Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on November 3rd, 2023

Willie Nelson has announced an all-star 90th birthday TV special set to air on Dec. 17 on CBS and begin streaming the same day on Paramount+. Featuring performances from Beck, Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Snoop Dogg, Norah Jones, Miranda Lambert, Dave Matthews, Keith Richards, and the man of honor, Willie Nelson's 90th Birthday Celebration will be hosted by Jennifer Garner, Chelsea Handler, Woody Harrelson, Ethan Hawke, Helen Mirren and Owen Wilson. Nelson, who hit his latest milestone birthday on Apr. 30, announced the news during a recent appearance on Stephen Colbert's The Late Show. "I'm ready for it," he tells Colbert, with a confirmation on The Late Show's X/Twitter page on Nov. 3. A multi-part documentary on Nelson, titled Willie Nelson & Family, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. On Mar. 3, he released his latest album, I Don't Know a Thing About Love, which highlighted songs written by Harlan Howard, on Sony's Legacy Recordings. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Nov. 3. - Billboard, 11/3/23...... Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at the annual Stand Up For Heroes benefit event, held at the David Geffen Hall in New York, on Nov. 6. During the charity event, the Boss performed the live debut of his new song "Addicted To Romance," fan-shot footage of which has been shared on YouTube. The event usually consists of live music performances and live sets from comedians to raise funds for US vets, and Springsteen usually appears at the event to try his hand at some stand-up comedy, however, with him being on tour with the E Street Band this year, he was not scheduled to appear at the 2023 instalment. Instead, Indiana-based rocker John Mellencamp, was tapped to headline the event. However, since Springsteen was forced to cancel his remaining 2023 tour dates back in September due to a peptic ulcer, he caught fans off-guard by making a surprise appearance on the night. "I'm going to bring out one of the best songwriters of our generation, and he's my big brother, and I've looked up to him my whole life," Mellencamp told the audience, introducing Springsteen to the stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, Bruce Springsteen." From there, Springsteen proceeded to play a brief five-song set for the crowd at the charity event, and even broke out the first-ever live performance of his recently released track "Addicted To Romance." The track is a soundtrack song that Springsteen recorded alongside Bryce Dessner of The National and the Nov. 6 rendition marked its first-ever live performance. Springsteen, between performances of "Power of Prayer," "Working on the Highway" and "Dancing in the Dark," also served up in-between-song "ribald, double-entendre jokes" as he's done in the past. Meanwhile, veteran rock photographer Lynn Goldsmith is preparing to release her second book of photos showcasing Springsteen and his band, this one from the singer's Darkness On the Edge of Town period. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: Darkness On the Edge of Town features photos from her time with the band back in 1978, when had unprecedented access to Springsteen and cohorts such as guitarist Steven Van Zandt, the late saxophonist Clarence Clemons and manager Jon Landau, all of whom she captures in intimate, surprising moments. Springsteen and his E Street Band is scheduled get back on the road beginning Mar. 19 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ. "We're gonna come back stronger than ever in March," Van Zandt recently told People magazine. "It was a very, very intense first six months of the tour -- maybe our most intense ever. And so we're gonna come back with that same intensity, and it's gonna be great," he added. - New Musical Express/Billboard, 11/7/23...... Elton John has teamed up with Marmite -- a savory spread made from yeast extract and fortified with B vitamins that's especially popular in the United Kingdom -- to launch a limited-edition jar, with proceeds being donated to the Elton John AIDs Foundation. On Nov. 6, Sir Elton, re-shared an Instagram post from Marmite's official Instagram page which depicts the new the new limited-edition jar featuring artwork inspired by the cover of John's iconic 1973 album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023. "We're back and ready to spread the love with a new ELTON JOHN LIMITED-EDITION Marmite jar in partnership with the Elton John AIDS Foundation," read the caption. "Our latest collaboration celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' album and is available to buy now in Sainsbury's stores across the UK," it adds. In the update, the company also confirms that the new jar "marks the start of a THREE YEAR, $1 million partnership" between Marmite and the Elton John AIDs Foundation, which will run until 2025 and continue to "ensure ongoing support for individuals impacted by HIV." Meanwhile, the Rocket Man has revealed that he has completed a new album with the help of his longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Elton announced the news the news at the recent 2023 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Ceremony class of 2023 induction ceremony at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Nov. 3, which saw Taupin inducted after nearly 60 years of collaborating with Sir Elton. "Our success story is what it is, you all know. Through the years we grew and we grew and we grew," John noted as he inducted Taupin. "We climbed mountains that we never thought were possible to climb, and we scaled heights that we never thought were possible to scale. And throughout that time, we never ever really had an argument. He was disgusted with my behavior, yes, that's a given. But to this day, we are still growing as a partnership," he added. John then confirmed that the duo have just completed a new album together in Los Angeles. The full speech can be streamed on YouTube. Others inducted into the Class of 2023 that night include Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, Rage Against the Machine, Willie Nelson, George Michael and The Spinners. Jimmy Page also made a surprise appearance to induct the late Link Wray in the Musical Influence category. Page appeared in a video montage about the power chord pioneer, calling Wray his "hero" and saying, "if ever there was a guitarist who deserved this, it was Link Wray." But when the lights came up and the Led Zeppelin legend was on stage in the flesh, the crowd went crazy. Busting into "Rumble," Wray's iconic instrumental, Page looked happy as hell playing a song he's loved his whole life on a double-necked guitar. The 2023 RRHOF ceremony was streamed live, for the first time ever, on Disney+, and is still available on-demand. Audio from the ceremony streamed live on Apple Music 1. An edited broadcast of highlights will be aired in the US on network TV on ABC on New Year's Day, Jan. 1, 2024, from 8-11 p.m. ET. - NME, 11/6/23...... Joe Walsh has lived life in the fast lane for nearly six decades as a member of various rock groups -- including, most famously, the Eagles -- but his favorite lineup yet is the one he's put together for his 2023 VetsAid benefit concert for veterans. Taking place Nov. 12 in San Diego, the show will feature performances from bands like the War on Drugs and the Flaming Lips, as well as Walsh, who launched VetsAid in 2017. "It's the same love and energy as an Eagles show," says the singer, 75, who was 20 months old when his dad died in a plane crash while serving as a flight instructor for the Air Force. Giving back has been a light at the end of a long tunnel for Walsh, who went through struggles with alcoholism and cocaine addiction in the '70s and '80s. Sober since 1994, Walsh credits wife Marjorie Bach (whom he married in 2008) with helping him stay grounded. And his Eagles bandmates -- he's currently on the Long Goodbye tour with them -- keep things fun. "I'm so blessed," he says. "We play our asses off, and everybody goes home happier." The band has also announced dates for a 22-date European stadium run beginning in May 2024. - People, 11/13/23...... Roger Waters, in a new interview with journalist Glenn Greenwald that has gone viral, says he still isn't ready to condemn Hamas following the terrorist group's brutal attack and murder of more than 1,400 Israeli citizens on Oct. 7, and accuses Israel of "making up stories." "Didn't the Israeli army hear the bangs when (Hamas) blew up whatever they have to blow up to get across the border?," the 80-year-old former Pink Floyd bassist/vocalist asked. Asked if what Hamas did on that day "can be justified," he defiantly replied: "We don't know what they did do. Was it justified for them to resist the occupation? Yeah They are legally and morally bound to resist the occupation since 1967. It's an obligation." During the nearly 10-minute-long chat, which can be viewed on YouTube, Waters wouldn't describe Hamas' attack, which included the murder of more than 260 attendees at a music festival, as "war crimes". "Probably the first 400 (killed) were Israeli military personnel," he alleged, and added he believes the reporting of the incident "was thrown out of all proportion by the Israelis making up stories about beheading babies." "They even got the president of the United States to claim that he had seen photographs of the beheaded babies," Waters said, noting that Pres. Joe Biden admitted later that he didn't. "What we do know is, whether it was a false flag operation or not whatever story we're going to get to, we don't know if we're ever going to get much of the real story They're calling it their 9/11. What the hell happened on the American 9/11? No one knows." Waters is in the midst of his "This Is Not a Drill" tour, which wraps in December, and comes with a stern warning before the music starts: "If you're one of those, 'I love Pink Floyd, but I can't stand Roger's politics' people, you might do well to f--- off to the bar right now." - Canoe.com, 11/7/23...... Halloween hits are back on the latest Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Nov. 11) thanks to annual gains for spooky songs around the Oct. 31 holiday. Michael Jackson's classic "Thriller" is the highest Halloween-sparked reentry at No. 21 with 14.5 million U.S. streams (up 163%), 10.9 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 464%) and 5,000 downloads (up 102%) for Oct. 27-Nov. 2, according to Luminate. This is the sixth consecutive year in which "Thriller" has reentered the Hot 100. It peaked at No. 4 during its initial chart run in 1984. Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers' "Monster Mash" follows at No. 38 with 11.9 million streams (up 213%), 4.4 million radio impressions (up 1,923%) and 4,000 sold (up 82%). This is the third consecutive season that the graveyard smash has revisited the chart. It spent two weeks at No. 1 during its original run in 1962. Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" reenters the Hot 100 at No. 45 with 11.1 million streams (up 168%), 5.9 million radio impressions (up 1,484%) and 4,000 sold (up 97%). This is the third consecutive year that the song has returned to the survey, thanks to Halloween gains. The theme to the 1984 blockbuster film of the same name spent three weeks at No. 1 during its original chart run that year. - Billboard, 11/7/23...... In other chart action, the Beatles' "final song" "Now and Then" has debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Digital Song Sales chart dated Nov. 11. In the Oct. 27-Nov. 2 tracking week, "Now and Then" sold 16,000 downloads in the U.S., according to Luminate. The song also starts at No. 1 on Rock Digital Song Sales, and is Fab Four's first leader on each retail ranking. (The band's digital catalog was first made available in the iTunes Store in Nov. 2010.) Elsewhere, "Now and Then" starts at Nos. 7 and 11 on the multi-metric Hot Rock Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs charts, respectively, with its sales and airplay also augmented by 2.3 million official U.S. streams Nov. 2. "Now and Then" is also heading for a U.K. No. 1 based on sales and streaming data captured from the first 48 hours in the chart week. It's in the pole position, outselling the rest of the top 5 combined, the Official Charts Company reports. If it holds its spot, "Now And Then" will become the band's 18th U.K. chart-leader, and their first in 54 years, since "The Ballad of John and Yoko" topped the weekly tally back in 1969. Meanwhile, Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson, who has directed and shared the official "Now and Then" video on YouTube, has suggested that more new music from The Beatles is "conceivable." Looking back at his time working on both the "Now and Then" and 2022 Get Back eight-hour docu-series projects, Jackson said that he thinks it is "conceivable" that more new music from the band could be developed. "We can take a performance from Get Back, separate John [Lennon] and George [Harrison], and then have Paul [McCartney] and Ringo [Starr] add a chorus or harmonies," he recently told London's Sunday Times, reflecting on the series which saw him sift through 60 hours of footage and 150 hours of audio. "You might end up with a decent song," he added. "But I haven't had conversations with Paul about that." - Billboard, 11/6/23...... Former Dire Straits bassist John Illsley has revealed to the U.K. paper The Telegraph that Dire Straits have urned down "huge amounts of money" to reform the band in recent years. Speaking about recent meetings he has had with the band's former manager Paul Crockford, Illsley said: "Every time we have lunch, [he] says to me, 'I wish people would stop offering me huge amounts of money to put [Dire Straits] back together.'" Dire Straits split briefly in 1988 for two years before permanently calling it a day in 1995, releasing a total of six studio albums. Illsley says he was "pretty happy" when the band's run came to an end, recalling feeling "mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted" by the time they finally disbanded. "Most of our marriages were falling apart, we weren't seeing our children very much -- it was all wrong. It's the usual things that can happen to people in bands," he continued. Dire Straits won four Grammys and three Brit Awards, and their 1985 album Brothers in Arms is the eighth best-selling album of all time in the UK. They have sold over 100 million records worldwide and in 2018, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2008, Illsley revealed that he had approached Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler about the possibility of reforming the band, but was rebuffed. "I think we've definitely got one more tour left in us, and probably another record too," Illsley said at the time. "But he's [Knopfler] doing different kinds of music now. He's doing incredibly well as a solo artist, so hats off to him. He's having a perfectly good time doing what he's doing." Knopfler continues to record solo material and is known for his work on film scores, including Local Hero (1983), The Princess Bride (1987) and Wag the Dog (1998). - NME, 11/5/23...... A life-size sculpture of Ozzy Osbourne has been unveiled in the rock legend's hometown of Birmingham -- made entirely of cake. The extravagant homage depicts the former Black Sabbath frontman sitting upon his throne, eyes wide in a satanic grin, his finger outstretched at passers-by. The sculpture is part of this year's Cake International show at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre, with Jane Lashbrook the cake artist that has brought the Prince of Darkness to life in sweet form. Other famous figures that have been modelled at the exhibition include King Charles and the cast of Netflix show Stranger Things. An announcement of the sweet concoctions can by viewed on the National Exhibition Centre's X/Twitter page. In other Ozzy-related news, his son Jack Osbourne's has admitted his youngest daughter, 15-month-old Maple Osbourne, is scared of her grandpa. Talking on the latest episode of the Osbourne family's The Osbournes Podcast, Jack revealed that Ozzy recently told his son, "Bring the grandkids to come and see me!" To which a laughing Jack replied, "I f----ing will... she's scared of you IRL (in real life)." "We put on (Ozzy's song) 'Crazy Train', like an actual performance," Jack says. "She does the 'I, I, I,' but she's pointing a the TV going 'Papa, Papa, Papa, Papa, Papa', just on repeat like a broken record. But in real life when she sees him and she's like, "Oh f----, there he is. Ahh!" - NME/Music-News.com, 11/3/23...... Elvis Presley's ex-wife Priscilla Presley has had her settlement with granddaughter actress Riley Keough, concerning her daughter Lisa Marie Presley's estate, approved by the courts. The settlement states that Priscilla can now be buried as close to her ex-husband Elvis Presley as possible at the Graceland estate when she dies, and that her son Navarone Garibaldi can participate in the memorial ceremony. "Riley agrees to allow Priscilla to be buried upon her death in the Meditation Garden of Graceland. The burial location will be at the location closest to Elvis Presley without moving any existing gravesite," reads the official settlement. As reported by Rolling Stone, the agreement has been confirmed in a probate court in Los Angeles County, and signed off by a judge, thereby avoiding a potentially long and costly legal battle. In addition, Priscilla is set to receive a $1 million (810,000) payment from Lisa-Marie's $25 million (£20.2 million) life insurance trust, as well as $100,000 a year for the next ten years for her services as "special advisor" to Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. The settlement further states that Keough "agrees to use her best efforts to ask Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc., or any successor thereof, not to pursue litigation against Priscilla related to her name, image and likeness." The pair also agreed that Riley would be made the sole trustee of Lisa Marie's estate and own the Memphis, Tenn. mansion. Priscilla Presley's life has been dramatised in the new film Priscilla, directed by Sofia Coppola. The film was released in the US on Nov. 1 and will receive its UK release on Jan. 1. - NME, 11/3/23...... Barry Manilow has extended his farewell London Palladium residency, due to "overwhelming demand." The "Mandy" hitmaker, 80, originally announced nine nights at the legendary music venue between May 23 and June 2, for what will mark his last ever UK shows. He will now play five further shows on June 4, 5,7, 8 and 9, bringing the run to 14 nights. The Grammy winner -- who holds the title for the longest stint in Las Vegas with his Barry Manilow - The Hits Come Home! concert series, overtaking the late Elvis Presley's 1978 record -- will play a hit-packed show, including "Could it Be Magic," "Copa Cabana" and "Can't Smile Without You." - Music-News.com, 11/7/23...... Disgraced That '70s Show cast member Danny Masterson filed an appeal against his Sept. 7 rape conviction, when the 7-year-old actor was found guilty in May of raping two women 20 years ago and later sentenced to 30 years to life in prison. On Nov. 3 court documents obtained by TheBlast.com showed he had formally raised an appeal against his punishment. Shortly after Masterson was sentenced, his lawyer Shawn Halley vowed to appeal and insisted she was confident Masterson's conviction would be overturned. She said in a statement: "The errors which occurred in this case are substantial and unfortunately led to verdicts which are not supported by the evidence. And though we have great respect for the jury in this case and for our system of justice overall, sometimes they get it wrong. And that's what happened here. Mr. Masterson did not commit the crimes for which he has been convicted and we and the appellate lawyers -- the best and the brightest in the country -- are confident that these convictions will be overturned." The victims -- both of whom are former members of the Church of Scientology -- attended the hearing in Los Angeles. In the wake of Masterson going to jail, his estranged wife Bijou Phillips -- who had been by her spouse's side throughout court proceedings -- filed for divorce. The actor subsequently agreed to give the 43-year-old singer-and-actress legal and physical custody of their nine-year-old daughter Fianna. - Bang Showbiz, 11/7/23...... All My Children soap opera actor Peter White passed away on Nov. 1 at his home in Los Angeles after a struggle with melanoma. He was 86. Mr. White studied a master's degree at the Yale School of Drama before launching a career on the stage, joining the cast of off-Broadway production "The Boys in the Band" in 1968 about gay life in New York and later going on to appear in the film version of the stage show in 1970 which was directed by William Friedkin. A year later, he landed his first soap job with a part in Love Is a Many Splendored Thing and went on to score the role of Linc Tyler in All My Children in the mid-1970s. He played the character for more than three decades before his final exit in 2005. Mr. White's other film roles included turns in Dave, Flubber, Armageddon and Thirteen Days while his TV credits include NYPD Blue, The West Wing, The X Files and Ally McBeal as well as the night-time soaps Dallas, Dynasty and Knots Landing. He never married and didn't have any children. - Bang Showbiz, 11/6/23...... Former NASA astronaut Ken Mattingly, who helped guide the crew of the crippled Apollo 13 shuttle safely back to Earth in 1970, died on Oct. 31 in Arlington, Va. He was 87. - People, 11/20/23...... Former Indiana University head basketball coach Bob Knight, who led the Hoosiers to an NCAA championship in 1976 and two other years before being fired in 2000 due to his polarizing behavior, died at his home in Bloomington, Ind. on Nov. 1. He was 83. - People, 11/20/23.

Billy Joel has confirmed the final show of his ongoing residency at Madison Square Garden, where he performed monthly beginning in Jan. 2014. The newly-announced show, which will take place on July 25, 2024, will be Joel's 150th appearance at the prestigious NYC venue since the residency began. The 74-year-old Piano Man is set to play MSG next on Nov. 22, followed in December with a show on the 19th which will be his last show of 2023 at MSG. His 2024 tour dates kick off on Jan. 11, and will continue on Feb. 9, Mar. 28, Apr. 26, May 9 and Jun. 6. His tour schedule also features a variety of co-headlining shows, which will see the singer-songwriter take to the stage with other rock royalty including Stevie Nicks and Sting. His last show of 2023 will be at a New Year's Eve event on Long Island. - New Musical Express, 11/2/23...... In a new episode of the Ozzy Osbourne family's revived Osbournes Podcast, Sharon Osbourne shed light on the factors that led to the cancellation of Ozzfest, revealing that it was ultimately due to managers becoming "greedy." In the eighth episode of the series, which is available on YouTube, the family reminisce about the unforgettable moments they witnessed at the annual event and the popular heavy metal acts they saw perform including Limp Bizkit, System Of A Down, TOOL and Rob Zombie. When asked why the festival ultimately came to an end, Sharon responded: "It was a very weird beast because all the bands were our mates, but the managers were greedy and for some reason they thought that we were making billions on it and we weren't. We made a profit," she continued. "But it was not like -- we couldn't retire on it. And managers and agents wanted more and more and more, and it just wasn't cost-effective anymore. We stopped because it just wasn't cost-effective." - NME, 11/1/23...... A New York woman has filed a complaint in that state against Steven Tyler, claiming the Aerosmith frontman sexually assaulted her when she was a minor some 48 years ago. Former teen model Jeanne Bellino says she has suffered "severe and permanent emotional distress" over the incidents, which allegedly occurred over a single day in the summer of 1975 when she was 17 and Tyler was 27. "By 1975, Tyler had acquired wealth, stature, and power as a result of his career and status as a rock star," Bellino's lawyers write. "Tyler used his power, influence, and authority, as a well-known musician to sexually assault Plaintiff." In her lawsuit, Bellino claims that she and a friend had arranged to meet Aerosmith in Manhattan, and while they were allegedly walking down Sixth Avenue with his entourage, she says Tyler pushed her into a phone booth. "While holding her captive, Tyler stuck his tongue down her throat, and put his hands upon her body, her breasts, her buttocks, and her genitals, moving and removing clothing and pinning her against the wall of the phone booth," her lawyers write. "As Tyler was mauling and groping Plaintiff, he was humping her pretending to have sex with Plaintiff." Bellino also claims she could feel that "Tyler's penis was erect" and because she was "relying upon her friend for transportation, a dazed, confused, and shocked" Bellino continued with the group to the Warwick Hotel, where the band was allegedly staying. She then alleges Tyler pinned her against the wall in a bar entrance, and began to "simulate sex" with her once again. Tyler then left, according to the woman, and told her she would call her up later. The woman then says sympathetic employees of the hotel took her home to Queens. "As a result of the sexual assault, Plaintiff was hospitalized and medicated," her lawyers write. "Plaintiff has continued to require medication to cope with the sexual assault and has suffered long term physical injury associated with the trauma." A rep for Tyler did not immediately return a request for comment. The new case comes just under a year after Tyler was sued by Julia Holcomb, who claims that the rocker repeatedly assaulted her for three years starting in 1973, when she was just 16 years old. Tyler has denied the accusations and moved to dismiss the case in April. However, his arguments raised eyebrows at the time, as one of his defenses was that he was immunized against the allegations because he had been granted legal custody over Holcomb. - Billboard, 11/2/23...... Dolly Parton has weighed in on a series of anti-trans measures recently passed in her home state of Tennessee. While Parton, a vocal advocate and ally to the LGBTQ+ community, said that she wasn't interested in talking about "the politics of everything," she has told The Hollywood Reporter that, at the end of the day, "I just want everybody to be treated good." "I try to get into the human element of it." Pointing out that she has people in her life who identify as queer and trans, the 77-year-old star said it was important to hear what they're saying. "I know and love them all, and I do not judge," says Parton, 77. "And I just see how broken-hearted they get over certain things and I know how real they are. I know how important this is to them. That's who they are. They cannot help that any more than I can help being Dolly Parton, you know, the way people know me. If there's something to be judged, that is God's business. But we are all God's children and how we are is who we are." In March, Tennessee passed a state-wide ban on gender-affirming care for minors, preventing gender-diverse youth from being able to access evidence-based, best practice treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy. Families of transgender children subsequently challenged the new law in court, attempting to block it from taking affect. After the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the law, families have petitioned the Supreme Court to block the ban and hear their case. Elsewhere in the interview, Dolly revealed that she's turned down playing the coveted Super Bowl halftime gig several times, and for very good reasons. "I couldn't do it because of other things, or I just didn't think I was big enough to do it -- to do that big of a production," she said. "When you think about those shows, those are big, big productions. I've never done anything with that big of a production. I don't know if I could have. I think at the time that's what I was thinking." But she added she might consider staging a blow-out Super Bowl performance these days: "That might change. I might be able to do a production show." Parton is set to release her long-awaited rock album, Rockstar, a week before Black Friday on Nov. 17. - Billboard, 11/2/23...... The highly anticipated "final" Beatles song, "Now And Then," was released on Nov. 2, 60 years after the release of the iconic British band's 1963 debut studio album Please Please Me. "Now and Then" can be streamed on Spotify.com, which this summer surviving Beatle Paul McCartney explained how Artificial Intelligence (AI) wold be used to complete it. "Can't say too much at this stage but to be clear, nothing has been artificially or synthetically created," McCartney wrote on X/Twitter. "It's all real and we all play on it. We cleaned up some existing recordings -- a process which has gone on for years." He later clarified his comments during a radio interview with the BBC, explaining that AI would be used to separate vocal tracks from background noise and instruments and "extricate" late bandmate John Lennon's vocals from an old recording for use on the final master of the song. A lovelorn guitar-centric rock ballad, "Now And Then" was originally written and recorded by Lennon around 1977 as a solo piano track. After his death in 1980, the unfinished demo floated in limbo -- at times being considered as a Beatles reunion single -- and was ultimately shelved for almost three decades. Now, the song will find a home on the expanded reissue of 1973's 1967-1970 compilation (aka "The Blue Album") -- currently slated for a Nov. 10 release -- and have the distinction of being the final Beatles song. The official video of "Now And Then," directed by Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson, has also been released and shared on YouTube. The poignant 12-minute film tells the story behind the band's "final" song and features exclusive footage and commentary from McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison, as well as Sean Ono Lennon and director Jackson. - Billboard/NME, 11/2/23...... The Guess Who principals Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman have filed a lawsuit against their former bandmates, bassist Jim Kale and drummer Garry Peterson, for playing small venues across the U.S. under the Guess Who moniker. Cummings and Bachman filed a lawsuit on Oct. 30 in Los Angeles deeming that Kale and Peterson, who recruited twentysomething musicians to complete their band, are little more than a "cover band" and alleging they are misleading fans. The original Guess Who, which formed in Winnipeg in 1962 and disbanded in 1975, have the distinction of selling more records than the Beatles in 1970 with hits like "American Woman," "These Eyes" and "Laughing." "They've taken mine and Randy's history, the history of the Guess Who, and stolen it to market their cheap ticket sales in their fake bulls*** shows," Burton Cummings told Rolling Stone magazine. "It takes away everybody's legitimacy." According to the lawsuit, Kale and Peterson are accused of using vintage photos and recordings that include Cummings and Bachman to "give a false impression that fans will get anything more than covers of the original music." In reposting the Rolling Stone story on X/Twitter on Oct. 31, Cummings wrote, "Let's set the record straight and make it clear who was on the records vs who you'll see on the stage." On Oct. 30, Bachman also posted to X, writing "Well, it's about time" with a link to the article. It added: "You can't be the creative force behind a decade of music and be pleased that hired musicians have basically stolen your songs, pretended to be you and fans line up to pay money to go see the imposters." Bachman and Cummings are seeking $20 million in damages for false advertising, unfair competition, and violation of the right to publicity. Both say the bogus GW has impeded their own careers. The pair had hoped to tour in 2020 under the Guess Who banner but that was torpedoed by Kale and Peterson. Kale has previously slammed Bachman and Cummings for trying to reclaim the name. "Cummings signed off on the name in 1977 and he hasn't stopped his pissing and moaning ever since," he told the Winnipeg Free Press in 2012. "What the hell do you think I was going to do, start a scrapbook? Here I was with a whopping Grade 10 education and I don't have a trade and I'm too old for a paper route. I gotta make a living," he said. "I'll have a band of trained monkeys out there just to piss him off. I'm prepared to be that petty I'm really, really sick of it. I'd love to take the high road, but I'm not going to. I'm his karma," he added. - Canoe.com, 11/1/23...... Cher is set to close out the Macy's Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 23. The "Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves" singer will close out the official show and appear towards the end of the broadcast, where Santa arrives in his sleigh, marking the official beginning of the Christmas season. Cher's addition to the annual holiday event comes on the heels of two releases for the star: Believe's 25th anniversary re-release on Nov. 3, and her first-ever Christmas album, Christmas released Oct. 20. While Cher has not yet confirmed which of her hits she'll to perform during the broadcast, she could perform one of the tracks from the new holiday LP, which has recently debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Holiday Albums Chart, to ring in the Christmas season at the parade's end. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will air on NBC from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 pm ET. Among the many top music acts also making an appearance during the parade will be '70s jazz-rock legends Chicago. - Billboard, 11/1/23...... Heart have announced they will celebrate New Year's Eve by reuniting for their first show since 2016. The band, led by Ann and Nancy Wilson, will play a headline gig at the Climate Pledge Arena in their hometown of Seattle, Wash. on Sunday, Dec. 31. Heart will be joined on the bill by their special guests, Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening -- the group formed by original Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham's son. The gig will be followed by the traditional firework show at the Space Needle. Ann and Nancy had a falling out in 2016 after Ann's husband was arrested after being accused of assaulting Nancy's 16-year-old twin sons. The following year, Rolling Stone magazine reported that the sisters continued the band's tour but did not speak directly to each other during the remaining dates. However the siblings reconciled in 2019, reuniting on stage for the first time at the Love Rocks NYC concert that March. The upcoming New Year's Eve concert will be their first performance together since then. Earlier in 2023, it was reported that the sisters are also working on new Heart music as well, which would be the follow-up to 2016's Beautiful Broken. Heart was a major force on the AOR charts in the '70s and '80s, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. - NME, 10/31/23...... The Grateful Dead's massive merch machine has teamed up with the English football club the Forest Green Rovers, "a team that really follows Grateful Dead values," according to the band's legacy manager. For custodians of Grateful Dead -- which officially disbanded in 1995 following the death of guitarist and songwriter Jerry Garcia but has continued to tour in various incarnations, most recently as Dead & Company, featuring original members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart -- the tie-up with Forest Green is the latest in a vast and ever-growing line of merch and licensing deals helping keep the Grateful Dead brand alive. "For us, it's a perfect match," says the legendary jam band's archivist and legacy manager, David Lemieux. "Forest Green Rovers is a team that really follows Grateful Dead values, which is to say that we're both conscious of the world around us and we want to make sure that we leave it a better place than when we arrived." At present, the band has deals with more than 100 merch partners and more than 750 products on sale in over 50 territories, spanning everything from water bottles to cosmic mushroom foraging tools to camping equipment to Grateful Dead-branded skis and snowboards, as well as an extensive range of t-shirts and clothing. - Billboard, 10/31/23...... Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have just added 22 European stadium shows to their 2024 trek across the pond. The new dates will kick off on May 5 in Cardiff, UK, and keep the band on the road through a July 25 date at Wembley Stadium in London, with stops along the way in Belfast, Dublin, Prague, Milan, Madrid, Barcelona, Helsinki and Stockholm. Tickets for the trek will go on sale starting with the Odense, Denmark show (July 9) on Nov. 2. - Billboard, 10/31/23...... Bob Dylan delighted his fans during his Montreal concert on Oct. 29 with a surprise cover of Leonard Cohen's classic "Dance Me to the End of Love." The cover was performed live for the first time by Dylan, who had previously released the cover on his website and YouTube channel as part of his ongoing series of "Murder Most Foul" playlists. The cover received a standing ovation from the audience, where Dylan performed as part of his "Rough and Rowdy Ways" Tour. The tour is Dylan's first in Canada since 2017, and features songs from his latest album Rough and Rowdy Ways, as well as some of his classics and covers. The tour began in Milwaukee on Oct. 2, and will wrap in Boston on Nov. 19. Fan-filmed footage of the Montreal performance of "Dance Me" has been shared on YouTube. - NME, 10/31/23...... The Rolling Stones debuted at the summit of the Official U.K. Albums Chart dated Oct. 27 with their new studio album Hackney Diamonds, which racked up 72,000 chart units in its first week. That's the third biggest week of sales for an album of 2023 so far, according to the OCC, behind only Lewis Capaldi's Broken by Desire to be Heavenly Sent, and Ed Sheeran's -- (subtract). With 11 different studio collections reaching the chart summit, the Stones are now part of the elite club of acts with the most studio albums to reach No. 1, joining the Beatles, Robbie Williams and Bruce Springsteen. Meanwhile, the Stones have become the 25th artist to receive a BRIT Billion Award by the BPI. The program commemorates 1 billion career UK streams as calculated by the Official Charts Company. In reaching the landmark, the British band became what the BPI artfully called "the longest-active artist" (so much nicer than "oldest") to receive the award. The Stones' most-streamed hits include "Paint It, Black," "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Start Me Up." Over in the U.S., the band has become the first act with newly-charted top 10 titles on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart in the 1960s, '70s, '80s, '90s, 2000s, '10s and now the '20s. Hackney Diamonds debuted on that chart at No. 3 in its first week of release. - Billboard, 10/30/23...... One of the late Jimmy Buffett's last messages to his family and friends before his Sept. 1 death from skin cancer was "keep the party going," and his longtime backing musicians in the Coral Reefer Band now say they plan to do just that. "The Coral Reefer Band is second family to all of us. We are a family. And Jimmy wants us to continue and we want to continue," Mac McAnally, longtime Coral Reefer Band singer/guitarist, has told Billboard in a new interview. How that will look is still being determined, but McAnally says, "there's ongoing discussions about the best way to do that, the most practical way to do that and how to do it in a way that is worthy of the legacy that we're part of." The Coral Reefer Band, which has had a rotating cast of musicians -- some of whom had played with Buffett for nearly 50 years -- began backing the singer-songwriter in concert and in the studio in the '70s. The Coral Reefer Band played its last full concert with Buffett on May 6 at San Diego's Snapdragon Stadium. Buffett's last time on stage was McAnally's July 2 show in Portsmouth, R.I., when Buffett joined him for eight songs, including signature tunes "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" and "Margaritaville." Though Buffett was undergoing treatment, he still craved being on stage. "He had been calling through the summertime when the treatments were going," McAnally says. "I didn't know how far up or down he was. I hadn't seen him [in person], though he never called without Facetiming me and I could tell he was losing weight. He couldn't do a full show, but he kept calling saying, 'Where are you playing? I'm gonna come sit in.'" McAnally said Buffett called him two days later asking if he had other shows that weren't on his website yet so he could join him again. "He was ready to tour as a guest singer on these little singer-songwriter shows," McAnally says, "but unfortunately, his time ran out." - Billboard, 10/30/23.