Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on March 27th, 2024

Grammy-winning guitarist-vocalist George Benson is reuniting with his former label, Warner Bros. Records, who released his breakthrough 1976 album Breezin' that topped the pop, R&B and jazz charts, propelled by the top 10 crossover hit, "This Masquerade." In addition to new music arriving later this year, the artist and Warner Music Group are celebrating the reunion with a previously unreleased YouTube video featuring Benson in a live performance of the track "Lady Blue" in the late '70s. "When I joined WB Records the first time, it caused an explosion in my career as a musician and quest to become a singer," said Benson, who was already a renowned jazz guitarist when he joined the lable, in a press release. "The exposure from that union has given me a life that I never imagined. Nothing but good has come from this partnership and today the inspiration continues on," he added. Benson recorded 12 albums for WB between 1979 and 1993, including the platinum-certified albums In Flight (1977), Weekend in L.A. (1978), and Give Me the Night (1980). He is also a 10-time Grammy winner, out of 25 nominations, and his cover of Leon Russell's "This Masquerade" won Record of the Year in 1976. Benson is set to perform at the Hollywood Bowl on Aug. 18. - Billboard, 3/26/24...... On Mar. 24 Roger Daltrey celebrated his final performance as the curator of the annual Teenage Cancer Trust concerts after 24 years with an all-star performance of one of The Who's most beloved songs, "Baba O'Riley." The "Ovation" concert at London's Royal Albert Hall ended with the 80-year-old Daltrey singing the Who's go-to show-closing 1971 epic, with Robert Plant, Eddie Vedder, Glen Hansard, Kelly Jones of the Stereophonics, and Pete Townshend's brother Simon Townshend. In fan-shot video shared on YouTube, Daltrey takes the lead with Vedder, Plant, Jones, Hansard and Townshend leaning in to add group backing vocals. Pete Townshend performed with the Who earlier in the run and was slated to be on the "Ovation" lineup but had to miss the Mar. 24 show to be in New York for the opening of the revamped "Tommy" on Broadway. Though Daltrey is stepping down from his post, after the encore, he told the crowd, "I'm not going away from the Teenage Cancer Trust. I've completed the job I set out to do. We're going to get curators to do a year rather than doing 20 years... But I've got other work to do for the charity that is kind of more important because we live in a day where our NHS [National Health Service] everyone knows is very questionable even surviving. We are part of that service, though we are a charity If the NHS goes down, I want to make sure this charity doesn't go down with it." Among those thanking Daltrey for his TCT work with videos posted on social media were Paul McCartney and Nile Rodgers. Introducing himself as "Paul here, your friend of a million years," McCartney said: "Thank you for your 24 years of incredible service to Teenage Cancer. You've made so many kids happy and healthier and all of us connected with it want to thank you, so much," he began. "So what we say is [sings] 'thank you Roger, thank you so, you're a hero and you better know' -- That's one of the best songs I've ever written." Nile Rodgers also thanked Daltrey, saying: "It's Roger's last year curating these amazing gigs for Teenage Cancer Trust, and what an incredible 24 years it's been, showcasing the biggest names in music and comedy for a brilliant cause -- 600 hours of live music, reunions, supergroups, and of course rock n roll." Their messages can be viewed on X/Twitter. Daltrey has hosted and curated the fundraising shows since 2000, raising more than $40 million to date. He will still be an Honorary Patron of the charity, despite stepping down as curator of its annual concert series. - Billboard, 3/26/24...... Bruce Springsteen will be recognized for his "outstanding contribution to the craft of songwriting," as well as his "impact on the UK's cultural landscape," when he is honored as the first international songwriter outside the UK to receive the prestigious Ivors Academy Honor during an Amazon Music ceremony in London on May 23. The Boss will also be the irst American musician in the organization's 80-year history -- as well as the 27th musician overall -- to become an Academy Fellow, which is the highest honor one can receive from the institution. "I'm proud to be the first international songwriter to be recognized by The Ivors Academy," Springsteen said of the prize in a statement. "In addition to recognizing my songwriting, the award stands as a tribute to the fans and friends who have supported me and my work for the last 50 years. This entire country has made me feel welcome every step of the way. For this, I will always remain deeply appreciative," he added. Previous recipients include the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Joan Armatrading and Sting. Meanwhile, the the 74-year-old rock icon has said he's worried that his battle with peptic ulcer disease, which kept him off the road for six months during his latest world tour with the E Street Band, might permanently sideline him. In an interview with the E Street Radio channel, Springsteen told host Jim Rotolo that there was a point recently when he feared he might never perform live again. "Once I started singing, you know, you can rehearse singing, but your voice isn't the same in rehearsal. You don't have that edge of adrenaline that really pushes it into a better place and the thing when I had the stomach problem, one of the big problems was I couldn't sing," said Springsteen, who paused the E Street's planned 2023-2024 world tour in September for a total of 29 shows due to the serious effects of the gastro disease. "You sing with your diaphragm. My diaphragm was hurting so badly that when I went to make the effort to sing, it was killing me, you know?," he added. Thanks to his medical team, Springsteen is back and during the show in Phoenix on Mar. 19 -- originally slated for Nov. 30 -- he rocked through 29 songs without even mentioning the medical issue until the final song of the set. "I had a motherf----r of a bellyache," he told the crowd near the end of the two hour and 45 minute set. - Billboard, 3/26/24...... Ahead of a new Beach Boys documentary set to air on Disney+ in May, the band will release their first-ever and only autobiography, The Beach Boys, on Apr. 2. Surviving band members including Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston have chronicled their journey to fame and the success that followed in an autobiography that the title claims is "in their own words." Boasting 408 pages, The Beach Boys will include a detailed history about the band through their unique perspective providing a more intimate look at the band's history. The official description also says that the text will be accompanied with "iconic images, never-before-seen negatives and rare ephemera." Lindsey Buckingham, Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello, Ray Davies, Bob Dylan, Def Leppard, David Lee Roth, Roger McGuinn, Graham Nash, Jimmy Page, Carly Simon and Pete Townshend are among the lineup of famous musicians who were tapped to contribute to the book. "There's love in the music and people can relate to the love, regardless of whether you're two years old or 92 years old," Brian Wilson said in a description of the book for Amazon.com. "For me, music is about love. Love is the message I want to share. I hope people feel that in my music. That makes the hard work worth it." - Billboard, 3/26/24...... Willie Nelson announced on Mar. 26 that his 4th of July Picnic will be moving to Philadelphia, PA for the first time. The country/pop superstar's annual concert, which he started in 1973, will be held at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, N.J., just outside Philadelphia, the birthplace of America. "I am thrilled to bring the 4th of July Picnic to Philadelphia for the first time in our storied history," Nelson said in a statement. "It's an honor to host such an extraordinary lineup of talent in the birthplace of our country. We can't wait to celebrate Independence Day with you," he added. Willie, now 91, first held the 4th of July Picnic more than 50 years ago in 1973 at Hurlbut Ranch in Dripping Springs, Tex. Over the decades, artists on the bill have included Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, The Charlie Daniels Band, Rita Coolidge and Leon Russell. The 2023 event was held at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Tex., and featured Tyler Childers, Dwight Yoakam, Shakey Graves and Sierra Ferrell, among others. Though this is the first stop in the Philly area, the picnic has been held outside Texas before, including at The Gorge in Quincy, WA, in 2007 and Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO, in 1978. On May 31, Nelson will release his latest album The Border, and will, once again, headline his annual Outlaw Music Festival Tour, which kicks off June 21 in Alpharetta, GA, and features many of the same artists as will appear at the July 4 event. - Billboard, 3/26/24...... AC/DC has announced its support act for the band's 2024 UK Wembley Stadium and European tour. The Pretty Reckless, a New York rock group comprised of frontwoman Taylor Momsen, alongside Jamie Perkins, Ben Phillips and Mark Damon, will be performing in the UK for first time since 2022 when they traveled outside the US for their "Death by Rock and Roll Tour." The tour dates with AC/DC are set to kick off in Germany on May 17, and will see them play numerous shows across Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland, before heading to the UK for two shows at Wembley Stadium on July 3 and 7. From there, the tour will head abroad again for remaining shows in Germany, Slovakia, France, Ireland and more. - New Musical Express, 3/25/24...... Van Morrison and The Corrs are the latest acts to be confirmed for the Forest Live 2024 festival set for Westonbirt Arboretum in Tetbury in Gloucestershire, UK, on July 7 and 6, respectively. The picturesque venue will also play host to acclaimed American jazz, blues and soul singer Gregory Porter on July 4, pop star Anne-Marie on July 5, and disco icons Nile Rodgers and CHIC on July 12. Forestry England uses the money raised from tickets for Forest Live to maintain the beautiful natural areas and run vital conservation projects, including planting trees. Tickets can be obtained through the ForestLive.com website. - Music-News.com, 3/22/24...... After becoming a staple within pop culture, notably being featured in the famous final scene of HBO's The Sopranos series finale "Made in America" as well as numerous theatrical films including Rock of Ages, Glee and Monster, Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" has been named as "the biggest song of all time" by Forbes magazine. According to the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), "Don't Stop Believin'" is now an 18-times-platinum-certified single, meaning that the track has moved more than 18 million units between pure sales and other forms of consumption like streaming in the US alone. Before reaching this honor, in May 2013, "Don't Stop Believin'" had only hit quadruple platinum status. Journey's founding member and lead guitarist Neal Schon took to X/Twitter to celebrate the achievement. "We now officially have the biggest song in the world ever in the history of music! Congratulations to all," he wrote. Former Journey frontman Steve Perry also took to his Instagram account to celebrate, writing: "To be part of such a moment as this made me reflect on my parents. By that I mean, though I lost them both years ago, I was so happy for them because they are truly the reason this is happening. My dad was a singer and both of them were very musical. So on behalf of my Mom and Dad, I thank every one of you for so many years of support." Upon it's release in Oct. 1981, "Don't Stop Believin'" earned the #9 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, becoming one of Journey's biggest hits. The track appeared on the band's seventh studio LP Escape which landed the top spot on the Billboard Hot 200 upon its release, and was certified a Diamond seller by the RIAA in July 2021 for at least 10 million sales in the US, making it the band's most successful studio album and second most successful album overall behind Greatest Hits. Journey announced on Feb. 27 that they'll kick off a 50th anniversary tour of the UK and Ireland this autumn in Cardiff's Utilita Arena on Oct. 30. - NME, 3/22/24...... Ryan Coogler, the director of the recent action flick Black Panther, is set to produce an as yet untitled "jukebox movie musical" based on the music of Prince. The film, which has been in the works since 2018, has a script by Bryan Edward Hill, who has written for comic books including Kilmonger and Ultimate Black Panther. In January, it was announced that Prince's Purple Rain film and soundtrack would be adapted into stage musical. The adaptation is set to feature a score by the late Prince, with a book by Pulitzer Prize-finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, who is currently enjoying the Broadway run of his acclaimed drama "Appropriate." Jacobs-Jenkins' book will be based on the original Purple Rain screenplay, which was written by Albert Magnoli (who also directed the original film) and William Blinn. - Billboard, 3/23/24...... Elvis Presley's ex-wife Priscilla Presley has shut down a rumor suggesting she is in love with her former Dallas co-star Patrick Duffy. Presley, 78, dispelled the "unbelievable" rumor during a Q&A event at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn., on Mar. 23. "Now there's this whole big thing out there that I love Patrick Duffy, and I'm reading this in a magazine that someone showed me yesterday," Priscilla said as she discussed her career after her divorce from Elvis in 1972. "I'm going, 'This is unbelievable, really, this is so crazy.'" The Naked Gun actress did not specify the article she was referring to. However, she claimed that the dating speculation began after she spent time with Duffy and his partner Linda Purl at a Dallas cast reunion event at the Burbank Marriott Convention Center on Mar. 1. "I hadn't seen him in a long time, and it was a great reunion," she explained. "Patrick told me how happy he was, and we talked to the audience and they had questions for us and that's it." Presley played Jenna Wade in Dallas for six seasons between 1983 and 1988. Jenna was the high school sweetheart of Duffy's character Bobby Ewing. In addition to Dallas, Presley appeared in all three Naked Gun films and made appearances on TV shows such as The Fall Guy, Melrose Place, Spin City and Dancing with the Stars. - Music-News.com, 3/26/24...... Joni Mitchell's catalog of classic tunes has been restored to Spotify.com, a week after her old friend Neil Young allowed his song canon to return to the popular streaming music platform. Mitchell pulled her music from Spotify in early 2022 in solidarity with Young over their concerns about the vaccine and Covid-19 misinformation being spread on the platform's popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Though Mitchell, 80, has not as yet formally commented on her music's return to Spotify, in a note on her official website posted at the time of the boycott she explained, "I've decided to remove all my music from Spotify. Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue." Earlier in March, Young said in a post on his Neil Young Archives site that the end of Spotify's exclusive deal with Rogan led to the restoration of 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," Young's post read -- in a clear reference to the Joe Rogan podcast, though he never mentioned the show, or its host, by name. Since February, the Rogan podcast has been available on a variety of platform, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and YouTube. At the time of Mitchell's boycott not all of her music was actually removed from Spotify. While such iconic titles as 1970's Ladies of the Canyon, 1971's Blue and 1974's Court and Spark went away during the pull-out, her four Geffen Records albums from the 1980s and early 1990s were still available. - Billboard, 3/22/24.

Ozzy Osbourne's wife Sharon Osbourne has opened up about the couple's decades-long marriage in a new interview with the UK's Daily Mirror paper. Sharon revealed that she and Ozzy had once tried marriage guidance counselling -- but it only lasted 30 minutes. "No matter how much bad behaviour or who's wrong or right in a certain situation, I love him," she explained. "He's the only man other than my dad that I've ever loved. I just adore him. And I knew what he was before I married him," she added. Reflecting on Ozzy's well publicized struggles with drugs and alcohol, she added: "But in my youth, being naive, I thought, 'I can change Ozzy. He won't drink when he's with me. I'll make him a nice home and nest and we'll be happy ever after.' But that's not real life. I knew what he was. I knew he had addictions and I took it on. We can't go for a week without each other. It's ridiculous." Sharon also says that Ozzy has "always been inappropriate with women." "We have a nurse at home, quite a large Russian lady, and she bent over him and he goes, 'Tell me, did you breastfeed your kids?' And I'm like, 'You cannot say those things now. The world today is different. You cannot talk to a woman like that. You can get into trouble'," she said. Earlier in 2024, Sharon revealed she once tried to take her own life after discovering that Ozzy was having an affair with a celebrity hairdresser, which went on for four years between 2012-2016. Ozzy and Sharon temporarily separated following the revelation. Sharon said she was "used to" her husband "always" having groupies, adding: "But when he knows the name of the person, where they live and where they work it is a whole different thing as you are emotionally invested. I took, I don't know how many pills." In January, Sharon revealed that Ozzy, who has ongoing health issues, was planning "two more shows to say goodbye" before he fully retires from performing live. - New Musical Express, 3/21/24...... In other Ozzy-related news, the historic Birmingham pub where Ozzy and Black Sabbath once played has been granted secured listed status by the UK's Department of Culture, following fears it may be knocked down. The Crown venue on Station Street, also regarded by some as the "birthplace of heavy metal" was one of the buildings at risk on that street, as is the Electric -- the UK's oldest working cinema which was shut down earlier in March. Now however, the Crown has been listed as Grade II by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England, helping to secure its future on the street. The iconic space, first erected in 1881, has been empty for 10 years now, and initially, Birmingham Open Media had planned to buy and restore the pub, however the organisation lost its funding and faced competition from a developer wanting to use the site for housing. The listed status comes after more than 15,000 people signed a petition, calling for the street to be saved and regarded as "a site of civic pride, cultural value and historic asset." The new status gives the venue more protection from re-development. Not only did Black Sabbath famously play many of their first shows at the site, but it also saw acts including Thin Lizzy, The Who, Supertramp, Duran Duran, Status Quo and Judas Priest headline earlier in their careers. Black Sabbath's Toni Iommi, one of the Crown's biggest backers, celebrated the news with a post on Instagram. - NME, 3/18/24...... Speaking of Judas Priest, the iconic heavy metal band has landed its third No. 1 album on Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums chart for the week dated Mar. 23. Invincible Shield, released on Mar. 8, has bowed with 25,000 equivalent album units earned March 8-14 in the U.S., according to Luminate. Of that sum, 23,000 units are via album sales. Priest's previous leaders on Top Hard Rock Albums, which began in 2007, are 2014's Redeemer of Souls and 2018's Firepower. Invincible Shield starts at No. 6 on Billboard's Top Rock & Alternative Albums and at No. 4 on Top Rock Albums. It is the band's 19th studio album, and its first in six years. The album also replaces Queen's Greatest Hits on the Top Hard Rock Albums tally, which has topped the chart every week since Nov. 4, 2023. Invincible Shield's lead single, "Crown of Horns," currently sits an No. 28 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. - Billboard, 3/20/24...... Michael Jackson's son Blanket Jackson is asking a Los Angeles judge to order his grandmother Katherine Jackson to stop using money from the late pop superstar's estate to fund her ongoing legal battles against the estate's executors over their recent $600 million deal with Sony. In court filings dated Mar. 18, Blanket is arguing that the estate shouldn't foot the bill for Katherine's pending appeal, in which she's challenging a 2023 ruling that gave co-executors John Branca and John McClain approval to proceed with an unnamed transaction. While the disputed deal itself is not explicitly named in legal documents, it appears to be the Jackson estate's estimated $600 million deal to sell part of the singer's catalog to Sony. Both Blanket and Katherine initially opposed the estate's proposed transaction, but after the judge ruled last year that the deal could move forward, Blanket and Jackson's other children accepted the decision. Katherine opted instead to keep fighting, filing an appeal that remains pending. In December, Katherine filed motions asking that the estate pay for her legal bills stemming from her objections, including the ongoing appellate case. But in his filing on Monday, Blanket said it would be "unfair" to force him and his siblings to pay for that case, since his grandmother's efforts face "long odds." Blanket did argue however that the estate should, in fact, pay Katherine's legal bills for her initial opposition to the deal -- arguing that she had presented "essential evidence" about the proposed transaction and that "all heirs and beneficiaries benefited from this court's scrutiny." - Billboard, 3/21/24...... Metallica was among the performers honoring Elton John and Bernie Taupin during the 2024 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at DAR Constitution Hall on Mar. 20 in Washington, DC. John and his songwriting partner Taupin were honored with the Library Of Congress Gershwin Prize For Popular Song at the ceremony, which was hosted by Billy Porter. Ahead of the event, Metallica said they were "beyond excited and proud to have been invited to perform at the "very special event" before describing John and Taupin as a "legendary songwriting team." The group opened the show with a rendition of "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" from John's 1973 double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, footage of which has been shared on X/Twitter. In addition, Annie Lennox covered "Border Song" from John's 1970 self-titled album and joined Joni Mitchell and Brandi Carlile for a joint performance of Elton's 1983 hit "I'm Still Standing." John closed the night with a live rendition of his 1970 classic track "Your Song." The invitation-only ceremony is scheduled to air on PBS in the US on Apr. 8. - NME, 3/21/24...... Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band returned to the stage on Mar. 19 at Phoenix, Arizona's Footprint Center after Springsteen took an extended 6-month break from the road as he suffered from peptic ulcer disease that caused him to postpone 29 dates on his world tour with the band. The Boss, clad in a red and black checkered shirt with rolled-up sleeves and black jeans, was in top form from show opener "Lonesome Day" and fully had his sea legs back by third song, "No Surrender," when he gave his first trademark shout out, "Cmon, Steve!" beckoning for his brother-in-music for over half a century, Steven Van Zandt, to join him on the mic. Unlike the setlists from earlier shows on this tour that seemed slightly more reflective and wide-ranging, the latest show was more of a high-octane, freight train of a rock show. Springsteen and the band barreled through 29 songs, passionately delivering mainly full-on rockers, in 2 hours and 45 minutes. The only break between songs was the few seconds it took for Springsteen to change guitars and, other than a few asides, he only addressed the audience for the speech before "Last Man Standing" and after "Backstreets." He never brought up his illness until right before the closing song when he apologized to anyone inconvenienced by the Phoenix date shifting from Nov. 30 to Mar. 19, adding, "I had a mother-----r of a bellyache." His 7-song encore included a rendition of the Isley Brothers' classic "Twist & Shout," after holding up a suggestion sign from a member of the audience to the band. - Billboard, 3/20/24...... Songs by '70s artists The Doobie Brothers, Donna Summer and Charlie Pride are among ten recordings that were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame on Mar. 20, following a two-year period in which the Hall was put on hiatus for a reevaluation. Several changes were made during the hiatus period. The number of inducted recordings is down significantly from 25 to 30 in prior years. And while past classes have included repeat inductions by such Hall of Fame mainstays as The Beatles and Ella Fitzgerald, all of this year's choices are by first-time inductees into the Hall. The as usual eclectic selection of artists chosen include the Doobies' 1979 No. 1 smash "What a Fool Believes," Donna Summer's 1977 No. 6 hit "I Feel Love" (her longest charting single), and country star Charlie Pride's 1971 signature song "Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'." This year's class, which also includes songs and albums by the likes of Guns N Roses, Lauryn Hill and De La Soul, will be saluted at the Grammy Museum's inaugural Grammy Hall of Fame Gala and concert on May 21 at the NOVO Theater in Los Angeles. - Billboard, 3/20/24...... The US tabloid The New York Post is reporting that the Eagles could be headed for a residency at the spectacular new venue the Sphere in Las Vegas. The Post reported claims made by various sources, stating that the country-rock veterans will enjoy a 10-week residency in Las Vegas later in 2024. The report claims that the official announcement is set to be made soon, and the booking will see the band perform in the impressive new venue from September through to December. If the Eagles do play the Vegas residency, the dates would come as an extension to their ongoing farewell shows, held as part of itsd "Long Goodbye" tour. The final run of tour dates kicked off in Sept. 2023, and is expected to run up until 2025. Currently, the last show officially listed on the schedule is planned for Arnhem in The Netherlands, and will take place on June 15. For the farewell tour, founding member Don Henley -- alongside Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, Vince Gill and Deacon Frey -- plan to play "as many shows in each market as their audience demands." A spokesperson for the Sphere declined to shed light on the situation, telling the Post, "We do not comment on any artists performing at Sphere except for those who have been announced." - NME, 3/20/24...... During a concert in Toledo on Mar. 17, John Mellencamp called out a "cocksucker heckler" who kept asking him to "play some music." According to footage shared by an audience member on TikTok, the 72-year-old singer is seen sharing an anecdote with his crowd between songs, however, after a few seconds he is interrupted by a fan urging him to "play some music." "What do you think I've been doing, you cocksucker?" the Indiana rocker replied. "Here's the thing, man. You don't know me. You don't f----ing know me." "Hey Joe, find this guy and let me see him after the show," Mellencamp added, going on to continue with his anecdote before being interrupted again. "Guys, I can stop this show right now and just go home and I tell you what I'm going to do. Since you've been so wonderful, I'm going to cut about 10 songs out of the show," he said. From there, he began to play the "Jack & Diane" solo, before deciding: "Y'know what? Show's over." Mellencamp then left the stage and the house lights went up, but he eventually returned to the stage and performed a few more songs to close off the night. - NME, 3/19/24...... On Mar. 18 Jeff Lynne's ELO announced the dates for the classic rock group's final run of North American dates. The 27-date "Over and Out Tour" is slated to kick off on Aug. 24 in Palm Desert, Calif. and keep the "Evil Woman" band on the road through late October, with stops including Seattle (8/27), Vancouver (8/28), San Francisco (9/1), Toronto (9/9), Pittsburgh (9/10), Cincinnati (9/14), New York (9/16), Boston (9/23), Chicago (9/27), Denver (10/2), Detroit (10/9), Houston (10/16), Phoenix (10/21) and Sacramento (10/23) before winding down on Oct. 25 with a show at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. Tickets go on sale on Mar. 22, and more info can be found at JeffLynnesELO.com. The original ELO released a dozen albums through 2001's Zoom -- plus the 1980 soundtrack to Xanadu featuring Olivia Newton-John -- as well as two credited to Jeff Lynne's ELO -- 2015's Alone in the Universe and 2019's From Out of Nowhere. The 2019 tour supporting the latter album was the last time Lynne, 76, was on the road. - Billboard, 3/18/24...... The BBC is celebrating ABBA's 50th anniversary with an hour-long documentary, When Abba Came to Britain, as part of a Saturday night full of ABBA specials on BBC Two on Mar. 23. Another special is called More ABBA at the BBC, and there will be further programming across the BBC, including BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds. The "Dancing Queen" hitmakers -- Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad -- made the UK their home from 1974 to 1982, and the film "examines their ground-breaking legacy," from winning Eurovision with "Waterloo" to ABBA Voyage, their record-breaking, first-of-its-kind avatar show in London. Viewers can expect "previously un-transmitted interviews with ABBA" with unseen footage thought to be lost. It will include interviews with the likes of Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie and indie pop group Blossoms, who cite ABBA as an influence. - Music-News.com, 3/18/24...... On Mar. 18 The Who's Roger Daltrey announced a new "semi-acoustic" solo tour of North America this summer. Daltrey posted on the Who's official Instagram account and announced nine dates in June that will see the frontman perform "The Who hits and rarities along with solo music and stories about his incredible 60 year career" with the help of an "electric/acoustic" band. The tour will kick off in Vienna, Va. on June 12 before heading to Niagara Falls two days later. Other dates throughout the tour will see Daltrey and his backing band perform in Bethel, NY (6/16), Port Chester, NY (6/18), Boston (6/20), Lenox, Mass. (6/22), Detroit (6/25), Indianapolis (6/27) and Highland Park, Ill. (6/29). In December, Townshend said that the Who will have talks about where they go next, after playing their most recent show at the Sandringham Estate last summer. "I think it's time for Roger and I to go to lunch and have a chat about what happens next. Because Sandringham shouldn't feel like the end of anything but it feels like the end of an era." Meanwhile, pop and contemporary Christian artist Ryan Ellis, who was nominated for a Grammy for best contemporary Christian music performance/song this year for "God Problems," has been named a celebrity ambassador for Daltrey's and Pete Townshend's Teen Cancer America charity. As part of his role, Ellis will perform at the fifth annual Rockin' Polo Match, a TCA fundraiser taking place June 15 at Will Rogers State Park in Los Angeles' Pacific Palisades. The charity, funded by Daltrey and Townshend, is dedicating to getting specialized and appropriate care for teen cancer patients, who often fall in a gap between pediatric and adult oncology treatment. - NME, 3/19/24...... On Mar. 19 Deep Purple announced details of a new UK arena tour set for later in 2024. Called the "'One More Time" tour, the dates comprise five shows across the country, and will see frontman Ian Gillan and co. run through live renditions of their biggest hits including "Smoke on the Water," "Highway Star" and "Soldier Of Fortune." The dates kick off with an opening night at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham on Nov. 4, before resuming two days later with a show at London's O2 on Nov. 6. A gig at the First Direct Arena in Leeds is scheduled for the following night (11/7), and the tour wraps up with slots at Manchester's AO arena and Glasgow's OVO Hydro -- set for Nov. 9 and 10 respectively. Support for the UK shows will come from '90s indie-rock legends Reef, and tickets go on general sale on Mar. 22. Ahead of embarking on their UK shows, Deep Purple are set to head down under next month, and play a series of Australian festival slots alongside rock icons including Blondie, Alice Cooper, Placebo, Wolfmother and more. A run of European tour dates will then follow, and run throughout the summer. Deep Purple will also soon launch a deluxe version of their classic 1972 album Machine Head. Machine Head - 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition will be available beginning Mar. 29 as a 3-CD/LP/Blu-ray set. The new version will feature new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes by Dweezil Zappa, as well as the original 1974 quadraphonic mix. It also features two live albums: one recorded at the Paris Theatre in London in Mar. 1972, and a previously unreleased set recorded at the casino in Montreux in 1971. - NME, 3/19/24...... Longtime Styx bassist Ricky Phillips has departed the US hard rock band after a 21-year tenure. Phillips, 71, split duties with original bassist Chuck Panozzo for 21 years but has decided to take a break from the road to focus on a studio project close to home. In a statement, Phillips said: "Dear Friends, after touring for 50 years with The Babys, Bad English... Tina Turner, Belinda Carlisle... and writing, touring, and co-producing... with Ronnie Montrose, to name a chosen few... I'm taking a breather." He continued: "My last 20+ years of touring and recording with my friends in Styx has come to an end. I am taking a break from the road. I'm not retiring, just taking a break. Presently, I have accepted an offer to co-produce a project in a studio close to home. I've known since I was a kid that live performance is in my blood so, in time I will post any future engagements or commitments. But for right now, Melissa and I will share coffee talk and meals from home... with our critters close by." Phillips contributed to four Styx albums, the most recent being 2021's Crash of the Crown, and worked with Led Zeppelin legend Jimmy Page and Whitesnake vocalist David Coverdale on their 1993 Coverdale/Page LP. - Music-News.com, 3/21/24...... Byron Janis, hailed as one of the great pianists of the 20th century, died on Mar. 14 at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. He was 95. The rare student of Vladimir Horowitz, Mr. Janis made a dazzling Carnegie Hall debut at age 20 and performed major concertos from Chopin, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Liszt and Prokofiev. During his 85-year career, he covered composers from Bach to David W. Guion and performed major piano concertos from Chopin, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Liszt and Prokofiev. He occupied two volumes of the 1999 Mercury Philips series Great Pianists of the 20th Century and recorded for Philips, EMI, Sony and Universal as well. Mr. Janis performed six times by four sitting presidents at the White House, and among his awards were the Commander of the French Legion d'Honneur for Arts and Letters, the Grand Prix du Disque, the Stanford Fellowship from Yale and the gold medal from the French Society for the Encouragement of Progress (he was the first musician to receive that honor since its inception in 1906). He composed the scores for major musical productions of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "Hans Brinker," and wrote one for The True Gen, a 2013 documentary on the 20-year friendship between Gary Cooper and Ernest Hemingway. He is survived by his wife, Maria Cooper Janis, daughter of two-time Oscar-winning actor Gary Cooper. - The Hollywood Reporter, 3/17/24...... M. Emmet Walsh, the familiar character actor in such films as Blade Runner, Blood Simple, Ordinary People, Knives Out, My Best Friend's Wedding, Slap Shot and more than 200 other films and TV shows spanning a half-century, died on Mar. 19. He was three days short of turning 89. His manager Sandy Joseph told Deadline.com that Mr. Walsh died of cardiac arrest at Kerbs Memorial Hospital in St. Albans, VT. Born on Mar. 22, 1935, in Ogdensburg, NY, Mr. Walsh was raised in rural Vermont. He began his screen career guesting on late-1960s TV series before landing bit parts in films including Alice's Restaurant, Little Big Man and Escape from the Planet of the Apes. He continued to guest-star in episodes of popular 1960s and 70s series including Bonanza, All in the Family, Ironside, The Bob Newhart Show, McMillan & Wife, The Rockford Files, The Waltons, Starsky and Hutch, James at 16, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and many more. He also appeared on the big screen in such '70s hits as Serpico, Straight Time, The Jerk, They Might Be Giants, Whats Up, Doc? and Slap Shot, in which he played sportswriter Dickie Dunn, who was "Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing." The prolific actor with the hangdog face and trademark paunch continued to work regularly into the 1980s up to the 2020s, appearing in popular pics including the Coen brothers' 1984 debut Blood Simple, and also appeared in the Robert Redford prison drama Brubaker (1980), Academy Award winner Ordinary People (1980), Best Picture Oscar nominee Reds (1981), Ridley Scott's sci-fi classic Blade Runner (1982), the Chevy Chase comedy Fletch (1985), horror pic Critters (1986) and more. His most recent roles included Knives Out, The Righteous Gemstones and Sneaky Pete. In 1979, he established the Blarney Fund Education Trust, which provides scholarships to Vermont students. Mr. Walsh is survived by his niece Meagan Walsh; nephew Kevin Walsh (Renee); and grandnephews Emmet and Elliot. Film critic Roger Ebert once created the "Stanton-Walsh Rule," which held that no movie featuring either Harry Dean Stanton or M. Emmet Walsh in a supporting role can be altogether bad, though he admitted it wasn't an infallible rule. "I approach each job thinking it might be my last, so it better be the best work possible," Mr. Walsh once said. "I want to be remembered as a working actor. I'm being paid for what I'd do for nothing." - Deadline.com, 3/20/24.