Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on November 22nd, 2021

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has been honored in Sabbath's hometown of Birmingham UK with a new fossil named after him. The formal ceremony took place near the Black Sabbath memorial bench conducted by Westside Business Improvement District (BID) general manager Mike Olley. After a photograph of the 469-million-year-old "Drepanoistodus Iommii" fossil was shown to Iommi, he said it was "real shock to learn that a real fossil has been named after me" and joked that "you can imagine my friends now, and all the abuse I've got." He later said that he's "proud of it... thank you very much." The fossil remains of the eel-like creature which now bears Iommi's namesake was reportedly found near a Russian river by a Scandinavian team of scientists, which included paleontologist Mats Eriksson, who named the fossil after him. Eriksson told NBC News in October that naming the fossil after Iommi was his way of "honoring one of the greatest guitarists in the world in one of the greatest bands of all time." "He is already immortalized in the music history books and now also in science with this fossil bearing his name," Eriksson said. - New Musical Express, 11/20/21...... Former Led Zeppelin frontman announced on Nov. 19 that he and his recent collaborator Alison Krauss will launch their first joint tour in over a decade in Canandaigua, NY, on June 1, 2022. The 18-show run will also hit such major US and European markets as Chicago (6/7), Indianapolis (6/9), Philadelphia (6/12), Atlanta (6/16), and London, England (6/26) before wrapping in Berlin, Germany on July 20. Plant and Krauss's first duet album in 12 years, Raise the Roof, hit stores on Nov. 19, the follow-up to their multi-Grammy winning 2007 LP Raising Sand. Plant and Krauss promoted the new album on Nov. 19 with an appearance on CBS's The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, performing two new songs from the album. Clips of the performances can be seen on YouTube. Plant recently told Britain's The Daily Telegraph paper that he has no plans to retire from making music. "People used to say to me, 'Well, you must have done enough now?' Enough of f----- what? 'Enough to retire!' So imagine the blessing to be 40 years further down the road, and I still don't know enough to stop in any respect. There's always something new to learn, somewhere new to take it. I love it," he said. - Billboard/NME/Music-News.com, 11/19/21...... Rod Stewart will be among the headliners at an all-star charity Christmas service in London in December. "The Stars Come Out To Sing At Christmas 2021" will take place at St. Luke's Church in Chelsea, London on Dec. 14 at 7:00 pm GMT in aid of Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy. Fans unable to attend the service in person can watch a special free-to-view livestream broadcast of the service, hosted by Rodgers, at 7:00 pm on Dec. 19. Hosted by Nile Rodgers of Chic and also featuring singer Imelda May, the carol service will feature readings, performances and festive messages, while the livestream version will also include exclusive additional material. In addition to Stewart and May, the live concert at St Luke's will also feature performances from saxophonist and presenter Jess Gillam. More guests will be announced in the run up to the event. Meanwhile, Stewart has revealed why he was absent from the legendary Live Aid concert line-up in 1985, stating that he had "only just found out" the real reason. It had previously been suggested that Stewart was unable to put a band together at short notice, despite having recently completed a world tour, but it now seems the decision had been taken out of Stewart's hands. "We actually were supposed to do it," he told the BBC on Nov.16, "but a few guys in the band told me that our ex-manager turned it down because I wasn't getting the right news coverage." Stewart released his 32nd studio album, The Tears of Hercules, on Nov. 12. - NME, 11/19/21...... Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson released At My Piano on Nov. 19, a new 15-track collection of piano covers of his greatest hits. Wilson, 79, learned piano from an early age, and in a press release he admitted playing his beloved instrument has "bought me comfort, joy and security" over the years. "We had an upright piano in our living room and from the time I was 12 years old I played it each and every day. I never had a lesson, I was completely self-taught," Wilson notes. "I can't express how much the piano has played such an important part in my life. It has bought me comfort, joy and security. It has fuelled my creativity as well as my competitive nature. I play it when I'm happy or feeling sad. I love playing for people and I love playing alone when no one is listening. Honestly, the piano and the music I create on it has probably saved my life," he adds. - Music-News.com, 11/19/21...... Former Journey vocalist Steve Perry's first ever holiday album, The Season, has debuted at No. 6 on Billboard's Top Album Sales with 11,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 11, according to MRC Data. It's Perry's second Top 10 in the 30-year history of the chart, following his 2018 studio album Traces, which debuted and peaked at No. 4. The album also bowed at No. 4 on the Top Holiday Albums chart, No. 16 on the Independent Albums chart, and No. 21 on Vinyl Albums. Boasting eight yuletide classics including "Winter Wonderland," "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," "The Christmas Song" and "Silver Bells," The Season is Perry's personal journey back to some of the best times of his life, and is produced by Perry and longtime collaborator Thom Flowers with cover artwork by Jeff Wack. - Billboard, 11/18/21...... Willie Nelson has rightly been honored with many lifetime achievement awards during his lenthy music career -- including one from the Recording Academy in 1999, another from the Country Music Association in 2012 (which named the award in his honor), induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, a Kennedy Center Honor in 1998 and the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize in 2015 -- but the country/pop legend's latest award may be equally important to him. It has been announced that the longtime marijuana advocate will be the recipient of the 2021 Clio Cannabis Lifetime Achievement Award, which has celebrated the creators at the forefront of cannabis marketing and communications since its launch in 2019. Long before cannabis gained mainstream acceptance, Nelson, now 88, made the case that its dangers were greatly exaggerated and its benefits were scarcely mentioned. He has occasionally recorded songs about his fondness for cannabis, teaming with Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristofferson and Jamey Johnson on "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die" in 2012 and with the late Merle Haggard on "It's All Going to Pot" in 2015. The latter reached No. 48 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. According to a statement, "Nelson was selected to receive the award for his decades-long reputation for advocating the plant's healing powers, elevating cannabis in the mainstream and innovating in the business space. His team is responsible for introducing marijuana and hemp-based wellness products like Willie's Reserve and Willie's Remedy in addition to launching a new cannabis conference called Luck Summit: Planting the Seed." Additional 2021 honorees include Fab 5 Freddy, Mary Pryor and Ophelia Chong. The trophies will be presented as part of the 2021 Clio Cannabis Awards, streaming on Social Club TV beginning Dec. 7. Social Club TV is available on AppleTV, Roku, AndroidTV iOS, Google Play, Plex, Struum, Phillips, Samsung Tizen, TCL, LG, rad.live, SelectTV, and on the web at TheSocialClub.tv. - Billboard, 11/18/21...... Jimmy Buffett has written the foreword for a new book that spotlights the history of the legendary Nashville, Tenn., music venue Exit/In. Exit/In: 50 Years and Counting, which ships later this fall, celebrates the history of the Music City landmark, and features interviews with the likes of John Hiatt, Rodney Crowell, Darius Rucker, Lucinda Williams, Marshall Chapman and more. There are also photos from legends like past Exit/In performers Willie Nelson, John Prine and George Jones at the vaunted venue -- which was sold to a hotel developer earlier in 2020 and whose future is unclear. "When the venue opened, my world got a big bump from that first show, a bump which seems to have lasted for fifty years -- or at least memories of it," Buffett writes in the foreword. "The Exit/In was also the spark that ignited the spread of listening rooms in Nashville. All you have to do is look at the sign out front with the names of stars and wannabes who became stars to know what this place means to the musical history of Nashville. In these pandemic days, when so many performers and technicians are struggling to stay afloat until we can all work again, I am going to do whatever I can to help keep the door of the Exit/In open, and I hope this story will help the cause," he added. - Billboard, 11/18/21...... A previously unseen video of David Bowie performing an early single called "Can't Help Thinking About Me" has been shared on YouTube. Originally released in 1965, it was the first single Bowie released after changing his name from David Jones. He performed the track during the 90s as he set to work on Toy,an album of re-recorded songs from his early days that was eventually scrapped due to a disagreement with his label. The track is set to feature on the forthcoming David Bowie 5: Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001) and Toy box sets, which are due out on Nov. 26 and Jan. 7, respectively. Alongside the video, a live audio recording of the track has also been shared, taken from a session at Maida Vale Studios for BBC Radio One. Recorded in 1999 for the Mark Radcliffe show, the track is out now on streaming services. Meanwhile, a new Bowie biopic is in the works from the director of the 2015 Kurt Cobain biopic, Montage of Heck. According to Variety, Brett Morgen has spent the last four years working on the project, which has involved looking through thousands of hours worth of performance footage, the majority of which has never been circulated. A source described the work as "neither documentary nor biography, but an immersive cinematic experience built, in part, upon thousands of hours of never before seen material." Bowie's longtime producer Tony Visconti has also signed on to the project, acting as its music producer. Members of the sound team behind Freddie Mercury/Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody have also joined the team to mix and design the project. A Sundance Film Festival premiere in late January is rumoured to be in the works, which would coincide with the six-year anniversary of Bowie's death. - NME, 11/19/21...... Speaking of Bohemian Rhapsody, a screenwriter for the mega-popular rocdoc has filed a lawsuit against its producer Graham King and his production company, GK Films. McCarten filed a breach of contract suit on Nov. 17 for money he claims he's owed from the 2018 film, which stars Rami Malek as the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. McCarten's suit claims that he made a deal to receive a five per cent share of GK Films' take of Bohemian Rhapsody, rather than Disney or Fox, who acquired the studio. McCarten states that he's not yet been paid anything from the deal, claiming King has been "unresponsive" to his appeals to settle up. McCarten and his attorneys seek "monetary damages in an amount to be proven at trial," a full accounting of the film and "a judicial declaration of the parties' contractual rights and duties in connection with the Writer's Agreement...By this Action, McCarten seeks to hold GK Films to its promise in the Writer's Agreement." - NME, 11/18/21...... Primary Wave Music has purchased the publishing catalog and master royalties of late Toto drummer and co-writer Jeff Porcaro for approximately $30 million, according to a source close to the deal. The acquisition arrives at the end of a massive year of catalog growth for Primary Wave by adding Porcaro's portion of master royalties and publishing of Toto's chart topping hits like the Grammy-winning hits "Rosanna," "I'll Be Over You," "Hold The Line," and their evergreen classic, "Africa." Co-written by Porcaro, "Africa" was released in Oct. 1982 as the third single from the band's multi-platinum record Toto IV and became the band's only No. 1 hit on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Porcaro, an in-demand session drummer for the likes of Sonny & Cher, Miles Davis, Steely Dan, Eric Clapton, Barbra Streisand, Joe Cocker, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Frankie Valli, passed away in 1992 at the age of 38 after experiencing a heart attack. Susan Porcaro, Jeff's wife, said that "As the home of legends, we feel Primary Wave is the perfect partner to continue to protect Jeff's musical legacy." - Billboard, 11/18/21...... In related news, Sting has reportedly been quietly shopping a bundle of his publishing, master recording and neighboring rights royalties since the spring. According to sources familiar with the package, the rights for Sting's music boast a combined annual income in the range of $12 million to $13 million. The Sting camp is looking for a pricey multiple floor at 30 times the annual royalties, sources say, which by using the lower royalty estimate, comes out to a $360 million valuation. Suitors meanwhile think a more realistic valuation of the assets would carry a multiple somewhere in the range of 18-25 times, or $216 million to $300 million. Sting released his 15th solo album, The Bridge, on Nov. 19. It features 10 original songs with another two as bonus tracks on the deluxe edition, plus a cover of Otis Redding's "(Sittin'On) The Dock of the Bay." - Billboard, 11/17/21...... Patti Smith is set to appear as a guest on Questlove's web series Quest For Craft, the official trailer for which has been shared on YouTube. Smith will speak to Questlove on the third episode of the show, which is created in partnership with the whiskey company The Balvenie. Her interview is set to air on Nov. 25. Filmed at Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village, New York City, the episode sees Smith reflect on her appreciation for life. "We love the things that we have in life and we're gonna lose many of them," she explains. "But I have every day a new thought, a new idea. It's part of the package of being alive." She continues: "I think we have to just be grateful for the small things. We have to be grateful for just simply being alive, having our breath, having our creative impulse. Just start with that every day." - NME, 11/19/21...... Genesis performed their 1980 single "Misunderstanding" for the first time in 37 years during a concert at Chicago's United Center on Nov. 15. It was the first show on the prog-rock legends' "Last Domino?" tour's US leg. Genesis hadn't played the track since their "Mama" tour in 1984 before incorporating a segment of it into a live medley in 1988. Genesis drummer/vocalist Phil Collins also made it a part of his solo gig setlists in 2004. Genesis were forced to postpone their remaining UK appearances for 2021 "due to positive Covid-19 tests within the band." It was subsequently confirmed that the group will return to fulfil the London dates in Mar. 2022. Genesis will return to Canada on Nov. 22 for the first time since 2007 on their "Last Domino?" tour. But the Phil Collins who will greet Torontonians on Nov. 25 and 26 at Scotiabank Arena is a far cry from the Energizer Bunny-like figure who appeared onstage in 1976; he now performs from a chair, having suffered a devastating neck injury in 2007 that caused severe nerve damage to his hands and left him unable to drum. The "Last Domino?"' tour, which kicked off in Birmingham, UK on Sept. 20, marks Genesis' first live shows in 14 years. Ahead of the UK leg beginning, Collins ruled out any further dates, saying these will be the last Genesis shows ever. - NME, 11/17/21...... Eric Clapton has doubled down on his anti-vaccine comments on Robert F Kennedy Jr's podcast, The Defender. Clapton reaffirmed his views on the podcast of RFK Jr, a prominent anti-vaccine activist, while also opening up about the effect his stance had on his relationships with others. "Over the last year, there's been a lot of disappearing, a lot of dust around with people moving away quite quickly, and it has, for me, refined the kind of friendships I have. And it's dwindled down to the people that I obviously really need and love," Clapton said. "And inside my family that became quite pivotal...I've got teenage girls and an older girl who's in her thirties, and they've all had to kind of give me leeway because I haven't been able to convince any of them. I think my wife is now seeing it the same way as me," he added. Clapton has been vocal about his opposition to lockdown restrictions and vaccinations throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and in December 2020, he teamed up with fellow skeptic Van Morrison for the track "Stand and Deliver," one of many anti-lockdown songs Morrison recorded and which were met with significant backlash. - NME, 11/19/21...... Singer/songwriter/musician Keith Allison, a former member of the '60s pop band Paul Revere & the Raiders and who performed on songs recorded by Sonny & Cher, Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson and The Monkees, died at his home in Sherman Oaks, Calif., on Nov. 17. He was 79. Allison was a member of Paul Revere & the Raiders from 1968-75, singing and playing bass, guitar and organ. In 1967, he co-wrote with bandmate Mark Lindsay the bluegrass song "Freeborn Man," recorded by him, Glen Campbell, Jerry Reed and scores of others over the years. He contributed to albums by The Monkees, including their self-titled 1966 debut, 1967's Headquarters and 1968 Head, and he co-wrote "Auntie's Municipal Court" with fellow Texan Michael Nesmith for another 1968 album, The Birds, the Bees & The Monkees. Allison played guitar and harmonica on Sonny & Cher's mega-hit "The Beat Goes On," recorded in 1966. A year later, Columbia Records signed him and released the album Keith Allison in Action. In Los Angeles for a taping of Dick Clark's ABC afternoon variety show Where the Action Is, Allison was hanging out with the crew and caught on camera, and viewers mistook him for Paul McCartney. He then became a permanent Action cast member. Allison scored the Peter Sellers film Where Does It Hurt? (1972) and wrote and sang the title song. He also wrote and recorded four tunes for Dennis Quaid's The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (1981). In the '70s, he toured with Johnny Rivers and the group headlined by Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. As an actor, Allison played Captain James J. White in the Civil War epic Gods and Generals (2003) and showed up on episodes of Blossom, 7th Heaven and The Love Boat. Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Tina Stern, and a celebration of his life is being planned. - The Hollywood Reporter, 11/19/21...... Philip Margo, a founding member of the 1960s group The Tokens, the doo-wop foursome behind the '60s hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", died on Nov. 13 at the age of 79. Margo passed at a Los Angeles hospital after suffering a stroke, according to his family. "With a final roar we announce the passing of our incredible lion, Philip Margo," reads a statement on the band's Facebook page. Margo, a baritone, and his younger brother Mitch, a tenor, hooked up with Jay Siegel and Hank Medress, two of their friends from Brooklyn, to form The Tokens in 1960. It wasn't long before they made their mark. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," The Tokens' adaptation of South African singer Solomon Linda's "Mbube" and The Weavers' "Wimoweh" for RCA Victor, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in Dec. 1961 and remained there for three weeks. The Tokens' other hits that decade included "Tonight I Fell in Love," "I Hear Trumpets Blow," "Portrait of My Love" and "He's in Town," but "The Lion" still roars to this day. He also contributed the music and lyrics for the Broadway show "A Matter Of Time," managed the career of Hollywood actor Robert Guillaume, and wrote for TV shows such as Diff'rent Strokes and Small Wonder. His first novel, The Null Quotient, was published in 2010. He is survived by his wife, three children and eight grandchildren. His brother and fellow Tokens member Mitch died in Nov. 2017, aged 70. - Billboard, 11/18/21...... Mick Rock, the aptly-named photographer who snapped the greats of rock music -- from David Bowie to Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and more --- and created some of the genre's most iconic album covers, has died at age 72. Rock's passing was confirmed with a message posted on his Twitter page. "It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share our beloved psychedelic renegade Mick Rock has made the Jungian journey to the other side," the tribute reads. "Those who had the pleasure of existing in his orbit, know that Mick was always so much more than 'The Man Who Shot The 70s.'..."Let us not mourn the loss, but instead celebrate the fabulous life and extraordinarycareer of Michael David Rock." The Brit is remembered as "a photographic poet -- a true force of nature who spent his days doing exactly what he loved, always in his own delightfully outrageous way." The cause of death has not been disclosed. Born 1948 in London, Rock discovered his flair for camerawork while studying at Cambridge. A natural networker, he hooked up with locals Syd Barrett (of Pink Floyd) and Mick Jagger's younger brother Chris. Rock, with his relaxed demeanor, gift of gab and keen eye for detail, shot the likes of former Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Queen, the Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Blondie, and created some of the most famous images of David Bowie. That special relationship extended to music videos, with Rock producing and directing Bowie's "John, I'm Only Dancing", "Jean Genie," "Space Oddity," and "Life On Mars." He would go on to publish several collections of Bowie photos, including 2002's Moonage Daydream and The Rise Of David Bowie 1972-1973, which was released in Sept. 2015, just months before Bowie's death. Rock was the subject of a 2017 documentary, Shot!, and also the chief photographer on such films as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Shortbus. Although known as "The Man Who Shot the Seventies," Rock wasn't stuck in time. He'd go on to shoot the likes of Snoop Dogg, Daft Punk, Lenny Kravitz , Janelle Monae, Motley Crue, and many more. During his lifetime, Rock had major exhibitions in Tokyo, Toronto, London, Liverpool, Berlin, Manchester, New York, Oslo, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Sao Paolo, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Toulouse and elsewhere. "A man fascinated with image, he absorbed visual beings through his lens and immersed himself in their art, thus creating some of the most magnificent photographs rock music has ever seen. To know Mick was to love him. He was a mythical creature; the likes of which we shall never experience again," reads the tribute on the late photog's socials. - Billboard, 11/19/21.

As their "No Filter" tour hit Detroit on Nov. 15, the Rolling Stones treated their audience to a live rendition of The Temptations' 1966 R&B classic "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" for the first time since 2007. Although the Stones have played the song live over 100 times since 1975, it hadn't been a part of their setlist since a 2007 gig at London's O2 Arena. Frontman Mick Jagger told the Motor City audience that "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"was added to the show in honor of Detroit's musical roots. "Ever since we were really young, we always loved Motown," Jagger told the audience. "We can't come to Detroit and not do a Motown number, right?," he added. Other Temptations tracks that frequently appear in their repertoire include "I Can't Get Next to You," "Don't Look Back," and the Some Girls track "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)." The band continues its tour with a Nov. 20 show in Austin, Tex., and will wrap the trek three days later at the Hard Rock Live Casino in Hollywood, Fla. Meanwhile, Mick Jagger has told Britain's Mojo magazine that the band may tour in 2022 if "everyone" is feeling up for it. And Jagger, 78, says he expects that he and his bandmates -- 77-year-old Keith Richards and 74-year-old Ronnie Wood -- will continue live performing as long as they are fit and enjoying being on the road. "If things are good next year and everyone's feeling good about touring, I'm sure we'll do shows," Jagger said. Richards, also participating in the interview, revealed he was a bit apprehensive about playing without late Stones drummer Charlie Watts keeping the beat, but says he and new recruit Steve Jordan soon found their groove: "I was like, 'I can't pick this up without Charlie. But once Steve and I got into it: 'Hey, this is the way it's supposed to be.' From a musical point of view, it's incredibly energetic and wonderfully inspiring. Steve is so aware of the seat he's sitting in. [He] said to me: 'Charlie played the drums. He didn't hit them.'" - New Musical Express/Music-News.com, 11/17/21...... In other Stones-related news, The Who frontman Roger Daltrey has labeled the Rolling Stones as "a mediocre pub band" in a new interview with Amazon's The Coda Collection streaming channel, but also took the opportunity to praise Mick Jagger. "You've got to take your hat off to [Jagger]. He's the number one rock 'n' roll performer," said Daltrey when asked about The Who's contemporaries including the Stones and Led Zeppelin, but then criticized the Stone's musicianship. "But as a band, if you were outside a pub and you heard that music coming out of a pub some night, you'd think, 'Well, that's a mediocre pub band!'," he said. Daltrey's comments follows Paul McCartney in recently criticizing the music of the Stones, with the Beatles legend recently calling Jagger and co. "a blues cover band." "I'm not sure I should say it, but they're a blues cover band, that's sort of what the Stones are. I think our net was cast a bit wider than theirs," he said. Daltrey is currently on a solo UK tour, with the shows consisting of "a unique mix of music and conversation that is built around Roger's musical journey." After opening the tour in London and Brighton, he'll next visit Southend (11/19), Oxford (11/21), Glasgow (11/24), Newcastle (11/26), Liverpool (11/29), Portsmouth (12/1) and Bournemouth (12/2). - NME, 11/14/21...... ABBA announced on Nov. 16 that they're giving fans a special Christmas gift with the release of a new yuletide single titled "Little Things" on Dec. 3 via Universal Music. "Little Things," which appears on the Swedish pop quartet's new mega-selling studio album Voyage, is described as a "gentle reflection on the joy of Christmas morning and family time around this special time of year." The band also teased that a video for their first-ever Christmas song will be released soon; the single will be released on a physical CD in December. Meanwhile, ABBA has earned their highest charting ever on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart with Voyage, as the album debuted at No. 2 on the chart dated Nov. 20. The set was released on Nov. 5 and is the quartet's first new studio album since 1982's The Visitors. Until now, ABBA's highest-charting album on the Hot 200 was 1978's The Album, which peaked at No. 14 on the July 22, 1978-dated chart. Of the album's total sales of 78,000 for the week, physical sales comprise 60,500 (with 42,000 on CD, 17,500 on vinyl LP and 1,000 on cassette), and digital album sales comprise 17,500. Voyage has also blasted to top of the pops in the UK, with the LP raking in 204,000 units in sales for week-one. According to the UK's Official Charts Company, Voyage is the fastest-selling album released by a group in eight years, and the group's first studio set to hit the UK summit in 40 years, and tenth title overall. Also, reports the charts compiler, ABBA notches a 58th total week at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, an effort bettered by only two other acts in history: the Beatles and Elvis Presley. - Billboard, 11/16/21...... '70s pop divas Cher and Dionne Warwick were among the many celebrities who congratulated Britney Spears on her long battle to end her court-ordered conservatorship after nearly 14 years. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny ruled on Nov. 12 to end the conservatorship that has controlled Spears' personal and professional life for the last decade-plus. "She's Free," Cher posted on Twitter surrounded by several happy emojis, with Warwick posting to Twitter that it was "a day to celebrate the liberation of Britney Spears." - Billboard, 11/12/21...... A new immersive Bob Marley "One Love Experience" exhibit will premiere globally in London in 2022 before embarking on a multi-city tour. According to a press release, "this unique experience will showcase unseen Marley photographs and memorabilia whilst immersing audiences on a journey through his lifestyle, passions, influences, and enduring legacy." The exhibit's "One Love Music Room" will feature giant art installations designed to celebrate the late reggae legend's accolades while a multi-sensory experience can be discovered in the One Love Forest. The exhibition will also boast a live listening experience at the "Soul Shakedown Studio." The exhibit will open at London's Saatchi Gallery on Feb. 2, 2022 for a limited 10-week run before embarking on a multi-city tour. "We've been wanting to launch a Bob Marley touring exhibit for many years and we're thrilled to see it come to life and debut in London, which had a very special place in Daddy's heart," says Cedella Marley, CEO-Bob Marley Group Of Companies. "The experience can be enjoyed by all generations and we look forward to continuing to spread Daddy's music and message to the globe," she added. Fans are also requested to submit artwork to be featured as part of the experience at BobMarleyExp.com. - NME, 11/16/21...... Speaking to London's Sunday Times after watching the premiere of the new Beatles documentary The Beatles: Get Back, Paul McCartney revealed that the new Peter Jackson-directed film changed his perception of the break up of the Beatles. "I'll tell you what is really fabulous about it, it shows the four of us having a ball," Sir Paul noted. "It was so reaffirming for me. That was one of the important things about the Beatles, we could make each other laugh. John [Lennon] and I are in this footage doing 'Two Of Us' and, for some reason, we've decided to do it like ventriloquists. It's hilarious. It just proves to me that my main memory of the Beatles was the joy and the skill," he added. Asked if it had changed his perception of the band's eventual split, he said: "Really yes. And there is proof in the footage. Because I definitely bought into the dark side of The Beatles breaking up and thought, 'God, I'm to blame.' It's easy, when the climate is going that way, to think that. But at the back of my mind there was this idea that it wasn't like that. I just needed to see proof." The Beatles: Get Back will premiere on Disney+ on Nov. 25, 26 and 27, and its first official clip can be viewed on YouTube. - NME, 11/15/21...... In related news, The Beatles: Get Back director Peter Jackson has revealed he had to convince Disney bosses to break their own rules about swear words in their movies ahead of the new documentary. "We've had to have a discussion with Disney about the swearing," Jackson told Radio Times magazine. "The Beatles are Scouse boys (from Liverpool) and they freely swear but not in an aggressive or sexual way. We got Disney to agree to have swearing, which I think is the first time for a Disney channel (project). That makes them feel modern, too," he added. The Lord of the Rings director spent years creating his six-hour epic from footage captured by Michael Lindsay-Hogg for his 1970 documentary Let It Be. "I kept finding new stuff and new ways to tell the story. It ended up being six hours," Jackson said. "I thought I couldn't do it justice as anything shorter. And you can't help but be aware that this is historical footage. I was very aware of my responsibility to get this into the world and not have it disappear into a vault again," he added. - WENN/Canoe.com, 11/16/21...... Diana Ross, Lionel Richie and Nile Rodgers & Chic have been announced as the headliners of the UK's Cambridge Club Festival 2022, set for Childerley Orchard in Cambridge between June 10 and June 12. Richie and Ross will top the bill on the Saturday and Sunday respectively at the "feel-good family festival," with Rodgers and Chic due to appear as "special guests." Festivalgoers can also experience comedy talks, live podcasts, wellness activities, an "after dark orchard discotheque" and more. Ross released her first studio album in 15 years, 'Thank You', on November 5. Ross released her first studio album in 15 years, Thank You, on Nov. 5. - NME, 11/13/21...... In a new interview with Talkshoplive's Rock N' Roll Channel, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons hit out at anti-vaxxers, saying "if you're willing to walk among us unvaccinated, you are an enemy." "I don't care about your political beliefs. You are not allowed to infect anybody just because you think you've got rights that are delusional, of course," Simmons told host Steve Harkins, taking aim at the people who are refusing the Covid-19 vaccine because they believe it impacts on their civil rights. "You don't have the right to go through a red light. The government has the right to tell you to stop," Simmons continued. "If they tell you you can't smoke in a building, you can't smoke in a building. And that's not because they want to take away your rights, it's because the rest of us hate it! This delusional, evil idea that you get to do whatever you want and the rest of the world be damned is really terrible. We've gotta identify those people and bring them out into the open so you know who they are. Know who your friends are by how much they care about you," he added. In August, Simmons supported the idea that the Covid vaccine should be mandatory and criticized "evil, self-serving politicians" who he says are "more interested in getting re-elected than actually saving lives." Earlier in 2021, KISS were forced to postpone several shows after Simmons and Paul Stanley tested positive for the virus. - NME, 11/13/21...... A new Tom Petty documentary about the making of his 1994 classic LP Wildflowers has been shared on YouTube. Tom Petty: Somewhere You Feel Free - The Making of Wildflowers is based around a collection of 16mm archives that weren't discovered until 2020. It follows the late Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member from 1993 to 1995 during the making of his landmark album, which was produced by Rick Rubin and features new interviews with The Heartbreakers guitarist and album co-producer Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench and more. Somewhere You Feel Free premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in March before winning the festival's coveted Audience Award as well as the prize for Best Documentary Film at the Boulder Film Festival a few months later. An expansive retrospective of the album -- Wildflowers & All The Rest -- was released in 2020. - NME, 11/12/21.