Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on July 15th, 2021

In an interview with BBC Radio 2's Zoe Ball on July 14, Bruce Springsteen revealed he's hoping to restart touring in 2022. "We'll be touring next year if everything goes well," he told Ball. "The E Street Band will be back on the road -- you know, depending, of course, on the virus and what's opening up." Springsteen, who is currently continuing his solo Broadway residency at the St. James Theatre in New York although has ruled out any touring in 2021, also took time during the interview to praise his fans in the UK, saying: "I'd like to take one moment to thank my UK fans, particularly for the support they've continued to give to my new music." Springsteen and the E Street Band's last live performance was an appearance on NBC's Saturday Night Live in Dec. 2020, marking their first live performance together since 2017. He's also set to co-headline a "homecoming" concert at New York City's Central Park this summer alongside the likes of Paul Simon and Jennifer Hudson. - New Musical Express, 7/14/21...... On July 13 Jethro Tull announced they'll be releasing their first studio album in 20 years soon. Dubbed The Zealot Gene, the LP will mark the prog-rock legends' first release as part of a new record deal with InsideOutMusic/Sony Music. "After 54 years in the world of music recording, it is with great pleasure that I now sign Jethro Tull to a record company which reminds me, in many ways, of the old Chrysalis label -- both as an independent and in its later years in partnership with EMI," frontman Ian Anderson said of the new signing. "Here are real music guys with a passion for the best and most creative in rock music. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship and more releases to come," he added. While a release date for The Zealot Gene has not been announced, the album has been completed, according to a press release. News of a new Tull album comes after Anderson revealed in 2020 that he is suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), blaming his exposure to smoke machines during live performances of Jethro Tull in the 1970s. The current Jethro Tull line-up consists of Anderson, guitarist Joe Parrish-James, drummer Scott Hammond, pianist John O'Hara, and bassist David Goodier. Guitarist Florian Opahle also contributed The Zealot Gene, but is not a part of the core line-up. - NME, 7/13/21...... Paul McCartney has told the British music mag Uncut that he still has unreleased "story songs" that were written in the style of the Beatles' 1966 track "Eleanor Rigby," although they're unlikely to see the light of day. "I've still got a few that I haven't released," Sir Paul said. "Because I don't think they're that good. It's quite a fun thing to do, to just dream up a name of a character and try and write the story of that character and then make it fit with another character. 'Eleanor Rigby', I did it with just the few. Father McKenzie and Eleanor." He went on to say that the darker tone of "Eleanor Rigby" is the reason it is more popular than some of the more lighthearted "story songs" in his collection. "With my story songs, a lot of them, besides 'Eleanor Rigby', tend to be comedy," he said. "It's me doing the tongue-in-cheek thing, whereas 'Eleanor Rigby' was more serious. I think that's why it was more successful." Meanwhile, Macca will break down his music career in-depth with acclaimed producer Rick Rubin for a new documentary series called McCartney 3,2,1. The show premieres on July 16 on the streaming platform Hulu. - NME, 7/14/21...... In other Beatles-related news, a rare demo the Fab Four recorded at Abbey Road Studios is being put on the auction block. The unheard collection -- which contains early versions of "I am the Walrus," "Fool on the Hill" and "I Me Mine" -- was left behind by the Beatles after a session in he 1960s. The tape went on sale on July 14 at Sworders Auctioneers, and it's expected to fetch up to £700. The listing reads: "Gifted to the vendor, a bass player in a rock band that has sold over 20 million albums. Presented in 1971 while recording their first LP at Abbey Road Studios by a sound technician, the demo itself recorded in the 1960s." It's said the four Beatles left the tape behind after a recording session. - Music-News.com, 7/14/21...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, director Peter Jackson has explained why Beatles fans are likely to be surprised by his new docuseries Get Back. Discussing the format of the documentary, which focuses more on conversations than music, Jackson told GQ magazine taht the series will be very "intimate." "I think people will be surprised by the series for two reasons," Jackson said. "One, it'll be far more intimate than they imagined it to be, because everyone is used to seeing music documentaries being a bit kind of MTV-ish, sort of together in a poppy kind of way and it's just the music, music, music, you know? The music isn't at the forefront of this film: weirdly, it's what goes on behind the music at the forefront." He continued: "I mean, even in the rooftop concert, we have the concept that we're inter-cutting all the time to the street and to the policeman and everything else. And that's really true of the whole series -- it's not a sequence of MTV video clips of them doing songs. There's probably more conversations with The Beatles in the films than there is actual singing." The Beatles: Get Back will air on Disney+ between Nov. 25-27. - NME, 7/12/21...... Surviving The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger has announced his first-ever memoir, Set The Night On Fire: Living, Dying, And Playing Guitar With The Doors, will be released on Oct. 12 via publisher Little, Brown & Co. Set the Night On Fire, which will also be released in Kindle and Audio CD versions, promises to reveal new aspects about the band's mythological career, and a description of the 300+ page book says readers can expect to learn about "never-before-told stories from The Doors' vital years" as well as new perspectives on the band's iconic moments. "Through a series of vignettes, Krieger takes readers back to where it all happened: the pawnshop where he bought his first guitar; the jail cell he was tossed into after a teenage drug bust; his parents' living room, where his first songwriting sessions with Jim Morrison took place; the empty bars and backyard parties where The Doors played their first awkward gigs; the studios where their iconic songs were recorded; and the many venues where concerts erupted into historic riots," reads part of the memoir's description. In other Doors-related news, a new documentary detailing Jim Morrison's multi-disciplined career, from being the frontman of The Doors to stints in poetry and filmmaking, is being developed by the Morrison estate and Jampol Artist Management (JAM Inc.), who oversees the legacies of The Doors and Janis Joplin. - NME, 7/12/21...... An apartment in a Manhattan high-rise that once belonged to David Bowie has sold for $16.8 million after less than a month on the market, approximately four times the cost of what Bowie himself bought it for in the late 90s. The apartment, which was reportedly put on sale by real estate group Corcoran in mid-June, sold on July 11 and was one of several apartments that Bowie owned and lived between with his wife, model Iman, whom he married in 1992. The couple also resided in Bowie's native London, in Sydney and on a private island in the Grenadines. Bowie and Iman moved to New York circa 1999, shortly before the birth of their only daughter Lexi. The selling of the apartment comes just weeks after one of the singer's original paintings sold at an auction in Canada for $108,120. The collector, Rob Cowley, originally bought the painting for a paltry $5. - NME, 7/13/21...... Queen guitarist Brian May has reportedly been left "heartbroken" after sewage flooded his London home and destroyed many of his treasured possessions on July 12. May took to Instagram to document the damage from the sewage overflow, which he blamed on members of the local council, who he alleged approved basements with "ineffective" drainage in the west London area. According to May, he returned from a day at London's Royal Holloway College to find the devastation, which had destroyed photo albums, carpets, rugs, and furniture belonging to himself and wife Anita Dobson. "The whole bottom floor had been inundated with a sewage overflow -- which has covered our carpets, rugs and all kinds of precious things in a stinking sludge," he wrote alongside a video. "It's disgusting, and actually quite heartbreaking. It feels like we have been invaded, desecrated (sic). Anita had a lifetime of memorabilia on the floor of our basement - and most of it is sodden and ruined." Brian went on to explain that he had moved many of his treasured photo albums to the property from another house because it was "threatened with a forest fire." May also questioned why Kensington has never before been flooded due to rainwater, at least in the past 150 years. "Why did this happen? It's almost certainly the result of all the basement building that has been plaguing this area for the past 10 years. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council was warned years ago that sinking so many deep basement extensions would obstruct the aquifers underneath our living space and render the drainage system ineffective," he said. - Music-News.com, 7/14/21...... James Taylor has announced details of a 2022 tour of the United Kingdom, which will get underway in Leeds on Jan. 27, 2022. With his All Star Band in tow, Taylor will also visit Manchester (1/29), Glasgow (1/30), Brighton (2/1), and Birmingham (2/2), before wrapping with two nights at the London Hammersmith Apollo on Feb. 4 and 5. Taylor released his 20th studio album American Standard in Feb. 2020, with the album going on to win Best Tradition Pop Vocal Album at the Grammys. Live music with no restrictions is set to return to the UK on July 19 as the country prepares to drop all Coved-19 rules. Despite this, over half of the UK's festivals set for this summer have already been cancelled. - NME, 7/12/21...... Elton John has responded to the Korean teen pop group BTS making reference to him on their latest track "Permission To Dance," which was released on July 9. In the first verse of "Permission To Dance," leader and rapper RM sings: "When it all feels like it's wrong/ Just sing along to Elton John/ And to that feeling, we're just getting started." Responding on Twitter the next day, the Rocket Man put his own spin on the lyrics. "When it all seems like it's right, I sing along to @bts_bighit," he tweeted, adding the song's title in the form of a hashtag. BTS performed "Permission To Dance" live for the first time yesterday during a special broadcast called A Butterful Getaway. They will also appear on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon in the third week of July for a "two-day takeover event," where they will perform the new track and their No. 1 hit "Butter." - NME, 7/10/21...... Gene Simmons has spoken out about some of his former KISS bandmates and he says that "they continue to make really bad choices." In a new interview, Simmons discussed the lack of involvement of Peter Criss and Ace Frehley in KISS' new A&E documentary Biography: KISStory. "God love 'em, both Ace and Peter, in the beginning of the band, were just the best thing that ever happened to us," Simmons said on Talking Wax With Adika Live! "But they made such horrible choices in their life. And they continue to do that -- they continue to make really bad choices, not just in terms of their health and what you ingest, but career choices." The bassist/vocalist went on to say, "We just had this documentary that came out that's a headlining thing at the Tribeca Film Festival, and, of course, without even thinking twice about it, we reached out to both Ace and Peter, 'Hey, come and be part of this thing. You helped create the band. No question about it.' And they refused." Simmons claimed that Frehley had a number of demands in order to participate in the documentary including editing rights. "God love him, that wasn't gonna happen," Simmons said. "I didn't get those rights and didn't want them; I just wanted to throw caution to the wind and get the thing done. So they barely appear in it." Simmons' full interview can be viewed on YouTube. Meanwhile, KISS's Paul Stanley has revealed that the band are likely to release some NFTs (non-fungible tokens) "in the foreseeable future." Speaking in a new interview, Stanley discussed the prospect of KISS getting into world of NFTs and cryptocurrency. "Well, we certainly are on the edge of the diving board into NFTs," he told SiriusXM's Jim Norton and Sam Roberts. "That's obviously a natural, and we're flexing our muscles just before we dive in. But that's in the foreseeable future." You can watch Stanley's interview with SiriusXM on YouTube. - NME, 7/10/21...... Punk rock icon Iggy Pop may not be the first thing that pops to mind when one thinks of the discovery and exhibition of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, but Pop will lend his voice to a new documentary focused on King Tut. The documentary, Tutankhamun: The Last Exhibition, was produced by Nexo Digital and Italian cultural agency Laboratoriorosso. It follows the tomb's discovery in 1922 and the subsequent touring exhibition, "King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh," which launched in Los Angeles in 2019. The film was expected to be released in 2020, but the pandemic has delayed its arrival to 2022. The tour contained more than 150 artefacts from King Tut's grave, and was expected to run until 2023 before the pandemic cut it short. The Egyptian government has since declared that the artefacts will never leave the country again. Speaking to Variety, Nexus Digital's Rosella Gioffr said they were looking for "somebody that could give a different appeal to the narration of the movie." "And we thought of [Pop] and he accepted." Meanwhile, earlier in 2021 it was announced Pop had accepted a role in director Jeremy LaLonde's upcoming comedy fllm Blue Iguana, which will also star Bob Saget and Joel David Moore. - NME, 7/12/21...... Actor William Smith, best known for starring as Texas Ranger Joe Riley in both seasons of the NBC Western Laredo from 1965 to 1967, has died at age 88. Mr. Smith's wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, said the actor with over 300 roles to his credite in the 1960s, '70s and '80s died on July 5 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles. She declined to give the cause of death. With his chiseled, mustachioed face and bulging biceps, Mr. Smith was a constant, rugged presence on screen, also playing bareknuckle boxer Jack Wilson, who grappled with Clint Eastwood in an epic brawl in Any Which Way You Can, one of the top-grossing movies of 1980. The Columbia, Mo.-born Mr. Smith also played Anthony Falconetti, the menacing nemesis of the central family in the 1976 ABC miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man, and returned for its sequel. And he played Detective James "Kimo" Carew in the final season of the original Hawaii Five-O series on CBS in 1979 and 1980. He would also play Arnold Schwarzenegger's father in 1982's Conan the Barbarian, after being considered for the title role, and a Soviet general in 1984's Red Dawn. In addition to his wife of 31 years, he is survived by a son, William E. Smith III, and a daughter, Sherri Anne Cervelli. - Fox News, 7/10/21...... TV and film actor Charlie Robinson, known for playing Mac the court clerk in the 1980s and '90s sitcom Night Court, died on July 11 in Los Angeles due to cardiac arrest and cancer. He was 75. Throughout his 50-year career, Robinson also appeared in movies such as Secret Santa, The River, Set It Off, Antwone Fisher, Jackson, Even Money and Miss Lettie and Me, and TV series including Buffalo Bill, Home Improvement, Mom, Hart of Dixie, NCIS and The Guestbook. The Houston-born actor also won awards for his theatrical work, including the Image Theatre Award and FRED Award for portraying Simon in "The Whipping Man" and Best Actor Ovation Award for playing Troy in "Fences." His last performance was as 82-year-old Donald Jones in James Tyler's "Some Old Black Man." Throughout his career, he guest starred in television shows including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Key and Peele, This Is Us, Malcolm & Eddie and In The House. Robinson is survived by his wife Dolorita; his children Luca, Charlie, Christian and Byron; and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. - Variety, 7/13/21.

Under the Volcano, the untold story about the studio that changed the world from an isolated island paradise in Montserrat, will be available on DVD and Blu-ray and digital release on July 26. Directed by Gracie Otto (The Last Impresario), Under the Volcano charts the rise and fall of AIR Studios Montserrat, the recording studio at the center of the pop universe in the 1980s which was built by Beatles' producer Sir George Martin in 1979. In the shadow of an active volcano, the studio not only attracted the biggest musical talent on the planet, including Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Elton John and The Police, but was the birthplace of mega-hits such as The Police's "Every Breath You Take" and Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing." - Music-News.com, 7/8/21...... If, as the Rod Stewart song says, "Every picture tells a story," then the shots captured in PBS' new documentary series Icon: Music Through the Lens spin unbelievable yarns. Each hour of the six-episode tour of rock photography focuses on a different aspect of the job, from shooting concert and backstage footage, record art and magazine covers to the collectible value of the form and the place of these images in social media. Icon: Music Through the Lens premieres on many PBS stations on July 16 at 9:00 p.m. EDT/8:00 CDT (check local listings at pbs.org). - TV Guide, 7/5/21...... Director Todd Haynes' new documentary about the '70s art-rock band The Velvet Underground debuted at the Cannes Film Festival on July 8. The two-hour film plumbs little-seen footage and features a host of rare interviews, including founding member John Cale (who describes the band as striving for "how to be elegant and how to be brutal"), Jonathan Richman of the Modern Lovers and an early disciple, and Jonas Mekas, the late pioneering filmmaker who filmed the VU's first ever live performance in 1964 and to whom the film is dedicated. Laurie Anderson, the widow of late VU frontman Lou Reed, endorsed Haynes directing the film, and other estates, like Andy Warhol's (who famously designed the cover art for the band's debut album), were supportive. The Velvet Underground, which also resurrects the 1960s downtown New York art scene that birthed and fermented the group, will be released by Apple in theaters and on its streaming platform on Oct. 15. - AP, 7/9/21...... In related news, a new feature-length documentary focusing on the totality of the artistry of legendary late The Doors frontman Jim Morrison has been announced by the Morrison estate and JAM, Inc. "Jim Morrison has been known as the leather trousers-clad Dionysian rock star, the Greek god handsome, amazing singer, shaman and performer," says JAM, Inc. CEO Jeff Jampol. "But Jim was a polymath. Jim was a poet and a writer and a filmmaker long before he ever thought about music. All these decades everybody talked about Jim Morrison the rock star, which he certainly was. But we really felt it was time to even the playing field and talk about these other aspects of Jim, which were either not as known or celebrated or discussed," he added. In addition to the Doors, JAM, Inc. oversees the legacies of such acts as Janis Joplin and John Lee Hooker. While there have been documentaries on Morrison and the Doors before, and, of course, Oliver Stone's 1991 biopic on the band, the new film is the first documentary devoted solely to Morrison sanctioned by the estate -- with full access to all Morrison's music, poetry and art. - Billboard, 7/9/21...... Ringo Starr celebrated his 81st birthday on July 7 in Beverly Hills, Calif., with his annual "Peace and Love" event just off Santa Monica Boulevard. Ringo was surrounded by friends, collaborators like Joe Walsh, and family including wife Barbara Bach to celebrate his birthday. "Peace and love. Peace and love," proclaimed Starr, clad in black Adidas track pants and sneakers paired with a denim jacket and a black T-shirt emblazoned with a rainbow-colored hand flashing the peace sign. "Even Joe Walsh got out of bed for it," he quipped. Ringo shared his enthusiasm for being able to attend such an event after an extended period of Covid-19 lockdowns, which forced him to cancel several tours. But the famous drummer still managed to release a five-track EP in March, Zoom In, and has another one ready to debut in September. - The Hollywood Reporter, 7/7/21...... In other Beatles-related news, an unreleased acoustic George Harrison demo called "Cosmic Empire" was released on July 9 and has been shared on YouTube. "Cosmic Empire" will appear on Harrison's recently announced 50th anniversary box set of his classic 1971 album All Things Must Pass, which is due out Aug. 6. As part of the new release, demos of 30 tracks from the All Things Must Pass sessions, including a handful of songs that didn't make the album, are set to be released for the first time. The album has been completely remixed from the original tapes, with Harrison's son Dhani Harrison serving as executive producer and remixing by engineer Paul Hicks, who has done recent re-workings of the Rolling Stones and John Lennon reissues. "The new mix transforms the album by sonically upgrading it -- making it sound brighter, fuller and better than ever before," a press release for the new version reads. The reissue will also be released as an eight LP or five CD plus one Blu-ray set, as well as in triple vinyl and double CD versions. - New Musical Express, 7/9/21...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, an official trailer for the new in-depth Paul McCartney series McCartney 3, 2, 1 has been shared on YouTube. The upcoming six-episode Hulu documentary series will see the legendary musician break down his music career in depth with acclaimed producer Rick Rubin. McCartney and Rubin are seen dissecting such Beatles tunes as "Come Together," "All My Loving," "With a Little Help From My Friends" and "In My Life" in the trailer. - NME, 7/8/21...... The Who's Pete Townshend has said he's reluctant to make a new album with the band, because of the "old fashioned way that [the band] work." Speaking to Guitar Player, Townshend said: "As far as a new record, it does take quite a lot of time to put together the 20 or 30 songs that are needed for both Roger and I and any producer that we might be working with to cherry-pick the ones that fit the times. Because you write the songs, and then two years later you're putting them all out, and you just hope that you're going to hit the mood of the moment. A lot of artists now are writing songs at home, recording them at home and putting them out within weeks. But our process is the old-fashioned way, and it does take a lot of time. So I don't know, but I am optimistic. And I'm certainly full of ideas." In February, Townshend said he had "pages and pages of draft lyrics" for a potential new Who album to be released post-lockdown. "If the moment comes, I'll go in and start," he said. Townshend's comments come after frontman Roger Daltrey recently said he's reluctant to make another Who album because "there's no record market any more." The band, who released their last album WHO in 2019, recently cancelled their upcoming UK and Ireland tour due to ongoing coronavirus concerns. - NME, 7/10/21...... In a new interview with Simon Mayo on his podcast Greatest Hits Radio, Queen guitarist Brian May said he believes late frontman Freddie Mercury would still be playing with the legendary English art-rockers if he was still alive today. In the interview which has been shared on YouTube, May insisted that Mercury, who died of bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS in 1991, would still be a part of the Queen family had he not passed away. "He would still be saying 'Oh I need to do my solo stuff', but he would be coming back to the family to do what we do," May said, before adding: "The funny thing is I feel more and more that he is kind of with us in a way, maybe I'm getting to be an old romantic, but Freddie is in my day every day." He continued: "He's always in my thoughts and I can always feel what he'd say in a certain situation, oh what would Freddie think, ah he'd like this, he'd laugh at this or whatever. He's so much part of the legacy we created, that will always be the case." Meanwhile, Queen's Greatest Hits album is on track to return to the UK Number One spot on the Official Albums Chart for the second week of July for the first time in 40 years. A special 40th anniversary edition of the compilation album released in early June is the reason for the original 1981 record's current surge to the top, with 86% of the new special edition record's sales so far coming from physical formats. - NME, 7/8/21...... ABBA's iconic greatest hits compilation album ABBA Gold has made history in the UK, becoming the first album to spend 1,000 weeks on the UK charts. To date, the album has sold 5.61million copies in the UK, per Official Charts, making it the second highest-selling album of all time in the country, behind Queen's Greatest Hits. As reported by the BBC, this means the album has been on the charts for 19 years and 12 weeks, having not dropped out of the charts since its debut release in Sept. 1992. "Not bad for four old turnips," ABBA's Benny Andersson said in a press statement upon hearing the news. - NME, 7/6/21...... Cliff Richard is inviting fans to celebrate his 80th birthday by attending a screening of his The Great 80 Tour performance. Sir Cliff celebrated the milestone birthday last year and the tour was scheduled for 2020, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the run had to be postponed. However, on Oct.27, fans can enjoy the music legend's special performance of his greatest hits live from London's legendary Royal Albert Hall at cinemas nationwide. The broadcast Presented by CinemaLive will include "exclusive footage of Sir Cliff, recorded especially for cinema audiences." The screenings are for fans who didn't get a ticket to the four sold-out shows at the Albert Hall. For more information and to find UK cinema locations visit cliffincinemas.com. - Music-News.com, 7/8/21...... Jessica Springsteen, the daughter of Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, has been selected to participate in the US Olympic equestrian team in Tokyo for the 2020 games. Jessica, who is ranked 27th in the world, began riding at the age of four at her parent's farm in Colts Neck, N.J. She was named as an alternate rider for the 2012 Olympics, but failed to make the cut in 2016. "Been dreaming of this since I can remember!" Jessica wrote on Instagram. "Endless gratitude for my team, friends and family for helping me make this a reality. We are Tokyo bound!!" she added. - NME, 7/7/21...... The family of late AC/DC singer Bon Scott are remembering the musician on what would have been his 75th birthday on July 9 with the launch of a new fan-focused website. Fans can contribute testimonials about seeing or meeting the rocker who fronted the Australian band between 1974-1980, with tributes to Scott from renowned rock stars as well as a store with newly available merchandise also included. "On the occasion of what would have been his 75th birthday, the Bon Scott Estate (Ron's two brothers and his nephew) are proud to launch the new website and take this important step toward elevating Bon's legend and tending to his legacy. Bon was a unique singer, songwriter and character that the world should never forget," a press release reads. Scott sang on the band's first six albums: High Voltage (1975), T.N.T., Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976), Let There Be Rock (1977), Powerage (1978) and Highway to Hell (1979). He died in February 1980 at the age of 33 from acute alcohol poisoning. - NME, 7/8/21...... Elton John is vowing to help new artists tour Europe despite the UK government's "disastrous" Brexit trade agreement. Sir Elton has been very vocal recently about the government jeopardising the future of touring for UK artists, after its Brexit deal with the EU failed to negotiate visa-free travel and Europe-wide work permits for musicians and crew, even calling the UK government "philistines" and accused them of "crucifying" the careers of young artists. On July 6, John and his husband David Furnish took part in a virtual meeting with Michael Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, and a number of others, to discuss free movement and visa-free arrangements for artists. "Very happy to meet & discuss today with @eltonofficial, who despite #Brexit, is fighting for free movement and visa-free arrangements for artists," Barnier tweeted, sharing a screenshot from the meeting. "Citizens, artists, students are the first to lose out from #Brexit. It didn't have to be this way." John then shared Barnier's tweet on his Twitter page, writing: "David & I will continue to fight for all artists, especially those at the start of their career, who are losing out because of the gaping holes in the UK Government's disastrous trade agreement with Europe." - NME, 7/6/21...... Rick Laird, best known as a founding member of the jazz fusion band Mahavishnu Orchestra, has reportedly passed away at the age of 80. News of the bassist's death has been confirmed by multiple former bandmates, including Mahavishu Orchestra guitarist John McLaughlin and drummer Billy Cobham, who eulogised Laird in a post on his Facebook page on July 5. "To all who were close to the M.O. you knew that the most dependable person in that band was the bass player. He played what was necessary to keep the rest of us from going off our musical rails. He was my rock and allowed me to play and explore musical regions that I would not have been able to navigate without him having my back," Cobham wrote. Mr. Laird performed on the MO's 1971 debut album The Inner Mounting Flame along with its 1973 follow-up, Birds of Fire. He also appears on the band's 1973 live album Between Nothingness & Eternity. The original lineup played their final gig in December of 1973, and Mr. Laird never returned to the group. After leaving Mahavishnu Orchestra, Laird released one album as a bandleader, 1979's Soft Focus. He also performed with the likes of Stan Getz, Buddy Rich, Sonny Rollins and Chick Corea. Mr. Laird retired from performing music in 1982, going on to become a photographer and bass guitar instructor. - NME, 7/6/21...... John Lawton, a former frontman of the English rock band Uriah Heep, died unexpectedly on June 29. He was 74. Lawton's death was confirmed by Uriah Heep, who shared a statement on social media revealing that Lawton passed away. "It is with deep regret that we share the devastating and tragic news of the sudden and totally unexpected passing of John Lawton on 29. June 2021," the band wrote on Facebook. "Contrary to reports, there was no illness involved, which makes his passing incomprehensible. He went peacefully with his wife at his side. John will be greatly missed." They added that a "private funeral service to celebrate John's life will be held following his wishes, with only family and close friends attending." Lawton was Uriah Heep's singer from 1976 to 1979, appearing on three of the band's studio albums Firefly (1977), Innocent Victim (1977) and Fallen Angel (1978). In 2013, he rejoined the group for some European tour dates to cover for current UH vocalist Bernie Shaw, who required some time off for a routine medical procedure. Aside from Uriah Heep in 1976, Lawton sang with legendary German cult rock band Lucifer's Friend (1969-1976, 1979-1995) and recorded nine studio albums during his time with the band. - NME, 7/6/21...... Director-producer Richard Donner, best known for helming the Lethal Weapon film series, The Goonies and the original 1978 Superman film, died on July 5. He was 91. Born Richard Donald Schwartzberg in the Bronx, he attended Parker Junior College and then NYU, where he majored in business and theater. Mr. Donner, who began his career as on the other side of the camera as an actor, soon graduated to television directing, honing his craft through work on such series as Wanted: Dead or Alive, The Twilight Zone, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Fugitive. Though not his first bigscreen effort, his big feature break came with 1976's The Omen, starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. Thereafter, he brought his craftsmanship to the first Superman.He also branched out into producing (Free Willy, The Lost Boys), usually with his wife Lauren Shuler Donner -- he executive produced the huge 2000 success X-Men and later the prequel X-Men Origins: Wolverine. But his career was highlighted by the Lethal Weapon series, starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, which elevated him to the ranks of directors generating more than a billion dollars in box office. He is survived by Shuler Donner, whom he married in 1986. - Variety, 7/5/21.