Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on April 11th, 2022

John Lennon's eldest son Julian Lennon has broken a musical vow to himself to help the people of Ukraine by singing his dad's peace anthem "Imagine" "only if it was the end of the world." Julian sang "Imagine" publicly for the first time ever on Apr. 8 to help raise money for Ukrainian refugees during Global Citizen's Stand Up For Ukraine fundraising campaign, and shared his performance across socials with a lengthy caption addressing his decision to finally perform his late father's iconic peace anthem. "The War on Ukraine is an unimaginable tragedy ... As a human, and as an artist, I felt compelled to respond in the most significant way I could," Julian wrote on Instagram. "So today, for the first time ever, I publicly performed my Dad's song, IMAGINE." The 59-year-old singer-songwrier explained what led him to decide to perform the song for the first time in his decades-long career. "I had always said, that the only time I would ever consider singing 'IMAGINE' would be if it was the 'End of the World,'" he wrote. "The song reflects the light at the end of the tunnel, that we are all hoping for ... As a result of the ongoing murderous violence, millions of innocent families, have been forced to leave the comfort of their homes, to seek asylum elsewhere," he added. Julian performed the song, which has also been shared on YouTube, in a somber setting, surrounded by dozens of candles. He was accompanied by Extreme frontman Nuno Bettencourt on acoustic guitar. John Lennon released the title track to his album Imagine in 1971, and it peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. - Billboard, 4/11/22...... Meanwhile, other famous rockers including Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, U2 and Ozzy Osbourne have shared messages for the "Stand Up For Ukraine" campaign ahead of a summit that was held on Apr. 9 with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau co-hosting the main conference alongside European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen. "Refugees in Ukraine and around the world need our help now... Join all of us on E Street, and Global Citizen, as we stand up for Ukraine and stand up for those displaced globally, because everyone deserves safe and humane living conditions," Springsteen said in a video message on Instagram on Apr. 8. "We are devastated to see the suffering of people in Ukraine as this conflict unfolds," Elton John expressed in his Instagram post. "Two decades ago, we pledged to raise awareness and provide support for people living with HIV in Ukraine through [the Elton John AIDS Foundation]. They, and so many more, need our help now more than ever." For their contribution, U2's Bono and Edge shared an acoustic performance of U2's anthemic 2000 song "Walk On" on Instagram, and in an accompanying statement, they wrote: "...More than four million people, mostly women and children, have had to flee for their lives -- a population nearly the size of Ireland." - Billboard, 4/9/11...... In related news, a new Pink Floyd song recorded earlier in April to help Ukranian refugees is on track to give the legendary prog-rock band a rare Top 10 hit in the U.K. "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!," which has been shared on YouTube, is Pink Floyd's first original music since 1994, and features co-founding Floyd members David Gilmour and Nick Mason, along with bassist Guy Pratt and Mercury Prize-winning keyboardist Nitin Sawhney. The song is headed for a No. 5 debut on the UK's Official U.K. Singles Chart, and would be the just the band's third U.K. Top 10 single, and its first since "Another Brick In The Wall" hit No. 1 back in 1979, their only chart-topper. "Rise Up" features a sample of Andriy Khlyvnyuk, from Ukrainian band Boombox, and all proceeds go towards the Ukrainian Humanitarian Effort. "I hope it will receive wide support and publicity," Gilmour said in a statement. "We want to raise funds for humanitarian charities, and raise morale. We want express our support for Ukraine and in that way, show that most of the world thinks that it is totally wrong for a superpower to invade the independent democratic country that Ukraine has become," he added. - Billboard, 4/11/22...... Ozzy Osbourne confirmed on Apr. 10 that he's finished work on his new studio album, the follow-up to 2020's Ordinary Man. Sharing a photo on Instagram, Osbourne said: "I'm so happy to let everyone know that I finished my new album this week and delivered it to my label Epic Records. I'll be sharing all the information about the album and its upcoming release with you in the next several weeks." The new LP was forecasted to be released before the end of April according to a financial statement issued by Sony at the end of 2021. In December, Osbourne's producer and guitarist Andrew Watt said he and his bandmates were "about halfway through" recording Ozzy's new album. The new band, Watt revealed, features Osbourne on vocals, himself on guitar and Robert Trujillo (Metallica) on bass, with the late Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) sharing drumming duties. - NME, 4/10/22...... Meanwhile, Ozzy's former Black Sabbath bandmate Geezer Butler has revealed that he's finished the first draft of his forthcoming autobiography. Butler revealed in early 2021 that he'd already written half of the book, which he hopes will offer his grandchildren an insight into his illustrious career with the seminal heavy metal band. "[It's] been fun going through stuff -- old times and growing up in Birmingham, and all that," Butler explained at the time. "I'm right in the middle of doing that at the moment." Posting to Twitter on Apr. 6, the bassist told fans that he'd "just turned in the 1st draft of my book" and was now thinking of potential titles. "So far, I have: Into the Void, Basses Loaded, Past Forward, What The Butler Did [and] Bassic Instinct," he wrote, adding: "Feel free to send me which of those you think would suit my #autobiography." Butler's upcoming memoir is reportedly "about growing up in Aston, Birmingham and how Sabbath came about." A release date is not yet known. - NME, 4/7/22...... In other Heavy Metal news, a new study conducted in Germany has shown that surgeons who listen to AC/DC while performing operations are more accurate and efficient. Interestingly, the study found that listening to rock music can actually have a calming effect and even lower blood pressure, and listening to fast-paced music proved to be a major factor in speeding up operations. Those who listened to AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" and "T.N.T." in the trials went from taking 236 seconds to make an incision to 139, while they were also 5% more accurate. The Beatles' "Hey Jude" and "Let It Be" also sped up the time taken to stitch up wounds by a whopping 50%, however, only when the music was played at a low volume. Overall, the study found that "soft rock and hard rock" can improve surgical performance. Lead researcher Cui Yang from Heidelberg University, Germany, wrote in Langenbeck's Archives of Surgery journal: "Our results show that both soft rock and hard rock can enhance surgical performance. For hard rock music, the positive effect was especially noticeable when the music was played in high volume. It is possible that music with high rhythmicity could provide a tempo to keep up the speed of the performance and thus enhance task performance." - Music-News.com, 4/11/22...... Organizers of a "Crown Our Prince" project in downtown Minneapolis honoring late funk-rock superstar Prince have revealed that a mural honoring the musician will be unveiled in June. The painting is scheduled to begin on May 16 on a parking ramp near near First Avenue and 8th Street, according to the officials. The artwork will be carried out by Hiero Veiga, 33, a Black Florida street painter known for the rendering on the exterior wall of Miami's Museum of Graffiti. The $500,000 Minneapolis project has been in the works for seven years, and a block party is scheduled for June 2 to celebrate its completion. Prince died six years ago of an accidental fentanyl overdose at his Paisley Park home in Chanhassen. - Associated Press, 4/10/22...... Dead & Company announced dates for its upcoming 20-date, 16-city US summer tour on Instagram on Apr. 8. Composed of surviving Grateful Dead members alongside younger musicians John Mayer, Jeff Chimenti and Oteil Burbridge, the Dead are set to kick off the tour at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium on June 11 before visiting such markets as Mountain View, Calif. (6/13, 14), Boulder, Col. (6/17, 18), Cincinnati (6/22), Chicago (6/24, 25), and Philadelphia (7/10). The band also plans to play two dates in New York City to close out the tour on July 15 and 16. A full list of stops can be seen on the Instagram post. - NME, 4/8/22...... The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has announced that a new covers album of Bob Dylan songs, Dirt Does Dylan, will hit stores on May 20. "Bob Dylan was an obvious choice because his songbook is so deep," NGDB co-founder Jeff Hanna says. "There's an embarrassment of riches as far as songs go, and the songs cover every possible place you might want to go musically," he added. Dirt Does Dylan will include the country rock band's star-studded version of "The Times They Are A-Changin'," which was released in 2021 as a charity single benefitting Feeding America, and features The War & Treaty, Jason Isbell, Steve Earle, Rosanne Cash and Hanna's wife Matraca Berg, among others. Hanna is joined on the album by fellow NGDB co-founder Jimmie Fadden and longtime Dirt Band member Bob Carpenter, as well as Jim Photoglo (who co-wrote the band's hit, "Fishin in the Dark"), Ross Holmes and Jaime Hanna, who all became part of the band over the last few years. A video for their new single "I Shall Be Released," which features Larkin Poe, has been shared on YouTube. Hanna says he first saw Dylan in concert when he was in high school in 1964, and has been a lifelong fan. Like his bandmates, he relished diving into the material. 2022 also marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the band's iconic Will the Circle Be Unbroken album, which paired the band with bluegrass and country pioneers like Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff, Doc Watson and Mother Maybelle Carter. Hanna says there was not the intent to make the entire Dylan album a collaborative effort. "We never really floated the idea of it being a duets record from top to bottom," he says. "We were so focused on creating something with this band." The 10-track LP comes out on the band's own NGDB Records, distributed by MRI. A commemorative coffee table book celebrating the recording of the album will also come out this summer. - Billboard, 4/7/22...... Tom Waits performed a rare live set during an Apr. 6 tribute to the late Hal Willner, Saturday Night Live's longtime sketch music producer who died in 2020 at the age of 64. The tribute event was held on Apr. 6, taking place at Brooklyn's St Ann's Warehouse with a number of famous faces including Bono and the Edge, Elvis Costello and Michael Stipe, in attendance. Waits gave a rare live performance, which has been shared on Instagram, which included his rendition of "Shenandoah" from the Willner-curated album Son Of Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys. Waits and his wife Kathleen also penned a touching tribute on social media, where they called Willner "Wise and reckless. Lamb and black sheep," and "Lover of the afflicted and the blessed." "If you took a cross section of Hal's heart... you would see the rings of a wise old tree," the post read. "Above all, let's remember that Hal loved music... and from all appearances it seems very much to have loved him right back big time." - NME, 4/8/22...... Dolly Parton has said she thinks mistreating the environment is like "being ugly to your mama" in a new interview with National Geographic published on Apr. 6. The country superstar expressed concern over the extreme weather events the world has experienced lately and urged world leaders and regular people alike to do more to protect the environment. "Well, my hope for the environment, for all things living, and all things good, just nature in general, [is] that we should pay more attention to how we're treating our mountains, how we're treating our world, how we're just treating everything," the country legend said. She continued, "We're just mistreating Mother Nature. That's, like, being ugly to your mama, you know? That's like being disrespectful. So, I really think we all need to pay closer attention to taking better care of the things that God gave us freely and that we're so freely messing up. We need to rethink that and do better." The 76-year-old Parton has often used her platform to encourage and create change when it comes to the environment. Her theme park, Dollywood, hosts a bald eagle sanctuary run by the American Eagle Foundation, which rescues and rehabilitates injured and orphaned bald eagles, owls, vultures and other birds. The center has been able to release over 180 bald eagles back into the wild. - Billboard, 4/7/22...... The Eagles posted on their official website on Apr. 6 that Deacon Frey, son of late Eagles member Glenn Frey, is leaving the band to pursue other opportunities. "Deacon Frey has devoted the past 4 1/2 years to carrying on his father's legacy and, after some weeks of reflection, he now feels that it is time for him to forge his own path," the band posted. "We understand, completely, and we support him in whatever he wishes to pursue in the years ahead... We are grateful to Deacon for his admirable efforts and we wish him well as he charts his future. Deacon's Eagles Family will always be here to surround him with love, support and goodwill, and he is always welcome to join us onstage at any future concerts, if he so desires. We hope our fans will join us in wishing Deacon the very best as he moves into the next phase of his career," they added. Glenn Frey died in 2016 at the age of 67 from complications due to rheumatoid arthritis, at which point Deacon stepped up to take his place in the L.A. country rockers' lineup with Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit. One year later, Vince Gill also joined the band on rhythm and lead guitar and vocals. This summer, Eagles are set to embark on a number of stadium dates throughout Europe -- including stops in Liverpool, Dublin, Edinburgh and London -- with support from Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. - Billboard, 4/6/22...... Former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) has slammed the new Danny Boyle-directed 6-part biopic series about the band, Pistol, as a "middle class fantasy." In a statement on his official website, Lydon's representative says they were "led to believe" that the series would focus on founding member Steve Jones and would not be "a Sex Pistols story," but that that "doesn't seem to be the case" based on its trailer. "John's 'likeness' is clearly being used to sell this series, a series he was not involved in, and was put together behind his back. Putting words in John's mouth and rewriting history. A middle class fantasy. Disney have stolen the past and created a fairytale, which bears little resemblance to the truth. It would be funny if it wasn't tragic," the statement continues. Created and written by Craig Pearce and directed by Boyle, the series is based off Jones' memoir Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol, and is set to premiere on Hulu (and Disney+ where Hulu isn't available) on May 31. - NME, 4/8/22...... The Clash have announced they will release a special edition of their classic album Combat Rock. Entitled Combat Rock/The People's Hall, the original record now comes with 12 additional tracks compiled by the surviving members of the band. Not only that, but the band's collaborations with the late Ranking Roger will receive their first ever official release within a separate two-track EP, and those two tracks have been shared on Spotify.com. It finds the legendary frontman of The Beat infusing "Rock the Casbah" and "Red Angel Dragnet" with his own unique style. The EP will receive a limited edition 7" vinyl following release on May 20. - NME, 4/6/22...... Chris Bailey, frontman of the pioneering Australian punk band The Saints, died on Apr. 9 at age 65. "It is with great pain in our hearts that we have to inform you about the passing of Chris Bailey, singer and songwriter of The Saints, on April the 9th 2022," reads a message on Twitter posted by the band. The Saints' '70s single "I'm Stranded" was one of the sparks that lit the punk scene, as the band soaked up the frustration of living in the culturally-stifling Queensland of Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen and let it all spill out. The song was cut in 1976, and released on EMI the following year in the U.K., at the infancy of punk. "I'm Stranded" is considered one of the first and most influential songs of the punk era, and The Saints have been described by Bob Geldof as "one of the three bands which changed the 1970s, the others being the Sex Pistols and the Ramones." Born in Kenya in 1957, and raised in Brisbane, Bailey formed the pioneering punk outfit in 1973 with guitarist and songwriter Ed Kuepper and drummer Ivor Hay. The Saints were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2001. - Billboard, 4/11/22..... Bluegrass legend Roland White, a Bluegrass Hall of Fame member who played fast without sacrificing the genre's melodic core, died on Apr. 1 after complicaions from a heart attack. He was 83. Mr. White, who had a long career of masterfully not following directions in bluegrass, played in the late '60s and early '70s with two of the genre s most important figures: Bill Monroe, for whom he was a singer and guitarist; and Lester Flatt, who hired him for mandolin. In the late '80s, Mr. White joined the Nashville Bluegrass Band, which earned two Grammys for Best Bluegrass Album, then formed the Roland White Band. "He formulated things in his own mind. He didn't ever read music and follow directions on how to play," says Diane Bouska, his wife since the 1980s and longtime musical partner. "It seemed like he was dancing through his instrument." - Billboard, 4/6/22...... Veteran actress Kathryn Hays, a longtime star of the daytime soap As the World Turns, died on Mar. 25 of as yet undisclosed causes. She was 88. Ms. Hays, who worked on As the World Turns for 38 years, from 1972 and 2010, began her career in the 1960s with roles on such shows as Hawaiian Eye, Dr Kildare, Route 66, Bonanza and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. In 1966, she was cast as Elizabeth Reynolds in The Road West for 29 episodes. In addition, she starred in the 1968 episode of Star Trek named "The Empath" as the titular character named, who went by Gem. Throughout her career, Ms. Hays appeared in 40 different television series with her last being a 2007 episode of Law and Order: SUV. - Bang Showbiz, 4/8/22.

Several of Manchester, UK's most famous pop bands including the Sex Pistols, Joy Division and New Order will be featured in a new British Pop Archive in the city. Hosted at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library at the University of Manchester, the new BPA is described as "a national collection dedicated to the preservation and research of popular culture" and has made a trailer available on YouTube. The exhibition promises to "celebrate and preserve British popular music and other aspects of popular culture, recognising its pivotal influence on the world stage." Its first exhibit is titled "Collection" and will launch launch on May 19. And speaking of the Sex Pistols, the official trailer for director Danny Boyle's upcoming Sex Pistols TV series Pistol has been shared on YouTube. The brief trailer, titled "Destroy," sees John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten, plaed by Anson Boon), tell his bandmates that "the monarchy has stolen our future" before we hear of the start of "a youth revolution." Pistol premieres on Disney+ on May 30. - New Musical Express, 4/6/22...... The childhood Liverpool home of Paul McCartney at 20 Forthlin Road, where Paul and his songwriting partner John Lennon wrote such iconic Beatles hits as "I Saw Her Standing There" and "When I'm 64," has been opened up to unsigned artists as a spot to write and perform songs. Britain's National Trust announced on Apr. 5 that the initiative, dubbed the "Forthlin Sessions," will allow budding acts to "visit, write, and perform at 20 Forthlin Road, sitting in the very same spots where around 30 of the world's most famous songs, including "Love Me Do," "I Saw Her Standing There," "Hold Me Tight," "I'll Follow The Sun" and "When I'm 64" were written and rehearsed. It is also where Paul wrote his first-ever song, "I Lost My Little Girl." National Trust Director General Hilary McGrady said in a statement that the Beatles "inspired a generation to feel free to be creative, regardless of who or where they were" and that "it's a pleasure to care for the Beatles' childhood homes and to use the story of what happened there to continue this legacy." The artists who get this rare opportunity will work with Paul's younger brother, Mike McCartney, and British journalist Pete Paphides in consultation with the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts; acts must be over 18 and UK-based in order to participate. The sessions will be recorded and publicized, allowing the act to reach new, potentially global audiences. A video announcing the initiative has been shared on Twitter. - Billboard, 4/5/22...... On Apr. 5 a lawsuit brought by the widow of songwriter Jacque Levy -- who co-wrote "Hurricane" and none other songs on Bob Dylan's 1976 album Desire -- against Dylan was rejected by a New York appeals court. In 2021 Levy's widow Claudia claimed she was owed a portion of Dylan's recent huge catalog sale to Universal -- a $7.25 million cut of the $300 million sale to UMPG -- but a trial judge ruled in August that Levy had signed away his rights years ago. New York's Appellate Division has now upheld that ruling -- and said it wasn't a particularly close call. "Nothing submitted by plaintiffs concerning music industry custom and practice supports a reading otherwise, or even suggests an ambiguity in the relevant contractual language," New York's Appellate Division wrote in the rulling. Claudia Levy first filed the case in Jan. 2021, a month after news broke that Dylan had sold his entire songwriting catalog of more than 600 songs to UMPG. An attorney representing Dylan said, "We are pleased the court has again rejected this sad attempt to profit off of Bob's recent catalog sale." - Billboard, 4/5/22...... Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler hosted his annual Grammy Awards charity viewing party at the Hollywood Paladium on Apr. 3 after the event took a hiatus in 2021 due to the pandemic. At the start of the evening, Tyler toasted the crowd of celebrities, which included Ashlee Simpson Ross, Caitlyn Jenner, Melissa Joan Hart, Ashley Benson and Matt Sorum , kicking off the Grammy's livestream. Following the three-course dinner and awards telecast, Tyler made his first public performance in two years, performing a piano rendition of Aerosmith's "Dream On." The event historically benefits Tyler's charity organization Janie's Fund, a philanthropic initiative to raise awareness for young girls who have survived abuse and neglect. In an emotional speech, Tyler spoke to the crowd about how child victims of neglect and abuse "paid dearly as a result of the pandemic," referencing Janie and Gabriel Fernandez, the 8-year old boy who was a victim of abuse and, ultimately, murder -- a story that was chronicled in Netflix's The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez. - The Hollywood Reporter, 4/5/22...... Newly unearthed footage of an 11-year-old Prince arguing for better pay for Minneapolis teachers has made its way onto YouTube. Filmed in 1970, the rare short clip was discovered in the archive room of Minneapolis television station WCCO by production manager Matt Liddy, who was searching the archives in order to place another Minneapolis teacher's strike that took place earlier in 2022 into better context. Once Liddy came across the footage, he "immediately just went out to the newsroom and started showing people and saying, 'I'm not gonna tell you who I think this is, but who do you think this is?'" WCCO then brought in a specialist to restore audio to the footage, and they tracked down a local historian and a childhood friend of Prince's to confirm that the child in the footage was indeed Prince. It was recently announced that "Prince: The Immersive Experience" will debut in Chicago this summer, where fans can "immerse themselves fully in the music and life of Prince." - NME, 4/4/22...... Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson has embarked on a new project called Envy of None with bassist Andy Curran and Maiah Wynne, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter from Oregon. Along with producer and engineer Alfio Annibalini (who also plays keyboards and guitars), the band will release its self-titled LP on Apr. 8. Lifeson, 68, says he continued to work on music "very casually" after Rush took its final bow at the Forum in Los Angeles nearly seven years ago. Lifeson says after Curran recommended Wynne, who was "really special...you've got to hear her voice," the pair immediately connected and "she was so inspiring to me... We are separated by quite a few years in age and experience, but there is something old-world about her. I may have known her in another life." Lifeson also commented on his surviving Rush bandmate, Geddy Lee: "As far as Geddy and I getting together, we're best friends. He's working on his book. We try to see each other whenever we can. We still love being together. Whether that leads to something musical, we'll see. There's no pressure, and our friendship comes before anything." - Canoe.com, 4/3/22...... During a stop on his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road The Final Tour" in Indianapolis on Apr. 1, Elton John credited teenage AIDS victim Ryan White and his Indiana-based family for saving his own life. "I knew that my lifestyle was crazy and out of order. And six months later, I got sober and clean and have been ever since," John told the crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. He added that White's family was the catalyst for him to change. "I cannot thank them enough, because without them, I'd probably be dead... I love you so much.... This song is for you," he said to White's mother, Jeanne White-Ginder, who continues to share a close relationship with John and was present at the concert. John then began playing his ballad "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me." - AP, 4/2/22...... Joni Mitchell was named the 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year during a gala at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas on Apr. 1. A number of musicians, including Stephen Stills, Chaka Khan, Herbie Hancock, Cyndi Lauper, Beck, St. Vincent, John Legend and Brandi Carlile took part in the event to pay tribute to Mitchell, who made a rare appearance to accept the honor. During the event, there was a group singalong of Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi," with Mitchell taking to the stage for the first time in nine years to deliver the final line: "Put up a parking lot." "Everybody was splendid; it just kept getting better and better and better," she said during her her acceptance speech. "I can retire now and just let other people do it." The event raised funds for the charity MusiCare's programs and relief efforts. Mitchell, who was also a presenter at the Grammy Awards on Apr. 3, has largely kept out of the public eye since suffering a brain aneurysm in 2015. - NME, 4/3/22...... Patti Smith told the UK paper The Guardian in an interview published on Apr. 1 that she plans to release "one more album" as a follow-up to her last effort, 2012's Banga. "I do have plans" Smith said when asked if she's been working on new music. "I've written a lot of songs. I'd like to do one more album and my record company, Columbia, has very generously left the door open," the 75-year-old punk poetess said. After recording four albums, including her historic 1975 Horses set, Smith went into semi-retirement back in 1980 to focus on raising her children. "I was at the pinnacle of real success and financial success," she said, "but I wasn't growing as an artist or human being." She then emerged in 1988 to release Dream of Life, and go on to release six more albums. Smith also discussed the artwork for Horses, a black and white treatment by her photographer friend Robert Mapplethorpe, who depicted her in an androgynous pose and wardrobe. "I wanted Robert [Mapplethorpe] to do the album cover because he wasn't known and I wanted people to see his work," she said. "I had no idea that it would have such impact. Robert took 12 pictures and I think it was the eighth and he just said: 'This is the one with the magic.'" When asked what her definition of punk rock is, Smith replied: "Freedom." - NME, 4/1/22...... Mick Jagger has released a new solo track called "Strange Game." Described as a "poignant, moodily strutting theme tune" that is "underpinned by Jagger's powerful and eery vocals," "Strange Game" serves as the theme song to the new Apple Original series Slow Horses, the first two episodes of which premiered on Apple TV+ on Apr. 1. Jagger teased the song on Twitter on Mar. 28, posting: "I've been working on a fun project with the composer Daniel Pemberton... look out for it coming soon!" Starring Oscar winner Gary Oldman, Slow Horses is based on a series of acclaimed books by British thriller novelist Mick Herron about a team of British intelligence agents who have fallen from grace. "Strange Game" has been made available for listening on YouTube. Promoting the new song on Simon Mayo's podcast on Apr. 5, Jagger also expressed excitement about his upcoming European tour with the Rolling Stones. "We did a US tour last year and...you know, people hadn't been out for a long time and, and they were...are very pleased to get out and there's a lot of big tours out this year all over Europe. So, we're, you know, very glad to be part of it all and we'll certainly enjoy playing Hyde Park. It was such a great gig the last time we did it, if the weather is as good as it was last time, it'll be great." - NME/Music-News.com, 4/1/22...... Kraftwerk have added further dates to their upcoming 2022 North American tour, which kicks off in St. Louis on May 27 and runs through a July 10 show in Vancouver, B.C. Following the announcement of a North American leg of their renowned "3D Tour" in May, the German electronic pioneers have now announced an expanded itinerary that includes the addition of new shows in New Brunswick, NJ; New Haven, CT; and Bentonville, AK. Kraftwerk were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. - NME, 3/31/22...... Judas Priest cancelled a concert at the Paul E Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Mass. at the last minute on Apr. 4 due to what was described as a "non-Covid related illness." The heavy metal icons tweeted that "We hope to be able to make this show up in the near future. Refunds available at point of purchase." Clips from Priest's concert at the Premier Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. on Apr. 2 appear to show frontman Rob Halford struggling as he performed. Halford, 70, was diagnosed with prostate cancer amid the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 but is currently in remission. Halford updated his Confess autobiography to include his diagnosis in order to encourage men of a "certain age" to get themselves checked out regularly. "It's just a miracle what they can do with health care these days; it's absolutely remarkable," he wrote. "So in my story, my main message is to guys everywhere around the world, when you get to a certain age, it's very important that you get your prostate checked, your bloodwork checked, get a colonoscopy," he added. - Music-News.com, 4/5/22...... Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse has announced that he will be temporarily stepping away from live duties with the band. Deep Purple kicked off a 2022 North American tour in February with three shows in Florida, and they're due to head to Europe in May, June and July, with dates at festivals including Hellfest in France and Stimmen Festival in Germany. In a statement posted on Facebook, Deep Purple confirmed that Morse will be taking a break, with Simon McBride replacing the guitarist for any upcoming dates. Morse also added his own statement, revealing that he is stepping back to care for his wife, who is unwell. "Steve's replacement for the upcoming live shows in May, June and July 2022 will be guitarist Simon McBride, who has previously toured with both Ian Gillan and Don Airey amongst others," the statement reads, with Morse adding that "my dear wife Janine is currently battling cancer... At this point, there are so many possible complications and unknowns, that whatever time we have left in our lives, I simply must be there with her." Deep Purple are due to play the UK in October, with dates in London, Glasgow, Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester. - NME, 3/31/22...... Bobby Rydell, an early 1960s-era pop crooner who scored 29 Billboard pop chart entries and starred in the 1963 movie adaptation of the Broadway musical "Bye Bye Birdie," died on Apr. 5 after a battle with pneumonia. He was 79. First making a splash with 1959's "Kissin' Time," his follow-up single, "We Got Love," peaked at No. 6 as the singer's first of six career top 10 hits during the early 1960s. Rydell's highest-charting track was "Wild One," which landed at No. 2 in the spring of 1960. Other successes included "Volare" (No. 4 in Sept. 1960), "The Cha-Cha-Cha" (No. 10 in Nov. 1962) and "Forget Him" (No. 4 in Jan. 1964). Rydell's image as the poster boy for pre-Beatles pop stardom also led to him landing the starring role in the 1963 big-screen adaptation of "Bye Bye Birdie." In the movie musical, he played Hugo Peabody, the high school sweetheart of Ann-Margret's Kim McAfee, a teenager randomly chosen to get a goodbye kiss from Elvis Presley-style rock 'n' roll singer Conrad Birdie before he leaves for the Army. The film also starred Janet Leigh and Dick Van Dyke, and featured Ed Sullivan as himself. His legacy was also cemented in the 1971 stage musical "Grease" and its blockbuster 1978 film adaptation. Rydell High, the school attended by Danny, Sandy and the rest of the T-Birds and Pink Ladies, was named in his honor. In his 2016 autobiography Bobby Rydell: Teen Idol on the Rocks, he wrote that after years of alcohol abuse he was near death in July 2012 and underwent a kidney and liver transplant. He recovered three months later was back singing on a cruise ship with Frankie Avalon, but shortly after he underwent cardiac bypass surgery. Some of his later appearances were charity promotions for organ donation. - Billboard, 4/5/22..... Guitarist Joe Messina, one of the legendary Motown "Funk Brothers" studio musicians who is credited with creating the "Interval Study Method," a playing technique using diatonic and chromatic scales, died on Apr. 4 in the Detroit suburb of Northville after battling kidney disease. He was 93. "Joe was a super player, a jazz player. He loved to work," said Mr. Messina's Funk Brothers cohort Dennis Coffey. He added that Mr. Messina's preferred instrument, a Fender Telecaster, "was unusual for jazz players who typically preferred "the big boxes." But the Telecaster allowed Messina to differentiate himself within the Funk Brothers corps and brought a clean sound to hits such as Martha & the Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street," The Four Tops' "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" and The Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud to Beg as well as recordings by Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles and others. Detroit's Motown Museum paid tribute to Mr. Messina, noting that he was the first Funk Brother to donate an instrument to its "The Magic Behind the Magic" exhibit. "Among other things, Joe was known for keeping the backbeat, heard in many Motown hit songs, the Museum wrote in a statement. "We remember Joe Messing for his prolific contributions to the Motown Sound. He is survived by a son, Joel, and daughter Janice Coppa, as well as four grandsons and six great-grandchildren. Memorial arrangements are pending. - Billboard, 4/5/22...... British punk genre legend Jordan (aka Pamela Rooke) died on Apr. 3 "a stone's throw away from the sea in her home town of Seaford, East Sussex in the company of her loving family," her family said in a statement. She was 66. "Jordan (Pamela Rooke) has left her mark on this planet, whether it be as "The Queen of Punk," or for her veterinary work and countless prize winning cats," the family continued. "She lived life to the full and was true to herself and others throughout the whole of her life. She was totally trusted and respected by all those who knew her.... a wonderful woman and will be remembered for countless decades to come." Rooke was a model who worked with Vivienne Westwood and helped create the W10 London punk look alongside Johnny Rotten, Soo Catwoman and Siouxsie Sioux. She also attended several early Sex Pistols concerts and can be seen in Julien Temple's The Great Rock & Roll Swindle, appearing on stage with the Sex Pistols during their first live television performance of "Anarchy In The UK' in Aug. 1976. She will be played by Maisie Williams in Pistol, director Danny Boyle's forthcoming TV series about the Sex Pistols. British writer, musician and activist John Robb wrote that the world would miss Jordan, hailing her as "punk rock public enemy number one and maybe the fifth Sex Pistol." - NME, 4/1/22...... C.W. McCall, the baritone country singer best known for his CB-inspired 1976 chart-topping hit "Convoy", died on Apr. 1 at age 93. The death of Mr. McCall, whose real name was Bill Fries, was announced by his son, Bill Fries III. Mr. McCall had announced in Feb. 2022 that he was receiving cancer treatment in hospice. Best known for his outlaw country anthems, the Audubon, Iowa-bred Mr. Fries rose to musical prominence through his day job as a creative director at the Bozell & Jacobs advertising agency in Omaha, Neb., where in 1973 he wrote a Clio award-winning TV campaign for Old Home Bread. The jingle told the story of trucker C.W. McCall, who hauled the goods from the Metz Baking Company in his 18-wheeler as he romanced a waitress named Mavis, who worked at the Old Home Filler-Up an' Keep on a-Truckin' Cafe in Pisgah, Iowa. The ads clicked and bread sales went up as fans became fascinated by the fictional couple, prompting Fries to spin them off into a modestly selling promotional single for Metz called "Old Home Filler-Up an' Keep On A-Truckin' Cafe." The song was written by Fries and Bozell's in-house jingle writer, Chip Davis, who would go on to found Mannheim Streamroller and collaborate with Fries on a number of other songs over the next half-decade. Soon enough, MGM Records in Nashville got interested and Fries cooked up his iconic truck life story song, "Convoy," which was larded with a string of CB radio buzzwords. "Ah, breaker one-nine, this here's the Rubber Duck/ You gotta copy on me, Pig Pen, c'mon?/ Ah, yeah, 10-4, Pig Pen, fer shure, fer shure/ By golly, it's clean clear to Flag Town, c'mon/ Yeah, that's a big 10-4 there, Pig Pen/ Yeah, we definitely got the front door, good buddy/ Mercy sakes alive, looks like we got us a convoy," Fries talk-sings in the intro of the song, which balances his deep, froggy vocals with a bright chorus of female voices chirping, "'Cause we got a little ol' convoy/ Rockin' through the night/ Yeah, we got a little ol' convoy/ Ain't she a beautiful sight?/ Come on and join our convoy/ Ain't nothin' gonna get in our way/ We gonna roll this truckin' convoy/ 'Cross the USA." "Convoy" rose to No. 1 on the Billboard pop and country charts in 1975-76 at a time when CB radios were gaining wider cultural prominence, popping up in consumer cars as well as in the films White Line Fever (1975) and Burt Reynolds/Sally Field smash comedy Smokey and the Bandit (1977). They were also front-and-center in a big-screen spin-off of Fries' song, the 1978 Sam Pekinpah-directed film, also Convoy, which starred country singer/actor Kris Kristofferson as a trucker trying to pull together a nationwide convoy to outwit a cop played by Ernest Borgnine; Fries re-recorded some of the original's lyrics to more closely follow the movie's plot. Under his McCall stage name Fries would score a handful of other charting country hits before stepping away from his performing career by the late 1970s after releasing 9 studio albums, beginning with his 1975 debut, Wolf Creek Pass, through his final album of originals, 1979's C.W. McCall & Co. Among his other memorable songs were the 1976 environmental anthem "There Won't Be No Country Music (There Won't Be No Rock 'n' Roll)," the emotional 1977 ballad "Roses for Mama," as well "Four Wheel Cowboy" (1976) and 1978's "Outlaws and Lone Star Beer." Following his retirement from music, Mr. Fries served as mayor of Ouray, Col. from 1986-1992. - Billboard, 4/4/22.