Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on January 16th, 2025

On Jan. 14 Bob Dylan created a TikTok account days before the popular social media platform could get banned in the US. "Explore the world of Bob Dylan, now on TikTok. #bobdylan," stated the caption of the first, and currently only, post which features a series of clips from various Dylan eras soundtracked to songs including "Like a Rolling Stone," "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," and "Hurricane." Dylan's move comes as TikTok has announced plans to cease operations in the US on Jan. 19 unless the Supreme Court blocks or delays its ban. This, however, would be a last resort if the Supreme Court decides to enforce laws that will force the Chinese-owned platform to sell to a third party and break ties with parent company ByteDance. ByteDance has said that it has no intentions to sell the app. Dylan's last-minute attempt to see what TikTok is about follows a pattern in his behavior. In 2024, Dylan started to use X (formerly Twitter) more than he did before, posting birthday wishes and general messages on top of his usual announcements, as new Twitter owner Elon Musk was driving people away from the platform. Meanwhile, actor Timothée Chalamet rode a Lime bike into London for the UK premiere of the Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown. Once he hit the red carpet, Chalamet got off the bike and ended his ride using his mobile phone before turning to get photographed. Dylan has praised Chalamet's performance in the film, describing him as a "brilliant actor" and saying he is "sure he's going to be completely believable as me. Or a younger me. Or some other me." The film will hit cinemas on Jan. 17 in the UK. - New Musical Express, 1/15/25...... As Elvis Presley fans recently celebrated what would have been the King of Rock & Roll's milestone 90th birthday on Jan. 8, Elvis' granddaughter Riley Keough says her late mother Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson "were in love" when they were married in 1994. In a conversation with podcast host Alex Cooper on Cooper's Call Her Daddy show on Jan. 15, Keough, 35, shed some rare insight on her mom's romance with the King of Pop. "The one thing I know is that they were in love, and that their love for one another was genuine," Keough told Cooper. "Everything else I don't know, because I wasn't there for it." Lisa Marie -- Elvis' only child, who died at 54 years old in Jan. 2023 -- shared Riley and late son Benjamin Keough with first husband Danny Keough. Lisa Marie was later married to Jackson from 1994 to 1996, after which she wed Nicolas Cage (2002-04) followed by music producer Michael Lockwood (2006-21), with whom she shared twin daughters. Riley also reflected on how her childhood changed with Jackson -- who died in 2009 -- entered the picture. "Our life wasn't crazier," she said candidly. "That already existed: the press, the crazy, the paparazzi and all that. I think when she saw Michael's life, there were things he had that she didn't have," continued the Daisy Jones & The Six actress. "Before that, she was with my dad, and their life was very simple. She didn't have 10 million assistants. She didn't need all that, and I think that changed." Keough's full Call Her Daddy interview can be heard on Spotify.com. Meanwhile, Elvis' ex-wife and Riley's mom Priscilla Presley paid tribute to Lisa Marie on Jan. 12, the second anniversary of her late daughter's death. Next to an Instagram post featuring a picture of Lisa Marie crouching down, with a slight smile on her face, Priscilla wrote, "I miss you more than words can say. I wish I could hold you, talk to you, see your smile just one more time. I wish you could see how much you are still loved, how deeply you are missed by all of us who carry you in our hearts." The message cued to a lilting instrumental version of the 1972 Elvis hit "Always on My Mind" and signed "Mom," was a poignant memorial for the late singer who died of a heart attack in Jan. 2023 at age 54. - Billboard, 1/15/25...... The Sex Pistols have announced the upcoming release of three live albums from their raucous 1978 US tour. For the first time, fans will be able to relive the punk legends' ferocious concerts that led to their demise at their final concert at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on Jan. 14, 1978 -- before they reformed in 1996. The sets were recorded at South East Music in Atlanta, Ga., on Jan. 5, Longhorns Ballroom in Dallas, Tex., on Jan. 10, and the finale at Winterland Ballroom. The first vinyl, available in red, from the Atlanta gig will be available from Feb. 28. The white vinyl of the Dallas concert goes on sale on Mar. 28, and the San Francisco vinyl, in blue, on Apr. 25. All three shows will also be available digitally and on CD. - Music-News.com, 1/14/25.The Eagles announced on Jan. 15 that they are pledging $2.5 million to FireAid, the benefit concert for Los Angeles wildfire victims set for Jan. 30 at the Intuit Dome. There is no word whether the Eagles, who are currently in the middle of a residency at Sphere in Las Vegas, will play the show, and no acts have been announced for the benefit yet. The event, billed as "an evening of music and solidarity" and produced by longtime Eagles manager Irving Azoff and his family alongside concert promoters Live Nation and AEG Presents, with proceeds donated toward an organization created to rebuild Los Angeles infrastructure, as well as support displaced families and advance fire prevention technologies and strategies. The timing works in their favor to take advantage of artists in town for the Grammys, which are slated for Feb. 2. An estimated 1,000+ people in the music community in Los Angeles are also being supported by MusiCares -- the non-for-profit arm of The Grammys and Recording Academy. MusiCares says scores of people had been in touch since they launched their "Fire Relief Effort" on Jan. 8. The series of wildfires, which began on Jan. 7, have led to the confirmed deaths of 24 people, the evacuation of more than 180,000 residents and an estimated 12,000 buildings destroyed. It has been confirmed that the 2025 Grammys will proceed as planned and raise funds for those hit by the LA wildfires. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 1/15/25...... In related news, Ringo Starr has announced he is taping special L.A. wildfire relief concerts at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium on Jan. 14 and 15 to give a little help to his friends in the West. The former Beatle's upcoming concert special will air this spring on CBS and Paramount+, with some of the proceeds benefiting wildfire relief amid the ongoing crisis in the Los Angeles area. Titled "Ringo & Friends at the Ryman," the two-hour special will find Starr performing songs from his new country album, Look Up, which arrived Jan. 10. He'll be joined by a star-studded list of friends on stage, including Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle -- both of whom collaborated on the drummer's new LP -- as well as Sheryl Crow, Rodney Crowell, Mickey Guyton, Emmylou Harris, Sarah Jarosz, Jamey Johnson, Brenda Lee, Larkin Poe, The War and Treaty, and Jack White. Ringo will also delve into his life and career as his guest stars reflect on their own personal memories of his influence in the special. Proceeds from the show will go toward the American Red Cross supporting people affected by the fires devastating L.A. County. Meanwhile, Starr has revealed that he and Elton John's mum left one of the Rocket Man's gigs due to not knowing any of his songs. Speaking to The Sunday Times about an Elton concert that he attended at London's Wembley Stadium, Starr said: "He came on and said, 'I'm only going to do the new album.' Me and his mother left after three tracks because we didn't know them." Addressing why he no longer introduces new songs during his All-Starr Band shows, the drummer said: "The band sounds great. We have a fun time and we just do it. In the late '90s I would put in, like, two or three from the new album, and you could feel the room empty. It happens to everybody." Elsewhere in the chat, Ringo also addressed his vocals, admitting that he is not a fan of his voice. "I can hold a tune, as long as it's in my key," he told the paper. "And it just worked out with the Beatles because John and Paul were great writers. That's what made us. I'd get one song. And a couple of them were really good, you know, 'With a Little Help from My Friends' and 'Yellow Submarine.' They're still huge and I still do them on tour. They wrote me a lot of really nice songs." - Billboard/NME, 1/14/25...... David Bowie lieutenants Tony Visconti and Woody Woodmansey have announced details of a new 8-city UK Bowie tribute tour for 2025, which will see them celebrating the music and life of the late rock superstar. Visconti was Bowie's long-time producer and friend, as well as the bass player on his early LP The Man Who Sold The World, while Woodmansey was one of the Spiders From Mars and the artist's drummer from between 1970 and 1973. They will perform live renditions of some of Bowie's best known songs as part of the supergroup Holy Holy. The tour launches on May 15 in London at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, followed by dates in Leeds (15/5), Birmingham (16/5), Manchester (18/5), Newcastle (21/5), Oxford (29/5) and Bristol (30/5) before wrapping at Liverpool's O2 Academy on May 31. Bowie passed away in Jan. 2016 at the age of 69. - NME, 1/14/25...... In a new interview with the Speaking with Podpakas podcast, original AC/DC singer Dave Evans revealed the story behind how the hard-rocking Aussies came up with their name. Evans recalled how the members were writing music together as part of an unnamed band, when Alan Kissacks, a man involved with putting the band together, told them that they had secured a New Year's Eve slot at Australia's Chequers nightclub. "We had to get a name because it was only in a few weeks. So we started tossing names around between us, but no one could agree," Evans explained. "I had some really great names, but they didn't like them. What we said was that, [in time for] the next rehearsal, we'd all come with three names each, put them in a hat and we'd pick one out. And whatever it was, that was what we were gonna call ourselves," he added. According to Evans, he arrived with three potential names the following day, but the band decided to scrap the idea after being suggested the name "AC/DC" by a relative. "When we all arrived together, Malcolm Young said to us, 'Look, my sister-in-law' [wife of his older brother, George] has suggested a name AC/DC'. And I thought it's an easy name to remember and it was on the side of a lot of electrical appliances," Evans told Podpokas. AC/DC means alternate current and direct current [and] a lot of appliances were AC/DC. I thought: 'Free advertising free advertising on the side of all these appliances, and it's easy to say, and it means power.' It all went through my head very quickly. And I said yes." Concluding, he recalled: "Malcolm looked at us and said, 'Well, shall we call ourselves AC/DC?' And we all put our hands up. It was unanimous. We all shook hands and we were AC/DC those three names [I came up with], I went home and threw them away." According to Evans, he arrived with three potential names the following day, but the band decided to scrap the idea after being suggested the name "AC/DC" by a relative. "When we all arrived together, Malcolm Young said to us, 'Look, my sister-in-law' [wife of his older brother, George] has suggested a name AC/DC'. And I thought it's an easy name to remember and it was on the side of a lot of electrical appliances," Evans told Podpokas. "AC/DC means alternate current and direct current [and] a lot of appliances were AC/DC. I thought: 'Free advertising free advertising on the side of all these appliances, and it's easy to say, and it means power.' It all went through my head very quickly. And I said yes." Concluding, he recalled: "Malcolm looked at us and said, 'Well, shall we call ourselves AC/DC?' And we all put our hands up. It was unanimous. We all shook hands and we were AC/DC those three names [I came up with], I went home and threw them away." AC/DC is set to play 13 stadium shows across the US and Canada throughout April and May. The band wrapped up the 2024 UK and European leg of the trek in Dublin's Croke Park on Aug. 17. Their ongoing "Power Up" tour is in support of AC/DC's 17th and latest studio album of the same name, which was released in 2020. - NME, 1/13/25...... After a tumultuous relationship with incoming president Donald Trump over the use of their songs at his political rallies, the Village People took to Facebook on Jan. 13 to announce that they have "accepted an invitation from President Elect Trump's campaign to participate in inaugural activities, including at least one event with President Elect Trump." The post continued: "We know this won't make some of you happy to hear however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics. Our song Y.M.C.A. is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost. Therefore, we believe it's now time to bring the country together with music which is why VILLAGE PEOPLE will be performing at various events as part of the 2025 Inauguration of Donald J. Trump." According to TheHill.com, the group will perform at Trump's "victory rally" at Capital One Arena in Washington, and at the Liberty Inaugural Ball. "Y.M.C.A.," along with "Macho Man," were popular song choices at Trump campaign rallies during his 2020 and 2024 campaign rallies. In December, Village People frontman Victor Willis doubled down on why he chose to let the president-elect play "Y.M.C.A." at rallies and events, saying he "didn't have the heart" to block the usage -- despite originally asking Trump to stop in 2020 -- upon realizing that the politician seemed to "genuinely like" and was "having a lot of fun" with "Y.M.C.A." Plus, as Willis noted, the dance tune has only "benefited greatly" in terms of chart placements and sales for the group since the twice-impeached Trump incorporated it into his campaign. - Billboard, 1/13/25...... Rod Stewart and wife Penny Lancaster have been appointed ambassadors for The King's Foundation. The couple have come on board as King Charles III celebrates 35 years of his charity, which focuses on practical education and training programs aimed at building stronger communities and transforming lives. Stewart, who just turned 80, and Lancaster, 53, join other celebrity ambassadors including Sienna Miller, David Beckham and Naomi Campbell. "We are so pleased to be coming on board as ambassadors for The King's Foundation and look forward to lending our support to this worthwhile cause, particularly during such a significant year for the charity," the "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" singer said. Penny added, "As a volunteer special constable, the Foundation's approach to building communities -- and how access to green spaces can help build better, healthier places -- is particularly important to me. It's an honour to be working with the Foundation and I can't wait to meet more of the inspiring people who both learn with and work for the organisation." The couple are set to visit the charity's headquarters, Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland, later in January. During the visit, they will meet staff at the health and wellbeing centre to learn more about their perimenopause programs and support services. Stewart has been a long-time supporter of King Charles' other charities, including the Prince's Trust (now the King's Trust) which helps disadvantaged young people access business opportunities that may not be available to them in their everyday lives. Stewart will play the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City on Feb. 23. - Music-News.com, 1/14/25...... Speaking with Boston radio station WBUR, Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton revealed that he and his former bandmates "could do something" in the future if frontman Steven Tyler was willing. Hamilton said that while Tyler is well underway with his "healing process" after seriously injuring his voice during a gig in 2024, the chances of the band making any new announcements are slim. "Steven's healing process is going really, really well, but it goes at its own pace," he said. "Maybe Aerosmith will do something in the future, but it's a big 'if', and the last thing I want to be doing is to try and push Steven in that direction. If we do anything in the future, it would come from him." The comments come after the bassist was asked last summer how hopeful he is, on a scale of one to 10, that the band will reunite. "On the hope scale, I'm somewhere between seven and nine. We won't be doing any tours from now on, but I'll always have hope that other types of opportunities will come along," he told AARP magazine. "This isn't the first time black clouds have been on our horizon -- and somehow the sun managed to come out. Time and hope are all we have at the moment," he added, while also dismissing hopes for a Las Vegas residency. Aerosmith's final live show, at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY in Sept. 2023, was held as part of their "Peace Out" tour, which began earlier that year but only saw the band play three nights, before rescheduling the rest of the dates after Tyler injured his larynx. Hamilton said in 2024 he "can't imagine" the band continuing with a new singer, and added: "I'm sure all of us have music in our future and it will manifest itself in ways that we haven't planned yet. I've been playing in a band with some good friends. We have a bunch of really good songs and we hope to be putting them out soon and hopefully doing some gigs." Shortly afterwards, the bassist announced details of his first shows with a new band called Close Enemies. - NME, 1/13/25...... Remembering late legendary soul singer Sam Moore of Sam & Dave who passed away on Jan. 10 at age 89, Bruce Springsteen shared a heartfelt message on Instagram on Jan. 11. "Over on E Street, we are heartbroken to hear of the death of Sam Moore, one of America's greatest soul voices. There simply isn't another sound like Sam's soulful tenor in American music," the Boss wrote. He continued, "Having had the honor to work with Sam on several occasions, he was a sweet and funny man. He was filled with stores of the halcyon days of soul music, and to the end had the edge of deep authenticity in his voice I could only wonder at." The two friends shared both the stage and studio over the years. Moore contributed backing vocals to several tracks on Springsteen's 1992 album, Human Touch, while Springsteen reciprocated on Moore's 2006 song "Better to Have and Not Need." One of Springsteen and Moore's most memorable live performances took place at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th anniversary concert in New York in Oct. 2009, where they joined the E Street Band to perform "Soul Man" and "Hold On, I'm Comin'." Moore passed away in Coral Gables, Fla. The cause of death was complications from surgery. - Billboard, 1/11/25.