Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on October 23rd, 2024

The Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA), which honors composers, songwriters and music supervisors for their contributions in music for film, TV, and other media, has tapped Elton John's longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin for an Outstanding Career Achievement Award. The ceremony, now in its 15th year, will be held on Nov. 20 at The Avalon in Hollywood, Calif. Taupin and John were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and received that organization's top honor, the Johnny Mercer Award, in 2013. In 2020, they received both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for best original song for co-writing "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from the hit biopic Rocketman. Earlier in 2024, they received the Library of Congress's Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, as well as an Ivor Novello for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. Most recently, Taupin cowrote (with John, Brandi Carlile and Andrew Watt) the original song "Never Too Late" for the Disney+ documentary Elton John: Never Too Late. Remarkably, their only songwriting collaboration to receive a Grammy nomination was the soundtrack to the 1971 teen romance film Friends, which won Best Original Score for a Motion Picture or a Television Special. Past HMMA Career Achievement Award recipients include Kenny Loggins, Smokey Robinson, Diane Warren, Earth Wind & Fire, Glen Campbell and Dave Mason. - Billboard, 10/23/24...... Gibson Guitars has announced a limited run of Jimmy Page 1964 SJ-200 guitars, as well as a Collector's Edition, to celebrate its 130th anniversary. Gibson is paying homage to the guitar that Page played on Led Zeppelin's self-titled 1969 debut album -- the iconic mid-60s Gibson SJ-200. Available now, the faithful recreation of the historic guitar has been designed to capture all distinctive traits -- including the vivid Cherry Tea sunburst finish. Only 50 of the 1964 SJ-200 Collector's Edition, which included a signature from Page, and 100 of the Jimmy Page 1964 SJ-200 have been made, each with "significant input" from the guitarist, according to a press release. Page talks about his collaboration with the guitar manufacturer on the Gibson TV YouTube channel. Earlier in 2024, Page joined Queen's Brian May and Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi to launch the new "Gibson Garage" in London. Gibson also announced a new Jeff Beck "YardBurst" 1959 Les Paul Custom in honor of the late former Yardbirds member earlier in the year. - New Musical Express, 10/22/24...... The '60s British Invasion band The Zombies have partnered with music distributor Q Prime to re-release the band's first four albums, it was announced on Oct. 22. Under the agreement, Q Prime will manage marketing, manufacturing, distribution and licensing for the 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees' new imprint, Beechwood Park Records. The imprint includes The Zombies' catalog, which the group acquired the rights to in 2023 from Marquis Enterprises Ltd., its original production company it signed with in 1964. Starting in 2024, Q Prime will physically reissue four of The Zombies' albums, remastered from the original tapes. This includes the band's seminal 1968 album, Odessey & Oracle, in its original mono mix; the LP, which was recorded for £1,000, includes the classic songs "Time of The Season," "Care of Cell 443 and "This Will Be Our Year." Its release will coincide with a new Zombies documentary, Hung Up On A Dream, directed by musician and filmmaker Robert Schwartzman. The Zombies' four surviving founding members are lead singer Colin Blunstone, keyboardist Rod Argent, bassist Chris White and drummer Hugh Grundy. The band first charted in the U.S. in 1964 with "She's Not There," which peaked at No. 2. - Billboard, 10/22/24...... In a new interview with Guitar World magazine, KISS co-founder Gene Simmons speaks about his bass-playing preferences, saying that Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers doesn't have a "memorable" style. "There are an awful lot of amazing bass players, like Jaco Pastorius and the jazz guys. Or guys like Flea, who is really good on his instrument, but I can't remember anything he plays -- and I also do not like the sound of a bass being slapped," Simmons said. The bassist/vocalist explained that he has a "less is more" approach, before quoting Eric Clapton: "The hardest thing to do is to know what notes to put in a solo, and what notes not to put in a solo. Sometimes, if it's shockingly simple, and barely moving at all, but I can hum it, that's what matters because it's memorable." He added that "I don't consider myself -- and was never really interested in being -- a bass virtuoso. I don't like show-offs in music. I'm much more attracted to things that are memorable. It's part of the joy of music for me." KISS finished their farewell tour in New York in December 2023, but they have since shared plans for an "immersive" avatar show that will be "beyond anything that anyone else has contemplated." - NME, 10/22/24...... Stevie Wonder called out Donald Trump for the former president's recent derogatory remarks about Detroit during Wonder's concert at Detroit's Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 22. "I just gotta say for the record, I don't like nobody talking bad about Detroit," the Motown icon told a sold-out crowd on the latest stop of his "Sing Your Song! As We Fix Our Nation's Broken Heart Tour." He then led the audience in a chant of "Don't cha do it!," pointedly aimed at Trump. Wonder was referencing Trump's disparaging remarks during an Oct. 13 speech to the Detroit Economic Club, where he warned that if his Democratic opponent, Vice-President Kamala Harris, is elected, "the whole country will end up being like Detroit -- a mess." Wonder, who has endorsed Harris as "not just any woman, a wonderful woman, and she has done the work consistently," announced his Sing Our Song! tour in September, a few weeks before its Oct. 8 opening in Pittsburgh. The tour will see him playing 11 shows, mostly in "swing states," in the wake of his surprise single, "As We Fix Our Nation's Broken Heart." The song is available for streaming on YouTube. Wonder's tour wraps up Nov. 2 in Chicago. - Billboard, 10/23/24...... In related news, Bruce Springsteen has announced he'll be headlining a series of "When We Vote We Win" concerts in late October in support of Democratic presidential nominee Vice-Pres. Kamala Harris. The two events will take place alongside Harris and former President Barack Obama on Oct. 24 and 28 in Atlanta and Philadelphia, respectively. Additional shows will be announced in the coming days, according to Rolling Stone. Earlier in October, Springsteen took to Instagram to voice his support for the Harris/Tim Walz ticket. He shared that what makes America "great" are values that Harris believes in -- "freedom, social justice, equal opportunity, the right to be in love with who you want," he shared, before adding that Donald Trump "is the most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime." Meanwhile, the Boss attended the Los Angeles premiere of his new Hulu documentary, Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, on Oct. 21 at the Academy of Motion Pictures Museum's David Geffen Theater. The Thom Zimny-directed documentary, a must-see for any Springsteen fan, pulls back the curtain on how the now-75-year-old rocker's 1923-24 global trek with the E Street Band came together. By the time the first show was played in Tampa in Feb. 2023, Springsteen had released three new albums and it had been six years since the E Street Band had toured due, in part, to the Covid pandemic. The film takes fans behind the scenes from the first day of rehearsals in a small, black box theater in New Jersey to stages across the world and, in the process, tells the story of the band's 50 year friendship. In one of the film's more poignant passages, musician and Springsteen's wife Patti Scialfa reveals she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2018 and how that has affected her ability to tour with the band. The deaths of longtime band members Danny Federici and Clarence Clemons are also discussed in loving detail. Also attending the L.A. premiere were the likes of Jackson Browne, John Densmore, Richie Sambora, Brandi Carlile, Catherine O'Hara and Danny DeVito. Road Diary premieres on TV in the US on the Hulu and Disney+ streaming channels on Oct. 25, and gets its UK TV premiere on the Disney+ channel the same day. - Billboard, 10/22/24...... Highlights of the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Oct. 19 in Cleveland include Dua Lipa and Cher kicking off the show with a stunning rendition of Cher's "Believe," and Cher throwing some shade on the Rock Hall during her induction acceptance speech. The live audience came together to celebrate the extensive RRHOF Class of '24, which includes Cher, Mary J. Blige, Ozzy Osbourne, Kool & the Gang, A Tribe Called Quest, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner and Peter Frampton. Alexis Korner, John Mayall and Big Mama Thornton were honored for their musical influence; and Jimmy Buffett, Dionne Warwick, MC5 and Norman Whitfield each earned awards for musical excellence. Dressed in a slinky, black dress, Dua Lipa brought the audience to their feet in the opener with a rendition of Cher's "Believe." By the time the bridge came around, Cher herself emerged dressed in a leather bustier and black chaps, helping Dua finish out the song in fabulous fashion. For those that wanted to see the 78-year-old icon deliver a solo performance, Cher made sure to give them an encore before accepting her induction into the Rock Hall, performing a rousing rendition of "If I Could Turn Back Time" to a screaming crowd. Known for her sharp wit, Cher didn't spare anyone during her induction speech -- including the Rock Hall itself. When remarking on her long-awaited induction into the Hall, Cher cracked that it felt harder than it needed to be. "It was easier getting divorced from two men than it was getting into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame," she joked. "I want to thank David Geffen, because he wrote a letter and sent it to the directors, and now, ha ha, here I am!" After being inducted by Pearl Jam's Michael McCready, Peter Frampton triumphantly took to the stage to perform some of his greatest hits, kicking things off with "Baby (Something's Happening)." But the performance's best moment came when Keith Urban joined the legendary guitarist onstage for a guitar-sparring duet to "Do You Feel Like We Do." Trading licks back and forth (and even pulling out a talk box for the song's iconic breakdown), the pair made for one of the best rock performances of the evening. Dave Matthews served double duty at Saturday's ceremony, attending as both an inductee and an artist paying tribute to one of the greats: Jimmy Buffett. Taking to the stage armed with his acoustic guitar, Matthews bid a tearful farewell to the iconic tropical rock singer. "I'm so happy to be here to honor Jimmy," he said, fighting back tears. "He made everyone feel special; he made me feel very special. I wish he could be here, but it's too late." A cavalcade of rock and pop stars performed several of Foreigner's hits, including Demi Lovato, Sammy Hagar and Kelly Clarkson. Kool & the Gang performed an absolutely thrilling medley of their greatest hits, powering through "Hollywood Swinging," "Get Down on It," "Ladies Night," and "Jungle Boogie," before closing out their stellar set with a banging rending of "Celebration." Ozzy Osbourne watched as his legacy as the "greatest frontman in history" (as Jack Black put it) was tributed by a parade of some of the biggest names in music, including Wolfgang Van Halen, Jelly Roll, Billy Idol and Zakk Wylde. After a hilarious introduction from Julia Roberts -- which included the tale of her misadventures Googling the band she was honoring -- the Dave Matthews Band closed out 2024 RRHOF induction ceremony with one, glorious jam of some of their most beloved tracks -- "Ants Marching," "Crash Into Me," "So Much to Say" and "Too Much" -- before encoring with what Matthews said was some "walking away music" -- a fired up rendition of Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House" in honor of the 40th anniversary of the band's Stop Making Sense documentary. - Billboard, 10/20/24...... Joni Mitchell performed her first headlining concerts in Los Angeles in 24 years on Oct. 19 and 20, breaking out numerous rarities that had not been played live in decades. The legendary singer-songwriter kicked off the 27-song "Joni Jam" set with "Be Cool," which was last performed in 2000 (fan-shot footage can be viewed on YouTube). She then gave "Harlem In Havana" its live debut before moving on to "Hejira," which was also last played in 2000. Other songs that we performed for the first time in years included "Cherokee Louise" (first time since '95), "Coyote" (first since '01), "God Must Be A Boogie Man" (first since 1983), "Sunny Sunday" (first since 1995), and more, including the politically charged "Dog Eat Dog," which she had not performed since 1985. After performing that tune, a fan shouted an insult directed towards Donald Trump, promoting Mitchell to echo back: "F--- Donald Trump." Mitchell continued: "Everybody get out and vote. This is an important one. I wish I could vote -- I'm Canadian. I'm one of those lousy immigrants." She performed a second night of her all-star Joni Jam on Oct. 20. Across both nights, Mitchell's band was made up of musicians such as Brandi Carlile, Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold, Annie Lennox, Marcus Mumford, Jon Batiste, Jacob Collier and many more. Earlier in 2024, Mitchell won her 10th Grammy Award, for Best Folk Album for her 2023 live album Joni Mitchell at Newport. The album was recorded at the musician's 2022 surprise set at the legendary music festival -- at which she last appeared in 1969 -- delivering a 13-song set that featured Brandi Carlile on the tracks "Carey," "A Case Of You" and "Big Yellow Taxi." - NME, 10/21/24....... Ringo Starr is returning to one of his favorite genres -- country music -- on his first new full-length album in six years, Look Up. The album, set for release on Jan. 10 and teased on Oct. 18 with the release of the weepy ballad "Time On My Hands," finds the former Beatles drummer collaborating with the legendary T-Bone Burnett on both songwriting and production duties. "I have loved Ringo Starr and his playing and his singing and his aesthetic for as long as I can (or care to) remember," said Grammy-winning producer/songwriter Burnett, 76, in a statement. "He changed the way every drummer after him played, with his inventive approach to the instrument. And, he has always sung killer rockabilly, as well as being a heartbreaking ballad singer. To get to make this music with him was something like the realization of a 60-year dream I've been living. None of the work that I have done through a long life in music would have happened if not for him and his band. Among other things, this album is a way I can say thank you for all he has given me and us." Burnett wrote or co-wrote nine of the songs on Starr's 21st solo album, on which the peace-and-love advocate sang and played drums; one song so written by Billy Swan and another was co-written by Starr and Bruce Sugar. According to a press release announcing the project, Starr co-wrote the album's closer, "Thankful," which features one of Burnett's previous collaborators, bluegrass singer/fiddler Alison Krauss. From the country-tinged Beatles songs he performed and wrote, including "Act Naturally," "What Goes On" and "Don't Pass Me By," to his 1970 sophomore solo album Beaucoups of Blues, Starr has dipped his toe into the genre since his early, pre-Beatles days playing in Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. In fact, the release added, Starr was so enamored with country and blues as a teenager that he tried to emigrate from London To Texas in his younger years after learning that blues great Lightnin' Hopkins lived there. Starr's first new full-length album since 2019's What's My Name will get a proper country welcome on Jan. 14-15, 2025 when the singer/drummer headlines the legendary Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville, Tenn.; tickets for the show will go on sale on Oct. 25. - Billboard, 10/18/24...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, Apple Corps Ltd CEO Jeff Jones has announced he'll be retiring from the company after 17 years in the role. Apple Corps Ltd was founded in 1968 by the Fab Four to control the band's interests across music, film, publishing and more. The role of CEO was previously held by the band's longtime publicist Neil Aspinall from 1968 to 2007. Jones joined the team in 2007 following a role as an executive vice president at Sony/BMG, with a history repackaging classic catalogs from artists like Miles Davis. During his time as CEO of Apple Corps, Jones led several projects for the company including the launch of the band's website and spearheaded the move to make The Beatles' music available digitally on iTunes in 2010. He also worked with video game producers Harmonix to launch the Beatles' Rock Band game and the company's 18-year partnership with Cirque Du Soleil for the "The Beatles: Love" stage show which ended in July 2024. Jones also acted as an executive producer on several filmed projects, such as Ron Howard's documentary The Beatles: Eight Days A Week -- The Touring Years and Peter Jackson's three-part Get Back series, released in 2021 on Disney+. He also supervised the remastering and repackaging of several of the band's iconic albums including "The White Album," and his most recent projects included overseeing the release of the Beatles' final song "Now and Then" in 2023, and serving as an executive producer on the upcoming Beatles '64 documentary, produced by Martin Scorsese and directed by David Tedeschi, set to be released in November. A statement from Apple Corps Ltd on Oct. 21 reads: "The whole Apple Corps family wishes Jeff Jones all the very best and would like to express our sincere gratitude for his invaluable contributions to the company and the legacy of The Beatles." - Billboard, 10/21/24...... Among the salacious details in former John Lennon and Yoko Ono assistant Elliott Mintz's new memoir We All Shine On: John, Yoko, and Me is how Ono was "forced" to listen to John having "loud, raucous sex" with another woman in their bedroom one night in 1968 after John became upset and got drunk after Richard Nixon was elected to his first term as president. "Throughout it all, Yoko sat on the sofa, in stunned, mortified silence, as other guests began awkwardly getting up to leave - until they realized that their coats were in the bedroom where John was having sex," Elliot, 79, writes. Elliot explains the event created a rift between the couple that they struggled to repair, adding Yoko told him, "I can forgive him, but I don't know if I can ever forget what happened. I don't know if it will ever be the same." We All Shine On: John, Yoko, and Me hit stores on Oct. 22. - Music-News.com, 10/23/24...... After their founding 55 years ago, Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), led by Jeff Lynne, have announced their date and location of their final live show. The gig will take place in London's Hyde Park next year as part of BST Summertime festival on July 13, 2025. Jeff Lynne's ELO are the first act to be announced for the annual run of gigs in the central London location. "My return to touring began at Hyde Park in 2014," Lynne said in a statement. "It seems like the perfect place to do our final show. We couldn't be more excited to share this special night in London with our UK fans. As the song goes, 'we're gonna do it One More Time!'" Tickets for the show go on sale on Oct. 25, and a range of special guests are set to join the lineup, which will be announced at a later date. Jeff Lynne's ELO are currently in the midst of their "Over and Out" US tour, which will conclude with a pair of shows at Los Angeles' Kia Forum on Oct. 25 and 25. Formed in 1970 in Birmingham, ELO became a stalwart of the British rock scene throughout the following decades. Initially composed of Lynne, songwriter Roy Wood and drummer Bev Bevan, the group released their eponymous debut album in 1971 and went on to release 14 studio albums, most recently in 2019 with From Out of Nowhere. In the late '70s and early 1980s, the band amassed six Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking with "Don't Bring Me Down" in 1979 at No. 4. They had similar success on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart with five Top 10 entries . Several of their albums, including 1977's Out Of The Blue, were awarded platinum status in the US by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). - Billboard, 10/21/24...... Alex Van Halen has unveiled the full six-minute version of "Unfinished," the final song that the Van Halen drummer wrote and recorded with his late brother Eddie Van Halen. In September, it was reported that the last song the siblings ever wrote together would be included in the audiobook version of Alex's new memoir, Brothers, with Alex sharing a brief clip of the track with fans on Instagram alongside a series of family photos. While the drummer has previously been absent from the public eye following Eddie's death in 2020, he made a rare statement and shared his motivations for writing the book. "This is my tribute to my brother; my way of saying goodbye," he said. "Ed, I love you and miss you. When I see you again, I'm gonna kick your ass!" The book hit shelves on Oct. 22 via HarperCollins. The final track he and Eddie wrote together was a marked departure from VH's signature sound and is instead more of a sombre instrumental, featuring electric and acoustic guitar. The full version can be downloaded from van-halen.com or streamed on YouTube. - NME, 10/22/24...... The V&A family of museums in London has announced that it will be opening a new visitor attraction, the V&A East Storehouse, in 2025, which will be home to a new David Bowie store and visitor attraction. The East Storehouse will be open to the public from May 31, and located at East Bank -- the new cultural quarter in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is set to home over 500,000 works, including the Glastonbury Festival Archives, costumes from Elton John and PJ Harvey, vintage shirts, Samurai swords and many more. It will also house over 100 curated mini-displays. Later in 2025, the long-awaited David Bowie Centre will be opening at the new site and expected to contain an archive of over 90,000 items related to the iconic artist, including some of his most famous outfits and song lyrics. The items will trace Bowie's "creative processes as a musical innovator, cultural icon, and advocate for self-expression and reinvention," and have been acquired by the V&A through the David Bowie Estate, the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group. The Victoria and Albert Museum began as the Museum of Manufactures in London in 1852, and its foundation stone laid by Queen Victoria in 1899. It has evolved into state-of-the-art galleries, spanning the last 5,000 years of human existence. - NME, 10/22/24...... 60 years after its debut, The Temptations' 1964 hit "My Girl" has become a hit at Citi Field in Queens, NYC since New York Mets star Francisco Lindor began using it as his walk-up song in late May, and fans continue singing the lyrics even after Lindor's plate appearance is underway. This prompted The Tempts to detour to NYC on an off day from their current tour to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "My Girl" before the Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 12-6 on Oct. 18 and closed to 3-2 in the NL Championship Series. Wearing blue tuxedos with orange pocket squares, the five singers stood on the warning track behind home plate and sang an a cappella version of the national anthem that highlighted their harmonic excellence as Lindor watched from the foul line behind first base and sang along. They then donned Mets jerseys and sang "My Girl" with music backing them on the sound system as Lindor warmed up with sprints on the outfield grass, smiling widely and bobbing his head. He reached the dugout by the end and exchanged his special pregame handshake with with teammate Pete Alonso. Asked whether he was a baseball fan, the 82-year-old Temptations founder Otis Williams coughed and said in a low, sing-song voice: "Dodgers." Released on Dec. 21, 1964, "My Girl" became the soul group's first No. 1 hit the following March and has been streamed 1 billion times on Spotify.com. The song's impact became clear to Williams during a 1965 concert at Harlem's Apollo Theater. "We went out on the stage and we did the show without 'My Girl'. They damned near called us every name except the child of God," he said, "so we know we can never, ever take that the song out." Williams, who turns 83 on Oct. 30, is the last original member of the group. He has no intention of retiring. "I tell people I'm going to ride the hell out of the horse," he said. "When I get off the horse, it's going to be bald. That's a lot of rides when you ride the horse bald." - Billboard, 10/19/24.

An Oct. 17 concert in London by rising singer Dua Lipa featured a surprise performance by Elton John as the Rocket Man joined Dua during an encore of their 2021 smash hit collaboration "Cold Heart." The show was filmed for an upcoming television special, which is set to be announced soon. The pair had previously performed "Cold Heart" live at John's concert at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium in 2022. A clip of the performance can be viewed on X. Meanwhile, Sir Elton's remarkable half-century career is being honored by Madame Tussauds London when the wax museum unveils a one-of-a-kind, gravity-defying figure later this year that pays homage to the pop icon's wild and wooly 1970s heyday. According to a press release, a new exhibit will feature a wax model of the singer doing one of his patented keyboard handstands, with his legs in the air above his head and his hands firmly planted on the piano keyboard. "Back in the 1970s, his first figure was our first talking figure, and in 2024 we're determined to go big again," says a Madame Tussauds spokesman. "The figure's iconic, gravity-defying pose will capture the essence of Elton's legendary early performances in a way that only Madame Tussauds London can. This will be our most structurally complex figure to date in our centuries-old history and it is going to be a real showstopper when we unveil it later this year." The museum released behind-the-scenes images from the creation of the figure on Instagram on Oct. 16. Elsewhere, a new Elton John documentary, Elton John: Never Too Late, debuts on Disney+ on Dec. 13. - Billboard, 10/16/24...... Fleetwood Mac fans are buzzing about a potential band reunion after a wave a recent online activity by the legendary group. Recently a new "official" account for the band was launched on Instagram. The verified page is currently set to private, and is followed by just eight people -- including members Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood. An official Fleetwood Mac profile was also set up on TikTok recently -- although no content has been shared there as of yet. However, the account has almost 14,000 followers at the time of writing. "Fleetwood Mac making an official Instagram and TikTok we are cooked," wrote one user on X/Twitter on Oct. 12. Another shared: "Fleetwood Mac making an Instagram. Somebody sedate me." This came as Nicks made her first appearance on Saturday Night Live in 41 years on Oct. 12, where she performed her new single "The Lighthouse" (shared on YouTube) and her classic solo track "Edge Of Seventeen" (also shared on YouTube ). While some people discussed a potential reunion, others noted the recent 45th anniversary of the band's 12th album Tusk -- and said a reissue could be in the works. Elsewhere, guitarist/singer-songwriter Lindsey Buckingham -- who was fired from the band in 2018 -- wished Tusk a "happy birthday" in a post on Instagram. In the caption, he reflected on drawing "a creative fork in the road" with the experimental record following "the enormous commercial success" of its predecessor, 1977's Rumours. In other Fleetwood Mac news, founding drummer Mick Fleetwood has just released Blues Experience, a collaborative album with ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro. The album's most stunning moment is its closing, a rendering of Christine McVie's FM signature song "Songbird" followed by a spoken word coda by Fleetwood, mourning McVie's death on Nov. 30, 2022. "'Songbird' came out of the blue, and we couldn't not include it," Fleetwood says. "It was around the time when Christine had passed, and we found ourselves doing that song, which was not predetermined... Christine was a huge loss for me and for millions and millions of people." - New Musical Express/Billboard, 10/15/24...... As the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame prepares for its class of 2024 induction ceremony on Oct. 19, word has spread that two of Foreigner's inductees, founding guitarist Mick Jones and drummer Dennis Elliott, won't be attending the event. Jones, who founded Foreigner during 1976 in New York, is battling Parkinson's disease, and Elliott posted a note to Facebook that he would also not be attending the event. "We were finally given the schedule last night, and it is not to our satisfaction," Elliott posted. "So we are staying home. We have been asking for weeks, and they have waited until the very last minute to send it knowing we were all packed and going to bed. Totally unacceptable to us. Hope you have a good time." RRHOF sources say one specific point of contention was that only band members were to walk the red carpet before the show, without their spouses. Fans responding to Elliott offered support, with one writing "this is very sad news" and another calling it a "travesty." Foreigner did issue a statement via its social media saying, "FOREIGNER is greatly looking forward to Saturday's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The band will be joined by Demi Lovato, Sammy Hagar and Kelly Clarkson in a set celebrating the induction of the guys who started it all almost fifty years ago. Original members Lou Gramm, Al Greenwood and Rick Wills will be there to accept the awards on behalf of the band's leader and founder Mick Jones, drummer Dennis Elliot, and Ian McDonald and Ed Gagliardi who are no longer with us." Foreigner, which finished third in the RRHOF fan vote, will be part of a class of 2024 that also includes Mary J. Blige, Cher, the Dave Matthews Band, Peter Frampton, Kool & the Gang, Ozzy Osbourne and A Tribe Called Quest in the performer category. - Billboard, 10/17/24...... In related news, former Elvis Presley and Ricky Nelson lead guitarist James Burton is set to become a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame at their Medallion Ceremony on Oct. 20. Burton will become the 17th individual to be inducted into both the Country Music and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He was admitted to the Rock Hall in 2001, with his induction speech given by longtime fan Keith Richards. Since the 1950s, Burton has recorded and performed with many artists, including several who are likewise in both Halls: Presley, Johnny Cash, The Everly Brothers and Jerry Lee Lewis. He is just the second person to be admitted to both Halls who is not known, at least in part, as a recording artist. The other is Sun Records founder Sam Phillips. Burton, 84, is one of just four of these double inductees who is still living. The others are Willie Nelson, 91; Brenda Lee, 79; and Dolly Parton, 78. Three double inductees -- Cash, The Everly Brothers and Phillips -- lived to see both of their inductions, though they have since died. - Billboard, 10/14/24...... On Oct. 14 Disney+ announced on X that a new Beatles documentary from producer Martin Scorsese and director David Tedeschi, Beatles '64, will premiere on the streaming platform on Nov. 29. Per an official description, the forthcoming doc "captures the electrifying moment of The Beatles' first visit to America" over 60 years ago. "Featuring never-before-seen footage of the band and the legions of young fans who helped fuel their ascendance, the film gives a rare glimpse into when The Beatles became the most influential and beloved band of all time," the press release continues. Co-produced by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison's widow Olivia Harrison, John Lennon's son Sean Ono Lennon, the film includes rare footage filmed by documentarians Albert and David Maysles and features live performances from the Beatles' debut US live concert at the Washington, DC Coliseum and their Ed Sullivan Show appearances. Additionally, viewers will see newly filmed interviews with McCartney and Starr, as well as fans whose lives were transformed by the Fab Four. To coincide with the film's release, seven US 1964 Beatles albums have been analogue cut for 180-gram audiophile vinyl from their original mono master tapes for global release on Nov. 22 via Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe. The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums In Mono features the 1964 Beatles albums which have been out of print on vinyl since 1995. - NME, 10/14/24...... In other Beatles-related news, a shirt signed by football legend Pelé has been gifted to Paul McCartney. Pelé signed the shirt in 2019 before his death from cancer in 2022 at age 82, with the intention of giving it to iconic rock star, but a meeting never materialized. Now, McCartney has been presented with the shirt by Pelé's manager and sister ahead of Paul's second stadium show in So Paulo, Brazil on Oct. 16. In a photograph, the Beatles icon can be seen holding up the shirt, which reads: "Paul, keep the ball rolling. I love you. Pelé." Elsewhere, McCartney helped a couple get engaged during a soundcheck on his "Got Back" tour stop in Santiago, Chile on Oct. 11. The music icon noticed Chilean couple Yamil Alamo, a McCartney lookalike, and Leonora Pereira, dressed as 1970s versions of himself and his late wife Linda McCartney, holding a sign that read: "Paul: Give us a handshake and we'll get married." During the soundcheck at Estadio Monumental, Santiago, Sir Paul invited the couple on stage. Alamo knelt down and proposed to his girlfriend of six years in front of McCartney. McCartney's "Got Back" tour is set to continue across South America, the UK and Europe over the coming weeks. In still more Beatles news, it was been announced on Oct. 15 that the U.K.-based organization PPL will collect broadcast and public performance royalties globally for both the estate of John Lennon and Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono. "PPL has shown they are the leaders in advocating for neighboring rights globally," said the Lennon estate in a statement. "We have the utmost respect for the team and look forward to working with them." Lennon released 11 solo albums as a performer, and landed 25 No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 both as a member of the Beatles and as a solo artist. He also landed three No. 1 albums as a solo artist on the Billboard Hot 200. Meanwhile, the Beatles have been named as the ultimate British group by BBC Radio 2 listeners. The Fab Four saw off competition from the likes of Queen, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd to top the poll that was organized to mark National Album Day -- which has the theme of Great British groups this year -- on October 19. - NME/Billboard, 10/17/24...... In a new interview with ClassicRock.com, former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman opened up about his tenure with the "World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band," revealing that he and some of his bandmates were struggling financially. Wyman was asked if he left the band at the right time -- he left in 1993 -- and replied that he should have left earlier. "I hung on for a three-tour ending across '89 and '90, after seven years of nothing, and I'd ended up with a bank overdraft of £200,000, because we weren't earning anything," he explained. Wyman continued: "Mick [Jagger] and Keith [Richards] were totally wealthy, so they weren't bothered, but me, Charlie [Watts] and Ronnie [Wood] were scraping by. Ronnie started to do art to feed his family. Anyway, I only started playing with them again in the hope it'd only be a couple of years, because I had all these other things I wanted to do." He explained that Jagger and Richards had greater wealth due to their songwriting and publishing royalties, but that he, Jones, Watts and Wood were only making about a tenth of what Jagger and Richards were. He also discussed the criticism the band received after they left the UK in 1971, becoming tax exiles in the south of France. "We had no f---ing money," he said. "[Former Stones manager Allen] Klein had all the money, and when you wanted anything you begged him to send you some money. You're in the red with your bank, so you weren't partying all the time, you were worrying about how to pay your bills. It was a nightmare," added Wyman, who briefly returned to the Stones in 2023 to record a track for their album Hackney Diamonds. - New Musical Express, 10/17/24...... Cher stunned the audience of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on Oct. 15 with powerful performances of two of her most inspiring hits, "Strong Enough" and "Believe." After a powerful choir intro, with photos of Cher from different stages in her career flashing on the back screen, the superstar appeared onstage in a sparkling black jumpsuit and matching jet-black hair. She kicked off the performance with her 1998 hit, "Strong Enough," and delivered the emotive verses surrounded by her dancers, before belting the empowering chorus. The 78-year-old star then strutted down the runway and stepped onto a gold platform to perform her 1998 classic, "Believe," as some of Victoria's Secret's most beloved models walked the runway in angel wings and classic red and pink lingerie, including Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, Candice Swanepoel and Adriana Lima. Cher headlined the all-female lineup of the 2024 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, following performances from LISA, Orianthi and Tyla. Fan-shot footage of Cher's performance has been shared on X. - Billboard, 10/15/24...... Billy Joel reunited with his pals Axl Rose and John Mayer during a concert at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Oct. 12. Mayer was brought out as the first guest of the night, joining Joel for a rendition of "This Is The Time." It is only the second time that the pair have performed this song together; the first time being in 2008. Later on in the show, Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose joined the Piano Man onstage to perform a cover of Wings "Live and Let Die." In July, Joel played his historic 150th -- and last -- show as part of his Madison Square Garden residency, bringing out Rose to perform a number of songs. He had been playing one show at the iconic venue every month since Jan. 2014. Fan-shot footage of the Mayer and Rose performances can be streamed on YouTube. - NME, 10/14/24...... Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese is set to direct the filming of a tribute concert in honor of late The Band member Robbie Robertson. Scorsese will direct the "Life Is A Carnival: A Musical Celebration Of Robbie Robertson" tribute concert, which took place at LA's Kia Forum on Oct. 17), for a future release. Artists performing at the show included Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Mavis Staples, Margo Price, Warren Haynes, Bruce Hornsby and Taj Mahal, among others. Robertson, who died in August 2023 at age 80, scored several of Scorsese's films, including Raging Bull, Casino, The Wolf Of Wall Street, The Irishman and Killers Of The Flower Moon. Scorsese previously documented The Band's farewell show The Last Waltz, which was released in 1978 and is widely considered an all-time classic music documentary. - NME, 10/17/24...... It was announced on Oct. 17 that Randy Newman has sold his share of his recorded music and publishing rights to Litmus Music, a catalog-acquiring firm backed by private-equity giant Carlyle Group. The deal encompasses Newman's seminal film scores along with his catalog of popular solo hits. The rights acquisition includes his compositions for Disney franchises like Toy Story ("You've Got a Friend in Me," "We Belong Together"), Monsters, Inc. ("If I Didn't Have You") and The Princess and the Frog ("Almost There"), among others. The list of non-animated movies he has worked on over the decades includes The Natural, Three Amigos, Awakenings, The Paper, Maverick, Ragtime, Pleasantville, Meet the Parents, Seabiscuit and his recent pairing with director Noah Baumbach, for The Meyerowitz Stories and Marriage Story. The lifelong Angeleno, who turns 81 in November, launched his career in 1968 with a self-titled solo debut but came into his own in the following decade with a string of critically acclaimed albums including 1970's 12 Songs, 1972's Sail Away, 1974's Good Old Boys and 1977's Little Criminals. - Billboard, 10/17/24...... Village People co-founder Victor Willis says he will not be taking legal action against the campaign of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump after Trump has continued to play the group's 1979 hit "Y.M.C.A." despite his objections. "I have been inundated with hundreds of complaints from the public and press about Donald Trump and his campaign's use of my song," Willis recently told Billboard. "Me, and the Village People as well, have in the past opposed Trump's use of 'Y.M.C.A.' and we have made this very clear to him," says Willis, who is the song's lyricist and one of the owners of the song's copyright. "Some fans are demanding that I sue. I am not going to sue the President over his use of 'Y.M.C.A.' because it's stupid and just plain hateful," Willis added. "Though I don't dislike Trump, I am a registered Democrat who supports Kamala Harris for President." He added that Harris is also free to play the song if she wants to. RNC spokesperson Taylor Rogers noted that the Trump campaign has the appropriate licenses from performing rights organizations BMI and ASCAP to play "Y.M.C.A." and other music heard at Trump's town hall event in Oaks, Pa. on Oct. 14 during which Trump halted the planned Q&A session to cue up a playlist of his favorite songs. Trump has accrued a long list of artists who have objected to his use of their songs at his events, including Beyoncé, Foo Fighters, Jack White, Adele, Celine Dion, Earth, Wind & Fire, Neil Young, Ozzy Osbourne, R.E.M. and the estates of George Harrison, Isaac Hayes and Prince. - Billboard, 10/16/24...... The Eagles have added four more dates in March 2025 to their ongoing residency at Las Vegas' Sphere. The legendary country-rock band will play the mind-bending venue on Mar. 7, 8, 14 and 15, after their previously announced gigs in October, November, December, January and February. The full list of Eagles dates can be viewed on Instagram. - Billboard, 10/16/24...... Ozzy Osbourne is expressing his "shock" over the shooting of his former guitarist Jake E. Lee, calling it "another senseless act of gun violence." Lee was shot multiple times in Las Vegas on Oct. 15, and a rep for the musician says he is expected to make a "full recovery." Local authorities are currently investigating the shooting and said they believe that is was "completely random. Lee performed in Osbourne's solo band between 1982 and 1987, contributing to his albums Bark At The Moon (1983) and The Ultimate Sin (1986). He also joined the Prince Of Darkness on numerous tours. Speaking to TMZ.com, Osbourne explained: "It's been 37 years since I've seen Jake E. Lee, but that still doesn't take away from the shock of hearing what happened to him today. It's just another senseless act of gun violence. I send my thoughts to him and his beautiful daughter, Jade. I just hope he'll be OK." - NME, 10/16/24...... Juicy tidbits from Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen's upcoming memoir Brothers include Ozzy Osbourne, Chris Cornell and Joe Satriani almost becoming members of VH, and why the band's plans to reunite with vocalist David Lee Roth fell through. Alex says he and late brother Eddie Van Halen had met Ozzy with wife and manager Sharon Osbourne in 2001 to lay out plans for him to record an album with the band, however, Ozzy became entangled with MTV to launch The Osbournes, the reality show about the family that became a smash hit upon its debut in 2002, and couldn't follow through with joining VH. After the death of Eddie, Alex says he brought to Roth the idea to pay tribute to Eddie during each gig on a VH tour. "I said, 'Dave, at some point, we have to have a very overt -- not a bowing -- but an acknowledgment of Ed in the gig. If you look at how Queen does it, they show old footage.'" he recalls. "And the moment I said we gotta acknowledge Ed, Dave f---in' popped a fuse. The vitriol that came out was unbelievable." This moment was "the thing that broke the camel's back," Alex adds. "'You talk to me like that, motherf---er, I'm gonna beat your f----ing brains out. You got it?'" he recalls how he felt towards Roth. "And I mean that. And that's how it ended." Brothers is set for an Oct. 22 release via HarperCollins. - NME, 10/15/24...... In a new interview with the UK's Uncut magazine, Queen drummer Roger Taylor hints that the band may release their first album of new material almost 30 years after their last. "Brian [May] and myself were talking the other day, and we both said that if we feel we have some good material, why not? We can still play. We can still sing. So I don't see why not." Since the death of frontman Freddie Mercury in 1991 and the posthumous release of the Queen album Made in Heaven in 1995, surviving band members May, 77, and Taylor, 75, have continued to tour as the band -- with American singer Adam Lambert providing lead vocals. - Music-News.com, 10/15/24...... Authorities in the UK have upgraded the 1977 ABBA film ABBA: The Movie to PG for its commentary about group member Agnetha Faltskog's bottom. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has changed the film's rating from a U to a PG because of its "mild sex references" and "language." The mockumentary follows a fictional radio DJ as he tries to get an interview with the quartet -- which also includes Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad -- during the band's 1977 sellout tour of Australia. Among the scenes highlighted by the BBFC are two sequences when members of the band express "rueful amusement" about the press's preoccupation with Faltskog's bottom, two years after she won the "Rear of the Year" award. The board said some people might find the language "discriminatory." It has produced new parental guidance for the film 47 years after its release, drawing attention to the use of the words "bloody," "God" and "hell" as well as an excerpt from the Swedish band's song "When I Kissed The Teacher." The board also highlighted a conversation between band members when they referred to press reports about them ordering a "kinky velvet bed." Parents are alerted to cigarette smoking in the film and a conversation when band members tell a reporter they don't use drugs. - Music-News.com, 10/13/24...... Alice Cooper has told the UK paper The Metro that he didn't expect to be performing after he turned 30 years old, but he's "still having fun." Asked if he is surprised by his longevity, Alice told the paper's "Sixty Seconds" column: "You can ask Mick Jagger that too, and Keith Richards! We never thought we would even reach the age of 30. That was the age we all thought we would retire. I had no idea that 46 years later I would still be doing this and still having fun. It's amazing my energy level has maintained. I can't explain it except for the fact that I got sober 41 years ago." Cooper added: "I've always stayed slim, I never got overweight. I can still wear clothes that I wore in high school. I don't really have to watch my diet, I just don't eat very much." The legendary shock-rocker added that he has no intention of calling time on a career that has spanned more than 60 years any time soon. Alice explained: "I've always said I'll retire when I physically can't do it anymore, or when the audience doesn't show up. That right there tells you you're done if nobody is showing up. We've sold out every show, pretty much. Why would you retire from something that you love doing? I genuinely still get off on it." Cooper is currently on the road again with Rob Zombie on their "Freaks on Parade" tour. - NME, 10/11/24...... In the wake of John Amos's death on Aug. 21 at age 84, Amos's family and and friends are still fighting over the Good Times star. A group of loved ones including his daughter Shannon Amos, 58 -- who accused her brother K.C., 54, of elder abuse in 2023 -- claimed in a statement on social media that K.C., Eugune Brummet and John's longtime publicist Belinda Foster prevented access to the actor before he died. "We were deeply concerned that our father may have been neglected and isolated during his final days," they said, while revealing that they learned of his death 45 days later when the news was made public on Oct. 1. Foster claims it was John's wish to delay the announcement of his death and pointed to an appearance he filmed for Suits L.A. prior to his death, medical professionals who deemed John "mentally sound" and his media interviews as evidence of his "state of mind." - People, 10/21/24...... Former The Police frontman and '80s/'90s solo star Sting made a surprise appearance at the funeral of Robert F. Kennedy's widow Ethel Kennedy at the Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle in Washington, DC, on Oct. 17. Following a eulogy by former Pres. Bill Clinton, Sting, guitar in hand, performed a rendition of this emotional 1987 hit "Fragile." "We have a surprise that's not on the program, but we are incredibly grateful and honoured to have a singer who my grandmother loved," Ethel Kennedy's grandson Joe Kennedy III told the funeral attendees. Pres. Joe Biden, who spoke at the end of the service, became visibly emotional while listening to the song. Joe Kennedy later told the audience he was "honored to announce one final surprise" before Biden's eulogy, introducing Stevie Wonder as a "dear friend of my grandfather and grandmother." The Motown legend sang The Lord's Prayer before going into a special rendition of "Isn't She Lovely," inserting Ethel's name into the song and calling for the audience to sing along while he played the harmonica. Ethel Kennedy died at 96 years old on Oct. 10. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in June 1968 while he was running for the Democratic presidential nomination. - Music-News.com, 10/17/24...... Mitzi Gaynor, the effervescent peformer was known for appearing in Hollywood musicals including There's No Business Like Show Business and Anything Goes alongside Bing Crosby, died on Oct. 17. She was 93 years old. Ms. Gaynor's managers announced her death in an Instagram post, noting that she "passed away peacefully" of natural causes. "For eight decades she entertained audiences in films, on television and on the stage," read the announcement. "She truly enjoyed every moment of her professional career and the great privilege of being an entertainer." Ms. Gaynor, born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber in Chicago on Sept. 4, 1931, was best known for her run of starring roles in a series of 1950s movie musicals, including 1954's There's No Business Like Show Business, 1956's Anything Goes and 1957's Les Girls. Born to a violinist father and dancer mother, Ms. Gaynor got an early start on her career when her family moved from Detroit to Los Angeles when she was 11-years-old, leading to her landing a spot as a singer/dancer in the Los Angeles Civil Light Opera two years later. By 17, she signed a contract with Twentieth Century-Fox, making her film debut in 1950's My Blue Heaven, where she starred alongside Betty Grable. By the next year she landed her first starring role in the musical western Golden Girl, where she played a character based on early 20th century actress Lotta Crabtree. Her first big screen success came in 1952 with the musical Bloodhounds of Broadway -- based on a Damon Runyon story -- which kicked off nearly a decade of starring roles that showcased her versatility and winning, shining personality, which manifested in film with a mix of innocence and sex appeal. Her winning streak continued with top billing in the WWII romantic musical South Pacific, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for best motion picture actress - comedy/musical for her exuberant performances of "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair" and "Some Enchanted Evening." She appeared in a handful of other movies over the next few years, including 1963's For Love or Money with Kirk Douglas, Gig Young and Julie Newmar, before pivoting to a successful run as the hots of a series of TV specials. Ms. Gaynor also famously performed between the two sets by the Beatles on a Feb. 16, 1964 episode of The Ed Sullivan Show, singing a 13-minute medley of "Too Darn Hot" along with "The More I See You," "Birth of the Blues" and "When the Saints Go Marching In." The episode from the Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach aired a week after Sullivan legendarily introduced the Fab Four to American audiences in one of the most-watched TV moments of all time. The statement announcing Ms. Gaynor's death and some of her career highlights can be viewed on Instagram. - Billboard, 10/17/24.