Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on March 17th, 2024

AC/DC's Brian Johnson and Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler are set to star in a new documentary series titled Music Legends that will explore the careers of six other rock legends. Airing in the UK on Sky News from Apr. 25, and available to stream via NOW TV internationally, each episode will see Johnson and Knopfler examine the careers of, respectively, Tom Jones, Sam Fender, Cyndi Lauper, Nile Rodgers, Carlos Santana and Emmylou Harris, with the hosts also playing live with the guests on the episodes. "Join AC/DC singer, Brian Johnson and Dire Straits singer and guitarist, Mark Knopfler as they share their incredible knowledge and experiences with each other -- and a hand-picked selection of music royalty," a press release reads. "Guests including Sir Tom Jones, Nile Rodgers and Cyndi Lauper share stories from their own careers and discuss the tracks that shaped them as musicians and fans. Mark and Brian do the same, painting a fascinating portrait of their shared musical lives," it adds. AC/DC recently announced a huge UK and European stadium tour for 2024, performing 21 dates in 10 countries this summer for their first European tour in eight years. Knopfler, meanwhile, recently released a re-recorded version of his song "Going Home" for Teenage Cancer Trust, featuring Brian May, Bruce Springsteen, Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton and Ronnie Wood. After being teased earlier in 2024, the track officially dropped on Mar. 15 on YouTube, and is a new take on Knopfler's solo hit. It also features the last ever recording by guitar virtuoso, Jeff Beck -- which he laid down for the track shortly before his death in Jan. 2023. The charity track was recorded at British Grove Studios in West London, and produced by Knopfler's longtime collaborator Guy Fletcher. As for Beck's contribution, Fletcher described it as "absolutely meant to be. And what he did with it, it just brings you to tears." The release also comes ahead of the 2024 edition of the annual Teenage Cancer Trust gig series, which will take place the last week in March and raise funds for the charity. Noel Gallagher, The Chemical Brothers and Young Fathers lead the line-up for the 2024 edition of the series, and the closing night will feature performances from Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, Robert Plant with Saving Grace, Eddie Vedder and Paul Weller. Originally released by Knopfler in 1983, "Going Home" is also widely recognized from the film Local Hero, as the theme song. - NME, 3/16/24...... Speaking of Roger Daltrey, The Who frontman has opened up about the one time he smashed a guitar and compared it to "killing his wife." Appearing as a guest on Shawn Keaveny's Daily Grind podcast, the 80-year-old musician said: "[Fans] never came to hear the music, they came to see the guitar being broken. The trouble is the guitar was worth 50 gigs. I've only ever smashed one guitar and I'm really sorry I did it. I don't know why, just this thing came over me. I've always regretted it -- I thought 'I shouldn't have done that, that was like killing the wife'." Daltrey's interview can be heard on Spotify.com. - Variety, 3/14/24...... An upcoming BBC documentary series reveals that Paul McCartney was once so moved by the plight of a group of climate activists after they were seized in Russia during a protest and thrown in jail in 2013 that he attempted to convince Russian president Vladimir Putin to release them. As detailed in On Thin Ice: Putin V Greenpeace, the activists were aiming to film an oil rush in Arctic Russian waters, but 28 of them were arrested on their ship the Arctic Sunrise and charged under piracy and hooliganism charges. The arrest prompted McCartney, who famously played in Moscow's Red Square in 2003, to write a personal letter to Putin, imploring him to release the campaigners. "Forty-five years ago I wrote a song about Russia for The White Album ['Back In The U.S.S.R.'], back when it wasn't fashionable for English people to say nice things about your country," he wrote. "That song had one of my favourite Beatles lines in it: 'Been away so long I hardly knew the place, gee it's good to be back home.' Could you make that come true for the Greenpeace prisoners?," he added. The prisoners served a three month sentence before being released. Curve Media's On Thin Ice: Putin V Greenpeace is being positioned as the BBC's latest box-set series for BBC Two and iPlayer and will break with tradition by airing via bitesized half-hour episodes. - NME, 3/16/24...... Chic legend Nile Rodgers has been chosen as one of the recipients of Sweden's 2024 Polar Music Prize. "In Nile Rodgers, we honour a ground-breaking pioneer whose legacy spans his work as co-founder of CHIC and as record producer and creator behind so much of the world's greatest music," says PMP managing director Marie Ledin. "Nile's impact in pop culture is incomparable and his timeless songs will continue to delight, uplift and inspire for many years to come." Rodgers, whose producing and writer credits include hits for David Bowie, Madonna, Sister Sledge, Duran Duran, Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera and many more, will receive Prize money of one million Swedish Kroner (around £75,000 and $94,000) when he and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen are made laureates at a ceremony on May 21 in Stockholm, Sweden at the Grand Hotel. Previous recipients include Sir Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Sting, Joni Mitchell and Iggy Pop. - Music-News.com, 3/12/24...... During his Luck Reunion concert in Spicewood, Tex. on Mar. 14, Willie Nelson and Kermit the Frog delivered a sweet duet of The Muppets' classic "Rainbow Connection." With Kermit on banjo and Nelson on guitar, the pair delivered a tender, heartwarming cover of the classic song, which was originally released in 1979 for The Muppet Movie. Kermit's rendition -- performed by Jim Henson -- reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart and earned an Academy Award nomination for best original song. In addition to "Rainbow Connection," the two icons also treated the crowd to a rousing gospel medley featuring selections such as "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," "I'll Fly Away" and "Hard to Be Humble." Footage of Willie and Kermit's duet has been shared on YouTube. The 2024 edition of Nelson's annual Luck Reunion, held at Willie's ranch in Spicewood, Tex., featured a star-studded lineup of performers, including Tyler Childers, Red Clay Strays, Durand Jones and Zella Day. On the same day as the concert, Nelson announced on Instagram his forthcoming 75th solo studio album, The Border, will be released on May 31. It will feature 10 newly recorded studio performances, including four new Nelson/Buddy Cannon compositions. - Billboard, 3/15/24...... A new Paul Simon documentary that premiered on the streaming channel MGM+ on Mar. 17 reveals that the veteran singer-songwriter has some hopeful news about his near-total hearing loss in his left ear, which has left him struggling to perform live. The 82-year-old musician says that his hearing has now come back to "enough of a degree that I'm comfortably singing and playing guitar and playing a few other instruments," after previously stating that two previous attempts to rehearse with his touring band didn't go quite to plan. "I haven't figured out how to perform with the hearing loss," he said in July 2023, adding "I've tried to rehearse with the guys in my touring band, to see if I could manage it. I can't so far." But now the "Kodachrome" hitmaker says, "I can hear my voice the way I want it in the context of the music." "If there's a drum or an electric guitar, it's too loud and I can't hear my voice. But when I first lost the hearing, I couldn't get, it threw me off. Everything was coming from this side," he said. Elsewhere in the documentary, Simon recalls the time he once tried to stop Frank Sinatra from covering one of Simon & Garfunkel's most famous songs, "Mrs Robinson." "I met him once. It was very interesting too, because he made a cover record of my song 'Mrs Robinson'. And he changed the lyric[s]," Simon said. "They were fantastic, but when I first heard it, it was like, 'Man, ring a ding, ding you Mrs Robinson, Jesus loves you more,' and this is in the sixties, and I said, 'He can't do that.' And so a guy from Warner Brothers called me up and said, 'Please don't do this. It's my fault I did it. Please don't do this to me.' So I said, 'Okay'." Part two of In Restless Dreams, in which Simon takes viewers behind the scenes during the recording of his 2023 album Seven Psalms, airs on Mar. 24. - New Musical Express, 3/17/24...... Smokey Robinson has confirmed that he is in talks for performing at the 2024 edition of the UK's legendary Glastonbury festival. After being asked when he will next perform in the UK by Bizarre's Howell Davies at Elton John's Oscars party in Los Angeles on Mar. 10, Robinson hinted at a playing there "soon." "We've been talking about that for the past two weeks -- probably soon," Robinson said. Davies also asked the 84-year-old music legend about the potential of playing at Glastonbury. "That's one of the things we've been talking about," Smokey shared, adding that he would "absolutely" love to take the stage at the Worthy Farm festival. "I love the UK, man. We've had some of our greatest times in the UK," he concluded. - NME, 3/13/24...... Neil Young announced on Mar. 12 that he's bringing his music back to Spotify more than two years after requesting its removal from the popular streaming platform. In Jan. 2022, Young published an open letter asking Spotify to pull down his catalog, citing what he called the spread of vaccine misinformation on the wildly popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast, which was then hosted exclusively on the streaming platform. Several other artists, including Joni Mitchell, Indie.Arie and Young's Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young bandmates David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, subsequently followed suit, though CSN/CSN&Y and Aries music have since been restored to the service. Mitchell's catalog remains absent. Now in a new post on his Neil Young Archives website, Young said the end of Spotify's exclusive deal with Rogan led to his decision to restore his music to the service. "My decision comes as music services Apple and Amazon have started serving the same disinformation podcast features I had opposed at Spotify, the post reads -- a clear reference to the Joe Rogan Experience, though Young never mentions it by name. "I cannot just leave Apple and Amazon, like I did Spotify, because my music would have very little streaming outlet to music lovers at all, so I have returned to Spotify, in sincere hopes that Spotify sound quality will improve and people will be able to hear and feel all the music as we made it," Young continued, before giving a shout out Qobuz and Tidal, where his catalog also lives, as "High res streaming options." Young concludes his post by stating his hope that Spotify "will turn to Hi Res as the answer and serve all the music to everyone. Spotify, you can do it! Really be #1 in all ways. You have the music and listeners!!!! Start with a limited Hi res tier and build from there!" A longtime advocate of high-resolution audio, Young once launched his own (now-defunct) high-res audio download platform, Pono, in 2015 before shuttering it two years later. It has been estimated that the absence of Young's catalog on Spotify had cost him roughly $300,000 in lost recorded music and publishing royalties by Sept. 2023. - Billboard, 3/12/24...... Patti Smith will be among the headliners of London's Somerset House Summer Series this summer. The iconic central London venue will host the series again beginning in July, from the 11th to the 21st. Smith will close out the series, which also features the likes of Smino, Hak Baker, The Amazons, Hania Rani and The Big Moon, on July 21. - NME, 3/16/24...... Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed has described the script for the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic Michael as "startlingly disingenuous." Given the project's connection to the Jackson estate, it is unclear whether the film will explore the most controversial aspects of the singer's life, including the allegations of child sexual abuse. However, according to Reed, who has read a draft of the script, the film makes a point to discredit Wade Robson and James Safechuck, the two men who allege that Jackson sexually assaulted them in the 2019 docuseries Leaving Neverland. "Jackson is only ever seen caring for children with childhood cancer, or dancing with a little girl in a wheelchair, or tucking up multiple little boys, mostly his nephews, at sleepovers," Reed said of the script. "It feels like the creators of the movie have been stuck in a room with John Branca and just told what to write." Michael will be directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Equalizer, Brooklyn's Finest) and Jackson's own nephew, Jaafar Jackson, will play the King of Pop in the film. The movie has been confirmed to receive a theatrical release in the US on Apr. 18, 2025, per production house Lionsgate. A UK release date is yet to be announced. - NME, 3/14/24...... Jack and Kelly Osbourne have revealed who they think should play their famous parents in a biopic about the couple. Speaking on a recent episode of The Osbournes Podcast, the two siblings spoke about the possible project, which was announced to be in development back in 2020, and officially confirmed in 2021. Bringing up the conversation about their movie, Jack asked the question: "Who do you want to play you guys?," prompting Kelly to say: "I know who I want to play mum -- Florence Pugh. I think Florence Pugh would do a fantastic [job]." Pugh, 28, recently starred in the critically acclaimed Dune: Part Two, as well as Oscar Best Picture winner Oppenheimer. Sharon, who has been a contestant on the latest season of Celebrity Big Brother, added: "I think Florence Pugh or the little girl from Game of Thrones," referring to Maisie Williams. Jack then chimed in with: "You know who I want to play dad? Bill Hader." He continued: "Everyone thinks I'm f---ing crazy until I show a side-by-side picture, and then that guy's ability to morph." Jack then showed his father a photograph of the former Saturday Night Live cast member, to which Ozzy responded: "F--- off!" His wife disagreed, repeatedly agreeing with Jack and saying: "I think he could nail it." No recent updates to the biopic's development have been made, and Ozzy made a witty remark on the podcast about the stagnant project saying: "By the time we finish this film I'll be dead." - NME, 3/12/24...... Steve Harley, the frontman of the '70s band Cockney Rebel, has died at age 73. The news was confirmed by his family in a statement, who said: "We are devastated to announce that our wonderful husband and father has passed away peacefully at home, with his family by his side." Harley, who had been receiving cancer treatment, had cancelled a run of shows in late 2023, writing on his website at the time that it was a "heartbreaking decision, but necessary in order to fight a "nasty cancer." His family continued that they knew Harley would be "desperately missed by people all over the world... Whoever you know him as, his heart exuded only core elements. Passion, kindness, generosity. And much more, in abundance." Born Stephen Nice, the musician grew up in London, and while working as a local journalist in the early 1970s, he started busking and playing in the city's folk scene. He formed the glam rock group Cockney Rebel in 1972 with Jean-Paul Crocker, Stuart Elliott, Paul Jeffreys and Milton Reame-James, and they were quickly signed by EMI Records. The band had early success with singles such as "Judy Teen" and "Mr. Soft," but they began to fall apart due to other members wanting to write more of the group's material. Harley reformed the band with a new line-up, including Elliott, Jim Cregan, Duncan Mackay and George Ford, and renamed them Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel. Their first single together, "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)," was a UK Number One single in 1975 and charted on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in the US. Harley's most enduring song, it has been named by PRS as one of the most played songs in British broadcasting history. Harley began a solo career in the late 1970s, releasing six albums under his own name, most recently 2020's Uncovered. Cockney Rebel also reformed multiple times, playing together as recently as 2021. Steve Harley is survived by his wife Dorothy, with whom he had two children and four grandchildren. - NME, 3/17/24.

Eric Carmen, the former leader of the '70s power pop band The Raspberries before setting out on an internationally successful solo career, died on Mar. 11. He was 74. "It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of Eric Carmen," a message posted by his wife of eight years, Amy, to his website, Facebook and X account reads. "Our sweet, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep, over the weekend. It brought him great joy to know, that for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy," she added. Over his long career which began in the 1960s, Carmen scored three top five hits on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart: the No. 2-peaking "All By Myself" in 1976, followed by the Dirty Dancing soundtrack standout "Hungry Eyes," which peaked at No. 4 in 1988, and "Make Me Lose Control," a No. 3 hit, also in 1988. His highest-charting album was his self-titled 1975 solo debut, which peaked at No. 21 in 1976. Born on Aug. 11, 1949 in Cleveland, bassist/vocalist Carmen started his music career in earnest during his college years at John Carroll University in his home state of Ohio, when he joined a band called Cyrus Erie. In 1970, he formed The Raspberries with members of several local groups, including drummer Jim Bonfanti who had drummed on The Outsiders' 1966 Beatlesque hit "Time Won't Let Me," guitarist Wally Bryson, and bassist/guitarist Dave Smalley They became the most popular band in Cleveland, and in 1967 scored a minor hit, "It's Cold Outside." In mid-1971, their demos attracted the attention of producer Jimmy Ienner, who secured them a contract with Capitol Records. The eponymous 1972 The Raspberries had a raspberry-scented scratch-and-sniff sticker on the cover, and their second single, "Go All The Way," rose to No. 5 and sold more than 1.3 million copies. The second LP, Fresh, included "I Wanna Be With You" (No. 16, 1972), and "Let's Pretend" (No. 35, 1973). Carmen penned most of the hits himself, many of which were paeans to making out. Internal problems developed by the time of 1973's Side 3, with Bonfani and Smalley resisting the group's teenybopper image and leaving. They were replaced by Michael McBride, who had played with Cyrus Erie, and Scott McCarl, who had sent an audition tape to Ienner. The regrouped Raspberries then released its fourth and final LP, the critically acclaimed Starting Over, which many critics called the best LP of 1974. A concept album about stardom, Starting Over was a commercial flop, although the single "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)" reached No. 18. Carmen then began an intermittently successful solo career as a pop balladeer, hitting the Top 40 with "All By Myself" (No. 2, 1976), "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" (No. 11, 1976), and "Sunrise" (No. 34, 1976), from his debut LP, and the last of which incorporated a Rachmaninoff melody, as did several other songs from the classically trained pianist/guitarist. In the 1980s, Carmen's Top 40 hits included "I Wanna Hear It From Your Lips" (No. 35, 1985), the No. 4 "Hungry Eyes" (1987) and "Make Me Lose Control" (No. 3, 1988). "'Love Is All That Matters -- Faithful and Forever,'" Amy Carmen concluded her announcement of Eric's death, referring to the lyrics of a song on his 1977 album, Boats Against the Current. A cause of death has yet to be disclosed. - Billboard/The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock, 3/12/24.