The Rollling Stones wrapped their No Filter Tour in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Aug. 30, nearly two years after the legendary rockers kicked it off in Hamburg, Germany. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood were said to have been in top form for the show that had to be moved up one day due to the threat of Hurricane Dorian, delivering a powerful show that included their bevy of hits including "Start Me Up," "Honky Tonk Woman" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want." After opening with their classics "Jumping Jack Flash" and "It's Only Rock and Roll (But I Like It)," the band tore through 20 songs, ending with an encore of "Gimme Shelter" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." The first leg of the No Filter Tour started on Sept. 9, 2017 with two shows in Germany and ended in France at the end of October of that year. The Stones remained in Europe for the second leg from May into July, and the tour became one of the most successful treks of 2017 and 2018. However in March 2019, the shocking news came that the North American leg, consisting of 17 shows, had to be postponed because Jagger had to undergo heart valve replacement surgery in April. Jagger, 76, promised the band would be back to make up all the dates after he recovered. In the end, the band, which has been together for 57 years, lived up to that promise. Meanwhile, it was revealed by The Telegraph music critic Neil McCormick on Aug. 28 that Keith Richards uses a motorized ashtray that sucks in ciggie smoke so as not to piss off Mick Jagger. "Today I learned that Keith Richards has a motorised ashtray that absorbs smoke, so his habit won't upset Mick Jagger backstage," McCormick tweeted. McCormick also posted that Richards uses a hotel bell to summon his guitar technician. Although Richards, 76, continues to smoke, he revealed in December 2018 that he'd given up alcohol. - TheDailyMail.uk/New Musical Express, 8/31/19...... 
Gerry Beckley of America has shared a video of a new ballad called "Calling" from his upcoming album, Five Mile Road, which drops on Sept. 20. "It's one of the closest to what I would consider one of my strengths, which is a ballad of that sort," Beckley says, noting that "Calling" is one of his favorites from the new set. "I'm really proud of the tune. It's a pretty simple theme, and I think I did a good job of getting it across. We spend a lot of time away from the ones we know and love. I think you'll find that elsewhere around the album, too." Five Mile Road is Beckley's sixth solo album and the follow-up to his 2016 set Carousel. Beckley co-produced it with Jeff Larson and wrote all the songs except for "Life Lessons," which he co-wrote with his frequent collaborator, actor/musician Billy Mumy. America released their last album, Lost & Found, in 2015, the Beckley and partner Dewey Bunnell's first album of original material in eight years. Beckley predicts that "with the right guidance there could easily be another one or two America projects in the future." But now, the group is focusing on its 50-year anniversary celebration it began in 2019, leading up to the actual golden anniversary of the band's formation, in London, in 2020. He says the group has a number of commemorative projects on tap -- ranging from the single disc Golden Hits that's already out to a couple of planned box sets -- as well as a biography that's been written by Jude Warne. America was recently profiled on CBS Sunday Morning and will be featured on Dan Rather's The Big Interview on Nov. 26. "The band is in great shape. The schedule's pretty full, and we thought rather than wait 'til the actual day, let's kick it off as being the 50th year... we like doing it this way. The challenge has been to spread everything throughout the year so they don't just stack up on each other." - Billboard, 9/4/19...... Ozzy Osbourne's wife Sharon Osbourne has lashed out at UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn amid claims that Corbyn has facilitated the rise of anti-Semitism in the Labour party. Osbourne, who is of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, told the UK paper The Sun, "Oh my God, I hate him so much.... I want to physically hurt this man. He is the most arrogant, ugly f---. I want to hurt him." Corbyn as always denied he is anti-Semitic. Osbourne's comments come ahead of her appearance on the TV program Who Do You Think You Are, which sees her investigating the experiences of her father Don Arden as a Jewish soldier for the British Army during World War II. - New Musical Express, 9/3/19...... Never one to shy away from controversy, Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters showed up at a pro-Julian Assange rally in London on Sept. 2 and joined protesters advocating for the Wikileaks founder's release from prison. "How do we put ourselves in the position of a Julian Assange in solitary confinement," Waters asked the crowd. "Or with that kid in Syria or Palestine or Rohingya, being blown to bits by these people in this building here?" A video of Waters' speech and a performance of the 1975 Pink Floyd hit "Wish You Were Here" has been posted on Bruce Springsteen's latest album YouTube. - Billboard, 9/3/19...... Rock photographer Jay Blakesberg will release Jerry Garcia: Secret Space of Dreams on Oct. 15, a fine art photography book featuring 139 photos of the late Grateful Dead singer/guitarist performing in shows from September 1978 through April 1995. The 208-page hardcover book's foreward was written by Grammy-winning singer/guitarist John Mayer, who is currently touring with the Dead spin-off group Dead & Company, replacing Garcia in the band. The book also features an introduction from journalist/musician/radio host and Grateful Dead historian David Gans, who delves into the mythology around Garcia, as well as an essay from the guitarist's daughter, Trixie. Garcia died in Aug. 1995 at age 53 of a heart attack. - Billboard, 9/4/19...... 
A new Robbie Robertson and The Band documentary entitled Once Were Brothers has proved to be the hottest ticket at the Toronto International Film Festival, which is set to premiere the film at the gala's opening night on Sept. 5. Once Were Brothers, the first-ever Canadian documentary to win the coveted opening night spot, is directed by Canadian director Daniel Roher and presents the people, the era and the extraordinary music of The Band through present-day conversations with Robertson and various colleagues including Ronnie Hawkins, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Martin Scorsese and Eric Clapton. Robertson, 76, shows no signs of slowing down and much is made of his work ethic in the documentary. On Sept. 20, he'll release Sinematic, his first new solo effort in eight years. Robertson says Sinematic was influenced by the new The Band documentary and his work on Martin Scorsese's upcoming movie, The Irishman. Robertson added he's already working on another collaboration with Scorsese, the score for Killers of the Flower Moon. He's also preparing a special 50th anniversary re-release of The Band's eponymous 1970 debut album, and writing the second instalment of his memoir, Testimony. - WENN/Canoe.com, 9/4/19...... Neil Young and Crazy Horse have shared a video from a new song, "Milky Way," from their upcoming album Colorado and confirmed the new album will be released on Oct. 25 via Reprise Records. Colorado's 11 songs were recorded mostly live in a studio in the Rocky Mountains near Telluride, Col., and co-produced by Young and John Hanlon, with additional mixing at Rick Rubin's Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, Calif. The follow-up to Young and Crazy Horse's acclaimed 2012 set Psychedelic Pill, it will will be available in high-resolution audio through the Neil Young Archives (NYA) and come on a three-sided, double vinyl album with a bonus 7" vinyl single with two non-album tracks, the live solo "Rainbow of Colors" and "Truth Kills." Crazy Horse's current lineup features longtime bassist Billy Talbot and drummer Ralph Molina and guitarist Nils Lofgren. Fans will be able to get a glimpse into the Colorado writing and recording process in the upcoming documentary Mountaintop Sessions, one of 15 films Young has announced are in the works. - Billboard, 8/30/19...... A volume of lyrics by Lou Reed called I'll Be Your Mirror has been updated and republished on Aug. 3 after several years out of print. Named after a song from the Velvet Underground's iconic 1967 album The Velvet Underground with Nico, I'll Be Your Mirror has been updated with lyrics from Reed's final album Lulu, his controversial collaboration with Metallica. It will also feature new introductions from Reed's widow Laurie Anderson, movie director Martin Scorsese and journalist James Atlas. Though Lulu was panned by critics at the time of its release, the avant-garde record was still praised by the likes of David Bowie, who called it Reed's "greatest work," Laurie Anderson revealed in a speech at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which Reed was inducted into in 2015. I'll Be Your Mirror will be published as an e-book, hardback trade edition and a limited edition. Only 250 copies of the latter will be printed, each priced at £100. Pre-orders begin Octo. 8 on publisher Faber & Faber's website. - New Musical Express, 9/4/19...... The companion film to Bruce Springsteen's latest album Western Stars has been given an Oct. 25 release date by Warner Bros. Pictures. The studio acquired the film, which marks Springsteen's directorial debut, following its world premiere at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival. Springsteen partnered with long-time collaborator Thom Zimny on the documentary, which features archival footage and personal narration, in addition to Springsteen performing all 13 songs on Western Stars. The LP debuted at No. 2 in the U.S. and No. 1 in the U.K. and Australia. - Billboard, 9/4/19...... 
The UK's Royal Mail announced on Sept. 9 it is honoring Elton John's half-century of contributions to music with an upcoming set of 12 UK postage stamps, including eight that honor the singer's classic albums. Among the records featured on the collection of commemoratives are his acclaimed 1972 breakthrough album Honky Chateau, as well as Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy and Made in England. Other stamps in the collection will feature images of John performing live throughout his five-decade career, from a 1973 show at the Hammersmith Odeon in London to a 2018 show at Madison Square Garden in New York. Sir Elton is only the second individual solo music artist to be featured on a set of stamps from the Royal Mail, following a 2017 edition honoring David Bowie. Images of the stamps can be viewed on Twitter, and can be purchased on the Royal Mail website. - Billboard, 9/3/19...... The Association of Independent Music Awards honored Blondie frontwoman Debby Harry with an Oustanding Contribution to Music award on Sept. 3. Now in its 20th year, the AOIMA honors leading independent artists, labels and industry figures. - Billboard, 9/4/19...... The Motown Museum announced on Sept. 4 that Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. is donating $4 million toward a project to expand a museum housed in the Detroit building where he built his music empire. Gordy's gift coincides with Motown's 60th anniversary and is the largest individual donation to the project which was officially announced in 2016. "I'm excited about the future of Motown Museum and happy to support it," Gordy said in a statement about the 50,000 square-foot multi-media attraction. "Not only will the expanded museum entertain and tell the stories of talented and creative people who succeeded against all odds, but it will also inspire and create opportunity for people to explore their dreams the way I did mine. I couldn't be prouder to be a part of that." Gordy launched Motown in 1959 with an $800 loan from his family's Ber-Berry Co-op trust and moved the label to Los Angeles in 1972 before selling it in 1988. His late sister, Esther Gordy Edwards, founded the museum in the former "Hitsville U.S.A." headquarters on West Grand Boulevard in 1985. When Edwards died in 2011, Gordy -- who has previously donated properties, artifacts and money to the museum -- credited her with turning "the so-called trash left behind... into a phenomenal world-class monument at the spot where Hitsville started." Museum expansion plans include interactive exhibits, a performance theater, recording studios, an expanded retail area and meeting spaces. - AP, 9/4/19...... A new Beatles mural has been unveiled in the seaside resort of New Brighton, U.K., yards from the old Tower Ballroom where the band played on multiple occasions during the 60s. Opened to the public on Sept. 1, the historic work of art is situated in New Brighton s Victoria Quarter and has huge cultural, musical and historical significance, according to Explore Liverpool. The wall mural is located on Mason Street and sees the Beatles running towards the site of the old Tower Ballroom, where they played 27 times between 1961-1963. Unveiled as a symbol of hope, the mural comes one week after International Beatles Week, 50 years after The New Brighton Tower Ballroom burned down and 100 years after The New Brighton Tower was destroyed. - New Musical Express, 9/2/19...... In other Beatles-related news, Paul McCartney has revealed in a new interview with the London Times that one of his grandsons was recently mugged at knifepoint. McCartney, who didn't share which grandchild it was, said his grandson felt like "a coward" after it happened." "He was saying the worst thing was that he should have just thumped the guy; he came back and felt a coward," McCartney explained. "I said, 'No, no, no, no! The guy had a knife and you don't know, the guy might be able to use that knife'." Sir Paul then recalled an occasion during his childhood when he was mugged for his watch. "When I was a kid it was four guys and they nicked my watch," he admitted. "I was of a similar age. I just happened to be on my own, bigger kids came along and it was the same feeling. [I thought at the time] 'I have got to learn karate and be a black belt -- and then I'll get 'em!' It was the worst thing." - NME, 8/31/19...... 
KISS singer/guitarist Paul Stanley has weighed in on the recent rash of mass shootings in the U.S. after the most recent attack in Odessa and Midland, Tex., by a man in his mid-30s using an AR-style rifle resulted in the deaths of seven people and the wounding of at least 22 more, including a 17-month-old baby girl. "We don't have more 'crazy' or 'mentally unstable' people in the US," Stanley tweeted on Sept. 1. "What we DO have are commonplace mass shootings with automatic and semi-automatic high powered firearms. THAT cannot be disputed. Tell me what we and our government must do. Prayers and sympathy are not enough." Stanley posted his thoughts over a picture of the aftermath of the most recent Texas shooting. A short time later, Stanley added some response to those who said the veteran rocker should mind his own business. "I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER but am asking for everyone's thoughts. Anyone who thinks I should 'stay in my lane' should leave now," he wrote. "This is MY house. If you DO have opinions why shouldn't I? In this case I will leave up some of those dopey comments for your enjoyment. Not again." - Billboard, 9/2/19...... Cable channel HLN will premiere a new David Cassidy documentary, David Cassidy: How It Really Happened, on Sept. 8 at 9:00 p.m. EDT. The special delves into Cassidy's death in 2017 at age 67 from organ failure related to alcoholism. "He was happiest on stage. But happiness off stage was hard to find, and Cassidy was keeping gloomy secrets from everyone he loved. In the end, even his death was surrounded by mystery leaving his family, friends and fans with more questions than answers," the network said in a statement. - The Orlando Sentinel, 9/4/19...... Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont sponsored another 50th anniversary Woodstock tribute on Aug. 30 at the annual fair in Woodstock, Conn., which included a battle of the bands. Gov. Lamont, who says his parents would not let him attend the original 1969 festival in New York, spent $17,000 of his own money to finance the tribute. Gov. Lamont, wearing a tie-dyed T-shirt and dancing, served as a judge for the bands, who were required to play at least one song from the original Woodstock. The winner, a band called Last Licks, received $7,500. Gov. Lamont, a Democrat, was joined on stage by Republican state senator George Logan who played a Jimi Hendrix-style national anthem on his guitar, just as he had done at Gov. Lamont's inaugural ball in January. - AP, 9/1/19...... John Travolta's latest film, The Fanatic, has bombed at the U.S. box office in its opening weekend. The Fanatic, directed by Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, took in a paltry $3,153 on Aug. 30 from 52 cinemas, with final totals for the Labor Day weekend yet to be confirmed. The psychological thriller stars Travolta as Moose, an avid movie fan who becomes obsessed with fictional action hero Hunter Dunbar. When Moose is cheated out of his chance to meet Dunbar, Moose's actions take a increasingly terrifying turn. An official synopsis teases that Moose's fixation turns from "stalking to ambition of destroying the star's life." The movie is said to have been inspired by the real-life story of a fan that once stalked Durst. The Fanatic's poor showing marks the Saturday Night Fever star's fourth box office bomb in a row, according to The Hollywood Reporter. - NME, 9/3/19...... 
Crystal Gayle will release her latest LP, You Don't Know Me, on Sept. 6 via BFD Records. The 15-song project will be the "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" singer's first album in 16 years and finds her teaming up with her sisters, Loretta Lynn and Peggy Sue, on a cover of Dolly Parton's "Put It Off Until Tomorrow." "I am honored that my sisters, Loretta Lynn and Peggy Sue, wanted to sing with me on my new album," Gayle says. "'Put It Off Until Tomorrow' is one of our favorites and it's a song that we have performed together many times in concert. Dolly Parton and Bill Owens -- Dolly's uncle -- wrote this song, and I love the original hit by Bill Phillips with Dolly singing harmony." A video for "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" can be viewed on YouTube. - Billboard, 9/4/19...... Late actor Marlon Brando, who was close friends with Michael Jackson and was interviewed by prosecutors when they investigated allegations of child molestation against Jackson in 1994, is quoted in a new podcast as saying that the King of Pop was once reduced to tears when Brando asked the singer about sexual abuse allegations. Recalling a conversation he'd had with Jackson at his Neverland Ranch, Brando told prosecutors: "I had asked him if he was a virgin and he just sort of laughed and giggled." He added that Jackson was uncomfortable with the "f-word" and too embarrassed to about his sex life. Details of Brando's conversation were revealed by podcast series "Telephone Stories: The Trials of Michael Jackson" after creator-producer Brandon Ogborn secured a transcript of a sworn statement and checked its authenticity with Los Angeles Superior Court judge Lauren Weis. Weis previously investigated Jackson during her 23-year stint as a prosecutor with the LA County district attorney. Brando also said that he continued to grill Jackson about the allegations of child abuse against him, which made the singer cry and admit that he hated his father. "With this mode of behavior that's been going on, I think it's pretty reasonable to conclude that he may have had something to do with kids," Brando said. "My impression was that he didn't want to answer because he was frightened to answer me." Jackson was not charged with molestation in 1994 but he went to trial in 2005 and was subsequently acquitted on all counts. - NME, 8/30/19.
Sitcom actress Valerie Harper, best known for playing the brash, Bronx-accented upstairs neighbor to Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) on The Mary Tyler Moore Show beginning in 1970 before starring in her own spinoff Rhoda four years later, died on Aug. 30 after being diagnosed with lung and brain cancer. She was 80. Born in Suffern, N.Y., in 1939, Ms. Harper attended Gotham's Young Professionals School in high school and studied ballet. She started in show business as a dancer/chorus girl on Broadway in 1959 in "Li'l Abner," and went on to perform in Broadway shows such as "Wildcat" and "Take Me Along" and at Radio City Music Hall. After being introduced to the Second City improv theater by her roommate, actress Arlene Golonka, Ms. Harper met Second City performer Dick Schaal, and then moved to Hollywood where she was called to audition for the part of the funny, imperfect Rhoda Morganstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. While Moore's "spunky" Mary Richards character was happily single (a rarity for the era), the Rhoda character was her opposite, an outspoken, wisecracking woman in her thirties who seemed desperate to find a husband. Rhoda's Jewish heritage was often emphasized in the series, and her fans were surprised to find out that Harper wasn't Jewish in real life. Ms. Harper's Rhoda character proved to be so popular that CBS spun off the series Rhoda, which ran from 1974-1978. Rhoda returned to New York to work as a window dresser with a more self-confident persona. Her whiny sister Brenda was played by Julie Kavner, and her husband for part of the series was played by David Groh. Ms. Harper's role as Rhoda Morgenstern garnered supporting actress Emmys in 1971, '72 and '73 and an Emmy nom in '74. The character started her own business decorating store windows and eventually split up with her husband Joe, finishing out the show as a divorcee who frequented singles bars. 
"Even with all the feminism we had gone through, being married was equated with success," she once told the TV Academy. In 1986, Ms. Harper starred in the NBC series Valerie, but left after two years in a salary dispute. The series continued without her, with several name changes before finally becoming The Hogans, and she won a $1.4 million judgment against Lorimar Productions and 12.5% of the profits. Ms. Harper went on to guest on familiar series such as The Love Boat, Melrose Place, That '70s Show, Sex and the City, Hot in Cleveland and Desperate Housewives. On the big screen, Ms. Harper had roles in Freebie and the Bean (1974), Blame it on Rio, The Last Married Couple in America and, more recently, the horror pic Shiver. She ran for president of the Screen Actors Guild in 2001, but lost to Melissa Gilbert. Later in her career, she returned to the stage, portraying such figures as Golda Meir and Tallulah Bankhead, and won a Tony for the latter role in "Looped" in 2010. A vocal supporter of the women's movement, Ms. Harper campaigned to get the Equal Rights Amendment passed. Though she was diagnosed with cancer 10 years ago, she continued working and competed on Dancing With the Stars in late 2013. Ms. Harper is survived by her second husband, Tony Cacciotti, and their adopted daughter, Christina. Christina tweeted the news of her mom's passing on Aug. 30: "My dad has asked me to pass on this message: 'My beautiful caring wife of nearly 40 years has passed away at 10:06am, after years of fighting cancer. She will never, ever be forgotten. Rest In Peace, mia Valeria. - Anthony.'" Ms. Harper's Mary Tyler Moore Show co-star Ed Asner told People that his friend was "a brilliant artist with a myriad of ideas on how to make the character more interesting; and was a fighter for those less fortunate.” Later on Twitter, the 89-year-old posted the actress was “a beautiful woman, a wonderful actress, a great friend and with balls bigger than mine... Goodnight beautiful. I’ll see you soon.” - Variety, 8/30/19.
Speaking of Brazil, longtime Amazonian rainforest advocate Sting has issued a dire warning about continued inaction on the fires in the area which are up 85% from last year alone. "Legend has it that the Emperor Nero 'fiddled while Rome burned.' While obviously bristling at the dubious factoid that such a stupid man could have been a musician, none of us, including me, can be complacent about the tragic dimensions of the disaster taking place in the Amazon as I write," Sting and his wife Trudie Styler posted on Facebook on Aug. 27. "Amazonia is on fire at an unprecedented rate - 80% up from last year and with 39% more deforestation - and the world is suddenly taking notice. Populist leaders citing nationalist agendas, or claiming that climate change and its handmaidens are a hoax, are guilty of much more than standing by and doing nothing. This is criminal negligence on a global scale," he added. Sting also appealed to the Brazilian government to change the policies and what he calls "nationalist rhetoric" that have opened up the rainforest to exploitation by farmers and ranchers who have been cutting down trees and burning land to clear it for commerical farming and raising cattle. "The President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has openly voiced that he is no friend to the indigenous people and now he is reneging on land treaties already signed, opening up new territories and dismantling the scientific and human rights organisations in Brazil to enable this," the former Police frontman posted. Sting ended his urgent plea by noting that the Rainforest Foundation Fund, which he founded back in 1987, has been working with indigenous peoples for three decades to protect their lands and rights, urging Bolsonaro to rethink his policies. "This is no time for fiddling; the world is burning." - Billboard, 8/28/19...... Van Morrison has announced he'll play five nights at the London Palladium next spring, from Mar. 20-25. The Celtic crooner is also preparing for a UK tour beginning this October, performing in Bournemouth, Cardiff, Oxford, and Nottingham with a stop at Brighton in early December. He'll then pick things up on New Year's Eve with three consecutive nights at Belfast's Stormont Hotel. The dates follow Morrison's two London shows at the Roundhouse as part of Inversions Festival. Morrison is also preparing for another residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. - New Musical Express, 8/27/19...... Yusuf/Cat Stevens has signed with the United Talent Agency for representation in all areas, it was announced on Aug. 27. Yusuf, whose fourth studio album Tea for the Tillerman will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2020, is currently furthering his philanthropic efforts with the launch of the "Peace Train" project, named after his timeless anthem for hope. The initiative is focused on providing relief, medical aid, and education to individuals in need, as well as promoting harmony and respect amongst children of diverse backgrounds. Yusuf was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 and also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame earlier in 2019. He continues to be managed by Yoriyos Adamos at Catch Bull Management. - Billboard, 8/27/19...... 
On Aug. 29, Pink Floyd announced details of a huge 16-disc box set covering their output from 1987 forward. 
Lionel Richie has debuted on Billboard's Artist 100 chart for the week ending Aug. 31 for the first time since the list's launch in 2014. The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay, streaming and social media fan interaction to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity. The former The Commodores member's reign on the list comes from the strength of his new live album 
Former Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry performed at Los Angeles' Greek Theater on Aug. 29 in a nearly sold-out show that dipped from Roxy's 1972 debut album through his solo LPs. At 73, Ferry is every bit as debonair as he was during Roxy Music's glam-rock '70s heyday, and he seldom spoke to the audience other than to say "thank you" and introduce 1978's "Can't Let Go" by saying he "wrote it in Canoga Park." Ferry's 23-song set contained seven songs from 1982's Avalon, Roxy Music's final studio album and its best seller in the U.S. Ferry's backing band is composed of musicians who have played with him for decades, including guitarist Chris Spedding, and others who are new additions, including guitarist Vanstiphout and saxophonist Jorja Chalmers. - Billboard, 8/30/19...... Iggy Pop has shared 
On Aug. 24, Eddie Money revealed on his AXS television series Real Money that he's currently battling stage 4 esophageal cancer. "I thought I was going in for a check-up and [the doctor] told me I have cancer," Money says in the video. "We found out that I had cancer and that it was stage 4 and that it was in my liver and my lymph nodes and a little bit in my stomach... It hit me really, really hard." The "Two Tickets to Paradise" singer's wife, Laurie, noted specifically that her husband has been diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer. "It's in his esophagus, it's in the top of his stomach -- it's where the tumor is -- and it's also spread to his liver," Laurie says. Earlier this summer, Money announced he was canceling his summer tour dates after developing pneumonia following a recent heart valve surgery, but according to Rolling Stone, the rocker still plans to tour later in 2019. "What I don't want to do is I don't want to keep the fact that I have cancer from everybody," he says. "It's not honest. I want to be honest with everybody. I want people to know that cancer [treatment] has come a long way and not everybody dies from cancer like they did in the Fifties and Sixties. Am I going to live a long time? Who knows? It's in God's hands." - Billboard, 8/24/19...... After being the subject of a Grammy salute special earlier in 2019, the legendary Motown record label is continuing to celebrate its 60th anniversary this year with the premiere of the new documentary Showtime with Hitsville: The Making of Motown which debuted on the Showtime network on Aug. 24. A Los Angeles premiere attended by Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder was held earlier in August, and on Aug. 23 members of Martha and the Vandella and the Funk Brothers attended a premiere at an invitation-only screening hosted by the Motown Museum in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak. "There's a good vibe to the film," says Funk Brothers guitarist Dennis Coffey. "Everyone involved told a good story about Berry [Gordy Jr.]'s vision and how it came to fruition." In addition to the Showtime run, Hitsville is accompanied by a soundtrack album, while a home video release is planned for the future. A Hitsville Honors concert featuring the Temptations, the Four Tops, Mary Wilson of the Supremes and Martha Reeves is also set for Sept. 21. - Billboard, 8/24/19...... Speaking of anniversaries, the next 50th anniversary event up in 2019 is Elvis Presley legendary "comeback concerts" at the Las Vegas' International Hotel in the summer 1969. From his invitation-only July 31 show to the Aug. 28 closing date, the King of Rock & Roll laid the groundwork for a Vegas comeback that cemented his near-mythological status in pop culture. In conjunction with the anniversary, Sony Legacy released a limited edition deluxe 11-disc box set, 
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Ozzy Osbourne revealed that he's been recording new music as he recovers from his recent neck surgery after a fall in his LA home in January caused him to "re-injure his back, neck and shoulders." The injury and subsequent surgery forced Ozzy to reschedule all of his 2019 live dates on the "No More Tours 2 Tour" for 2020. Osbourne said after the surgery he "was in agony beyond anything I ever experienced before in my life" and kept himself occupied by recording new music. The Black Sabbath frontman also said that he didn't think he could perform right now ("I'll go, 'Hello,' and that's it"), but he's "keeping his fingers crossed" to be fit for the first rescheduled tour date in January. Ozzy will kick off his 2020 UK and Ireland concerts on Jan. 31 at Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena, and wrap on Feb. 14 in Birmingham. Meanwhile, a new huge career-spanning vinyl box set from Ozzy entitled See You on the Other Side is due on Nov. 29. Featuring 16 albums across 24 vinyl records, the collection will feature B-sides, live albums and rarities in addition to all of Osborne's solo work to date. It will include all of Ozzy's solo work from 1980's Blizzard of Ozz to 2010's Scream. The concert LP's Live & Loud and Live at Budokan, as well the EPs, Mr Crowley and Just Say Ozzy, will also be included. - New Musical Express, 8/22/19...... Uriah Heep keyboardist Phil Lanzon has just released his second solo album, 
Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne announced on Aug. 25 he's launching a new online magazine called "Reasons To Be Cheerful." "It often seems as if the world is going straight to hell," Byrne says. "I wake up in the morning, I look at the paper, and I say to myself, "Oh no!" Often I'm depressed for half the day. I imagine some of you feel the same. Recently, I realized this isn't helping. Nothing changes when you're numb. So, as a kind of remedy, and possibly as a kind of therapy, I started collecting good news. Not schmaltzy, feel-good news, but stuff that reminded me, 'Hey, there's positive stuff going on! People are solving problems and it's making a difference!' I began telling others about what I'd found." After the positive feedback Byrne says he received, he decided to "make the endeavor more formal" and assembled a team to commission stories from other writers and redesigned the website. In 2018, Byrne released his latest solo album, American Utopia, and launched a critically acclaimed tour behind the new LP. - New Musical Express, 8/25/19...... Michael Jackson's former manager Raymone Bain announced the establishment of the MJ Legacy Foundation during a press conference in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 22. Bain says the foundation will endeavor to "preserve, protect and defend his name while supporting the numerous organizations he supported during his life." "[Jackson] may no longer be with us, but through the foundation we're hoping he'll continue to live among us," she added. Bain also defended Jackson against the allegations of abuse which were made against the singer in the controversial Leaving Neverland film, which she labelled as "a biased, one-sided documentary." Meanwhile, cable channel HBO is calling for the Jackson estate's $100 million lawsuit against Leaving Neverland to be dismissed. In a motion for dismissal filed on Aug. 20, HBO claims that their documentary is protected under the First Amendment and California Code of Civil Procedure. "HBO's distribution of this documentary -- which recounts the personal stories of two individuals who describe in detail how, as young boys, they were sexually abused for years by Michael Jackson, arguably one of the world's most famous public figures -- constitutes protected activity under the First Amendment and California Code of Civil Procedure section 425.16," the motion reads. A hearing on the motion has been set for Sept. 19. - NME, 8/22/19...... David Bowie's live session for the VH1 Storytellers series is finally being released on vinyl, some 20 years after the original session. Bowie performed on the show on Aug. 23, 1999, and delivered a career-spanning setlist that also featured some lesser-known gems including "Can't Help Thinking About Me" and "Word on a Wing." 
Pop instrumentalist and former record label head Herb Alpert will release his new solo album, 
After Tony-nominated producer Matthew Weaver, who made his mark on Broadway with the "Rock of Ages" musical, acquired the stage rights to adapt Soul Train into a musical back in 2014, the production is eyeing an official 2021 debut in celebration of the iconic '70s TV dance show's 50th anniversary. The "Soul Train" musical will tell the personal story of late host Don Cornelius through more than 20 classic dance songs from the era as he crafts the famed show. Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson of The Roots, who is a four-time Grammy winner and author of Soul Train: The Music, Dance, and Style of a Generation, has signed on as an executive producer. Cornelius' son Tony Cornelius, CSI creator Anthony E. Zuiker and Live Nation Urban president Shawn Gee will also executive produce the musical. Since its debut in 1971, Soul Train featured performances by R&B, pop, soul and hip-hop artists, in addition to occasional funk, jazz, disco and gospel performers, introducing new dance moves and styles on a weekly basis. The final episode was broadcast in 2006. In 2016, BET Networks acquired the Soul Train brand and is home to the annual Soul Train Awards, which honor the best in urban music and entertainment. BET also airs the period drama American Soul, based on the rise of Soul Train. The scripted original has been picked up for a second season by the network. - The Hollywood Reporter, 8/20/19...... The U.S. Department of Justice has sided with Led Zeppelin in a long-running copyright feud surrounding their iconic hit "Stairway To Heaven." The DOJ filed an amicus brief on Aug. 15 which supports the classic rock icons' claim that they didn't steal the "guitar line and melody" from an instrumental track called "Taurus" originally penned by late Spirit guitarist Randy California and which appeared on Spirit's 1968 debut album. The case was reopened when a San Francisco court subsequently ruled that an earlier trial should have heard the two songs, instead of having a jury making their ruling based on the musical score or sheet music which showed chords and scale. In its brief, the DOJ says that the initial trial judge was correct when he ruled that only the song's sheet music was subject to copyright protection, as the song itself was written before a 1972 law which protected sound recordings. They added that the contentious sections of the song are only worthy of protection if they sound identical. Earlier in August, Led Zeppelin's position was supported by such acts as Korn, Tool, Judas Priest, Linkin Park when they signed a brief in support of Led Zep. The case is scheduled to be re-heard in late September in San Francisco. - New Musical Express, 8/17/19...... 
David Bowie's son Duncan Jones has posted to Twitter the first photo of actor Johnny Flynn transformed into David Bowie for the upcoming Bowie biopic Stardust. In the first photo from production, Flynn is seen evoking a young Bowie as he sits in a diner while smoking a cigarette. As well as sporting shoulder-length blonde locks, Flynn wears a purple turtleneck jumper and black fedora. Stardust, announced earlier in 2019, sees Flynn portray Bowie as he heads to America in 1971 with struggling publicist Ron Oberman (Marc Maron), "only to be met with a world not yet ready for him." The trip reportedly inspired the creation of his famous Ziggy Stardust persona. Although Stardust is due in 2021, Jones and the rest of Bowie's family have distanced themselves entirely from the production. "Pretty certain nobody has been granted music rights for ANY biopic I would know," Jones previously posted on Twitter. "I'm not saying this movie is not happening. I honestly wouldn't know. I'm saying that as it stands, this movie won't have any of dad's music in it, & I can't imagine that changing. If you want to see a biopic without his music or the family's blessing, that's up to the audience," he added. An official release date for Stardust has not yet been announced. - New Musical Express, 8/20/19...... Paul Simon is supporting the efforts of environmentalists trying to reinvigorate a forest on the Hawaiian island of Maui by planting a tree during a ceremony on Aug. 16. According to a local paper, Simon visited Auwahi Forest Restoration Project with volunteers who are trying to revive plant life in the area and helped plant a lama tree, participating in chants with the group after a helicopter tour that he called "awe-inspiring" and "life-changing." Simon inserted the plant and a scroll into a hole before refilling the soil and speaking with group members. "To even sit with you guys and be in the same community is such a privilege," said Simon, a part-time resident of Maui. Simon also performed two environmental benefit concerts at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center earlier in the week that drew more than 8,000 attendees. He announced he plans to donate the proceeds to the Auwahi project and the Hawaii environmental group Kuaaina Ulu Auamo. - AP, 8/19/19...... Carlos Santana is among eight music acts just named to the inaugural Ambassadors Council for the House of Blues Music Forward Foundation, a nonprofit arm of the live entertainment/restaurant chain. The MFF offers free vocational training in the music industry to young people living in diverse and underserved communities. Each of the Ambassadors, which also includes Khalid, Benny Blanco, Martina McBride and the rock band Umphrey's McGee, will contribute to the cause by mentoring aspiring artists, speaking at educational workshops, donating funds from ticket sales and providing exclusive memorabilia for auction, among other things. - Billboard, 8/20/19...... 
Fans of Elvis Presley made their annual pilgrimage to the late King of Rock & Roll's grave at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tenn., during the third week of August to participate in a vigil commemorating his death 42 years ago. The vigil was the cornerstone of Elvis Week, as silent mourners filed slowly past his resting place and the graves of his parents and grandmother in the Meditation Garden a Graceland. The vigil started on the evening of Aug. 15 and runs throughout the night into Aug. 16. Presley died on Aug. 16, 1977, and his Graceland attraction draws about 500,000 visitors annually. On Aug. 9, RCA/Legacy released 
Elton John is defending Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle over their use of private jets, confirming on Aug. 20 that he personally shelled out for a private flight so the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could "maintain a high level of much-needed protection." Elton defended the pair against what he called "relentless and untrue assassinations on their character," after the couple faced intense criticism in the British tabloids for reportedly travelling on four private jets in 11 days, despite being outspoken advocates on environmental issues. Posting on Twitter, John said he ensured the flight was carbon neutral by making an "appropriate contribution" to a carbon footprint fund. "I am deeply distressed by today's distorted and malicious account in the press surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's private stay at my home in Nice last week," he wrote. "Prince Harry's mother, Diana Princess Of Wales was one of my dearest friends. I feel a profound sense of obligation to protect Harry and his family from the unnecessary press intrusion that contributed to Diana's untimely death," he added. Prince Harry has been vocal about the effects of environmental damage, writing on Instagram in July: "Only now are we starting to notice and understand the damage that we've been causing. With nearly 7.7 billion people inhabiting this Earth, every choice, every footprint, every action makes a difference." - New Musical Express, 8/20/19...... Motown legend Smokey Robinson participated in a "Soul Music Riff-Off" with Late Late Show host James Corden on the Aug. 14 episode of the CBS late night talk show. The segment opened with Corden sitting alone at his desk. He told the audience that he had recently watched Showtime's upcoming documentary Hitsville: The Making of Motown, which he praised. Corden then shared his controversial opinion that new soul music is better than the original stuff. "I'm talking Usher, Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill," Corden said. "I feel like new soul has a better sound." Smokey Robinson then walked onstage to challenge Corden's view. "I heard you've been telling people that modern soul music is better than classic soul music," said Robinson. "Classic soul music is my thing, man." Robinson soon challenged Corden to a 
Def Leppard debuted its new 12-show residency at Planet Hollywood's Zappos Theater in Las Vegas on Aug. 14. Frontman Joe Elliott, who was performing his first gig since turning 60, said that "legacy artists and great music doesn't have an age on it anymore, it's like fine wine, it doesn't matter." "And these songs are now appealing to young kids," he added, noting that he consistently gets commentary on his Planet Rock radio show from teenage fans who have discovered Def Leppard by raiding their parents' record collections. Indeed, the Aug. 14 show was attended by a multi-gen audience, which ranged from teens to seniors, who rocked through the band's almost two-hour long set. It was filled with big moments, including two songs that the band has never played before in concert: "Let Me Be the One" from 2002's X album and "We Belong" from 2015's Def Leppard; as well as "Have You Ever Been," which they hadn't played in 25 years. "We dug deep into our catalog and we're going back [as recent as] the latest album," Elliott says. "And songs from High 'n' Dry that we don't play on a regular basis, songs from Pyromania that we haven't played in decades, and a couple of songs we've never played at all," he added. In addition to Elliott, Def Leppard's current lineup includes one-handed drummer Rick Allen and guitarists Phil Collen, Rick Savage and Vivian Campbell. - Billboard, 8/15/19...... Judas Priest's Glenn Tipton has thanked fans and his bandmates for helping to raise $150,000 for his Parkinson's disease foundation. Fans have purchased special T-shirts to support the cause, which Tipton launched in 2018 after announcing he had been battling the condition for a decade. "I'd like to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who bought The Glenn Tipton Parkinson's Foundation charity t-shirts throughout the various tour legs," Tipton wrote on Twitter. "I'd also like to thank [Judas Priest members] Rob, Ian, Richie, Scott and Andy -- the donations are building up nicely and that wouldn't have been possible without all the hard work from the guys in the band and the crew who went onstage every night and helped raise money for a great cause." Tipton says all proceeds from the foundation will benefit a pioneering new treatment called MR-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy, which helps Parkinson's sufferers control their tremors. - WENN/Canoe.com, 8/16/19...... During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Aug. 16, Happy Days star Henry Winkler recalled how he once saved a suicidal teenager with a phone call. Winkler says he was shooting an episode of Happy Days when an Illinois state trooper asked him to help talk an aspiring actor down from a high-rise ledge he was planning to jump from. "The phone rings and they say, 'Henry, it's a call for you,'" Winkler recalled. "I walked over to the phone and the man said 'I'm sorry to bother you. I have a 17-year-old kid on the ledge. And he is threatening to jump off and he will only talk to you.' I don't know where I got the nerve to take the phone and start talking to this kid. I said, 'OK, what is your name. OK, John, how old are you? You're 17, you're on the ledge, why do you want to jump?' 'I wanna be an actor.'" Thinking quickly, Winkler asked the desperate teen to will him his record collection, prompting the 17 year old to step off the ledge. "(I said), 'If you get off the ledge, let's talk about acting I was 27 when I got the Fonz, John. I think you've got 10 good years to keep trying. How 'bout that? Will you do that? OK. Can I get back to rehearsing? Thank you.'" Winkler said he knows the teen survived -- because he never got his record collection. - WENN/Canoe.com, 8/16/19...... 
In tribute to the one year anniversary of the death of Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin on Aug. 16, 2018, the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation has created The Aretha Franklin Fund for Neuroendocrine Cancer Research, with the blessing of the family. "We wanted to create this fund so that those who wanted to honor Aretha's memory have a way to support the research," foundation CEO Gellerman said. Franklin, who was 76 years old, had pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer, which starts in the pancreas but is far different and much slower developing than the more common, aggressive type of pancreatic cancer known as adenocarcinoma. Franklin's kind is exceedingly rare: Neuroendocrine cancers comprise about 7% of cancers originating in the pancreas, according to the NTRF. Two of her doctors said the singing legend handled the diagnosis and treatment with grace -- and the grit to keep performing for years with a rare type of cancer. "As a person, she was extremely kind, she was respectful, she was funny -- she treated people like me and my team members as her friends," said Dr. Manisha Shah of Ohio State University. "There is no phone call that would end without her asking about us. Most of the time she would ask about us first. ... It's because who she was: She was really down-to-earth." Dr. Philip Agop Philip, a professor at Karmanos and Wayne State University, recalled how Aretha wanted to continue her life as normally -- and positively -- as possible. "She was full speed -- she wasn't even complaining," said Philip, who first saw Franklin in early 2011 and was her doctor of record at the time of her death. "That was different than what I expected... She never showed signs that she was close to thinking that she may give up... until the end, close to the end." - AP, 8/15/19...... Richard Gillis, a singer, songwriter and composer who worked for director Sam Peckinpah on the Western The Ballad of Cable Hogue, died on July 31 in Thousand Oaks, Calif., as a result of complications from a fall at his home in Toluca Lake. He was 80. For The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970), which featured an original score by Jerry Goldsmith, Mr. Gillis wrote music and/or lyrics for such songs as "Butterfly Mornings," "Tomorrow Is the Song I Sing" and "Wait for Me, Sunrise," performed by actors Stella Stevens and Jason Robards (both lip-synced in the Arizona-set, turn-of-the-century movie) and Mr. Gillis himself. Mr. Gillis also composed music, sang or acted in other films including Schlock (1973), directed by John Landis; A Boy and His Dog (1975); The Bees (1978); Demonoid (1980); and Pretty Woman (1990) and Frankie and Johnny (1991), both helmed by Garry Marshall. He also worked as an art director, set designer, prop master, etc. - The Hollywood Reporter, 8/15/19.
Actor/producer/director and counterculture icon Peter Fonda, best known for his role in the seminal 1969 road movie 
In 1994, his career was rejuvenated when he was cast in John Carpenter's $50 million Escape From L.A. and given the third screen credit (before Cliff Robertson as the president). Total redemption came in 1997 when he played the lead in Victor Nunez's critically acclaimed indie Ulee's Gold, playing a Florida beekeeper who must tangle with some criminals to protect his family. Fonda received an Oscar nomination for best actor, and a classy profile in the New York Times. But the Oscar eluded him (it went to Jack Nicholson for a much showier performance in As Good as It Gets). More recently, Fonda played Mephistopheles in the Nicolas Cage vehicle Ghost Rider and a biker once again in the John Travolta-Tim Allen comedy Wild Hogs. He also had a supporting role as a bounty hunter in the 2007 remake 3:10 to Yuma, and reunited with Cage in the 2015 Louisiana political drama The Runner, in which Fonda played the younger actor's father. Fonda's family confirmed his passing in a statement that stated the actor passed away peacefully surrounded by his family. "While we mourn the loss of this sweet and gracious man, we also wish for all to celebrate his indomitable spirit and love of life. In honor of Peter, please raise a glass to freedom," the Fonda family said. Jane Fonda also released a separate statement, calling Peter "my sweet-hearted baby brother" and "the talker of the family." "I have had beautiful alone time with him these last days. He went out laughing," she wrote. In addition to his actress daughter Bridget Fonda and her husband, film composer Danny Elfman, survivors include Fonda's third wife Margaret (Parky) DeVogelaere, whom he married in 2011; and son Justin, a cameraman, from his marriage to first wife Susan Brewer (as is Bridget). - Variety/CBS.com, 8/16/19.
The generation-defining 1969 Woodstock festival will be commemorated in the third weekend of August as up to 100,000 fans are expected to flock to the original site in Bethel Woods, N.Y., for a 50th anniversary celebration featuring such acts as John Fogerty, Ringo Starr and Carlos Santana. Original Woodstock veteran Arlo Guthrie is set to perform on Aug. 15 before an outdoor screening of the Woodstock documentary. Organizers hope avoid the overcrowding and chaos that occurred 50 years ago by requiring event tickets and travel passes to drive to the site about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of New York City. Fans interested in visiting Woodstock without tickets or travel passes will still be able to do over the anniversary weekend, however their time at the location will be limited. A free shuttle bus service will take passengers to the site where they will have a maximum of 30 minutes to spend there before they are required to leave. The 1969 festival was held on a dairy farm in Bethel, upstate New York, which is now maintained by the Bethel Woods Centre for the Arts. The not-for-profit Bethel Woods center bought up the hillside and surrounding land in the late '90s, and constructed a Woodstock-and-'60s-themed museum which sits atop the fenced-in field. An outdoor amphitheater is located over the hill where Santana and Fogerty will play on separate nights. An estimated 400,000 people showed up for the event on Aug. 15-18, 1969. A competing 50th anniversary Woodstock concert promoted by original Woodstock co-founder Michael Lang was canceled in late July after months of setbacks, funding issues, artist defections and permitting issues. Meanwhile, Philadelphia radio station WXPN has announced plans to broadcast the full 1969 Woodstock festival exactly 50 years after it happened, over four days. At exactly 5:07 EDT on Aug. 15, WXPN, which airs on 88.5 FM public radio, will run through the entire original recording of 1969's Woodstock, featuring every performance, set breaks and stage announcements, from Richie Havens' opening acoustic set to Jimi Hendrix's blistering festival closer. "Woodstock -- As It Happened -- 50 Years On" is being dubbed a "full authentic musical account" of the classic festival, which featured the likes of Hendrix, The Who, The Grateful Dead, Joe Cocker and Janis Joplin. - AP/New Musical Express, 8/15/19...... Iggy Pop released a 
A wide-ranging 40th anniversary exhibit showcasing The Clash's landmark 1979 third album 
A new documentary defending Michael Jackson, Chase the Truth, was released the third week in August. The counter documentary, which features testimony from Jackson's former bodyguard Matt Fiddes and actor Mark Lester is an answer to the controversial 2018 documentary Leaving Neverland in which Wade Robson and James Safechuck claimed the King of Pop sexually abused them when they were children. "Acquitted in life, back on trial after death," reads the synopsis. "Michael Jackson: Chase The Truth takes an investigative look into the legal battles of the global superstar. Close friends, former staff and researchers paint an intimate portrait of Jackson's complicated world and put allegations of sexual abuse under the microscope." A 
Alice Cooper announced on Aug. 13 he'll launch a tour of Australia's five biggest cities in February 2020, beginning on Feb. 8 at Perth's RAC Arena. Other stops down under include Adelaide (2/11), Melbourne (2/14), Sydney (2/15) and Brisbane (2/18). Cooper's "Ol' Black Eyes Is Back" tour is currently in progress across North America, after which he'll begin a six-week tour of the U.K. and Europe, before returning to the United States for further dates in November. The "entirely new production" according to Alice incorporates a setting inside his Nightmare Castle, and features FrankenAlice, the new Billion Dollar Baby, and a setlist which includes many of his classic hits, deep album tracks, and new music. Meanwhile, The Coop continues to record and perform in his supergroup side project Hollywood Vampires, and will release a mini-album on vinyl, 
During his performance at the Outside Lands festival at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park on Aug. 11, Paul Simon surprised fans by inviting Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead onstage for a duet of Simon's "The Boxer." In 1967, Simon recalled, he was in SF and seeking out the Grateful Dead with the intent of inviting them to perform at the Monterrey Pop Festival. "I knocked on the door of the house, and Bob Weir opened the door," he said. "We've been friends ever since, but actually, this is our first duet." Although Simon no longer tours -- he wrapped his final tour in his native Queens, N.Y. back in September -- he hopped on the Outside Lands bill, and offered to donate his profits from the festival to the San Francisco Parks Alliance and nonprofit greening organization Friends of the Urban Forest. Simon's performance also included such hits as "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard," "Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes" and "You Can Call Me Al," along with such deep album tracks as "That Was Your Mother (Zydeco)" and "Obvious Child." He rounded out the set with "Still Crazy After All These Years," the Weir-featuring rendition of "The Boxer" and "American Tune," and Simon held Weir's hand before the rest of the band joined them for a bow center stage. - Billboard, 8/12/19...... As their co-headlining tour hit the Detroit area on Aug. 11, Santana and the Doobie Brothers joined forces to treat fans with a rendition of Bob Marley & the Wailers' "Exodus" -- because, Carlos Santana told the crowd, "we smoked some different kind of weed. Is it legal here yet?" (It is). The 17 total musicians combined for a long, heavily improvised take on the tune that worked in a bit of Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up," while Santana tossed solos to Doobies guitarists Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons, keyboardist Bill Payne and saxophonist Marc Russo. Santana also used the occasion to pay tribute to the late Aretha Franklin in her home town as the first anniversary of her death approaches on Aug. 16. Before "Black Magic Woman" he the told the Motor City crowd that Franklin is "our queen that ascended into another dimension. She's still here with us -- she just changed her zip code." Pointing out that England has its queen, he concluded that Franklin is "my queen, that's your queen." - Billboard, 8/12/19.
In other Beatles-related news, the group's Apple Corps Ltd. along with their record label Capitol/Ume announced on Aug. 8 that the 50th anniversary release date of the band's 1969 swansong LP 
Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at the premiere of the new Springsteen-themed movie Blinded By the Light on Aug. 8 at the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park, N.J. The Boss was flanked on the red carpet by his wife, Patti Scialfa, and the film's director, Gurinder Chanda and her family. He reportedly posed for photos, but didn't take questions. In the theater, he jammed on a handful of his classics including "Sherry Darling." Blinded by the Light, which tells the story of a British-Pakistani teenager in Margaret Thatcher's England who falls in love with Springsteen's music, will be in wide release across the U.S. on Aug. 16, and was released in the U.K. on Aug. 9. The 
'70s star John Travolta is featured in a video for the new single by American rapper Pitbull titled 
Wayne Newton is being sued by a Las Vegas woman who claims a pet monkey bit and injured her daughter during a visit to Newton's former mansion, Casa de Shenandoah, in 2017. Jocelyne Urena filed a civil negligence complaint in Nevada state court on Aug. 7, seeking at least $15,000 in damages on behalf of her daughter, Genevieve. The suit alleges the monkey attacked Genevieve without provocation during a visit to Newton's lavish 40-acre property southeast of the Las Vegas Strip where Newton lived with his family for more than 40 years before moving to another home in 2013. The Newtons sold the compound featuring several homes, gardens, pools, and exotic animals in 2010 to investors under the name CSD LLC who opened a tourist attraction and museum. The company also is named as a defendant in the lawsuit. Newton's wife, Kathleen McCrone Newton, said that a family business entity broke ties with Casa de Shenandoah in July 2017, three months before the lawsuit alleges the girl was injured. "We are not a party and have no idea what happened in October 2017," she said. - AP, 8/8/19...... Nicky Wonder, longtime guitarist for Brian Wilson and one of the founding members of the Wondermints, has died, aged 59. Born Nick Walusko on May 22, 1960, Wonder formed the Wondermints with another admirer of Wilson's work, Darian Sahanaja, in 1992. The band released five albums, including their self-titled debut album in 1995, and their final LP, 2009's Kaleidoscopin': Exploring Prisms of the Past. "Today is a sad sad day," Brian Wilson wrote in a statement posted to his website on Aug. 7. "It is with my deepest regret to tell you that our beloved Nicky Wonder passed away last night in his sleep. We are in a state of shock as you can imagine. But we are going to honor him with tonight's show." Wilson finished his statement by adding: "Our hearts go out to his wife Susan and his entire family, friends and fans. We love you Nicky." - New Musical Express, 8/8/19...... Henri Belolo, a co-creator of the Village People, died on Aug. 3 of as yet undisclosed causes. He was 82. The French music producer helped shape disco music, penning hits for the Village People that were featured in several films, Broadway, commercials, and more. Born in Casablanca, Morocco in 1936, Mr. Belolo worked as a DJ/producer and moved to the U.S. in 1973, where he met fellow Moroccan producer Jacques Morali. He and Morali teamed up to produce the Ritchie Family's "Brazil" in 1975, which soon grew to be a hit and led the partnership between the two producers to carry on into the next decade. Together, they shaped the world of disco, hitting up night clubs and eventually forming the six-member group, Village People, in 1978. The group was wildly progressive, embracing gay culture with fantasy characters, costumes, and a free-spirited approach to music. The characters included a construction worker, police officer, cowboy, Indian, biker and soldier. Mr. Belolo became a strong ally for his partner Morali, who was gay and passed away from AIDs complications in 1991. "We extend our deepest sympathies to Henri's family... Henri will live on in our hearts and minds forever," Scorpio Music, the French record label founded by Mr. Belolo, said in a statement. A private funeral for Mr. Belolo was already held in France and a public memorial service will be announced soon. - Billboard, 8/7/19.