Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on June 1st, 2023

Already honored by the Guinness Book of World Records for such accomplishments as "Most decades with a top 20 hit on the U.S. Hot Country Songs" (6) and "Most No. 1 hits on the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart by a female artist" (25), Dolly Parton added three more Guinness accolades to her record during a recent presentation. She now holds the record for "Most studio albums released by a female country singer" (65, from 1967 through 2022); Most top 10 entries on the Top Country Albums chart as a female artist" (48 entries), and "Female artist with the longest span of No. 1 hits on the Top Country Albums chart" (43 years, 156 days). Celebrating the longevity and success of Dolly Parton's remarkable career with three more Guinness World Records titles was incredible," said Michael Empric of Guinness via a statement. "Dolly isn't just a legend ... she is officially amazing!" adjudicator Michael Empric said via a statement." "I am humbled every time I receive a new Guinness World Records title. I share these three new honors with my fans, who have allowed me to enjoy such a long career," Dolly responded in her own statement. With the addition of the latest three accolades, Parton now has a total of 10 Guinness world records. - Billboard, 5/31/23...... A spokesperson for Disney Music Group is denying reports that the corporation is considering selling Queen's music catalog for $1 billion, which would easily surpass the current record of $500 million paid for the purchase of Bruce Springsteen's catalogue in 2021. Earlier, an industry source familiar with the alleged music acquisition told CNN that discussions are "well underway" for Universal Music Group to acquire the legendary band's entire back catalog from DMG. CNN reported that Queen's sale figure would be so high because the band received a resurgence in popularity following the release of the 2018 biopic Bohemian Rhapsody which told the story of the band's inception with a focus on late frontman Freddie Mercury. Guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, who co-founded the band along with Mercury, continue to perform as Queen with Adam Lambert as their lead vocalist. Meanwhile, a new exhibition capturing the history of Queen through May's own stereoscopic (3-D) camera lenses are being shared for the first time to the public in an extensive exhibition. From an early age, Brian travelled with a 3-D camera in hand, so on Queen tours and during recordings he was able to capture rare behind-the-scenes moments of the legendary art-rock band. Some of the pictures were taken on stage; others behind the scenes, including informal shots taken on the road and during leisure time, giving close-up glimpses of the band as never seen before. The exhibition also includes stereoscopic photos taken by fans of modern day Queen with its lead vocalist Adam Lambert, and captures the wonders of the recent hit Queen musical "We Will Rock You." "Queen Will Rock You in 3-D" will be brought to life in three dimension with an ingenious OWL Stereoscopic Viewer designed by Brian himself. Curated by Proud Galleries and May, it runs in London from June 2 through Sept. 23. A companion book by May is also available at Proud Galleries. Queen + Adam Lambert kicks off a U.S. tour on Oct. 5 in Baltimore and runs through Nov. 12 in Los Angeles. - Music-News.com, 5/31/23...... In a new interview with BBC London, Elton John confessed he is "a little intimidated" by England's legendary Glastonbury music festival. Sir Elton, 76, is set to headline the world-famous music festival for the first time in his six-decade-spanning career on June 2, and says he has no idea what to expect when he steps out on the Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm in Somerset. "I'm a little, not frightened, but I'm a little intimidated by it because I haven't played there, I haven't been there," John told BBC Radio 2. "It's the first time I've been asked... it's come at the right time, I'm a great believer in serendipity and fate and it's the most wonderful way to sign off in England," the "Tiny Dancer" singer added. John says concertgoers can expect mystery guests during his headline set. "I've got guests and I can't tell you who they are," he said. His most recent collaborations include the likes of Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus and Stevie Nicks. Elton -- who has children Zachary, 11, and Elijah, nine, with his husband and manager David Furnish -- says he has no set plans after his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour ends. "Everything is up in the air... boys go back to school... piano won't go away forever... it'll be very sporadic, I really don't want to tour again... I'm not going back to Vegas." - Music-News.com, 5/31/23...... Eric Clapton, Aerosmith's Joe Perry, Metallica's Kirk Hammett, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Rod Stewart and Johnny Depp were among the musicians who came together to pay tribute to the late Jeff Beck at two special concerts held at London's Royal Albert Hall on May 22 and 23. The musicians performed material and covers that Beck himself played throughout his lifetime. Among the highlights were a cover of John Lennon's "Isolation" performed by Hammett, Depp and Gibbons, in tribute to Beck and Depp's take on the song that was released in 2022. In addition, Stewart played a four-song medley with Clapton, and Gibbons and Depp took on ZZ Top's "Rough Boy," a song Beck and Gibbons used to play together. Clapton also played an extended set on both nights which featured some of Beck's originals like "Beck's Bolero," as well as songs from their time in the Yardbirds and blues standards by Buddy Guy and Muddy Waters. Other notable performers across the two nights included Ronnie Wood, John McLaughlin, Derek Trucks and members of the Jeff Beck Band: Rhonda Smith, Anika Nillesand Robert Stevenson. Fan-filmed footage of the shows has been shared on YouTube. Beck rose to fame with the Yardbirds, whom he joined in 1965, replacing Clapton in the band's line-up. The two musicians went on to tour together as soloists in their later years. Clapton paid tribute to Beck on social media in the wake of the guitarist's death earlier in 2023. "'Always and ever'," he captioned a photograph of the late artist. - New Musical Express, 5/29/23...... Bruce Springsteen is taking in stride a recent onstage accident during a concert in Amsterdam when he took a tumble as he and the E Street Band launched into their 2020 hit "Ghosts." In a clip that has been uploaded to Twitter, TikTok and other social media (generating more than 10,000 comments), the Boss was filmed tripping and falling as he walked up a small set of steps onstage. But the 73-year-old "Born to Run" singer was all smiles after the mishap, quickly springing back up with a grin as his bandmates rushed to his aid. "Good night everybody!" he joked, before launching into another song. Springsteen's current world tour is seeing the rocker play to European crowds until the end of July. In August, he returns to North America for eight dates across Canada -- including two nights at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena -- this November. New Musical Express, 5/31/23...... Organizers of the ABBA Voyage virtual concert series have marked the one-year anniversary of the production on May 25 by releasing new production images from Voyage. The show, which takes place at a purpose-built venue in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and has welcomed more than one million fans since it launched in 2022, sees the Swedish pop outfit perform their many hits as digital avatars. The show has been critically acclaimed, and described as a "feel-good sensory overload" where "digital sorcery meets pure pop bangers." The ABBA Voyage virtual concert series is currently set to run in London into May 2024, with plans reported for the experience to be taken on a world tour. - NME, 5/26/23...... Rod Stewart has backed out of a potential catalog sale to Hipgnosis after two years worth of negotiations with the company after he reportedly decided that it "was not the right company." On May 29, Stewart released a statement saying he wanted to retain ownership of his catalog, which "represents my life's work." "And it's become abundantly clear after much time and due diligence that this was not the right company to manage my song catalog, career or legacy." Further details about the potential catalog sale are not known, including whether Stewart intended to sell his full catalog or just a smaller piece or royalty stream. Neither Hipgnosis nor Stewart's team would comment further when asked for specifics. Two music asset buyers independently noted to Billboard that Stewart's public statement might be a "great way to drum up business for the catalog" and "to generate calls from potential suitors," but another source noted it seems that a star of this magnitude would not need to speak out publicly in order to gain the attention of other buyers. The Hipgnosis Songs Fund, which has amassed a catalog of over 65,000 songs and records, has struggled since last summer, with its share price declining by 27% from a year ago to 81.85 pence. - Billboard, 5/30/23...... As is normal when an artist of the stature of Tina Turner dies, the legendary performer is on the verge of landing four album titles in the U.K.'s national albums chart, led by her The Platinum Collection hits LP. Turner's career retrospective could crack the top 10 for the first time, reentering at No. 8 on the midweek chart, the Official Charts Company reports. The Platinum Collection originally peaked at No. 14 following its release in 2009. Another hits compilation, 1994's The Collected Recordings, is poised for a No. 12 return, while the singer's Private Dancer set from 1984, one of the greatest comebacks of the 20th century, could vault to No. 31, having originally peaked at No. 2. All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published on June 2. During her lifetime, Turner landed nine top 10 albums in the U.K., including two No. 1's (Foreign Affair and the soundtrack to What's Love Got To Do With It). Turner died "of natural causes" according to her rep on May 24 after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland. - Billboard, 5/30/23...... A local musicians' union in New York City is objecting to the lack of a live band in former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne's upcoming Broadway show "Here Lies Love," calling it an "existential threat" to the art form. "Here Lies Love," originally conceived by Byrne 17 years ago, has played an Off-Broadway run, in addition other engagements. It has previously been performed to a pre-recorded track, since it was inspired by the karaoke genre and the use of "track acts" in a club, which allow audience members to keep dancing, according to a representative for the production. The disco-pop musical is based on a concept album by Byrne and Fatboy Slim and follows the story of Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines. The Alex Timbers-directed musical is scheduled to begin previews at the Broadway Theatre on June 17. The theater has been completely remodeled to accommodate a dance floor and other immersive levels for audience members. The production has requested a "special situation" stipulation, which would allow the show to proceed with less than the required number of musicians. The union notes that while the show is almost entirely performed to a pre-recorded soundtrack, there is a moment where a handful of actors play instruments. "A show with no live music and just pre-recorded tracks is absolutely an existential threat to Broadway- and is a cultural threat to musical theater worldwide," said Local 802 president and Executive Director Tino Gagliardi. - Billboard, 5/30/23...... Tom Waits is reportedly "writing again" according to a new memoir by his longtime Irish music agent, Paul Charles. In his book, Adventures in Wonderland, Charles discusses his transition into being one of the most important agents in the music industry, as well as his time working with artists including Van Morrison, Dire Straits, The Kinks, U2 and more. In one section of the book Charles discusses his longtime relationship with Waits and includes a discussion of the last performance the troubadour did back in 2008 -- in a tent venue in Dublin named the Rat Cellar. "We all hope he will tour again," Charles writes. "After he did the three nights in the Rat Cellar, he went home. He enjoyed the tour a lot, and the idea was to start writing. He did a bit of recording, and then he basically got distracted by the movie world for a while. The news is that he's started writing again. We've all got our fingers crossed for another return visit." Waits released his last studio album, Bad As Me, in 2011 and, more recently, his 1973 debut album, Closing Time, celebrated its 50th anniversary with a new vinyl reissue. - NME, 5/24/23...... Several Jewish groups, politicians and an alliance of civil society groups gathered for a memorial ceremony and a protest rally against a concert by Roger Waters in Frankfurt, Germany on May 28. They accuse the Pink Floyd co-founder of antisemitism -- an allegation he denies. Waters has also drawn their ire for his support of the BDS movement, which calls for boycotts and sanctions against Israel. Frankfurt authorities had initially tried to prevent the concert taking place, but Waters successfully challenged the move in a local court. The concert is taking place in the city's Festhalle, where in Nov. 1938 more than 3,000 Jews were rounded up by the Nazis, beaten and abused, and later deported to concentration camps. "[Waters'] words and imagery spread Jew-hatred and are part of a trend: to normalize Israel-hatred under the protection of freedom of speech or art," Elio Adler, the head of the Jewish group WerteInitiative which supports the protest, said. Earlier in May, police in Berlin said they had opened an investigation of Waters on suspicion of incitement over a costume the musician wore when he performed in the German capital in May. - Billboard, 5/28/23...... That '70s Show star Danny Masterson was convicted of two counts of rape in a Los Angeles courtroom on May 31 and faces a 30 years to life sentence after a jury found him guilty on two of three counts of rape at his second trial, in which the Church of Scientology played a central role. The 47-year-old actor's wife, actress and model Bijou Phillips, gasped when the verdict was read and wept as he was taken into custody, while a group of family and friends who sat stone-faced behind him throughout both trials. The jury of seven women and five men reached the verdict after deliberating for seven days spread over two weeks. They could not reach a verdict on the third count, that alleged Masterson raped a longtime girlfriend. They had voted 8-4 in favor of conviction. Masterson will be held without bail until he is sentenced. No sentencing date has yet been set, but the judge told Masterson and his lawyers to return to court Aug. 4 for a hearing. "I am experiencing a complex array of emotions -- relief, exhaustion, strength, sadness -- knowing that my abuser, Danny Masterson, will face accountability for his criminal behavior," one of the women, whom Masterson knew as a fellow member of the church and was convicted of raping at his home in 2003, said in a statement. A second woman, a former girlfriend, whose count left the jury deadlocked, said in the statement: "While I'm encouraged that Danny Masterson will face some criminal punishment, I am devastated that he has dodged criminal accountability for his heinous conduct against me." A spokesperson for Masterson declined comment, but his attorneys will almost certainly appeal. After a deadlocked jury led to a mistrial in December, prosecutors retried Masterson, saying he forcibly raped three women in his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. They told jurors he drugged the women's drinks so he could rape them. They said he used his prominence in the church -- where all three women were also members at the time -- to avoid consequences for decades. The two women whose testimony led to Masterson's conviction said that in 2003, he gave them drinks and that they then became woozy or passed out before he violently raped them. He knew both from social circles in the church. Masterson was not charged with any counts of drugging the victims, and there is no toxicology evidence to back up the assertion from the prosecution. His attorney asked for a mistrial over the issue's inclusion. The motion was denied, but the issue is likely to be a major factor in any potential appeal. The charges date to a period when Masterson was at the height of his fame, starring from 1998 until 2006 as Steven Hyde on Fox's That '70s Show -- the show that made stars of Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace. Masterson had reunited with Kutcher on the 2016 Netflix comedy The Ranch, but was written off the show when an LAPD investigation was revealed in Dec. 2017. - AP, 5/31/23.

The lead single from Dolly Parton's upcoming rock-influenced album has soared to No. 1 on Billboard's Rock Digital Song Sales chart dated May 27. In the May 12-18 tracking week, "World on Fire" sold 6,000 downloads in the United States, according to Luminate. That's after it moved 1,000 downloads in its first day of release, May 11, sparking its No. 13 debut on the May 20-dated survey (reflecting sales May 5-11). At the time, it became Parton' s first appearance on a Billboard rock chart. "World on Fire" was also bolstered by Parton' s performance of it on the Academy of Country Music Awards late on May 11, with that live video uploaded to Parton' s YouTube page May 12. The track concurrently opens at No. 3 on the Country Digital Song Sales chart, Parton's best rank since her Kenny Rogers duet "Islands in the Stream" hit No. 2 in Apr. 2020 after Rogers' death. "World on Fire is the first taste of Dolly's new album Rockstar, which will drop Nov. 17. The 30-song set features a score of collaborators, including Joan Jett, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Steven Tyler and more. - Billboard, 5/25/23...... Roger Waters has shared a statement on social media in which he calls the recent controversy over his concert in Berlin, Germany a "smear" aiming to "silence" him. On May 26, police in the German capital announced they had opened an investigation of Waters on suspicion of incitement over a costume the Pink Floyd co-founder wore when he performed in the German capital earlier in May. Images on social media showed the musician firing an imitation machine gun while dressed in a long black coat with a red armband. The Berlin gig came after Waters provoked a backlash after he made reference to Anne Frank at one of his earlier concerts in Germany, in which he wore an outfit that some deemed as having connotations to the Second World War. This particular segment of the show revolved around a character from Pink Floyd's The Wall LP, who imagines himself as a fictional fascist dictator during a hallucination. When playing the character, Waters donned a black trench coat and wore a red armband featuring two crossed hammers. Police confirmed that an investigation was opened over suspicions that the context of the costume could constitute a "glorification, justification or approval of Nazi rule" and therefore a disturbance of the public peace. Once the police investigation is concluded, police said, the case will be handed to Berlin prosecutors, who would decide whether to pursue any charges. After a Berlin police spokesperson announced that "an investigation has been opened over the costume displayed at the concerts on 17 and 18 May," Waters shared a statement on his Twitter account on May 27 hitting back at the criticism and investigations. Discussing how the gigs had "attracted bad faith attacks from those who want to smear and silence me because they disagree with my political views," Waters said that anyone considering the gigs' message to be anything but anti-fascist is "disingenuous and politically motivated." He added: "The elements of my performance that have been questioned are quite clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all its forms," he said. "The depiction of an unhinged fascist demagogue has been a feature of my shows since Pink Floyd's The Wall in 1980. I have spent my entire life speaking out against authoritarianism and oppression where I set it & My parents fought the Nazis in World War II, with my father paying the ultimate price. Regardless of the consequences of the attacks against me, I will continue to condemn injustice and all those who perpetrate it." The show was part of the ongoing leg of Waters' "This Is Not A Drill" farewell tour, and was one of the two shows that were originally cancelled in the country following controversy regarding comments which many viewed as anti-semitic. Both shows were initially cancelled by the municipal government due to the musician' s views on Israel, before the decision was overturned. - New Musical Express/AP, 5/27/23...... Tributes to Tina Turner are flowing in since the "Queen of Rock N' Roll" died on May 24 at her home in Switzerland after a long illness. Speaking to host Ari Melber on MSNBC's The Beat via phone a few hours after the news broke, Cher revealed that she and other friends of Tina's started paying visits to her recently "because I thought, 'I need to put this time into our friendship, so she knows we haven't forgotten her." "So we all took turns going and spending time with her and it made her happy." She noted that a friend said it was always a scene when they were together because they would crack each other up and laugh their "distinct" laughs. Cher said that Turner had "her dialysis machine in her house," hinting that the singer may have been employing the device typically used by people with kidney failure or end-stage renal disease. Turner was known to suffer from kidney issues and got a kidney transplant from her husband, Erwin Bach, in 2017. "She fought this sickness for such a long time and she was so strong as you think she would be, but I know towards the end, she told me once, she said, 'I'm really ready. I just don't want to put up with this anymore,'" said Cher, whose interview has been shared on MSNBC's Twitter page. Posting on Instagram, Mick Jagger said he was "so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner," and captioned a series of photos of him performing with the late icon from decades past. "She was truly an enormously talented performer and singer. She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her." Turner's What's Love Got to Do with It doppelgänger, actress Angela Bassett, also took to Instagram to share a heartbreaking tribute to the musical icon. "How do we say farewell to a woman who owned her pain and trauma and used it as a means to help change the world?," Bassett wrote. "Through her courage in telling her story, her commitment to stay the course in her life, no matter the sacrifice, and her determination to carve out a space in rock and roll for herself and for others who look like her, Tina Turner showed others who lived in fear what a beautiful future filled with love, compassion, and freedom should look like," the actress added alongside a photo of the duo laughing. R&B icon Beyoncé posted a touching tribute to Tina on her Twitter account, paying her respects and thanking her for the ways that she shaped her as an artist: "My beloved queen. I love you endlessly. I'm so grateful for your inspiration, and all the ways you have paved the way. You are strength and resilience. You are the epitome of power and passion." Other tributes to Turner came from the likes of Blondie's Debbie Harry, Dolly Parton, Ronnie Wood, Bryan Adams, Ringo Starr, Jennifer Hudson, Nicki Minaj, Chaka Khan, former president Barack Obama, and Pres. Joe Biden. Meanwhile, the cause of death of the "Simply the Best" icon has been announced. On May 25 her representative said she had passed away from "natural causes," after previously only saying she had been battling a "long illness" without specifying a cause of death. Tina admitted two months before her death that she was in "great danger" due to her battle with kidney disease. Two years before her death she also revealed in the Tina feature-length documentary she had been dealing with a string of physical and mental health ailments for decades. She said she had been diagnosed with a form of post-traumatic stress disorder from the domestic abuse she suffered throughout her marriage with her first husband and music partner, Ike Turner, who died in 2007 aged 76. Tina added: "I had an abusive life, there's no other way to tell the story. It's a reality. It's a truth. That's what you've got, so you have to accept it." A spokesperson for Tina told the U.K. paper The Sun that Turner will be laid to rest at "a private funeral ceremony attended by close friends and family." Since her death, a flood of fans have gathered outside her $76 million home in Switzerland, with devotees leaving candles, flowers and messages around the 10-building waterfront estate in the municipality of Staefa, on the northern shores of Lake Zurich, where Tina died. - NME/Bang Showbiz, 5/25/23...... Stevie Nicks is paying tribute to the young victims whose lives were taken in the Robb Elementary School shooting, which took place exactly one year ago on May 24, 2022 in her home state of Texas. The Fleetwood Mac singer/songwriter marked the Uvalde massacre's one-year anniversary with a heartfelt letter on Twitter titled "THE LOST FUTURES OF UVALDE." Reminiscing on growing up and discovering her passions for music and dance as a child in El Paso, Nicks mourned the fact that 19 fourth-graders from a city just a few hours away from her hometown will never get the chance to do the same following last spring' s tragedy, which remains one of the deadliest school shootings on record. "As we ponder the one-year anniversary of Uvalde, and the myriad of shootings that have happened since that fateful day, I can' t help but ask myself, what if I had been shot and killed by a man with a gun while in my ballet class in third grade?" she wrote. "And I can' t help but think of all those little lost futures." Since Uvalde, which resulted in a total of 21 deaths and 18 injuries, BBC News reports that at least 600 more mass shootings have taken place across the U.S. Texas, meanwhile, has moved to widen access to firearms in the last year. "My arms go around each one of those little hearts like a ring of angels that will always be missing," Nicks concluded her message. "I will never be able to let this go. If anything, I will do all I can to keep this story alive." The "Edge of Seventeen" singer also spoke out last year shortly after the shooting transpired, with a similar letter posted to her Twitter. "No one is trying to take away guns from people who get them for a good reason," she wrote at the time. "Guns are not toys. Background checks are not that hard." - Billboard, 5/24/23...... Interviewed by the British paper The Times, Paul Simon revealed that he's dealing with a ravage of time that is totally expected at his age of 81, but could seriously impact how he records and performs in the future. Simon said that he began to experience hearing loss in his left ear while recording his just-released continuous seven-song musical suite, Seven Psalms. "Quite suddenly, I lost most of the hearing in my left ear, and nobody has an explanation for it," he said. "So everything became more difficult." And while he described being frustrated and annoyed at first, Simon said he didn't get angry because, "I thought it would pass and it would repair itself." The quintessential New Yorker -- who now lives on a ranch in wife Edie Brickell's home state of Texas -- said his hearing has not yet returned, which means he may be unable to tour again. The only upside, according to the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, is that he may be spared playing songs from his catalog that he's grown weary of. "Sometimes there are songs that I like and then at a certain point in a tour, I' ll say, 'What the f are you doing, Paul?'" he told the paper. "The songs of mine that I don't want to sing live, I don't sing them," he said. "Quite often that would come during [1986 hit] 'You Can Call Me Al.' I' d think, 'What are you doing? You're like a Paul Simon cover band. You should get off the road, go home.'" Seven Psalms is the follow-up to his 2018 rarities collection, In the Blue Light. The album, intended to be listened to as an extended piece, is predominantly performed by Simon on unplugged instruments and also features British vocal ensemble VOCES8 as well as Brickell. - Billboard, 5/24/23...... ABBA have responded to rumours that they could be reuniting for the 50th anniversary of the Eurovision Song Contest in their native Sweden, which helped skyrocket the quartet to international fame. After latest victor Loreen won the competition with her song "Tattoo" earlier in May, rumour spread online that it was all part of a plan to have ABBA reform to mark 50 years of their own Eurovision win as the contest returns to their home country as the 2024 host nation. Now, they have shot down the chances of it happening -- even just for one evening. "I don't want to," Benny Andersson told the BBC, "and if I don't want to, the others won't. It's the same for all four of us -- someone says, 'no' -- it's a no." His bandmate Björn Ulvaeus added: "We can celebrate 50 years of ABBA without us being on stage." Ulvaeus also shot down the chances of the ABBA-tars appearing at the UK's Glastonbury festival too, telling New Musical Express: "I don't think that's possible, yet. 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." The ABBA Voyage virtual concert series is currently set to run in London until the end of January 2024, with plans reported for the experience to be taken on a world tour. Asked about what the future of the show involves, Ulvaeus replied: "We hope to stay in this venue for as long as we can. We hope they'll have us for many years, and we might build other replicas of this in other places: Asia, Australia, North America. There are lots and promoters and cities that we're talking to at the moment about that." Meanwhile, ABBA's Anni-Frid Lyngstad told The Sun on May 25 that she struggles to grasp it isn't really her singing as an avatar. "It's hard to fully grasp that it isn't me and yet it is me. I can certainly see myself in the digital figure, the gestures, the facial expressions, the eyes that express all sorts of feelings. It's absurd but it's real," the 77-year-old singer said. - NME/Music-News.com, 5/25/23...... Diana Ross announced on May 23 that she's adding to "once-in-a-lifetime" London shows to her upcoming "The Music Legacy Tour." In March, Ross announced a 12-stop North American tour, which will start in California on June 9. In an Instagram post, she urged fans to "come join the love fest" as she delivers all her greatest hits for her adoring fans. The news comes nearly a year after the Motown legend performed at the Glastonbury festival in the coveted Sunday Legends slot. The 78-year-old broke records on the stage by attracting the largest assembled audience ever at Glasto, and the biggest home viewership in the history of BBC broadcasting the festival. - NME, 5/23/23...... The Studio City, Calif. home made famous by The Brady Bunch and decades later became the center of a high-profile bidding war in 2018 is on the market for $5.5 million, with a portion of proceeds from the sale benefitting a charity working to end childhood hunger in the U.S. The iconic home made famous by the beloved TV show about a blended family in the 1970s spans 5,140 sq. ft. across two floors with five bedrooms and five bathrooms. There's no mistaking the Brady home's floating staircase, burnt orange-and-avocado green kitchen, and Jack-n-Jill bathroom between the kids' bedrooms. It was in July 2018 when the house came up for sale for the first time in nearly a half-century and sparked a high-profile bidding war that involved singer Lance Bass of 'Nsync fame, but which home improvement cable channel HGTV ultimately won. The network paid $3.5 million for the property in Aug. 2018, 86% more than the initial $1.8 million asking price. At that time, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who oversees HGTV, announced plans to "restore the Brady Bunch home to its 1970s glory." As part of the renovation, HGTV invested $1.9 million and added 2,000 square feet to the property's original footprint, including a second floor which the original home didn't have, which only fed into the Bradymania. More than 28 million viewers tuned in to the series A Very Brady Renovation to watch the actors who played the six Brady kids, including Maureen McCormick and Barry Williams, reunite and transform the home into a replica of the original set design. They returned later to the renovated house for a holiday special. "We did everything we dreamed of doing with the house and delighted a lot of Brady Bunch fans in the process, but it's time for us to let it be loved and enjoyed by someone else," HGTV said in a press release. A portion of the proceeds from the home sale will go to "Turn Up! Fight Hunger," a partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery and No Kid Hungry to end childhood hunger in the U.S. - Los Angeles Daily News, 5/24/23...... He's movin' out! Billy Joel has put his sprawling 26 acre Long Island estate -- which boasts a hair salon, wine cellar, bowling alley and three guesthouses -- on the market for $49 million. The 20,000 sq. ft. main home features 5 bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms, and six fireplaces. His many framed gold records currently adorn the walls of the bowling alley, and the Piano Man put his instrument of choice -- a baby grand piano -- in his music room. Joel bought the property, which has its own helipad, in 2002 for $22.5 million. - People, 6/5/23...... Charles "Chas" Newby, a bassist for the Beatles in their early days who filled in for then-bassist Stuart Sutcliffe for a number of live shows in 1960, has died of as yet undisclosed causes. He was 81. The news was first announced via The Cavern Club Liverpool's Facebook page -- where the Beatles rose to prominence -- on May 23, followed by Roag Best, the brother of former Beatles drummer Pete Best. The Cavern Club Liverpool wrote on Facebook: "It's with great sadness to hear about the passing of Chas Newby. Chas stepped in for The Beatles for a few dates when Stuart Sutcliffe stayed in Hamburg and latterly he played for The Quarrymen. Interestingly, he was also the first left-handed bass guitarist in The Beatles. RIP Chas Newby thoughts and well wishes from everybody at The Cavern Club." Roag Best wrote: "Both Pete and I and the whole Best family absolutely devasted to hear the very sad news with regards to one of the families closest friends Chas Newby passing last night. Many of you will know him for playing bass guitar for both The Beatles and The Quarrymen, but to us he was laid back Chas with the big smile. We'll truly miss him. Forever in our thoughts. God bless you Chas." Newby performed bass with the Beatles for a short span of live shows in late 1960, when then-bassist Stuart Sutcliffe was unable to perform with the band. Sutcliffe later resumed operations with the Beatles until his exit in July the following year. Newby was also the band's first left-handed bassist, followed by guitarist-turned-bassist Paul McCartney. Newby also played in the reformed The Quarrymen between 2016 and 2022. Since the news of his passing, Newby has received a handful of tributes including Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn, who wrote on Twitter: "RIP Chas Newby, fill-in Beatle and fair chap. He deputised for Stuart on a few dates when the Beatles returned from Hamburg the first time, end-1960, including the momentous Litherland date. Latterly he's been one of the Quarry Men too. A charming man, always a pleasure to meet." - NME, 5/24/23...... Rolf Harris, a disgraced Australian entertainer who, prior to his downfall, enjoyed hits in the U.K., the U.S. ("Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963) and his homeland, Australia -- and who was once commissioned to paint Queen Elizabeth II -- has died at the age of 93. Born March 30, 1930 in Perth, Australia, Harris' life and career will be remembered in two halves. At the peak of his celebrity, following a relocation to the U.K., Mr. Harris enjoyed A-list status on both sides of the globe, a star of TV and popular music, an enthusiast for the wobble board and didgeridoo who had a string of hit singles, and collaborations with The Wiggles and others. He enjoyed a string of U.K. chart hits including "Two Little Boys" (Columbia), which has the distinction of being the very last No. 1 in Britain in the 1960s. "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" reached No. 9 in Britain back in 1960, and he had a No. 3 hit with "Sun Arise" in 1962. He enjoyed another U.K. top 10 in 1993, when his cover of "Stairway to Heaven," a spin-off from the Australian TV show Money or the Gun, reached No. 7. The Guinness World Records book of British Hit Singles had summed-up Harris as a "lovable Australian musician, artist and presenter." Along the way, he was elevated into the highest circles, by being named as Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). His spectacular fall from grace began in 2013, when he was questioned and arrested police under Operation Yewtree, the investigation into sexual abuse among members of the English media elite, including the late Jimmy Savile. Following a trial in 2014, Mr. Harris was found guilty of various indecent assaults on women and young girls between 1968 and 1986, and was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison. He was released in 2017, but denied any wrongdoing and never issued an apology to his victims. According to the BBC, Harris passed May 10, and has already been buried, though details have been kept under lock and key until now. His death certificate, the Corporation reports, notes that he died from neck cancer and "frailty of old age" at his home in Bray, Berkshire. A statement from his family reads: "This is to confirm that Rolf Harris recently died peacefully surrounded by family and friends and has now been laid to rest. They ask that you respect their privacy. No further comment will be made." - Billboard, 5/23/23...... Former Earth, Wind & Fire member Sheldon Reynolds died on Mar. 23 at the age of 63. Born Sept. 13, 1959 in Cincinnati, Oh., Reynolds displayed a gift for the guitar at an early age. He went on to tour with singer Millie Jackson, and later joined Sun, recording three albums with the R&B act. In 1983, he joined The Commodores. During a four-year spell with the band, he performed on the 1985 LP Nightshift and the following year's album release United. He then joined EW&F as lead guitarist and co-vocalist, playing on the soul band' s LPs Touch The World (1987), Heritage (1990), Millennium (1993) and In The Name of Love (1997). The midtempo Millennium hit "Sunday Morning" earned a Grammy Award nomination in the category of best R&B vocal performance by a duo or group. Thanks in part to Reynolds' contributions, the band was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2000, and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, awarded in 1995. Reynolds went on to work on solo projects with Bailey and EW&F's late band leader Maurice White, who died in 2016. His passing closely follows the death of former EW&F drummer Fred White in January, at the age of 67. - Billboard, 5/26/23...... Joy McKean, the Australian singer, songwriter and country music scene builder who, along with her husband, the late Slim Dusty, formed one of Oz's great creative partnerships, died on May 25 following a battle with cancer. She was 93. "Joy passed away peacefully last night with family by her side," reads a message from her family on May 26. A trailblazer in the Aussie country scene, Ms. McKean enjoyed a career spanning more than 70 years, and composed some of the genre s most celebrated songs, from "The Biggest Disappointment" to "Ringer from the Top End," "Walk a Country Mile," "Indian Pacific" and "Lights on the Hill," an award-winning hit for her husband Slim Dusty, whom she married in 1951. Many others have covered the song, including Keith Urban. Lauded as the "grand lady" of Australian country, Ms. McKean made cut her teeth in the 1940s and '50s, working alongside her sister Heather -- as the McKean Sisters. After teaming up with Dusty, Australian country music had its golden couple. Ms. McKean wrote many of Dusty's iconic songs, managed him for half a century, and the pair toured relentlessly in regional and remote Australia, at a time when the perceived role of women was that of home-maker. With Ms. McKean as his support, muse and collaborator, Dusty released more than 100 albums and sold over eight million copies. Dusty died in 2003, aged 76. She is survived by her two children, four grandchildren, and six great grandchilden. "She will be remembered as a pioneer in Australian music," reads the statement from her family. - Billboard, 5/26/23...... Veteran show business actor and singer Ed Ames, perhaps best known as Cherokee Indian Mingo on the Fess Parker 1960s NBC-TV vehicle, Daniel Boone, died on May 21 in Los Angeles. He was 95, and no cause of death was given. Mr. Ames began his career in the 1950s as part of the singing The Ames Brothers quartet, joining with his brothers Vic, Joe and Gene. The group had a hit with "Rag Mop" in 1950, and totaled 49 chart hits before ending their association in 1963. The group also had a syndicated TV program, The Ames Brothers Show. Mr. Ames also branched off into a solo career, hitting the charts with "My Cup Runneth Over," "Who Will Answer?" and "Try to Remember." He then switched gears and did stage tours in the off-Broadway shows "The Crucible" and "The Fantasticks," and then scored a starring role on Broadway in "Carnival!" He later starred with Kirk Douglas, Gene Wilder and William Daniels in the Broadway production of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Then television came calling, and Mr. Ames -- though of Russian-Jewish heritage -- was tabbed to play a regular supporting role in Daniel Boone. During his TV career, he accidentally became a The Tonight Show legend when he demonstrated how to throw a tomahawk for host Johnny Carson. Aiming at a wood panel outline of a cowboy, Ames's throw landed squarely in the groin of the drawing. Carson quipped, "I didn't even know you were Jewish!" and then, "Welcome to Frontier Bris." The audience roared for a reported four minutes. Mr. Ames later made guest appearances in such shows as The Rifleman, McCloud, It's Garry Shandling's Show, Jake and the Fatman and Murder She Wrote. Mr. Ames was born in Massachusetts as the youngest of nine children, and received a B.A. in theater and cinema arts from UCLA in 1975. He is survived by his wife, Jeanne; two children, Ronald and Sonya; seven grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and stepson Stephen Saviano. Another daughter, Marcella, predeceased him. - Deadline.com, 5/26/23.