Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on January 26th, 2021

A new mural honoring Eddie Van Halen is set to be unveiled on Jan. 26 in honor of what would've been the late guitarist's 66th birthday. L.A. artist Robert Vargas, the creator of the mural, posted on Instagram that he is "beyond excited to create this mural of one of my all-time creative heroes, @eddievanhalen.... This mural is truly for the fans and a celebration of my favourite rock band, @vanhalen's legacy." Vargas is set to officially unveil his Eddie Van Halen tribute, "Long Live The King," on Jan. 26 on the outside wall of Guitar Center's Sunset Boulevard store in Hollywood. Van Halen passed away in October following a battle with throat cancer. - NME, 1/26/21...... A recently discovered letter written by John Lennon's aunt Mimi Smith reveals the former Beatles member was "bubbling over" with excitement about returning to the UK in a phone call the night before he was shot dead in Manhattan on Dec. 8, 1980. A month later his aunt Mimi replied in a letter to Daily Express journalist Judith Simons, who had written a letter of condolence following the death of Mimi's famous nephew. "Dear Judith, Thank you for your letter, kind thoughts," Smith wrote. "I'm trying to accept this terrible thing which has happened, but finding it very hard. He had such faith himself, I'm trying to do the same. He phoned the night before, witty, funny, bubbling over with excitement, coming over very soon. Couldn't wait to see me. So I'm glad of that. If I'm in London, I'll get in touch with you. Kind thoughts to you too. Mimi." The letter from Judith Simons' estate was recently discovered by Tracks Ltd, which provides valuations of music memorabilia. According to Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn, it provides "solid confirmation that, but for his murder, Lennon would have returned to Britain during 1981 for the first time in 10 years." - New Musical Express, 1/26/21...... Appearing on Apple Music's radio show hosted by Zane Lowe on Jan. 25, Elvis Costello said he wanted to be remembered for his iconic 1977 Saturday Night Live performance in which he made an abrupt decision to switch up his setlist. "I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but there's no reason to do this song here," Costello announced during his performance, which can be viewed on YouTube, before launching into "Radio, Radio." Failure to communicate the change to "Radio, Radio," which criticized the commercialization of broadcasting, to SNL producer Lorne Michaels led Costello to be banned from the sketch comedy series until 1989. "We did end up on Saturday Night Live," Costello told Lowe. "And I just wanted them to remember us. I didn't really have anything against the show. I was more pissed off at being told what to play by the record company than I was NBC, truthfully. I can't remember whether I said what I was going to do, but I think I just said, 'Watch me.'" In previous interviews, Costello has said he copied the onstage stunt from Jimi Hendrix's 1969 setlist during a tribute to Cream on British pop singer Lulu's show. Hendrix halted his band midway through their performance of "Hey Joe" to play a surprise rendition of Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love." Costello has added "Watching the Detectives" and "Radio, Radio" to his Apple Music Alternative Essentials playlist, and his interview with Lowe can be streamed on YouTube. - Billboard, 1/25/21...... An acoustic guitar used by Prince during the recording of his 1991 album Diamonds And Pearls is being sold at auction by two fans this spring. The Fender Gemini II guitar, which was in the possession of Diamonds And Pearls studio engineer Sylvia Massy before being acquired by two fans, is now being auctioned off. The guitar was given directly from Massy to two unnamed brothers, who live in Frome, Somerset, UK. A recent move to Spain for one of the brothers is the reason they decided to put it up for auction. The auction will be held at Gardiner Houlgate in Corsham, Wiltshire on Mar. 10. The guitar is expected to fetch between £40,000 and £80,000, and more info can be found at https://www.gardinerhoulgate.co.uk. - NME, 1/25/21...... A rare Marvin Gaye instrumental album is being made available as a standalone LP for the first time. Recorded during the summer of 1971, Funky Nation: The Detroit Instrumentals is the result of some downtime Gaye had after refusing to tour in support of his classic album, What's Going On. Released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the title track from What's Going On, the 14-track, funk-driven collection of instrumentals hears Gaye joined by the late Hamilton Bohannon on drums, Ray Parker Jr. (17-years-old at the time,) Wah Wah Watson, and Leroy Emmanuel on guitars, as well as a 20-year-old Michael Henderson on bass. While some of the tracks have been heard on prior special editions of Gaye albums -- and the full collection was featured in the Super Deluxe 40th-anniversary edition of What's Going On -- this is the first time Funky Nation has been released digitally as a standalone. The album is available for streaming on Spotify.com. There are currently several biopics on the Motown legend in the planning stages, with Cameron Crowe, Jamie Foxx, Scott Rudin and Dr. Dre all attached to projects about Gaye, although none have materialized as yet. - NME, 1/25/21...... In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Beach Boys co-founder Al Jardine says a TV special to mark the 60th anniversary of the iconic American band could soon be in the works. Although Jardine says a full commemorative tour to mark the 60th anniversary of the formation of the band in 2021 isn't likely, the band is considering "10 or 20 areas of the world... Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and have a renaissance, and present some of this great material again." Asked about a TV special, Jardine responded: "We'd like to explore that possibility." "It's always good to be able to look forward to something positive now, especially coming out of this horrendous year, to bring some beautiful, fresh, positive music to the world again," he said. Jardine says the band have taken on advisors to help them explore all options in terms of their career. However Jardine's former bandmate Brian Wilson is seemingly unaware of any 60th anniversary projects. "There is nothing on the table at this point," Jean Sievers, Wilson's manager, stated, adding: "No one has spoken to us about it or reached out." - Music-News.com, 1/24/21...... The Kinks have announced a livestream event called "The Moneygoround" to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their recently reissued 1970 album Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround, Part One. Expanding on the anniversary celebrations, frontman Ray Davies has collaborated with dramatist Paul Sirett on a new 45-minute play, based on the themes and lyrics of the record itself, featuring poet/actor Ben Norris in the central role. "'The Moneygoround' is a one-man show documenting a character facing the challenging circumstances of making an album under extreme pressure," Davies said in a statement. "This play, similar to a psychodrama, follows the ups and downs of the character as he plays out events in his life. He confronts the dark forces surrounding him after falling into an emotional and financial 'hole' eventually he is saved by a song after confiding in his friend, Lola." The special is set to be broadcast as part of a one-off livestream show on Jan. 29 at 8:00 pm GMT/3:00 pm EST on the Kinks' YouTube channel. A trailer for "The Moneygoround" has also been shared on YouTube. - NME, 1/23/21...... Kiss member Gene Simmons has recalled the time late Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek agreed to dress up in a Kiss costume and wear make-up in the style made famous by the shock rockers. Speaking to Consequence of Sound in a new interview, Simmons recalled the time he met Trebeck backstage in Oct. 2018 during a taping of Jeopardy!. The pair then filmed an online clip together with Trebek in full Kiss make-up and costume -- Trebek's transformation can be seen in a clip on YouTube. "People only knew Trebek from television, but when the cameras weren't rolling, the guy had a potty mouth," Simmons recalled. "We traded lots of, as they used to say in the 1800s, off-colour jokes. He was a funny guy, and very kind and brave. I said: 'You're going to be putting on KISS makeup.' [He said:] 'Okay, let's go.'" Trebeck passed away in November following a battle with pancreatic cancer. - NME, 1/22/21...... Genesis have announced a series of rescheduled tour dates along with a new video from their rehearsals, which has been shared on Twitter. Genesis members Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks were due to hit the road this April to play a long awaited reunion alongside longtime live guitarist and bassist Daryl Stuermer and Phil Collins' son Nic Collins on drums, however those original dates for their "The Last Domino" tour have now been postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. "'The Last Domino Tour' 2021 will now start in Dublin on 15th September," the band posted. Genesis also plans to hit Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool, Glasgow and London on the 9-city, 19-date tour, which wraps with a three-night stand at the O2 Arena. In 2020 during lockdown, Genesis also began uploading a series of classic gigs to YouTube, streaming one new show from across their career every weekend. - NME, 1/23/21...... Patti Smith has held a 30-minute inaugural presentation in honor of Pres. Joe Biden's recent inauguration, where she performed her classic "People Have The Power." Smith performed the song while a montage played of people who the punk poetess says have "used their voice to create a better future," including environmental activist Greta Thunberg, the late Shirley Chisholm, and Vice President Kamala Harris. The montage, which opens with a tribute to all of the NHS frontline workers who have died fighting the coronavirus pandemic, can be viewed on YouTube. Smith has taken to performing "People Have The Power" quite a bit recently, as part of her support of various political causes. In Nov. 2020, she teamed up with guitarist Lenny Kaye to perform the song for New York City voters ahead of the presidential election. - NME, 1/22/21...... The complete recordings of the 1970s Australian progressive rock band Fraternity featuring future AC/DC singer Bon Scott were released in a special remastered edition on Jan. 22 via Cherry Records. Seasons of Change - The Complete Recordings, 1970-1974 includes the band's two original albums -- Livestock and Flaming Galah -- along with their singles, remastered from their manager Hamish Henry's original tapes. Both feature Scott on lead vocals as well as recorder. Also included is an entire, previously unreleased album, titled Second Chance, also featuring vocal and songwriting contributions from Scott. Scott was Fraternity's lead vocalist between 1971-1973, joining AC/DC on vocals the following year until his death in 1980. The Adelaide-based Fraternity went through various lineups and names in their time, before disbanding in 1981 under their final moniker Mickey Finn. - NME, 1/22/21...... Perry Botkin Jr., a Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated TV and film composer perhaps best known for composing the Grammy-winning "Nadia's Theme" for the CBS soap The Young and the Restless, died on Jan. 18 after a battle with Covid-19. He was 87. Across a career spanning four decades, Mr. Botkin worked with an extraordinary range of artists including Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee, Bobby Darin, Sammy Davis Jr., Jack Jones and Paul Williams. He was also an arranger on Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" and The Cascades' "Rhythm of the Rain." Known as a prolific film and television composer in the 1970s and 1980s, Mr. Botkin most recently worked on the soundtrack of the 2017 film Baby Driver. Mr. Botkin began his career in music as a trombone player in a high school jazz quartet that included film composer John Williams on piano. Mr. Botkin was the son of composer Perry Botkin, Sr., who famously composed the underscore for 1960s sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies. He is survived by his wife Liza, son David, and grandson Daniel Tyler Botkin. - NME, 1/24/21...... Emmy-winning veteran talk show host Larry King died on the morning of Jan. 23 after having been hospitalized with Covid-19 since late December. He was 87. "With profound sadness, Ora Media announces the death of our co-founder, host and friend Larry King, who passed away this morning at age 87 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles," Mr. King's official Twitter account read. "For 63 years and across the platforms of radio, television and digital media, Larry's many thousands of interviews, awards, and global acclaim stand as a testament to his unique and lasting talent as a broadcaster." Called "the master of the mic" by Time magazine, Mr. King was a mainstay on the CNN cable news channel, with his genial style, trademark suspenders and black eyeglasses. Larry King Live, which ran for 25 years until 2010, featured interviews with newsmakers and celebrities, as well as calls and emails from viewers. Mr. King's show was mostly based out of CNN's studios in Los Angeles, but at times he traveled with the show to CNN outposts in New York, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta. With ratings beginning to suffer, Mr. King left the program in 2010 but continued to host specials for CNN. Mr. King also made cameos in numerous films, including Ghostbusters (1984), Dave (1993), Primary Colors (1998), Enemy of the State (1998), America's Sweethearts (2001), Shrek 2 (2004) and Shrek the Third (2007). His TV appearances included Murphy Brown, Spin City, The Practice, Everybody Loves Raymond, Ugly Betty, The Closer, Big Love, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, The Simpsons and 30 Rock. Mr. King also wrote a newspaper column in USA Today for 20 years, and when it ended, he took to Twitter, amassing 2.8 million followers with his folksy observations. Born Lawrence Harvey Zeigler, Mr. King grew up in Brooklyn. He started his career as a media personality in Miami Beach, first as a disc jockey, then as host of interview shows and as a color commentator for sportscasts. In addition to his Lifetime Achievement Emmy, Mr. King also nabbed two Peabody Awards and 10 CableACE awards. He is survived by his eighth wife, singer and actress Shawn Southwick-King, and children Cannon, Chance and Larry Jr. - Variety.com, 1/24/21...... Baseball Hall of Famer and one-time home run king Hank Aaron passed away on the morning of Jan. 22. He was 86. A cause of death has not been reported, but the Atlanta Braves confirmed that he died in his sleep. Born Henry Louis Aaron in Mobile, Ala. in 1934, Mr. Aaron played in sandlots and started his pro career in the Negro Leagues' Indianapolis Clowns in 1951. He made his way through the minor leagues until age 20, then made his Major League debut and started his 23-year-career with the then-Milwaukee Braves. He recorded his first of 755 home runs on Apr. 23, 1954, in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. His first season saw him finish fourth in the rookie of the year voting as he hit .280 with 13 home runs and 69 RBIs. It was just the start of what became one of the most legendary careers in baseball history. Without ever reaching the 50-home run mark in any season, Mr. Aaron surpassed Babe Ruth with his 715th home run as a member of the Atlanta Braves in 1974. Mr. Aaron would play a few more seasons before calling it a career on Oct. 3, 1976. He immediately transitioned into a role with the Braves as director of player development, a position he held until 1989. He then became a senior vice president for the Braves, a title he held for decade. "We are absolutely devastated by the passing of our beloved Hank," Atlanta Braves chairman Terry McGuirk said in a statement. "He was a beacon for our organization first as a player, then with player development, and always with our community efforts. His incredible talent and resolve helped him achieve the highest accomplishments, yet he never lost his humble nature." - CBS46.com, 1/22/21.

The Rolling Stones are reportedly preparing to launch their own line of chocolate bars before the end of January. According to the U.K. paper The Daily Star's "Wired" column, a milk chocolate bar (called "Brown Sugar"') and a dark chocolate bar ("Cherry Red," inspired by the lyric "my favourite flavour, cherry red" from "You Can't Always Get What You Want") will both go on sale on the Stones' merch website beginning on Jan. 25. The paper also claims that each chocolate bar will cost £5.95, plus postage. In November, the Stones launched an online e-store to tie in with their flagship shop in London. - NME, 1/20/21...... Bob Dylan is being sued by the wife of his late former songwriting collaborator Jacque Levy after Levy's estate claim that they had not been sufficiently compensated for his songwriting credits, particularly for Dylan's 1976 No. 1 album Desire on which Levy is credited as co-writing most of the album's tracks. In December, Dylan sold his entire songwriting catalogue to Universal Music Group for $300 million (£225 million), however Levy's wife Claudia is now suing bith Dylan and Universal for $7.25 million (£5.25 million). According to documents submitted in Manhattan Supreme Court by the plaintiffs, the Levy estate claims it is entitled to 35% "of any and all income earned by the compositions" including "35% of the purchase price paid to the Dylan defendants." "The Dylan defendants have engaged in a civilly wrong pattern and history of intentionally and maliciously ignoring and disregarding plaintiff's rights, including those to income and any and all revenue generated by the compositions, including the subject buy-out of the catalogue sale," the suit claims. An attorney representing Dylan is denying the claims made by the Levy estate and described the suit as "a sad attempt to unfairly profit off of the recent catalogue sale." "The plaintiffs have been paid everything they are owed. We are confident that we will prevail. And when we do, we will hold plaintiffs and their counsel responsible for bringing this meritless case," says Dylan's lawyer, Orin Snyder. Levy -- whose publishing company Jackelope is listed as a co-plaintiff -- co-wrote seven of Desire's nine songs with Dylan, including "Hurricane," "Isis" and "Mozambique." He died in 2004, having worked as a songwriter, theatre director and clinical psychologist during his lifetime, and never held ownership of any of Desire's songs. Dylan seldom worked with other writers and Levy's co-writing on Desire is arguably his most famous songwriting collaboration. - New Musical Express, 1/21/21...... Bruce Springsteen was among the performers participating in a Jan. 20 Celebrating America TV special to honor Joe Biden's swearing in as the 46th President of the United States earlier in the day. Springsteen opened the event by playing his 1999 song "Land Of Hope and Dreams" in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. "I'm proud to be here in cold Washington D.C. tonight," Springsteen said ahead of his performance, which has been shared on YouTube. "I wanna offer this small prayer for our country." The Tom Hanks-hosted special was broadcast across five US TV networks and was streamed on YouTube, Amazon Prime, and several social media channels. Also performing during the broadcast were Foo Fighters, Jon Bon Jovi, Justin Timberlake, John Legend and Katy Perry, among others. Meanwhile, an official Joe Biden/Kamala Harris inauguration playlist has been released, an eclectic 46-song "America United" roster curated by D-Nice and Raedio. Available on Spotify and other major streaming services, it kicks off with "Lupitas Interlude" by Brooklyn rapper Kota the Friend and includes Bruce Springsteen's stirring "We Take Care of Our Own," Kendrick and Mary J Blige's "Now or Never," The O'Jays' "Give the People What They Want," Mac Miller's "Blue World," Marley's "Could You Be Loved," recently-deceased MC MF Doom's "Coffin Nails" and Led Zeppelin's "Fool in the Rain." - NME/Billboard, 1/21/21...... In related news, Stevie Wonder has called on the Biden administration to launch a commission on racial inequality. The Motown legend shone a light on Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 18, which Wonder helped champion during its passage, and reminiscesd about meeting Dr. King when he was 14 years old, hailing him a "true hero and inspiration." But in the four-minute video which has been shared on his Twitter account, the musician says that the "needle has not moved one iota" for racial equality. He tells an imagined King that "you would not believe the lack of progress; it makes me physically sick." Wonder continues: "I am sick that truth is struggling to be heard and defended. Those who promote lies and false truth must be held accountable. It is the only way we can move forward." The iconic musician then asks for the Biden-Harris administration to launch a formal investigation to "establish the truth of inequality in this country" and recommend conciliation. "Without truth, we cannot have accountability. Without accountability, we cannot have forgiveness. Without forgiveness, we cannot heal," he says. - NME, 1/18/21...... In one of the more wackier memes relating to the Joe Biden inauguration, a photo of unsuccessful 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has been photoshopped into various album covers of famous rock stars including the Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, and Blondie's eponymous 1978 debut album. Sen. Sanders, who took the "very difficult" decision to suspend his presidential campaign last April, was among the limited crowd at the US Capitol as former Vice-President Biden was officially sworn in as the 46th President. Donning a coat, a pair of mittens and a protective face mask, a shivering Sanders soon became meme fodder across social media owing to his unimpressed demeanour. Set up and run by Tatiana Tenreyro, the @theberniealbums Instagram account has currently paused requests from fans but will resume taking suggestions on Jan. 22. - NME, 1/21/21...... Former Pres. Donald Trump has followed through on a previous pledge to build a "Garden of American Heroes" featuring 250 statues to be constructed honoring the likes of Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Johnny Cash, Nat King Cole and Billie Holiday. In one of his final executive orders before leaving office on Jan. 20, Pres. Trump said that "The National Garden will be built to reflect the awesome splendour of our country's timeless exceptionalism," and also described the garden as "America's answer" to "reckless" vandalism of statues of American historical figures during widespread protests for racial equality in 2020. Bizarrely, Trump's list of American Heroes contains a number of non-Americans. Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman, British director Alfred Hitchcock, and Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, a Canadian, are all to have statues in the garden. Trump first announced plans for The National Garden during his ill-fated re-election campaign in the summer, and includes Frank Sinatra even though Sinatra's daughter Nancy Sinatra has said her late dad had "loathed" Donald Trump. Meanwhile, '70s disco stars The Village People have issued a statement after the outgoing president played their late '70s smash "Y.M.C.A." once again after giving his farewell speech at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on the morning of Jan. 20 ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration in Washington D.C. Speaking to TMZ, the Village People and their longtime member Victor Willis explained that they asked Trump "to cease and desist long ago" from using "Y.M.C.A." at his public appearances "However, since he's a bully, our request was ignored." "Thankfully he's now out of office, so it would seem his abusive use of our music has finally ended," the group said. "We hope to spearhead a change in copyright law that will give artists and publishers more control over who can and cannot use our music in the public space. Currently there is no limit to blanket licensing," they added. Following confirmation of Biden's win over Trump in November's presidential election, crowds of Biden supporters gathered outside The White House to celebrate by playing "Y.M.C.A." from speakers to mock the former president. - NME, 1/18/21...... "Tico the Parrot," a bird who has achieved viral Internet fame for singing along to its owner's renditions of classic songs by the likes of Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Guns N' Roses, Coldplay and U2, has achieved renewed fame after former NBA player Rex Chapman shared a clip of Tico singing along to Led Zepp's "Stairway to Heaven" with his 1.1 million followers on his Twitter account. While Tico doesn't sing any of the actual words of the songs it "covers," its ability to accurately replicate each track's vocal melody has earned the parrot and its owner, a guitar-playing Frank Maglio, a small slice of internet fame. Speaking to Kelly Clarkson on her talk show back in October, Maglio explained how he came across his pet's vocal talents. "One day I was playing guitar back in March, during the second week of lockdown," he said. "And Tico started screaming like he wanted attention, so instead of throwing the towel in, I grabbed my guitar... and sat down by him and started playing, and I was like, 'I think he's singing.'" - NME, 1/20/21...... Recently deceased producer Phil Spector's frequent collaborator Darlene Love has recalled warning the producer about his destructive behavior, telling him that "one of these days you're gonna hurt somebody." In a new interview with the London Times, Love spoke about Spector's legacy as both a producer and a murderer, asking: "Is he going to be remembered for that or will he be remembered for murdering Lana Clarkson? It is unimaginable to me that someone so talented could not see through life and kept on making the same mistake until it got worse and worse." Love, who worked with Spector in the early '60s on such hit singles as "He's A Rebel," "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry" and the Christmas classic "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," then spoke of the times she called Spector out on his behavior after he brandished a gun in a studio in 1965. Speaking of the incident, Love said: "[The musicians in the studio] shouted, 'Phil is waving a gun around. He's gone crazy'. I ain't gonna bother with that. I'm going home. Then I get a phone call from Phil. 'Oh, come on, Darl, the guns are gone. We've got business to take care of.' I told him, 'You know what, man? One of these days you're gonna hurt somebody.' He said he was just fooling around. 'Yeah, fooling around with guns. That's how people get shot.'" Meanwhile, Spector's four children are expected to be in line to receive shares of his estimated $50 million fortune following his death in prison from coronavirus on Jan. 16. Spector was father to three adopted sons -- Donte, and twins Gary and Lewis -- with second wife singer Ronnie Spector, who has claimed that Phil adopted Gary and Lewis without her knowledge and surprised her with them as a "Christmas present." The twins, now in their fifties, have since accused the legendary producer of abusing them, and Donte claims he would lock them in their rooms like "caged animals to be let out for dad's amusement." Ronnie Spector later had a twin son and a daughter with a woman called Janis Zavala. Their son Phillip Spector Jr. died of leukemia in 1991 and their daughter Nicole is a 34-year-old writer and freelance journalist. The whereabouts of his three adopted sons with Ronnie is unknown, while Nicole is a journalist whose work has appeared in The New Yorker and The Atlantic. Although Spector's net worth at the time of his death was estimated to be around $50million, experts say this figure will be higher depending on how much he owns of "one of the most valuable song royalty catalogues in the world." The royalties could be worth tens of millions of dollars a year because Spector still owned the rights or partial rights to hits including "River Deep Mountain High" -- recorded by Ike and Tina Turner in 1966. - NME/DailyMail.co.uk, 1/21/21...... The estate of late enigmatic English singer-songwriter Nick Drake has signed a new, global publishing deal with the U.K.-based Blue Raincoat Music Publishing, a joint venture between Blue Raincoat Music and Reservoir Media. Under the agreement announced on Jan. 18, Blue Raincoat Music Publishing will represent Drake's entire back catalogue of songs in conjunction with Reservoir, including the three albums he released on Island Records before his untimely death in 1974 at age 26: Five Leaves Left (1969), Bryter Layter (1971) and Pink Moon (1972). "There are very, very few song collections that have meant more to me over the years, and my sentiments are clearly widely shared both within and without the artistic community," Blue Raincoat Music CEO Jeremy Lascelles said. "It is no mean feat to have written songs that are era-defining but remain utterly timeless, but that is what Nick has left behind for us all." Upon his death due to an overdose of a prescribed antidepressant, Drake was relatively unknown in the music world. However, his work -- characterized by acoustic, guitar-based melodies and emotive lyrics -- spread posthumously, thanks in part to press, multiple documentaries about his life and a pivotal 1999 Volkswagen television ad which used his song "Pink Moon." Radiohead, R.E.M. and Beck are among many artists who have cited Drake's work as an artistic influence. - Billboard, 1/19/21...... The Who frontman Roger Daltrey has responded after his decision to sign an open letter to the U.K. government supporting visa-free travel for U.K. musicians has caused a stir online. Daltrey's letter calls on the U.K. to "urgently do what it said it would do and negotiate paperwork-free travel in Europe for British artists and their equipment" and argued that otherwise "many tours [will be] unviable, especially for young emerging musicians who are already struggling to keep their heads above water owing to the Covid ban on live music." Daltrey previously spoke out in support of Brexit and claimed that it wouldn't have any impact on music. Now, Daltrey has issued a response regarding his decision to sign his letter and lend his support to the visa-free touring campaign. "I have not changed my opinion on the EU. I'm glad to be free of Brussels, not Europe," he told NME in a statement. "I would have preferred reform, which was asked for by us before the referendum and was turned down by the then president of the EU." Elton John and Sting are also among the 110 musicians who have signed the open letter to the UK government. Meanwhile, Van Morrison is reportedly planning a legal challenge in response to Northern Ireland's ban on live music to fight the coronavirus. Morrison's lawyers have confirmed that the singer filed a pre-action protocol letter with Northern Ireland's Department of Health on Jan. 12. In it, he challenged regulations that prohibit live music in indoor licensed venues in Northern Ireland, which is in the midst of a six-week lockdown that began on Boxing Day. Hospitality and entertainment venues are currently closed. Rolling Stone is reporting that Morrison has given authorities 21 days to respond, and should the Department of Health not respond within that time frame, Morrison will "issue proceedings immediately to the High Court," his legal representatives said. - NME, 1/20/21...... Beatallica, the Beatles and Metallica mash-up band, is set to release their first album in eight years. The satirical four-piece group shared their first published record in 2007 with Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band, which was followed up by Masterful Mystery Tour (2009) and Abbey Load (2013). According to Blabbermouth.com, Beatallica will return with another full-length in 2021 having signed to Metal Assault Records. The label has also released the band's aforementioned first three albums via Bandcamp.com. On Jan. 19, an in-studio image was uploaded to Beatallica's official Instagram page. "Another creative and successful weekend in the books," its caption reads. "Continuing to write material for an album to be hopefully released later on this year!" Blabbermouth notes that Beatallica were embroiled in a dispute with Sony Music back in 2005 over the "unlawful use" of Metallica's music "without authorization or license." Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich subsequently helped the tribute act get back online after their website was shut down. - NME, 1/19/21...... David Bowie's ex-wife Angie Bowie has criticized the new Bowie biopic Stardust, calling it "a total waste of time." In a new interview with The Mirror Angie, who was married to David between 1970 and 1980, shared her dislike for the film and said "David would have never watched it." "It should be called the Ron Oberman Whingeing and Whining story," Angie said, adding: "It was boring. I didn't find it entertaining at all. It's more dreary than a one-star documentary. It was too neutral and bland and without the music, there is nothing." Commenting on the fact that Stardust doesn't feature any of the artist's music, she continued: "The only people who would watch it are people who are obsessed with celebrities. Bowie was a musician. And where was the music?" She also noted several inaccuracies in the film, including an argument between her and David when he returned to London after trying to make it in the US. "That's not how it was at all," she said. Our marriage wasn't at breaking point then. That came much later. I wasn't worried about anything, I was in an extremely good mood. I was having a fabulous time in London. I wasn't on call 24 hours a day. The character who plays me says that I wanted David and I to be king and queen but that's not true." - NME, 1/19/21...... Former Pink Floyd principal Roger Waters has shared a new studio version of the Pink Floyd track "The Gunner's Dream" on YouTube. Originally appearing on 1983's The Final Cut -- the final Pink Floyd album to feature Waters -- the new version was shared on Jan. 18 to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States. Accompanied by a black-and-white video, it opens with the ominous statement, "I had a dream" -- a phrase which is repeated throughout the almost six-minute clip. "If I ruled the world, I would heed the words of the wise," Waters said in a statement. "I would get rid of nuclear weapons first thing tomorrow morning. On Dr. King's name day. Of course no-one can rule the world. The world cannot be ruled. It can only be loved and respected and shared. If we're still here in the morning." - NME, 1/19/21...... Veteran pop songstress and recent Internet personality Dionne Warwick has just joined the popular social media platform TikTok. "Who knows what I'll create," the singer joked on Jan. 16 in a Twitter post announcing her TikTok membership. "I am told that the possibilities are endless." Warwick then revealed that she's been made aware of the viral "buss it" challenge on the platform, in which users record two videos of themselves, one in regular clothes and one dressed up. "I just asked my team what the 'buss it' challenge was," Warwick tweeted after she was asked to enter the challenge by her Twitter followers. "Why are you asking me to do that? Don't make me delete TikTok before I even start." Warwick has become notorious on Twitter in recent months due to her humorous comments on pop culture and a new generation of stars, including Chance The Rapper, Cardi B and Billie Eilish. - NME, 1/18/21...... Cher says she's mulling her first ever virtual concert, but fears she will never be able to narrow down her setlist for a potential virtual concert because she simply has "too many songs." "Was thinking of doing virtual Concert.. Some Of My favorites that were Never Hits & Some that were....only Problem ... BEEN SINGING 50+ YRS... TOO MANY SONGS (sic)," she posted on Twitter on Jan. 18. Cher may have been inspired to take the virtual plunge after participating in the "We The People" fundraising concert on Jan. 17, held to kick off the celebrations leading up to the Jan. 20 inauguration of Pres. Joe Biden. The 74-year-old singer recorded a video message hailing President-elect Biden, saying, "I'm so happy. I can't tell you how happy I am." - Music-News.com, 1/19/21...... Former That '70s Show star Danny Masterson has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape. Masterson was slapped with the criminal counts in June 2020, amid allegations suggesting he forced himself upon three women at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. Masterson has repeatedly denied the claims, and his attorney, Tom Mesereau, tried unsuccessfully to have the case dismissed in October, citing the statute of limitations. The actor was not required to attend his arraignment hearing in person on Jan. 20, and instead, Mesereau entered a not guilty plea on his client's behalf. The case, which has been repeatedly delayed since last summer, will now move on to pretrial motions on Mar. 24. If convicted, Masterson faces a maximum sentence of 45 years to life behind bars. The rape and sexual assault allegations against Masterson have been hanging over him for years, and the scandal prompted TV bosses to write his character out of Netflix comedy The Ranch in 2018. - WENN/Canoe.com, 1/20/21.