Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on August 19th, 2020

Bette Midler and trailblazing '70s TV producer Norman Lear are among those speaking out against the Pres. Donald Trump-appointed new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy who many observers feel is doing his best to dismantle the USPS to discourage mail in voting in advance of the Nov. 3 presidential election. "What's Trump's vision for his second term? Revenge, plain and simple. He'll be ramping up his smearing, he'll find a way to jail the disloyal, he will defund #SocialSecurity, #Medicaid; he will sell off the #PostOffice for parts," Bette Midler tweeted, while Norman Lear posted: "In my 98 years, I never thought I would see a president trying to eliminate the U.S. Postal Service. Please watch this beautiful video and join me in taking action to save it. https://twitter.com/peoplefor/status/1290348738775580672." The purported "cost saving" managerial actions of DeJoy, who was also a major Trump fundraiser in the 2016 campaign, is now the object of lawsuits filed by six states in Federal District Court in Manhattan. It asks the court to declare that Pres. Trump and DeJoy have violated voters' rights by seriously dialing back Post Office services and asking that the administration ensures that the U.S.P.S. is adequately funded. - Billboard, 8/18/20...... Sales of Bruce Springsteen's 2002 song "The Rising" have surged after it was used in the first night of the Democratic National Convention to soundtrack a segment of the program that was dubbed "Rise Up." "The Rising," first released in July of 2002, sold 1,000 downloads on Aug. 17 -- up from a negligible sales figure on Aug. 16 -- and has already captured its best sales week since the week ending Sept. 11, 2011, when it sold 2,000 downloads. That week marked the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and "The Rising" was written as a reaction to 9/11. In 2002, Springsteen's The Rising album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 200 album chart for the week of Aug. 17. Springsteen, who appears briefly in the new DNC video with his wife Pattie Scialfa, shared the clip on his Twitter and Instagram accounts with the caption "Come on up for #therising https://t.co/ocbt1TfWcS." The video, which draws a parallel between the current COVID-19 pandemic and the pain of 9/11, is also on the front page of Springsteen's official website, with the same caption, and a link for his fans to register to vote in the November presidential election. Springsteen was only one of the celebrities with a progressive bent who posted enthusiastic tweets about the DNC convention's opening night, with Cher and Bette Midler also tweeting favorable reviews. "This was an astonishing moment tonight at the Democratic Convention. #Unforgettable...Loved it!," Bette Midler tweeted on Aug. 18. - Billboard, 8/18/20...... In other Bruce Springsteen news, the New Jersey rocker is among such musicians as Josh Homme, Albert Hammond Jr, Tom Morello, Bob Weir and Dhani Harrison who are set to perform on a special live-stream in tribute to late The Clash frontman Joe Strummer, which will also benefit the #SaveOurStages campaign. Billed as "A Song For Joe," the two-hour event will air on YouTube on Aug. 21 at 8:00 p.m. UK time and 2:00 p.m. EST to commemorate what would have been Strummer's 68th birthday. Hosted by Jesse Malin, the event will also reportedly feature "never before seen live Joe Strummer footage." A promo video announcing the full-line up has been shared on YouTube. Strummer's widow Lucinda Tait says that Strummer "was always focused on bringing people together... I cannot think of a better way for us all to feel united. Joe would have loved this." While the stream is free to view, fans are invited to donate to #SaveOurStages -- the NIVA movement aiming to save independent music venues across the US in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. - New Musical Express, 8/18/20...... Drummer Chris Slade, who began touring with AC/DC in 2014 after he replaced Phil Rudd who was arrested for drug possession, says that in his "absolutely honest opinion," he is still the drummer of the band. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Slade says that "to my absolute knowledge... I am the current drummer of AC/DC." He added: "Nobody has ever called me and said, "By the way, you're not the current drummer' or, "By the way, Phil's been in the band for three years'. Nobody has ever said that. As far as I'm concerned... I'm philosophical enough to realise that Phil may well be back in the band. I have no idea. I had no idea last time when they called me before 'Rock Or Bust'. I'm open to all possibilities. That's the way people should be, open-minded." Reports also emerged recently that AC/DC has finished recording a new album, and Slade was spotted behind the drum kit in the studio. Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, who has been providing a series of updates on the band's activity in recent months, says the band will be reuniting for one more album. "Because nothing goes on forever. But this is the ultimate 'one more time'," Snider said. - NME, 8/16/20...... A trustee representing late Spirit member Randy "California" Wolfe has petitioned the Supreme Court of the United States to review the Wolfe estate's legal case against Led Zeppelin for allegedly lifting the opening structure of the Spirit song "Taurus" for their rock classic "Stairway to Heaven". The petitioner, Michael Skidmore, says he believes he lost at trial in 2016 because the jury didn't get to appreciate the true "Taurus." That's because the trial judge held that only what was deposited with the U.S. Copyright Office had the benefit of protection under the 1909 Copyright Act. Skidmore says he thinks this is wrong, and that the scope of copyright isn't defined by any deposited sheet music. In other words, the recording may be good evidence of what was protected, and the jury should have heard the original "Taurus" recording. (Only in the mid-1970s did Congress change the law and allow sound recordings to fall under copyright. That's one of the big reasons this is the sort of precise legal controversy that has mainly come up for older songs including Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up.") Skidmore also believes he lost at trial because the jury wasn't properly instructed about originality. Notes of music can't be protected, and oft-used combination of notes belong to the public domain. But when there's something unique about the selection and arrangement of these notes, that can be copyrighted. Skidmore, who says the jury wasn't told this by the judge before they began deliberating, is hardly being subtle in the opening of his petition: "It is fitting, perhaps, that the future of music copyright law be decided by a case about rock 'n' roll's most iconic song, "Stairway to Heaven.'" - The Hollywood Reporter, 8/17/20...... In a vintage hour-long video tour of his Hog Hill Mill Studios in east Sussex, UK, which is included in the deluxe re-release of his 1997 solo album Flaming Pie, Paul McCartney reveals that he still uses an amplifier that he bought when he was a lad aged 14. Sir Paul showed off his "Little Green Amp" -- the Elpico A55 -- that was seen on stage with The Beatles throughout their trailblazing career and become part of Beatles folklore in its own right. Macca says in the 1997 clip: "This is my very first amp I ever had when I was 14, it was called an Elpico. As you can see it is very 50s, it looks like a piece of 50s furniture. Instead of putting guitars into it, it says Mic1, Mic2, Gramophone, anything but guitars really. In those days amps were used more for putting your records through or microphones, for little PAs. That was the first thing and I have kept it ever since. I have now had it fixed up because it is so old. When you put an electric guitar through it now it sounds a bit like a fuzz guitar so it is quite a funky sound that I use sometimes. It is a dear little thing from many years ago." the Elpico A55 was first manufactured by British company Lee Products around 1956, and went on to become a favourite of rock legends such as The Kinks' Dave Davies. - NME, 8/19/20...... In a new interview with the UK music mag Uncut, the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards says the band are considering "working differently" due to coronavirus pandemic. Richards says the Stones may need to scrap the idea of making new albums for the time being and instead focus their attention on just releasing individual tracks. "If this thing goes on much longer we might try and put out another track," he says. "Work differently, instead of making an 'album' album, just release tracks." Stones frontman Mick Jagger also revealed in the interview that the band is already working on more new material. "I was working on this ballad. The reading of it is quite difficult to do. It's not technically difficult, but it's not an easy song to interpret," Jagger noted. "I'm very aware I've got to get it over in the right way. It's got to come out like you mean it." - Music-News.com, 8/17/20...... Does Queen have something new up their sleeve? Queen frontman Brian May teased in a video posted to Instagram on Aug. 19 that the band will make a major announcement soon. While the video, which sees Queen founding members May and Roger Taylor performing alongside current vocalist Adam Lambert before thousands of fans, stopped short of revealing what's in store for Queen fans, it confirmed that the announcement will arrive at 12 a.m. BST on Aug. 21. Responding to the announcement, one fan wrote: "I can't wait!!! I hope it's another US tour!" Queen had been set to head out on a huge UK and European tour this summer, but it was rescheduled to 2021 due to coronavirus. - New Musical Express, 8/19/20...... Bassist Pete Way, who performed with UFO, Ozzy Osbourne, and a number of other bands, died on Aug. 14 after sustaining life threatening injuries in an accident in June. He was 69. According to a post on his official Facebook page, Way "fought hard until finally succumbing to those injuries at 11.35am BST today (Aug. 14). His wife, Jenny, was at his side." Way co-founded UFO with singer Phil Mogg, guitarist Mick Bolton and drummer Andy Parker in 1968, remaining in the band until 1982, before rejoining in 1988 for a brief stint, and then properly in 1991. Health issues then forced him to retire from UFO in 2008. Elsewhere in his career, Way, co-founded Waysted and Fastway with former Motörhead guitarist 'Fast' Eddie Clarke, played bass for Michael Schenker Group and Ozzy Osbourne, and started his own band, The Pete Way Band. Osbourne was among those paying tribute to Way on Twitter: "Such sad news about @PeteWayOfficial. Haven't seen him for years but will always have great memories & such unbelievable stories of what we'd get up to. Rest In Peace. Love & Respect to his Family, Friends and Fans." - NME, 8/15/20...... Speaking of Ozzy Osbourne, the 71-year-old music star has told the Daily Star paper that the coronavirus pandemic might stop him from ever performing another gig. "If we do not get this thing under control we ain't ever going to do a gig," says Ozzy, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019 and is desperate to finish his postponed "No More Tours II" dates. "Even if I could, I cannot work anyway because of the f****** pandemic. Ozzy has been at home in Los Angeles throughout the pandemic, but he's still terrified of getting the disease. "I was sitting in the kitchen and I suddenly broke out into a cold sweat and I thought: 'This is the first sign.' In 30 seconds I was like: 'I have the coronavirus, I'm going to die, my family is going to die and the dogs will end up with everything.'" - Music-News.com, 8/18/20...... Actor Ben Cross, best known for his role as British Olympic athlete Harold Abrahams in the film Chariots of Fire, has died at age 72. Born Harry Bernard Cross in London in 1947, Cross's role in Chariots of Fire earned him a Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts Performance of the Year award. He also appeared as Sarak in the 2009 Star Trek reboot, and had notable credits in BBC's The Citadel, the HBO spy film Steal The Sky, TV mini-series Twist Of Fate, and he played the villain, opposite Richard Gere and Sean Connery, in First Knight. Cross had just wrapped his final role, as Cardinal Mathews in the horror film The Devil's Light, earlier in August. - WENN/Canoe.com, 8/18/20...... The plot of land that was once the site of Frank Zappa legendary log cabin home on Laurel Canyon Blvd. in the heart of the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles is currently up for sale for a cool $999,000 (£755,000). Realtors Redfin, which listed the property in June, describes on its site that the now vacant "Zappawood" as being "rich in history and development potential," while boasting "sprawling park-like grounds and three separate entrances." It's said that the property was the premier gathering place of LA rock 'n' roll legends back in the 1960s and '70s, owing to Zappa's former residence being located there. Zappa, who passed away in 1993 at age 52, is said to have lived in a log cabin on the property with his family for a couple of years in the '60s, however they moved after the house became a hotspot for eccentric gatecrashers. It was destroyed by a fire in the 1980s. Images and further info about Zappawood can be found on the Redfin website. - NME, 8/17/20...... Actress Linda Manz, who as an androgynous teen captivated many with her performances in the films Days of Heaven and Out of the Blue, died on Aug. 14 after a battle with pneumonia and lung cancer. She was 58. Born in NYC on Aug. 20, 1961, Manz was cast at 15 to appear as the narrator of Terrence Malick's period film Days of Heaven, which was released in 1978 after an arduous shoot. Initially received with mixed reviews, the movie has gone on to overwhelming critical acclaim. Manz's improvised narration is widely considered an essential aspect of what makes the film -- which is preserved in the United States Film Registry -- an artistic success. In 1979, Manz had the fondly remembered supporting role of Peewee in the hit film The Wanderers. One of its stars, Ken Wahl, wrote on Facebook that Manz "was great to work with and I'm glad I got to speak with her before she passed." Her last starring role wa in 1980's Out of the Blue, in which she was directed by, and acted alongside, the late Dennis Hopper. The influential film competed at Cannes, and Manz's performance inspired a generation of actresses. In 1997, Manz -- who rarely acted past the '80s, appearing in a small role in that year's Gummo -- told Time Out New York: "There was a whole bunch of new young actors out there, and I was kind of getting lost in the shuffle. So I laid back and had three kids. Now I enjoy just staying home and cooking soup." A GoFundMe has been set up for Manz, who is survived by her husband and their two sons, to help cover final expenses. - ExtraTV.com, 8/14/20.

On Aug. 13 KISS announced the remaining dates of their "End of The Road" tour, which was delayed until 2021 earlier this year due amid the coronavirus pandemic. The tour will now resume on Aug. 8, 2021, in Mansfield, Mass., then hit 22 cities including Atlantic City, N.J. (8/21), Pittsburgh (8/26), Atlanta (8/29), Milwaukee (9/5), Boise, Ida. (9/21), Phoenix (9/26), Austin, Tex. (9/29), and Ft. Worth, Tex. (10/1). KISS will play what they say will be their final concert ever on Oct. 21, 2021. The End of the Road Tour, which began in Jan. 2019, will feature opening act David Lee Roth on most dates. KISS announced on Instagram that tickets for the postponed 2020 shows will be honored for the 2021 dates, and their KISS Kruise, which was also postponed, will now take place on Oct. 29-Nov. 3, 2021. - Billboard, 8/13/20...... Phil Collins' 1981 solo hit "In the Air Tonight" has experienced a huge spike in sales after a YouTube video made by Tim and Fred Williams in July went viral earlier in August. The Williams brothers filmed themselves listening to the track for the very first time, causing the song to go viral and nab 6,000 downloads, up 1,516% from the previous three days, and it's now on track to make the top 10 of Billboard's Digital Song Sales. The song has also risen to No. 2 on the iTunes chart, making it the fourth biggest selling song of the week ending Aug. 8 -- up from No. 185 the week before. The video was posted to the YouTube channel "TwinsthenewTrend" on July 27 by 22-year-old twins Tim and Fred Williams, and features their delighted response to hearing Collins' iconic drum fill in the song. Other tracks from Collins' solo catalog also experienced sales and streaming gains, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. Collins' solo songs discography drew 11,000 digital downloads for the week ending Aug. 9, a 602% jump over the previous three days prior to the video going viral on Aug. 7. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 8/12/20...... On Aug. 14 Elvis Costello shared a new track entitled "We Are All Cowards Now" from his upcoming album Hey Clockface, which will drop on Oct. 30 via Concord Records. "We Are All Cowards Now" follows the release of two other new songs from the album, "No Flag" and "Hetty O'Hara Confidential," earlier in 2020, which were all recorded by Costello at Suomenlinnan Studio in Helsinki, Finland, in February. Costello then went to Paris and later New York to finish the rest of the record, which he says he wanted to "be vivid, whether the songs demanded playing that was loud and jagged or intimate and beautiful." The 14-track Hey Clockface will also feature such songs as "Revolution #49," "The Last Confession of Vivian Whip," and "What Is It That I Need That I Don't Already Have?" - Music-News.com, 8/14/20......A limited edition vinyl release of David Bowie's 1975 R&B influenced LP Young Americans is set to be released on Sept. 19 in celebration of the album's 45th anniversary. The reissue of Bowie's self-described "plastic soul" album, which went gold in both the US and UK, will be pressed on "brick and mortar gold-coloured vinyl," and is the latest in a string of Bowie archival titles to be released this year. On Aug. 14, Something in the Air (Live Paris 1999), a 15-track LP capturing Bowie's 1999 performance in France as part of his "Hours Tour," was released. David Bowie: Inside 1969-72, a new Bowie DVD featuring footage of himself and his band The Spiders from Mars, will drop on Sept. 22. - NME, 8/13/20...... After posting a similar message to Twitter on July 29, Stevie Nicks took to her Facebook page on Aug. 11 to plead with fans to wear masks amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. "A lot of people still aren't taking the wearing of a simple mask seriously... or, just trying to be aware of how close you are to others," the Fleetwood Mac frontwoman said. "Are you aware, everyone, that if you survive this virus... you will be fighting the after effects for the rest of your life. Micro-blood clots... in all your organs; in your brain... neurological problems; a cough that rips your throat apart and keeps coming back," she added. Nicks also pointed out the serious ramifications for her own health to fans, should she contract the virus. "If I get it, I will probably never sing again. Put me on a ventilator and I will be hoarse for the rest of my life... I don't have much time... I am 72 years old...," she added, then compared the current health crisis to an American Horror Story episode from 2013 in which she appeared. "This is like the season of American Horror Story I was in. It had turned into an apocalypse above ground. A serious 'shelter in place'," she shared before concluding, "Call it Armageddon[,] Call it a Pandemic[,] Call it the Apocalypse... This is a real American Horror Story... It is not a mini-series... It is a tragedy." - Billboard, 8/12/20...... Meanwhile, Nicks' former flame and Fleetwood Mac bandmate Lindsey Buckingham performed a four-song acoustic set on Aug. 7 for the first time since suffering a heart attack and undergoing emergency open heart surgery in 2019. Appearing via Zoom for tech company Nutanix, Buckingham played the Fleetwood Mac songs "Never Going Back Again" and "Big Love," along with his solo cuts "Trouble" and "Shut Us Down." "This [pandemic] has been like a couple of years previous in which things occurred that I did not see coming," Buckingham said during the Zoom call. "One was my split from Fleetwood Mac. Another one was having a bypass operation, which I did not expect to happen. You could say that this makes it a trifecta of events that were completely off the charts," he added. Buckingham's wife, Kristen, reported in 2019 that the guitarist had suffered "vocal cord damage... following the surgery," which meant he was forced to postpone all of his upcoming tour dates. Lindsey then announced a solo tour in Feb. 2020 set to take place in April and May, but then had to cancel due to the coronavirus pandemic. He was reportedly fired from Fleetwood Mac in 2018 after an ongoing battle with Stevie Nicks and replaced with Mike Campbell of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers and Neil Finn of Crowded House. - New Musical Express, 8/10/20...... The estate of Prince has shared the previously unreleased Prince recording "Witness 4 The Prosecution (Version 2)" on Spotify.com, which will feature on the upcoming expanded reissue of Prince's 1987 album Sign o' the Times, set for release on Sept. 25. According to a press release from the estate, Prince decided to rework his song "Witness 4 The Prosecution (Version 2)" when Country artist Debora Allen asked Prince if he could write a song for her. But after being pleased with his new version, he "decided to keep the song" and instead offered Allen his song "Telepathy," which had been recorded and mixed on the same date. - New Musical Express, 8/14/20...... On Aug. 14 Neil Young announced the release of three archival projects later in 2020, the most notable for Young fans being the long-awaited release of Neil Young Archives - Volume 2, which was initially promised after the first volume arrived back in 2009. The new archives set will feature material from around 1973 to 1982, with Young previously claiming that Vol. 2 would be "full of albums that weren't there before -- stuff I did that I never put out." While the exact contents of Vol. 2 are yet to be revealed, Young previously said that records such as 1976's "Chrome Dreams" and 1977's "Oceanside Countryside" would be included. The release will drop on Nov. 6, the same day the folk-rocker will also release Return to Greendale, a live set from his tour with Crazy Horse to support 2003's Greendale. The year of releases will then round off on Dec. 6 with Way Down in the Rust Bucket, a Nov. 1990 concert recorded with Crazy Horse at Santa Cruz's Catalyst Club. Meanwhile, Young is reportedly planning to spend approximately $20,000 to remove the Facebook and Google login functionality on his Neil Young Archives site, citing the conglomerates' policies regarding the forthcoming US presidential election as the reason for the move. "Facebook knowingly allows untruths and lies in its political ads to circulate on the platform, while bots sow discord among users," Young recently posted on the site. "Sowing dissent and chaos in our country via political disinformation is something we cannot condone. Simply put, Facebook is screwing with our election," he added. The statement on the news section of the website continues, in part, to say: "If you use Facebook or Google for login, we are going to ask you to run through a quick process the next time you log in -- it's just a few extra clicks. At the end of the process, your account will be transitioned to use your email address and a password for login. Goodbye Facebook and Google buttons." No explanation was offered as to why Google is also a target and it is unclear why disabling logins using those platforms will cost the reported amount. - NME, 8/14/20...... Eric Clapton has been busy lately selling off his collection of supercars, with his Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano F1 up for grabs on the UK digital marketplace Auto Trader website for £89,900 from car dealer GVE of London, and his Lamborghini Superleggera already having been snapped up for a rumoured £125,000. The legendary blues guitarist, who has the ironic stage name of "Slowhand," is rumoured to have a particular penchant for Ferraris and has owned more than 10 of them over the years, with many of them used as inspiration for his songs, and some even gifted to him by his late friend and fellow musician, the Beatles' George Harrison. With a beautiful contrasting black exterior and light brown interior, Clapton's Ferrari 599 F1 is one of his most desirable cars, although he has said in the past he prefers the 612 Ferrari Scagliett (an opinion many Ferrari enthusiasts would disagree with). The car can go 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and has a top speed of 205 mph. "This particular Ferrari 599 is stunning and so well-maintained," says Auto Trader's director of YouTube operations, Rory Reid. "The fact it received Eric Clapton's seal of approval before being sold on makes it that much more special. For a blues lover, who also has the money for it, this is a perfect buy on Auto Trader," he adds - Music-News.com, 8/14/20...... The Rolling Stones have shared a new version of their recent track "Scarlet," remixed by The War on Drugs. Spearheaded by TWOD singer Adam Granduciel, the new version, which has been shared on YouTube, adds tempo to the track alongside a selection of new instrumentation. "Scarlet," which features guitars from Jimmy Page, will be included on the Stones' forthcoming expanded edition of their 1973 studio album Goats Head Soup. - NME, 8/14/20...... Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne have announced a new biopic about the couple is in the works, and according to them, "it won't be squeaky clean like the [Queen biopic] Bohemian Rhapsody. The Osbournes tell Rolling Stone magazine that their new film will skip Ozzy's original tenure in Black Sabbath and jump to his solo career in the late 1970's when he began dating Sharon. "We have a writer," Ozzy's son Jack Osbourne said about the progress on the film. "We said to go from 1979 to 1996. I can't say too much, but the film is in active development." "From what I understand, it's about Sharon and I and our relationship" Ozzy added. "It's how we met, fell in love, and how we married. She's my other half. She grew up a lot with me, and I grew up a lot with her." Sharon then said their new movie won't be like Bohemian Rhapsody, which she says she didn't "think was a great movie." "They changed the timing [of the story] and everything in it. That's why it was, like, made 'nice' and that's what made it a Hallmark movie. Our film will be a lot more real. We don't want it to be squeaky, shiny clean and all of that. We're not making it for kids. It's an adult movie for adults," Sharon says. Meanwhile, it was announced earlier in August that another film about Ozzy, a documentary called Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne, is set to premiere on cable channel A&E on Sept. 7. - NME, 8/13/20...... Queen guitarist Brian May is thanking firefighters for combatting a forest fire which threatened his home in Surrey, UK, over the second weekend of August. In a lengthy post on Instagram on Aug. 10, May recounted how he was forced to evacuate his home and studio property after the wildfire broke out and spread through Chobham Common home on Aug. 7. "I never imagined it could happen here in leafy, and normally damp, Surrey, England," May wrote in a caption to accompany a series of images showing the aftermath of the wildfire. "We supported the fight against the immense fires in Australia, and watched sadly as fires ravaged California, but to see this happen in my own home county has been shocking and traumatic... Today my prayers were answered -- the fire is under control, but the danger is not over. While this dry heatwave lasts there is still a massive risk of a flare-up leading to disaster." May went on to thank the firefighters of Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire and called for more funding and support for the force. "Just as the Government cuts sent the NHS into battle hideously crippled by lack of funding, the same lack of vision has rendered this country vulnerable to fires - with a fire fighting service criminally cut back in manpower and resources," May wrote. "Something has gone terribly wrong with our leaders' decision-making process. - NME, 8/11/20...... Dolly Parton has expressed her support for the Black Lives Matter anti-racism movement in a new interview. "I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen," Parton said, referring to the recent protests that have taken place worldwide following the death of George Floyd. "And of course, Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!," she added. Parton also discussed the renaming of her "Dixie Stampede" dinner attraction at her Dollywood resort in Tennessee to "Dolly Parton's Stampede" in 2018 after being informed that its title was offensive. "When they said 'Dixie' was an offensive word, I thought, 'Well, I don't want to offend anybody. This is a business. We'll just call it The Stampede. As soon as you realize that [something] is a problem, you should fix it. Don't be a dumbass. That's where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anybody on purpose," the Country legend added. Meanwhile, Parton has announced she'll release her first Christmas album in 30 years, A Holly Dolly Christmas, on Oct. 2, some two months before the holiday season begins. A Holly Dolly Christmas follows her 1990 yuletide LP Home for Christmas and features several well known Christmas songs, as well as five original tracks written solely by the 72-year-old country icon. The album also features guest contributions from some of Dolly's dearest friends, including Willie Nelson, Michael Bubl, Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus and Jimmy Fallon, plus a special song with her brother, Randy Parton. "I figured since everybody probably wouldn't get to celebrate Christmas as usual this year, I wanted to be creative instead of sitting around at the house this summer," Dolly said in a press release. "So I put on my mask, gloves and practiced social distancing, as well as all of the wonderful musicians and singers, and we proceeded to put together what I think is some of the best work that I've ever done," she added. - Billboard/Music-News.com, 8/13/20...... Guitars signed by the likes of Robert Plant and Carlos Santana are set to be auctioned in September to benefit the musicians charity MusiCares, which provides aid to artists and music community professionals in times of need. Taking place on Sept. 9 live in Beverly Hills and online at juliensauctions.com, with advance online bidding starting on Aug. 17, some of the items up for grabs include a Gibson SG Standard '61 guitar in vintage cherry signed by Plant and Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, and a Paul Reed Smith limited edition Carlos Santana Abraxas SE limited edition guitar signed by Santana himself. Eric Clapton, Joan Jett, Ozzy Osbourne, Cher, Willie Nelson, Elton John, Tom Jones, Rascal Flatts, Bono, and a number of others also have items in the auction, which can be viewed on the juliansauctions.com site. - NME, 8/10/20...... Ringo Starr is among the collaborators on a new cover of the Bob Marley classic "Three Little Birds" by Toots and the Maytals. Also featuring Marley's son Ziggy Marley, the cover will appear on the forthcoming Toots and the Maytals album Got to Be Tough, their first new record in over a decade. The LP will drop on Aug. 28 via Trojan Jamaica/BMG. Marley's original version of the song was released in 1977 and appeared on his album Exodus. The new version of "Three Little Birds," which has been transformed into into an upbeat, horn-laced track, has been shared on Spotify.com. Starr provides percussion on the song, while Ziggy Marley and Frederick "Toots" Hibbert swap vocals. - NME, 8/9/20...... Speaking of Ringo, his former bandmate Paul McCartney has revealed how ELO's Jeff Lynne convinced him to secure Ringo to perform on Paul's 1997 solo album Flaming Pie. "I'd been saying to Ringo for years it'd be great to do something," McCartney explained to the UK paper The Sun. "We'd never really done that much outside the Beatles. One night, Jeff suggested, 'Why don't you get Ringo in?' and I said, 'OK!'" McCartney added the pair were "very comfortable making music together again, joining with Lynne to jam on what would become 'Really Love You'." A remastered deluxe re-release of Flaming Pie was released on June 12. - NME, 8/10/20...... Blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa is set to perform a special livestream pay-per-view concert from the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. on Sept. 20. The concert will feature the songs from Bonamassa's new album Royal Tea before the official release on Oct. 23. Along with Royal Tea he'll perform classic remixes from his 20th anniversary album A New Day Now. The evening will continue with a one hour "After-Party Showcase" featuring several live performances from an array of some of the hottest rising stars in blues-rock music. The livestream tickets and packages for Joe Bonamassa Live in Concert Worldwide are available for purchase at https://joeb.me/JBW. The one-of-a-kind concert is presented by Bonamassa's non-profit, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation, and each ticket purchase will include a $1 donation to Joe's Fueling Musicians Program, which to date has raised over $300,000 and has supported more than 163 musicians in need due to the COVID-19 pandemic. - Noble PR, 8/14/20...... Jesus Christ Superstar composer Andrew Lloyd Webber says he's set to receive an experimental coronavirus vaccine as part of an Oxford trial as he says he'll "do anything to prove theatres can re-open safely." On Aug. 5, the 72-year-old renowned composer took to social media and talked a about the motives behind his decision to take part in the vaccine trial. "I am excited that tomorrow I am going to be vaccinated for the Oxford Covid 19 trial," Webber wrote. "I'll do anything to prove that theatres can re-open safely." The University of Oxford and the drug company AstraZeneca are working on the development of the experimental vaccine called "ChAdOx1 nCoV-19." Thousands of people the UK, United States, Brazil and South Africa have volunteered to take part in clinical trials. As recently as July 20, researchers announced the initial results of 1,077 people were promising, suggesting that the vaccine is both safe and triggers an immune response, according to the BBC. The next step in the study involves expanding the trial at a higher dose to thousands more people, which is likely where Webber will come into the play. A slew of people took to Twitter to applaud the "Cats" composer's willingness to get involved in finding a cure or treatment for the virus. "Bravo," "Godspeed to you sir" and "Thank you for your dedication" were among the many sentiments from followers and fans. Webber has also been trialling measures at the London Palladium that could allow the theatre business to get back up and running after Webber's "Phantom Of The Opera" continued in South Korea with strict hygiene measures and no social distancing. He hosted a pilot performance by Beverley Knight at the famous London venue, which had strict social distancing measures in place and was at 30 per cent capacity. - DailyMail.co.uk, 8/13/20...... Martin Birch, a legendary producer for Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, has died of as yet unnanounced causes at the age of 71. Birch's death was confirmed by former Deep Purple and Whitesnake singer David Coverdale, who tweeted: "It is with a very heavy heart I've just had verified my very dear friend and producer Martin Birch has passed away. Martin was a huge part of my life & helping me from the first time we met through until Slide It In.... My thoughts and prayers to his family, friends and fans." Born in 1948, Birch was known for his lengthy production stints with a number of legnedary bands, having produced the first six Whitesnake albums. also masterminded every Iron Maiden album from 1981's Killers to 1992's Fear of the Dark -- which marked his final work before retriement. Elsewhere, he produced Black Sabbath's Heaven and Hell -- which saw Ronnie James Dio replacing Ozzy Osbourne on vocals -- and notable efforts from the likes of Rainbow and Deep Purple. Also paying tribute, Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler wrote on Twitter: "Really sad to hear of the passing of Martin Birch. Brilliant producer. Had the pleasure of working with him on the Black Sabbath albums #HeavenandHell and #MobRules. Condolences to Vera and family. #RIPMartin Birch also worked with Fleetwood Mac, engineering and producing five early albums from 1969's Then Play On to 1973's Mystery To Me. - NME, 8/10/20.