Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on January 31st, 2025

Patti Smith is reassuring her fans that she's "fine" after collapsing on stage in São Paulo, Brazil, on Jan. 29. "This is letting everyone know that I am fine," the 78-year-old singer-songwriter posted on her Instagram the following day, alongside a selfie smiling and waving at the camera. "A grossly exaggerated account is being spread by the press and social media. I had some post migraine dizziness. Had a small incident, left the stage, and returned 10 minutes later and talked to the people, told them I was fine and sang them Wing and Because the night." Adding that she was "absolutely fine" after being checked out by a health professional, the "Gloria" singer concluded with "With all the strife in the world, this explainable incident does not merit so much attention. Thank you everyone for your concern. Trust me I am fine." Smith is currently on the South American leg of her "Correspondences Tour" with the experimental duo Soundwalk Collective, which will also visit Argentina, Chile and Colombia. - Billboard, 1/30/25...... Alice Cooper took to Instagram on Jan. 28 to share details of two UK concerts this summer. Cooper and his band will play Cardiff's Utilita Arena on July 22 and Edinburgh's Playhouse on July 23, marking his only performances in Scotland and Wales for 2025. The shock rock icon is expected to break out a number of fan favourites like "Under My Wheels," "Schools Out," Poison," "Billion Dollar Babies" and "No More Mr Nice Guy," along with selections from his latest album, 2023's Road. Both cities were chosen as neither made it onto the tour itinerary for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee last time. "Cardiff and Edinburgh - you can't escape! We missed you last year, but now we're coming back. Alice would never let you down," Cooper posted. "Can't wait to see all the Sick Things at our shows at Utilita Arena in Cardiff on July 22 and the Edinburgh Playhouse on July 23." According to a press release, the shows will bring fans closer than ever to the show, incorporating "giant video screens blending the live action with pre-recorded scenes to delve deeper into Alice's world." - NME, 1/28/25...... Despite having starred in a Pizza Hut commercial back in 1995, Ringo Starr revealed he's actually never eaten pizza before during an appearance on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Jan. 29. As part of his chat, host Jimmy Kimmel asked Ringo to set some rumors about himself straight, including the claim that the famous drummer had never eaten pizza. "I've never had a pizza," Starr confirmed, as the audience expressed their shock at the news. "Or a curry." "I'm allergic to several items," he continued. "With pizza, you don't know what you're putting in it half the time. Or the curry. So I'm strict with myself since it makes me ill immediately." "I used to think you had the greatest life, and now I realize mine is better," Kimmel joked in response. Added Starr: "Yours is better because you've had a pizza." In a 1995 Pizza Hut marketing campaign, Starr promoted the pizza chain's newly-introduced stuffed crust as part of a 30-second spot which saw him teasing a reunion from The Beatles. The ad's punchline sees Ringo joined by members of The Monkees instead ("Wrong lads," he quips), with all four musicians appearing to bite a piece of pizza -- crust-first. Ringo is promoting his 21sth studio album Look Up, which has debuted in the Top 10 on Billboard all-genre Top Album Sales Chart and at No. 27 on the Top Country Albums Chart. - Billboard, 1/29/25...... In other Beatles-related news, Wings' classic 1975 set Venus and Mars will be reissued in a special half-speed master vinyl edition to mark its 50th anniversary. The original version of the LP arrived ahead of Macca and co's legendary "Wings Over The World" tour, and was preceded by the US Number One single "Listen To What The Man Said". Additionally, the album featured "Letting Go" -- a fan favorite in McCartney's solo live set to this day. The album peaked at No. 1 in the US and UK, and went on to sell over four million copies worldwide. The 50th anniversary vinyl edition was cut at half speed using a high-resolution transfer of the original master tapes from 1975 by Miles Showell at the historic Abbey Road Studios in London. The 50th anniversary edition Venus and Mars is set for release on Mar. 21, and the album will also arrive in Dolby Atmos on streaming sites for the first time, newly mixed by Giles Martin and Steve Orchard. The reissue marks the first scheduled Wings release of 2025, following the theatrical release of the film One Hand Clapping and its accompanying 1974 live-in-studio album in 2024. Wings also shared a five-decade edition of their 1973 third album, Band On The Run, in early 2024. In December, McCartney teased that he hoped to finish a new solo album in 2025. - New Musical Express, 1/28/25...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, pop sensation Robbie Williams has tied The Beatles' record for the most UK No. 1 albums with his latest album Better Man. The original soundtrack to his acclaimed Michael Gracey-directed biopic, Better Man is currently at the top of the UK's Official Albums Chart, drawing level with The Beatles' 15 UK No. 1's. - Music-News.com, 1/25/25...... Cher once sang she wanted to "turn back time," and now the superstar diva has filmed a hilarious new commercial for Uber Eats in Australia in which a mysterious time machine is delivered to the singer's doorstep just as she's listening to her own 1989 smash "If I Could Turn Back Time." Cher immediately knows where she wants to go -- "Take me back to the '80s," she tells the device -- but instead of the 20th century, she ends up in the 1680s. When she arrives in the middle of a colonial settlement, it's hard to say who's more confused -- Cher or the locals, who take note of her futuristic appearance and accuse her of being a witch. "I'm not a witch -- I'm an icon!" she says in futile protest, with the villagers proceeding to burn her at the stake. In a statement about the project, Cher said, "I get approached to do commercials all the time -- but the creativity and hilarity that Uber Eats presented appealed to me right away. I am really proud of the final product. I sincerely hope Uber will get me back my boots." Cher's time travel commercial can be viewed on YouTube. - Billboard, 1/29/25...... '70s stars Smokey Robinson, John Fogerty and Emmylou Harris will be among the artists celebrated at the upcoming 2025 American Music Honors ceremony set for Apr. 26 at Monmouth University in New Jersey. The event will be hosted by the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music, and Springsteen, his wife Patti Scialfa and Springsteen's fellow E Street Band members Steven Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren will serve as presenters. "This year's honorees represent a cross-section of American music," said Robert Santelli, founding executive director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives. "Rock, Americana, soul, and country are all represented by some of the most important artists from each genre. We are most excited to honor them and welcome them into the American Music Center family." Other honorees include NJ natives Tom Morello and Joe Ely. - Billboard, 1/29/25...... A tribute to late legendary producer Quincy Jones will be headlined by Stevie Wonder at the 2025 Grammy Awards. Wonder and rising singer Janelle Monáe will lead the celebration of Jones, who died at the age of 91 in Nov. 2024 following a battle with pancreatic cancer, as part of the in-memoriam segment during the upcoming ceremony, with Herbie Hancock, Cynthia Erivo and Lainey Wilson to also feature. "The entire Grammys could have actually been Quincy Jones," says Grammys exec producer Raj Kapoor. "The wealth of work, the wealth of genres, the amount of music that he has touched - he really is the dude," he praised, referencing Quincy's 1981 album, The Dude. A separate tribute to the city of Los Angeles amid the recent wildfires featuring several top artists is also being planned. The 2025 Grammy Awards will take place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Feb. 2. - Music-News.com, 1/30/25...... Posting on X/Twitter on Jan. 27, Bob Dylan paid tribute to late The Band member Garth Hudson, just days after the beloved Canadian musician's death at the age of 87. Dylan took to his newly-created X account to share a brief reflection on Hudson's musical legacy. "Sorry to hear the news about Garth Hudson. He was a beautiful guy and the real driving force behind The Band," Dylan wrote. "Just listen to the original recording of The Weight and you'll see." Hudson died on Jan. 21, becoming the final member of The Band's most famous lineup to pass away. Hudson officially began his tenure with The Band in 1965, after they had finished a two-year stint as The Hawks, the back-up group for rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins. That same year, The Band met Dylan who recruited them to become his backing group for a 1965 U.S. tour and an accompanying world tour in 1966. The following year, Dylan and The Band recorded the 1967 sessions known as The Basement Tapes which would later form the basis of The Band's 1968 debut, Music from The Big Pink. Alongside many of their best-known songs, the record also included what is possibly their best-known song, "The Weight," as referenced by Dylan in his own tribute. In Sept. 2024, Dylan released the expansive box set The 1974 Live Recordings, which featured 431 live live tracks documenting the titular 1974 tour with The Band as his backing group. Alongside his tribute to Hudson, Dylan also announced the initial dates for his 2025 touring plans. The first four dates see Dylan performing in Tulsa, Okla. (3/25), Witchita, Kan. (3/29), Mankato, Minn. (4/4) and Green Bay, Wisc. (4/6). - Billboard, 1/27/25...... The Sex Pistols have announced a US tour with singer Frank Carter. The iconoclastic "God Save the Queen'" rockers haven't performed in America at all since 2008 and last toured there in 2003 but guitarist Steve Jones has confirmed he, bassist Glen Matlock and drummer Paul Cook are excited to be heading out on the road with their new singer, though he refused to share any specific details. Jones says "...no one knows where we're going to be playing... I don't wanna put my foot in it! I'm excited. I know the dates, so I know it's gonna be good." The Sex Pistols reformed in 2024 for a UK tour with Gallows frontman Carter as vocalist in place of John Lydon and Jones revealed Carter was the only singer they tried working with. "Frank was the first singer we [tried], because me, Cookie and Glen wanted to play. It just worked straight away," Jones said. The group have also recently announced an Australian tour, and will perform at London's Royal Albert Hall in late March as part of the charity concert series in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. The shows, taking place from Mar. 24-29, will also feature performances by The Who on Mar. 27 and Mar. 30. The Sex Pistols featuring Carter will perform on Mar. 24. - Music-News.com, 1/28/25...... Two of David Bowie's closest former collaborators have announced they are reuniting for a 16-city "Berlin Trilogy" tour of the UK and Europe in 2025. The D.A.M. Trilogy, made up of drummer Dennis Davis, guitarist Carlos Alomar and bassist George Murray, worked regularly with Bowie during his Berlin period in the late 1970s. Now, they'll reunite in a 16-date tour which will honour both Bowie's legacy and Davis', who died in 2016. The band, which will include additional new members, will play hits from across the late singer's Berlin album trilogy: Low, "Heroes" and Lodger. Coined the "Back To Berlin" tour, the string of shows will kick off in the city on Nov. 7, before they head to Oslo, Malmo, Paris, London and more. They'll wrap up on Dec. 1 with a final performance in Dublin. Alomar, who recorded with Bowie across 11 albums, including Young Americans, the Berlin Trilogy and, most recently, 2003's Reality, says: "Where other bands have toured Bowie's songs extensively since his passing, these songs haven't been performed the way they were meant to be. Until now. The Spiders from Mars are well known, but the D.A.M. Trio remains rock and roll's best-kept secret. It's time to honour our legacy, including Dennis's." Elsewhere, Bowie lieutenants Tony Visconti and Woody Woodmansey have announced a 2025 UK tour dubbed "A Celebration Of David Bowie." - NME, 1/27/25...... Queen guitarist Brian May's actress wife Anita Dobson has revealed that her husband is a huge Star Wars fan and has accumulated a vast collection of figures and ships inspired by the sci-fi film series that premiered back in 1977. Dobson, who played Angie Watts in the UK series EastEnders in the 1980s -- says Brian buys new Star Wars merchandise too and he always purchases two items, one to keep in the box and one to gift to his grandchildren. Speaking recently at the launch of Cirque du Soleil show Corteo at London's Royal Albert Hall, she said: "Brian is a collector of 'Star Wars' toys. And astronomical stuff, Queen stuff. He's a big collector... He's bought quite a lot. It's eased off a bit, as he's gone through life. His favourite is the little green guy, he loves Yoda. He also loves dinosaurs, like most kids do, and prehistoric creatures." Anita added Brian's collection of Queen memorabilia is staggering and will one day go on display for fans of the band to enjoy. She said: "He's got all his costumes, all his records, all those one-off records, loads of stuff. His legend will live on forever, as will Queen's." - Music-News.com, 1/26/25...... A scene from the 1970s Wonder Woman television series has resurfaced, sending social media into a frenzy. The 94-second clip features iconic '70s Wonder Woman Lynda Carter pulling off a skateboard car chase that has captivated viewers for all the wrong -- or maybe right -- reasons. With over a million views on X, the video (also available on YouTube) has sparked equal parts nostalgia, laughter, and secondhand embarrassment. The clip begins with Diana Prince (Wonder Woman's alter ego) transforming into her superhero persona through her signature twirl. But instead of the usual star-spangled outfit, she emerges in full skateboard safety gear: a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads. Viewers are then treated to Wonder Woman chasing down a car while expertly maneuvering a skateboard through city streets. The scene features plenty of questionable physics, slow-motion hero shots, and a vibe that screams, "We had a tight budget, but we made it work!" And while it may have been groundbreaking in the 1970s, modern audiences can't help but laugh at its over-the-top execution. The Wonder Woman series, which ran from 1975 to 1979, was undeniably a product of its time. The skateboarding chase highlights the charm -- and occasional cheesiness -- of action sequences from an era when practical effects and stunt work took center stage. One fan described the scene as a "94-second treat from start to finish," noting that while the premise is ridiculous, it's impossible to look away. It's a time capsule of 1970s television, where superheroes fought crime with heart, ingenuity, and, occasionally, a skateboard." - Yahoo! News, 1/26/25...... The Eagles have announced that veteran Dallas session guitarist Chris Holt will be replacing Seuart Smith as the band's touring guitarist. In an Instagram video posted Idol Records, co-founding Eagles member Don Henley welcomed Holt "on the first night of his side hustle with the Eagles." The Dallas Morning News recently reported Smith was stepping down due to a diagnosis of Parkinsonism, a neurological condition that causes slow movements, tremors and stiffness. "I'm trying to fill the giant shoes of all three that came before me," Holt told the paper in reference to previous Eagles guitarists Don Felder and Bernie Leadon. "It's some of the most beautiful guitar work ever recorded, in my opinion. It's the highest honor for me to do it, and it's my duty to get it right," he added. The paper noted that Smith and Holt are good friends who've performed together in the past in Henley's solo band, and on Jan. 17 at the Eagles' launch of their 2025 residency at Las Vegas Sphere, Holt took the stage and was introduced by Henley. The paper also noted that in a separate statement, Henley -- the group's only remaining original member -- thanked Smith for his long tenure. "The Eagles will be forever grateful for the extraordinary talents that he brought to both our recordings and live performances," he said. "Steuart will be greatly missed, but he will always be a part of our musical family. We know our many fans join us in wishing him well." The Eagles' Sphere residency continues in February with for dates (14, 15, 21, 22). - Billboard, 1/24/25...... Marianne Faithfull, the beloved British singer, songwriter, actress and iconic figure of the 1960s, died on Jan. 30 of as yet undisclosed causes. She was 78 years old. "It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull," a statement shared to BBC reads. "Marianne passed away peacefully in London today, in the company of her loving family. She will be dearly missed." Born in the Hampstead area of North London on Dec. 29, 1946, Faithfull was the daughter of an Austrian aristocrat and a British intelligence officer. Starting a career as a folk singer in the early '60s, she made the acquaintance of Rolling Stones producer Andrew Loog Oldham, who introduced her to the band's circle, and offered her "As Tears Go By," a composition co-penned by the band's Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The sparse, acoustic ballad hit the top 10 in the U.K. in 1964, and also crossed over in the US to the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, peaking at No. 22. She followed up "As Tears Go By" with several other hits in the UK and US, including "Come and Stay With Me," "This Little Bird" and "Summer Nights," and soon became a British tabloid fixture, particularly after she began an affair with Jagger in 1966, ultimately leaving her first husband John Dunbar to live wth him. Early the next year, she made headlines for being at the scene of a drug bust at Richards' house, dressed only in a fur rug at the time of the arrest. Although her hits would dry up by the late 1960s, she continued to be a pop/rock presence, singing backing vocals on The Beatles' No. 2 hit "Yellow Submarine" and co-writing the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers classic drug ballad "Sister Morphine." However, her drug addiction ended up consuming much of what should have been her prime years, particularly after she split with Jagger in 1970 and lost custody of her son Nicholas (with first husband Dunbar). After 1967's Love in a Mist album -- her last on Decca Records -- she would not release another album until 1976. She made her first and most resounding comeback in 1979, with the new wave and disco-influenced Broken English album. By then her voice had transformed into something lower and more weathered with her drug usage, and the set drew rave reviews for its modern sounds and brittle energy. Substance abuse sapped the momentum the Grammy-nominated set earned Faithfull's career, until a 1987 reinvention as a jazz and blues singer on her Strange Weather set. In the 1990s she was a high-profile guest on Roger Waters' live tour in 1990, and as a featured vocalist on Metallica's 1997 single "The Memory Remains." She experienced another critical resurgence in the early 21st century with 2002's Kissin Time LP -- including songs written by popular alt-rock figures Beck, Blur and Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins -- and released further albums of originals and covers for the next two decades, most recently with 2018's Negative Capability, her highest-charting set on the U.K. albums chart since 1965, and 2021's She Walks in Beauty alongside Australian composer Warren Ellis. Outside of her recording career, Faithfull also had a successful run as an actress, appearing in theatrical roles on the stage, in television and in film. She holds the distinction of being the first person to ever say the "f word" in a mainstream movie, doing so in the 1967 Michael Winner film I'll Never Forget What's'isname, and had small 21st century rules in the hit British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous (as God), and in the Sofia Coppola-directed biopic Marie Antoinette (as Empress Maria Theresa). For her starring role in 2007's Irina Palm, as a 60-year-old widow who becomes a sex worker out of necessity, she was nominated for a European Film Award for best actress. The star also endures as one of the defining popular figures of '60s Swinging London, iconic for her voice and her fashion, and for being a muse to many of the musicians in her orbit, primarily of course the Rolling Stones. She was ranked 25th in VH1's 1999 list of the Greatest Women of Rock and Roll, and in 2009, she was named icon of the year at the U.K.-based Q Awards. " I'm glad you can hear the experience in my voice," she told Time Out New York in 2016. "I should think so, after 50 years." Faithfull's passing prompted several tributes on social media, including Jagger ("...She was so much part of my life for so long. She was a wonderful friend, a beautiful singer and a great actress. She will always be remembered"), Richards ("My heartfelt condolences to Marianne's family! I'm so sad and will miss her!! Love, Keith"), and Ronnie Wood ("Marianne will be dearly missed. Bless her xx"). - Billboard, 1/30/25.

The Rolling Stones are expected to announce in the coming weeks that they'll play four UK dates at Tottenham's Hotspur Stadium in northern London as part of a European tour this summer. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood -- all in their 70s and 80s -- have reportedly been planning an extension of their "Hackney Diamonds" tour -- which launched in the US in Houston in Apr. 2024 and concluded in Missouri in July -- for months. The Stones haven't played a gig in their home country since 2022, when they wowed audiences at two Hyde Park concerts. An official announcement by the band is expected in the coming weeks. It is reported to include dates in Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam and Paris along with the London gigs. - Music-News.com, 1/23/25...... After the British government expressed support for a policy that would allow tech companies to use creators' works to train AI models unless creators specifically opt out, Paul McCartney says the proposed AI copyright law could "rip off" artists. In an interview with the BBC set to air on Jan. 26, Sir Paul warned that the proposal could "rip off" artists and lead to a "loss of creativity." "You get young guys, girls, coming up, and they write a beautiful song, and they don't own it, and they don't have anything to do with it. And anyone who wants can just rip it off," McCartney, 82, said. "The truth is, the money's going somewhere Somebody's getting paid, so why shouldn't it be the guy who sat down and wrote 'Yesterday'?" In late 2024 the UK government, currently controlled by the Labour Party, launched a consultation to explore how copyright law can "enable creators and right holders to exercise control over, and seek remuneration for, the use of their works for AI training" while also ensuring "AI developers have easy access to a broad range of high-quality creative content." But McCartney maintains that it's the government's job to protect the people. "So you know, if you're putting through a bill, make sure you protect the creative thinkers, the creative artists, or you're not going to have them," he said in the interview. The Beatles' final song, "Now and Then," released in 2023, utilized a form of AI called "stem separation" to help surviving members McCartney and Ringo Starr clean up a 60-year-old, low-fidelity demo recorded by John Lennon, making it suitable for a finished master recording. In early 2024, around 200 musicians signed an open letter directed at tech companies, digital service providers and AI developers. The letter criticized irresponsible AI practices, calling it an "assault on human creativity" that "must be stopped." - Billboard, 1/25/25...... In other Beatles-related news, a new documentary focusing on a pivotal 18-month period in the lives of John Lennon and wife Yoko Ono will be released exclusively in IMAX on April 11. One to One: John & Yoko, directed by Kevin Macdonald, will then make it's streaming debut later in 2025 on the Max platform. The core of the film will focus on John and Yoko's "One to One Concerts," a two-show charity event for children with special needs that took place at Madison Square Garden in Aug. 1972. The concert featured the only full-length performances by Lennon following the Beatles' split two years earlier. The benefit shows also featured performances by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Sha Na Na and Roberta Flack, among others. One to One made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 2024 and will be featured this month at the Sundance Film Festival. A high-energy one-minute trailer for the doc, available for streaming on YouTube, features home movie footage of the couple on the Staten Island Ferry, hanging with Andy Warhol and visiting the Statue of Liberty, where they both famously gave a power fist salute to the quintessential symbol of freedom and opportunity. The montage is cued to their song "New York City," a chronicle of the couple's love affair with the city Lennon called home until his murder in Dec. 1980. - Billboard, 1/22/25...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, Ringo Starr's new country album Look Up has debuted in the Top 10 on Billboard all-genre Top Album Sales Chart for the week of Jan. 25. The 11-song album, recorded in Nashville and produced by T Bone Burnett, was released Jan. 10 and reached the No. 7 position on the chart in its debut week. It also opens at a career-best No. 27 on the Top Country Albums Chart, marking Ringo's second entry on the list, and at No. 12 on Americana/Folk Albums Chart. - Billboard, 1/22/25...... An anxiously awaited Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Michael's nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role, has been delayed due to a recently-revealed, decades-old legal agreement barring any portrayal of the family of one of his abuse accuser. Lionsgate Films announced in Nov. 2024 that the film is being pushed back from an April 2025 release to October 2025 with no further explanation at the time, however now it has been revealed by Puck.com that the filmmakers were forced to scrap key portions of the movie because they would potentially violate a legal contract reached with the family of Jordan Chandler, a then-13-year-old boy who accused the superstar singer of molestation in the 1990s. In the agreement, Jackson's team reportedly promised not to dramatize the Chandlers in any capacity, however the script reportedly portrays Jackson as a "naive victim of the money-grubbing Chandlers" and features a scene of the boy's father "threatening to leverage his son's accusations to 'destroy' his ex-wife and Jackson's career." Jackson's estate is reportedly funding the necessary re-shoots to the movie, and the filmmakers will seek Lionsgate's approval for a revised script and shooting strategy as soon as possible. Lionsgate is reportedly "hopeful" about the October release date and producer Graham King says he is "confident that his team can fix the movie." The Jackson estate has always vehemently denied all claims of child molestation by Michael, pointing out that the singer was acquitted in a 2005 criminal trial and arguing that his accusers are simply seeking monetary gain from an artist who cannot defend himself because defamation law does not extend to dead individuals. - Billboard, 1/24/25...... Meanwhile, the superstar singer credited with helping to discover Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 has announced details of a "Symphonic Celebration" UK tour. Diana Ross announced on Jan. 24 that she'll embark on a seven-date arena tour of the UK on June 22 at Birmingham's BP Pulse Live arena. The tour continues the following night with a stop at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, before heading to the OVO Hydro in Glasgow on June 25. The "Touch Me In the Morning" singer will then visit Manchester (26/6), Leeds (28/6), and Liverpool (30/6) before wrapping at The O2 in London on July 2. The Hall Orchestra will be accompanying the singer on the Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool shows, while the Royal Scottish National Orchestra will perform in Glasgow and the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra will take to the stage with Ross in London. - New Musical Express, 1/24/25...... The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame wants a federal judge to toss out a copyright lawsuit over an image of Eddie Van Halen, arguing that it made legal fair use of the image by using it as part of a museum exhibit designed to "educate the public about the history of rock and roll music." The lawsuit, filed in 2024, claims the Rock Hall never paid to license photographer Neil Zlozower's image -- a black-and-white photo of late-'70s Van Halen in the recording studio -- before blowing it up into an eight-foot-tall display in the Cleveland museum. But in a motion to dismiss the case filed on Jan. 21, the Rock Hall says it didn't need to. Attorneys for the museum say the offending exhibit was protected by "fair use," a rule that allows copyrighted works to be reused legally in many contexts, including education and commentary. Zlozower filed his case in October, claiming the Hall made an "exact copy of a critical portion of plaintiff's original image" for the exhibit, which he claimed "did not include any photo credit or mentions as to the source of the image." - Billboard, 1/22/25...... The first trailer for the eagerly anticipated new Sly Stone documentary, Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), dropped on Jan. 22 on YouTube. Directed by The Roots drummer Questlove, the film promises to unpack the unbelievable highs, and shocking lows of '70s musical supernova Sly Stone and his band Sly and the Family Stone. Set to begin streaming on Hulo on Feb. 13, Sly Lives! chronicles the pioneering multi-racial band, who burst onto the scene in 1968 with their first hit, "Dance to the Music," before becoming household names thanks to 1969 No. 1 hit "Everyday People." The group that preached unity and brotherhood went on to score a number of other indelible Top 10 hits, including "Hot Fun in the Summertime," "Dance to the Music," and No. 1 smashes "Family Affair" and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)." The film, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in January, is the follow-up to Questlove's Oscar-winning 2021 Summer of Soul doc about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival (aka "Black Woodstock"). - Billboard, 1/24/25...... KISS's "I Was Made for Lovin' You" has topped the final 2024 week of Billboard's Top TV Songs chart after a synch in the Disney+ show What If?. "I Was Made for Lovin' You" racked up 8.6 million official on-demand U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads in Dec. 2024 after being heard in the fourth episode of the third season of What If?, according to Luminate. The anthology series based in the Marvel Cinematic Universe premiered its third season on Dec. 22 with an eight-episode run that concluded Dec. 29. It's the second high-profile synch for "I Was Made for Lovin' You," a No. 11 hit on the Hot 100 singles chart in Aug. 1979, in the last year, following the song's appearance in the 2024 film The Fall Guy (both KISS' original and a cover by Yungblud). "I Was Made for Lovin' You" also reached a new peak of No. 2 on the Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart dated Jan. 18, 2025, as viewers continued to catch up on What If?. - Billboard, 1/23/25...... Songwriter Diane Warren received her 16th Oscar nomination for Best Original Song during the Oscar nominations ceremony on Jan. 23 -- a tally equaled by only three other songwriters in the 91-year history of the category. Warren was nominated this year this year for "The Journey," sung by H.E.R. in The Six Triple Eight, and also becomes the woman with the most Best Original Song nods. Meanwhile, Elton John received his fifth Oscar nomination for co-writing "Never Too Late" for his documentary Elton John: Never Too Late. It's the second nod for his collaborator Bernie Taupin; and the first for fellow collaborators Brandi Carlile and Andrew Watt. Also, the new acclaimed Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown received a total of 8 nominations across various Oscar categories. - Billboard, 1/23/25...... Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler's sixth annual "Jam for Janie" Grammy Awards viewing party has been set for Feb. 2 at the Hollywood Paladium. Hosted by Grammy-winning comedian Tiffany Haddish, the evening features a powerhouse lineup of performers, including Tyler's fellow Aerosmith members Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton along with Billy Idol, Joan Jett and Linda Perry, among others. A special highlight will be a reunion performance by members of Aerosmith, who played their final show in Sept. 2023 before announcing they were disbanding. The event supports Janie's Fund, the rocker's nonprofit aiding young women and girls who have survived abuse, and expands its philanthropic reach this year to benefit the L.A. Fire Department Foundation and the Widows, Orphans, and Disabled Firefighter's Fund. The event will welcome more than 100 firefighters who have been at the forefront of combating the California wildfires, to celebrate the major night in music. The event is named after Aerosmith's 1989 hit "Janie's Got a Gun," which peaked at No. 4 on the hit parade and won the band their first Grammy for Best Rock Performance. Tickets and sponsorship details are available at JaniesFund.org. - Billboard, 1/23/25...... '70s artists Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, Rod Stewart, Sting, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, John Fogerty, Joni Mitchell and Stevie Nicks are among the performance line-up for the upcoming FireAid benefit concert. The event was first announced earlier this month in support of the victims of the devastating early January Los Angeles wildfires and will take place on Jan. 30 concurrently at the Intuit Dome and the KIA Forum. Other major artists confirmed for the event include Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Rod Hot Chili Peppers and Green Day. The full lineup can be viewed on Instagram. - NME, 1/22/25...... The four founding members of Black Sabbath -- vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward -- have been recommended to be honoured in their hometown of Birmingham UK with the honorary title of City Freeman. The title recognizes the contributions that the recipient has made to the city. "Birmingham has a fantastic musical culture and Black Sabbath are a major part of that history, a pioneering band that still influences today's musicians," said city council Deputy Leader Cllr Sharon Thompson. "They have become synonymous with the city and have been true ambassadors throughout their phenomenal careers. Conferring these honors on these Birmingham legends would be the perfect way of saying thank you for all that they have done for the city." Black Sabbath, who first formed in the inner-Birmingham area of Aston in 1968, are long considered to be pioneers of heavy metal, with their influence being felt by bands such as Metallica, who inducted the rock legends into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2019, Birmingham named both a bench and a bridge after the band. In 2024, Osbourne stated his desire to visit the bench, claiming he would do so "if I have to crawl there." - Billboard, 1/22/25...... In related news, fans of heavy metal will now have a chance to study their favourite genre at degree level thanks to a Dutch university. Summa College in Eindhoven has a new faculty called "The Metal Factory" where it teaches students how to "master the art of growling" in its singing classes, as well as playing guitar, bass, drum and keyboard for metal audiences. According to a post on The Metal Factory's official website, the curriculum "train[s] you to become an independent artist/entrepreneur in the music industry" and goes on to say that career opportunities after completing your degree include composing, producing and "teaching and coaching." It adds: "We also have alumni who eventually graduated in copyright, management, music therapy or speech therapy. Metal Factory offers everyone who wants to be professionally involved in music a broad foundation for the future." Any potential students interested in studying on the course can attend an open day at Dynamo Eindhoven on Jan. 26. - NME, 1/20/25...... A previously unreleased Tina Turner song, "Hot For You Baby," will appear on the the upcoming 40th anniversary edition of the late rock icon's 1984 career-peak album, Private Dancer. The uptempo rocker featues Turner's signature gritty, urgent vocals over a galloping beat and a chorus of male backing vocalists repeating the title phrase back to her. Private Dancer rose to No. 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart and included the Hot 100 No. 1 smash "What's Love Got to Do With It." The previously unreleased song will be featured on the anniversary release due out on Mar. 21, which will also come in a 5CD/Blu-Ray version that will rope in more never-before-released songs, live performances and music videos. Among the special extras is an upgraded 55-minute "Private Dancer Tour" show filmed in 1985 that featured guest spots from David Bowie and Bryan Adams. "Hot For You Baby" has also been shared on YouTube. - Billboard, 1/23/25...... Sting announced on Jan. 22 that he is pulling out of his next few public engagements as he recovers from a temporary throat infection. In a post on his Instagram, the former The Police frontman's team wrote that he would be canceling his scheduled appearance at the Jan. 23 Bass Magazine Awards, as well as his Jan. 24 and Jan. 26 concerts in Phoenix and Wheatland, Calif., based on "advisement from his doctor." The message also confirmed that Sting can no longer perform at Cherrytree Music Company's 20th-anniversary concert in Los Angeles, which was slated for Jan. 25 but will now take place May 29. Rapper Shaggy, Mike Einziger of Incubus and more guests were also expected to perform. Sting's Phoenix show has been rescheduled to June 1, while his Wheatland performance has been postponed to May 28. "Fans should retain their tickets for the postponed shows, as they will be honored on the new dates," the post on his Instagram reads. "Sting sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience and extends his gratitude to the fans for their understanding." One day after the announcement, Sting personally addressed fans with a follow-up message on his account. "I am steadily improving from a temporary throat infection which has prevented me from singing," he revealed, thanking fans for "all of the well wishes." "I'm looking forward to resuming my performances and rescheduled shows soon," he added. Sting is currently in the midst of his "Sting 3.0" tour. After a special joint performance with Billy Joel at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium on Feb. 8, the "Every Breath You Take" singer will embark on a run of Latin American shows starting Feb. 14 in Rio de Janeiro. - Billboard, 1/22/25...... After more than a yearlong hiatus, season four of the Rock & Roll High School With Pete Ganbarg podcast launched on Jan. 23 with an interview with Chaka Khan. This season's other guests include Tony Orlando, Squeeze's Chris Difford, Randy Bachman, Al Stewart, Tears for Fears' Curt Smith, Lovin' Spoonful's John Sebastian and America's Gerry Beckley. New episodes will debut every other Thursday and are available on all major streaming outlets and the podcast's website. Host Pete Ganbarg started Rock & Roll High School, named after the beloved Ramones' punk classic, several years ago as president of A&R at Atlantic Records when he realized that a number of the younger A&R staffers at Atlantic were unaware of the roots of popular music. At first it was an in-person lecture series, and he then began bringing in guests, including Vanilla Fudge drummer Carmine Appice and iconic record executives such as Clive Davis and Seymour Stein. - Billboard, 1/22/25...... Garth Hudson, The Band's virtuoso keyboardist and all-around musician who drew from a unique palette of sounds and styles to add a conversational touch to such rock standards as "Up on Cripple Creek," "The Weight" and "Rag Mama Rag," has died peacefully in his sleep on the morning of Jan. 21 at a nursing home in Woodstock, N.Y. He was 87. A rustic figure with an expansive forehead and sprawling beard, Mr. Hudson was a classically trained performer and self-educated Greek chorus who spoke through piano, synthesizers, horns and his favoured Lowrey organ. No matter the song, Mr. Hudson summoned just the right feeling or shading, whether the tipsy clavinet and wah-wah pedal on "Up on Cripple Creek," the galloping piano on "Rag Mama Rag" or the melancholy saxophone on "It Makes No Difference." The only non-singer among the five The Band musicians celebrated for their camaraderie, texture and versatility, Mr. Hudson mostly loomed in the background, but he did have one showcase: "Chest Fever," a Robbie Robertson composition for which he devised an introductory organ solo ("The Genetic Method"), an eclectic sampling of moods and melodies that segued into the song's hard rock riff. Formed in the early 1960s as a backing group for rocker Ronnie Hawkins, The Band was originally called The Hawks and featured the Arkansas-born Levon Helm and four Canadians recruited by Helm and Hawkins: Mr. Hudson, Robertson, Rick Danko and Richard Manuel. The Band mastered their craft through years of performing as unknowns -- first behind Hawkins, then as Levon and the Hawks, then as the unsuspecting targets of outrage after hooking up with Bob Dylan in the mid-1960s. All joined Dylan on his historic tours of 1965-66 (Helm departed midway), when he broke with his folk past and teamed with The Band for some of the most stirring and stormiest music of the time, enraging some old Dylan admirers but attracting many new ones. The group would rename itself The Band in part because so many people around Dylan simply referred to his backing musicians as "the band." Mr. Hudson played briefly with the English band The Call; appeared with various latter incarnations of The Band, usually featuring Mr. Hudson, Danko, and Helm; assisted on solo albums by Robertson and Danko; and joined Danko and Helm for a performance of Pink Floyd's The Wall at the Berlin Wall. Other session work included records by Van Morrison, Leonard Cohen and Emmylou Harris. The son of musicians, Mr. Hudson was born in Windsor, Ont., in 1937 and received formal training at an early age. He was performing on stage and writing before he was even a teenager, although by his early 20s he had soured on classical music and was playing in a rock band, The Capers. Mr. Hudson also organized his own projects, although his first solo effort, The Sea to the North, came out on the day of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In 2005, he formed a 12-piece band called The Best!, with his wife on vocals. "Garth Hudson Presents: A Canadian Celebration of The Band" was a 2010 tribute featuring Neil Young, Bruce Cockburn and other Canadian musicians. Mr. Hudson was the eldest and last surviving member of The Band: Robertson, the band's guitarist and lead songwriter, died in 2023 after a long illness. Keyboardist-drummer Manuel killed himself in 1986, bassist Danko died in his sleep in 1999, and drummer Helm died of cancer in 2012. The Band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. - AP, 1/22/25.