Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on June 5th, 2024

Cher says she's "proud" of her boyfriend Alexander "A.E." Edwards after he participated in a brawl with rapper Travis Scott and producer Southside during an afterparty at the Cannes International Film Festival in France on May 23. Cher, who has been romantically linked with Edwards since late 2022 after the couple met at Paris Fashion Week, said "I'm Proud of Alexander" in a post on X on June 1. "He Didn't Start The fight Against 2 Men,& He finished it, Gotta Love Him." Cher's legion of X fans were quick to support the 78-year-old diva's comments, happy to see her support A.E. and that everything was all right in wake of the incident. "Bless him, isn't it crap all the rubbish that gets published, sad that you've had to comment on this. Hope AE is ok and you are too xxxx," one fan responded. The altercation went down at Richie Akiva's Cannes Film Festival afterparty behind the DJ booth when Scott and A.E. began to argue, but it's unclear what exactly sparked the disagreement. Following the brief tussle with punches exchanged, security diffused the fight. Meanwhile Cher recently emerged victorious in a long-running legal battle with Sonny Bono's widow that centered on the messy intersection between federal copyrights and state-level divorce law. A federal judge ruled on May 29 that Mary Bono must continue paying Cher her cut under the couple's decades-old divorce settlement. - Billboard, 6/3/24...... As Almost Famous actress Kate Hudson releases her debut album Glorious this spring, she opened up about her transition to music to Rolling Stone, 20 years after she first made her acting debut. Although Hudson, the daughter of Goldie Hawn, said she hasn't turned her back on acting, she hopes to see the two worlds collide in the form of a Stevie Nicks biopic. "I think for all girls who love rock, Stevie's just our number one," Hudson said. "Her whole life experience and the music. Fleetwood Mac, that whole journey from before Stevie to after Stevie? And her relationship with Lindsey [Buckingham]? It's like a trilogy. There's so much there. To me, that's like the ultimate rock 'n' roll story." Explaining what a role like that would mean to her and her relatives, she added: "My family might disown me if I ever got a chance to play Stevie. 'Cause they'd be like, 'Can we not go method?' I would probably go way too far into that character." Hudson, who also starred in such Hollywood blockbusters as How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, Bride Wars and more, said she would also love to play Dusty Springfield one day -- not only because of her music, but because of her personal life too. "To me it's also about the interesting life, and being able to tell that story correctly. I think Dusty Springfield is a really interesting story," she said. "She's one of my favourites and she was very shy. She had a lot of stage fright. Really fascinating woman. I think she struggled with being open about her sexuality. That could be a very powerful movie." While there are no plans for a biopic to be made about either Nicks or Springfield at present, this type of film has become increasingly popular lately with biopics of Queen, Elvis Presley, Elton John and Bob Marley becoming some of the most commercially successful films in recent years. A video of Hudson's new single, "Talk About Love," can be viewed on YouTube. Stevie Nicks will embark on her 2024 UK and Ireland tour in Dublin in July. - New Musical Express, 6/4/24...... Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are continuing their successful collaboration with a 2024 summer tour that kicked off on June 2 in Tulsa, Okla. "I think it started off very tentatively," Plant said in a recent conference call with Krauss of the pair going on the road together over the last few summers. "Myself and Alison were very cagey about the whole idea, having been apart for such a long time, and as it developed, it just felt very natural. And there are places to play, and if you don't play them, somebody else will." This is the third consecutive summer the pair are on the road together, a tradition that began after the 2021 release of their second collaborative album Raise The Roof. The album arrived 14 years after their debut project, Raising Sand, which won album of the year at the 2009 Grammys. Both projects found the duo covering songs by artists as disparate as The Everly Brothers and Calexico, along with a few of their own originals. Plant also weighed in on whether there's anything left to learn about Led Zeppelin as a new Zeppelin documentary is set to be released: "Maybe. I'm not sure. I saw some bits of it a while back. It's taken from very early on, so it's pre-shorts. The pre-shorts and post-shorts eras." The Plant/Krauss tour will visit 36 cities in the U.S. and Canada over the summer, with 10 of the dates alongside Willie Nelson & Family, Bob Dylan and Celisse on the Outlaw Music Festival tour. - Billboard, 6/4/24...... In what he describes as his "long-awaited review" of Prince Harry's memoir Spare, John Lennon's son Sean Ono Lennon has called the royal an "idiot." "My long awaited review of Prince Harry's autobiography is two words. 'Spare Me.'," Lennon posted to X on May 29. One user took aim at Lennon and commented: "Well, you were the spare Lennon," with the musician replying: "If you say so." Another user went on to say that it took Harry "courage" to open up and write his book. Lennon jokingly replied: "The todger story certainly took some courage," referring to Harry's account of having frostbite on his genitals. Lennon then went on to call the Duke an "idiot" and a "buffoon," adding: "I'm very disappointed with his outlook. I was hoping he'd be smarter." He also hit back at the claims that that he "based his whole life on his father's success," tweeting: "I mean, I don't care but I did win an Oscar this years so I think I'm doing okay." Sean won an Oscar at this year's Academy Awards for Best Animated Short for War Is Over!. Meanwhile the John Lennon Estate recently partnered with the Lumenate app for a series of meditation mixes, developed from the musician's 1973 track "Mind Games." They were made with the help of Ono Lennon, and arrive in time for Mental Health Awareness Month. - NME, 6/3/24...... In other Beatles-related news, George Harrison's white Washburn EA20 Woodstock acoustic guitar he played onstage during an iconic segment of the Prince's Trust All Star Rock Concert is set to be auctioned on Gottahaverockandroll.com on June 7. The instrument is estimated to sell for between $75,000-$100,000. - Music-News.com, 6/4/24...... On June 1 Steve Miller shared his thoughts on rap superstar Eminem's interpolation of Miller's chart-topping hit "Abracadabra" in Eminem's latest single, "Houdini." "There is a long chain of stories, poetry, lyrics, and musical roots that have crossed cultures and generations inspiring the whole world for hundreds of years and in all those lines of thought, music, and rhythm there are special artists who take it all in and create new original ideas from their own feelings and experiences," Miller wrote in a lengthy message on Instagram. "You are one of those timeless originators building something new on a long musical legacy of original artists." He continued, "I have always tried to credit, honor, and respect the major influencers in my life and to always credit, honor royalties and share knowledge of their work through my own work. I didn't know it would be this way when I was a kid trying to make a living playing music and making records, I only knew I had to respect the art that came before me and fight for it too among all the crooks, thieves, and imposters." "Abracadabra" spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in 1982. In addition to Eminem, Miller's music has been sampled by numerous other artists over the years, including other hip-hop stars like Nas, Lil Wayne, Ice Cube, Beastie Boys and N.W.A. "Houdini" is the lead single off of Em's 12th studio album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grace), which is expected to arrive this summer. - Billboard, 6/1/24...... Some of Detroit's biggest stars -- including Diana Ross, Jack White and Big Sean -- will headline a Live From Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central event to celebrate Ford Motor Company's six-year restoration of Motown's Michigan Central Station on June 6. The Station first opened in 1913, as was one of the grandest and tallest train depots in the United States. However, it closed in 1988 as travel preferences and technology changed, and remained vacant until Ford's acquisition of the property in 2018. Since then, the company has been working to restore The Station and retrofit it with modern technological infrastructure to support its next chapter. The event, already sold-out, will stream live exclusively on Peacock on June 6 at 8:30 p.m. ET. Additionally, NBC will air a one-hour primetime special on June 9 starting at 7 p.m. ET/PT. The concert will also stream locally on Local 4+ and ClickOnDetroit.com. - Billboard, 6/3/24...... ABBA was honored with The Order of the Vasa, one of the most prestigious knighthoods in Sweden, on May 31 during a ceremony headed by Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf. The Order of the Vasa was handed out for the first time in almost 50 years, with ABBA members Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad becoming "Commander of the First Class" of the order for "very outstanding efforts in Swedish and international music life." The Royal Order of Vasa, which is given in recognition of personal efforts for Sweden or for Swedish interests as well as the successful performance of public duties and assignments, was dormant until late 2022, when it was reactivated after regulations opened the Royal Orders to Swedish citizens again. "The order you get today today is Sweden's thanks for your exceptional efforts," the monarch said before handing out orders to "13 exceptional Swedes." Andersson, Faltskog, Lyngstad, who now uses the last name Reuss walked up using a cane, and Ulvaeus received the order in an event that was aired live on Swedish media. Earlier in 2024, candidates were nominated by the public and the Swedish government and the king approved the nominees that included the four ABBA members. The quartet has not performed together live for four decades, but released a comeback album, Voyage, in 2021. The digital "ABBA-tars" opened in London in 2022. - Billboard, 6/2/24...... The Grateful Dead spinoff band Dead & Company paid tribute to late NBA legend and massive Deadhead Bill Walton during a performance at Sphere in Las Vegas on May 30. During their performance of 1978's "Fire on the Mountain," the screen of the Sphere showed a montage of photos of Walton hanging out with the band, wearing the merch and more. The tribute also featured a stunning display of Walton's jersey number, 32, adorned in tie dye and roses. Photos of tribute can be viewed on the band's Instagram page. The band also paid tribute to Walton previously in an Instagram post, saying, "Fare you well, fare you well, we love you more than words can tell. Bill was an irreplaceable force and spirit in our family. Father Time, Rhythm Devil, biggest deadhead ever. Over 1000 shows and couldn't get enough. He loved this band and we loved him..." - Billboard, 5/31/24...... Former The Police frontman Sting will front his new power rock trio to headline the BBC's Radio 2 in the Park 2024 festivities in Preston in September. Fresh off his STING 3.0 tour, Sting (vocals, bass), long-time collaborator Dominic Miller (guitar) and drummer Chris Maas (Mumford & Sons, Maggie Rogers) will be performing selections of music from Sting's timeless discography, including solo hits, surprise rarities and Police classics, on Sept. 7. After launching in Germany last week, the STING 3.0 Tour has already received an amazing reaction from fans and media. The festivities take place in Moor Park in Preston, Lancashire on Sept. 7 and 8, with a Park Pre-Party on the DJ stage on Sept. 6. Headlining the Sept. 8 show will be Pet Shop Boys. Radio 2 is the UK's most listened to radio station with 13.23 million weekly listeners. - Music-News.com, 6/3/24...... Van Halen at 50, a new unauthorized Van Halen book by veteran rock bio writer Martin Popoff, celebrates the San Francisco-based rock band's "Top 50 Historic Moments." Hitting stores on May 28, the book not only aims to explore some of the band's most historic moments, but provides fans with a precious keepsake featuring candid photos of the four bandmates on and off the stage. Van Halen at 50 features 192 pages and covers five decades of the rockers' career, including the band's formation, notable appearances at Texxas Jam, Farm Aid and Monsters of Rock, as well as pages dedicated to trivia-worthy topics like Eddie Van Halen's finger-tapping technique, the band's album art, and the eternal Dave [Roth] vs. Sammy [Hagar] question, according to the official description. It also features an oral history on Ed that uses more than 50 hours of interviews with the guitarist to capture his history. - Billboard, 5/31/24...... Earlier in 2024, The Who's Pete Townshend briefly mentioned the idea of a Who avatar tour or show during an interview with The New York Times. The guitarist told the outlet that he wanted the group to "play every territory in the world" before they "crawl off to die." But he later explained that "The Who isn't (Roger) Daltrey and Townshend onstage at 80, pretending to be young... It's the four of us in 1964, when we were 18 or 19. If you want to see The Who myth, wait for the avatar show. It would be good!," Townshend mused. Now, Daltrey has spoken with Ultimate Classic Rock about the possibility of The Who doing an avatar show. The publication gave an example of the format by citing the ABBA Voyage spectacle in London, which is celebrating its second anniversary in June. "What, we're going to go out and do ABBA covers? I don't think so. I'd look f---ing awful in a mini dress!," Daltrey joked. After pausing to seriously consider the prospect of a virtual Who gig, the singer added: "I've never thought about it. I wouldn't want to go and see it." Daltrey is due to embark on a "semi-acoustic" solo tour of North America in July. The Who played two orchestral shows at London's Royal Albert Hall in March as part of this year's Teenage Cancer Trust gig series. The second night featured a surprise guest appearance from Eddie Vedder. - NME, 5/31/24...... In 1971, a few hundred young people from around the world stood on a lush hilltop in Italy and sang about their collective desire to "buy the world a Coke." The now iconic Coca-Cola commercial became a hallmark moment in advertising history and a bona fide hit: A version of "I'd Like To Teach the World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" by British pop group The New Seekers reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. Half a century later, Coca-Cola has its eyes on the charts again, but with a very different and ambitious strategy: through music created by superstar artists in collaboration with Coke itself; promoted and distributed by those artists' labels; and supported by label partner Universal Music Group (UMG), which will assist with promotional and playlist strategy. On a recent day in Seoul, for instance, K-pop sensation NewJeans recorded R&B-infused pop track "How Sweet," sung in English and Korean, which arrived May 24 as both the lead 2024 Coke Studio song and the title track to the act's latest mini-album. The girl group is just one example of the global stars Coke has signed to its roster. Colombian phenomenon Karol G is also working with the brand, and internationally in-demand electronic producer Peggy Gou has created a club banger with, as Coke puts it, a "timeless beat" that "will cross borders and genres." Coke says it will roll out two more original songs with selected artists in 2024. Coca-Cola will hold the 14th annual edition of its own festival, the Coca-Cola Music Experience, in September in Madrid. - Billboard, 5/31/24...... During the June 4 episode of The Osbournes podcast, Ozzy Osbourne revealed he developed a "hate" for doctors after his 2003 4-wheeler accident which necessitated surgery in which metal rods were installed in his body. Ozzy, Sharon Osbourne and their kids Jack and Kelly Osbourne spoke to a friend named Dr Greg about emergency room work. "We have a lot of love and respect for emergency room doctors, because they saved Dad's life," Kelly said of Ozzy. "In England on the NHS and everything, I saw first-hand how quickly you have to make such an important decision with such little information." Dr Greg responded, "That definitely happens sometimes... In some cases it's hard, because you don't know what's going on. But in some cases that becomes very, very easy, because there's first-order principles for us -- we talk about ABCs in the emergency room." When Kelly asserted that Ozzy, 75, would "love going to the doctor", Sharon replied, "Not anymore." "I f---ing hate them," Ozzy said of his doctors. "I've probably seen more doctors than this guy (Dr Greg)." Osbourne announced in 2023 that he needed to undergo another operation, this time on his neck. "I'm going for an epidural soon because what they've discovered is the neck has been fixed," he explained at the time. "Below the neck there's two vertebrae where the bike hit me and disintegrated, there's nothing left of 'em. All I know is... is right now I'm in a lot of pain. I'm in a lot of discomfort." - Music-News.com, 6/5/24...... Former The Sex Pistols members Glen Matlock, Paul Cook and Steve Jones are joining forces with Frank Carter to save the historic West London venue Bush Hall with two concerts on Aug. 13 and 14. The Sex Pistols, one of the most influential rock bands of all time, will be joined by the electric frontman Frank Carter at Bush Hall to perform the Sex Pistols' iconic 1977 album Never Mind The Bollocks in its entirety. Funds raised from the gigs will go directly towards preserving the revered independent London venue. Both Cook and Jones grew up around the venue, attending as punters themselves, while Carter performed at Bush Hall back in 2012 for his debut live show with his former group, Pure Love. "We're doing a benefit for Bush Hall with the famous Frank Carter. We're going to be playing Pistols numbers cause they need support and they need the money," Cook says. "We thought it would be a great way to stop it going under. This is my local venue. I grew up in Shepherd's Bush and I still live round here. It would be a real shame to see it disappear and we want to keep it going. So everyone get down to the gig!" Frank Carter says, "This has been a joy from start to finish. When the Sex Pistols call, you answer. I'm very excited to be a part of it." - Music-News.com, 6/3/24...... Michael Jackson's children and mother have been blocked from receiving funds from his trust until his estate resolves a legal issue. Prince, 27, Paris, 26, and Bigi Jackson, 22, as well as their grandmother, Katherine Jackson, 94, have been temporarily cut off from the King of Pop's trust. According to court documents obtained by People, they will not be able to receive any money until the estate resolves an ongoing dispute with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The legal issue began when IRS officials issued the estate "a note of deficiency" following a tax audit and claimed executors "undervalued its assets" and owed "$700 million in taxes and penalties." The estate argued the findings and won its case in 2021. However, it has since filed a motion for the value of the singer's back catalogue to be reconsidered. This means the value of the estate for tax purposes is currently undetermined and the beneficiaries of the trust cannot receive funds until it is finalized. In the documents, attorneys asked for a portion of the estate to be given to the family trust, but this request was denied because it couldn't be determined "what amount could be safely distributed at this time." Executors then suggested Michael's beneficiaries receive funds through the "family allowance." - Music-News.com, 5/31/24.

Longtime Donald Trump critics Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand are among the stars in the entertainment world reacting to the news that former president Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts in his sensational hush money case. On May 30, Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts lobbied against him for falsifying records in an attempt to cover up hush money payments to porn actress Stormi Daniels in the lead up to the 2016 presidential elections, which he won. Daniels alleged that she had sexual relations with Trump in 2006, which he has continually denied. "Convicted felon Donald Trump is blaming the judge, the jury and New York for being found guilty on 34 counts. He will never accept accountability for his crimes. Americans must not allow this felon anywhere near the White House again," Streisand posted to X. Midler also took to X to post: "Donald Trump doesn't belong in my city... We New Yorkers used to tolerate him when he was just another grubby real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot. A two-bit playboy lying his way into the tabloids... A clown. This city is pretty accomodating. We make room for clowns. But a person like Trump can't run the country. That does not work, and we all know that" above pics of Trump and his New Yorker nemesis Robert DeNiro. Other '70s personalities reacting to the Trump verdict include Rob Reiner, Henry Winkler, Mark Hamill and Lynda Carter. The guilty verdict now makes Trump the first-ever President of the United States to be convicted of a crime, and he is due to return to Manhattan court on July 11 for his sentencing. - New Musical Express, 5/31/24......Elton John announced on Instagram on May 29 that he and his Elton John AIDS Foundation are challenging fans to take on his 1970 hit "Your Song" as part of a new "Speak Up Sing Out" campaign, giving one entrant the chance to meet him and his husband David Furnish, who is the foundation's chairman, in June. Designed to help end the stigma against the LGBTQ community on social media, the challenge asks participants to post vertical videos of personalized renditions of the Rocket Man's most famous ballad, a No. 8 US hit that was co-written with his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin. More specifically, the foundation is calling on fans to sing one of the track's final lines -- "I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind, that I put down in words how wonderful life is while you're in the world" -- and mark their clips online with the hashtag #SpeakUpSingOutGiveaway. After finishing the song, contestants are to name and tag someone who has inspired them to embrace their authentic selves. Fans should also make sure they're following the Elton John AIDS Foundation on Instagram before entering. "Living boldly and fearlessly is what I strive for every day, but I know firsthand the importance of having a support system that empowers you to do so -- a privilege I'm immensely grateful for," John said in a statement. "This (LGBTQ+) Pride Month, I extend a heartfelt invitation to stand with me and the Foundation to honor the champion in your life," he added. The giveaway ends June 18 at 8 p.m. ET. Afterward, one contestant will be chosen to win a trip to meet John and Furnish later that month. - Billboard, 5/29/24...... Willie Nelson's new album The Border becomes the latest in his 150+ LP discography as it hit stores on May 31 via Legacy Recordings. The Border features 10 newly-recorded studio performances by the 91-year-old country/pop star, including four new compositions he co-wrote with Buddy Cannon: "Once Upon a Yesterday," "What If I'm Out of My Mind," "Kiss Me When You're Through," "How Much Does It Cost" and "Hank's Guitar," which was co-written by Cannon and Bobby Tomberlin. Among the many projects Nelson has lined up for 2024 include his popular 4th of July Picnic concert, this time held in a new location at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, N.J., just outside Philadelphia, and 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 -- Bob Dylan, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and Mavis Staples. Nelson has made The Border available to be streamed in full on Spotify.com. - Billboard, 5/31/24...... The iconic "lost" 1964 Framus Hootenanny acoustic guitar used by John Lennon during the 1965 sessions for the Beatles' Help! album set a new record when it sold for $2.9 million at a Julien's auction on May 29. The auction was conducted at the Times Square Hard Rock Café in New York. The Framus 12-string -- which was also used by Lennon's late Beatles bandmate George Harrison during the sessions for the Fab Four's 1966 Rubber Soul LP and was heard and seen on the Help! album and movie -- was purchased via a phone bid from an undisclosed buyer. The guitar went missing for nearly 50 years after Lennon gave it to Gordon Waller of the British duo Peter & Gordon, who he and Paul McCartney had been writing songs for. Waller, in turn, gave it to his manager, who stashed it in an attic of his home, according to Julien's. Julien co-founder Darren Julien said in a YouTube video that a British man found the guitar and its case in his parent's attic when they were moving out and promptly reached out to the auction house, who authenticated it with a Beatles expert. The guitar was initially valued at an estimated $600,000-$800,000 before selling to the anonymous buyer for $2,857,500. Julien's said the sale made it the most expensive Beatles guitar to ever sell at auction. In 2015, another Lennon acoustic guitar sold at auction for a then-record $2.4 million. - Billboard, 5/30/24...... In other Beatles news, a blue plaque of English Heritage has been placed at George Harrison's childhood home in Liverpool. Harrison's widow, Olivia Harrison, unveiled the tribute at the house in Arnold Grove, Liverpool. Olivia went on to say that the plaque was "a source of family pride." Harrison -- who passed in 2001 at the age of 58 after battling cancer -- was born in 1943 and lived in the terraced house in the Wavertree district of the city until the age of seven. The plaque is one of the first official English Heritage blue plaques to be placed on a property outside London. The Liverpool Beatles Museum posted a pic of the plaque to their X account, and video of Olivia talking about her pride about the honor can be viewed on the Liverpool Council's X page. - NME, 5/24/24...... After Ozzy Osbourne revealed earlier in May that he would "jump at the chance" to play a final Black Sabbath show with co-founding drummer Bill Ward -- who backed out of playing the band's reunion shows between 2011 and 2017 over an "unreasonable" contract -- Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler says he and Ozzy "have agreed" to play one final Sabbath concert. Butler recently appeared on SirisuXM's Eddie Trunk podcast and told Trunk that he and Osbourne have "agreed" to play one last show. Butler said: "Of course there's an interest [on my part to do it], but there's a big 'but' -- you'd have to speak to Bill [Ward] about it. Everybody wants to do it [but I don't know if he is] capable [of pulling it off]." Since then, guitarist Tony Iommi has also weighed in on the potential reunion: "That'd be a nice thing to actually do, but whether it happens will be another thing. But we'll see. I mean, who knows?" At the beginning of 2024, Ozzy's wife/manager Sharone Osbourne revealed that Osbourne was planning "two more shows to say goodbye" before he fully retires from performing live. Sharon recently dropped a huge hint that Ozzy will play two gigs in Aston, Birmingham, at Villa Park, the home of Premier League giants Aston Villa. She said: "We will do it in Aston Villa where Ozzy is from," with at least one of the shows to feature Geezer Butler, and possibly other BS members. - NME, 5/30/24...... Duane Betts says that he's been "holding up" since the death of his father, Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts, on Apr. 18 at the age of 80. And while he and Allman Betts Band partner Devon Allman -- son of the late ABB leader Gregg Allman -- don't necessarily need more reason to pay tribute to their fathers' musical legacy, Betts says there's a different kind of charge in playing their songs now. "Now that he's gone it changes it a little more," says Betts, who was named after the late Duane Allman and played at times in his father's post-Allman Brothers band, Great Southern. "I think the spirit is always with me, whether I'm playing those particular songs or I'm playing my own songs. He had kinda been in poor health for awhile, so I was already playing for him and getting a lot of inspiration (from) thinking about him and what his legacy means to me, personally. I love playing that music and really treasure it 'cause it's precious. so it's nice to play a few of their tunes and mix 'em with our originals I do with the Allman Betts Band or a Duane Betts show. Allman Betts has been mixing a variety of ABB tunes into its current spring tour, including selections such as "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed," "Blue Sky," "Jessica," "Melissa," "Midnight Rider," "Dreams," "Seven Turns" and "Sailin 'Cross the Devil's Sea," as well as Allmans-popularized covers like Sonny Boy Williamson's "One Way Out" and Blind Willie McTell's "Statesboro Blues." So far, Allman Betts has released only one album, 2020's Bless Your Heart, but Betts says "we haven't really gotten that far" on recording a follow-up. "We have a few more shows later in the summer, and we're just having a great time on tour and not thinking about anything else yet," says Betts, who released a solo album, Wild & Precious Life, in July 2023. - Billboard, 5/30/24...... On May 30 Heart announced in an Instagram post that they were cancelling the European leg of their Royal Flush tour, which was scheduled to kick off June 20 and run through July 12 and include several festival spots, to enable singer Ann Wilson time to recover from a medical procedure. "We regret to inform you that all upcoming Heart performances in Europe are canceled," reads a statement from the band. The band deeply regrets this unfortunate circumstance and hopes to return to Europe soon." The statement added that Wilson "will undergo a time-sensitive but routine procedure for which the minimum recovery time is six weeks." As it stands, Heart will return to the road July 30, for a concert at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Oh., with Def Leppard and Journey, the first in a lengthy run of stadium and arena shows in the U.S. and Canada. Heart's Royal Flush tour marks the band's return to the road for the first time in five years. The North America leg kicked off Apr. 20 in Greenville, S.C., with Cheap Trick as support on most dates, while Squeeze was set to open on a handful of those now-nixed summer European dates. - Billboard, 5/30/24...... In related news, on May 25 Bruce Springsteen was forced to postpone four shows in Europe "under doctor's direction." Springsteen canceled his performance in Marseille, France, the same day the show was scheduled to take place, noting on Instagram that the postponement was "due to vocal issues." "Bruce is recuperating comfortably," an update posted on Springsteen's Instagram account said on May 26, but went on to announce that more tour dates were being postponed. In March, Springsteen and the E Street Band relaunched their world tour after a six-month break due to the singer's battle with peptic ulcer disease. According to the latest update, Springsteen and the E Street Band are currently set to resume their stadium tour in Madrid on June 12. Springsteen's upcoming tour dates can be viewed on his official website. - Billboard, 5/26/24...... Sony is reportedly in talks to acquire Queen music catalog and its other music assets, according to Bloomberg.com. There have been multiple reports that Queen's catalog was up for sale since Music Business Worldwide first broke the news in May 2023. So far, Queen is believed to have had initial conversations about the potential deal with Disney, which owns the band's masters for North America, and Universal Music Group. According to sources, the deal is being shopped by the band's lawyers. Sources say that Queen was seeking $1.2 billion for its music assets, a price tag that limited the number of prospective suitors. In order to swallow the hefty price tag, Sony is reportedly partnering with an undisclosed financial player. Previously, Sony had help in acquiring the Bruce Springsteen master recording catalog from Eldridge Industries, which at one time owned Billboard magazine. If Sony completes the deal, it could very well be the biggest music asset deal ever made, even if it does not command the highest valuation for an artist's music assets. In late 2023, Sony bought half of the Michael Jackson estate for about $600 million, according to sources, though Sony never confirmed the acquisition. - Billboard, 5/29/24...... As Patti LaBelle reached her milestone 80th birthday on May 24, the legendary R&B singer teased a potential collaboration with her "new best friend," rising rapper Cardi B. LaBelle's close friend Whoopi Goldberg threw Patti a surprise party on that day attended by the likes of Gayle King, Fat Joe, Tamron Hall and more, and during the party LaBelle revealed plans for her next album and a possible collaboration on the horizon with Cardi B. LaBelle told Entertainment Tonight she loves the idea of working with Cardi B. "Why not," she said. "[Cardi's] like one of my new best friends. And to know that she was into Patti LaBelle, she's like my new buddy." The pair previously joined forces last Thanksgiving to combine their products for a delectable holiday side dish. LaBelle added that her upcoming album should arrive in 2024, and the title is inspired by her age combined with the amount of time she's spent working in the music industry. "It should be out at the end of this year, and it's called 8065," she said. "I'm 80 years young and 65 years in show business." LaBelle's new LP will be the followup to her holiday-themed album Miss Patti's Christmas in 2007. Meanwhile, Patti will be among the headliners at Pres. Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden's second annual Juneteenth Concert, which will take place on June 10 on the White House's South Lawn. Also performing will be Gladys Knight, Charlie Wilson, Brittney Spencer, Doug E. Fresh and Roy Wood, Jr., among more. The Juneteenth concert will take place during Black Music Month, and this year's performers were selected for "their mark on the culture in studios, pulpits, and stages over their successful careers," per a White House press release. - Billboard, 5/30/24...... "Eye of the Tiger," the legendary pump-up anthem by classic rockers Survivor used in the 1982 Rocky III movie, has just hit 1 billion views on YouTube. The video for the 1982 song, which spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, begins with a repetitive picked guitar part over cymbal crashes is quintessential early '80s, mostly consisting of the band's five members power walking down city streets looking focused and fierce. In addition to serving as the theme song for Rocky III, the propulsive track was also a single from Survivor's third studio album of the same name. Founding guitarist Frankie Sullivan -- who co-wrote the song with founding rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Jim Peterik -- confirmed to Guitar Player magazine in an interview in March of this year that Survivor was not Rocky III star Sylvester Stallone's first choice. Sullivan revealed that Stallone used Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" in an early cut of the film, but was unable to keep it in the final version. After Stallone had dinner with his good friends Tony and Ben Scotti of Scotti Brothers Records, Stallone agreed to call Sullivan and ask him to come up with a song for the film. After watching the film, Sullivan said it became a scramble to finish the track, with the music taking "about 10 minutes," while the lyrics bubbled for three days. "We had 90 percent of them, but we couldn't come up with a title," the guitarist recalled. While looking through the script he spotted a line where rival Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) reminds Rocky that he used to have the eye of the tiger. "And that was our title," Sullivan said. - Billboard, 5/30/24...... A self-described scammer based in Nigeria has taken credit for the failed attempt to auction off Elvis Presley's iconic Graceland residence in Memphis, Tenn. Earlier in May, it was reported that actress Riley Keough, Presley's granddaughter, was taking legal action to halt the court-approved sale of Graceland. The fate of the iconic residence was thrown into question due to events stemming back to 2018, when a deed of trust was allegedly signed by Keugh's late mother Lisa Marie Presley and secured a $3.8 million loan from Naussany Investments and Private Lending LLC in Missouri. The company claimed that Graceland was used as collateral in the loan, which was never paid back. After taking the matter to court, it was confirmed just days before the auction that Keough had been successful in her plea, and a Tennessee judge had blocked the planned sale of Graceland. According to The New York Times, a self-described scammer based in Nigeria has come forward and taken credit for the plan to send the iconic property to auction -- saying that he was working as part of an identity theft ring. In his email to the paper, the individual said that he and his colleagues typically scam the vulnerable and the elderly, and turned their sights to the Memphis estate. "We figure out how to steal. That's what we do," he told The Times. "I had fun figuring this one out and it didn't succeed very well. The Times also reported that the email was written in Luganda, a language spoken in Uganda. "The chance of succeeding in what they were trying to do -- that is, to get the property auctioned off and get the proceeds and then use the money -- doesn't seem to be the actual intent, unless they are incredibly stupid," says Northwestern University criminal justice professor Dr Nikos Passas. "So, the question is then, 'What was the intent, and who was behind it?'" - NME/AP, 5/29/24...... Cher has won her lawsuit against Sonny Bono's second wife over royalties to "I Got You Babe" and other hits after a federal judge ruled on May 29 that Mary Bono must continue paying the "Believe" singer her cut under the couple's decades-old divorce settlement. More than 20 years after Sonny's death, Mary argued that she no longer needed to pay royalties to Cher thanks to copyright law's so-called termination right -- a provision of federal law that allows songwriters and their heirs to win back control of their intellectual property rights decades after they gave them away. Judge John A. Kronstadt ruled that the federal termination rules do not trump Sonny and Cher's 1978 divorce settlement, which gave the singer a permanent 50% cut of the publishing revenue from songs written before the couple split up. The ruling means that Cher will continue to receive publishing royalties for her catalog of songs created with Sonny, including "The Beat Goes On" and "Baby Don't Go." According to Wednesday's ruling, more than $400,000 in royalties owed to Cher have piled up since the dispute began. Mary can appeal the ruling to a federal appeals court, and her attorney said that regardless of how the case plays out, Mary and Cher would continue to work "collaboratively and respectfully" in order to "uphold and honor Sonny's musical legacy." - Billboard, 5/29/24...... Barry Manilow was back on stage at the London Palladium on May 28 after cancelling one of his farewell shows at the legendary venue the previous day on "doctor's orders." According to Metro UK, the singer, 80, called off his May 27 gig with just hours to go, writing on Instagram, "Unfortunately, under doctor's orders, we must cancel tonight's 27th May Barry Manilow concert." Hundreds of disappointed fans were reported to be lined up outside the theater when the news was announced. Though upset, "Fanilows" spread the love to the "Mandy" singer in comments on the X post about the rescheduling, with one writing, "Good news, what a relief to know you're feeling better (if the doctor is OK, I'm happy you can perform today). You can count on me tonight and for the 10 other concerts (evening & afternoon)." Manilow is in the middle of a nine-show residency run at the venue entitled "The Last, Last UK Concerts." The shows are slated to run through June 9. The setting is fitting because the London Palladium was where the "Mandy" singer performed his first UK gigs in 1978. Manilow's tour schedule can be viewed on Instagram, and fan footage from the May 28 concert has been shared on X. - Billboard, 5/29/24...... ABBA will receive the The Order of the Vasa -- one of the most prestigious knighthoods in their native Sweden -- at a ceremony on May 31. Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad will receive the royal Order of Vasa as "Commander of the First Class" for "very outstanding efforts in Swedish and international music life." The Royal Order of Vasa, which is given in recognition of personal efforts for Sweden or for Swedish interests as well as the successful performance of public duties and assignments, was dormant until late 2022, when it was reactivated after regulations opened the Royal Orders to Swedish citizens again. Earlier this year, candidates were nominated by the public and the Swedish government and King Carl XVI Gustaf approved the nominees that included the four ABBA members. ABBA's 1974 Eurovision Song Contest turned the group into a pop juggernaut, by far the most successful band to win the pan-continental music contest. The quartet's melodic disco pop sold hundreds of millions of records worldwide. The stage musical "Mamma Mia!" based on the group's songs is 25 years old and spawned two movies. Meanwhile, Ulvaeus and Andersson hinted that live version of ABBA's Voyage avatar show featuring human performers could appear at the UK's Glastonbury festival in 2024. "Oh yes! It's a brilliant idea," said Ulvaeus, who with Andersson took part in a Q&A during a second anniversary Voyage celebration in London on May 27. "They're a great band, why shouldn't they play?" - AP, 5/31/24...... Dead & Company has extended its residency at Las Vegas' Sphere for an additional six shows this August, with the new dates added due to "increased demand." The new shows are verified for Aug. 1-3 and Aug. 7-10, an extension to what's said to be a "must-see" immersive experience that celebrates the legacy of the Rock Hall-inducted Grateful Dead, combining their songbook with the Sphere's technical spectacles. Dead & Company's previously announced, 24-date residency began May 16 and was expected to run through July 13. The group -- which includes GD founding member guitarist/singer Bob Weir and longtime drummer/percussionist Mickey Hart, as well as John Mayer, Jeff Chimenti and Oteil Burbridge -- formed in 2015. Co-founder drummer Bill Kreutzmann was originally part of the band as well, but he exited in 2023, before the band kicked off what it called its "final tour" last summer. Meanwhile, Dead & Company have paid tribute to late NBA legend and GD fan Bill Walton, who passed away on May 27 at age 71 following a battle with cancer. Walton was a lot of things: the 1977-78 NBA MVP, two-time league champion, sportscaster and, perhaps most famously, a huge Deadhead. In a tribute to their biggest superfan, the surviving members of the GD honored Walton in an Instagram post on the Dead & Company feed, saying, "Fare you well, fare you well, we love you more than words can tell. Bill was an irreplaceable force and spirit in our family. Father Time, Rhythm Devil, biggest deadhead ever. Over 1000 shows and couldn't get enough. He loved this band and we loved him." The post included several pics of Walton in his signature tie dye vibing out at Dead shows over the years, including several shots of him in elaborate, colorful costumes honoring the times he dressed up as "Father Time" for Dead shows on New Year's Eve. - Billboard, 5/28/24...... Peter Frampton will be honored as a recipient of the Les Paul Spirit Award during a private event at the Gibson Garage venue in Nashville on June 9. The annual award, created and presented by the Les Paul Foundation, goes to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of the late Les Paul through innovation, engineering, technology and/or music. In addition to the award, a grant from the Les Paul Foundation will be made in the honoree's name to the charity of his choice. Frampton is the fourth recipient of the award, following Bob Weir, Nile Rodgers and U2's The Edge. The Les Paul Spirit Award is made from hand-carved acoustic boards built by Paul, who died in 2009 at age 94, that he used in his home studio. Given the unique nature of the studio pieces which are being used to create them, no two Les Paul Spirit Awards will be exactly the same. Frampton, 74, was diagnosed with a degenerative muscle condition called inclusion body myositis (IBM) in 2019. Despite that health challenge, he continues to write and perform. - Billboard, 5/28/24...... The Swedish five-piece rock band The Hives have teamed up with Spotify for their Spotify Singles to release their rendition of Blue Swede's 1974 hit track "Hooked on a Feeling." Released on March 29 of that year, "Hooked on a Feeling" made history by becoming the first single by a Swedish artist to take the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. "Hooked on a Feeling" has racked up over 660 million streams on Spotify to date, in part thanks to its feature in movies like Guardians of the Galaxy and Reservoir Dogs. For their version of the song, which can be streamed on Spotify.com, The Hives swapped the song's original slower tempo for something much louder and more boisterous. Speaking about the cover in a press release, The Hives' frontman Pelle Almqvist said: "I think there's a synergy effect of Swedish music having made it abroad, and you feel like it's possible. We can't make it more perfect than the original is, so we went the other way instead: ruined it, but made it sound exciting." - NME, 5/24/24...... After causing controversy in 2023 by speaking out against inclusivity and diversity changes being implemented by the Academy Awards, Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss has sparked new outrage after delivering a rant during a recent screening of his 1975 movie Jaws that attendees categorized as "transphobic, sexist and homophobic." In a video shared to YouTube, Dreyfuss, who also starred in American Graffiti, The Goodbye Girl and What About Bob?, was seen walking out ahead of the screening to the sounds of Taylor Swift's "Love Story" wearing a floral print dress. According to a social media account shared on X, Dreyfuss "went off the rails" when he spoke about his experience working with Barbra Streisand on Nuts, who he "didn't listen to because she's a woman and women shouldn't have that power." Dreyfuss also allegedly "started down the road of how you shouldn't be listening to some 10-year-old who says they want to be a boy instead of a girl." Elsewhere, Dreyfuss allegedly called his Jaws director Steven Spielberg "a genius but an idiot" and said their other collaboration, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, was only a success because he "convinced Spielberg to hire him instead of Gene Hackman." "This was disgusting," posted one attendee on the Facebook page of Beverly's The Cabot theatre. "How could the Cabot not have vetted his act better. Apparently (I found out too late), he has a reputation for spewing this kind of racist, homophobic, misogynistic bullcrap." On Facebook, one moviegoer said he left after 20 minutes. "Should have been fun, but what a disappointment. Dreyfuss is a pathetic clown and an intolerant jerk," he wrote. Another said Dreyfuss was "behaving like an ass." As Dreyfuss' appearance made the rounds online, the Cabot issued a statement of apology. "We regret that an event that was meant to be a conversation to celebrate an iconic movie instead became a platform for political views. We take full responsibility for the oversight in not anticipating the direction of the conversation and for the discomfort it caused to many patrons," the statement read. - Canoe.com, 5/28/24...... Doug Ingle, the original singer and organist of psychedelic rock band Iron Butterfly, died on May 25. He was 78, and a cause of death was not provided. Ingle's son Doug Ingle Jr. shared the news of his father's passing on Facebook, writing, "It's with a heavy heart & great sadness to announce the passing of my Father Doug Ingle. Dad passed away peacefully this evening in the presence of family. Thank You Dad for being a father, teacher and friend. Cherished loving memories I will carry the rest of my days moving forward in this journey of life." Ingle, writer of Iron Butterfly's signature song "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," was the last surviving member of the group's classic lineup, which was formed in San Diego in 1966. Drummer Ron Bushy died in 2021 at age 79, bassist Lee Dornan passed in 2012 at age 70, and guitarist Erik Brann died in 2003 at age 52. Following numerous lineup changes early on, Ingle and Bushy was part of the five-piece Iron Butterfly that released the act's 1968 debut album, Heavy. Soon after, the band's other three members departed and were replaced by Brann and Dornan, who were part of the lineup that released the 17-minute version of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida." A shortened version of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1968, one of four Iron Butterfly titles to impact the chart. Its parent album hit No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart (and remained on the chart for 140 weeks, a long run at the time for a rock album), while 1969's Ball went to No. 3. Ingle remained with Iron Butterfly through the release of its 1970 album, Metamorphosis, and left when the band broke up a year later. Ingle did not take part in an Iron Butterfly reunion organized by Bushy and Brann in the mid-1970s, but he did perform with various versions of the group over the decades before retiring from performing in 1999. The official audio of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" has been shared on YouTube by Rhino Records. - Billboard, 5/26/24.