Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on June 20th, 2022

Seals & Crofts' 1972 hit "Summer Breeze" has returned to the Billboard charts following the June 6 death of Jim Seals at age 80 after a long illness. "Summer Breeze" has appeared at No. 10 on the LyricFind U.S. and LyricFind Global tallies dated June 18, also seeing a 643% boost of lyric searches and usages in the U.S., while the song increased 647% globally, both in the tracking week of June 6-12. Additionally, the pop duo's "We May Never Pass This Way (Again)" reached the LyricFind Global list with a 1,517% bump in global lyric searches and usages. "Summer Breeze" was Seals & Crofts' first Billboard Hot 100 appearance, peaking at No. 6 on the Hot 100 dated Nov. 25, 1972. "Pass," meanwhile, peaked at No. 21 in Nov. 1973. "Breeze" also saw a significant boost in U.S. sales in the June 3-9 tracking period, leaping 548% to 1,800 downloads from a negligible sum the prior week, according to Luminate. As a result, the song debuted on Billboard's Digital Song Sales chart dated June 18 at No. 43. In all, the band's catalog garnered 2.2 million official U.S. streams from June 3-9, up 25% from 1.7 million over May 27-June 2. It also moved 4,800 downloads, an 822% jump from 500. - Billboard, 6/16/22...... As Paul McCartney turned 80 years old on June 18, the famous former Beatle was messaged with numerous tributes on social media from his legion of fellow famous musicians, other celebrities, and fans. "They say it's your birthday Saturday happy birthday Paul love you man have a great day peace and love Ringo and Barbara love love peace and love," Ringo Starr tweeted alongside a photo of himself flashing the peace sign. John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono also tweeted a photo of herself and Paul captioned with the message: "Dear Paul, Happy 80th Birthday and many, many more! From a partner in Peace& love, yoko." Meanwhile, Sean Ono Lennon marked the special occasion by sharing a video of himself on Instagram delivering a touching acoustic rendition of the Beatles' classic 1966 song "Here, There and Everywhere." "A little birdy told me this was one of your your fav Beatles tunes," Sean captioned the clip. "So Happy Birthday! Thank you for all the beautiful music. You have mine and the whole world's undying love and respect. (This version is a bit rough because it's such a pretty song I kept getting choked up and staring again!)." Other tributes includes posts from Elvis Costello (who also dedicated a YouTube performance of "Here, There and Everywhere" to Paul), Ronnie Wood, Billy Joel, Carole King, Julian Lennon, Aerosmith and Brian Wilson. McCartney thanked all his well wishers with his own tweet: "Thanks for all the lovely greetings and warm wishes for my birthday." Meanwhile, Macca has just announced he's releasing his three eponymous solo albums -- McCartney (1970), McCartney II (1980) and McCartney III (2020) -- together for the first time in a special box set. The McCartney I II III box set is due on Aug. 5 and will be available in three different formats: limited edition color vinyl, black vinyl edition, and CD. The sets will include three special photo prints and notes from Macca about each album. McCartney wrapped his "Got Back Tour" on June 16 at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey with special guest appearances by local heroes Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi. Late in the set at Met Life Stadium, Springsteen strolled to the middle to thunderous applause, and took the mic for a performance of his "80s hit "Glory Days" and the Beatles' "I Wanna Be Your Man." The pair have collaborated several times over the years, including a performance for Hard Rock Calling 2012 at London's Hyde Park. Fan-shot foootage of the superstar jam has been shared on YouTube. During the encore, Bon Jovi appeared on stage for sing "Happy Birthday" to his friend McCartney. Paul is scheduled to headline the U.K.'s Glastonbury Festival on June 25, where he's planning a "virtual reunion" with John Lennon. A source close to Paul said: "He is tinkering around with the setlist but it looks like he will do a virtual duet with John Lennon. There is some footage of Lennon singing 'I've Got a Feeling', from 'Let It Be', which Paul puts up on the big screen, and then he turns around and sings to him. John's vocal has been isolated in the footage and it is stunning." - Billboard/Music-News.com, 6/18/22...... Steve Miller was among the new inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame during an in-person ceremony on June 16 in New York City, after two years of Covid-related cancellations. Miller was inducted by actor Bryan Cranston, who shared that his whistling on Malcolm in the Middle led to an improbable ASCAP membership. Cranston said he had an "instant camaraderie, music without the music" when he first met Miller backstage at a Broadway show. When Cranston mused that "no one knows what the hell a line like 'pompatus of love' means" in the Steve Miller Band's No. 1 1973 hit "The Joker," Miller provided some oblique light on the famously obtuse lyric. "'Pompatus of love?' My attorney is here tonight and he will explain what it is and how much it costs when you say it," Miller said of the line, which some have traced back to a 1954 song from the doo-wop group The Medallions. Also honored that evening was songwriter/singer Paul Williams, a 2001 SHOF inductee who received the "gold standard" Johnny Mercer Award at this ceremony. Teary and fiery at various points during his speech, Williams spoke about his 32-year sobriety and his hope that someday, someone will write a song befitting comedian-turned-war hero, Ukraine Pres. Zelenskyy. There was also a Muppet connection, with Kermit the Frog appearing via video to salute Williams for "saying in words and music the longing each of us feels inside." - Billboard, 6/17/22...... Elton John began the UK leg of his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour in Norwich on June 15, delivering a 23-song set and kicking off the night with "Bennie And The Jets." Elsewhere at the gig fans were treated to classics "Tiny Dancer," "Rocket Man," "I'm Still Standing," "Crocodile Rock," and the main set closer "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting." "Tonight is the 229th show on the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. We have about 103 shows to do," Sir Elton told the audience at one point. "It's been quite a journey and it all ends next July. But I want to thank you because I won't be playing here again. I want to thank you for all the memories, all the love you've sent me, all the loyalty, the kindness, the letters, the dressing up, the costumes, the multiple shows you've been to. It means the world to me and I will never forget you guys," he added. Fan-shot footage of the gig can be viewed on YouTube. - New Musical Express, 6/16/22...... Ozzy Osbourne issued his first statement following his recent major surgery, thanking fans for their support and telling them that he's out of the hospital and resting. "I am now home from the hospital recuperating comfortably," read a statement on Instagram from the 73-year-old former Black Sabbath frontman on June 15. "I am definitely feeling the love and support from all my fans and send everyone a big thank you for their thoughts, prayers and well-wishes during my recovery," he added. Ozzy's message followed wife Sharon Osbourne's message thanking fans for their well-wishes. "Our family would like to express so much gratitude for the overwhelming amount of love and support leading up to Ozzy's surgery!," Sharon wrote on Instagram. Gossip site PageSix.com reported that Osbourne was wheeled out of a Los Angeles hospital on June 14 after the "grueling" surgery to "remove and realign pins in his neck and back," with pictures showing the singer -- wearing a soft neck brace -- standing up and getting into a black Range Rover under his own power as Sharon stood by his side. - Billboard, 6/16/22...... Neil Diamond, who has rarely been seen in public since retiring from touring in 2018 after announcing he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, made an appearance during the Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park on June 18 to sing his beloved song "Sweet Caroline." Diamond, 81, stepped out during the 8th inning of the Red Sox's battle against the St. Louis Cardinals to deliver a rousing rendition of the song, with Broadway actor Will Swenson, who portrays Diamond in the new "A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical," at his side. The show is scheduled to hit Broadway this fall after its six-week run at Boston's Emerson Colonial Theatre from June 21-July 31. Diamond last performed at Fenway Park in 2013 -- just days after the Boston Marathon bombing -- and "Sweet Caroline" has been an 8th inning tradition at the ballpark since 1997. The singer announced his retirement from the live stage in 2018 after canceling dates in Australia and New Zealand, citing his Parkinson's diagnosis. "I plan to remain active in writing, recording and other projects for a long time to come," Diamond wrote on his website at the time. "This ride has been "so good, so good, so good' thanks to you. A clip of his Fenway "Sweet Caroline" performance has been shared on Twitter. - Billboard, 6/19/22...... A new version of David Bowie's classic 1973 single "Starman" has been shared on YouTube to mark the 50th anniversary of the late icon's fifth studio album, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. Ziggy, Bowie's breakthrough album in the U.S., was released on June 16 and also features the tracks "Five Years," "Suffragette City" and "Ziggy Stardust." In celebration of its half century birthday, Parlophone Records has released "Starman (Top Of The Pops Version, 2022 Mix)" ahead of a limited-edition, half-speed vinyl reissue of Ziggy reissue that drops on June 17. "Starman (Top Of The Pops Version, 2022 Mix)" was created by Ziggy Stardust co-producer Ken Scott earlier in 2022 from the BBC's original multi-tracks. - NME, 6/16/22...... In other Bowie-related news, director Baz Luhrman has revealed he had plans to work with the rock icon before David passed away in 2016 following a secret battle with cancer. "From the moment I first heard this [Bowie's 'Changes'] song, I was a huge Bowie fan, eventually worked with him [on the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack] and then towards the end of his life, he became a very good friend," Luhrman told New Musical Express. "He used to come round and we'd walk the dogs. We were talking about going to Berlin at one point to do something together. I must have been so stupid, why didn't I just say yes?," he added. Luhrman's highly anticipated Elvis Presley biopic, Elvis, is set to premiere in American theaters on June 24. Ahead of the premiere, ABC has announced it will air a new Presley special, Exclusively Elvis, in prime time on June 21. - Music-News.com, 6/18/22...... During a recent interview this week for Apple Music 1, Robert Plant revealed to Canadian media personality George Stroumboulopoulos that he was offered a role in the original Game of Thrones. "I don't want to get typecast," Plant joked of his reasoning for declining the part. "I started that s--- go back to 'Immigrant Song' and Led Zeppelin being part of cultural exchange in Iceland with the Icelandic government. So they didn't know what they'd invited onto their little island," Plant said. "I love Western European history from maybe the Bronze Age up through all the old religion and when we were really in touch with our Earth," he continued. "The Viking thing, the whole idea of playing in Iceland and experiencing this landscape and people. Yeah, I've got a lot to answer for, because I've never seen so many bands with double-bladed axes." As for what particular role he was offered in the wildly popular HBO series, Plant could not remember. "I got to ride a horse and go [lifts head]," he cheekily added. The final episode of Game of Thrones, which aired on May 19, 2019, brought in a series record of 19.3 million viewers. Plant's interview has been shared on Twitter. - Billboard, 6/15/22...... The seminal L.A. punk band Black Flag has announced it will be hitting the road in the winter of 2023 for a series of UK and Ireland. Black Flag will kick off the tour on Jan. 20 in Belfast, follow by shows in Dublin (1/21), Sheffield (1/24), Wolverhampton (1/25), Glasgow (1/26), and Manchester (1/27) before wrapping at London's O2 Forum in London on Jan. 28. The California hardcore band Total Chaos will be the openers on the run of dates. - NME, 6/16/22...... In other punk rock news, a pair a test pressings of the Sex Pistols single "Anarchy In The UK"/"I Wanna Be Me" that were owned by the late DJ and broadcaster John Peel have sold at auction for £20,400. A sale of 200 items from the John Peel Archive, including rare records, personal correspondence and memorabilia, took place at Bonhams in Knightsbridge, London, on June 14, with total sales reaching £465,783. Peel's "Anarchy In The UK" singles lot was the top seller, and it had been estimated pre-auction that the lot would not sell for more than £8000. Other items that were sold at auction included an original demo cassette recorded by The Smiths in 1983 which contained a handwritten letter from the band (sold for £17,850), a signed LP copy of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Two Virgins (£15,300), and a 73 copy of Nirvana's 1988 single "Love Buzz"/"Big Cheese" (£8,925). - NME, 6/15/22...... George Benson praised his "amazing London" fans as he took to the stage at the Hampton Court Palace Festival 2022 in London on June 16. The 79-year-old R&B legend wowed the sell-out crowd on a hot summer's night at the historic venue and took a moment before playing his 1983 hit single "Lady Love Me (One More Time)" to share his love for the UK capital. "We're finally back here at Hampton Court. People are moving from all over the world to London. You're amazing. London is amazing," the "This Masquerade" singer said. Benson's setlist was packed with his greatest hits such as "Turn Your Love Around," "In Your Eyes," "Shiver" and "Never Give up on a Good Thing," which prompted the audience to join him in a mass singalong. At the end of the show Benson left the stage to raucous applause and cheering only to return for an encore which included a cover of Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" and The Drifters's classic "On Broadway," which he covered on his 1978 album Weekend in L.A. The Hampton Court Palace Festival is a series of special and unique open-air concerts, with artists performing in an intimate 3,000-seat auditorium in Base Court, set against the backdrop of Henry VIII's magnificent Tudor Palace. - Music-News.com, 6/18/22...... The Rolling Stones announced on Twitter on June 15 their recently postponed gig in Amsterdam will now take place in July. The Stones confirmed that their Amsterdam show will now take place on July 7 and that all original tickets will remain valid. "The Stones send their deepest apologies to fans who were set to see the band in Amsterdam on Monday and can't wait to see you on July 7," they added in a statement. The Stones had announced they were forced to postpone their Amsterdam set for June 13 after frontman Mick Jagger tested positive for Covid-19. The band had also been forced to postpone a June 17 gig in Bern, Switzerland due to Jagger's health, replying to fans on Twitter on June 15 that they were "working on finding a new date for the Bern show" and "will let you know asap!" "All other dates from next week are scheduled to go ahead as planned, we'll see you next week," the account added. Jagger has also released a statement on June 15, saying that he was "feeling much better and that he "can't wait to get back on stage next week!". - NME, 6/16/22...... Longtime political sage and analyst Mark Shields, known for his encyclopedic knowledge of American politics, died of kidney failure at his home in Chevy Chase, Md., on June 18. He was 85. The Weymouth, Mass., native was also was a regular presence on CNN for decades, primarily as co-host of the weekly panel discussion show Capital Gang from 1988 until 2005, where he challenged conservative co-hosts like Robert Novak, Pat Buchanan and Kate O'Beirne. Mr. Shields was a liberal political commentator on the PBS NewsHour for 33 years, through six presidential administrations, until he decided to retire in 2020. He also worked for several local and national Democratic political campaigns, including Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 run for president, and gained first-hand experience that he later shared with readers and viewers. In 1979 he became a columnist for The Washington Post.. He is survived by his wife Anne. - CNN, 6/19/22.

The Rolling Stones announced on June 14 that they've been forced to scrap a second European tour date as frontman Mick Jagger recovers from Covid-19 symptoms. The band announced the update on Twitter, saying they are "deeply sorry for this postponement, but the safety of the audience, fellow musicians and the touring crew has to take priority." The Stones had been set to play Wankdorf Stadium in Switzerland's capital of Bern, and earlier in the week had announced the postponement of another date at Amsterdam's Johan Cruijff Arena after Jagger had tested positive for coronavirus. The band is expected to be healthy enough to play a gig at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, on June 21, and the Switzerland date will be rescheduled at a later time. The Stones are currently in the midst of their European "Sixty" trek in celebration of an amazing 60 years together, their first full-scale run since the death of drummer Charlie Watts in 2021, with replacement Steve Jordan filling in behind the kit. The tour is slated to wrap up with a July 31 show at Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. - Billboard, 6/14/22...... In related news, Ringo Starr posted on his RingoStarr.com website on June 11 that the remaining dates of his 2022 summer tour have been postponed after two of his All-Starr Band members tested positive for Covid-19. Starr says the 12 concerts left on his North American trek will be pushed to Sept. 2022 after it was discovered that keyboardist Edgar Winter and guitarist Steve Lukather were diagnosed with Covid-19. "We are so sorry to let the fans down," Starr said in the statement. "It's been wonderful to be back out on the road and we have been having such a great time playing for you all. But as we all know, Covid is still here and despite being careful these things happen. I want to thank the fans for their patience, I send you all peace and love, and we can't wait to be back in the fall," he added. Ringo, 81, and his band which includes Colin Hay of Men at Work and Hamish Stuart of Average White Band, were nearly halfway through the 22-date tour prior to its halt. The trek, Starr's first outing since 2019, kicked off in Ontario, Canada, on May 27. Ringo and the band previously announced a fall tour that is scheduled to begin on Sept. 23 at the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, Conn., and wrap Oct. 20 at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City. The postponed summer dates will be added to the band's fall schedule, which can be viewed on Ringo's site. - Billboard, 6/11/22...... In yet another tour rescheduling due to Covid, Lindsey Buckingham has confirmed new UK and European shows -- at London (10/1), Glasgow (10/3), Liverpool (10/4) and Dublin (10/6) -- after announcing in May that he was forced to postpone the tour after he and members of his live band and crew contracted Covid. Buckingham's UK run will follow rearranged gigs in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Norway and Germany. Original tickets are valid for all the corresponding new dates. - New Musical Express, 6/14/22...... On June 10 it was announced that Jeff Beck and actor/musician Johnny Depp will once again appear onstage at the upcoming Montreux Jazz Festival, set for July 1 to July 16 on the shoreline of Lake Geneva, Wis. Beck's show on July 15 at the Auditorium Stravinski had already been announced, but festival organizers revealed on Twitter that Depp will be joining him. They will perform after Van Morrison. The pair will release their joint album, 18, on the same day. The album's first single, "This Is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr," is an original by Depp and dropped on June 9. Depp made headline in May when he was a surprise guest at Beck's show in Sheffield. The pair performed covers of John Lennon, Marvin Gaye and Jimi Hendrix, and the actor went on to join Beck on stage at a handful of other gigs despite awaiting the verdict in his defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard at the time. - NME, 6/10/22...... On June 13 Sting announced on Twitter he's headed back to Sin City next year for another run of his "Sting: My Songs" Las Vegas residency. Sting's residency, which is currently in progress through June 18, will launch once again at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace for six new dates in Apr. 2023. Tickets for the extended residency will go on sale on June 17 via Sting's official website, with pre-sales for Citi cardholders starting on June 14. In an interview with People magazine about the news, Sting said: "Vegas is an attraction. You are in the middle of it, right in the center of it and it's absolutely fabulous. So, I'm enjoying every minute of it." The former Police frontman added that "it's my job to find something new every night in a song that I may have been performing for decades, and I always do," when quizzed on his favorite song from his extensive The Police and solo catalog. "It's something incremental. It may not be noticed by anyone but me." Sting first brought his solo live show to Vegas for an extended run of dates in Nov. 2021, ahead of the release of his fifteenth solo album The Bridge, which dropped later that month. - Billboard, 6/13/22...... On June 13 it was announced that The Postal Museum in London is set to display one of Freddie Mercury's childhood possessions -- his stamp album -- for the first time. The late Queen frontman's 54-page stamp album consists predominately of stamps from the British Commonwealth and reveals not only Freddie's early life in Zanzibar, but also his artistic talent. Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara (1946-1991), spent his early life in Zanzibar where his father Bomi worked for the British Colonial Office. Bomi's passion for stamp collecting was passed on to his son who is believed to have collected from the ages of nine to twelve. After the family moved to the UK in the 1960s Freddie studied graphic design at the Ealing College of Art. His artistic talent can be seen in the creation of the pages, as the designs often use the stamps' shape and color to produce symmetry on the page. The album was purchased at auction in 1993 with the proceeds going to the AIDS charity, Mercury Phoenix Trust. Since then, it has been displayed at stamp shows in the UK, Prague, and Australia as well as touring exhibitions. The album will be on display from July 13 through Oct. 30 and is part of the celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the UK Pride movement. - Music-News.com, 6/13/22...... Ozzy Osbourne's wife Sharon Osbourne tweeted on June 14 that Ozzy is "doing well and on the road to recovery" following a major operation. "Our family would like to express so much gratitude for the overwhelming amount of love and support leading up to Ozzy's surgery! Ozzy is doing well and on the road to recovery! Your love means the world to him," Sharon posted. Earlier in June, Sharon announced on her UK talk show The Talk that Ozzy could be undergoing surgery that would "determine the rest of his life." Although it is unclear what Osbourne's surgery was for, in May he said he was waiting to have neck surgery as he "can't walk properly these days." "I have physical therapy every morning. I am somewhat better, but nowhere near as much as I want to be to go back on the road," he explained. The former Black Sabbath frontman has suffered several bouts of illnesses and injuries related to accidents over the past few years, and in Jan. 2020 confirmed he had received a "challenging" diagnosis with Parkinson's disease. Currently, he's scheduled to take his "No More Tours 2" tour on the road in 2023, with the dates having been postponed multiple times due to both his ill health and the Covid-19 pandemic. His UK dates are due to kick off in Nottingham on May 31, wrapping up at Birmingham's Resorts World Arena on June 14. - New Musical Express, 6/14/22...... Bob Dylan wrapped his 2022 "Rough and Rowdy Ways" North American tour on June 11 at Oakland, Calif.'s Fox Theater with a setlist that included a cover of The Grateful Dead's "Friend of the Devil." On his third show of three nights at the venue, Dylan wapped the tour standard of "Every Grain Of Sand" for a cover of the Dead song, which has been shared on YouTube. It was the first time since 2007 that Dylan had performed the Dead song live, although it used to be a staple of his sets in the late '90s. The legendary singer/songwriter himself got the cover treatment recently, with Angel Olsen putting her own spin on his 1964 composition "One Too Many Mornings." The cover was created for the soundtrack of the new Apple TV+ series Shining Girls, which stars The Handmaid's Tale's Elisabeth Moss. - NME, 6/12/22...... As ABBA are currently hosting their "ABBA Voyage" residency in London, where "ABBAtars" perform alongside a live band, Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols says he would be "down" for a similar hologram reunion for his legendary punk bank. Speaking on Rolling Stone's Music Now podcast, Jones was asked about the idea of a Pistols reunion in the future, with the band having last played together in 2008. "Seeing that Abba can do it without being there, I'd be down," he said in response. In the first weekend of June, the Pistols' "God Save The Queen" was the biggest-selling single in the UK after being reissued on June 3, hitting the top spot exactly 45 years after it was notoriously denied No. 1 by the BBC. Despite being banned, it reached number two on the UK's singles chart. Meanwhile all six episodes of Pistol, the Danny Boyle-directed biopic series based on Jones's memoirs about the band, are currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+. - NME, 6/12/22...... Never a big fan of Britain's royal family, Elvis Costello has branded the recent "Platinum Party at the Palace" in honor of Queen Elizabeth II's 70 years on the throne "s--t" and singled out Sir Rod Stewart's performance for particular criticism. "I mean, I know you all love him and he's one of yours and everything, but Rod. What the f---? I must say, listen we all have bad nights vocally, but for f---'s sake, 'Sweet f---ing Caroline'? Are you f---ing kidding me?" The 67-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member continued his rant: "I mean I've been in show business 45 years so I do know a thing or two. How is it that nobody suggested Rod sing 'You Wear It Well'?" (Stewart's wife, Penny Lancaster, previously defended her husband in a BBC interview and insisted it wasn't his choice to sing the Neil Diamond classic -- that "it's the Queen's favourite you have to do it so he didn't have much of a choice.") Elvis then joked that another concert performer, Diana Ross, who sang "Chain Reaction," could have chosen other tracks from her back catalogue that would have been more appropriate. He quipped: "Listen, Diana Ross had a whole playlist of songs that would have fitted the occasion: 'You Keep Me Hanging On', 'I'm Living In Shame'. I'm not saying 'Love Child'. You never heard it from me." US fans of Costello can catch the rocker on Aug. 14 at the Gold Strike Casino in Tunica, Miss. - Music-News.com, 6/12/22...... Singer Julee Cruise, best known for her soundtrack work with director David Lynch and as a former member of The B52's, died by suicide on June 9 in Pittsfield, Mass. She was 65. Her death was announced on Facebook on June 10 n a post apparently by her husband, the author Edward Grinnan. It read: "I said goodby to my wife, Julee Cruise, today. She left this realm on her own terms. No regrets. She is at peace." Cruise famously sang the song "Falling," which featured lyrics by Lynch and music by Angelo Badalamenti. The instrumental was used as the theme tune for Lynch's acclaimed Twin Peaks series in 1990, with the vocal version and two other songs, "Into The Night" and "The Nightingale" appearing on the official soundtrack. Her first collaboration with Lynch was for the 1986 film Blue Velvet, which prominently features another Badalamenti collaboration, "Mysteries Of Love." In the 1990s she became a member of The B-52s, touring sporadically throughout the decade as a stand-in for Cindy Wilson. In 1993, she released a cover of Elvis Presley's "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears" for the soundtrack of Wim Wenders' Until the End of the World. - NME, 6/10/22...... Actor Philip Baker Hall, known as one of Hollywood's most distinctive, versatile and accomplished character actors, died at his home in L.A. on June 12. He was 90 years old. Effortlessly funny, and usually deadpan, Mr. Hall was a guest star on everything from Seinfeld to Family Ties to the animated feature Bojack Horseman (as the voice of Hank Hippopopalous). But he was a formidable presence in drama too -- and a particular favorite of director Paul Thomas Anderson, who cast him in small but juicy roles, most memorably in Boogie Nights (1997) and Magnolia (1999). His specialty, he later said, was playing "highly stressed older men." The Toledo, Oh., native is survived by second wife Holly Wolfle Hall and four daughters. - People, 6/27/22...... Prolific Billboard chart guru Joel Whitburn, one of the pre-eminent chart historians of the last 50-plus years, has died at age 82. The news was first shared on Facebook by Mr. Whitburn's protégé, longtime friend and Record Research Inc. co-worker Paul Haney, who wrote that the legendary industry figure "passed away peacefully overnight" on Tuesday (June 14). "He had been having some serious health issues recently, but his passing still comes as a shock," Haney continued. After founding the Record Research Inc. company in 1970, Mr. Whitburn became one of the leading authors of reference books on the Billboard charts, releasing over 100 total entries of series like Top Pop Singles, Top 40 Hits, Top 40 Albums and Top 40 Country Hits. Particularly in the time before the internet made archival chart information widely available, his books proved invaluable in providing the whole industry with reliable chart stats and records, becoming fixtures on the bookshelves for DJs, execs, writers and artists alike. (His accurate reporting also made it more difficult for publicists and labels to credibly fudge the chart achievements of their artists, a notoriously common practice in the early '70s.) Born in the Milwaukee area town of Menomonee Falls, Wis., in 1939, Mr. Whitburn grew up as a sports and music obsessive in the '50s, he became a Billboard devotee after seeing the magazine for the first time on a trip to the city with his mother. "I saw Billboard and I didn't know what it was," he recalled in a 2014 interview. "I grabbed it and started paging through it, and saw all these big, full-page ads for all these artists I had listened to on the radio... And then, all these charts ... top 20 charts, top 30 charts, with all these songs that I loved." From there, he begged his father to cover the $10 cost to be an annual subscriber to the magazine. "It was October 1953 when I first subscribed, and I don't think I've missed an issue through today," he offered. "I look forward to it every week. I can't go a week without reading my Billboard." When the Billboard Hot 100 arrived for the first time as Billboard's flagship songs chart in Aug. 1958, Mr. Whitburn made it his primary focus. He made index cards cataloguing all the relevant information of the songs listed on the magazine's then-two-page chart spread, tracking their movement on the chart from week to week. After founding his Record Research Inc. company in 1970, he released his first Top Pop Singles book. Further series followed, starting with Top Pop Albums and eventually encompassing genre-specific charts for rock, R&B, country, easy listening and more. (Eventually, Rhino Records also started to release dozens of hits compilations based on Mr. Whitburn's books.) Mr. Whitburn was also famous for his peerless record collection, which contained over 200,000 45 rpm singles, as well as "every album that has ever charted [on Billboard] all the way up to today." In his Facebook post announcing Whitburn's death, Paul Haney grouped his mentor with household name and late legendary longtime American Top 40 host Casey Kasem, in terms of his all-time chart idols. "I never got to meet Casey, but I did have the privilege of working closely with Joel for 30+ years," he wrote. "I will be eternally grateful to him for giving me my dream job and trusting me to work on the books that bear his name. Rest in peace, big guy." - Billboard, 6/14/22.