculation that Jagger and the Stones are in the process of working on a follow-up to the band's 2016 covers collection, Blue & Lonesome. A new Stones album will mark the band's first disc of original material in 13 years. - Billboard, 9/4/18...... Elton John announced the first UK dates of his upcoming "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour on Sept. 7. The Rocket Man will play shows in Hove on June 9, followed by two shows in Dublin on June 12 and 13, and a June 15 show in Cardiff. "I am very happy to announce the launch of my UK Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour with concerts in Hove and Cardiff," Elton said of the shows. "The audiences in the South Coast and Wales have always been some of the most welcoming and exciting I have played in front of over the past forty-two years and the band and I are so excited to say goodbye in the most fantastic way. It's going to be amazing!" - New Musical Express, 9/7/18...... Barry ManilowBarry Manilow was honored with an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Northern College of Music part way through his Sept. 2 performance at the Manchester Arena, in northern England. "I tell you, something like this just inspires me to keep making make more and more and more music for you. So thanks for this ... thank you so much," Manilow reportedly said. Royal Northern College of Music principal Linda Merrick and the head of the popular music degree program, Andy Stott, were on hand to honor the 75-year-old singer, who Stott described as "one of the world's greatest showmen." Manilow, who has apparently recovered from the ill health which forced him to cancel a handful of Vegas shows in June, also played Birmingham and a three-night stand at London's O2 Arena during his UK tour. - Billboard, 9/4/18...... Guitarist Gene Cornish of the '60s pop band The Rascals reportedly collapsed on stage as The Rascals were performing in Billings, Montana, on Sept. 7. Medical personnel treated Cornish, 74, on stage before he was taken to a hospital. There was no immediate word on his condition. The Rascals are known for their hits "Good Lovin,'" "Groovin'" and "A Beautiful Morning," and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. - AP, 9/8/18...... Guitarist/singer/songwriter Ben Poole has launched the official music video for his new single "Dirty Laundry" on YouTube. The single is taken from Poole's upcoming album Anytime You Need Me, which hits stores on Sept. 14 via Manhaton Records. Poole will kick off a 14-date UK tour behind the the new album in Brighton on Nov. 21. - Noble PR, 9/7/18...... Actor Bill Daily, best known for his roles as Major Roger Healey in the 1960's sitcom I Dream of Jeannie and plane navigator Howard Borden on the '70s sitcom The Bob Newhart Show, died on Sept. 4 in Santa Fe, N.M., his son J. Patrick Daily confirmed. He was 91. Mr. Daily, a longtime Albuquerque resident, was a staple on 1960s and 1970s TV series, and also appeared as psychiatrist Dr. Larry Dykstra on the 1980s sitcom ALF. "He loved every sunset, he loved every meal, he just decided to be happy about everything," said his son. - Variety.com, 9/8/18.