Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on November 7th, 2022



The Broadway take of the 2000 rock-themed movie Almost Famous premiered on Nov. 3 at The Jacobs Theatre in New York City, and among those attending were 70's icon Joni Mitchell, who called the musical "better than the movie." Written and directed by Cameron Crowe, Almost Famous tells Crowe's semi-autobiographical story of a teenage journalist writing for a music magazine in the 1970s, his efforts to get his first cover story published alongside hi-jinks from touring with the fictitious rock band Stillwater. It featured a shot of Mitchell's Blue album, and the singer can also be heard performing "River." Crowe was quoted in Variety that watching the Broadway version of "Almost Famous" alongside Mitchell was "an elixir that is really hard to contain that comes straight from the heart." The production will run through Apr. 9, and the cast recently performed a rendition of Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" which is famously featured in the movie and now on the stage on The Tonight Show, a clip of which has been shared on YouTube. - New Musical Express, 11/6/22...... Dolly PartonThe induction ceremony of the 2022 class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was held on Nov. 5 at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, with Dolly Parton, Carly Simon, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Duran Duran, Eurythmics and Eminem honored during a marathon (five-and-a-half-hour) event that also included superstar jams to the recounting of beautiful memories from some of rock's greatest talents. Rocking a black latex jumpsuit with large colored jewels and a matching guitar, Dolly Parton exclaimed "If I'm gonna be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I'm gonna have to earn it!" before performing a set that included a song off her forthcoming rock album. Her set included P!nk and Brandi Carlile duetting on "Coat of Many Colors," Sheryl Crow and Zac Brown Band singing "9 to 5" and a grand finale featuring every inductee (minus Eminem) for a whopping rendition of "Jolene" (which has been shared on YouTube). Rising singer Sara Bareilles pulled double duty, both inducting and performing on behalf of Carly Simon, who was unable to attend the ceremony. Bareilles beautifully belted the Grammy-nominated "Nobody Does It Better" before welcoming Olivia Rodrigo for a performance of Simon's classic No. 1 smash "You're So Vain," which was described as "the biggest hit that has kept everyone guessing for 50 years" and has been praised by no less than Taylor Swift as "the best way anyone has addressed a breakup." Judas Priest and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis also joined the Rock Hall with the "award for musical excellence." Other attendees included Dave Grohl, Ed Sheeran, Mary J. Blige, Gwen Stefani and Bruce Springsteen, who inducted producer Jimmy Iovine for an Ahmet Ertegun Award, joking that Iovine "came with the furniture" during their first few encounters in the studio. The ceremony -- unique for being the first time in the RRHOF's 37-year history that six female acts were inducted in one class -- was also radio simulcast on SiriusXM's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame radio channel, and it will also air on Nov. 19 on HBO and stream on HBO Max. - Billboard, 11/6/22...... Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks announced on Nov. 2 that they'll be hitting the road in 2023 for a very special concert series for what was originally planned to be a single night only event but "turned out will be a little more than a single evening." Tickets for what so far is a three-show tour will go on sale on Nov. 11, the Piano Man shared on Instagram, along with a poster for the first "Two Icons -- One Night Only" show on Apr. 8 to be held in Arlington, Tex. On the next day, Joel rolled out two more dates on his Instagram, revealing that Los Angeles and Nashville will also be getting concert dates on March 10 and May 19, respectively. Posting on her Instagram page on Nov. 2, Stevie Nicks beamed she was "Excited to hit the road with the amazing @billyjoel in 2023," and also teased at the possibility of additional shows, adding "More soon!" Fans in Joel's Instagram thread expressed their excitement at his and Nicks' joint venture, and begged for their cities to be added to the list, with one commenting, "ok now do this but in new york." Requests from Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana and Mexico also rounded out the list. - Billboard, 11/3/22...... The Rolling StonesIn 1972, the Rolling Stones embarked on a legendary North American tour to coincide with their acclaimed double-LP Exile on Main St. Now the The Grammy Museum at L.A. Live in Los Angeles is paying tribute to that tour with "The Rolling Stones 1972: Photographs by Jim Marshall," which opened on Nov. 5, and is scheduled to run through June 2023. The exhibit showcases backstage scenes and performance stills from the California leg of the British bad boys' tour as well as the band's visits to Sunset Sound recording studios in Los Angeles. Kelsey Goelz, associate curator at the Grammy Museum, praised photog Marshall's "masterful eye (whose) unlimited access captured the Stones in the iconic rockstar way we now visualize the band." There is an irony here: Grammy voters were resistant to the Stones -- and to rock in general -- in the 1960s and well into the '70s. Incredibly, the band didn't receive a single Grammy nomination until 1978, when Some Girls received an Album of the Year nod. But the Academy has long sought to make amends in the form of a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1986, and their albums Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St. into the Grammy Hall of Fame, along with their classic singles "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "Paint It Black" and "Honky Tonk Women" inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. They have also been awarded competitive Grammys for Voodoo Lounge in 1994 and Blue & Lonesome in 2017. Jim Marshall, too, has also been honored by the Academy, becoming the first (and so far only) photographer to be presented with the Trustees Award (an honorary award presented to individuals for nonperformance contributions to the music industry) in 2014. - Billboard, 11/3/22...... In a new interview with SiriusXM radio host Eddie Trunk, Sammy Hagar said he would be interested in taking part in a tribute concert to late Van Halen founder Eddie Van Halen, but Eddie's brother and VH drummer Alex Van Halen will not return his messages. In April, former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted leaked news of the planned tribute concert to the public, saying he had been approached to take part, along with acclaimed guitarist Joe Satriani. Then in July, Eddie's son Wolfgang Van Halen -- who played bass in the final formation of Van Halen -- confirmed that early plans for the tribute had fallen through. According to him, intentions were in place, but were in "such an early stage that it never even got off the ground." During the interview with Trunk, Hagar was asked if there had been any new development about a potential tribute concert or tour for Eddie. Hagar responded in the negative, saying: "As far as I know, [there has been] nothing... There was that talk everybody heard about Jason being the bass player and Joe Satriani playing guitar and Alex [Van Halen] and all that. Then I got the call from the management, I got the call from Irving Azoff, [who] said, 'Hey, you wanna do you and Mike [Anthony] and Al with a superstar guitar player?'" Hagar said that he responded he would be willing to play music with Anthony and Alex, but not under the banner of Van Halen. "There is no Van Halen. I don't care what anyone says." He did, however, say he would be open to performing with Anthony and Alex under the right circumstances, such as a one-off event like the concerts Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl organized to honor the late Taylor Hawkins earlier in 2022. As it stands, though, Hagar said his relationship with Alex Van Halen is essentially non-existent, revealing that the pair "don't talk": "I reached out to Alex. I'm gonna tell you right now -- I reached out to Alex again recently. Mikey had a sad thing happen in his family, and I reached out to Al, and he wouldn't return my call or my e-mail. And so I said, 'You know what? F--- it.' It's not on the top of my list, my agenda. I think Eddie deserves, definitely, a tribute... And the whole world would show up and the whole world would do it. But Alex has got a stick up his ass about something with me still, and he's gonna take it to his grave, I guess." - NME, 11/4/22...... Stevie WonderStevie Wonder announced on Nov. 3 that his annual House Full of Toys charity event will take place on Dec. 17 at L.A.'s Microsoft Theater. Now in its 24th year, the HFOT event's slate of performers, in addition to the legendary musician/activist/philantrophist Wonder, will be announced in the coming weeks. "Today, more than ever throughout the world, we are challenged with many issues: social, political, economic and spiritual," Wonder said in a statement. "But that must not stop our opportunity to give and share in the spirit and reason for the season. I am as always overjoyed to again present the celebration of House Full of Toys." Last year's HFOT marked its return after a three-year break owing to Wonder's successful kidney transplant in 2019 followed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2021 lineup included Ledisi, Johnny Gill and the icon himself. Over the years, Wonder has recruited a diverse array of stars to perform at the holiday concert including John Legend, Lionel Richie, Sheryl Crow, Justin Bieber, Drake, Anderson .Paak, Leon Bridges, PJ Morton, Ella Mai and Ari Lennox. Tickets for this year's event go on sale to the general public on Nov. 4 via AXS.COM. Concertgoers are also asked to bring an unwrapped toy or unwrapped gift of joy as a donation for the event that benefits children, people with disabilities and families in need. - Billboard, 11/3/22...... In a new interview with Blabbermouth.net, KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley revealed his co-founding bandmate Gene Simmons used to drive him "crazy." Stanley opened up about his 50-year friendship with Simmons, revealing some things the group's frontman used to do would "bother" him, but Stanley accepted they were his own issues he needed to overcome. "I remember there were things about him that used to drive me crazy. Then I realised that that's not his issue; that's my issue," Stanley said. "When people do things and it bothers you, you need to figure out why it bothers you, not expect them to change. It's not about them. And things that used to bother me about Gene, I just had to kind of figure out, 'Wait a minute. That's my issue that bothers me. And why does it bother me?'," he added. Stanley, 70, admitted he ended up "putting a lot of that stuff aside" because he knew he was never going to make his 73-year-old fellow KISS co-founder change. Asked what he's learned during his working relationship with Gene, he said: "[That's an] interesting question. Yeah, we're very different, but we certainly share a pride in what we do, a work ethic. Maybe because our parents came from Europe where I think that that's important stuff, is that pride in the work you do and to work hard for your money. Other than that, I think one of the things that took me a long time to learn - and I think Gene, by the way... I mean, he's family to me; he's a brother." - Music-News.com, 11/3/22...... A Neil Young documentary called Harvest Time about the making of the Canadian folk-rocker's classic 1972 LP Harvest is set to be screened in cinemas on Dec. 1, with select encores on Dec. 4. The film will be preceded by a personal introduction from Young about the film and his iconic album. "Created between January and September 1971, this docu-film takes viewers on an intimate journey to Young's Broken Arrow Ranch in Northern California for the 'Harvest Barn' sessions, to London for an iconic performance with the London Symphony Orchestra, and to Nashville where the then 20-something Neil Young worked on various tracks of this signature album," a synopsis for Harvest Time reads. "Performance and rehearsal content is intertwined into creative storytelling, and includes most of the tracks from 'Harvest'," the synopsis adds. Speaking about the film, Young said in a statement: "This is a big album for me. 50 years ago, I was 24, maybe 23, and this album made a big difference in my life. I played with some great friends and it's really cool that this album has lasted so long. I had a great time and now, when I listen to it, I think I was really just lucky to be there. I hope you enjoy this story, which is 'Harvest Time', and which talks about everything that happened. And now people all around the world can see it at the movies." Tickets to screenings will go on sale on Nov. 10 at neilyoungharvesttime.com, and an official Harvest Time film clip can be viewed on YouTube. Harvest Time is also included in the new Harvest - 50th Anniversary Edition release, which hits stores on Dec. 2. - NME, 11/3/22...... Elton JohnElton John announced on Instagram on Nov. 3 that he's entering his own virtual universe by presenting the new Roblox game Elton John Presents: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road. Once inside, gamers can have the full virtual experience of Elton's music and career, with a digital stroll through the legendary pop star's fashion, photographs and more. Also, fans can jump into interactive challenges set to his hits, daily scavenger hunts and trivia quizzes. The game was co-created by John along with his management firm, Rocket Entertainment, designed with more than 20 Roblox creators, and with support from Universal Music Group (UMG). The virtual space is live Nov. 3, and, for fans who want their avatars to look sharp, a virtual shop will stock complete Elton outfits or mix-and-match items. Currently, Roblox boasts more than 52 million active daily users. "Beyond the Yellow Brick Road" will host a "special performance" experience beginning on Nov. 17, with updating performances each hour through Nov. 20. More info can be found at www.roblox.com/eltonjohn. John's virtual chapter opens as the touring side of his career comes to an end. After more than 350 performances, his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour" which he began in 2018 is set to wrap in the summer of 2023. - Billboard, 11/3/22...... Appearing on Howard Stern's SiriusXM radio show for the very first time on Oct. 31, Bruce Springsteen revealed what he thinks of pop princess Taylor Swift's new album Midnights. "My daughter, a Taylor Swift fan to the max, the other day ago I pick her up at the airport," said the 73-year-old rock legend. "She says, 'Dad, Taylor Swift has got a banging new record!' I was like, 'So we got a banging new record? Alright.' And (she) plays it for me, top volume, all the way from Newark to Colts Neck, dancing in her seat. I said, "That's what I like to see.' It felt good." Asked by Stern what he thought of Swift's new record, The Boss said: "It was good. She's super talented. [I know her] just a little bit. She's a tremendous writer and I know her producer Jack Antonoff very well & they make great records. There's a lot of great work going on, people still making great records, and people are finding a lot of joy in those records & that's gonna go on." Springsteen's full interview can be viewed on YouTube. His new album Only the Strong Survive dropped on Nov. 5. - Billboard, 11/2/22...... SparksA new movie musical written by the L.A.-based '70s duo Sparks is currently in development. The launch of Ron and Russell Mael's latest project, titled X Crucior, was announced on Nov. 4 via Deadline.com. Comcast-owned production company Focus Features will develop the film, with the Mael brothers serving as screenwriters and executive producers. X Crucior has been billed as an original musical epic, although further details about the film's plot are being kept under wraps. A director and premiere date for the project has yet to be announced. Upon its release, X Crucior will mark Sparks' second film venture with Focus Features, having served as the subjects of the studio's Edgar Wright-directed acclaimed documentary The Sparks Brothers in 2021. The documentary would go on to win Best Music Film at this year's BandLab NME Awards, beating out film projects from the likes of Billie Eilish and Halsey. - NME, 11/4/22...... Former Talking Heads member Jerry Harrison and guitarist Adrian Belew -- who was briefly a member of Talking Heads in the early 1980s -- have announced a North American tour in 2023 in celebration of the 1980 Talking Heads album Remain In Light. "Remain in Light is a high point in my career," Harrison said in a statement alongside the tour's announcement. "Adrian and I had often discussed the magic of the 1980 tour and the sheer joy it brought to audiences." In his own statement, Belew described the upcoming performances as a "joyful show of Talking Heads songs you know and love performed by a hot, eleven-piece ensemble including Jerry and me... You can't help but dance and go home with a happy smile on your face." The 19-date tour kicks off on Feb. 16 in Denver and will also hit Oklahoma, Chicago, New York, Toronto, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston and more, wrapping on Mar. 11 in New Haven, Conn. Remain In Light, Talking Heads' fourth studio album, arrived in 1980 and spawned singles such as "Once in a Lifetime" and "Crosseyed And Painless." The third and final of the band's albums to be produced by Brian Eno, a number of additional musicians were brought in to contribute to the album, including Belew, who played guitar. - NME, 11/2/22.

In a new interview with the U.K.'s The Sun paper, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood says the band's next album will feature drumming by their beloved late sticksman Charlie Watts. Wood says the new LP will have some of Watts' drumming work included alongside that of touring drummer Steve Jordan's. "We are recording the new album now and we are going to LA in a few weeks to carry it on and finish it off. Charlie is on some of the tracks and drummer Steve Jordan," Wood told the paper. The new Stones album, due in the summer of 2023, will be the band's first album of new material since their 2005 effort A Bigger Bang. - NME, 10/31/22...... YusufYusuf/Cat Stevens has just signed with the talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) Entertainment in all areas. Yusuf, who has announced a global tour in 2023, is also working on several other creative endeavors including a new album that will mark his first set of new music since 2017's Grammy-nominated The Laughing Apple. In recent years, the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee has focused on revisiting his catalog as deluxe reissue projects as the albums reach their 50th anniversary, and in 2020 he released a re-recorded version of 1970's Tea for the Tillerman as Tea for The Tillerman 2. A newly remastered 50th-anniversary edition of his 1972 album, Catch Bull at Four, will drop on Dec. 2. In 2021, Yusuf, who is managed by his son, Yoriyos Adamos, landed on the New York Times' Best Seller list with his children's book Yusuf's Peace Train; he is also finishing work on his autobiography. - Billboard, 11/1/22...... The Who welcomed Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder onstage on Oct. 29 in Los Angeles for an acoustic performance of the legendary UK band's 1970 song "The Seeker." The Who was performing at a private charity cancer benefit for Teen Cancer American, the US arm of the Teen Cancer Trust founded in England by The Who's Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend. "This song involves a very loud scream on the record which I am not gonna do tonight," Who singer Roger Daltrey said when introducing the song, explaining he'd done it the night before and would have to again the following evening. Footage of the Who/Vedder jam can be viewed on YouTube. The Who first released "The Seeker" as a single in 1970, before it appeared on the band's 1971 UK hits compilation Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy. Vedder has covered the song himself on numerous occasions, both solo and when performing with his Pearl Jam bandmates. In October, The Who surprised fans in Long Island when they played "Young Man's Blues" during their encore. The band have only played the song a handful of times in the last four decades. - New Musical Express, 11/1/22...... In other The Who-related news, late co-founding Who drummer Keith Moon once threw a cat at his girlfriend according to former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman. Wyman told ClassicRock.com that Moon, after suffering an accidental overdose of the prescription drug Heminevrin which is prescribed to combat alcoholism, got into a physical altercation with his lovely Swedish girlfriend Annette Walter-Lax. "Once I was making a cup of tea in the morning and (Walter-Lax) came down -- I'd heard them fighting upstairs -- and she had scratches down each side of her face, with blood. I said: 'Annette, what happened?' And she went: 'Oh, nothing. Keith just threw the cat at me.'" Wyman described Moon as "a wonderful guy" but, "God he did overindulge." "The doctor would come round and give him so much bloody stuff, then three days later Keith would've taken it all. There'd be Valium 10s, sleeping pills, wake-up pills and speeding pills, and he would just down them all the time. And there'd be champagne in the mornings, with brandy. I used to watch him in disbelief." - Music-News.com, 10/30/22...... Bruce SpringsteenIn a new interview with Howard Stern's Sirius XM radio show, Bruce Springsteen opened up about the final moments of late longtime E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons, who passed away on June 11, 2011 at the age of 69 after suffering a stroke and undergoing two brain surgeries. Springsteen said on the day of Clemons' death, he had brought his guitar with him into Clemons' room. "I had a feeling he could hear me, because he could squeeze your hand," Springsteen said to Stern. "I took the hunch and brought the guitar, and strummed 'Land of Hope and Dreams'." Following his passing, Clemons was survived in the E Street Band by his nephew Jake Clemons. Springsteen is promoting his 21st studio album Only the Strong Survive and has shared his new cover of Ben E. King's 1962 single "Don't Play That Song" on YouTube. "I wanted to make an album where I just sang," The Boss previously said about his new LP of classic soul/R&B covers. "And what better music to work with than the great American songbook of the Sixties and Seventies?" Springsteen has announced he'll head out on tour in 2023 with his E Street Band. - New Musical Express, 11/1/22...... Taking part in a KISS Q+A session during the latest "Kiss Kruise," KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley praised Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page as someone who "paints with sound." "The guy who I respect the most and had the most impact on me is Jimmy Page ... Jimmy's Beethoven. Jimmy is so far beyond ... When people say, 'Oh, all respect to a lot of other hotshot guitar players,' they're guitar players. Jimmy Page is a brilliant cinematographer; he's a brilliant arranger. He paints with sound." Stanley continued: "There's lots of guys ... They say, 'Well, who's better: [Eric] Clapton or...?' Jimmy Page is in a class totally by himself... Those songs are paintings. You think you're hearing one big guitar. You're not. You're hearing a little guitar with another guitar behind it, and it's all layered. And that's the brilliance... [Jimmy is] brilliant. What he's done is just crazy." - Music-News.com, 10/31/22...... The Beatles are challenging pop queen Taylor Swift's latest juggernaut Midnights for top of the pops in the UK as a special deluxe rerelease of the Fab Four's 1966 album has blasted to No. 2 on the midweek chart, behind Midnights. In late October Swift last week landed her ninth U.K. chart crown -- and snapped several records --- as Midnights surged to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart with more than 200,000 chart sales, easily a career-best week for the American pop superstar. Whether the Beatles can surpass Swift will be revealed on Nov. 4 when the U.K. singles and albums charts are published. The Beatles lead in the all-time most No. 1 U.K. albums category, with 15. Meanwhile, a new official video for the Beatles' Revolver track "I'm Only Sleeping" has been shared on YouTube. The video was directed by Em Cooper and made using 1,300 oil paintings. Cooper says she wanted to explore the space between dreaming and wakefulness, working on an animation rostrum on sheets of celluloid. She painted every frame individually in oil-paint, over many months. - Billboard, 10/31/22...... Don McLeanThe Musicians Hall of Fame announced on Oct. 31 that Seventies stars Don McLean and Ray Stevens will be inducted into their hall and museum during a concert and induction gala on Nov. 22 at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. Phil Vassar will host the event, which will feature live performances by Rodney Crowell, Steve Miller, Wendy Moten and Mike Farris, with more performers to be announced. Also inducted this year will be country star Marty Stuart, with Jim Guercio honored with the producer award. This is the Musicians Hall of Fame's seventh induction ceremony, but its first since 2019. There was an induction ceremony every year from 2007-09, but they have been irregular since then, in 2014, 2016, 2019 and 2022. The Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum honors all musicians "regardless of genre or instrument," according to a statement. Inductees are nominated by current members of the American Federation of Musicians and by other music industry professionals. Meanwhile, Don McLean has called out beleaguered rapper Kanye West over his recent antisemitic rants. McLean released a statement on Oct. 2 condemning West, who now goes by the moniker Ye, for a weeks-long series of interviews in which he has repeatedly made comments disparaging of the Jewish people, actions that have resulted in Ye losing nearly every aspect of his once-formidable music and fashion empire. "Lately a flood of antisemitic invective has been triggered by the ranting of a stupid attention-seeking fool we all know," McLean wrote in the statement that did not mention Ye by name. "I want to say I stand with my Jewish friends and I stand with the state of Israel. When this kind of thing happens we should realize why the state of Israel must be respected and protected." McLean went on to say that he lived in Israel on-and-off from 1978-1982 and he "grew to love the country and the people. Living there changed my life forever." The Anti-Defamation League, which tracks antisemitic behavior in the U.S. recently reported that there were 2,717 antisemitic incidents in 2021, a 34 percent rise from the year before for an average of more than seven such attacks per day. - Billboard, 10/28/22...... Recently deceased country superstar Loretta Lynn was honored with a special tribute concert in her memor on Oct. 30 at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. "Coal Miner's Daughter: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Loretta Lynn" saw such major country artists as Wynonna, Faith Hill, Keith Urban, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Brandi Carlile and Margo Price honor Lynn, who died on Oct. 4 at the age of 90. The musicians covered such Lynn classics as "You're Lookin' At Country," "Blue Kentucky Girl," "Don't Come Home a Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)," "The Pill" and "Coal Miner's Daughter." The White Stripes' Jack White, who was also close to Lynn and produced some of her later projects, played a spirited version of Lynn's Grammy-winning album's title track, "Whispering Sea," a video of which has been shared on Instagram. - Billboard, 10/30/22...... Jerry Lee LewisTributes to Jerry Lee Lewis have been flowing in after the pioneering rock n' roll artist and country music star's passing on Oct. 28 at age 87. The Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood, posting on Twitter "R.I.P. JLL the KILLER-What a man," along with a pic of himself and Lewis in the back seat of a convertible. The Oak Ridge Boys tweeted "Jerry Lee Lewis has passed & REST EASY KILLER you were one of a kind," while actor Dennis Quaid, who portrayed the musician in the 1989 film Great Balls of Fire! issued a statement praising the rock n' roll founding father: "Jerry Lee was a Christian, an American icon and the greatest piano player in the world People will be listening to 'Great Balls of Fire' and 'Whole Lot of Shakin" 500 years from now. I will miss him. God bless you Jerry Lee." On Oct. 28, Bob Dylan paid tribute to Lewis during his gig in Nottingham, U.K., by covering Lewis's song "I Can't Seem To Say Goodbye." During his gig at the Motorpoint Arena that same night, Dylan played a version of "I Can't Seem To Say Goodbye," the song written by Don Robertson and famously covered by Lewis on his 1970 album A Taste Of Country. Introducing the rendition, Dylan said: "I don't know how many of you know, but Jerry Lee's gone. We're gonna play this song, one of his. Jerry Lee will live forever -- we all know that." The performance has been shared on YouTube. Lewis is the last survivor of the 1986 inaugural class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and became the sole survivor upon Don Everly's death on Aug. 21, 2021. Lewis has been laid to rest in the town of his Mississippi home Nesbit, south of Memphis, Tenn. - Billboard/NME, 10/28/22...... Iggy Pop has shared a raw new song titled "Frenzy" on YouTube. "Being stalked by a socio is a great way to fire up the blood," Iggy said of "Frenzy," which was produced by Andrew Watt. The song features an all-star band including Watt, Guns N' Roses' Duff McKagan and Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith. "I'm the guy with no shirt who rocks; Andrew and Gold Tooth get that, and we made a record together the old-fashioned way," Iggy said in a recent statement announcing a new partnership with Gold Tooth and Atlantic Records. Meanwhile, Pop is set to release a 10th anniversary edition of his 2012 album Aprs as part of Record Store Day's Black Friday on Nov. 25. The release will feature new cover art, a poster and a never-before-released bonus track. - NME, 10/28/22...... Lionel Richie has announced he's returning to the U.K. in 2023 for his first show there since 2019. The "Hello" hitmaker will play the Nocturne Live concert series at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, which takes place between June 14 to 18, 2023. "I'm really looking forward to heading to Blenheim Palace next summer," he said in a statement. "The UK crowds are some of the best in the world and I can't wait to get back over there to see you all!" Earlier this year, Richie was forced to cancel all of his summer 2022 UK and European gigs, including his headline slot at the Isle of Wight Festival on June 17, due to the "impact" of Covid-19. - Music-News.com, 10/31/22...... The Beach BoysThe Beach Boys have shared an unreleased track called "Carry Me Home" on YouTube ahead of the release of their upcoming Sail On Sailor - 1972 box set, which drops on Dec. 2 and features a whopping 80 unreleased tracks. "Carry Me Home" was written during 1972's Holland sessions by late Beach Boy Dennis Wilson and is about a soldier dying in the Vietnam War. The track features vocals from Blondie Chaplin, who recently reflected on its creation in an interview with Rolling Stone: "It's eerie listening back to this song after all these years. It's how Dennis felt at the time. I see him struggling with his own worries. The voice is really sensitive, and you can feel the emotional pain. War on the battlefield and inside, it's always very combustible inside. He was the real surfer, rowdy and sweet." Sail On Sailor - 1972 is the latest chapter in the BB's archival releases, and revolves around the creation of 1972's Carl and the Passions - So Tough and 1973's Holland. The BB are celebrating their 60th anniversary in 2022, and earlier in the year Capitol Records and UMe released a newly remastered and expanded edition of band's career-spanning greatest hits collection, Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys. They're also participating in a new feature length documentary that is currently in the works. Other events include "a tribute special, prestigious exhibitions and events, unique brand partnerships," according to a press release. - NME, 10/28/22...... Patrick Haggerty, a pioneering gay country music singer who broke new ground as the lead singer and guitarist of Lavender Country, has died at the age of 78. News of Haggerty's passing was shared via Lavender Country's Instagram page on Nov. 1. "This morning, we lost a great soul. RIP Patrick Haggerty", the post read. "After suffering a stroke several weeks ago, he was able to spend his final days at home surrounded by his kids and lifelong husband, JB." Haggerty established Lavender Country in Seattle, Wash. in 1972, and the band's groundbreaking self-titled debut was released the following year. It was released in partnership with the Gay Community Social Services of Seattle - an organization which Haggerty was involved with -- and was performed by the band at Seattle's first-ever Pride event in 1974. Fearless in its chronicling of queer experiences, Lavender Country is widely considered the world's first openly gay-themed country album, and reflected Haggerty's equally groundbreaking efforts in activism. Lavender Country continued to receive renewed attention in the decades since their disbandment in 1976. The group reissued their eponymous album in 1999 and 2014, and performed a handful of live shows within that period. In the '80s, Haggerty ran for political office in Seattle, and elsewhere led activism around gay rights and AIDS awareness. - NME, 11/1/22.

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