Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on April 21st, 2023

Ziggy Stardub, a reggae-based tribute to David Bowie's classic 1972 LP The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by the Easy Star All-Stars, is due Apr. 21 via Easy Star Records. The album is the latest in the New York City-based independent label's series of reggae tributes to landmark rock and pop albums, which also includes 2012's Thrillah (based on Michael Jackson's blockbuster Thriller) and the series' best-selling release, 2003's Dub Side of the Moon (inspired by Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon). "Ziggy Stardub is like taking David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars band on an airplane traveling back to Jamaica in the late 1970s; what would happen if we did that?," says Ziggy Stardub producer/arranger Michael Goldwasser. "People aren't used to hearing music they are familiar with in a totally different light, but hopefully, they'll come along for that ride with us." He adds fans' attitudes changed from negative to positive after hearing their Dub Side of the Moon. "After the album came out... people said 'Easy Star did a great job. People have told me that listening to our tribute albums got them into reggae. That's part of Easy Star's mission: to break down barriers. If you can open your mind and your heart to different music, you can open your mind and your heart to different people." - Billboard, 4/20/23...... A young English ABBA fan named Josie Felix became the one millionth visitor to see ABBA's Voyage live show at the purpose-built ABBA Arena in London on Apr. 17. Felix had been selected from scores of competition entries for writing her own song about how her dad would play ABBA as he drove her to school when she was a child. ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus says Voyage is "amazing... it has surpassed any dream I could have ever had." "We've somehow reached new generations by some miracle. I don't know how, but there you are. [The 2008 musical movie] Mamma Mia, I suppose played a role in that. There are new generations coming along." Voyage sees CGI reincarnations (or "ABBA-tars") based on the movements and performance of the living Swedish pop legends. These are then painstakingly presented to appear to be playing live with the appearance of the band in their '70s prime, backed by a full live band present in the room. Ulvaeus continued: "We don't know exactly what it is that we've done, which makes it hard to replicate. I don't know it's just for another band to do the same thing and expect the same kind of emotional effect that this has had. Not automatically -- it's not that easy." That's why Bjorn says a Voyage presentation at the UK's legendary Glastonbury Festival isn't likely. "I don't think that's possible, yet," he says. "It might be in the future. As it is, it's too complicated because the lighting, the sound, the visuals, everything is integrated and it's so complicated." Voyage currently has dates listed at the ABBA Arena until Jan. 2024. - New Musical Express, 4/18/23...... As he recently toured Australia and New Zealand, Jackson Browne became ill and was forced to cancel shows in Melbourne and Sydney. In the third week of April Browne's tour producer Frontier Touring announced his dates at Melbourne's Margaret Court Arena and Sydney's Aware Super Theatre would be postponed "due to illness," however Browne has since recovered and continued his tour Down Under the next week in Auckland and Wellington, the New Zealand capital. "I'm sorry to have to tell you that I'm still very sick, and have to postpone my concert at the Aware Super Theatre in Sydney," he explained in an Instagram post on Apr. 15. "Though I have been taking antibiotics, and have had three days of vocal rest, that has not produced the results I was hoping for. In fact, I don't actually know what kind of infection I have... I promise to get back here at the first opportunity, and play these two shows," he added. Browne has rescheduled the Melbourne show for Nov. 29, 2023 and the Sydney date for Dec. 1, 2023. It's Browne's first tour in both countries since 2018 and follows his 2021 Grammy-nominated 15th studio Downhill From Everywhere. He'll wrap up his tour Down Under on Apr. 21 in Christchurch before launching a months-long run on June 3 in Columbus, Oh. - Billboard, 4/20/23...... Billy Joel is one of millions of parents with young daughters who are avid Taylor Swift fans (or "Swifties" as they prefer to be called), and the Piano Man took his two little girls, Della Rose, 7, and Remy Anne, 5, to see Swift at her "Eras Tour" show at Tampa, Fla.'s Raymond James Stadium on Apr. 14. Joel later posted photos of the girls, his wife Alexis Roderick, and himself on Twitter and Instagram. "Rockin' into our new 'era' thank you @Taylorswift we loved the show! #swifties #taylorswift #theerastour," Joel captioned the images. Della and Remy also got an extra special treat: They were able to meet Taylor Swift herself backstage alongside their mom and dad. Other celebrities attending Swift's latest shows include Selena Gomez, Jack Antonoff, Marcus Mumford and Shania Twain. - Billboard, 4/17/23...... Judy Collins was among the honorees at the 2023 She Rocks Awards on Apr. 13 at The Ranch in Anaheim, Calif. The event, now in its 11th year, is sponsored by The Women's International Music Network (the WiMN) and honors the accomplishments of a diverse group of women representing all facets of the music industry. Accepting her Legend Award, Collins quoted favorite Mae West lines ("Too much of a good thing can be wonderful," "Restraint is fine if it doesn't go too far"). She capped her speech by leading the audience in an a capella rendition of her 1971 hit "Amazing Grace." The folk/pop singer has a 59-year span of Grammy nominations. She was nominated for best folk recording in 1964 for her third studio album, Judy Collins #3, and was nominated again in 2022 for Best Folk Album for Spellbound, her 55th album. She won a 1968 Grammy for her hit rendition of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now." The night culminated with a performance from guitarist Gretchen Menn, She Rocks Inspire Award recipient, who led her band in an original song followed by a rendition of Led Zeppelin's 1972 classic "Rock and Roll." - Billboard, 4/17/23...... Roger Waters is apparently vowing to play Frankfurt, Germany's publicly owned Festhalle on May 28, despite the planned performance there being cancelled over claims of anti-Semitism. In March, Frankfurt's City Council called off the performance over the musician's views on Israel, later describing him as "one of the world's most widely-known anti-Semites." According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the cancellation notice cited Waters' boycott of Israel -- also known as the BDS campaign -- as well as his talks with Hamas-affiliated media, comparisons of Israel to apartheid South Africa, and what many see as anti-Semitic imagery at his concerts. Now, however, Waters has suggested he's "coming anyway" despite the cancellation. He posted an update to Instagram alongside a photo of the grave of Sophie Scholl, a German student and anti-Nazi activist who was beheaded via guillotine in 1943 for distributing anti-war leaflets around the University of Munich. The post also suggested that Waters has filed an injunction against the council but has not had a response. Waters had previously indicated that he could take legal action against the motion to cancel his performances, which he argued was "unjustifiable" and an attempt to "silence him." Waters kicked off the European leg of his "This Is Not A Drill" farewell tour in March, and it hits the UK on May 31. On May 25, Waters will broadcast his show from the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic in over 1,500 cinemas across more than 50 countries around the world. The concert will feature some of Pink Floyd's best-known songs, as well as tracks from Waters' solo work. - NME, 4/17/23...... New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy proclaimed on Apr. 15 that Bruce Springsteen's birthday, Sept. 23, will be formally recognized as Bruce Springsteen Day in The Garden State. Gov. Murphy made the announcement at the inaugural American Music Honors, which were held at the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music on the campus of Monmouth University in West Long Branch, N.J. The event was hosted by another favorite son of NJ, comedian Jon Stewart. "Bruce Springsteen is one of the most recognizable, iconic and influential musicians -- and New Jerseyans -- of all time," said Gov. Murphy. "It is important that we recognize Bruce for all he has done and will continue to do, from giving us the gift of his music to lending his time to the causes close to his heart, including making the Archives and Center for American Music a repository that will inspire tomorrow's songwriters and singers. We thank him for showing the world what it means to live our New Jersey values. I am both honored and proud to declare his birthday Bruce Springsteen Day in New Jersey." In 2009, Springsteen performed at Barack Obama's historic presidential inauguration. That same year, he was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2016, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, from Pres. Obama. In 2023, Pres. Joe Biden presented him the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists and art patrons by the U.S. government. Native New Jerseyans Stevie Van Zandt, Sam Moore, Darlene Love and Steve Earle were the inaugural recipients of the American Music Honors. Located within Monmouth University, the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music preserves Springsteen's legacy and celebrates the history of American music and its diversity of artists and genres. - Billboard, 4/15/23...... On Apr. 17 Eric Clapton announced the star-studded lineup for the 2023 edition of his Crossroads Guitar Festival. This year's event will take place over two nights (Sept. 23-24) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, where Clapton will again gather some of the best guitar players in the world for headlining sets and impromptu collabs. Though not everyone on the roster will repeat over the weekend, Clapton will perform both nights, joined by Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Santana, Jakob Dylan, Albert Lee, Los Lobos, Stephen Stills, Taj Mahal, ZZ Top, the John Mayer Trio, Robert Randolph, H.E.R., Marcus King and many more. Tickets for the fest go on sale on April 21 via Ticketmaster. There are no two-day passes, only single-day tickets. In addition to some multi-million-dollar historical guitars on display at the arena's Legends Collection area, there will also be an unveiling of the 25th anniversary Crossroads Guitar Collection, a rare series of limited-edition guitars based on some of Clapton's vintage gear. A significant portion of profits from the sale of the guitars will go to aid Clapton's Crossroads Centre at Antigua treatment and education facility. - Billboard, 4/17/23...... The Coco Palms Resort in Hawaii, famous for being featured in the 1961 Elvis Presley movie Blue Hawaii, will soon be demolished and rebuilt into a new 350-room hotel, according to a local Honolulu paper. The Coco Palms on the island of Kauai is best known in movie lore as the location where Presley and Joan Blackman's characters married in Blue Hawaii, and it's also the site of other key scenes in the movie, including the last where Presley sings the "Hawaiian Wedding Song" and holds Blackman's hand while they board a raft to cross a lagoon. In its heyday, it was famed for being frequented by other Hollywood stars like Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth and Bing Crosby. The 46-acre grounds were also once home to Kauai's last queen, Deborah Kapule, who died in 1853. Several attempts to restore the property have failed over the years, and developers say the $250 million project will take three years to complete. - Billboard, 4/15/23...... Influential jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal died on Apr. 16 at his home in Ashley Falls, Mass., due to prostate cancer. He was 92. A beloved piano player and composer, Mr. Jamal's unique sound influenced fellow jazz greats Miles Davis and McCoy Tyner, as well as a generation of crate-digging hip-hop lyricists and producers who sampled his music, including J Dilla (who snagged Jamal's 1974 tune "Swahililand" for De La Soul's "Stakes Is High"), Nas ("The World is Yours") and DJ Premiere (for Gang Starr's "Soliloquy of Chaos") among many others. After scoring a hit with 1958 album Ahmad Jamal at the Pershing: But Not for Me, the jazz great opened the short-lived Chicago club the Alhambra. Mr. Jamal continued to perform and record well into his 80s, releasing his final album, the mostly solo piano collection Ballades, in 2019. - Billboard, 4/17/23...... British musician Cliff Fish, best known as the bass guitarist in 1970s rock band Paper Lace which scored a U.S. No. 1 hit in July 1974 with "The Night Chicago Died", died on Apr. 14 following a battle with cancer, his wife Elaine has confirmed. "I just wanted to share the sad news that Cliff passed away on Friday afternoon after losing his battle with cancer," Elaine told the U.K. paper The Sun on Apr. 16. "The last two years have been very difficult but Cliff faced the challenges of cancer with bravery, courage and lived his life to the fullest he possibly could right to the end. Everyone that knows Cliff will already know what a kind, caring, fun loving, wonderful, genuine person he was and what a pleasure it was to spend time in his company." Fish, who is also survived by his sons Rob and John -- achieved success with hits such as "Billy Don't Be a Hero" in the UK and "The Night Chicago Died" before he and his 1969-formed Nottingham quintet -- which also included frontman Phil Wright and Carlo Paul Santanna -- went on to further acclaim in the United States. During their heyday, the "Black-Eyed Boys" rockers released albums First Edition as well as And Other Bits of Material / Paper Lace before disbanding in 1980, then eventually reforming in 2015. Elaine added: "Not only a talented musician and performer, he made a success from anything he turned his hand to in life and was a devoted Husband, Father and Grandfather throughout. Cliff will never be forgotten and he will never stop being unconditionally loved by his family and friends. Rest in peace Cliff. X" - Music-News.com, 4/17/23...... Otis Redding III, who followed his famous father Otis Redding into music, has died at age 59. His death was confirmed by his sister Karla Redding-Andrews in a statement posted on the Facebook page of the Otis Redding Foundation, the family's charity in their hometown of Macon, Ga. The Reddings had a top 10 hit on Billboard's Hot Soul Singles chart in 1980 with "Remote Control." A subsequent single, "Call the Law," made the top 20 on that chart in 1988 (when it was called Hot Black Singles). "Remote Control" crossed over to hit the Billboard Hot 100, as did a 1982 rendition of their father's immortal "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay." Redding III continued playing and performing after the band recorded its final album in 1988. He was once hired for a European tour as guitarist for soul singer Eddie Floyd, under whose guidance the younger Redding became comfortable performing "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay" and other songs of his famous father. He worked with his family's foundation to organize summer camps that teach children to play music, and served as board president for the local chapter of Meals on Wheels. He continued to perform his father's songs for audiences large and small, according to his website, from appearing onstage at Carnegie Hall for a 2018 Otis Redding tribute concert to singing at weddings and private parties. Redding said he was grateful for the enduring legacy even if it overshadowed efforts to make music of his own. - Billboard, 4/19/23.

Blondie and their longtime collaborator Nile Rodgers of Chic jammed together onstage on two songs -- Blondie's 1980 hit "Rapture" and Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry's 1981 solo track "Backfired" -- during Blondie's set at the Coachella 2023 festival on Apr. 14 in Indio, Calif. Rodgers produced the Blondie LP KooKoo, the album that "Backfired" appears on, and "Rapture" was inspired by the Chic song "Good Time." He performed guitar on both songs, following the band's cover of "The Tide Is High" by The Paragons. Footage of Rodgers performing "Rapture" with Blondie can be seen on Twitter.com. Blondie's 11-song setlist from weekend one of Coachella also included such hits as "Call Me," "The Tide Is High," "Heart of Glass" and "Dreaming." Blondie is reportedly working on its as-yet-unannounced 12th album. - New Musical Express, 4/15/23...... In a real estate flip that would make any superstar diva proud, Cher is putting her palatial Malibu mansion up for sale for a cool $75 million after purchasing it for $2.95 million in 1989. Cher, 76, is offloading the oceanside estate she transformed into a Mediterranean-style sanctuary with an array of diva-worthy features -- including a temperature-controlled wig room and a meditation room in the primary suite. She first listed the 1.75-acre villa for $85 million last fall before slashing the price in March. - People, 4/17/23...... KISS were forced to pause a show in Manaus, Brazil on Apr. 12 when bassist/singer Gene Simmons fell ill. Simmons, 73, had to take a seat on the stage and the band temporarily halted the while crew members looked after him. The show was only paused for around five minutes before he returned to the stage again and continued performing for the remainder of the set. "We're gonna have to stop," frontman Paul Stanley said to the crowd when he noticed Simmons was seated. "You know how much we love Gene, and he's obviously sick. And we're gonna have to stop to take care of him, 'cause we love him, right?" Stanley then asked the crowd to chant "Gene" as the bassist was being tended to by the crew. While seated, Simmons plated some of the bass parts to KISS' 2010 track, "Say Yeah" before returning to the front of the stage. Fan-captured footage from the moment can be viewed on Twitter.com. The following day, Simmons took to Twitter to discuss the reasons for his illness -- explaining that it was caused due to dehydration. "Hey everybody, thanks for the good wishes," he wrote. "I'm fine. Yesterday at Manaus Stadium in Brazil, [I] experienced weakness because of dehydration. We stopped for about five minutes, I drank some water, and then all was well. Nothing serious. Tomorrow, Bogota Stadium. See you there!" KISS's Bogota performance will be at Colombia's Monsters Of Rock Festival, where they will share the stage with other hard rock icons including Deep Purple, Helloween, Saxon and Scorpions. KISS launched their "End Of The Road' tour in 2019 and confirmed that it would mark their last ever live performances -- although some fans have questioned the claims. Their last ever live performances will take place at New York City's Madison Square Garden on Dec.1 and Dec. 2. - NME, 4/14/23...... In 2021, Bob Dylan recorded and released a performance film titled Shadow Kingdom via the Veeps platform for just one week. On June 2, Columbia/Legacy will release that performance as a live album that includes all 13 songs that were in the film, along with the instrumental that closed it out, now identified as "Sierra's Theme." The album version will be released on streaming platforms, as a CD and a double-LP. The Shadow Kingdom film itself, out of circulation since its initial one-week run in 2021, will become available for rental and download for the first time in June, as well. A recording of 'Watching the River Flow' off the upcoming live record has also been released, and shared on YouTube. Dylan's performance of the song in 2021 marked the first time in seven years that he played the 1971 single live. On Apr. 12, Dylan treated Japanese fans to a surprise cover of the Grateful Dead's 1970 hit "Truckin'" during a show at the Tokyo Garden Theater. It marked the first time that Dylan has performed the song, as well as one of Dylan's rare surprises in an otherwise standard setlist for his "Rough and Rowdy Ways" tour, which began in 2021. - NME, 4/14/23...... In other Dylan-related news, Metallica have responded to the recent revelation that the iconic folk rocker has seen the band perform live twice. In December, Dylan recalled in a rare interview with the Wall Street Journal that he has attended two Metallica concerts previously, as well as gigs by Oasis and Klaxons. In a recent interview with New Musical Express, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said: "I saw that. I don't know if Bob reads the NME or not, but I have one thing to say to him: 'Bob, you're welcome at any Metallica show anywhere in the world at any time -- but please come backstage and say hello. We'd love to meet you and pay our respects!'" The same WSJ interview saw Dylan reveal that he'd "made special efforts" to see Jack White and Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner. He also praised the likes of such other modern acts as Royal Blood, Celeste, Rag N' Bone Man and Nick Cave. - NME, 4/12/23...... Late country/pop singer Kenny Rogers' first posthumous album, Life Is Like a Song, is set to drop on June 2 via UMe. Rogers, who scored several hits with The First Edition in the 1960s before transitioning into a successful solo country music career that ultimately earned him membership into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013, died on March 20, 2020, from natural causes at the age of 81. Life Is Like a Song will be the first non-holiday studio album from Rogers in a decade, and his only non-compilation/non-reissued full-length album to be released on vinyl since 1991. The project will include 10 songs that were deeply personal to the late singer-songwriter, and will be available digitally as well as on CD and vinyl. Curated and executive produced by Rogers' widow, Wanda Rogers, the album includes eight never-before-heard recordings, spanning from 2008 to 2011. A digital deluxe version of the project will include two bonus tracks: a cover of the classic "At Last," and the Buddy Hyatt-penned original "Say Hello to Heaven." "I think the record is fabulous, and it is going to make Kenny so proud," said Wanda via a statement. "These songs are such a beautiful reminder of his love 'for the feelings a song can make' for a person. He would often say that he wanted his songs to be 'what every man wants to say, and every woman wants to hear.' I think there are a lot of those moments on this album.... There is joy, there is love, there is family, there is uncertainty, there is pain, there is faith ... it's emotional and real. This is the kind of music Kenny loved to make." - Billboard, 4/12/23...... Paul Simon has announced he'll follow up his 2018 rarities collection In the Blue Light with a continuous seven-song musical suite entitled Seven Psalms. Intended to be listened to in its entirety, the 33-minute, seven-movement all-acoustic composition is slated for release on May 19. According to a press release, Seven Psalms is predominantly performed by Simon and it captures the legendary pop singer/songwriter's "craft at its finest and most captivating, simply with his voice and guitar." In a preview trailer shared on YouTube, the 81-year-old musician explains that in Jan. 2019 he had a dream that told him he was working on a piece called "Seven Psalms." "The dream was so strong that I got up and I wrote it down, but I had no idea what that meant," he says over gently picked acoustic guitars. "Gradually, information would come," he adds, noting that he began waking up between 3:30 and 5 a.m. "and words would come. I'd write 'em down and start to put it together." Among the guest contributors are the British vocal ensemble VOCES8 and Simon's wife, singer Edie Brickell, who is seen in the video singing alongside the folk/pop icon, holding hands as they harmonize. Seven Psalms was produced by Simon and Kyle Crusham. - Billboard, 4/12/23...... Proving America still has good vibrations about The Beach Boys, the ratings are in for the recent CBS broadcast A Grammy Salute to the Beach Boys, and the Apr. 9 presentation was No. 1 in its time period with 5.18 million viewers and was the night's No. 2 primetime broadcast in viewers (The night's champ was its lead-in, the venerable 60 Minutes, with 6.43 million viewers.) The two-hour program had the largest audience for a Grammy Salute special since A Grammy Salute to Prince, which aired on Apr. 21, 2020. The special, taped on Feb. 8 in Los Angeles, was attended by Beach Boys Brian Wilson, Al Jardine, David Marks, Bruce Johnston and Mike Love, and featured performances by Andy Grammar, Beck, Jim James, Brandi Carlile, John Legend, Charlie Puth, Fall Out Boy, Foster the People, Hanson, Norah Jones, Lady A, John Legend, Little Big Town, Luke Spiller, Taylor Momsen, Michael McDonald, Take 6, Mumford & Sons, My Morning Jacket, Pentatonix, LeAnn Rimes, St. Vincent, and Weezer. It also featured appearances by fellow music icons Elton John and Bruce Springsteen and actors Tom Hanks, Drew Carey and John Stamos. - Billboard, 4/11/23...... Sting announced on Apr. 11 that he'll launch his "My Songs" world tour in North America on Sept. 5 in Toronto, the first of a series of dates across the U.S. and Canada. The former The Police frontman's tour has previously traveled to Asia, Africa and Australia earlier in 2023, and will make stops in Boston (9/7), Vancouver (9/29), San Diego (10/4), Phoenix (10/9), Los Angeles (10/7) and more before wrapping in Rogers, Ark., at the Walmart AMP on Oct. 12. Members of Sting's official fan club were one of the first to score presale access to the tour starting on Apr. 12 by visiting his website, www.sting.com, with the tour's general onsale starting on Apr. 14. - Billboard, 4/11/23...... Rocker and conservative firebrand Ted Nugent has weighed in on the recent uproar on the right over Bud Light beer teaming p with a trans social influencer named Dylan Mulvaney. Appearing on a recent episode of the right-wing channel Newsmax's program Eric Bolling the Balance, Nugent said: "The beauty of my life is that I've never spent one red cent on alcohol. But I made sure that my entire crew and my family will never allow any Anheuser-Busch products anywhere near my world." After referencing a similar Pride-related campaign coming from Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey as well, Nugent called out these campaigns for being "disrespectful" to the brands' "core consumer demographic," appearing to refer to conservatives. "How can they possibly have a meeting around the table and come to the conclusion that they're going to piss in the face of the people who pay their salaries?" he said. "This is the epitome of cultural deprivation in an ongoing tsunami of cultural deprivation." Nugent is just one in a series of artists to share their displeasure with Anheuser-Busch's recent work with Mulvaney. Country singer Travis Tritt declared that he would no longer include any of the company's products on his tour rider, while Kid Rock declared "f--k Anheuser-Busch" in a recent social media video after shooting three cases of Bud Light with an assault rifle. Nugent applauded Kid Rock in his interview, saying, "I think I might've trained Kid Rock appropriately, because nothing says 'I love you' like a fully automatic MP5 and nine-millimeter blasting about 600 rounds per minute." The partnership in question came when Mulvaney posted a video to her social media accounts promoting a March Madness-themed campaign for Bud Light, wherein she received a commemorative can of the drink with her face emblazoned on the side. Anheuser-Busch stood by its campaign in a recent statement to Billboard, saying it was one of "hundreds" meant to help the brand "authentically connect with audiences across various demographics." The spokesperson also added that Bud Light cans with Mulvaney's face were not for sale, since the piece was "a gift to celebrate a personal milestone." A spokesperson for Jack Daniel's also offered a statement to Billboard, standing by their values of "individuality and living life boldly on your own terms," and adding that their products are made "with everyone in mind, including the LGBTQ+ community." The backlash has also reportedly sparked concern from beer distributors that the controversy could hurt beer sales. Squabbles have broken out at bars and distributors are canceling events featuring the iconic Budweiser Clydesdale horses. The 26-year-old Mulvaney is also a pitchwoman for the Kate Spade fashion brand, which has also been criticized by conservatives. The influencer is reported to have earned more than $1 million promoting products such as Ulta Beauty, Haus Labs, Crest, InstaCart, and CeraVe. - Billboard, 4/11/2023...... A rep for Gordon Lightfoot announced on Apr. 11 that the iconic Canadian singer/songwriter has been forced to cancel his U.S. and Canadian concert schedule for 2023 "due to health issues." Lightfoot, 84, had numerous U.S. shows scheduled in April, June and September, and one Canadian show -- Oct. 14 at Kitchener's Centre in The Square -- on the books but "is unable to confirm rescheduled dates at this time." The statement continued: "We thank you for respecting his privacy as he continues to focus on his recovery." The "Sundown" hitmaker has been a rigorous health nut (aside from smoking) with daily workouts since recovering from a Sept. 2002 stomach aneurysm in his hometown of Orillia, Ont., while preparing for the second show of a two-night stand there. He was airlifted to Hamilton's McMaster Medical Centre and underwent emergency vascular surgery, followed by a six-week coma, a tracheotomy, and four more operations. Lightfoot had follow-up surgery in 2003 and in Sept. 2006 had a minor stroke that temporarily left him without the use of the middle and ring fingers on his right hand but by 2007 he had full use again. Speaking with The Sun newspaper in Dec. 2022, Lightfoot spoke about the recent death of fellow Canadian singer/songwriter Ian Tyson of "Four Strong Winds" fame and how instrumental Tyson had been to his career after covering "Early Mornin' Rain." "He was the first person to record a Gordon Lightfoot song," said Lightfoot. "The next thing I knew I was getting launched into the music business. I've always been eternally grateful to (then folk duo) Ian & Sylvia for getting me started in this business." Lightfoot has also long covered Tyson's song "Red Velvet" in his own concerts. "That was about a guy trying to find his way back to his girl," said Lightfoot. "Four Strong Winds, that's the same as Red Velvet. They're love songs." - Canoe.com, 4/11/23....... Piano-playing political satirist Mark Russell, who starred in PBS comedy specials and playfully gibed every President since Eisenhower, died of prostate cancer on Mar. 30 in Washington, D.C. He was 90. - People, 4/17/23.