Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on January 17th, 2020

Music streams of Rush songs are up 776% after the death of drummer Neil Peart, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. After Peart's death was first reported on Jan. 10, on-demand audio and video stream's of the band's back catalog increased to a combined 24.54 million -- up 776.4% as compared to the previous four days (2.8 million on Jan. 6-9). Rush's most-streamed tunes during the Jan. 10-13 period was the 1981 hit "Tom Sawyer," with 2.82 million streams (up 305% as compared to the 698,000 streams it registered Jan. 6-9). Sales of Rush songs grew by 2,304% to 19,000 (from 1,000), while the group's album sales gained 1,820% to 6,000 (up from a negligible figure). It is expected that Rush's The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974 - 1987 will also re-enter the Billboard Hot 200 album chart for the week ending Jan. 25. Rush also dominates the LyricFind U.S. and global chart dated Jan. 18, led by "Tom Sawyer," which bows at No. 1 on both lists. The band is responsible for 23 of the 25 positions on the Global survey and 18 of the 25 spots on the U.S. ranking. The LyricFind charts rank the fastest-momentum-gaining tracks in lyric-search queries and usages globally and in the U.S. Peart, 67, died on Jan. 7 after a 3-year battle with cancer. - Billboard, 1/16/20...... Seventies acts T. Rex and the Doobie Brothers are among the six artists inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Jan. 15, the Cleveland-based hall and museum announced on Jan. 15. T. Rex producer Tony Visconti, who helmed the group's key albums between 1970-73, noted that T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan and his band "have inspired hundreds of bands and record production over the years" and the legendary glam-rock outfit" is still loved by millions of fans and their music will still continue to inspire future musicians." Tom Johnston of the Doobie Brothers, who kick off a 50th anniversary tour on May 23 in Los Cabos, Mexico, says that "everybody's pretty jazzed" about the RRHOF induction news, especially since it was the Doobies' first time on the ballot after being eligible since 1971, while later Doobies recruit Michael McDonald added "everybody's really excited about this and looking forward to getting together with all the other guys and having that evening together to celebrate." Also selected were Depeche Mode, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails and The Notorious B.I.G. Of the six acts, only Depeche Mode and NIN were previously nominated, who were inducted on their respective third nominations. The rest are first-time nominees, with all but Notorious B.I.G having been eligible for many years. Longtime Bruce Springsteen manager Jon Landau, who guided the Boss's career in its early days, and longtime Eagles manager Irving Azoff, were also chosen to be honored with an Ahmet Ertegun Award. Those nominated but not inducted include Pat Benatar, Dave Matthews Band, Judas Priest, Kraftwerk, MC5, Motorhead, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Todd Rundgren, Soundgarden and Thin Lizzy. The latest inductees will become official on May 2 at the 35th Annual RRHOF induction ceremony, which for the first time ever will be broadcast live on HBO. This year's ceremony takes place at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland. Tickets go on sale Feb. 27 and participating performers and inductees will be announced at a later date. - Billboard, 1/15/20...... In other awards news, Aerosmith will be honored during Grammy Week in April as the 2020 MusiCares Person of the Year during The Recording Academy's 30th-anniversary benefit gala. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees will be honored for their philanthropic achievements and join an elite group of past award recipients that includes Dolly Parton, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Lionel Richie, Bob Dylan and Carole King. Aerosmith is being honored for its philanthropic organization Janie's Fund, which frontman Steven Tyler established in 2015 to coincide with the song's 26th anniversary. The charity is dedicated to helping emotionally and behaviorally troubled children across America. The band, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2020, will continue the second year of its Las Vegas "Deuces Are Wild" residency through this June, followed by an arena/stadium tour of Europe. - Billboard, 1/14/2020...... The Steve Miller Band will be among the headliners at the second annual BeachLife Fest 2020, set for L.A. County's South Bay beach area on May 1-3. It will be SMB's only Southern California appearance of 2020. Also performing will be Counting Crows, UB40 and The Marley Brothers. This year's BeachLife will include a Yacht Rock Brunch starring Ambrosia and Friends with special guests Stephen Bishop ("On and On"), John Ford Coley ("I'd Really Love to See you Tonight"), and Elliot Lurie ("Brandy You're A Fine Girl"). Sugar Ray will also host a weekend brunch set against a backdrop of raised mimosas and palm trees and the laid-back oceanside event. Tickets can be acquired at Beachlifefestival.com. - Billboard, 1/16/20...... Meanwhile, Steve Miller is among the inductees of the 2020 Songwriters Hall of Fame, it was announced on CBS This Morning on Jan. 16. Miller was present during the announcement, saying it "feels delightful... it's really a great, great honor." Explaining why the nod was so important to him, the 76-year-old singer and guitar wizard said, "the songs are the most important part of everything. To be honored this way is unexpected." Also inducted into the SHOF were Mariah Carey, The Isely Brothers, The Eurythmics, and songwriter Rick Nowels, who has penned hits for Madonna, Dido, Adele and Lana Del Rey. - Billboard, 1/16/20...... Legendary singer José Feliciano will release his latest album, Behind This Guitar, on Jan. 31. Produced by Rick Jarrard, the album features a rendition of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain," and Feliciano has shared a video of his version of the song on YouTube. The eight-track Behind This Guitar, which also includes a new recording of José's classic holiday hit "Feliz Navidad," marks the first time the musician has recorded in Nashville. "Once the (instrumental) tracks were done in Nashville I went to my sound tech's studio in Connecticut and did the vocals and we put it together and I'm really happy with how it came out," Feliciano noted. "I think it has real hit potential." Feliciano is set to appear at a special event Feb. 11 at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. The musician, who this year marks the 55th anniversary of his first album release, is also working on a memoir as well as a documentary about his life and career. - Billboard, 1/16/20...... Bruce Springsteen and wife Patti Scialfa were proudly on hand to see their 25-year-old son, Sam Springsteen, sworn in as one of 15 new firefighters with the Jersey City Fire Department on Jan. 14. The Boss and Scialfa sat in the front row as their 25-year-old son was sworn into the newest class. "We're very proud," Bruce told reporters at the ceremony. "We're just excited for him today." - AP, 1/14/20...... Steely Dan and Steve Winwood have announced a co-headlining 2020 summer tour set to kick off June 2 in Portland, Ore. Their 23-date "Earth After Hours" tour will also visit such cities as Auburn, Wash. (6/4), Los Angeles (6/8), Phoenix, Ariz. (6/11), Atlanta, Ga. (6/19), Memphis, Tenn. (6/20), Toronto, Ont. (6/23), Cincinnati, Oh. (6/28), and Holmdel, N.J. (7/10) before wrapping on July 11 at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, N.Y. Steely Dan lead vocalist and keyboardist Donald Fagen has continued to perform live under the Steely Dan name since the band's co-founder, multi-instrumentalist and backing vocalist, Walter Becker, died of complications from esophageal cancer in 2017. - Billboard, 1/15/20...... An ambitious 40-city Foreigner summer tour with openers Kansas has been announced to launch on July 9 in Albuquerque, N.M. Hitting such major markets as Indianapolis, St. Louis, Detroit, Chicago, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Boston, Toronto, Birmingham, Jacksonville and Nashville, the band's "Juke Box Heroes" tour will close out in September with three shows in Texas. "We can't wait to hit the road with our good friends Kansas and Europe and bring all our biggest hits to cities across the country," Foreigner founding member Mick Jones in a release. "We always have such a good time together, and combined we share some of the greatest songs in rock and roll. We are so excited to see our fans from coast to coast, and plan to make this summer our most epic tour yet!" Prior to the tour, Foreigner will launch 2020 with a three-day run at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Tennessee with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra from Jan. 16-18 before the group's residency at The Venetian in Las Vegas, which kicks off Jan. 24. Meanwhile, tourmates Kansas also plan to release their 16th studio album this summer. - Billboard, 1/13/20...... Randy Newman issued a statement on Jan. 15 saying he's been forced to cancel his upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand due to a longer-than-expected recovery period from recent surgery. Newman had been set to kick off his seven-date tour on Feb. 2 at Melbourne's Hamer Hall, then play shows in Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane, then head east for his first ever New Zealand trek, taking in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. "I couldn't be more sorry, I really couldn't," said Newman in a statement. "I had a hip operation, and I thought I was going to get better, but I'm not. And I'm losing feeling in three fingers on my left hand. Not that I ever had a great left hand in the first place, but it's hard to play." Newman was recently nominated for a best original song Oscar (his 13th) for "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away" from Toy Story 4, and for best original score for Marriage Story. Elton John and Bernie Taupin, fresh off their Golden Globe win for best original song for "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from Rocketman, were also nominated for an Oscar in the best original song category. - Billboard, 1/15/20...... Meat Loaf has filed a lawsuit against a hotel at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and organizers of a horror convention held there, blaming them for negligence when he fell from a stage while answering questions from convention goers last May. Meat Loaf, whose real name is Michael Lee Aday, and his wife Deborah filed the suit on Jan. 13 in a state district court in Fort Worth, Tex., against the Hyatt Corp. and Texas Frightmare Weekend LLC. The lawsuit alleges the defendants hung curtains at the back edge of the stage at the Hyatt Regency DFW hotel that hid where the stage ended, creating a "hidden hazard." Meat Loaf, 72, incurred severe neck, collarbone and shoulder injuries that have prevented him from performing since, according to the complaint. It says he spent 42 days hospitalized after the fall and required him to undergo physical therapy. - AP, 1/14/20...... Legendary guitarist and longtime cannabis advocate Carlos Santana has announced he's getting into the marijuana business. On Jan. 15, Santana announced a partnership with Left Coast Ventures, a cannabis and hemp company headquartered in Santa Rosa, California. Santana will develop premium cannabis and hemp CBD brands for the company that are influenced by his Latin heritage, while "incorporating his divine philosophies" with strains and products that "promote the spiritual consciousness and wellness effects" of the drug. "Cannabis is a window or a door to different awareness of consciousness," said Santana in a statement. "It gives you the choice to perceive through a different filter of awakening and healing, the misperception of distance as an illusion, which keeps you from being centered in your essence-core. It helps you arrive at knowing, accepting and owning a quality of life that is being with joy!" Santana's pot brand is expected for a summer 2020 launch and will be available to buy in select dispensaries in California; the line will include flower and pre-rolls upon release. The hemp CBD brand, which will include topicals with formulations inspired by Santana's own family, is slated for release in the fall. - Billboard, 1/15/20...... Queen + Adam Lambert and Alice Cooper have been confirmed as headliners of a Sydney Bushfire Relief Concert at Sydney's ANZ Stadium on Feb. 16. All profits and contributions will go to various wildfire relief charities that will help victims of devastating Australian bushfires that have taken dozens of lives, destroyed thousands of homes and razed more than 12 million hectares, an area roughly the size of the states of Vermont and New Hampshire, combined. The massive nine-hour-plus concert will be hosted by actor and comedian Celeste Barber, who has already raised more than A$50 million ($35 million) towards bushfire relief via her own online appeal. Other headliners include Amy Shark, Baker Boy, Conrad Sewell, Daryl Braithwaite, Guy Sebastian and Icehouse. - Billboard, 1/13/20...... David Bowie is set to be honored by having a Paris street named after him, it was announced on Jan. 13. Paris mayor Jerome Coumet, a professed fan of the late rock icon, said that a new road near Austerlitz station in the southeast of the French capital would be named after Bowie. Revealing that Bowie "had a strong link with the City of Lghts," Coumet added that "the naming must be approved by the Paris council in February," something he says normally happens without a problem. Jan. 10 marked the fourth anniversary of Bowie's death, and the musician's 48-year-old son, Duncan Jones, and Bowie's wife of almost 24 years, Iman, paid tribute to him in a series of touching social media posts. Jones posted a photograph of Bowie on holiday via Twitter, captioned "Dad relaxing happily in the Australian outback," adding "Always alive when he's in here - [heart emoji]." Iman took to Instagram to pay tribute to her late husband with a picture of the two together, as well as a separate post featuring the words: "Sometimes memories sneak out of my eyes and roll down my cheeks." - New Musical Express, 1/13/20...... Star Wars actor Mark Hamill is praising a Flagstaff, Ariz., record store for returning a Star Wars: A New Hope soundtrack LP that had been a gift from film composer John Williams that he hadn't seen since the 1990s. The record was one of numerous Star Wars items brought in to sell by a woman after her father's death in 2018. Micheil Salmons, the store's general manager, said they eventually tried reaching out to Hamill via social media. The actor confirmed it was genuine, and the vinyl was sent back to him. Micheil Salmons, the store's general manager, said they reached out via social media to Hamill, who confirmed it was genuine, and the vinyl was sent back to him. Hamill said in a tweet that it felt "totally unexpected & positively surreal" to get back the record he hadn't seen since the early 1990s. "I happily offered to sign any (Star Wars) items they sent me," the actor wrote. Williams had written on the vinyl's sleeve: "Dear Mark Hamill, May the force always be with us." - AP, 1/14/20...... A posthumous release by late Irish rocker Rory Gallagher, Check Shirt Wizard - Live in '77, has been released via Chess/UMC Records. The 20-song, previously unreleased, set is culled from four shows (London, Brighton, Sheffield and Newcastle) during an early 1977 tour across the UK in support of Rory's then latest album Calling Card. Featuring live versions of tracks from that album as well as songs from Gallagher's 1975 set Against The Grain other live favorites, the new album has been mixed from the original multi track tapes from the Rory archive, which were recorded at the Rolling Stones and Jethro Tull's mobile studios and mastered at Abbey Road. Gallagher's most popular albums have always been his live ones, such as Live! In Europe, Irish Tour '74 and Stage Struck. Check Shirt Wizard - Live in '77, is available to pre-order from https://RoryGallagher.lnk.to/CSW. Renowned for his blistering live performances and highly respected for his dedication to his craft, Gallagher died in 1995, aged 47. - Noble PR, 1/15/20...... Chris Darrow, a former member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, has died of as yet undisclosed causes at age 75. In the 1960s, the South Dakota native and Claremont, Calif. transplant became acquainted with Chris Hilman of The Byrds, who had a profound influence on his transition from bluegrass and folk to rock music. He went on to form the genre-bending rock band Kaleidoscope, recording several albums before his joining influential country-rockers the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1967. Darrow worked with the band on two albums, and appeared in the Clint Eastwood movie, Paint Your Wagon, before forming the band The Corvettes, who became the touring band for Linda Ronstadt. Darrow also had a prolific solo career, releasing a total of 10 records between 1972 and 2006, and worked with such notable artists as Leonard Cohen and James Taylor. - 1/16/20.

David Lee Roth kicked off a 2020 Vegas residency at the House of Blues on Jan. 8 with a mixture of rants, unabashed peacocking, and non sequitors like "my inner child is Edward James Olmos." The 65-year-old former Van Halen singer observed Elvis Presley's Jan. 8 birthday by popping onstage in a bedazzled leather jacket that resembled one of Elvis' famous jumpsuits, and during a version of the VH classic "Unchained," sported a pompadour wig and gave a shout out to the King on what would have been his 85th birthday. Roth also indulged in long stories about his childhood in Detroit as well as his early days with VH as they hosted illegal wet T-shirt contests at a Van Nuys Boulevard nightclub. His sets included "Running With the Devil," "Just Like Paradise, "Just a Gigolo" and "California Girls," forgetting the words to the latter in one particularly cringy moment. Conveying how much he loves spontaneity, Roth told the audience that no two shows of his residency would be the same. Meanwhile, Roth earlier told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that his VH bandmate Eddie Van Halen is "not doing well" and suggested Eddie's performing ability has deteriorated because he hasn't been active since their last reunion tour in 2015 ."Ed's not doing well, and singing and dancing is a perishable skill," Roth said of the 64-year-old guitarist. "If you have the capacity, it's something that has to be used routinely, if not for the thrill of it and the magic of creating with other incandescent spirits." Roth did not address recent reports in the media that Eddie has allegedly been battling cancer again, allegedly secretly battling the disease for five years and making secret trips between the US and Germany to receive radiation treatment. Eddie, a former heavy smoker and alcoholic, has a lengthy health history, having undergone hip replacement surgery in November 1999, after being diagnosed with chronic avascular necrosis years earlier. In 2000, he began receiving treatment for tongue cancer and the subsequent surgery removed a third of his tongue. - Billboard/Music.News.com, 1/10/20...... The rock world is mourning the loss of legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart, who died in California on Jan. 7 at age 67 after a battle with brain cancer. Canada's CBC first reported the news on Jan. 10, citing information from Peart's publicist, Elliott Mintz. Considered one of the best drummers in rock history with Modern Drummer listing him at No. 3 in a 2014 all-time ranking list, Peart also made his mark on the larger pop culture as seen through references in TV shows like Freaks and Geeks, Archer and Family Guy. Born in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1952, Peart became infatuated with music at an early age and started playing the drums after his parents bought him a pair of drum sticks for his 13th birthday. After moving to the U.K. at 18 to make it as a professional musician, he returned to Canada, where in 1974 he auditioned for singer/bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson to replace John Rutsey as drummer for the band Rush. Although his audition was rocky, Lee and Lifeson decided to give Peart a chance, and the new trio started playing live gigs just weeks later. Though Lee had written the lyrics on the group's first album with Rutsey, he happily ceded the role to Peart, whose songwriting focus was heavily influenced by his studies of objectivist Ayn Rand while he had lived in England. The visionary drummer's style, both manic and intricate, would also help come to define the band's virtuosic prog-rock sound. Born in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1952, Peart became infatuated with music at an early age and started playing the drums after his parents bought him a pair of drum sticks for his 13th birthday. After moving to the U.K. at 18 to make it as a professional musician, he returned to Canada, where in 1974 he auditioned for singer/bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson to replace John Rutsey as drummer for the band Rush. The trio would record five albums over the next half-decade, spanning from 1975's Fly by Night to 1978's Hemispheres, building the band's cult reputation at home and abroad. The most successful of these efforts was 1976's 2112, whose 20-minute opening title suite took up the record's entire first side and set new standards for classical composition in late-'70s arena rock. It made the top five on the Canadian albums chart and was ultimately certified triple-platinum by the RIAA in the U.S. The Canadian power-trio's most successful period would come early in the next decade, though, with the release of 1980's Permanent Waves and 1981's Moving Pictures -- the latter giving the group their first chart-topping album in their home country. The two sets sold well and together spawned classic rock standards like "The Spirit of Radio," "Limelight" and "Tom Sawyer," emphasizing both the group's highly melodic and anthemic songwriting and their peerless instrumentation, including Peart's iconic drum fills in "Sawyer" and the oft-imitated instrumental "YYZ." Rush released a statement on Jan. 10 confirming the news, writing: "It is with broken hearts and the deepest sadness that we must share the terrible news that on Tuesday our friend, soul brother and band mate of over 45 years, Neil, has lost his incredibly brave three and a half year battle with brain cancer (Glioblastoma). We ask that friends, fans, and media alike understandably respect the family's need for privacy and peace at this extremely painful and difficult time. Those wishing to express their condolences can choose a cancer research group or charity of their choice and make a donation in Neil's name. Rest in peace brother." - Billboard, 1/10/20...... Cher has set a personal touring career record in 2019 with the final dates of her ongoing "Here We Go Again Tour," which raised the diva's calendar-year gross to $108.2 million. The tour earned $14.1 million and sold 109,521 tickets according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. Cher earned $3.8 million at New York's Madison Square Garden on Dec. 3-4 and sold out at 27,495 tickets over both nights at the Manhattan arena, while breaking the $1.5 million mark with single-night stops throughout Texas at Houston's Toyota Arena, San Antonio's AT&T Center and the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The dates raised Cher's calendar-year gross to $108.2 million, making it the biggest year of her touring career in Boxscore history. Her previous bests were in 2002 and 2003, the first years of the "Living Proof Tour," when she grossed $75.4 million and $68.5 million, respectively. Coming in at No. 7 and No. 8 on the Boxscore chart were Rod Stewart and Billy Joel, respecively. - Billboard, 1/10/20..... Nielsen Music is reporting that vinyl album sales in the US grew to a new yearly high in 2019 for the 14th consecutive year, led by the Beatles who sold 471,000 copies sold across their entire catalog, more than any other artist. Vinyl sales climbed to 18.84 million units sold in 2019 (up 14.5%), and represented 16.7% of all album sales for the year. In 2018, the format accounted for 11.9% of all album sales. The Beatles also had the top-selling vinyl album of 2019, with Abbey Road. The set, first released in 1969, sold 246,000 copies on wax in 2019, thanks in part to its deluxe 50th anniversary reissue. The set topped the weekly Billboard Hot 200 album chart for 11 weeks in late 1969 and early 1970. Other '70s related acts in the top 10 vinyl sales for 2019 include Queen (No. 2; 345,000), Pink Floyd (No. 4; 217,000), Fleetwood Mac (No. 5; 149,000), Prince (No. 7; 140,000), Led Zeppelin (No. 8; 134,000) and Michael Jackson (No. 9; 127,000). - Billboard, 1/9/20...... In other vinyl news, Bruce Springsteen announced on Instagram on Jan. 11 that he will be reissuing five of his albums on vinyl, many of which have not been available on the format since their original releases. They include 18 Tracks (1999), Live in New York City (2001), The Rising (2002), Devils & Dust (2005) and Live in Dublin (2007). The records, transferred from the original source masters, will go on sale Feb. 21. Each of the five albums cover the period when Springsteen was reunited with the E Street Band, whom he'd previously worked with between 1972 and 1989. The Rising, recorded in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, marks the first album recorded together since the band rejoined him in 1999. - New Musical Express, 1/12/20...... Graceland Auctions has announced a three-wheeled golf cart once owned by Elvis Presley is among hundreds of Elvis memorabilia items that will be put on the auction block in support of the Elvis Presley Foundation. According to GA, the cart is over 50 years old, and was indeed owned by The King himself: "Shortly after Elvis and Priscilla married in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967, the couple spent the next several weeks in Memphis enjoying time together at Graceland and on May 18, 1967, Elvis purchased a white Harley-Davidson golf cart from Taylor Harley-Davidson in Memphis." The website states the singer rarely actually played golf, however, instead using the cart for travel more easily around his estate. The cart, which includes a white "1-ELVIS" license plate, was previously available for public viewing at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. - NME, 1/8/20...... Parlophone Records has announced it will mark what would have been David Bowie's 73rd birthday on Jan. 8 with two posthumous projects. The first is a nine-track album due out on 2020 Record Store Day (April 18) on vinyl and CD for the first time entitled ChangesNowBowie, culled from a 1996 session with longtime bassist Gail Ann Dorsey, guitarist Reeves Gabrels and producer Mark Plati during rehearsals for a 50th birthday Madison Square Garden show. As the first taste of that project, Parlophone has released a mostly acoustic version of Bowie's beloved 1970 track "The Man Who Sold The World," which will also appear on a six-song EP of unreleased and rare tracks, "David Bowie Is It Any Wonder?," slated to be released in weekly batches over the next six weeks beginning on Jan. 17. The EP features tracks originally recorded for radio and broadcast by the BBC on Bowie's 50th birthday on Jan. 8, 1997, with a cover image taken by renowned photographer Albert Watson in 1996. Bowie's latest birthday was also marked with a 30-minute experimental film of the late rock icon shot by friend/collaborator Prof. Martin Richardson which was played for a select group of 300 Bowie fans on Friday Jan. 10 at the U.K.'s Leicesters's National Space Centre to mark four years since's the singer's passing. The 35mm film of Bowie walking towards a camera and striking various poses had reportedly been stored in a box at Leicester's De Montfort University for several years and was used to produce a moving hologram for the 1999 Hours album. Meanwhile, Bowie and fellow late pop star George Michael have been named among the most influential people in British history with their recent addition to The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. The two musicians, as well as legendary late Beatles producer Sir George Martin, are among 228 contemporary figures who have been added to the book's newest edition. New entries are only allowed to be added following their death, with all of 2020's additions having died in 2016. They bring the the total number of articles in the dictionary to 61,411, which covers the lives of 63,693 people. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 1/9/20...... Elton John has announced he's pledging $1million to to help combat the bushfires in Australia that have been raging since September. John announced his donation while making a plea on behalf of the nation's endangered animals and affected citizens. "We should all be in the awe of the work the firefighters are doing," John, 72, said. "There are people out there who have lost their lives trying to save homes, there are people who have lost their lives and their homes. And lastly, there's the plight of the animals, a loss of their habitat that, frankly, is on a biblical scale and it's heartbreaking. Therefore tonight, I will be pledging $1 million dollars to support the bushfire relief fund." The fires have consumed more than 18 million acres in Australia during the nation's most disastrous fire season in history, and 130 blazes continue to burn out of control, taking the lives of at least 25 to date. Elton joins the likes of Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, The Wiggles, Kylie Minogue and P!nk who have made six-figure donations or scheduled benefit concerts to aid firefighting cause. On Jan. 9, Queen guitarist Brian May revealed that the band have been asked to play a Live Aid style benefit concert for victims of the bushfires. Concert promoters TEG Live and TEG Dainty have announced the benefit gig "Fire Fight Australia" to raise funds, with the show confirmed fo Feb. 16, but as yet no acts have been confirmed. Queen has seven gigs scheduled in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast from February 13 to 29, with their schedule currently clear on Feb. 16. "Of course, we are going there very soon, we are looking at it very carefully" May said recently outside parliament in Westminster, where he was promoting the Save Me Trust's "Amazing Grace Campaign" to help Britain's hedgehogs. - Billboard/NME, 1/7/20...... Ozzy Osbourne shared the title track from his upcoming album Ordinary Man on YouTube on Jan. 10, which features his surprise collaboration with Elton John. "Ordinary Man" sees Ozzy singing the first verse backed by Elton on piano, before Elton contributes vocals during the second verse. Ozzy also revealed the cover artwork for Ordinary Man, his first LP since 2010's Scream, and additional contributors including Post Malone, Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, and Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello. "It all just came together," Osbourne said in a press release. "Slash is a dear friend of mine, as is Elton. When I was writing 'Ordinary Man', it reminded me of an old Elton song and I said to [wife] Sharon Osbourne, 'I wonder if he would sing on it?' We asked and lo and behold, he agreed and sings and play piano on the song," he added. Osbourne's backing band on the LP also includes Guns & Roses' Duff McKagan, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and producer Andrew Watt on guitar. Ordinary Man drops on Feb. 21. Meanwhile, Sharon Osbourne has slammed Prince Harry and his wife Megan Markle's decision to step back from royal life, insisting they should have waited until Queen Elizabeth retired. Sharon says the Duke and Duchess of Sussex "should be able to do what they want... it's 2020." "However, his family are royal, for thousands of years. And to respect that family, you go to your family; you tell them how you feel; you say, let's sort this out," Sharon said on her daytime TV show The Talk. "The queen has said that within the next 18 months she's going to retire, which means that Harry's dad, Prince Charles, will be King. So, you know what, you wait until the Queen's retired." But Sharon added that Duchess Megan has some new career plans in mind and will have set her sights on teaming up with big names in the US. "My prediction is, that she'll end up doing something with Oprah [Winfrey] and Michelle Obama." - Billboard/Music-News.com, 1/10/20...... Aretha Franklin's son Kecalf has called for a boycott of the upcoming Aretha biopic Respect, which is due to hit theaters in late 2020 and stars Jennifer Hudson after she was handpicked by the Queen of Soul herself for the the title role. But Respect failed to garner the support of Franklin's wider family, after Kecalf threatened to boycott it in a lengthy Facebook post. "Once again The Franklin Family (Does Not) support the movie that is in production," he wrote on Facebook. "Nor do we support the book 'The Queen Next Door'!!! Neither entity felt the need to contact the (core) family about anything." Kecalf also took issue with the 2019 book The Queen Next Door: Aretha Franklin, An Intimate Portrait, which is thought to have provided inspiration for the movie. "How can you make a movie about a person and not talk to the person's sons or grandchildren about important information," he said. "How can you put a person's family in a book and not ask permisssion? If you are a real fan of my mothersplease do not support this. Ask yourself -- would you want this done to you. Note: the only person my mother was in favor of for the movie was Jennifer Hudson," he added. In 2019, Aretha was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize, almost a year after her death. - NME, 1/9/20...... "MJ," the new Broadway show based on the life and career of Michael Jackson, will hold an open casting call in Detroit during the week of Jan. 12 as part of several audition sessions coming up across the US. The show is reportedly seeking performers who can play the late star at various life stages, including Jackson as a 10-year-old, as a teenager, and around aged 30, according to the Detroit Free Press. "MJ," penned by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lynn Nottage and choreographed by Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon, will arrive on Broadway to previews on July 6 before its official opening on August 13 at the Neil Simon Theatre. - NME, 1/7/20...... The ABC television network announced on Jan. 9 that it is partnering with movie director Mel Brooks for its newest live musical event, Young Frankenstein Live!, which will be based on the 2007 Broadway musical adaptation of Brooks' classic 1974 film of the same name. Produced by the show's creator Brooks, Young Frankenstein Live! is expected to premiere in fall 2020 and feature Brooks' music that he composed from the Broadway adaptation. Brooks also co-wrote and directed the 1974 comedy film which parodied Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and starred Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle. - ComingSoon.net, 1/9/20...... Legendary screenwriter Buck Henry, best known for his work on the classic 1967 film The Graduate and for co-creating the '60s spy comedy series Get Smart!, died of a heart attack on Jan. 8 at Cedars-Sinai Health Center in Los Angeles. He was 89. Mr. Henry scored a pair of Oscar nominations -- one for his adapted screenplay for The Graduate and another for co-directing (with Warren Beatty) the 1978 movie Heaven Can Wait. He also won a writing Emmy in 1967 for Get Smart!, the spy spoof he created with Mel Brooks, among many other accolades. Mr. Henry later became a familiar face to a new generation of TV viewers in the 1970s by hosting Saturday Night Live several times during its first five seasons. On SNL he might be best remembered as John Belushi's foil in the classic "Samurai" skits, as well as Uncle Roy, who menaced children he was babysitting. Born Buck Zuckerman in New York City on Dec. 9, 1930, Mr. Henry got his start writing for Steve Allen and Garry Moore's TV shows in the 1960s, including That Was The Week That Was, before penning the script for The Graduate, Mike Nichols' seminal film starring Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross and Anne Bancroft. The film scored seven Oscar noms including Best Picture, with Nichols winning Best Director. The film also made the top 10 in the AFI's "100 Years -100 Movies" list in 1998. Mr. Henry would focus his screenwriting on the big screen during the 1970s, penning such films as The Owl and the Pussycat, Is There Sex After Death?, the Barbra Streisand-starred What's Up, Doc?, and The Day of the Dolphin. He had appeared onscreen in numerous films and comedy shows by the mid-'70s when he was chosen to host Saturday Live Night during its first season in 1976. Appearing alongside the Not Ready for Primetime Players, he would go on to host nine more times through 1980, becoming the first SNL host to hit double digits. His later screenwriting credits include To Die For (1995) and Town & Country (2001). In addition to Heaven Can Wait, his other directing credit includes Candy in 1968, whose cast included Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, James Coburn and Walter Matthau. - Deadline.com, 1/8/20.