Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on September 29th, 2023

Stevie Nicks announced on Sept. 25 that she'll embark on a new "Live in Concert" headlining North American tour on Feb. 10, 2024 at the Mark G Etess Arena in Atlantic City, N.J. Nicks's eight show run will also make stops in Belmont Park, NY (2/14), Greenville, SC (2/21), Hollywood, Fla. (2/24), New Orleans (2/28), Omaha, Neb. (3/3) and North Little Rock, Ark. (3/6), before closing in Arlington, Texx, on March 9. These just-announced shows come on the tail of Nicks' current North American headlining tour, which will feature 15 shows across the United States from now until mid-December. In late July, Nicks released Complete Studio Albums & Rarities, a 10-CD set combining each of Nicks' solo studio albums with a new compilation of hard-to-find tracks. Four of Nicks' albums -- Rock a Little (1985), The Other Side of the Mirror (1989), Street Angel (1994), and Trouble in Shangri-La (2001) -- were newly remastered from their analog masters for the new release. - Billboard, 9/25/23...... New Wave stars The Police launched an official TikTok account on Sept. 28 to mark the 40th anniversary of their fifth and final album, the 1983 blockbuster Synchronicity. The trio -- comprising bassist/vocalist Sting, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland -- will treat fans to new original content on the platform and share some never-before-seen footage from the archive. The Police are also set to present what they describe as "an intimate window into the creative process of their timeless hits" through TikTok's #BehindTheSong community. Speaking about joining the site, Summers explained: "It is great to continue the legacy of The Police and what better place than TikTok in the time we exist in. We live in -- let's face it, difficult times, but imagine our parents and grandparents then bent over those little radio speakers to hear about the world. As aficionados and fans, we must continue to have faith and believe in the art of music, and we hope our music can bring a positive message to people everywhere. Thank you TikTok!" The Police have already posted four videos on the popular social media site. In one clip, Copeland says: "We'll explore old stories, explain obscure songs, bust some myths, [and] start some myths." Another upload sees the drummer run viewers through a "Police 101" where he recalls how the group emerged from "the punk boom of 1976." He adds: "The only way you could get a gig was to be a punk band." According to TikTok, The Police's 1983 hit single "Every Breath You Take" has registered more than 165,000 creations on the platform to date, and has been used to soundtrack numerous viral trends. Released in June 1983, Synchronicity is The Police's most successful studio album, and is regarded as a defining record of the Second British Invasion. The Grammy-winning project reached Number One in both the UK and US. In 2009, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame. - New Musical Express, 9/28/23...... In a new interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mick Jagger said a potential sale of the Rolling Stones back catalog "could do some good in the world" and that his heirs "don't need" that pile of cash to live well. In the interview, Jagger was asked to peer into the future and ponder what kind of payday the band might score if they sold their post-1971 catalog, which includes such landmark albums as Sticky Fingers (1971), Exile on Main St. (1972) and It's Only Rock 'n Roll (1974). At present, Jagger said the Stones have no plans to follow in the footsteps of such peers as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks and Paul Simon -- who've sold all or parts of their publishing in mega deals -- in order to support his offspring, who range in age from 52 to six. Jagger said, "the children don't need $500 million to live well. Come on," he told the Journal. One idea the 80-year-old frontman suggested is that whatever the windfall is it should maybe go to charity. "You maybe do some good in the world," said Jagger, who also noted that his decision to oversee the band's business affairs more than half a century ago was mostly an act of self-preservation. "I don't actually really like business, you know what I mean?," added the London School of Economics dropout. "Some people just love it. I just have to do it Because if you don't do it, you get f---d." Meanwhile, the Stones have released "Sweet Sounds of Heaven," the second single from their upcoming album Hackney Diamonds. The track, which features contributions from Stevie Wonder and Lady Gaga, was shared on YouTube on Sept. 28. Hackney Diamonds drops on Oct. 20. - Billboard, 9/28/23...... The Dark Side of Roger Waters, a new documentary that explores allegations of antisemitism against Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters features an interview with producer Bob Ezrin (who co-produced 1979's The Wall) who claims he once heard Waters call the band's agent, Bryan Morrison, a "f---ing Jew" during a ditty. Ezrin says: "Something like the last line of the couplet was 'cause Morry is a f---ing Jew'. It was my first inclination that there may be some anti-Semitism under the surface. Now Roger knew that I'm Jewish so I didn't know whether this was another one of those sort of button-poking things that he was doing just to see if I would react or whether he just did not even get how offensive that might be to a Jewish person." Elsewhere, saxophonist Norbert Stachel who played for Waters recalled the musician angrily rejecting food in a restaurant that he allegedly deemed "Jew food." Stachel alleged Waters said: "This is Jew food. What's with the Jew food? Take away the Jew food. I'm just sitting there, oh boy, tongue-tied again and kind of in a panic because I don't know what to do. Am I supposed to leave and then be judged?" He went on to claim Waters mocked his family, some of were killed in the Holocaust, by mimicking them. Documentary makers Campaign Against Anti-Semitism (CAA) put their findings to Waters, but he reportedly has yet to respond. He has repeatedly denied all accusations of anti-semitism and explained that his disdain is towards Israel, not Judaism, and also accused Israel of "abusing the term 'anti-semitism' to intimidate people like me into silence." A clip from the documentary can be viewed on YouTube. - NME, 9/28/23...... A deluxe Criterion Collection edition of the David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream hit stores on Sept. 26. Director Brett Morgen was given complete access by Bowie's estate to the musician's archives, resulting in what is described as an "experiential cinematic odyssey" that is "graced with soulful narration by Bowie." The Criterion Collection edition includes a 4K disc, Blu-ray disc and special features. Bonus materials include audio commentary by Morgen; a Q&A with the director, filmmaker Mark Romanek and musician Mike Garson; an essay by film critic Jonathan Romney; a collectible poster insert and more. The movie is also available in a Blu-ray edition, which includes the same special features that come with the 4K edition. A trailer for Moonage Daydream can be viewed on YouTube. - Billboard, 9/28/23...... Queen + Adam Lambert are preparing to kick off their 15-city, 23-date North American "Rhapsody" tour in early October with two consecutive nights at Baltimore's CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore on Oct. 4 and Oct. 5. From there, they'll visit Toronto (10/8), Detroit (10/10), New York (10/12, 13), Boston (10/15, 16), Philadelphia (10/18) and other cities throughout the month. Further shows will follow in November, when Queen are due to make stops in Dallas (11/2, 3), Denver (11/5), and San Francisco (11/8, 9) before wrapping in Los Angeles on Nov. 11 and 12. Per a press release, Queen and their frontman Lambert are now taking the newly "expanded and updated" production back to the US and Canada "where it first began," and have promised an "even more ambitious show" at the upcoming dates. "We're still calling our show the Rhapsody Tour, but the content has evolved massively from when you last saw it," guitarist Brian May explained. "New toys, new takes, but all the hits and more." - NME, 9/27/23...... In other Queen-related news, Queen drummer Roger Taylor along with Eric Clapton and Genesis' Mike Rutherford are set to be among a star-studded lineup to perform a charity concert in memory of late Procol Harum frontman Gary Brooker. Brooker sadly lost his battle with cancer last February, aged 76, and the special concert honoring the composer will take place on Dec. 4 at G Live in Guildford, Surrey, UK. His chosen charities to benefit from ticket sales are The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and Cure Parkinsons. Paul Carrack, John Illsley, Andy Fairweather Low and Mike Sanchez are also set to perform alongside a house band of session musicians, including former Procol Harum members Geoff Dunn, Geoff Whitehorn and Josh Phillips. - Music-News.com, 9/27/23...... Reggae legend Bob Marley's 1984 compilation album Legend has become the first reggae album to chart for more than 800 weeks on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart. Legend is the second-ever album to do this, with the first being the seminal 1973 Pink Floyd LP The Dark Side of the Moon. Marley's new acheivement comes 42 years after his death in 1981, passing away from cancer at the age of 36. To honor the revolutionary reggae pioneer, Legend was released by Island Records as a greatest hits record. The album -- which features Marley's classic songs "No Woman No Cry," "Three Little Birds," and "Get Up, Stand Up" -- has been reissued three times since its original release; including a special edition to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of the record with never-before-heard versions of "Easy Skanking" and "Punky Reggae Party." Legend is widely regarded as the best-selling reggae album of all time, having gone multi-platinum in 10 countries. In America alone, the LP is 15 times platinum, selling over 15 million copies since it dropped. Marley and The Wailers' fifth studio album, Catch a Fire, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023, and a special edition 3CD set deluxe reissue of the album that put reggae on the map will occur on Nov. 3. Meanwhile, a new Marley biopic with actor Kingsley Ben-Adir in the titular role, Bob Marley: One Love, is set to be released on Jan. 24, 2024. - Billboard, 9/27/23...... The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced on Sept. 28 that viewers will be album to livestream its induction ceremony for the first time ever on Nov. 3. The 2023 ceremony will be streaming live on Disney+ at 8 p.m. ET when it takes over Brooklyn's Barclays Center. In past years, an edited version of each Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony aired on HBO several weeks following the in-person event; now, that edited broadcast of highlights will air on ABC come Jan. 1, 2024, from 8-11 p.m. ET. Also revealed was who is expected to take the stage at the Class of 2023 induction. Of the new inductees, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, Chaka Khan and Willie Nelson have been revealed as performers at the Nov. 3 event. Additionally, special guests Brandi Carlile, Elton John, Dave Matthews, H.E.R., Chris Stapleton, St. Vincent and New Edition will also take the stage. This year will mark the first induction ceremony since RRHOF co-founder Jann Wenner was removed from the foundation's board of directors by a near-unanimous vote. The Rolling Stone founder sparked a huge backlash earlier in September when he told the New York Times that women were not "as articulate enough on this intellectual level" about rock music and that Black artists "just didn't articulate at that level" in an interview about his new book, The Masters. He later apologized for his remarks. - Billboard, 9/28/23...... Bruce Springsteen's camp announced in an Instagram post on Sept. 27 that Springsteen and his E Street Band have posponed their remaining shows in 2023 as Springsteen continues to recover from peptic ulcer disease. "Bruce Springsteen has continued to recover steadily from peptic ulcer disease over the past few weeks and will continue treatment through the rest of the year on doctor's advice," according to the statement released on Sept. 27, four days after the rocker celebrated his 74th birthday. "With this in mind, and out of an abundance of caution, all remaining 2023 tour dates for Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will be postponed until 2024." The postponed dates, which include a November Canadian run and Dec. 4 and 6 dates at L.A.'s Kia Forum, will move into 2024, with rescheduled dates to be announced next week, according to the statement. On Sept. 6, he revealed in an Instagram post that he was postponing all his September concerts as he's treated for symptoms of peptic ulcer disease. The 2023 tour, which has garnered the star some of the best reviews of his long career, kicked off at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., for a 28-show U.S. leg, before launching a 31-show European leg at Estadi Olmpic Llus Companys in Barcelona. The most recent leg of the tour began on Aug. 9 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. - Billboard, 9/27/23...... UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman recently faced backlash after saying that "simply being gay, or a woman" is not enough of a reason to gain refugee status in the UK. Addressing a US think tank on Sept. 26, Braverman said: "There are vast swathes of the world where it is extremely difficult to be gay, or to be a woman. Where individuals are being persecuted, it is right that we offer sanctuary. But we will not be able to sustain an asylum system if in effect simply being gay, or a woman, and fearful of discrimination in your country of origin is sufficient to qualify for protection." Braverman's controversy has not gone unnoticed by perhaps England's most famous gay couple, Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, who responded to Braverman on Instagram by accusing her of "legitimising hate and violence." "We are very concerned about the UK Home Secretary's comments stating how discrimination for being gay or a woman should not be reason enough to qualify for protection under international refugee laws," the couple released in a statement through their AIDS Foundation. "Nearly a third of all nations class LGBTQ+ people as criminals and homosexuality is still punishable by death in 11 countries. Dismissing the very real danger LGBTQ+ communities face risks further legitimising hate and violence against them," they added. The statement concluded that leaders "need to provide more compassion, support and acceptance for those seeking a safer future." - NME, 9/27/23...... Ozzy Osbourne announced on Sept. 27 that he wants to release another album and hit the road one last time. "I've done two albums fairly recently [2020's Ordinary Man and 2022's Patient Number 9, both produced by Andrew Watt], but I want to do one more album and then go back on the road," Osbourne, 74, told Metal Hammer. Osbourne said he's set up a home studio at his house in the U.K. and would like to work with Watt (Rolling Stones, Justin Bieber) again. "I'm just starting to work on it now, and we'll be recording in the early part of next year," he said. "I want to take my time with this one!" Though Ozzy has had several surgeries to deal with a nagging neck/spinal injury, he said he had his "final" one earlier this month and is feeling much better. "I've had all the surgery now, thank God. I'm feeling okay -- it was just dragging on," he explained of the procedure to help relieve pain from an injury he suffered after a late night fall in 2019. "I thought I'd be back on my feet months ago, I just couldn't get used to this mode of living, constantly having something wrong. I can't walk properly yet, but I'm not in any pain any more and the surgery on my spine went great." Ozzy also says he won't be in attendance at the upcoming all-metal Power Trip festival in California's Coachella Valley on Oct. 6-8. "If I can't do the gig, I don't really want to be there," he said. "Plus I know they'll just be like "go on, get Ozzy up'!" - Billboard, 9/27/23...... Former Grateful Dead member Bob Weir has announced a five-night residency at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y. on Dec. 12, 13, 15, 16 & 17 as part of a recently announced year-end mini-tour with Wolf Bros. members Don Was, Jay Lane, Jeff Chimenti and Barry Sless. The five-show run marks the largest residency performance of 2023 for the Capitol Theatre, which is owned by Brookyln Bowl founder and Dayglo Presents CEO Peter Shapiro. Shapiro has hosted more than 100 shows at the Cap for Weir's GD bandmate Phil Lesh, including six in 2023. Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring The Wolfpack are currently on their Fall 2023 tour and have joined Willie Nelson's Outlaw Music Festival 2023 for a number of shows. The band will also be performing with the Stanford Symphony Orchestra at the Frost Amphitheatre in Stanford, Calif. on Oct. 29. - Billboard, 9/26/23...... Speaking of Willie Nelson, the country/pop legend's new album of bluegrass material, titled appropriately Bluegrass, has debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Bluegrass Albums chart for the week of Sept. 30. Released on Sept. 15, Bluegrass features reinterpretations of a dozen of Nelson's older songs, joined by a bluegrass ensemble, and sold 3,000 copies in its first week of release. Over the years, Nelson has placed high-charting efforts on several other genre-specific album rankings: Blues Albums, Kid Albums, Reggae Albums, Traditional Jazz Albums, Jazz Albums, Americana/Folk Albums and Top Christian Albums. - Billboard, 9/28/23...... A new Sylvester Stallone documentary titled Sly closed the Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 16. In Sly, Stallone recounts the creation of his iconic Rocky and Rambo characters as well as other pivotal moments in his lengthy Hollywood career. "I can do Rocky until I'm 100 years old, because there's so many different stories," Stallone said during an onstage conversation the evening before the premiere. "He doesn't have to fight in the ring. There are so many fights in life." But Stallone says his days playing John Rambo, his other famous action hero that he debuted with 1982's First Blood and continued in four sequels, are over. "Rambo, I could leave him," Stallone said. "He's done pretty much, even though they want to do another one, but what am I fighting? Arthritis? It's the truth." Stallone said he considers his sixth Rocky installment -- 2006's Rocky Balboa his best work. "It's the best thing I ever did because no one wanted to make it. I was finished in the business... it was like [in] Tootsie, 'No one likes you anymore.' It was over." But as he looks ahead, his work is something that is never-ending. "I always have this incredible respect for the hero syndrome," he said. "Coming to the rescue, not so much as a superhero, just as a guy who is forced to, because I think everybody here, put under right circumstance, would put their life on the line. Everyone has the hero syndrome in them. You just have to push the right buttons." Sly hits Netflix on Nov. 3. - Canoe.com, 9/17/23...... Appearing on the daytime talk show CBS Mornings on Sept. 27, former Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers revealed he's suffered two major and eleven minor strokes in the past seven years. Rodgers said the two major strokes -- one in 2016 and another in 2019 -- as well as 11 minor strokes, almost ended his music career. "I couldn't do anything to be honest," he explained. "I couldn't speak. That was the very strange thing. You know, I'd prepare something in my mind and I'd say it, but that isn't what came out and I'd go, "What the heck did I just say?'" After his 2019 stroke, he underwent a carotid endarterectomy to remove plaque from the arteries running through his neck to the brain. Rodgers said doctors warned him about some serious risks, given that the procedure site was close to his vocal chords. "They told me, they're very clear, 'You may not come out of this alive.' And I said, 'Oh, well, that's a plus, isn't it?,'" Rodgers joked. "Fingers crossed, you know? And when I woke up, I opened my eyes, I thought, 'Oh, I'm still here.'" After a six-month recovery, Rodgers said he was able to return to playing music. "Each thing was a step forward. Each thing that I did was an achievement. "Oh, I can do this. I can sing,'" he recalled. In June, Rodgers released his first solo album in more than two decades, Midnight Rose, which he says was "kind of a miracle" to complete. - Billboard, 9/27/23...... Terry Kirkman, the frontman and co-founder of L.A.-based '60s hitmakers The Association, died at his home in Montclair, Calif., on Sept. 23. He was 83. "We're saddened to report that Terry Kirkman passed away last night, RIP Terry," reads a post on the Association's official social channels. "He will live on in our hearts and in the music he so brilliantly wrote. Sending hugs and lots of love to Heidi and Sasha!" Mr. Kirkman's wife Heidi confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that her husband died of congestive heart failure following a long illness. Born in Salina, Kansas, Mr. Kirkman and his friend Jules Alexander relocated to Los Angeles in the early '60s, where the seeds for The Association were planted. Early in his California journey, Mr. Kirkman played with Frank Zappa, before the late bandleader went on to form the Mothers of Invention. Mr. Kirkman and Alexander helped form The Men, which would disband, and from it The Association was formed in 1964. The folk-rock group peaked two years later with a string of major hits that also included "Cherish" (No. 1, 1966), "Windy," "Along Comes Mary," "Never My Love" and "Everything That Touches You." "Cherish," one of the prettiest pop songs of the 1960s, is a choral pop classic that has long been a wedding reception staple, and was covered by David Cassidy 1971 as his first solo single apart from The Partridge Family. Known for their sharp sense of style and smooth harmonies, The Association opened the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, recognized as the first commercial American rock festival, with a bill including Jimi Hendrix, the Who, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, the Byrds, Canned Heat, and many more. They held their own among the legends of rock, onlookers noted at the time. Mr. Kirkman penned several hits for The Association, including "Cherish," "Everything That Touches You," "Six Man Band," and played a variety of wind, brass and percussion instruments on their recordings. He left the group at the end of 1972, following the release of seven albums, led by their 1966 debut And Then... Along Comes the Association. He returned to the fold in 1979, splitting for a final time in 1984 -- having had enough of relentless touring. Over the years, The Association was nominated for six Grammy Awards, and earned a Golden Globe nomination in 1970 for best original song, with "Goodbye Columbus." Various incarnations of the band continue to perform, and their albums have achieved three platinum and six gold RIAA certifications, according to The Association's official site, with its Greatest Hits (via Warner Brothers) now double platinum. - Billboard, 9/25/23...... Actor and author David McCallum, who became a teen heartthrob in the hit series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. in the 1960s and was the eccentric medical examiner in the popular NCIS 40 years later, died on Sept. 25 of natural causes. He was 90. Mr. McCallum died surrounded by family at New York Presbyterian Hospital, CBS said in a statement. "David was a gifted actor and author, and beloved by many around the world. He led an incredible life, and his legacy will forever live on through his family and the countless hours on film and television that will never go away," said a statement from CBS. The Scottish-born Mr. McCallum had been doing well appearing in such films A Night to Remember (about the Titanic), The Great Escape and The Greatest Story Ever Told (as Judas). But it was pop culture phenomenon The Man From U.N.C.L.E. that made the blond actor with the Beatlesque haircut a household name in the mid-'60s. The success of the James Bond books and films had set off a chain reaction, with secret agents proliferating on both large and small screens. Indeed, Bond creator Ian Fleming contributed some ideas as The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was being developed, according to author Jon Heitland's The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Book. The show, which debuted in 1964, starred Robert Vaughn as Napoleon Solo, an agent in a secretive, high-tech squad of crime fighters whose initials stood for United Network Command for Law and Enforcement. Despite the Cold War, the agency had an international staff, with Mr. McCallum as Illya Kuryakin, Solo's Russian sidekick. The role was relatively small at first, Mr. McCallum recalled, adding in a 1998 interview that "I'd never heard of the word 'sidekick' before." The show drew mixed reviews but eventually caught on, particularly with teenage girls attracted by McCallum's good looks and enigmatic, intellectual character. By 1965, Illya was a full partner to Vaughn's character and both stars were mobbed during personal appearances. The series lasted to 1968, with Vaughn and Mr. McCallum reuniting in 1983 for a nostalgic TV movie, The Return of the Man From U.N.C.L.E., in which the agents were lured out of retirement to save the world once more. Mr. McCallum returned to television in 2003 in another series with an agency known by its initials -- CBS' NCIS. He played Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard, a bookish pathologist for the Naval Criminal Investigation Service, an agency handling crimes involving the Navy or the Marines. At the height of his fame in the 1960s, Mr. McCallum recorded four albums for Capitol Records. These were not opportunities for him to sing; instead, the classically trained musician conceived a blend of oboe, English horn, and strings with guitar and drums, presenting instrumental interpretations of current hits. Though someone else was officially credited as the arranger on the albums, Mr. McCallum conducted some of the music and contributed several original compositions. Mr. McCallum's work with U.N.C.L.E. brought him two Emmy nominations, and he got a third as an educator struggling with alcoholism in a 1969 Hallmark Hall of Fame drama called Teacher, Teacher. In 1975, he had the title role in a short-lived science fiction series, "The Invisible Man," and from 1979 to 1982 he played Steel in a British science fiction series, Sapphire and Steel. Over the years, he also appeared in guest shots in many TV shows, including Murder, She Wrote and Sex and the City. He appeared on Broadway in a 1968 comedy, "The Flip Side," and in a 1999 revival of "Amadeus" starring Michael Sheen and David Suchet. He also was in several off-Broadway productions. In 2016, his mystery novel, Once a Crooked Man, was published. Mr. McCallum had three sons from his first marriage to actress Jill Ireland, Paul, Jason and Valentine; and a son and daughter from his second wife Katherine McCallum, Peter and Sophie. Jason died of an overdose. Mr. McCallum was mourned on Twitter by his NCIS co-star Lauren Holly: "RIP David McCallum. You were the kindest man. Thank you for being you." - AP, 9/26/23.

As Bruce Springsteen turned 74 on Sept. 23, "the Boss"'s birthday was honored by a slew of government officials and fellow music stars. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy had already declared the day "Bruce Springsteen Day" at the inaugural American Music Honors earlier in 2023. "We thank him for showing the world what it means to live our New Jersey values. I am both honoured and proud to declare his birthday Bruce Springsteen Day in New Jersey," said Gov. Murphy, who also tweeted a happy birthday message to the NJ rocker. Also wishing Bruce many happy returns were Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who posted a happy birthday to him on Instagram alongside a series of photos of the pair performing together. In his own Instagram page, Springsteen's insiders also marked his birthday by sharing the music video for his 2008 song "Girls In Their Summer Clothes," alongside a message, which read: "Not only is it Bruce Springsteen Day in N.J., but this year, Bruce's birthday also coincides with the last day of summer. As the season's last warm breeze blows down E Street, here's one to play it out. Happy Birthday, Bruce!" Also paying tribute to the star on social media were Tom Morello and Slash. - NME, 9/24/23...... Bob Dylan was an unbilled treat for fans attending the 2023 edition of the long-running Farm Aid charity concert series at Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center in in Noblesville, Ind., on Sept. 23. Joined by members of The Heartbreakers, a black-clad Dylan walked onstage without any introduction and played a short but intense set of his classics "Maggie's Farm," "Positively 4th Street" and "Ballad of a Thin Man." Playing the guitar, against the stark backdrop of a silhouetted windmill, Dylan took a spot in the festival lineup between sets by Farm Aid co-founders Neil Young and Willie Nelson, who closed the show near midnight. Dylan has a closer connection to the charity mega-concert than most music fans might realize -- he is credited with being the inspiration for Farm Aid. On July 13, 1985, in Philadelphia, Dylan had taken the stadium stage of Live Aid, the mega-benefit organized by Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats to raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief. Between songs, Dylan mused to the event's global audience: couldn't a similar benefit help America's family farmers? "The question hit me like a ton of bricks," Willie Nelson recalled to Billboard in 2015. Nelson was on the road that day, watching Live Aid on his tour-bus TV, and began looking into the economic crisis that was then forcing family farmers off their land and into bankruptcy. Then he called his friends, including the legendary music icon who made the suggestion. Dylan was among the remarkable lineup of country and rock musicians who played the first Farm Aid in Champaign, Ill., on Sept. 22, 1985, a bill which also included Nelson's fellow Farm Aid founders Young and John Mellencamp, along with Johnny Cash, John Fogerty, Don Henley, Billy Joel, Loretta Lynn, Roy Orbison, Bonnie Raitt and many more -- including Tom Petty, who died in 2017, and Petty's band, The Heartbreakers. Three decades on, Farm Aid remains music's longest-running concert for a cause, having raised more than $64 million to support family farmers and a sustainable food system. This year's Farm Aid, which also included Dave Matthews and Margo Price, took place against the backdrop of discussions in Washington, D.C., over the renewal of a multibillion dollar Farm Bill, which has a massive influence on how the nation's food is grown. Farm Aid has joined more than 150 organizations in co-signing a letter to Pres. Joe Biden demanding that Congress pass a Farm Bill that addresses economic inequality, racial justice and the climate crisis. - Billboard, 9/24/23...... Rock music's most famous astronomer, also known as Queen guitarist Sir Brian May, has played a critical role in a new NASA mission to bring the largest asteroid sample ever back to Earth. May, who is also an astrophysicist and received his PhD from Imperial College in 2007, assisted in helping to identifying the site from which the sample was taken. Sir Brian is an expert in stereoscopy, which is the process of dealing with a pair of two-dimensional images that, when viewed by both eyes, can be used to create a 3D scene. The process was essential in helping to identify where the spacecraft could collect samples without damaging or destroying itself. On Sept. 24, NASA announced that a capsule containing about 250g of rocks and dust collected from the asteroid Bennu as part of its Osiris-Rex mission had parachuted into the desert in Utah. Interviewed by the BBC, May and his collaborator Claudia Manzoni contributed in the shortlist of possible sample sites on Bennu. "I always say you need art as well as science," he said. In a new video message on Instagram, May spoke of his pride to be involved in the historic mission. "I am immensely proud to be a team member of OSIRIS-REx," he told NASA TV. "I can't be with you today, I wish I could but I am rehearsing for a Queen tour, but my heart is there with you as this precious sample is recovered. Happy sample return day and congratulations to all who worked so incredibly hard on this mission." Scientists hope the samples will help explain how life on Earth began. - New Musical Express, 9/24/23...... A host of musicians including Peter Gabriel, Nile Rodgers, Sheryl Crow and Billie Eilish have appeared in a new YouTube video by a new music coalition to tackle gun violence called Artist For Action To Prevent Gun Violence. The group describes itself as a "non-political" organization which asks Americans to volunteer and vote to eradicate gun violence in the country. The artists pledged themselves to the cause earlier in September. "As much as I love the United States, I am always appalled at the ease with which anyone can get a weapon," Peter Gabriel says in the video. The organization is led by musician Mark Barden, whose son was one of the 26 people murdered in the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting. - NME, 9/24/23...... The famed Roxy nightclub in West Hollywood, which turns 50 in September, is celebrating its place in history with a new exhibit at the Grammy Museum. Much of the exhibit, titled "Roxy: 50 and Still Rockin'," draws from the personal archive of Roxy co-founder Lou Adler, 89, who opened the 500-capacity club on the Sunset Strip with Elmer Valentine in 1973. Adler is known as a modern master of both film and song whose introductions are typically preceded by a long list of award-winner accolades, but it was his greatest accomplishment -- fathering and raising seven successful sons -- that gives the exhibit a unique appeal. Included in the exhibit -- which boasts photos and portraits of Hollywood stars and music legends who frequented the club, including Neil Young, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan -- is a short documentary that offers a revealing glimpse inside the Roxy's first family. The Roxy has been celebrating its 50th anniversary with a series of anniversary shows, including two Neil Young concerts on Sept. 20 and Sept. 21) in honor of Young's concerts that opened the venue in 1973. The City of West Hollywood is also hosting an exhibit on the history of the Roxy at the West Hollywood Library in conjunction with the Grammy Museum. - Billboard, 9/19/23...... A from-the-vaults release of live recordings of Fleetwood Mac's classic 1977 album Rumours has debuted at No. 4 on Billboard's Top Album Sales Chart for the week ending Sept. 23, the highest debut on the list by the band in more than 20 years. Comprised almost entirely of previously unreleased recordings, Rumours: Live captures the band's Aug. 29, 1977, concert at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., during the act's Rumours Tour. Rumours: Live sold a little over 10,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending Sept. 14, according to Luminate. The album is available to purchase as a digital download album or in three physical iterations (a 180-gram double vinyl set, a crystal-clear colored double vinyl set sold via Walmart, and a two-CD package). Vinyl accounted for 44.5% of the album's first-week sales. After its 1977 debut, the album spent 31 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart -- still the most weeks at No. 1 for an album by a group, and launched four top 10-charting hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including the group's lone chart-topper, "Dreams." In other chart action, the late Jimmy Buffett's posthumously released single "Bubbles Up" has debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Rock Digital Song Sales chart for the week of Sept. 8-14, with with 8,000 downloads sold in the U.S., according to Luminate. Buffett, who died Sept. 1 at age 76, replaces himself atop Rock Digital Song Sales, where his signature song, 1977's "Margaritaville," led the Sept. 16-dated ranking (16,000 sold, up 8,415%, Sept. 1-7). The latter ranks at No. 3 on the latest list with 3,000 sold. "Bubbles Up" is Buffett's second career No. 1 on a Billboard songs chart as the only credited artist on a newly released song: "Margaritaville" led the Adult Contemporary chart dated May 28, 1977. He last topped Billboard album charts with new music thanks to his most recent LP, Life on the Flip Side, in 2020. Meanwhile, Styx's 1979 classic "Renegade" is currently reigning on Billboard's Top TV Songs chart, after it was heard in the season premiere of the Showtime series Billions. "Renegade," a No. 16 hit for Styx on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1979, landed at No. 1 following its synch in Billions' Aug. 11 episode, which coronated the premiere of its seventh and final season. In Aug., "Renegade" earned 5.1 million official on-demand U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads, according to Luminate. - Billboard, 9/21/23...... Warner Records announced on Sept. 21 that Cher's milestone 1998 album Believe is getting the deluxe treatment in honor of its 25th anniversary, with 13 remastered remixes in triple LP, double CD and digital download formats, as well as streaming. The deluxe version will contain all of the original songs, with remixes including the previously unreleased Tee's Radio One Instrumental and Ray Roc's Latin Soul Instrumental of single "Dov'e l'Amore" for the first time. The album's other singles -- the title track, "Strong Enough" and "All or Nothing" -- will also receive the remix treatment. The vinyl version of the album will feature leopard-print packaging, and will contain sea blue, light blue and clear discs, in addition to a numbered lithograph of Cher. Following the news of Believe's deluxe release, a remastered HD version of Cher's "Strong Enough" video was made available on YouTube. Originally released in 1998, Believe served as Cher's 22nd studio album and is one of her most successful to date, peaking at No. 4 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and spending a total of 76 weeks on the tally, the most out of her entire album catalog. Title track "Believe" is also Cher's best performing song on the Billboard Hot 100, hitting No. 1 and spending a total of 31 weeks of the chart (four of them at the top). "Strong Enough" peaked at No. 57 on the Hot 100 and spent 12 weeks on the chart. "Believe" received a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year, a first for Cher. The track won for Best Dance Recording -- Cher's first Grammy win after nearly 35 years in the business. Believe is also hailed for its use of a vocoder machine, producing what we now know as Auto-Tune. Known as the "Cher effect," several musicians afterwards used it on their own recordings, such as T-Pain, Kanye West and more. Believe (Deluxe Edition) will be released on Nov. 3. - Billboard, 9/21/23...... On Sept. 20, 1973, the pop music world was shocked when news came that singer/songwriter Jim Croce had been killed in a plane crash in Natchitoches, La., during a concert tour of southern colleges. In the previous 15 months, the talented Croce had amassed four top 40 hits on the pop charts: "You Don't Mess Around With Jim," "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)," "One Less Set of Footsteps" and the sing-along smash "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown," which spent the final two weeks of July 1973 at No. 1. Croce's death also resulted in another phenomenon: one of the biggest posthumous sales booms in history. "I Got a Name," the title track of his new LP and which was released the day after Croce's death, reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November. The following month, the poignant "Time in a Bottle" (which had appeared on his 1972 album You Don't Miss Around With Jim) became his second No. 1. It made Croce just the third artist in the history of the Hot 100 to top the chart posthumously, following Otis Redding ("(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay," 1968) and Janis Joplin ("Me and Bobby McGee," 1971). Moreover, Croce became the first artist in Hot 100 history to top the chart both while living and after his death. Croce's impact was also felt during awards season. At the inaugural American Music Awards on Feb. 19, 1974, Croce won favorite pop/rock male artist, beating a pair of legends -- Elton John and Stevie Wonder. "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" was also nominated for favorite pop/rock song, but lost to Dawn featuring Tony Orlando's "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree," which had been the biggest hit of 1973. "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" was nominated for two Grammys -- Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, male. Croce was the first artist in Grammy history to receive a posthumous nod for Record of the Year. He lost in both categories at the 16th annual Grammy Awards on Mar. 2, 1974. Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly With His Song" took Record of the Year, while Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" took the Male Pop Vocal prize. Wonder graciously saluted Croce in his acceptance speech: "I accept this award in memory of Jim Croce, who was a very talented man." Croce was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1990, alongside Smokey Robinson and Michel Legrand. Croce's widow, Ingrid Croce -- with whom he recorded a duo album for Capitol in 1969 -- is now 76. Their son A.J. Croce, who turned two eight days after the crash, is 51. A.J., who is also a singer/songwriter, has recorded 11 albums. - Billboard,. 9/20/23...... '70s superstars Eric Clapton and Stephen Stills are among several musicians and celebrities who have helped raise millions of dollars for the presidential campaign of controversial Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.. Kennedy Jr., a member of the most famous political family in the US who has begun his campaign for the White House after spending three years as an environmental activist, is running against current Pres. Joe Biden and considered a fringe candidate in the Democratic Party. However, following on from his environmental work, he has quickly become a figure of controversy due to his strong stance against vaccines. At a recent private fundraising event in Brentwood earlier in September, Clapton and Stills helped Kennedy raise millions for RFK Jr.'s campaign, with The Hollywood Reporter reporting that Clapton performed with his band at the fundraiser and helped raise a total amount of $2.3 million (£ 1.85million). Of this amount, $1 million (£ 805,000) went to benefit Kennedy's campaign, while the remaining $1.3 million (£ 1.05million) went to a political action committee (PAC), which supports Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy. Other famous faces in attendance included Kennedy's wife and Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines, Alicia Silverstone, actor and comedian Rob Schneider, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young musician, Stills. It remains unclear whether or not Stills also performed at the fundraiser, however, his attendance was confirmed by recently circulated photos of himself, Clapton, and Kennedy standing together. "I am deeply grateful to Eric Clapton for bringing his musical artistry and rebellious spirit to my gathering in Los Angeles last night," Kennedy said in a statement. "I sometimes think that in our divided society, it is music rather than any kind of intellectual agreement that has the most potential to bring us together again. Eric sings from the depths of the human condition," he added. The support from Clapton follows the guitarist also establishing himself as an opponent of the COVID vaccine ever since it was developed. In 2021 the artist revealed that he would refuse to perform at any venue that required proof of vaccination. He later joined Van Morrison on an anti-lockdown song. - NME, 9/21/23...... Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters has shared on YouTube new solo versions of Pink Floyd tracks "Speak To Me"' and "Breathe" from his forthcoming re-recorded version of The Dark Side Of The Moon. The album -- titled The Dark Side Of The Moon Redux -- is due on Oct. 6 and is Waters' full-length reimagining of the band's iconic 1973 album to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Waters will showcase the album at two special live concerts at the London Palladium on Oct. 8 and 9. - NME, 9/22/23...... On Sept. 20, 1973, current female tennis champ Billie Jean King, 29, accepted a "Battle of the Sexes" challenge from 55-year-old master showman, hustler and former (in the 1940s) world tennis champ Bobby Riggs before more than 30,000 spectators in the Houston Astrodome. In what would become the most-watched televised tennis match in history with a worldwide audience of 90 million and a $100,000 ($659,000 today) winner-takes-all prize, Riggs, who boasted he could "beat any female tennis player," was dusted off by King in three straight sets. "I underestimated you," said Riggs, who had previously beaten the No. 1-ranked female player Margeret Court, to King after match point. On Sept. 20, three U.S. senators introduced a bill that would award the Congressional Gold Medal to honor to King, the tennis Hall of Famer and activist who was a driving force behind the creation of the women's pro tennis tour, equal prize money for men and women, and the passage of the Title IX anti-discrimination amendment. "She's both a role model for women and girls everywhere, but she's also a battle-tested warrior for women's rights and equality," said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, one of the bill's leaders in the Senate along with Sens. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. "This match was about much more than tennis. It was about social change," King posted on Sept. 19 on X/Twitter. King's victory was also celebrated at Tennis Legends Ball presented by BNP Paribas on Sept. 9 in New York City. "The Battle of the Sexes gave women's tennis, and women athletes, an unprecedented global platform," said King as she accepted the honor. - AP, 9/20/23...... George Harrison's son Dhani Harrison has returned with a new single titled "Damn That Frequency," a psychedelic track that features Graham Coxon of Blur on the saxophone. Harrison will officially premiere the new single live at two intimate gigs in London on Oct. 18 and 19. A visualizer for the song can be viewed on YouTube. Dhani last released solo music in 2017 with his IN///PARALLEL album. - NME, 9/22/23...... Folk singer and expert whistler Roger Whittaker, best known for tracks such as "Durham Town (The Leavin')," "New World in the Morning" and "The Last Farewell," died on Sept. 13, according to a statement on his website. He was 87. Born on Mar. 22, 1936, in Nairobi, Mr. Whittaker was exposed to music through his family: his grandfather frequently sang in clubs, while his father played the violin. His earliest recordings were released while he was an undergrad at the University College of North Wales though the campus' newspaper, which included his songs on flexi discs. In 1969, Mr. Whittaker released "Durham Town (The Leavin')," with the song eventually peaking at No. 23 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, where he placed eight additional songs, including "New World in the Morning" (No. 12), "I Don't Believe in If Anymore" (No. 10) and "The Last Farewell," which became Whittaker's most successful single, topping the AC chart. It was also his first and only track to reach the Hot 100, peaking at No. 19. After becoming fluent in German, Mr. Whittaker catered to his fanbase and spent the 1970s and onward performing in the country, in addition to releasing 25 albums in German. During his career, he also placed six albums on the all-genre Billboard 200, including The Last Farewell and Other Hits (No. 31) and When I Need You (No. 115). According to his website, he and wife Natalie "settled into retirement" in France in 2012. "Roger was an iconic artist, a wonderful husband and father. He touched so many hearts with his music during his lifetime and will always live on in our memories," reads the statement on the website. "The family requests privacy as we go through this time of grief and we thank you for your understanding. Roger will be greatly missed, his legacy will forever live on in our hearts and in his art." - Billboard, 9/19/23.