Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on April 21st, 2022

A source close to Elton John has told the U.K. paper The Sun that the pop star is working on new music amid his final "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour. "The past few years have given Elton's career a new lease of life. It started with his film Rocketman, then "Cold Heart" with Dua Lipa took him to a new level, getting him to No 1," the source was quoted in The Sun's Bizarre column. "A few years ago he said he wasn't interested in making new music but over the past 12 months things have changed. A new generation has fallen in love with him and he's never been in more demand," the source added. John previously hinted that "more new music" is on the way during a recent acceptance video for his Global Awards' Mass Appeal prize. "Hi everyone, I am delighted to accept the award for Mass Appeal artist," Elton said. "I've worked in this industry for a long time, over 50 years, and it's still a real joy to be making and releasing music and knowing that the songs, many people enjoy tuning in and hearing those songs being played on the radio. In fact, even after all this time, there's still the utter thrill, as an artist, when you hear your music played on air for the very first time. I'm a huge fan of new music and supporting new artists and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to work with the likes of Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran and Olly Alexander from Years and Years... I am very grateful for this award, which will look great alongside the Big Top 40 awards we've collected recently. And I can't wait for you to hear more new music soon," he added. - Music-News.com, 4/21/22...... As many major pop/rock stars including Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Neil Diamond, Sting and Stevie Nicks have sold their back catalog of songs in recent years, Billy Joel is one of the the more obvious hold outs. In Oct. 2021, Joel acknowledged that he had received several offers for his prized song catalog, but he joked to Howard Stern that he wasn't interested in selling for anything short of what would be an astronomical sum because, he said, he wants to retain control over how his songs are used when licensed in commercials, TV and films. Joel conceded that he might sell his song catalog if he was offered $1 billion -- a price Stern suggested as a valuation for his songs. "I don't know who would pay that but if someone offered me $1 billion what am I gonna say, no?... I'm from Levittown," the Piano Man said. However, sources say that after receiving inquiries about the catalog, Joel's representatives actively tested the waters by reaching out to potential suitors to test what the market was willing to bear, with a pricing suggestion described by a number of music asset buyers as "quite possibly the highest valuation ever for a song catalog" -- at least on a multiple basis. But it's unclear how far that effort went. Sources indicate Joel's reps were armed with an annual revenue number and an expected bidding price but hadn't prepared more extensive data. Joel's representatives are insisting the catalog is not up for sale. "At this time the [Billy Joel] catalog is not on the market," his agent Dennis Arfa said in an e-mail. Another source familiar with the proceedings disputes the characterization that the Joel catalog was ever up for sale. In addition to his songwriter share, Joel owns publishing of his song catalog, too, having received it as a present from his then-label head, the late Walter Yetnikoff. The CBS Records president had induced an early manager of Joel, who had locked up the publishing as part of his managerial contract with the artist, to relinquish control of Joel's publishing, according to numerous press reports at the time. - Billboard, 4/18/22...... The 1983 Journey hit "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" has returned to Billboard Rock Digital Song Sales chart dated Apr.23 following the inclusion of a reworked version of the song in the trailer for the fourth and final season of the Netflix series Stranger Things. "Separate Ways" debuted at No. 19 with 800 downloads sold in the Apr. 8-14 tracking period, according to Luminate (formerly MRC Data). It enjoyed a 208% surge over the previous week, sparked by its appearance in the series new trailer, which premiered Apr. 12. "Separate Ways" peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in Mar. 1983, becoming the rockers' fourth of six Top 10 singles during 1981-1986. The song also spent four weeks atop the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, marking the band's lone leader among eight Top 10s. In the trailer for the 80s-set Stranger Things, the song retains former Journey frontman Steve Perry's vocals but alters the instrumentation in certain parts to a moodier, more atmospheric sound. The fourth season of Stranger Things is scheduled for release in two segments, the first due May 27 followed by the second half on July 1. - Billboard, 4/20/22...... On Apr. 18 Bob Dylan announced some new West Coast tour dates as part of his summer "World Wide Tour." Dylan will begin this leg of his tour on May 28 in Spokane, Wash.at the First Interstate Center of the Arts, also visiting Kennewick, Wash. (5/29), Portland (5/31), Seattle (6/1, 2), Eugene, Ore. (6/5), Redding, Calif. (6/7), Oakland (6/9, 10, 11), and Los Angeles (6/14, 15, 16) before wrapping at the San Diego Civic Theatre on June 18. Dylan, 80, recently completed a 26-date tour of 2022 shows across the U.S. The "World Wide Tour" follows his "Never Ending Tour," the popular name given to Dylan's regular touring schedule that began in 1988 and was forced to end due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Tickets will be available starting Apr. 22 on his website, www.bobdylan.com. - Billboard, 4/18/22...... In a new interview with Classic Rock magazine, Queen guitarist Brian May recalled the "odd experience" of working on Guns N' Roses' infamous 2008 album Chinese Democracy. "It was an odd experience. I think it was about midway through the whole thing. By that point Axl [Rose, frontman] was pretty much a recluse. He was working in his house, and I was working in the studio at the bottom of the hill with his engineer at the time, and he only rarely came down," May said, adding that "Now and again he would call in and get all enthusiastic and talk a lot, and then he'd be gone again. I don't think any of what I played actually got onto the album." At the time of Chinese Democracy's release, May told his fans on his website that it was "a shame" that his parts were omitted from the album. "I did put quite a lot of work in, and was proud of it," he posted. Meanwhile, May has teased that Queen might be performing at Queen Elizabeth II's upcoming Platinum Jubilee concert on June 4. The star-studded event set for Buckingham Palace before an audience of around 10,000 so far has only confirmed George Ezra as a headliner, which a statement has said will range from "pop stars to rock royalty to opera singers." The concert will also feature a full live orchestra, while "stars from film, TV and the stage will also tell the story and celebrate some of the most significant cultural moments from the Queen's reign." Speaking on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show May, who previously performed a guitar solo of the British national anthem on top of Buckingham Palace for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002, teased that he and his Queen bandmates -- Roger Taylor and Adam Lambert -- might be taking part in the concert. "I don't think I'm allowed to tell you this but I think something might happen," May said. There is talk of something happening. What can I tell you? We may be there, we may actually be there. Of course, it's hard to follow standing on the roof of Buckingham Palace but you never know it might be possible," he added. - New Musical Express, 4/21/22...... In a recent interview on Swedish radio station P4, Mick Jagger admitted that the Rolling Stones "provoked a lot of people" with the release of their 1971 single "Brown Sugar", but now accepts that things need to "change" and so the legendary British rockers decided to drop the song from their performances in 2021, due to racist and sexist connotations of slavery. "The early days were the days of shock and awe, things can't stay like that forever," Sir Mick, 78, said. "When you start out, I mean popular music is always in need of shaking up. We were quite good at that. We had our own style and our own way of approaching things and we had a different way of behaving. And it provoked a lot of people," he added. But Jagger said he feels a lot of people overreacted to their provoking: "I thought a lot of it was super over-reaction but it became a bit of a cliché. It served us well in some ways... we got noticed." Stones guitarist Keith Richards, also participating in the interview, also addressed the backlash and insisted the song was about "the horrors of slavery" and he couldn't get his head around why it's so controversial. "You picked up on that, huh? I'm trying to figure out with the sisters quite where the beef is," Richards said. "Didn't they understand this was a song about the horrors of slavery? But they're trying to bury it. At the moment I don't want to get into conflicts with all of this," he added. However, some believe "Brown Sugar" depicts non-consensual sex between a slave and slave owner. - Music-News.com, 4/21/22...... The Ohio State Athletic Band paid an emotional tribute to Eddie Van Halen during their annual half time show at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Apr. 16. The band played a medley of Van Halen songs over eight minutes that included "Runnin' With The Devil," "Dreams," "Panama" and "Jump," moving in formation to spell out the band's name as they performed, as well as the titles of some songs. An audience of 60,000 were in attendance, with the game resulting in a 34-26 victory by the Ohio State Scarlet over the Ohio State Gray. The moment has been shared on YouTube. Eddie Van Halen died from throat cancer on Oct. 6, 2020. In other VH news, former Metallica guitarist Jason Newsted has said he was approached six months ago to take part in a potential Van Halen tribute tour. Newsted told The Palm Beach Post that he was approached six months ago to take part in a potential Van Halen tribute tour, but didn't go ahead with the project when thinking about the weight of Van Halen's legacy. "How could you? There's nobody that can top it, so how do you show it honor? I didn't want it to be viewed as a money grab. And then it kind of just all fizzled," Newsted said. He added that acclaimed guitarist Joe Satriani was also approached to take part in a VH tribute tour. A tribute band or tour to Van Halen has been touted for some time with Eddie's son, Wolfgang Van Halen, previously saying that a tribute concert "definitely should happen" but that it was "not in the immediate plans" due to logistical hurdles. - NME, 4/18/22...... Speaking of potential collaborations that never came to be, David Bowie's longtime producer Tony Visconti has told The Times that David had suggested that he and Marc Bolan of T. Rex, who Visconti also produced, work together after they had been reunited on his show Marc after initially losing touch. "It was on the cards that we were going to work together. Marc came down to the studio [after David had invited him], looked around, and said, 'I'd love to see Tony again'," Visconti recalled. However, any potential collaboration between Bowie, Bolan and Visconti never came to fruition because just a short while later -- on Sept. 16 1977 -- the "Get It On" rocker was involved in a tragic car crash with Gloria Jones. Bolan was killed instantly when Jones, who survived, drove her Mini into a tree just two weeks before his 30th birthday. Although Visconti said that Bowie trumped Bolan with his "Ziggy Stardust" persona and began "copying" him, he did go on to explain that Marc -- who shot to fame around the same time as David -- was, along with T.Rex, "revolutionary" when it came to glam rock, implying that it all began with their performance of "Hot Love" on BBC show Top of the Pops. "That [performance] was before Bowie started wearing dresses, so it was revolutionary. Chelita took Marc to shops like Biba and got him to wear little Mary Jane shoes, which worked brilliantly because he had an ability to look feminine and still be really macho. One time, he turned up to a session and kicked me straight in the bollocks. I doubled up in pain and said, 'What was that for?' He replied, 'You're a kung fu guy. You should have blocked that.' It was his little power play to show he was still the Hackney punk, the leader of the gang." - Music-News.com, 4/20/22...... In an extensive new interview with the syndicated showbiz program Entertainment Tonight, Gene Simmons of KISS has boldly claimed that artists like Beyoncé, Bono, Mick Jagger and Bruno Mars wouldn't be able to perform in his famously over-the-top costumes, due to their excessive weight and unwieldiness. Simmons went to explain that especially at age 72 -- more than 50 years since he first debuted with the band -- fitness is crucial to maintaining his prowess as a performer. "We work hard at it," he assured ET's Kevin Frazier, telling him the band currently enjoy "no drugs, no booze, no smoking. None of that stupid rock and roll stuff." He continued: "I hike almost every single day with Shannon [Tweed, Simmons' wife], we do three to five miles a day, and it's hard to keep this going." Simmons said that although "we love" Jagger, Mars, Bono, etc., "if you put those guys -- Beyoncé, put Beyoncé in my outfit with seven-to-eight-inch platform heels, dragon boots that each weigh as much as a bowling ball... The entire outfit, studs, leather and armor is about 40 pounds. The guitar and the studs is 12 pounds by itself. Then, you got to spit fire, fly through the air and do that for two hours. They would pass out within a half hour." Simmons then declared KISS to be "the hardest working band out there" -- something they "take pride in," especially considering their five-decade tenure is almost at an end. The band are currently gearing up to embark on the last stint of their final world tour, with their last-ever gigs slated to go down this November (as part of this year's edition of the KISS Kruise). - NME, 4/18/22...... On Apr. 17 Ringo Starr added further dates to his upcoming 2022 North American All-Starr Band tour in a post to his Instagram account. The legendary Beatles sticksman and his band -- Toto's Steve Lukather, Men At Work's Colin Hay, Warren Ham, Gregg Bissonette, Average White Band's Hamish Stuart and Edgar Winter -- are set to kick-off their tour on May 27 in Ontario, Canada. Following the tour's initial announcement which had it wrapping up in Clearwater, Fla., on June 26, Ringo and the band have confirmed 19 new dates extending the run to Oct. 20 with a two-night stand in Mexico City, Mexico, with new Sept. and Oct. shows in Michigan, Washington, New Jersey, California and more. Starr -- who turns 82 this summer -- last released a solo album, What's My Name, in 2019. Since its release, he has shared two EPs in 2021: "Zoom In" and "Change the World." - NME, 4/17/22...... As The Who prepare to kick off a two-part North American tour on Apr. 22 in Florida, the band promoted the upcoming trek with an Apr. 15 appearance on CBS' The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The Who ran through a grand version of their 1971 track "Behind Blue Eyes," backed by a full orchestra .The performance, which has bee shared on YouTube, came in support of the Teen Cancer America organisation, and was recorded during the band's annual Teenage Cancer Trust gigs at the Royal Albert Hall in London in March, which featured The Who, Liam Gallagher, Ed Sheeran, and more. Dubbed "The Who Hits Back!," the first leg of the tour will run through May, then the band will then return to the States in October for another run of dates, which take them through until November. Speaking of the tour, Roger Daltrey said: "Pete [Townshend] and I said we'd be back, but we didn't think we'd have to wait for two years for the privilege. This is making the chance to perform feel even more special this time around. So many livelihoods have been impacted due to COVID, so we are thrilled to get everyone back together - the band, the crew and the fans. We're gearing up for a great show that hits back in the only way The Who know how. By giving it everything we got." - NME, 4/17/22...... Don McLean has shared a new version of this iconic 1971 hit "American Pie" featuring boxer Tyson Fury as Fury gears up to defend his world title belts in a fight against Dillian Whyte on Apr. 23. "American Pie" has become synonymous with Fury since he famously performed it following his defeat of Deontay Wilder in 2020. The latest iteration, which has been shared on YouTube, sees McLean singing the verses to "American Pie," perfectly articulating Fury's comeback story, as a montage of clips from across the boxer's impressive career flash up. Towards the end of the track, the Gypsy King -- who previously appeared alongside Robbie Williams on "Bad Sharon" in 2019 -- joins in with McLean, singing along to the track. In addition to celebrating Fury's upcoming fight, the duet coincides with the 50th anniversary of "American Pie" -- both the album and single as well as the release of a children's book, a documentary about the impact McLean's song has had on pop culture, and a world tour which will come to the UK and Europe starting in Sept. 2022. - NME, 4/19/22...... Former The Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) has hit out again at his former bandmates for participating in the new Danny Boyle-directed biopic series Pistol, calling them "dead wood" and questioning their talents. Earlier in April, Lydon branded the forthcoming show a "middle class fantasy" that "bears little resemblance to the truth" after claiming in 2021 that it was green-lit without his consent. Now, in a new interview with the U.K. paper The Sun, Lydon took aim at Steve Jones and Paul Cook for allegedly removing him from Pistol's production process. "Cutting me out is a shockingly stupid move It's so ridiculous. It's so preposterous," Lydon said. "They can all f--- off. I supported them for years and years and years, knowing they were dead wood. None of these f---s would have a career but for me. They did nothing before, they've done nothing since," he added. Pistol is due to premiere on the Hulu streaming channel (and Disney+ where Hulu isn't available) on May 31. - NME, 4/18/22...... Brian Eno has announced he will be releasing an exclusive collaboration with former R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe on Earth Day 2022 (Apr. 22). The single, called "Future If Future," will be released to draw attention towards the climate crisis. As reported by The Guardian, Eno is one of 100 artists who will be releasing material exclusively via Bandcamp, with proceeds going to causes at the forefront of the climate emergency. "I'm very pleased with the way it's gone," Eno told the paper. "It's a very good song, a very Stipe song. Beautiful lyrics, extraordinary piece," he added. Eno recently founded EarthPercent, a charity providing a simple way for the music industry to support the most impactful organizations addressing the climate emergency. He hopes that his Earth Day plans will become an annual campaign, led by the charity. "We've been trying to say to people, 'Look, if you want to find a simple way of joining the climate struggle, this might be the answer. We're a shortcut to a lot of things that otherwise might be fairly hard to do," he noted. Later in April, Eno will sit down in at the Royal Garden Hotel in London for a conversation on the climate emergency and how the energy of music can benefit the planet. For tickets and more info, you can visit www.agreenerfestival.com/green-events-innovations-confernence-gei. - NME, 4/15/22...... In a new interview with the Daily Star newspaper, Sting recalled how his stage name started "as a joke." Sting, whose real name is Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, said he was given his famous moniker as a joke by a trombone player in an old band when he complained about a song and began to wear a black-and-yellow t-shirt, seemingly to resemble a bee. He said: "He made me sing a song which was awful. So, in protest I began to wear a black and yellow top. He started to call me Sting as a joke." However, Sting went on to explain that he is "grateful" for the stage name because it speeds up the process of signing autographs. "I'm grateful for it now as when you have to sign something, it's short!," he said. - Music-News.com, 4/20/22...... Art Rupe, the founder of Specialty Records who was responsible for giving early breaks to the likes of Sam Cooke and Little Richard, died on Apr. 15 at his home in Santa Barbara, Calif. He was 104. Born Arthur Goldberg, Mr. Rupe was raised outside the Pittsburgh area. He attended college at Virginia Tech and Miami University of Ohio, and in 1939 set off for Los Angeles to make his way in the world. During World War II, Mr. Rupe worked at Terminal Island testing ships. However, with a passion for blues, gospel and R&B music, he formed Juke Box Records with partner Ben Siegert in 1944. The label had a regional hit with the Sepia Tones' "Boogie No. 1." Two years later, in 1946, Mr. Rupe parted ways with Juke Box and founded Specialty Records. Over the next 15 years, Specialty became one of the most prominent independent recording companies, with worldwide distribution, and Mr. Rupe's work at Specialty played a key role in the emergence of the new musical genre of rock 'n' roll. Little Richard was the label's biggest hitmaker, starting with the classic "Tutti Frutti" in 1955. Other Specialty hits by Little Richard included "Long Tall Sally," "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Rip it Up." In a 2011 interview for the Rock Hall archives, Rupe said: "There was something in Little Richard's voice I liked." Elsewhere, Sam Cooke recorded some songs at Specialty in the mid-1950s after wanting to expand his appeal beyond gospel; one of those tracks included "You Send Me." Other artists that recorded for Specialty included Lloyd Price, Roy Milton and Percy Mayfield. Specialty's masters were acquired by Saul Zaentz's Fantasy Records in 1990. Today they're owned and distributed by indie music giant Concord. - NME, 4/17/22...... Actor Robert Morse, best known for starring in the hit TV series Mad Men as Bert Cooper, has died at the age of 90, his son Charlie confirmed on Apr. 20. Mr. Morse's acting career spanned almost six decades and he appeared in around 100 theatre, TV and film productions. Born on May 18, 1931, in Newton, Mass., the mischievous comedic star first made his name in a theatre adaptation of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" -- for which he won the Tony Award for best actor in a musical. He repeated the feat in 1990 as he won the Tony for best featured actor in a play for his performance as Truman Capote in the one-man show "Tru." He is one of just four actors to win the top acting Tonys for play and musical. Mr. Morse's portrayal of Capote also earned him an Emmy award three years later when the production was broadcast on TV. But it was the role of the eccentric Bert Cooper in Mad Men that earned Mr. Morse international fame -- earning him five Emmy nods and a Screen Actors Guild award. The star's final episode saw him channel his Broadway skills as he performed a song-and-dance routine following his character's death. Debuting in films in 1956 with The Proud and the Profane, his other movie credits include the 1967 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying bigscreen adapatation, A Guide for the Married Man (1967), Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? (1968), and The Boatniks (1970). Larry Karaszewski, the Vice-President on the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, paid tribute to Morse in a tweet: "My good pal Bobby Morse has passed away at age 90. A huge talent and a beautiful spirit. Sending love to his son Charlie and daughter Allyn. Had so much fun hanging with Bobby over the years - filming 'People v OJ' and hosting so many screenings ('How To Succeed', 'Loved One', 'That's Life)." - Bang Showbiz, 4/21/22.

A Long Island, N.Y., contractor has agreed to end a lawsuit claiming that Billy Joel, his wife Alexis, business manager, and a rival contractor ripped off copyrighted architectural designs for a renovations project at his Oyster Bay mansion. Berry Hill Development Corp. claimed in 2020 they were abruptly fired and the plans were illegally handed over to a new builder. Berry Hill said it was terminated after it was told that engineering defects were discovered in its work, but it called the firing "wrongful and not truly for cause," and said it was never compensated for the $126,700 the company it had already spent on drawing up architectural plans for the site. Berry Hill said its plans were then handed off to a new architect. The replacement, Neal Stufano and his firm, N.J. Caine Architecture PLLC, then submitted "nearly identical plans for the house to local building regulators," according to Berry Hill's lawsuit. Joel's 12,000 square-foot Oyster Bay compound features three homes and 29 acres of beach front property. Berry Hill's notice to end the lawsuit, filed in Brooklyn federal court on Apr. 14, did not included any specific terms of the settlement agreement. - Billboard, 4/15/2022...... Brother Johnny, a new tribute album honoring the late Grammy-winning blues guitarist Johnny Winter, features the first posthumous music from late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. Hawkins, who died on March 25 as his band was on tour in Columbia, contributes his thunderous vocals on "Guess I'll Go Away," the hard-rocking boogie blues tune that appeared on the 1970 album Johnny Winter And. Brother Johnny was put together by Winter's younger brother Edgar Winter, and in a note on his site in March, Edgar paid tribute to Hawkins, saying "he did an incredible lead vocal on a song written by Johnny and featuring the phenomenal guitarist in my own band, Doug Rappoport." Brother Johnny, which hit stores on Apr. 15, features an enormous roster of blues, pop and rock icons paying homage to Johnny, including Joe Bonamassa, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Derek Trucks, Billy Gibbons, Joe Walsh, Ringo Starr, Michael McDonald and Steve Lukather, among others. A clip of Hawkins' rendition of "Guess I'll Go Away" has been shared on YouTube. Meanwhile, Rush frontman Geddy Lee has shared his feelings about the passing of Hawkins in a new interview with the Toronto-based radio show House Of Strombo. "It's heartbreaking -- just heartbreaking," Lee said. "That really broke my heart, his passing. [He was] so full of file. I remember when he presented the [Rock And Roll] Hall Of Fame award to us in 2013 and we came up on stage, he was literally jumping up and down like a two-year-old -- he was jumping up and down, he was so happy -- and that was him. He was so full of admiration and rock and roll joy juice. And it just seems wrong that he left us," he added. Lee's interview, which also features his Rush bandmate Alex Lifeson, can be streamed on YouTube. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 4/15/22...... Speaking of tributes to famous rockers, Queen's Brian May has honored pioneering rock & roller Buddy Holly with a reworking of Holly's classic 1958 track "Maybe Baby." The track, which has been shared on YouTube, appears on the forthcoming deluxe reissue of May's second solo album, 1998's Another World, which is due to arrive on Apr. 22. "I've never done a Buddy Holly song," May said in a statement. Explaining how the song played in his development as a musician, he said: "That song more than probably any other, is the reason that I'm here doing this, playing guitar and being a rock star and being a very fortunate person. I heard Buddy Holly make that incredible sound on his guitar, that clang, singing that beautiful song, hearing those wonderful harmonies of the Crickets. And it completely motivated me. I just thought, 'That's what I want to do. I want to be able to make music that does that to people, makes them feel this kind of yearning, makes them feel this joy and passion.'" The second release in May's Gold Series, the deluxe Another World contains the remastered original album alongside "Another Disc," which features a wealth of previously unreleased remixes, rarities, live tracks and cover versions. - New Musical Express, 4/14/22...... Moonage Daydream, an all-new David Bowie celebrating the life of the iconic late rocker, is coming to theaters and the HBO premium TV channel. The production company NEON and Universal Pictures announced the project on Apr. 13, saying the film will be released by NEON in the U.S., while Universal has international distribution rights. No theatrical release date has been announced, though the film is slated to premiere on HBO and HBO Max in spring 2023 via HBO Documentary Films. Theatrical engagements for Moonage Daydream, will include IMAX screenings in select markets. Five years in the making, the documentary was written, directed, edited and produced by Brett Morgen, who was given "unfiltered" access to Bowie's personal archives, including all master recordings, according to a press release. While researching the film, Morgen came across hundreds of hours of never-before-seen 35mm and 16mm footage, allowing him to assemble Bowie's performances from these original camera masters. The resulting project is described by the companies as "an artful and life-affirming film that takes the audience on a journey through Bowie's creative life." Guided by "Bowie's narration" with contributions from Bowie's long-time collaborator Tony Visconti, according to the release, Moonage Daydream includes 48 musical tracks mixed from their original stems and is the first film to be officially sanctioned by Bowie's estate. - Billboard, 4/13/22...... A British Beatles fan named Ken Lambert has turned George Harrison's suburban Liverpool childhood home at 25 Upton Green into an Airbnb and "living museum" of Harrison memorabilia. Lambert says he bouth the home in Nov. 2021 for around £171,000. According to the listing, Harrison lived at the three-bedroom house between 1949 and 1962, and the house was also used as a practice space for the pre-Beatles incarnation, The Quarrymen. Lambert says the house will be "a living museum by letting people stay overnight" and that a weekly tour group will also be able to stop by and spend about half an hour in the home drinking tea and playing music. "I'm not a wealthy individual. It's not like I go around buying up properties. I'm a Beatles fan, yes, but I am a big George Harrison fan specifically," Lambert told the New York Post. "I think it was a shame that George's house had no relevance to millions of Beatles fans, but they're waiting in line to walk into John Lennon's house. George is my favourite Beatle. I want to respect his legacy," he added. The property sleeps five guests, and a stay will set you back around £200 a night (there is a two-night minimum). Meanwhile, Paul McCartney announced earlier in April that he's opening up his childhood home for unsigned artists to use as a base to write, perform and gain inspiration from. The Forthlin Sessions initiative, backed by the former Beatle's brother Mike McCartney, will see artists chosen by Mike and local partners to write music at the same place where Paul and John Lennon forged their distinguished songwriting partnership. - NME, 4/14/22...... Announcing he was "hearbroken" and that "this just might be the cruelest thing that has ever happened to me," Barry Manilow revealed that he had tested positive for Covid-19 on Apr. 13 just hours before his new musical "Harmony" was scheduled to open at the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. "I am heartbroken to say that I have just tested positive for Covid-19 and won't be able to attend tonight's opening night performance of my new musical 'Harmony,'" Manilow told Billboard. "This just might be the cruelest thing that has ever happened to me: 25 years waiting for this show to premiere in New York and I can't attend. Even in the face of this pandemic, we New Yorkers remain the toughest, staunchest people on the planet so, put on a mask and go see a show!" Created and scored by Manilow and his longtime musical collaborator Bruce Sussman, "Harmony" tells the true story of the Comedian Harmonists, an internationally famous, all-male German close harmony ensemble which featured three Jewish members and performed in Europe between 1928 and 1934, selling millions of records and starring in more than a dozen films. Manilow is not a cast member of the show, which opened as planned in his absence. - Billboard, 4/13/22...... In a new interview with Classic Rock magazine, Jimmy Page revealed that his curringly working on "multiple projects." "It's not just one thing, it's multiple things, and I don't want to even give a hint, because if you do & you give a one-sentence sound bite, and then if it doesn't materialize, it's like: 'Why didn't you do a solo album?' So I don't want to say what it is that I've got planned, because I don't want to give people the chance to misinterpret it." Of his new album, he added: "I really can't put on record what the new record is. I'll leave it to your imagination. The thing is there are so many ways I could present myself right now. Actually, not right now. I'll rephrase that: within a space of time." One project he won't be working on is Ozzy Osbourne's new solo album, which the former Black Sabbath frontman announced he has completed work on in a new Instagram post. Page said in the same interview that he turned down the opportunity to appear the follow-up to Ozzy's 2020 LP Ordinary Man. Page said Osbourne tried to get him to contribute to his new LP but said "I don't think he plays anymore." "I will never be one of those people who'll record alone and send someone a file," Page told Classic Rock. "I never went into music in the first place to do that -- it was for playing together." - NME, 4/13/22...... Rick Springfield's long-overdue homecoming tour of his native Australia with the '70s Australian band Zoot has been scrapped, promoter DRW Entertainment has announced in a Facebook post. "It is with much sadness and disappointment that we must announce that the Zoot tour of Australia is cancelled," the statement reads. "Much has changed in the two years since we announced the tour, and individual members of the band, whilst excited about the potential offered by the tour, are now unfortunately not in a position whereby they can move forward with the tour as scheduled, the message continues. Springfield and Zoot were scheduled to visit Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne this October, for Zoot's first Australian shows in over 50 years. Springfield was to be joined on stage by Rick Brewer, Beeb Birtles and Russell Morris, with Little River Band founding member Roger McLachlan on bass. After delays due to Covid, DRW said it was decided "rather than postpone the tour yet again, the decision has been taken to cancel the tour and refund all ticket holders." The door isn't closed, however, on another trek. "It may be that the tour can be rescheduled in the future, the statement continues, "and if so, we will notify all of new dates." Springfield, who released his first US album in 1974 on Columbia, was a member of Zoot from 1969 to 1971, before launching his successful solo career in 1981, and notably snagging a Grammy with "Jessie's Girl." Springfield was booked for a rare solo tour of his homeland in 2014, but canceled when he landed a part in the movie Ricki And The Flash alongside Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline. - Billboard, 4/13/22...... Alice Cooper has announed he'll kick off a month-long fall 2022 tour of North America on Sept. 7 in Bethlehem, Pa. Cooper, who is currently finishing up the spring leg of his North American tour before he tours Europe from late May to early July, announced the fall series of tour stops on Twitter on Apr. 12. Cooper will also make stops at Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Alton, Va., on Sept. 9, and at Louder Than Life in Louisville, Ky. on Sept. 24 with Rob Zombie and KISS as part of the tour. Cooper recently revealed back in January that he is currently working on both his 29th and 30th studio albums simultaneously -- less than a year after releasing his 28th, Detroit Stories. Cooper will wrap his fall tour on Oct. 8 in Las Vegas. - NME, 4/13/22...... Songwriting legends Carole Bayer Sager and Mike Stoller will be honored as BMI Icons at the 2022 BMI Pop Awards, it was announced on Apr. 12. Both songwriters are members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in fact have each received that organization's highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award. Both also are Grammy winners -- Sager for song of the year for co-writing (with Burt Bacharach) "That's What Friends Are For ; Stoller for best musical show album for Smokey Joe's Cafe -- The Songs of Leiber & Stoller. Sager has received 26 BMI Awards, including pop songwriter of the year in 1977. Stoller has amassed a whopping 57. Sager also wrote the lyrics to such songs as "Nobody Does It Better," "A Groovy Kind of Love," "Don't Cry Out Loud," and the Oscar-winning "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)." Sager has also received two Golden Globe Awards. Stoller and his long-time collaborator Jerry Leiber wrote more than 20 songs for Elvis Presley, including "Hound Dog," "Love Me," and "Jailhouse Rock," and wrote and produced all of The Coasters' hits, such as "Yakety Yak" and "Poison Ivy." The 2022 BMI Pop Awards are set for May 10 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. - Billboard, 4/12/22...... Speaking of Elvis Presley, Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) will now act as the global publishing administrator, excluding the U.K., for the historic song catalog of the late King of Rock & Roll. The administration deal includes most of the King's greatest hits, including "Can't Help Falling in Love," "Jailhouse Rock," "Love Me Tender," "Viva Las Vegas," "It's Now or Never," "Memories," "A Little Less Conversation," "Don't Be Cruel," "Teddy Bear," "Amazing Grace," "All Shook Up," and many more. UMPG declined to disclose any financial terms of the deal, and stressed that Authentic Brands Group (ABG), which is the majority stake holder in Elvis Presley Enterprises, remains owner of the catalog. Presley was never a songwriter himself but shared a portion of composition ownership with his first publisher, Hill & Range publishing, for songs purchased by Hill & Range for him to record, according to the official Graceland website. In other Elvis news, a new Presley compilation will reportedly see the likes of contemporary acts Doja Cat and Swae Lee cover several of his greatest hits. The new album will coincide with the release of Baz Luhrmann's upcoming Elvis, biopic, a host of stars have put their spin on the late music legend's iconic songs in a bid to get a new generation into his music. It's hoped the soundtrack will boost streaming figures for Elvis' back catalogue, just like the 2018 Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody did for the English prog-rockers. However, "diehard" fans of the 'Jailhouse Rock' hitmaker might not be so thrilled by the project. A source told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre column: "It's hugely controversial. Elvis fans are diehard and see any tampering as sacrilege, but Warner Bros wanted to bring his music to a new audience. He is one of the most successful musicians of all time, but this album will help introduce his music to a new generation of kids." - Billboard/Music-News.com, 4/12/22...... In a new interview with Johnny Marr on his The Big Issue podcast, Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry revealed she has swapped her partying ways for knitting. Harry, 76, previously battled heroin addiction, but now says she has changed her hard partying ways over the years and revealed she'll be bringing her knitting needles and yarn with her when she returns to the road. "I've had to change behaviour over the years, and behaviour is very hard to change. "On tour these days I do what the women on the front during the French Revolution would do. I sit there knitting and rocking back and forth. That's what I do. I will be bringing my knitting needles with me," she said. In 2020, Harry revealed she found obtaining drugs "a drag," and insisted she didn't need to go to rehab to get clean as she simply got tired of the effort it took to source the narcotics. "Drugs are a funny thing. The thing that drove me away from taking them was having to acquire them and what a drag that was. It was kind of a full-time occupation and a waste of time. It became unpleasant. Luckily for me I was able to handle the withdrawal," she said. These days, Harry says she's much more health-conscious, working out twice a week and eating a diet of "mainly raw foods" but she thinks getting older is "horrible" and she has "some dissatisfaction" with her life. Asked if she's happier now than she was in her 20s, she said: "There's [still] some dissatisfaction and hopelessness. It varies by the day." - Music-News, 4/12/22...... Bruce Springsteen fans were treated to some of the rocker's unreleased outtakes at a Mexican radio conference on Apr. 9, thanks to his longtime engineer. Toby Scott was a guest at the SoundCheck Xpo in Mexico City, and during his presentation he offered up some snippets of a few old recordings that Springsteen recorded in the early 1980s. During his 87-minute presentation, the engineer played a few different takes of the Boss recording "Born In The U.S.A." One of the versions was the solo-acoustic demo that Springsteen recorded in 1982, during the Nebraska era -- this version ended up on his 1998 box set Tracks. Scott also played a bluesy, full-band take of the iconic anthem that has not previously been heard. - NME, 4/11/22...... Gilbert Gottfried, the unfiltered standup comedian whose signature nasally squawk could be heard on everything from Saturday Night Live and The Howard Stern Show to movie favorites like Aladdin and Problem Child, died on Apr. 12 after a long battle with a form of heart failure. He was 67. The Gottfried family announced his death in a statement on Twitter: "We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness. In addition to being the most iconic voice in comedy, Gilbert was a wonderful husband, brother, friend and father to his two young children. Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert's honor." Gottfried's most recent appearance on TV was earlier in April on The Masked Singer. He also had recurring roles on Night Court, Wings, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and guest-starred on 30 Rock (as himself), The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Married... with Children, SpongeBob SquarePants, Family Guy, Crashing, three Sharknado movies, Sesame Street, Hannah Montana, Mad About You and The Cosby Show. In 2017, his life and career were the subjects of a documentary, Gilbert, directed by Neil Berkeley. - Yahoo.com, 4/12/22...... Actress Liz Sheridan who was famous for playing Jerry Seinfeld's mother in the hit show Seinfeld -- passed away in the early hours of Apr. 15, TMZ.com has reported, with her death sadly coming just five days after her 93rd birthday. It is believed Liz -- who is also known for her role as neighbor Raquel on the '80s sitcom ALF -- passed away from natural causes. Ms Sheridan's death comes shortly after Estelle Harris, who played George's mom in Seinfeld, also passed away. - Bang Showbiz, 4/15/22.