Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on December 22nd, 2021

Paul McCartney is among a litany of both established and up and coming artists set to offer signed, rare and otherwise unique collectibles that will benefit MusiCares, the charity arm of The Recording Academy. An Hofner B-Bass Hi Series violin bass guitar belonging to Sir Paul will be among the articles on the block in the virtual auction conducted by Julien's Auctions on Jan. 30. The sale comes in tandem with the 2022 Grammy Awards which will be held the following evening. Other artists contributing items include Keith Richards (a signed ebony Gibson ES-333 guitar), the estate of Tom Petty (a signed Gibson ES-335 guitar), Joni Mitchell (an original oil painting of Prince), and KISS's Gene Simmons (two of his own unique artworks), as well as items by such hot rising artists as BTS and Harry Styles. More details on the auction can be found on the Julien's Auctions website. - New Musical Express, 12/21/21...... Bette Midler has apologized to the residents of West Virginia after the longtime liberal diva took to Twitter on Dec. 20 to criticize WV Sen. Joe Manchin for his refusal to vote for Pres. Joe Biden's Build Back Better Act. "What #JoeManchin, who represents a population smaller than Brooklyn, has done to the rest of America, who wants to move forward, not backward, like his state, is horrible. He sold us out. He wants us all to be just like his state, West Virginia. Poor, illiterate and strung out," Midler huffed on the popular social media platform. After major blowback from the people of the Mountain State, Midler tweeted an apology just 30 minutes later: "I apologize to the good people of WVA for my last outburst," she wrote. "I'm just seeing red; #JoeManchin and his whole family are a criminal enterprise. Is he really the best WV has to offer its own citizens? Surely there's someone there who has the state's interests at heart, not his own!" Midler, meanwhile, was one of the recipients of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors awards earlier in December her lifetime of artistic achievement, alongside Joni Mitchell, Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr., Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels and opera star Justino D'az. A taped presentation of the ceremony will be broadcast on the CBS network on Dec. 22 at 9:00 p.m. EST. - Billboard, 12/21/21...... Elton John gathered several of his famous friends who participated on his recent The Lockdown Sessions album of duets on Dec. 21 for what the Rocket Man called an "Ultimate Zoom" call. John's "Cold Heart" collaborator Dua Lipa, Damon Albarn, Stevie Wonder, Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X, Stevie Nicks and Young Thug were among those participating in the call, which has been shared on YouTube. Meanwhile, Elton is set to snag the coveted Christmas U.K. No. 1 with Ladbaby's "Sausage Rolls For Everyone," on which he features with his mate Ed Sheeran. John and Sheeran rang in the holidays together on the Dec. 16 broadcast of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! with a glittery, joy-filled run through their holiday single, "Merry Christmas." The song, which dropped earlier in December and immediately topped the U.K. singles chart, is an upbeat, cheery ode to the yuletide season. The pair, who co-wrote the track, were accompanied by a full band and a trio of backup singers on a massive soundstage decked out with Christmas trees for the performance that benefited Sheeran's Suffolk Music Foundation and the the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The performance can be viewed on YouTube. - Billboard, 12/21/21...... Former Roxy Music member and U2 producer Brian Eno has told the crypto currency publication The Crypto Syllabus that he doesn't agree with the current NFT (non-fungible tokens) craze, saying it allows artists to be "little capitalist assholes." After being asked why he hasn't yet released anything in the format, which has been criticized by many due to its effect on climate change, Eno said: "I've been approached several times to 'make an NFT.' So far nothing has convinced me that there is anything worth making in that arena. 'Worth making' for me implies bringing something into existence that adds value to the world, not just to a bank account." He added that if he "had primarily wanted to make money I would have had a different career as a different kind of person. I probably wouldn't have chosen to be an artist. NFTs seem to me just a way for artists to get a little piece of the action from global capitalism, our own cute little version of financialisation. How sweet -- now artists can become little capitalist assholes as well." Eno also recently guested on the new climate change podcast Sounds Like a Plan, where he called for "a revolution" in the music industry's approach to climate change, and praised Coldplay and The 1975's efforts to be more sustainable in their practices. - NME, 12/20/21...... Queen guitarist Brian May took to Instagram on Dec. 18 to announce that he has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. "Yep. The shocking day finally came for me. The dreaded double red line," May wrote alongside a photo of his test results. "And yes -- definitely NO sympathy please -- it has been a truly horrible few days, but I'm OK. And I will tell the tale," he added, also imploring his fans to exercise caution to prevent catching Covid. "PLEASE take extra care out there, good folks. This thing is incredibly transmissible. You really do NOT want it messing up YOUR Christmas. With love...Bri," he added. May, who is triple vaxxed, said he likely picked up the virus at an unmasked birthday party recently. On Dec. 20, May gave an Instagram update on his status, saying that he's still struggling with the coronavirus and made another plea for fans to follow expert advice on avoiding infection. "Day 8 for me -- the 8th day after my body was invaded by enough Coronavirus organisms to bring me down," the 74-year-old wrote that included a short video clip with the latest results of his at-home test. "Firstly, I think I was a little too optimistic yesterday, imagining that the red 'T' line was looking fainter. It's a different test kit today -- but the lines look pretty much of equal intensity today. So I'm assuming the battle inside my body is still in progress. It also feels like it -- that dry wheezy cough has returned today, and there is a kind of fountain of irritation on one side of my sinuses." May said he keeps finding himself falling asleep, but "not in a peaceful kind of way, but in a 'I can't keep my eyes open another second' kind of way. So it's a d-n good job this happened at a time when I'm NOT crazy busy as usual." May recently lashed out at anti-vaxx statements by Eric Clapton, who said in July that he wouldn't play any live shows that required attendees to show proof that they'd received the coronavirus vaccine. "He's my hero, but he has very different views from me in many ways," May told The Independent in August. "Anti-vax people, I'm sorry, I think they're fruitcakes. - Billboard, 12/18/21...... Meanwhile, Eric Clapton has announced the imminent release of a new single titled "Heart Of A Child," which he co-wrote with fellow vaccine skeptic Robin Monotti. "New song coming next Friday - Christmas Eve," Clapton posted on Instagram. "Heart Of A Child" will drop on Christmas Eve via Bushbranch / Surfdog Records, and will be Clapton's second new track of 2021 after "This Has Gotta Stop" single landed back in August. Like that track -- and his 2020 single, "Stand And Deliver" -- "Heart Of A Child" seemingly addresses the musicians's disdain for Covid-19 safety measures like vaccines and lockdowns, with a passage featuring the lyrics: "We lost the love of a man / I was proud to know / They locked you down boy / Made you grieve alone / Turn off the TV / Throw your phone away / Don't you remember / What your daddy used to say." Earlier in the year, Robin Monotti -- who describes himself as a "human rights advocate, architect, film producer [and] songwriter," and is currently suspended on Twitter for allegedly spreading false Covid-19 propaganda -- hosted Clapton for an interview in which they riffed on the latter's "disastrous" experience with the Covid-19 vaccine, and pondered the efficacy of virus-curbing measures like lockdowns and the controversy surrounding Ivermectin. - NME, 12/20/21...... As Eric Clapton doubles down on his anti-vaxx outlook, Neil Young has confirmed that he's squarely in the opposite camp when it comes to Covid-19 prevention. Appearing on Howard Stern's syndicated SiriusXM radio show on Dec. 10, Young confirmed that people won't see him "playing to a bunch of people with no masks on," and said he won't be touring until the pandemic is over. "I don't care if I'm the only one who doesn't do it," he said. Young later criticized the attitude of anti-vaxxers, saying "People are not being realistic and they're not being scientific. If we followed the rules of science, and everybody got vaccinated, We'd have a lot better chance." The folk-rock icon then said how thankful he was that "we might be able to beat this. There's no reason why we can't. If we came together, we could take care of this. And I have confidence that we can. "We got a lot of smart people in the world with a lot of great ideas. And the more love there is in the world, the more we're gonna hear those ideas. We're gonna make this happen," he added. Meanwhile, Young dropped his 41st studio album (and 14th with his longtime backing band Crazy Horse), Barn, on Dec. 10. - NME, 12/18/21...... Rod Stewart and his son Sean Stewart have resolved an assault case stemming from a New Year's Eve 2019 altercation with a security guard at an exclusive Florida hotel. Court records released on Dec. 17 show that the Stewarts entered guilty pleas to misdemeanor charges of simple battery. The plea agreement, dated and signed Dec. 13, means that Stewart, 76, and 41-year-old Sean won't have to appear in court and formal adjudication of the charge was withheld. There will be no trial and neither will do any jail time or be required to pay fines and won't be placed on probation, according to Stewart's attorney Guy Fronstin. "No one was injured in the incident and a jury did not find Sir Rod Stewart guilty of the accusation," Fronstin said in a statement. "Instead, Sir Rod Stewart decided to enter a plea to avoid the inconvenience and unnecessary burden on the court and the public that a high profile proceeding would cause," Fronstin added. The Stewarts were accused of a physical altercation with security guard Jessie Dixon at the luxury Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach on Dec. 31, 2019. The dispute involved Dixon's refusal to allow them into a private New Year's Eve party at the hotel. Dixon said in court papers that Rod Stewart punched him in the rib cage with a closed fist and that Sean Stewart shoved him. A spokesperson for Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg, whose office prosecuted the case, said in an email that Dixon agreed with the outcome of the case. - Billboard, 12/18/21...... Stevie Wonder held his annual House Full of Toys Benefit in Los Angeles on Dec. 18. In addition to marking the charity benefit's 23rd anniversary, the holiday concert also celebrated its return after a three-year break owing to Wonder's successful kidney transplant in 2019, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Rocking a stylish black suit, Wonder stood before a sold-out audience at the Microsoft Theater and thanked those who attended. "A lot has happened in the world, my world and your own worlds. But the blessing is that we are all here to give to those less fortunate," said the 71-year-old Motown legend. Concert-goers were asked to bring an unwrapped toy or "unwrapped gift of joy," which were placed in bins outside the theater on behalf of Wonder's nonprofit We Are You Foundation. After briefly reminiscing about his mother's crying over learning her son's blindness when he was a youngster and recalling his career start at Motown ("Berry Gordy said, 'We've got to work on that voice -- but the harmonica playing is good'"), Wonder spent the next two-and-a-half hours delving into his deep catalog of hits, ripping through roof-raising audience singalongs to "Master Blaster (Jammin')," "Higher Ground" and "Don't You Worry Bout a Thing." Near the show's end, Wonder acknowledged the audience's latest in a string of standing ovations throughout the evening, saying, "I live to love you & all of my life." - Billboard, 12/19/21...... Don McLean announced on Dec. 19 that he'll launch an ambitious 68-city 2022 world tour celebrating 50 years of his iconic hit "American Pie" on Jan. 28 in Honolulu with a three-night stand at the Blue Note Hawaii venue. The tour will then head through North America from February through July before heading to the UK and Europe in September, October and November, wrapping in Linz, Austria, on Nov. 13. "After spending the past 18 months at home, I am thrilled to be getting back on the road with my band," McLean said in a statement. "2022 marks the 50th anniversary from when 'American Pie' landed at the #1 spot on the Billboard chart and we will be celebrating on tour all year long. We will be performing all the songs from the American Pie album plus many of the other hits that fans will be expecting to hear." - NME, 12/19/21...... It was announced on Dec. 17 that Motown legend Smokey Robinson, Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, Jr., R&B legend Ray Charles, and actress Cicely Tyson will be honored at the 2022 Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame awards ceremony on Feb. 17 during Black History Month in Atlanta. Lionel Richie is set to be recognized as a legacy artist, with Prince as mainstream male, Mary J. Blige as mainstream female, New Edition as mainstream male group, and TLC as mainstream female group. According to a release, the ceremony aims to honor the "the trailblazing artists, iconic entertainers, and luminaries who have impacted both Black culture and the community at large." The walk of fame for the 2022 inductees is slated to be installed in downtown Atlanta. Revealed in June, previous foundational inductees were James Brown, Otis Redding, Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder. Other honorees included Michael Jackson (legacy artist) and Beyoncé (mainstream female). More information can be found at theblackwalkoffame.com. - Billboard, 12/17/21...... BMG Music and the American global investment company Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) announced on Dec. 21 they've acquired all of ZZ Top's publishing catalog and recorded music royalties in a deal that has an estimated $55 million valuation. In a joint statement, the two companies noted that since its formation in 1971 ZZ Top has sold over 50 million albums worldwide, earning one diamond album, and two multi-platinum albums along the way. The Texas trio's album catalog has averaged close to 300,000 album consumption units a year, according to MRC Data, and though the announcement doesn't disclose the acquisition price, the Wall Street Journal estimates the band's recorded masters catalog has averaged annually about $4.481 million in revenue over the last four years. Meanwhile, Billboard estimates that the band's publishing, which includes rock staples like "Legs" and "La Grange," comes out to about $1.262 million annually and the band's share of that is about $950,000. BMG has served as co-publisher and administrator publishing catalog for the band, which was the subject of the 2019 documentary ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas. ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and has received three Grammy nominations, one of its founding members, bassist Dusty Hill, dying earlier in 2021 at the age of 72. - Billboard, 12/21/21...... Dolly Parton has added three new Guinness World Records awards to her already epic 2021. After contributing to the funding of the coronavirus vaccine, being included on the Time 100 and People of the Year honors, raising $700,000 for Tennessee flood relief, and dropping a new fragrance, Parton now holds the high-water mark for most decades on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart by a female artist (seven) and most No. 1 hits on that chart by a female artist (25) as well as breaking her own existing record for the most hits on the that chart by a female artist with a mind-blowing 109 hits. "Well, I feel like a bird that wants to fly away," Parton said in a Guinness video on Twitter announcing the three new achievements when asked how it feels to add a fourth record while breaking a previous one. "Actually, getting the first one was an amazing thing to me and I thought just to be in the Guinness Book of World Records one time would be great," she said. "And now that I've got all this going it's an amazing feeling. I'm very honored, very proud and I've had a lot of people helping to get me here, so thanks to all of you and all of them for helping me have all this!," she added. - Billboard, 12/17/21...... A 50th anniversary special vinyl picture disc reissue of David Bowie's classic 1971 fourth album Hunky Dory has been announced for release via Parlophone Records on Jan. 7, the day before what would have been Bowie's 75th birthday. Produced by Ken Scott and Bowie, Hunky Dory was released on Dec. 17, 1971, and features the singles "Changes," "Life On Mars?" and "Oh! You Pretty Things." To mark the half-century milestone, a new take on "Changes", "Changes (2021 Alternative Mix)," has been shared on YouTube ahead of the reissue of Hunky Dory. The new "Changes" arrives with an accompanying new lyric video featuring previously-unseen photographs from the Hunky Dory sessions. "When listening to the original multi-track I discovered a few things that I had eliminated from the original mix and also a completely different sax solo at the end," Ken Scott said in a statement. "It was those things that led me to try a new mix, trying for a slightly harder, more contemporary edge to it," he added. The picture disc vinyl will boast the 2015 vinyl remaster of Hunky Dory and includes a poster featuring the annotated back cover art of the album. Meanwhile, Bowie's 75th birthday is set to be marked with a special live-streamed event on Jan. 8. "A Bowie Celebration" will feature members of the late icon's band alongside a host of famous fans, including Ricky Gervais, Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon and Gary Oldman. - NME, 12/17/21...... Wanda Young, a member of the 1960s Motown group The Marvelettes who sang lead on such hits asd "I'll Keep Holding On" and "Don't Mess With Bill," died on Dec. 16. She was 78. "We are so saddened by the news of Wanda Young of the Marvelettes passing," the Motown Records official Twitter account wrote on Dec. 17. "What an impact she has had on the world of Classic Motown and the lives of so many. Her legacy will continue to live on," the statement added. Born in Inkster, Mich., a suburb of Detroit, Young joined The Marvelettes in 1961 after being brought in by her high school classmates Gladys Horton and Georgia Dobbins. Young served as a replacement for Dobbins, who left the group to take care of her ill mother and because her father didn't want her involved in the music industry. Her passing follows the death of Marvelettes co-founder Horton, who died in 2011 at the age of 66, and sang lead on several of the group's hits, including the Dec. 1961 Billboard No. 1 "Please Mr. Postman." Dobbins, a co-writer of the track, died in Sept. 2020. Young, who also performed under the name Wanda Rogers, can be heard singing backup vocals on "Postman," as well as other Marvelettes classics like "Playboy" and "Beechwood 4-5789." Young went on to marry The Miracles singer Bobby Rogers in 1963, taking on his last name. By the mid-'60s, she was singing lead vocals on Marvelettes songs "I'll Keep Holding On, "Don't Mess With Bill, "My Baby Must Be a Magician" and "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game." The Marvelettes officially split following the release of their Smokey Robinson-produced 1970 album, Return of the Marvelettes, which was originally planned as a solo release for Young. Soon after, she mostly stepped away from the music industry, but performed alongside a semi-reunited Marvelettes in 1989, according to Rolling Stone. - Billboard, 12/18/21.

Rod Stewart headlined an online Christmas carol concert on Dec. 14 in London organized by the music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins. The annual event, held at St Luke's Church in Chelsea, also featured the likes of Lindsey Buckingham, Robbie Williams, Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, Tony Bennett and Nile Rodgers and Chic. Fans can catch the concert online for free on Dec. 19 beginning at 7:00 p.m. GMT and sign up at carols.nordoff-robbins.org.uk/. - Music-News.com, 12/17/21...... The Rolling Stones have been named the highest-earning touring act of 2021 according to figures from concert trade publication PollStar. In the US, the legendary group earned £87.2 million from live dates this year. The British rockers only played 12 dates of their rescheduled "No Filter" tour, but still pulled in over £87 million from their stadium shows. In November, Stones frontman Sir Mick Jagger suggested the band could tour again in 2022 if "everyone" is feeling up for it. The band -- also including Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood -- have been on the road completing their rescheduled "No Filter"' US tour dates, which mark their first run without late drummer Charlie Watts, who was replaced by Steve Jordan. Jagger said: "If things are good next year and everyone's feeling good about touring, I'm sure we'll do shows." - Music-news.com, 12/16/21...... Pink Floyd delivered its legion of fans a surprise Christmas gift on Dec. 16 by releasing to streaming services a dozen live albums documenting some of their gigs from the early '70s. Added to the services with no prior announcement, the 12 LPs span the prog-rock icons' years of 1970 to 1972, covering the period in which the band released Atom Heart Mother (1970), Meddle (1971), and Obscured By Clouds (1972). The earliest recording, titled They Came In Peace, features performances from Leeds University on Feb. 28, 1970 and Washington University on Nov. 16, 1971, which features seven tracks and totals one hour 34 minutes in length. That concert, like the other 11 albums, can be streamed on Spotify.com, as well as other services. Meanwhile, Pink Floyd has announced the forthcoming release of a restored version of their Oct. 1994 concert P.U.L.S.E., some 27 years after P.U.L.S.E. was released on CD in 1995. The "restored & re-edited" edition of P.U.L.S.E. will be issued on Blu-ray for the first time on Feb. 18, 2022, and feture the reintroduction of the iconic pulsating light, which was on the original 1995 CD. About the pulsating light, Floyd drummer Nick Mason has said: "Essentially, it's a device which we thought was entertaining. It's an idea of (Hipgnosis cover designer) Storm Thorgerson's which related to The Dark Side Of The Moon and the pulse, and it's a live album so the box is 'alive'. After that, in terms of seriously deep meanings, one might be struggling a bit." The P.U.L.S.E. concert film has been helmed by director David Mallet, and will be available as two Blu-ray and two DVD deluxe box sets. Deluxe packages will feature music videos, concert screen films, documentaries, "Pulse Tour" rehearsal footage and much more, as well as a 60-page booklet. - New Musical Express/Music-News.com, 12/16/21...... Bruce Springsteen performed a special set with Steve Earle and The Dukes at The Town Hall venue in New York City on Dec. 13 to benefit The Keswell School, an educational program for children and young adults with autism. Steve Earle and The Dukes were joined by the Boss about halfway into their set during the seventh annual John Henry's Friends benefit concert, and the collaboration was kicked off with a rendition of Springsteen's "Darkness On The Edge Of Town," a clip of which has been shared on YouTube. The 20-minute, 4-song set also featured "The Promised Land," "Glory Days" (where he was joined by Willie Nile) and "Pink Cadillac." Springsteen later returned to the stage with the rest of the artists who performed that night for a performance of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Teach Your Children." The concert raised over $100,000 for the Keswell School, with Earle sharing his gratitude to Springsteen and all of the artists who participated in an Instagram post the following day. - NME, 12/15/21...... In other Springsteen-related news, the New Jersey rocker has just sold the rights to his master recordings and music publishing to his label Sony Music in what may be the biggest deal in music for an individual body of work. "I am one artist who can truly say that when I signed with Columbia Records in 1972, I came to the right place," Springsteen said in a statement. "During the last 50 years, the men and women of Sony Music have treated me with the greatest respect as an artist and as a person. I'm thrilled that my legacy will continue to be cared for by the Company and people I know and trust," he added. The Springsteen album catalog, which has racked up 65.5 million sales in the US alone according to the RIAA website, includes the 15x platinum album Born In The U.S.A. and the 5x platinum The River, and in 2020 generated an estimate revenues of about $15 million. Further, Billboard estimates that his publishing catalog brings in about $7.5 million a year. His Sony deal comes a year after Universal Music Publishing Group purchased Bob Dylan's publishing catalog for between $375 million and $400 million. - Billboard, 12/16/21...... In related news, the estate of legendary late "Godfather of Soul" James Brown has been sold to the publishing and management company Primary Wave, for an estimated $90 million (£68 million). The deal reportedly includes the entirety of Brown's publishing, master income stream, and name and likeness rights that were owned by the Brown estate, and follows news earlier in 2021 that Brown's family had finally settled a 15 year legal wrangle over the late singer's estate. Brown, who died in 2006, had specified in his will in 2000 that he would leave very little to his heirs, other than a $2million (£1.46million) scholarship fund for his grandchildren. Most of his assets were left to establish scholarships for underprivileged children in South Carolina and Georgia. But this led to contention among his daughters Deanna Brown-Thomas and Yamma Brown, among others, who found a way to inherit potentially millions of dollars, following his death. Another complication centered around Tommie Rae Hynie, who claimed to be Brown's wife even though, South Carolina courts determined later, she was married to another man at the time of her marriage to Brown. In June 2020, the Supreme Court in his home state of South Carolina eventually ruled Hynie was not the late singer's legal wife, ruling out much of her influence over the estate. Primary Wave founder/CEO Larry Mestel has commented that the sale of the estate will help fund the scholarships Brown originally had in mind, with small percentages of earnings from future deals from his music will go towards setting up the scholarships. One of music's most decorated icons, James Brown began his career in the mid 1950s as lead singer in the Famous Flames before his solo superstardom in the 1960s. Since then, the frontman has become one of the most heavily sampled and cited artists in history, and the portion of his catalog ceded to Primary Wave includes perennials like "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," "I Got You (I Feel Good)," and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." - NME, 12/14/21...... A rare vinyl demo copy of a song recorded by David Bowie in 1965 called "I Want Your Love" has been scheduled to be put up for auction and command up to £12,000. "I Want Your Love" was recorded by a teenage Bowie with his band at the time, Davy Jones and the Lower Third, and has been shared on YouTube. "The seller purchased the physical music archive of one of the world's biggest publishing companies and therefore unearthed a raft of amazing demos and unheard tracks from huge artists, according to auctioneer Martin Hughes. - NME, 12/15/21...... In other aution-related news, the 1949 Wurlitzer spinet piano dubbed as "the piano that started rock 'n' roll" by being famously used by the "Million Dollar Quartet" in 1956 at Sam Phillips' Sun Records studios is being offered for auction for the first time ever. The "Million Dollar Quartet" was an impromptu jam session that involved Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins in 1956 and produced such tracks as "Love Me Tender," "Don't Be Cruel," and "Paralyzed." On GottaHaveRockandRoll.com, the piano is described as "The most important piano in rock and roll history" and notes that this is the first time in history that the piano has been up for auction." "The piano has a rock and roll jukebox list of credits and is featured on many of Memphis' 1950's Sun Records classics," the description reads, also noting that "the late, great Sam Phillips... purchased the piano in 1950 at the O.K. Houck piano store, located at 121 Union Avenue -- the same street as his Memphis Recording Service and Sun Records." The instrument is expected to bring over $1million (£755,000) at auction. - NME, 12/12/21...... A Yamaha BB-1200 bass guitar used by Paul McCartney has sold at a charity auction organized by U2's The Edge and producer Bob Ezrin for their Music Rising charity "to benefit musicians in the Gulf South," following "the devastation the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought on musicians and musical communities." McCartney used the bass, which sold for $496,100 (£374,905), in the studio and on tour with his '70s band Wings. That total beat the previous record of $384,000 (£290,190) set by the Rolling Stones' Bill Wyman's 1969 Fender Mustang bass in 2020. The likes of U2, Elton John, Pearl Jam, Rush, Tom Morello, Joan Jett, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Kings Of Leon, Johnny Marr, Green Day and Radiohead also donated instruments to the auction which raised over $2 million (£1.5 million). - NME, 12/14/21...... A new documentary on The Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson will hit UK cinemas on Jan. 21, 2022, and ahead of the band's celebration of its milestone 60th anniversary. Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road is described as a a "rare and personal music documentary that explores the life and career of legendary songwriter Brian Wilson, through a literal and metaphorical road trip exploring Brian's hometown." The documentary presents a new original Brian Wilson song and incorporates several of his famous tracks including "God Only Know," "Good Vibrations" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice." The film features over 36 of the artist's most iconic hits, rare tracks, never-before-heard demos, and offers intimate access to his personal home movies and photo albums. Rolling Stone editor Jason Fine accompanies Brian throughout on his tour and gives special access to Brian and his band as they play at The Hollywood Bowl in L.A, The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and the Odeon in London. - Music-news.com, 12/17/21...... An all-star cast of celebrities from the worlds of music, TV, film and comedy have joined forces to honor George Harrison in the first-ever official music video for his 1970 song, "My Sweet Lord." Over 40 musicians, actors, comedian, directors, artists and other creatives make cameos in the Lance Bangs-directed clip, ranging from Harrison's friends and former Beatles band mate Ringo Starr and Traveling Wilburys bandmate Jeff Lynne to actors Mark Hamill, Darren Criss, Jon Hamm and Rosanna Arquette. Originally released on Nov. 23, 1970, in the US, the track featured on the late Beatle's third studio album, All Things Must Pass. The new video version boasts a fresh 2020 mix by Paul Hicks, released this past August on the 50th anniversary edition of All Things Must Pass. The new official video for "My Sweet Lord" has been shared on YouTube. - NME, 12/15/21...... Yoko Ono's 1971 track "Listen, The Snow Is Falling," which was the B-side to the John Lennon yuletide classic "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)," was made available on all streaming platforms for the first time on Dec. 16. Speaking about the track in 1993, Ono said: "The first pop song -- if you can say pop song -- I ever wrote was 'Listen, the Snow Is Falling.' I did that before (Lennon and I) got together. Then, when we got together, I made it into a real pop song." "Listen, The Snow Is Falling" can be streamed on Spotify.com, among other services. - NME, 12/16/21...... The 2021 version of British designer Chris Barker's annual Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's cover-inspired tribute to the celebrities who passed away earlier in the year can be viewed on Twitter.com. This year's tribute includes the likes of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, The Monkees' Michael Nesmith, Gerry & the Pacemakers' Gerry Mardsen, Stephen Sondheim, Phil Spector, the New York Dolls' Sylvain Sylvain, the Bay City Rollers' Les McKeown, The Wailers' Bunny Wailer, ZZ Top's Dusty Hill, Don Everly, Kool & the Gang's Dennis Thomas, and Mary Wilson of The Supremes, among many others. Since 2016, Barker has been posting his quirky homage to the music, art, culture, politics and movie/TV stars who passed in the calendar year. While Barker's converted cover usually drops in early November, the artist says he found himself hedging this year, adding Michael Nesmith at the last minute after the TV actor/country rock innovator/musician passed away over the weekend. "Just as I was about to post the image I got news of Mike Nesmith dying. Suddenly the whole image made sense," he says. "A Monkee and a Rolling Stone right in the middle. And Merseybeat star Gerry Marsden just near them. Made the whole thing feel absolutely fine and got rid of any worries I had about the piece." - Billboard, 12/13/21...... Eric Clapton has won a legal case against a 55-year-old German woman who attempted to sell a bootleg CD of his on eBay. The defendant claimed she was unaware that she was committing copyright infringement by listing the album -- an unauthorized recording of a Clapton concert from the 1980s -- on eBay for $9.95. Clapton's attorney sent Düsseldorf regional court an affidavit stating that the recordings on the disc were illegal, which led to to the court's initial decision in favor of Clapton. However, the woman appealed, saying that her late husband told her he had purchased the CD in 1987 at a well-known department store. Her appeal was rejected, with the judge ruling that it was irrelevant that she did not buy the album herself. The German court has now ordered the woman to pay the legal fees of both parties, which add up to around $3,400. If she continues to offer the CD for sale, the court says she will face a fine of $250,000 or six months in prison. The woman's lawyer has pledged to appeal the latest verdict. - NME, 12/16/21...... The Kinks' guitarist/vocalist Dave Davies announced on Twitter on Dec. 15 that he'll be releasing his autobiography, Living On A Thin Line on July 7, 2022. Headline Publishing Group says the memoir will "revisit the glory days of the band that spawned so much extraordinary music, and which had such a profound influence on bands from The Clash and Van Halen to Oasis and Blur." "Full of tales of the tumultuous times and the ups-and-downs of his relationship with his brother Ray [Davies], along with encounters with the likes of John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix, this will be a glorious read for Kinks fans and anyone who wants to read about the heyday of rock 'n' roll," the synopsis continues. In a statement , Davies said: "I've had a laugh, and shed quite a few tears, thinking back over the last six decades since The Kinks had our first hit in 1964 with 'You Really Got Me'. Here are the ups and downs of my life in The Kinks and what happened afterwards. Prepare to be amazed and, I hope, surprised." Davies previously authored Kink: An Autobiography, in 1997. - NME, 12/15/21...... Stop Making Sense, the acclaimed 1984 Talking Heads concert film documentary, has been dded to The National Film Registry. The Library of Congress adds 25 films to the registry annually, recognizing aesthetically, culturally, or historically significant films that showcase "the range and diversity of American film heritage." Stop Making Sense is one of 25 new additions to the catalogue in 2021, with other inductees including Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi, Wall-E, Selena and more. - NME, 12/15/21...... Late guitar legend Eddie Van Halen is set to be the latest musician to be honored with a new Funko Pop! figure of his likeness. Eddie's son Wolfgang Van Halen posted on Twitter on Dec. 9 that "Pop signed off on this way back in 2019 and it's wonderful to see it finally come to fruition. So stoked with how it turned out!" The 11.8cm-tall figure of EVH is not yet available to purchase but according to a listing on the Funko website each figure will cost £12. The listing can be viewed on the FunkoEurope website. Van Halen passed away in Oct. 2020 at the age of 65 following a battle with cancer. - NME, 12/13/21...... Cher has stunned a young Houston couple by offering to take of photo of them on a date. Cher took to Twitter on Dec. 14 to post a photo of a man and woman wearing matching black outfits, and in the accompanying caption, explained that she was moved to take a snap of the sweet pair, even though they didn't recognize her. "When we were coming out of movie, I saw (a) beautiful Couple. He Was taking Her pic... She had flowers. I said ... can I take your Pic.... Had my mask on so they didn't Know Who I was. MAYBE Just a crazy woman... THAT ME (sic)," she wrote. The post quickly began to go viral on social media, with a Houston-based beauty blogger named Syndie recognizing herself in the photo. "Omg! That's me, and it was my birthday! Wow! I can't believe it!" she exclaimed, while her date, Tehran, added: "Wow! So we really did meet CHER! This night will certainly be remembered forever." - Music-news.com, 12/16/21...... Ken Kragen, best known for organizing the iconic 1985 "We Are The World" humanitarian project which spawned the hit single of the same name, died on Dec. 14 of natural causes at his Brentwood home in Los Angeles. He was 85. Mr. Kragen also produced TV's The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in the 1960s and managed the careers of Kenny Rogers and other top-notch entertainers including Lionel Richie, the Bee Gees, Olivia Newton-John, Burt Reynolds, The Smothers Brothers and Trisha Yearwood, among others. In 1985, after receiving a call from Harry Belafonte, Mr. Kragen was instrumental in rounding up the talent -- including Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Cyndi Lauper, Richie and Rogers -- that appeared on the fund-raising single and album "We Are the World," and he brought in Quincy Jones to produce the music. The project raised an estimated $64 million for poverty relief in Africa and the U.S. A year later, Mr. Kragen returned to organize "Hands Across America," a human chain that stretched across the U.S. and involved 6.5 million people. That raised millions to help the hungry and the homeless as well. He said that one of his proudest achievements was receiving the United Nations' Peace Medal in 1985 for the creation of "We Are the World"; he was one of only a handful of private citizens to receive the honor. Mr. Kragen was born on Nov. 24, 1936, in Alameda, Calif," and attended UC Berkeley before graduating from Harvard Business School. He joined The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour as a production coordinator in 1967, then served as executive producer during the controversial show's third and final season in 1968-69. He first met Rogers when his band, Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, played on the show, and soon became his manager. Mr. Kragen also wrote the 1994 best-selling book, Life Is a Contact Sport: Ten Great Career Strategies That Work, and with Jones, he produced a portion of the 1992 presidential inauguration for Bill Clinton. Mr. Kragen received two Emmy nominations, two MTV Awards, an American Music Award and a Manager of the Year Award from the Conference of Personal Managers and was the only person elected president of both the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music. He is survived by his sister, Robin; nieces and nephews; and brothers-in-law David and Mark and their families. A life tribute is being planned. - The Hollywood Reporter, 12/15/21...... Skeletal remains found nearly 40 years ago have been identified as those of a guitarist who once played with the R&B group The O'Jays and also co-wrote a few of their songs, investigators announced on Dec. 14. Authorities used DNA and genealogical research to identify the remains of Frank "Frankie" Little Jr., which were found in a garbage bag in a wooded area behind a business in Twinsburg in 1982, said Summit County Medical Examiner Lisa Kohler. Little's death has now been ruled a homicide, but who killed him remains unknown, she said. Little, who was born in Cleveland in 1943, played with the The O'Jays in the mid-1960s. He was not a founding member of the group that began in Canton, Ohio, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. He served in the U.S. Army for two years, including in the Vietnam War, but not much was known about his disappearance, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. Walter Williams, one of the original members of The O'Jays, said Little wrote songs with Eddie Levert, another one of the band's founders, according to Twinsburg detective Eric Hendershott, who helped revive the investigation into the remains. "Part of the mystery is over with, but we have no idea how he got there, how he disappeared or where he lived toward the end of his life," Hendershott said. - Billboard, 12/14/21...... Grammy-winning R&B singer Joe Simon, whose hits included 1969's "The Chokin' Kind" and 1972's "Power of Love," died on Dec. 13 his longtime hometown near Chicago. He was 85. Born on Sept. 2, 1943 in Simmesport, La., Mr. Simon hated picking cotton and moved to Los Angeles to make it as a singer, spending his early years there homeless and living in a chicken coop. With nothing to do at night, he wrote 20 to 30 songs daily and developed his voice to the point that a label owner paid him $1,100 to record four songs written by others. He brought in local musicians including future funk greats Sly Stone and Larry Graham to play on 1964's "My Adorable One," which became Mr. Simon's breakthrough hit. His career then moved quickly, as he landed three No. 1's and 14 Top 10's on what is now called Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and a Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male Grammy for "The Chokin' Kind." He collaborated with Philly Sound hitmakers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff for 1971's "Drowning In the Sea of Love," then created the theme to the 1973 "blaxploitation" flick Cleopatra Jones. Mr. Simon was known as "The Mouth of the South," and compared to Otis Redding, Sam Cooke and, perhaps most aptly, Jackie Wilson. "He had a very different and distinct voice," says his grandson, David Simon, a professional basketball player who toured with Simon toward the end of his R&B career in the '80s. "You can definitely pick his voice out of any crowd." Early in his touring career, Mr. Simon played New York's Apollo Theatre, where an employee told him he wouldn't amount to anything. "I went from the cotton field to the chicken coop to a superstar of rhythm and blues -- you can't tell me I ain't gonna be nothin'," Mr. Simon said in his 2016 documentary, Looking Back with Joe Simon. - Billboard, 12/14/21.