Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on May 6th, 2025

Pink Floyd are on track to claim their seventh UK number one album with the rerelease of the soundtrack of their legendary 1975 concert film Pink Floyd At Pompeii MCMLXXII. Released on May 2 also in a Blu-ray cinema version and other formats, was directed by Adrian Maben and filmed in the hauntingly atmospheric Roman amphitheatre of Pompeii and has been remixed by acclaimed producer Steven Wilson. The legendary prog rockers' previous UK number ones included Atom Heart Mother (1970), Wish You Were Here (1975), The Final Cut (1983), The Division Bell (1994), Pulse (Live) (1995), and The Endless River (2014). Final chart positions will be confirmed on May 9 by the UK's Official Charts Company. - Music-News.com, 5/6/25...... Jimmy PageJimmy Page has been hit with another lawsuit over the songwriting credits of the 1968 Led Zepplin track "Dazed and Confused." Musician Jake Holmes, who is said to have written the original track that inspired the famous Zeppelin release in 1967, alleges Page heard the song in August of that year when he opened for Page's previous band, The Yardbirds. The Yardbirds went on to share their own version of the song shortly afterwards and played it regularly at their shows. Although an official studio version was never made, they did share live recordings of their version of "Dazed And Confused" in 1967 and 1968. Later, Page would share another version of the song with Led Zep that appeared on the band's 1968 debut album. This sounded very similar to the original version by Holmes (which can be heard on YouTube), although it contained new lyrics and instrumental melodies written by Page. It remains one of Led Zeppelin's most popular songs. Holmes first filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against against Page in 2010, and the settlement (decided outside of court) led to the songwriting credit on the Led Zeppelin version being changed to "inspired by Jake Holmes." It was unclear whether or not the agreement also applied to recordings shared by The Yardbirds, and now that several archival releases from the band have been shared, the lawsuit from Holmes has been revived once more. In the new lawsuit, Holmes claims that he has not been given credit nor royalties for the early versions of "Dazed And Confused" performed by The Yardbirds. The suit references the newly shared film Becoming Led Zeppelin, which has the Led Zeppelin version credited as "inspired by Jake Holmes" but the Yardbirds version as only "written by Jimmy Page." It also names Sony Pictures and music publisher Warner Chappell as defendants. Page's legal team has yet to make a public statement about the revived lawsuit from Holmes. - New Musical Express, 5/6/25...... Two months before Black Sabbath's final-ever live show at Villa Park stadium in Birmingham, England on July 5, Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler says he has some intense anxieties ahead of the gig. Speaking to the UK paper The Guardian, Butler admitted that while he's unsure of how the performance will roll out, or how band frontman Ozzy Osbourne's health may affect the show. Butler says the lofty expectations behind such a gig have left him feeling immensely anxious. "I'm already having palpitations," he noted. "In fact, I had a nightmare last night. I dreamed everything went wrong on stage and we all turned to dust. It's important that we leave a great impression, since it's the final time that people will experience us live. So it has to be great on the night." While Osbourne hasn't performed a full set since Dec. 31, 2018 -- two months before his diagnosis of Parkinson's -- he's previously lowered expectations for the upcoming gig, noting he isn't "planning on doing a set with Black Sabbath," but rather "little bits and pieces" with the group. "I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable," he explained. Ozzy, who also participated in the interview, once again pointed out that Sabbath aren't planning on performing a full-length set. "We're only playing a couple of songs each," he explained. "I don't want people thinking, 'We're getting ripped off', because it's just going to be -- what's the word? -- a sample, you're going to get a few songs each by Ozzy and Sabbath." The event, which will raise funds for three charities -- Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital and Children's Hospice -- will see the band's classic line-up -- Osbourne, Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward -- play live together for the first time in two decades, while the likes of Metallica, Judas Priest, Slayer, Anthrax, Alice in Chains, Megadeath, and myriad others also join the bill. In a new interview with the UK's The Guardian, Ozzy's wife/manager Sharon Osborne confirmed that Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler is set to perform at the event too, as are the surviving members of Soundgarden. For Tyler, the gig will mark one of the few live appearances since he abruptly retired from touring in Aug. 2024. The decision was made after he suffered a serious vocal cord injury while kicking off Aerosmith's final tour. Although he has not played any full shows since the news, he has taken to the stage once since the injury -- playing at a charity event in February and breaking out some of his biggest hits. - Billboard/NME, 5/5/25...... Sammy HagarShortly after performing a solo set at the 2025 Stagecoach Festival in Indio, Calif. on Apr. 27, Sammy Hagar has spoken to Rolling Stone about his ongoing feud with his former Van Halen bandmate Alex Van Halen. Hagar said he wonders if "jealousy" is the reason why Alex hasn't spoken to him in 21 years. In a 2022 interview, Hagar said the drummer had completely cut him off, adding that "Alex has got a stick up his ass about something with me still." Notably, Alex also left details of Hagar's years in Van Halen out of recent memoir, Brothers, whose narrative ends before the departure of original VH vocalist David Lee Roth. Hagar told Rolling Stone that he "dreamt about Alex the other night, man." "It was crazy. And it was so friggin' real," he said. "I was saying, 'What are you pissed off at me about, man? What the f---? Now just tell me what your problem is. What did I do? Just tell me.'" Hagar also wondered if it was related to the fact that the Van Halen band has been relatively inactive in music while he himself continues to tour. "I think Al's angry because I'm out doing it, and [bassist] Mike [Anthony] and I are out doing it, and he can't," he suggests. "He's not a singer. He's not a guitar player. He is not really a band leader. And he seems like he doesn't want to play drums or can't play drums anymore, and he can't go write a new record. Alex wasn't the songwriter in the band. He was the drummer. Eddie and I wrote the songs. Dave and Eddie wrote the songs, and so we can go out and do them. I think that really bothers him that Mike and I are still out there doing it. I would feel bad. If I put myself in his shoes, I would feel terrible if I couldn't do it anymore. But I'm the happiest guy out of all of them. That pisses people off in itself. Being too happy, people don't like that." The interviewer countered with the suggestion that Alex's health could be to blame, as well as the difficulty of playing without his brother following Eddie Van Halen's death in 2020. "Yeah, I'd say so. And I'm okay with it. Al, you're fine. Just leave me alone. I'll leave you alone. Everything's good. I'm making you money, by the way, Al. I'm out there selling Van Halen records and keeping the name alive, keeping the music alive." Hagar recently released a new single, "Encore, Thank You, Goodnight," which has been shared on YouTube and includes a guitar lick he says Eddie showed him in a dream. - NME, 5/5/25...... The 2025 Met Gala dinner inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on May 5 was headlined by Stevie Wonder and Usher. Making his Met Gala debut with his family, Wonder was joined by a nine-person band and opened his headlining set with a capella intro of "Sir Duke," before entertaining the guests with a string of hits like "Black Man," "Higher Ground" and "Isn't She Lovely." A singalong erupted in the room as Wonder sang his early hit "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" followed by "I Wish" and "Superstition." He concluded the set by bringing Usher, who opened the show, back out for a duet of his song "Another Star." During his time on the red carpet, the 74-year-old spoke to Vogue about the importance of Black fashion being celebrated by the Costume Institute's new exhibition "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style." "It is a wonderful thing that it's being celebrated tonight. I appreciate that," he said. "But the reality is, I believe that God has celebrated what we have done since the beginning of time... since we were created we've created style, whether be it music, whether be it dance, whether be it, the most important thing, love." - Music-News.com, 5/6/25...... Neil YoungNeil Young's new song "Let's Roll Again," released on May 2, calls out Elon Musk and "fascist" Tesla owners amid lyrics imploring the major auto manufacturers to build clean-energy vehicles that "won't kill our kids." Singing a melody that evokes Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land," Young quips, "If yer a fascist, then get a Tesla/ If it's electric, it doesn't matter." The release of "Let's Roll Again" comes six days after Young first premiered the track during his performance at the "Autism Speaks Light Up The Blues 7" concert in Los Angeles. It will appear on Young's upcoming album, Talkin' to Trees, which he announced May 2 would be arriving June 13. Also featuring January single "Big Change," the LP marks Young's first with new band the Chrome Hearts. Young and his band are currently gearing up to kick off their first world tour on June 18 in Sweden, after which they'll perform a string of shows across Europe through the first week of July. In August, they'll kick off North American leg on Aug. 8 in Charlotte, N.C. Musk is famously the CEO of Tesla, which makes battery-powered cars. In addition to owning X (formerly Twitter) and SpaceX, he's also the polarizing right-hand man of Pres. Donald Trump, with Musk heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) created in January. "Let's Roll Again" has been shared on YouTube. - Billboard, 5/2/25...... The new Bruce Springsteen documentary Bruce Springsteen: Backstage and Backstreets was nominated for an Outstanding Arts, Culture or Entertainment Coverage Emmy on May 1. Springsteen has been nominated for three Primetime Emmys, but has yet to win. He was nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special for Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (HBO, 2001), Outstanding Special Class - Short-Form Live Action Entertainment Program for Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Super Bowl Halftime Show (NBC, 2009) and Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) for Springsteen on Broadway (Netflix, 2019). The 46th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards will be presented live at the Palladium Times Square in New York City on June 25 (News ceremony) and June 26 (Documentary ceremony), and will be streamed live on The Emmys website and via The Emmys apps for iOS, tvOS, Android, FireTV and Roku. Meanwhile, the New Jersey rocker continues to review his upcoming expansive box set Tracks II: The Lost Albums by sharing another track, "Faithless," on Spotify.com on May 1. Described as "the title track from a long-lost soundtrack to a movie that was never made," the Boss takes us once again down to the river, where love is found. "Well, I work by the rocks of the river/ Faithless, faithless, faithless/ Then I met you," Springsteen sings in a hushed voice over gentle, high desert-style acoustic guitar backing. "I walked 'neath the eaves of the garden/ Faithless, faithless, faithless/ Then I saw you," he adds with a chorus of female voices echoing his own. In a press release announcing the song, it is called a "meditation on purpose, belief and acceptance" that was originally intended to accompany a "spiritual Western" film that never got made. Springsteen recorded much of the Faithless album between the end of the Nov. 2005 Devils & Dust tour and the Apr. 2006 release of the We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions album. "Faithless" joins the other two pre-release songs previewing the Tracks II collection, the beat-heavy "Blind Spot" from the 10-track "Streets of Philadelphia" Sessions and the turbulent, "Rain in the River." The 83-track collection will "fill in rich chapters of Springsteen's expansive career timeline -- while offering invaluable insight into his life and work as an artist," according to the initial release announcing the set, which noted that some of the albums got to the mixing stage before being shelved. - Billboard, 5/1/25...... Gloria GaynorIn a new interview with the British tabloid Metro, Gloria Gaynor said the "biggest misconception" about her is that she is a feminist. Gaynor, whose chart-topping 1979 smash "I Will Survive" is widely regarded as one of the most iconic feminist anthems of all time, said that she does not identify as a feminist when asked what people often get wrong about her. "The biggest misconception about me? It may be dangerous to say this, but that I'm a feminist," she said. Noting that she grew up with five brothers, Gaynor added, "I love men who know who they are and are strong enough to take their place, but also strong enough to recognize a woman's strengths and allow her to exercise those strengths and realize that we are to be partners and not opponents." The disco legend's comments have already sparked pushback online, with many people pointing out that, despite her implication, loving men and feminism are not mutually exclusive. By definition, feminism is the "belief in and advocacy of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes expressed especially through organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests," according to Merriam-Webster. "So Gloria Gaynor doesn't know what feminist is... got it," one person wrote on X. "So Gloria Gaynor isn't a feminist because she loves men?" wrote another user. "Feminism isn't anti-man, it's just pro-human rights. But sure, let's ignore that. i love men and I'm still a feminist." The two-time Grammy winner's new interview comes a few weeks after she announced that her new EP, Happy Tears, will arrive June 6. The first taste of the five-track project came in February, when Gaynor dropped single "Fida Known," which she told Metro is her favorite song of the bunch. - Billboard, 5/5/25...... Virgin records/airline CEO Richard Branson has recalled the time he once saved the life of Keith Richards when a man showed up brandishing gun to kill him. Branson, well known for being a close friend with countless A-List stars including the founding Rolling Stones guitarist, recalled the incident on Virgin Radio UK on May 1, saying, "I went to the front door. There was this huge guy there and he had a gun. He went, 'I've come to kill Keith Richards, he's in your house with my wife.'" While the command sounded preposterous, it appeared the angry man was correct -- as the 74-year-old Branson went on with his tale. "As I was talking to him, I saw a naked Keith Richards and a naked wife running behind him across the lawn," he recalled. "I said, 'Put the gun down and you can search the house'. He searched the house, he apologized, he left. About an hour later, a naked Keith Richards came back without the wife." Richards, now 81, has been in a relationship with model Patti Hansen since 1979 and they have been husband and wife since 1983. The couple share two children together, and Richards has three other children from a past relationship with late model Anita Pallenberg. - Music-News.com, 5/3/25...... Mike LoveThe Beach Boys legend Mike Love took to Instagram on Apr. 28 to publicly mourn the loss of his brother, Stan Love, a onetime NBA player who spent two years with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1970s and is the father of current NBA All-Star Kevin Love. Kevin announced his father's death at age 76 on social media on Apr. 27, with no cause of death revealed. "So many of you have shared your condolences about the loss of my brother. I guess I am still in shock; although he'd battled significant health issues for so long, I never thought I'd lose him. I really thought we would be here together; reality is not what I thought or hoped for," Mike Love, 84, wrote in his post. "My big younger brother, you called me the superstar, but to me you are the superstar!! You always had my back!," Love continued. "I am blessed to be your brother. I will cherish our lives spent together, whether spoofing on each other or reliving memories. I know you're on the big court now, pounding down 3's; don't foul out, bro. Give Mom & Dad a hug from me. Until we meet again, I love you, Brother, for eternity," he added. Among those giving Mike's post a heart was Full House star John Stamos, who has performed frequently with the Beach Boys over the years. - Parade, 4/29/25...... Joe Louis Walker, an electric blues musician who worked with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt and Mark Knopfler, passed away in late April following a cardiac-related illness. He was 75. Walker's extensive career, which spanned over six decades, saw the singer and guitarist open for such fellow blues icons as Muddy Waters and Thelonious Monk. In the blues scene and beyond, he was considered a "musician's musician" by peers, with Franklin dubbing him "The Bluesman." Born and raised in San Francisco, Walker took to playing the guitar as a child and went on to become a Bay Area regular as he gigged throughout the boom of the late '60s psychedelic rock and blues movement, finding friends in Jimi Hendrix and Mike Bloomfield -- who later became his roommate. After a stint spent in jail, Walker was working odd-jobs by the mid '70s, but started playing with gospel outfit the Spiritual Corinthians. His joining them was followed by a performance at the 1985 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, which became the catalyst for his return to blues. In 2016, he was nominated for his first and only Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album with 2015 release Everybody Wants a Piece, and, earlier in 2025, revisited his 1986 debut album, Cold Is The Night. Honors earned throughout his career include an induction into the Blues Hall of Fame, being named a USA Fellow by United States Artists, and receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mississippi Valley Blues Society. - NME, 5/3/25.

On Apr. 30 Paul McCartney revealed the cover for his new book about his '70s band Wings, Wings: The Story Of A Band On The Run. Set to arrive on Nov. 4, the book is compiled from over 42 hours of brand-new interviews, as well as historical interviews and newly discovered, previously unheard interviews from McCartney's personal archive. Also included are around 150 photos -- many previously unseen -- capturing the band throughout the years, along with memorabilia, including some of Sir Paul's diary page entries from the time and handwritten lyrics. The cover photo, taken by Linda McCartney, shows Wings members Paul, Linda, Denny Laine, Henry McCullough and Denny Seiwell together while on tour in Spain in 1972. According to a press release, the book will recall some of the band's most memorable moments in Scotland, New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Nashville, Lagos, Japan, the Virgin Islands, Morocco, Montserrat and more, and is set against the backdrop of political and social timelines of the '70s. McCartney also shared a new excerpt he wrote of the book's foreword: "Suddenly Wings has found its moment. We have a generational shift at work, and it's like being transported back on a magic carpet. Working on the book has awakened so many beautiful memories of our times back then." News of the new book first arrived in February, when it was confirmed that Macca would be sharing an oral history of his first post-Beatles band Wings. In early April, it was confirmed that an exhibition of 36 rare photographs taken by Paul in the early '60s would be opening in Los Angeles. - New Musical Express, 4/30/25...... Barbra StreisandSpeaking of Paul McCartney, the former Beatle will be among several famous collaborators on a new duets album by Barbra Streisand, The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two. The diva announced her latest studio album on Apr. 30, a new project featuring a cross-genre, cross-generational list of duet partners including McCartney, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Sting; Irish rocker Hozier; Icelandic jazz singer-songwriter Laufey; English crooner Sam Smith; country hitmaker Tim McGraw and British soul singer Seal. The first taste of the album, a Streisand duet with Hozier of Roberta Flack's No. 1 1972 smash "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," has been shared on Spotify.com. "I've always loved singing duets with gifted artists," Streisand said in a statement. "They inspire me in unique and different ways... and make our time in the studio a joy." The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two is due on June 27 via Columbia Records. It follows Babs' 2023 anecdote-rich memoir, My Name Is Barbra, about her 60-plus years of blazing trails in music, film, Broadway, activism and beyond. The singer's previous two albums, Partners and Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway, both reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart and received Grammy nods for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. - Billboard 4/30/25...... Appearing on comedian Bill Maher's podcast Club Random with Bill Maher, actor Terrence Howard revealed that the biggest career mistake he ever made was turning down the chance to play Smokey Robinson after the Motown legend asked the actor to portray him in a movie. Howard said he turned down the role because he was already "in conversation" with director/producer Lee Daniels about playing another Motown legend, Marvin Gaye, in a separate project. Howard went on to say that he turned down the role of Gaye because he was uncomfortable with how the singer's sexuality would be explored. "I was over at Quincy Jones' house and I'm asking Quincy, 'I'm hearing rumours that Marvin was gay' and I'm like, 'Was he gay?,' and Quincy's like, 'Yes,'" Howard recalled. On the prospect of exploring Gaye's sexuality, he added: "They would've wanted to do that, and I wouldn't have been able to do that." When asked by Maher if he couldn't kiss a man on screen, Howard replied: "No. Because I don't fake it," before adding: "That would f--- me. I would cut my lips off. If I kissed some man, I would cut my lips off. I can't play that character 100 per cent. I can't surrender myself to a place that I don't understand." Gaye did not publicly explicitly state his sexuality but was married twice in his life, to Anna Gordy and Janis Hunter. But Jones once alleged in an interview with Vulture, that the late singer had an intimate relationship with late actor Marlon Brando, although it has never been confirmed. "Brando used to go cha-cha dancing with us. He could dance his ass off. He was the most charming motherf---er you ever me," said at the time. "He'd f---- anything. Anything! He'd f--- a mailbox. James Baldwin. Richard Pryor. Marvin Gaye He did not give a f---!" Howard's full interview with Maher can be streamed on YouTube. - NME, 4/29/25...... Joe CockerThe inductees of the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame were announced by Ryan Seacrest on ABC's American Idol on Apr. 27, with '70s stars Joe Cocker and Bad Company among the seven acts inducted into the performer category. Cocker and Bad Company were first-time nominees, as well as inductee Outkast. Inductees Cyndi Lauper and The White Stripes, had each been nominated once before, and inductee Soundgarden had been nominated twice before. Inductee Chubby Checker, whose "The Twist" was a global smash in 1960, had to wait even longer for induction than Cher, who was finally inducted last year, 59 years after Sonny & Cher's breakthrough smash "I Got You Babe." There are six other inductees this year in other categories. Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon are set to receive the musical influence award; Philly Soul producer Thom Bell, English studio pianist/organist Nicky Hopkins and studio bass guitarist Carole Kaye (who was part of the fabled Wrecking Crew of top L.A. studio musicians) will receive the musical excellence award; and producer and label executive Lenny Waronker will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award. Sadly, several of these people didn't live to see their inductions. Hopkins died in 1994 at age 50; Zevon in 2003 at 56; Chris Cornell of Soundgarden in 2017 at 52; and Bell in 2022 at 79. The other seven nominees in the performer category who were denied admission to the Rock Hall this year include Oasis, Mariah Carey, Joy Division/New Order, The Black Crowes, Billy Idol, Man and Phish. Joe Cocker's widow Pam Cocker said she was "really surprised" her late husband was inducted into the Rock Hall. "I voted every day and watched his standing on the fan vote. 'Long overdue' -- those were my daughter's first words when we heard the news." Pam added that while her husband "wasn't obsessed with the fact he wasn't in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he did want it. But he didn't prioritize it. He was always surprised at what other people were not in it more than himself." All of the Cockers, including Joe's surviving older brother Vic Cocker, are planning to attend the induction ceremony in November and are anticipating, in Pam's words, "a brilliant evening." Bad Company's Paul Rodgers told Billboard that "I know that our fans, friends and some media have wanted this for a long time, so they will be pleased at last. I am looking forward to seeing some old friends, reconnecting with (fellow inductee) Chubby Checker -- maybe do the twist?" Both Rodgers and Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke say they'll attend and perform at the RRHOF induction gala on Nov. 8 ceremony in Los Angeles. The ceremony will be live on Nov. 8 at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. The 2025 ceremony, held at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live, will once again stream live on Disney+, with a special airing on ABC at a later date and available on Hulu the next day. - Billboard, 4/28/25...... Neil DiamondNeil Diamond will be honored with the Inspirational Lifetime Achievement Award by the Children's Diabetes Foundation at the 39th Annual Carousel Ball on Oct. 11. The event will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Denver, near the home of CDF's primary operations and its clinic and research facility, the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes. Diamond, 84, is just the third recipient of the award, following Sidney Poitier (2016) and Diane Warren (2024). Proceeds from The Carousel Ball benefit CDF and focus on patient support, awareness and diabetes research. The Carousel Balls, founded in 1978, collectively have raised more than $117 million. Diamond has served on CDF's advisory board and has attended the organization's fundraisers for many years, including performing in Denver in 2001, as well as at The Carousel of Hope Ball in Beverly Hills in 2012, where he memorably sang an impromptu duet of "Sweet Caroline" with George Clooney. "It's been my absolute joy to have supported the Children's Diabetes Foundation for so many wonderful years," Diamond said in a statement. "Barbara Davis and her organization have done an immense amount of good helping kids, adults and their families facing a difficult diagnosis." With a career spanning nealy 60 years, Diamond is a 2011 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and his achievements also include a Grammy, a Golden Globe Award, an American Music Award, an ASCAP Film and Television Award and a Billboard Icon Award. - Billboard, 4/29/25......Bruce Springsteen played alongside a litany of fellow music legends on Apr. 26 at an American Music Honors show at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ. An intimate audience of just 700 got to witness the Boss jam alongside John Fogerty, Smokey Robinson, Jackson Browne, Tom Morello, Darlene Love and Nora Guthrie in the concert organized by The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center. Fogerty, Robinson and Morello were receiving the American Music Honors at the event, as well as Emmylou Harris and Joe Ely. Springsteen himself delivered speeches for Fogerty and Ely. Springsteen and Fogerty went on to jam on the Creedence Clearwater Revival classics "Bad Moon Rising," "Proud Mary" and "Fortunate Son." Springsteen and Motown legend Robinson then played "Going To A Go-Go" together, before the Boss joined Browne for "Take It Easy" and Morello for "The Ghost Of Tom Joad" and "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out." The night drew to a close with all the artists in attendance joining together on stage for a version of Woody Guthrie's classic "This Land Is Your Land," the first time Springsteen has played the once-regular part of his setlist since 2013. - Billboard, 4/27/25...... Former Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young bandmates Neil Young and Stephen Stills reunited on Apr. 26 for the Light Up The Blues 7 Concert charity show at L.A.'s Greek Theatre. Stills came out at the end of Young's set with his new band The Chrome Hearts for collaborations on 1978's "Human Highway" and Young's regular set closer "Rockin' In The Free World," with footage of the latter available for viewing on YouTube. Later in the night, Young returned the favour during Stills' set, joining in on a version of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth," the classic 1966 single on which they both originally played. It was a night in which political commentary dominated Young's set, with new song "Let's Roll Again" (which he has shared on YouTube) including the lyrics: "Come on America / Let's cover our back / Protect our children / If you're a fascist / Then get a Tesla / If it's electric, it doesn't matter." Other politically motivated tracks in Young's setlist included deep cuts "Ordinary People" and "Big Box," while "Rockin' In The Free World" included Young and Stills leading the crowd in a chant of "take America back." Other artists on the Light Up The Blues bill included Billy Idol, Cat Power, Nathaniel Rateliff, Rufus Wainwright and Linda Perry. - NME, 4/27/25...... David BowieAn iconic photograph of David Bowie is set to feature on a limited-edition Bang & Olufsen speaker series. The high-end Danish audio tech company has announced an exclusive run of 30 Beosound A9 speakers that will include a canvas cover adorned with a rare Bowie image captured by the acclaimed British rock photographer Denis O'Regan. The item is priced at £3,995 and each speaker will come with a signed and numbered 12" x 8" print of the image, a printed box sleeve and a certificate of authenticity. The speakers are on sale now and can be found on the West-Contemporary-Editions website. O'Regan has spent decades capturing the biggest names in music and has been the official tour photographer for artists including The Rolling Stones, Queen and Pink Floyd. He also had a longstanding relationship with Bowie and was also one of the official photographers for Live Aid in 1985. He accompanied Bowie on multiple tours and produced the box set Ricochet: David Bowie 1983, which documented the extensive touring that followed the release of 1983's Let's Dance album. "Throughout my career I've been privileged to hear fans and collectors describe one of my images as their 'favourite picture of Bowie'," O'Regan said about the new release. "This favourite of mine is the image I've selected as my chosen moment for the B&O A9 speaker cover." - NME 4/26/25.

Monday, April 21, 2025

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on April 26th, 2025

It has been announced that the 2025 inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will be revealed on a live episode of American Idol on Apr. 27. Show host Ryan Seacrest will make the eagerly awaited announcement. James Taylor, who was inducted into the Rock Hall in 2000, will serve as a mentor on the episode, on which this season's top 14 Idol contestants will perform songs associated with previous Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. The episode will air live coast-to-coast on ABC from 8-10 p.m. ET/5-7 p.m. PT. The episodes will also be available the following day on Hulu. - Billboard, 4/21/25...... Frank BeardZZ Top issued a statement via the LiveNation site on Apr. 24 announcing drummer Frank Beard will be missing the band's forthcoming Australian tour, "as recommended by medical personnel." On Mar. 15, the Texas trio revealed that Beard would be absent from the group's current "Elevation Tour" due to the need to undergo an unspecified health procedure. "Shelter Music Group, ZZ Top's management, has announced the band's drummer, Mr. Frank Beard, has temporarily stepped away from the current tour to attend a health issue requiring his focus in the near term," an Instagram post read. "Beard, along with fellow ZZ Top members Billy F Gibbons and Elwood Francis, presently on the Elevation tour since March 5, have engaged fellow Texan and longtime tech member, percussionist and drummer, John Douglas, for the interim," the post read. Douglas has long maintained a close relationship with both Beard and his bandmates, having previously sat in for the drummer during a Paris performance in Oct. 2002 when he underwent an emergency appendectomy. "Beard's continued physical therapy has shown to be very effective in dealing with the issue that caused him to leave the recent US leg of the tour," Live Nation's statement continued. "While cheered by the positive news, band and management believe that his total recovery must be priority #1. Beard's attending physicians have suggested more physical therapy over a longer period would potentially achieve better and longer lasting results, and this will now be his focus." Beard has been the drummer of ZZ Top since 1969, when he took over from co-founder Dan Mitchell. In 1970, Dusty Hill assumed the role of bassist and the lineup remained stable until Hill's death at age 72 in 2021, with Francis replacing him on bass. ZZ Tp[ will embark upon their first Australian tour since 2013 on Apr. 26. The ten-date tour will conclude in mid-May, with a handful of New Zealand tour dates to be followed by an additional North American trek in June. The band's 51-date trek will run through until October. - Billboard, 4/25/25...... In an interview with the Spanish outlet RockFM, The Who's Pete Townshend revealed that he does not love performing live on stage, saying it "does not fill my soul." In the interview, which is viewable on YouTube, Townshend said: "One is they love performing. I don't love performing. I don't like being on a stage. I don't mind being on a stage, I don't hate it, but it doesn't fill my soul in the way that you see some performers, [where] just their soul is filled through being on the stage. That's not me." He went on to explain that the second thing he does not enjoy is collaborating with other musicians, which he said he "finds very difficult." "If I was in a studio, like with a really, really great musician, or with a group of really great musicians, I think I would find it very hard. I often do find it very hard," he said. "I find it difficult to collaborate. I find it very difficult looking in the eyes of another musician. I find myself looking to my own energy to express myself. So I'm very different to most musicians in that respect." Townshend was talking ahead of the new ballet reimagining of The Who's 1973 album Quadrophenia, which has its opening performance in Plymouth's Theatre Royal on May 28. - New Musical Express, 4/25/25...... FacesSpeaking to the UK paper The Telegraph, former Faces drummer Kenney Jones revealed that he and his surviving former bandmates Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood have recorded "about 11 tracks" at RAK Studios in London for what would be their first album in over 50 years. Jones also confirmed that musician and TV personality Jools Holland also contributed to one track. "Not all of them are going to be right [for the album], but most of them are good." Jones continued: "I can't see it coming out this year. But I can see it coming out next year. Everyone's doing different things. We do little snippets [of recording] here and there. Then all of a sudden, The Stones are out [on tour] again, Rod's out again..." First formed in 1969 as the result of a merger between members of Small Faces and the Jeff Beck Group, Faces were around for six years before guitarist Wood left to join the Rolling Stones, and Stewart continued his ongoing successful solo career. The group would release four albums throughout their career, with 1971's A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse becoming their most successful, hitting No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart. The record would spawn the single "Stay with Me," which peaked at No. 17 on the Hot 100 singles chart, and would be followed by their final studio release, Ooh La La, in 1973. The article itself notes that the band have teased a new album for four years now, with Stewart confirming its existence in 2021, and again claiming in 2024 that "We haven't finished it yet, but we'll finish it this year, I promise." Faces performed a series of reunions after their initial dissolution, and founding bassist Ronnie Lane would pass away in 1997, and keyboardist Ian McLagan would also pass in 2014. At the 2020 Brit Awards, the remaining three performed "Stay With Me" and began to express a desire to work together again. Stewart is currently scheduled to perform in the Sunday evening Legends Slot at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival, with a series of Las Vegas residency dates also set to run until October. - Billboard, 4/25/25...... Founding KISS drummer Peter Criss announced the release of his first solo album in almost two decades via a short video from the fansite KissFAQ.com. "I have an announcement," Criss tells fans in the video. "I have my new rock and roll album to [share with] you KISS Army guys coming out in the fall, and I really hope you like it, man. And I wanna say God bless to each and every one of you." KISS historian Julian Gill then took over with the reporting, noting that the record is a "hard rock, kick-ass album" that features the production work of Barry Pointer, while Criss is joined by guitarists John 5 and Mike McLaughlin, bassists Billy Sheehan and Matthew Montgomery, and pianist Paul Shaffer. The record also features the talents of backing vocalists Dennis and Sharron Collins, and Cathryn Manning. "I was honored to listen to this album at Peter's studio with him last night, and it was absolutely amazing to hear this new music," adds Gill. "It was vibrant and powerful. The as-yet-untitled studio album will be Criss' first solo release since 2007's One for All, which itself arrived 13 years after his previous solo release. Criss initially departed KISS in 1980, having performed his last show with the band in December 1979. He would later rejoin the band in 1996 as part of their original lineup reunion, and following a brief departure in 2001, would rejoin the band until his final exit in 2004. He has not performed live since his retirement from touring in June 2017. Criss' new album announcement has been shared on YouTube. - Billboard, 4/25/25...... Lynyrd Skynyrd's classic 1973 track "Free Bird" has reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top TV Songs chart, for March 2025, topping the tally following a synch in NCIS: Origins. "Free Bird" appears in the 15th episode of NCIS: Origins' inaugural season, premiering on Mar. 31 on CBS. The new series is a spinoff of CBS' long-running NCIS franchise and was renewed for a second season earlier in 2025. In March 2025, "Free Bird" earned 12.3 million official on-demand U.S. streams and 2,000 downloads, according to Luminate. One of Skynyrd's signature tracks from its 1973 debut LP, the song peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975, with a live version also making the Top 40 almost exactly two years later. Meanwhile, the Apple+ TV series Severance, which wrapped up its second season in March, boasts four entries on the latest Top TV Songs, led by The Alan Parsons Project's "Sirius" at No. 4 (1.2 million streams, 1,000 downloads). - Billboard, 4/24/25...... Sammy HagarSammy Hagar says his guitar playing on his upcoming single "Encore. Thank You. Goodnight" was inspired by a guitar lick that his late Van Halen bandmate Eddie Van Halen showed him in a dream. "About two months ago, I had this dream and Eddie came," Hagar told Ultimate Classic Rock about the inspiration for the song. "We were in a room like this, [with] a bunch of people around. It was just like he'd been gone. It was not like he was passed, but he had just been out of my life and we hadn't seen each other for a while. He's going, 'Man, let's write some music!' I said, 'Yeah, f--k it, man. Here, let's go!'" In the dream, Hagar said Van Halen showed him "this harmonic thing he slid up to a chord, like a slide guitar... We wrote a song with that lick." The next morning, the veteran rock singer and guitarist said he got up and wrote the new song, which he titled, in part, "Thank You" because he'd used "the f---in' lick that he showed me in the song." While the track came together too late to be included on Hagar's 2022 Crazy Times album with his band the Circle, on Instagram earlier this week Hagar said he "can't wait" for the world to finally hear his tribute to his late bandmate. The post describes the song that also features Joe Satriani, drummer Kenny Aronoff and former VH bassist Michael Anthony as "inspired by a dream and brought to reality through introspective lyrics, powerful chords and rhythmic guitar and drums." - Billboard, 4/24/25...... Carlos Santana postponed a planned show in San Antonio, Tex. on Apr. 22 after being rushed to a local hospital. Santana, 77, was booked to play San Antonio's Majestic Theatre, but reportedly fell ill during soundcheck as a result of dehydration. According to a statement from the venue, manager Michael Vrionis said the guitarist was taken to a San Antonio hospital for observation. "It is with profound disappointment that I have to inform you all that tonight's show in San Antonio has been postponed," Vrionis said in a statement on Instagram. "Mr. Santana was at the venue (Majestic Theater) preparing for tonight's show when he experienced an event that was determined to be dehydration. Out of an abundance of caution and the health of Mr. Santana, the decision to postpone the show was the most prudent course of action. He is doing well and is looking forward to coming back to San Antonio soon as well as continuing his US Tour." Santana is in the midst of his 2025 Oneness tour, and his rep later issued a statement saying that Santana "is postponing his Oneness Tour 2025 show at Smart Financial Center, tonight (Wednesday, April 23, 2025) in Sugar Land, Texas. Mr. Santana has tested positive for Covid and is resting at his hotel.... [and] out of an abundance of caution, the decision was made to also postpone this evening's show in Sugar Land. Carlos experienced dehydration yesterday, and has since tested positive for Covid. I am happy to report that Carlos is doing well and will be back on his US Tour this Friday in Thackerville, OK. We appreciate everyone's well wishes and concern. Carlos is looking forward to seeing you all very soon." Please hang onto your tickets -- we will advise on the rescheduled show date as soon as possible." - Billboard, 4/23/25...... Emmylou Harris, R&B star Eddie Floyd and Jody Stephens, drummer of iconic power-pop band Big Star, are set to perform at the 2025 Grammy Hall of Fame Gala on May 16 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. -- the site of the first Grammy Awards ceremony in 1959. All three have recordings being inducted this year. Harris will be joined by producer Daniel Lanois and jazz drummer Brian Blade for a performance of a song from her 1995 album Wrecking Ball, which Lanois produced. Floyd is being honored for his 1966 classic "Knock on Wood"; Big Star for its 1972 album #1 Record. Percussionist Cindy Blackman, who is married to Carlos Santana, is also set to perform. The band Santana's 1999 album Supernatural is among the 13 recordings being honored. The gala will celebrate the 2025 Grammy Hall of Fame inducted recordings, which according to the GHOF exhibit "qualitative or historical significance" and are at least 25 years old. The Grammy Hall of Fame Gala serves as a fundraiser to support the Grammy Museum's national education programs. It includes a cocktail reception, dinner, and concert program. More info can be found at GrammyMuseum.org. - Billboard, 4/23/25...... Ozzy OsbourneAfter years of health issues, Ozzy Osbourne is making sure that he's in top shape when he suits up for what is being billed as Black Sabbath's final-ever performance on July 5 in Villa Park in the band's hometown of Birmingham, England. In a new interview with Billy Morrison on SiriusXM's Ozzy's Boneyard channel, Osbourne, 76, said he's been in "heavy training" for the show that will see rock's Prince of Darkness reunite with his bandmates for one last time on a bill that will also include the likes of Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Pantera, Lamb of God, Mastodon, Alice in Chains and many others. "I haven't done anything for, this will be seven years, and so I've been through all this surgery. It really is like starting from scratch," said Osbourne, who has been dealing with a Parkinson's disease diagnosis as well as a 2019 fall that aggravated a previous spinal injury and required multiple surgeries. Osbourne said his workouts include endurance training due to his long lay-off from performance. "The first thing to go when you're laid up is your stamina, so believe it or so, I'm doing two sets of three-minute walks and weight training. I'm going and going you know," he said. " I'm waking up in my body, you know. I mean, three minutes to you, for instance, is nothing, but I've been laying on my back recovering from umpteen surgeries." Osbourne talking about his training regimen on Ozzy Speaks can be streamed on YouTube. - Billboard, 4/23/25...... Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen says he's still dealing with the fall-out from a 2023 incident in which a 19-year-old man rushed at him and knocked him to the ground outside a Florida hotel. In a recent interview on SiriusXM's Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk, the veteran rocker said that he has eased back on some of his non-performance efforts -- including showcasing his painting on this years's "Monsters of Rock" cruise -- as he continues his recovery from the scary incident. "I've been going through some challenging times, kind of related to what happened in Florida," Allen said. "And that whole thing is kind of ongoing, when I got beaten up outside the hotel [there]. So I've been trying to deal with that the best that I can, and really I just needed to take a break from some of the side projects that I was busy with, just so I could spend more time at home. So, that's been a real challenge for me. Hopefully I can put it all behind me and I can just kind of get back to as normal as I could possibly be given the circumstances. But that was very traumatic for me, and, yeah, it's been difficult. But hopefully I can put it behind me soon." Allen was assaulted in March 2023 outside of a Fort Lauderdale, FL hotel by an Ohio man who allegedly rushed the drummer at full speed and knocked him to the ground. A police report noted that the alleged assailant hid behind a pillar outside the hotel entrance while Allen smoked and then allegedly attacked Allen, who "hit his head on the ground causing injury" and that when a woman ran out to help Allen the man allegedly attacked her as well. The man was arrested a short time later after police found him at another hotel allegedly breaking car windows. He was charged him with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief and abusing an elderly or disabled adult; Allen lost his left arm after a 1984 car accident. Allen said he went on a cruise following the assault and found it "difficult to be around a lot of people," leading to him deciding to stick closer to home. "I decided, 'You know what, Rick? Don't try and bite off more than you can chew. Just deal with this, deal with what's in front of you... And I'm just hoping, as I say, that I can put it behind me... I'd love to get back to doing some of my side projects, particularly the art. And let's hope I can soon." Though he is still traumatized by the incident, Allen will be on board when Def Leppard hits the road this year for a tour slated to kick off on May 15 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, followed by a summer of North American festival and amphitheater dates through October. - Billboard, 4/22/25...... Sean Ono Lennon has asked fans not to compare him to his brother Julian Lennon, while insisting that there's nothing but love between them. Taking to Instagram Stories on Apr. 21, Sean shared a black-and-white photograph of himself and his older half-brother -- both of whom are the children of late Beatles icon John Lennon. Sean, 49, is also the son of Yoko Ono. John shared Julian, 62, with his first wife Cynthia Lennon. "Here, we do not accept comparisons and erroneous creations of fights about two people that John Lennon loved the most: his children :)," Sean captioned the upload. He added: "Peace and much, much lovea&." The musician also tagged Julian in the post. The attached picture shows Sean and Julian at the 1986 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony, where they inducted Elvis Presley. Earlier in 2025, Julian admitted that he is not part of The Beatles' "inner circle" and is often one of the last to hear any news about his late father's former band. "I'm thankful that Sean and I get on like a house on fire -- we're best buddies and he tells me what he can, but things are pretty secret on the Beatles front," he explained. Julian also spoke about the pair's relationship in late 2023, when he called rumours of an alleged feud between them "such bull". He said: "We've never had a fight in our life. I posted lots of happy pictures of us [Sean and me] doing nothing but smiling, laughing and acting like idiots. This was important for me and for the peace and for family, because there has been friction, no question, in the past between everybody. But we're all getting a bit older, and as we get older we lose people and we realise now what's most precious in life." - NME, 4/22/25...... Speaking to Variety's Awards Circuit Podcast, Bruce Springsteen has discussed his involvement with his biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere, saying set visits brought back some memories and describing the film as "fantastic." Directed by Scott Cooper, the film stars Jeremy Allen White as the singer during the early '80s, and centers around the personal and professional circumstances that led to him making his seminal work, 1982's Nebraska. The film is yet to announce a release date but is expected to be released later in 2025. "It's '81, '82, and centred around the creation of that particular record while I was simultaneously recording 'Born in the USA' and also going through some personal difficulties that I've been living with my whole life. But it's fantastic," Springsteen said on the podcast. He revealed he wasn't present for a lot of the filming, but made regular trips to the set and was taken aback by what he saw. "I was on tour during a lot of it, so they filmed a good amount of it without me there," he said. "But I was on set sometimes". He continued: "It was interesting to see it played out, to see your grandmother's house again, and to go inside and get a general feeling of what it was like when you were very young. So I enjoyed all those parts of it." Meanwhile, The Boss is gearing up to release a new box set of seven never-heard-before full records on Tracks II: The Lost Albums on June 27. - NME, 4/22/25...... David ThomasDavid Thomas, the howling lead singer of long-running Cleveland-bred post-punk rockers Pere Ubu, died on Apr. 23 in his home town of Brighton & Hove [in the U.K.]. He was 71. Thomas' passing was announced on Pere Ubu's Facebook page, which said he died after an unspecified "long illness" with his wife and youngest step-daughter by his side. "MC5 were playing on the radio. He will ultimately be returned to his home, the farm in Pennsylvania, where he insisted he was to be 'thrown in the barn.'," the post added. Thomas was born in Miami on June 14, 1953 and began his career in rock as the lead singer of the short-lived proto-punk Cleveland band Rocket From the Tombs. Inspired by Detroit punk godfathers the MC5 and The Stooges, the band was a precursor to the worldwide punk revolution that exploded in the U.S. and U.K. in the mid-1970s. After the band's split, two members, guitarist Gene "Cheetah Chrome" O'Connor and drummer Johnny "Johnny Biltz" Madansky, went on to form legendarily shambolic Cleveland punk band the Dead Boys. Thomas and guitarist Peter Laughner teamed up to launch the artier, spikier Pere Ubu, whose name was a riff on the outr 19th century French play "Ubu Roi." The avant garde group released its debut single, "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" in late 1975 on Thomas' indie label, Hearthan Records. After a handful of follow-up singles, their debut album, The Modern Dance, dropped in 1978. The band released three more albums, 1979's New Picnic Time, 1980's The Art of Walking and 1982's Song of a Bailing Man before breaking up. Thomas continued his experimental journey on a series of solo albums with his bands the Pedestrians and and Wooden Birds in the 1980s, before reforming Pere Ubu in 1987 for the recording of The Tenement Year, which leaned in a distinctly more pop direction (at least compared to the band's earlier work), followed by 1989s's Cloudland. In between Pere Ubu projects, Smith stayed busy with solo albums, Rocket From the Tombs reunions and experimental theater projects. - Billboard, 4/24/25...... David Briggs, a keyboardist and studio operator who played a pivotal role in establishing Muscle Shoals, Ala., as a recording hub in the 1960s before helping to revitalize mainstream country music, died on Apr. 22 in Nashville. He was 82. According to his brother John, his death, in a hospice facility, was caused by complications of renal cancer. Mr. Briggs contributed to not just one but two major developments in popular music. As a member of the original rhythm section at Fame Recording Studios, he helped put the northern Alabama hamlet of Muscle Shoals on the musical map. He played on landmark R&B recordings like Arthur Alexander's "You Better Move On" (1962), Jimmy Hughes's "Steal Away" (1964) and The Tams' "What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)" (1963), all of which were Top 40 pop singles as well as R&B hits. Mr. Briggs's other defining moment came when he, fellow studio musicians Norbert Putnam and Jerry Carrigan, moved to Nashville in late 1964 and began infusing country recordings with the understated, groove-rich variant of the Nashville Sound that became known as "countrypolitan." Mr. Briggs would go on to play everything from the funky organ on Tony Joe White's "Polk Salad Annie" to the pealing barroom piano on Conway Twitty's honky-tonk weeper "The Image of Me." He provided empathetic accompaniment on Sammi Smith's "Help Me Make It Through the Night," a No. 1 country and Top 10 pop hit in 1971, and Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors," which was also a Top 10 country single that year. After just a few months in Nashville, Mr. Briggs had distinguished himself as one of the city's first-call studio keyboard players. He would go on to take part in hundreds of sessions a year into the 1980s. David Paul Briggs was born on Mar. 16, 1943, in Killen, Ala., northeast of Muscle Shoals. Classically trained, he began playing professionally as an adolescent. He worked in a local band called the Crunk Brothers and, through them, met Putnam and ultimately gained entree to session work at Fame. Mr. Briggs and Putnam played on Tommy Roe's chart-topping 1962 hit, "Sheila," and were members of his backing band when Roe was an opening act for The Beatles in their first U.S. concert, in 1964. In 1966, Mr. Briggs joined Elvis Presley's TCB Band, a job he would keep, along with his session work, until Presley's death in 1977. In 1969, Mr. Briggs and Putnam opened Quadraphonic Sound, a much-in-demand studio that hosted projects by Neil Young, Dan Fogelberg, Jimmy Buffett and The Jacksons. That year, Mr. Briggs joined Area Code 615, a supergroup of session musicians, including Putnam and guitarist Mac Gayden The band released a pair of albums of freewheeling country rock on Polydor Records. Along with Putnam, Carrigan and the guitarist Terry Thompson, Mr. Briggs was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville in 2019. He remained active as a musician and studio owner well into his 70s. - The New York Times, 4/25/25...... Roy Thomas BakerVeteran producer Roy Thomas Baker, whose credits feature some of rock's biggest hits including Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and other tracks by the likes of Journey, Yes, The Cars, Cheap Trick, Guns N' Roses and Smashing Pumpkins, died at his home in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., on Apr. 12, his family announced on Apr. 22. He was 78 and a cause of death has yet to be revealed. The producer's credits feature a who's who of rock stars over the past half-century, with Baker also producing Foreigner, Devo and Mötley Crüe, in addition to the above named acts. Baker worked with Queen on five of the band's 1970s albums, including on their bombastic A Night at the Opera lead single "Bohemian Rhapsody," which is reportedly the most-streamed song recorded in the 20th century. The 1975 single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in Jan. 1976 but didn't hit its No. 2 peak on the chart until its inclusion in the film Wayne's World in 1992. Born in Hampstead, London, in 1946, Baker's career began as second engineer to Gus Dudgeon and Tony Visconti at London's Decca Records. He graduated to chief engineer in the '70s and moved to Trident Studios to begin working with the then-unknown Queen. Columbia Records later asked him to relocate to the U.S. to work with Journey and others. "We did [1978 album] Infinity with the infamous Roy Thomas Baker," recalled Journey's Neal Schon, "and we did so many different things on that record that I'd never tried, or even thought about doing. I learned a lot from Roy." Elektra Records, Queen's U.S. label, then teamed Baker with such artists as Lindsey Buckingham, Dokken and The Cars -- for whom he produced their first four albums, from 1978 to 1981. "Bohemian Rhapsody" and The Cars have both been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and the National Recording Registry, two of the most prestigious honors for classic recordings. In addition, Queen's A Night at the Opera album, which houses "Bohemian Rhapsody," was separately inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Baker is survived by his wife, Tere Livrano Baker, and his brother, Alan Baker. - Billboard, 4/22/25.

Patti Smith is among several musicians and celebrities who have reacted to news of the death of Pope Francis, who passed away at age 88 from a cerebral stroke on Easter monday (Apr. 22). "Farewell dear Pope Francis/Nature and poetry and the suffering shall miss their champion," the punk poetess shared on her Instagram account. Famously, in 2014, the pontiff personally invited Smith to perform at the Vatican's Christmas concert, where to much controversy she sang "O Holy Night" backed by the Vatican orchestra. Patti SmithSmith's booking evoked a mixed response from Christian groups, with Catholic organisation Portosalvo describing the decision as "blasphemous," following the singer's 1975 song "Gloria," which famously featured the lines: "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine." Francis, who was recently hospitalized for weeks with double pneumonia, was largely considered the most progressive pope to date, and had fans in several high-profile artists, with the likes of Martin Scorsese, Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Bono, Leonardo DiCaprio and Angelina Jolie attending papal audiences with him over the years. The death of the pontiff, who became pope in 2013 after his predecessor Benedict XVI resigned, was detailed in a statement by Cardinal Kevin Farrell on X. Dubbed the "People's Pope" for his more inclusive stance on marginalised communities, his last address to the public was on Apr. 20 when called for a ceasefire in Gaza. - New Musical Express, 4/21/25...... A New York Times instant bestseller since its release on Apr. 8, the new John Lennon and Paul McCartney biography John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs follows the songwriting duo's relationship as songwriters, lyricists and bandmates in The Beatles. Author Ian Leslie drew from tunes, film footage and recordings to paint a picture of two musicians working together to create some of the greatest songs of the 20th century. Meanwhile, Lennon and wife Yoko Ono's son Sean Ono Lennon has shared the message he hopes people will take away from the new Lennon/Ono documentary One to One: John & Yoko documentary. "It's going to be very revelatory for everybody who sees it," Sean says. "I do think I know my parents pretty well," says Ono Lennon, who co-executive produced the film (along with Brad Pitt and others) and served as its music producer. "I knew about that time. It was only a couple years before I was born. My mother spoke about it a lot. I know a lot about their story, including (this time period), so I would not frame it that I learned something necessarily." Directed by Kevin Macdonald and distributed by Magnolia Pictures, One to One employs a montage-style collection of footage and sound recordings (some provided by the John Lennon Estate) to present Lennon and Ono primarily in their own words, without third-party narration. One to One premiered at the Venice Film Festival in Aug. 2024, also showing at the Telluride Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival before its IMAX rollout on Apr. 11. It opens wide in theaters starting Apr. 18 and will stream on the Max premium platform later this year. Ono Lennon has also finished work on a One to One soundtrack release slated for Oct. 9 (John's birthday) in several formats and packages. - Billboard, 4/21/25...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, 36 rare Paul McCartney photographs, many of which have just been rediscovered, will feature in a new Los Angeles exhibition set to open on Apr. 25 at Gagosian Art Gallery. The Rearview Mirror: Photographs, December 1963-February 1964 collection includes photos that were recently rediscovered by Sir Paul and have never been shown before, as well as some that were featured in his 2023 photography book Eyes Of The Storm. Following the exhibition, the photos, which are all signed by McCartney, will be going on sale, with expected prices ranging from $15,000 to $90,000 (£11,000 to £68,000). Proceeds will go to benefit efforts for those affected by the devastating California wildfires. A clip of McCartney reflecting on the collection can be viewed on YouTube, and the exhibition will run until June 21. - NME, 4/19/25...... In still more Beatles news, John Lennon's last autograph is currently up for auction on the gottahaverockandroll.com website. On Dec. 7, 1980 musician Willie Nile and Lennon were recording at The Record Plant studio in New York City when engineer Thom Panunzio called saying, "John broke a string on his guitar. Do you have any extra strings?" Willie did have extra strings and gave them to John. The next day Dec. 8, 1980 Willie and John ere again at the Record Plant recording. That evening when John was about to walk out the door of the Record Plant, Penunzio asked John for an autograph for his friend Karl. John mistakenly thought it was for the person who gave him the guitar strings the day before so John wryly signed a Record Plant tape sticker "To Karl, who strung me along, thanks John Lennon 1980." Lennon also drew a self-portrait caricature, and then left the studio by limousine at approximately 10:30 pm, arriving at his The Dakota apartment building at approximately 10:50 when he was shot dead. It would become the last autograph John Lennon would ever sign, and one of the most important autographs in rock and roll history. The autograph was previously sold for $72,000 in 2012. - Music-News.com, 4/20/25...... Alice CooperBillboard is reporting that Alice Cooper has reunited with his original band for their first album in 51 years on his next album, The Revenge of Alice Cooper. "It was very much like this was our next album after (1973's) Muscle of Love, just like, 'OK, this is the next album.' Isn't that funny after 50 years? All of a sudden it just falls into place," Cooper told Billboard by phone from his home in Phoenix. Cooper's longtime producer Bob Ezrin, meanwhile, says that the band on The Revengewas eerily similar to the group he worked with on platinum Cooper 70s albums such as Love It to Death, Killer, School's Out and Billion Dollar Babies. "None of them has changed much as a person," Ezrin says. "Obviously everyone's older and more mature and more settled, but when we all get together and I watch the interplay between them, it's like they just walked out of high school and were hanging out in the local cafe. They just revert to type. They revert to who they were as kids when the first got together... and make music together like they did 50-some years ago." The 14-track album reunites Cooper with guitarist Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway and drummer Neil Smith. Guitarist Glen Buxton passed away in 1997 at the age of 49 -- the album is dedicated "to our brother Glen Buxton" -- and he's represented on two songs: "What Happened to You" is built from the riff on an old demo tape Dunaway and Buxton made together and the limited-edition box set bonus track "Return of the Spiders 2025," is an upgraded remix of a track from the group's second album, 1970's Easy Action. Cooper will be premiering the first single, "Black Mamba," on Apr. 22)on the latest episode of his syndicated radio show, Alice's Attic. Featuring Robby Krieger of The Doors, a friend of Cooper and his band's the late 60s days in Los Angeles, it was, according to Alice, "definitely an Alice Cooper, from-the-ground-up song" created during studios sessions for the album. As word about The Revenge filters out, Dunaway says the band is "ready to explode with excitement because we've kept it secret for so long." There's no word yet, however, on whether the four will regroup to play live to support the new LP when it's released on July 25. Cooper already has a full slate of touring ahead this year, including a May and August dates in the U.S., summer shows in Europe and a co-headlining run with Judas Priest during September and October. - Billboard, 4/21/25...... Just days after it appeared that The Who's current drummer Zak Starkey would no longer be performing with the group after three decades, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend took to Instagram on on Apr. 19 to announce that Starkey has been reinstated after what he described as "communication issues." "News Flash! Who Backs Zak! He's not being asked to step down from The Who," Townshend posted "There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily." The announcement comes shortly after Starkey addressed rumors of his firing, reportedly sparked by singer Roger Daltrey's dissatisfaction with Starkey's performance during a Teenage Cancer Trust benefit show at London's Royal Albert Hall in late March. Townshend elaborated on the situation in his post, saying, "Roger and I would like Zak to tighten up his latest evolved drumming style to accommodate our non-orchestral line up and he has readily agreed. I take responsibility for some of the confusion. Our TCT shows at the Royal Albert Hall were a little tricky for me. I thought that four and a half weeks would be enough time to recover completely from having a complete knee replacement. (Why did I ever think I could land on my knees?) Wrong!" Townshend elaborated that "maybe we didn't put enough time into sound checks, giving us problems on stage." "The sound in the centre of the stage is always the most difficult to work with," he added. "Roger did nothing wrong but fiddle with his in-ear monitors. Zak made a few mistakes and he has apologised. Albeit with a rubber duck drummer. We are a family, this blew up very quickly and got too much oxygen. It's over. We move forward now with optimism and fire in our bellies." Starkey later shared Townshend's post on his own Instagram, adding, "V grateful to be a part of the who family Thanks Roger and Pete xx. Repost from @officialthewho." The drummer, son of Ringo Starr and his former wife Maureen, has been a central figure in The Who's live lineup since 1996, when he joined the band for their reunion tour, performing their 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia in its entirety. - Billboard, 4/19/25...... Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe have announced they're teaming up for the premiere "Rock the Tides Destination Festival" in Riviera Maya, Mexico this winter. The two legendary hard rock groups will set up shop from Nov. 7-9 for the Rock the Tides fest, which will also include sets from Poison singer and solo performer Bret Michaels, Extreme, the Struts, Buckcherry, Dorothy, Living Colour, Moon Walker and Velvet Daydream. Guests have a choice to stay at two different all-inclusive luxury five-star resorts, the adults-only Barcel Riviera Maya Barcel Maya Grand, with all packages including a resort room, unlimited food and drinks, access to all the shows and transportation to and from the airport, according to a press release announcing the event. The festival poster and teaser video has been shared on Instagram. - Billboard, 4/18/25...... Bruce SpringsteenBruce Springsteen dropped "Blind Spot," the second preview of his upcoming Tracks II: The Lost Albums box set, on Apr. 17. Opening with a sampled voice grunting over a mechanical-sounding drum beat, it finds Springsteen singing, "We inhabited each other/ Like it was some kind of disease/ I thought that I was flyin'/ But I was crawlin' on my knees," in a haunted cadence. The chorus leans into the notion that it's the things we miss in love that are our undoing: "Everybody's got a blind spot that brings 'em down/ Everybody's got a blind spot they can't get around." "Blind Spot" was written following the New Jersey rockers's 1994 Oscar- and Grammy-winning song "Streets of Philadelphia," which accompanied the 1993 Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington movie Philadelphia, director Jonathan Demme's legal drama about an attorney suing his former employer for his firing after the firm discovers he's gay and has AIDS. Though a companion Philadelphia album never saw the light of day, the LP was completed, mixed and slated for release in the spring of 1995, then shelved when Springsteen opted instead to reunite with the E Street Band after a seven-year hiatus. Earlier in April, Springsteen announced the June 27 release of Tracks II, which will contain seven previously unheard full-length records. - Billboard, 4/17/25...... Elton John and Brandi Carlisle have united their respective Elton John AIDS Foundation and Looking Out Foundation to offset the Pres. Donald Trump. administration's cuts to HIV/AIDS funding. "Without prompt action, decades of progress in the global fight against HIV could be reversed, creating a global health crisis that we have both the power and the tools to prevent," Joh said in a statement. "Our mission is more important than ever -- we refuse to leave anyone behind -- and I'm so fortunate that Brandi is not only a wonderful collaborator and artist, but a dear friend who shares my vision of a world where HIV care is prioritised and protected," he added. Looking Out Foundation have committed to matching every donation up to $100,000, claiming it will "double the impact to protect HIV prevention and care services across the US and around the world." After his second inauguration in January, Trump passed an executive order slashing the funding for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which has resulted in major setbacks for many HIV/AIDS programs that rely on USAID funding. Elton launched the foundation in 1992 and it is reported to have raised over $500 million over the last three decades. The pair's first collaborative album, Who Believes In Angels?, is currently a Top 10 release in the US and a No. 1 hit in the UK. Meanwhile, it appears Elton could have yet another collaborative partner soon -- '80s pop queen Madonna. Madonna and Elton recently buried the hatchet after years of feuding and Madonna revealed Elton had written a song for her, which Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters hinted on Nick Grimshaw's "Sidetracked" podcast could become the Rocket Man's next duet. Shears revealed superstar Elton always does his best to support new music but can be difficult to please. He explained: "He's always on it, but I can never predict what he's going to like. I can be listening to something and be like, 'Elton's going to love this,' and I'll be like, 'Elton, what do you think of this?'. He'll be like, 'Absolute c***. That's the worst thing I've ever heard'. It's really funny. But he's so passionate about music and he loves it so much. I know when he really likes something because he's effusive about it." - NME/Music-News.com, 4/17/25...... Speaking of Donald Trump, Neil Young's actress wife Daryl Hannah has said the first Trump administration tried to "mess Neil Young up" over his American citizenship. In light of his own speculations he may not be let back into the country after his upcoming European tour wraps, Hannah continued: "They've been detaining people who have green cards or visas -- which is hideous and horrifying -- but they have not, so far, been refusing to let American citizens back in the country, so I don't think that's going to happen." The Trump administration has deported and detained several immigrants over their political views, including pro-Palestine activists, as well as those backing Ukraine over Russia." If you say anything bad about Trump or his administration, you may be barred from re-entering USA. If you are Canadian, if you are a dual citizen like me, who knows? We'll all find that out together," Young recently posted on his blog. Hannah's revelation comes ahead of the release of forthcoming documentary Coastal, which was shot and directed by Hannah. "A personal, behind-the-scenes look at Young during his 2023 tour dates" which gives "an up-close and intimate view into the life of one of history's most iconic songwriters and musicians," it was screened in cinemas for one night only worldwide on Apr. 17. Its official trailer can be viewed on YouTube. - NME, 4/14/25...... Donna SummerSongwriter Toby Gad, who has worked with the likes of Beyoncé, Fergie, Madonna and many more throughout the years, is set to share a posthumous song by '70s disco queen Donna Summer later in 2025. Gad, who recently dropped an new album that reimagines some of his biggest hits in his career, recently told BANG Showbiz that he has another release on the way -- a previously unreleased song from Summer, which the two worked on shortly before her death in 2012. "Moving forward, I'm releasing new singles of new songs with the same sonic signature," he told the outlet. "And one song I wrote was with Donna Summer before she passed, which I'm going to release. That's an unreleased song I'm working on and in a couple of months that will come out, and I'm very proud of it." Gad and Summer had worked together for the 'I Feel Love' singer's final album, 2008's Crayons. Recalling their time in the studio and during the writing process, Gad said: "Donna and I, we spent some beautiful times at her beach house. I worked with her on her last album. I had three songs on her last album. She was such an icon, so I'm really proud of that one coming out soon." More details about the track, including the title and release date, are expected to be shared soon. In other Donna Summer news, it was reported earlier this year that Kanye West and the late singer's estate had finally reached a settlement over the alleged "illegal" use of 'I Feel Love' on the controversial rapper's Vultures 1 album. A copyright infringement lawsuit was filed against both West and Ty Dolla $ign by Summer's husband Bruce Sudano, claiming that the two rappers did not have permission to sample the 1977 disco hit on their collaborative album. - NME, 4/17/25...... Greek art designer Ioannis Vasilopoulos, who has designed album cover artwork for such famous hard rock and heavy metal bands as Deep Purple, Bon Jovi, King Crimson and Extreme, has died at age 66 of as yet undisclosed causes. Vasilopoulos had been selling prints of his work on his official website prior to his passing. His family shared a stateent on Facebook on Apr. 8, writing: "The outpouring of love for Ioannis and his work is a great comfort. Ioannis wanted to do so many new things, and as a family, we have been tasked with continuing his work. His energy will live on through his incredible art. His bright smile and child-like excitement live on in his works. Ioannis will undoubtedly be remembered as one of rock's all-time great artists." Some of the more notable album artworks designed by Vasilopoulos include Deep Purple's Rapture Of The Deep, Sepultura's Chaos A.D., Extreme's Extreme II: Pornograffitti (A Funked Up Fairytale), and King Crimson's The ConstruKction Of Light. - NME, 4/11/25.

Friday, April 11, 2025

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on April 16th, 2025

During an appearance on Kate and Oliver Hudson's Sibling Revelry podcast, actress Liv Tyler recalled how she experienced a "wave of shock" when she found out Steven Tyler and not Todd Rundgren was her biological father. Recalling how her mother, Playboy model Bebe Buell, revealed to her who her real father was during one of the Aerosmith frontman's concerts, she said, "We sat on a bench at this outdoor amphitheatre and she told me the whole story in the most sincere, beautiful way. I just was there with it and then we went backstage after the show." She continued, "The first wave was shock. After that concert, we went home and my mom had a chaise lounge in front of a window. I remember sitting there for what felt like three days, but it was probably three hours, and coming to this conclusion of 'Whoa, I have two dads and all this love.'" Steven later took a paternity test to determine that he was her father when Liv was "11 or 12." The Lord of the Rings actress told the Hudsons that she believes her mom's on and off boyfriend during the '70s, Todd Rundgren, took the news "so hard" back then and still to this day. "I think it's probably still very hard and painful and I don't speak to him enough. I love him. I have brothers from him and I had a whole family with them," Liv said of the musician, who added that he "took care of me as (if) he was dad" before the paternity news came out. Following a brief romance with Steven, Buell became pregnant, but Rundgren signed Liv's birth certificate and she was originally named Liv Rundgren. Live, 47, admitted she needed "therapy" over the situation when she was older, adding, "Your life starts to formulate and then you're like, 'Wait, I need to deal with this s**t.'" - Music-News.com, 4/16/25...... Zak StarkeyThe Who have apparently parted ways with their current touring drummer, Zak Starkey, after nearly three decades, following the band's recent run of London shows. A spokesman for the legendary English group said: "The band made a collective decision to part ways with Zak after this round of shows at the Royal Albert Hall. They have nothing but admiration for him and wish him the very best for his future." Tensions reportedly came to a head in mid-March when Daltrey complained onstage about Starkey's performance during The Who's Teenage Cancer Trust charity gigs. A report of the first performance suggested that Daltrey stopped several songs mid-performance, citing difficulty hearing the band over the drums. It also said that Daltrey paused their final song, "The Song Is Over," and told the audience: "To sing that song I do need to hear the key, and I can't. All I've got is drums going boom, boom, boom. I can't sing to that. I'm sorry guys." On Apr. 13, Starkey, the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, posted an all-caps message to his Instagram pate that "Toger Daktrey [sic]... [was] unhappy with Zak the drummer's performance at the Albert Hall a few weeks ago is bringing formal charges of overplaying and is literally going to Zak the drummer." Starkey joined the band during their 1996 "Quadrophenia" world tour. He was introduced to drumming by The Who's original drummer, Keith Moon, a close family friend of the Starrs', who gave him a drum kit for his eighth birthday. He went on to play major shows with the group, including the 2010 Super Bowl and the 2012 London Olympics. Zak Starkey has also played with the likes of Oasis, Johnny Marr, Paul Weller and Graham Coxon. He currently performs in the recently-formed supergroup Mantra of the Cosmos, also featuring former members of the Happy Mondays, Black Grape, Oasis and Ride. - Billboard, 4/16/25...... Canadian-born music legend Neil Young is wading into his native country's upcoming federal election, throwing his support behind Liberal Leader Mark Carney. In a message posted to his Neil Young Archives, Young, who resides in the United States, said he wanted to tell the newly-minted prime minister, "How much I appreciate and support what you are trying to do for our great country, Canada." Watching U.S. Pres. Donald Trump's continuing rhetoric about wanting Canada to become part of the U.S. has apparently left Young worried about the future of his home country. "Canada is facing threats to its very existence, incredibly from people we thought were our friends," he wrote. "They want our resources, they want our land, they want our fisheries, they want our water, they want our Arctic, maybe they want our souls. I know the U.S. president could use a soul." Young added that it will take "more than bravado to fight this kind of threat," saying that the country's next leader will have to have "brains, deep economic knowledge of how the world works (and) strong, intelligent strategies." "Mr. Carney, I believe you are the person to do it," he wrote. "I believe you are the person our country needs to lead us through this crazy situation and bring us out the other side as a stronger, smarter, more resilient Canada, our core values of caring and fairness and generosity intact, along with our souls." Young's support for Carney comes after the Liberals tapped comedian Mike Myers -- who also doesn't live in Canada -- for a series of political ads last month. The spot, which generated over 13.5 million views on X, ends with Myers asking Carney a question that's been on the minds of a lot of Canadians lately: "Let me ask you, Mr. Prime Minister, will there always be a Canada?" "There will always be a Canada," Carney says confidently. - Canoe.com, 4/16/25...... In other Neil Young news, the rocker, Joan Baez and Maggie Rogers shared the stage at U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' Fighting Oligarchy rally at Los Angeles' Grand Park. The event, which centered on anti-corporate messaging and grassroots political reform, also featured solo sets from all three artists. Young, who closed out the rally, began his brief performance with "Rainbow of Colors," a song from his 2019 album Colorado, before launching into "Rockin' in the Free World." Midway through the song, Baez and Rogers walked onstage to join him, taking turns on vocals and leading chants of "Power to the people" and "Take America back" between verses. Young, a longtime supporter of progressive causes, first released "Rockin' in the Free World" in 1989 on his album Freedom, and has performed it across decades of political moments. In 2020, the rocker filed a copyright infringement lawsuit over Donald Trump's unauthorized use of "Rockin' in the Free World" at campaign events. Fan-shot footage of the rally performances has been shared on YouTube. - Billboard, 4/14/25...... On Apr. 15 British hard rock legends Judas Priest and seminal shock rocker Alice Cooper announced they're teaming up for a 22-city co-headlining North American tour this fall. The outing is slated to kick on Sept. 16 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Miss., then wind its way through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Colorado, Utah, California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, wrapping on Oct. 16 at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston. The run of shows will be the follow-up to Priest's 2024 tour in support of their 19th studio album, Invincible Shield, which debuted at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart. Priest has also announced a run of South American and European Shield dates this spring and summer beginning with a gig at the Arena of Rock festival in Brasilia, Brazil on Apr. 16. Indefatigable snake charmer Cooper will also be on the road before the fall tour, with his next scheduled show slated for May 2 at the VBC Mark C. Smith Concert Hall in Huntsville, Ala. Meanwhile, former Judas Priest drummer Les Binks, who manned the kit in the metal band's lineup for a few crucial years in the late 1970s, has died at 73. The band announced Binks' death on Apr. 15 with an Instagram post that read, "We are deeply saddened about the passing of Les and send our love to his family, friends and fans. The acclaimed drumming he provided was first class - demonstrating his unique techniques, flair, style and precision - Thank you Les - your acclaim will live on.." Binks made his first appearance with group in time for 1977's Sin After Sin, the band's major label debut, and made his biggest mark on 1978's Stained Class, where his massive, double kick drum sound and blitzkrieg style set the stage for the speed and thrash metal of the 1980s. His final record with the band would be the band's 1979 Unleashed in the East live album recorded in Tokyo earlier that year, after which he split following a reported dispute with band manager Mike Dolan over compensation for the live LP. - Billboard, 4/15/25...... Barry ManilowBarry Manilow has announced he will take a break from his ongoing Las Vegas residency for a series of 16 North American arena dates in what is being called his "final North American concert tour" over the coming months. Dubbed "The Last Concerts," Manilow's upcoming run of arena shows will launch on May 23 in Pittsburgh, also hitting such markets as Philadelphia, Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Detroit and Cleveland through June 5. After a brief return to his ongoing Vegas residency, he'll play cities inlcuding Spokane, Seattle, Portland and Oakland, Cal., before wrapping in Sacramento on July 19. Those dates will again be followed by a return to Las Vegas, and a handful of holiday shows in December. "I couldn't be more thrilled to visit these great cities of which I have so many fond memories," Manilow said in a statement. "Each one is special to my touring history." News of the "Copacabana" singer's upcoming North American dates comes just a few months after he announced a lifetime residency at his longtime home, the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. Manilow launched his "The Hits Come Home" residency at the Westgate Hotel in 2021, playing his first residency at the hotel (when it was known as the Las Vegas Hilton) from Feb. 2005 to Dec. 2009. He followed with his "Manilow Paris Las Vegas" at the Paris Hotel & Casino at Las Vegas from Mar. 2010 to Dec. 2012. His current run of residency dates see him booked until Dec. 13, though he will perform five shows for "Manilow's A Gift of Love VII" concerts at Palm Desert's McCallum Theatre only days later. - Billboard, 4/15/25...... Elton John and Brandi Carlile's first collaborative album, Who Believes In Angels?, has debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart dated Apr. 19, marking the 22nd top 10 for John and fourth for Carlile. Who Believes in Angels? earned 40,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its opening week (April 4-10), according to Luminate. The album's sales (36,500) were bolstered by its availability across seven vinyl and five CD variants, including signed versions. John earned his first Billboard Hot 200 top 10 more than 54 years ago, with his self-titled album on the Jan. 30, 1971-dated chart. The new album also takes a bow atop both the music industry publication's Top Rock Albums and Top Rock & Alternative Albums charts, while also opening in the top 10 on Top Album Sales (No. 2), Indie Store Album Sales (No. 2) and Vinyl Albums (No. 3). The album has also hit No. 1 in the UK's Official Albums Chart for the week of Apr. 11, giving John his 10th chart-topper in his native England. It now joins Elton's classics Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) and Caribou (1973) as chart-toppers in his home country. His greatest hits collection Diamonds (2017) and The Lockdown Sessions (2021) have also achieved the feat in recent years. - Billboard, 4/14/25...... Rising singer Benson Boone was quite excited to be joined by Queen legend Brian May for a performance of Queen's classic "Bohemian Rhapsody" during Boone's slot at the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival on Apr. 11 in Indio, Calif., however the crowd apparently didn't share his enthusiasm when May was introduced. After the event, the 22-year-old star took to TikTok to share a playful video making fun of the characteristically lackluster crowd at the festival. "Me trying to get the crowd at Coachella to understand what an absolute legend Brian May is and the cultural impact he has on music and THE WORLD," Boone wrote over a clip of himself lip syncing to "Bohemian Rhapsody" into a banana microphone, and then looking visibly confused and frustrated when pretending to not hear a reaction from the crowd. Meanwhile, over on Instagram, May expressed how excited he was to join Boone onstage. "I'm still reeling from last night at Coachella," the Queen guitarist wrote alongside a photo of the "Beautiful Things" singer jumping over him onstage. "Thanks to all of you folks who made it feel so special -- you know who you are !!!! And this particular way of concluding Bohemian Rhapsody will be hard to beat in the years to come !!! Thanks. And for Benson and his entire team, I have no words. I'm awestruck." - Billboard, 4/14/25...... AC-DCAC/DC kicked off their first North American tour in nine years with a 21-song set at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Apr. 10. The show featured five songs from the band's 1980 classic Back in Black, and they opened the show with the Highway to Hell cut "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)." Songs like "Riff Raff" and "Let There Be Rock" were performed with extended guitar solos courtesy of Angus Young, while "T.N.T" and "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)" rounded up the show as encore picks. The 13 dates under the 'PWR UP' tour will see Aussie headbangers cross the continent over a six-week period, and will conclude in Cleveland's Huntington Bank Field on May 28. This tour also marks the band's first run of shows with their new line-up, comprising singer Brian Johnson, guitarists Angus and Stevie Young, drummer Matt Laug, and new bassist Chris Chaney (Jane's Addiction, Alanis Morissette). After their North American trek, the rock veterans will hit the road for 12 dates across 10 European countries this summer kicking off in Prague on June 26. It'll run through to Aug.21 in Edinburgh, which will mark their first show in Scotland in a decade. The "Power Up"' tour takes its name from AC/DC's 2020 album of the same name, their 17th studio record. - NME, 4/11/25...... Pink Floyd has shared a YouTube video of their "One Of These Days" performance from their upcoming Pink Floyd At Pompeii MCMLXXII concert film, which is set to be released worldwide on Apr. 24. The new 4K restoration of the band's classic 1972 concert film -- which uses the original 35mm footage with audio newly mixed by Steven Wilson -- is set debut in cinemas worldwide. The original film was directed by Adrian Maben and it sees the legendary band performing in the amphitheatre in Oct. 1971, with no audience in attendance beyond the basic film crew. It features the band playing a range of music from their career up to that point, including "Echoes" and "Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun." It will also include rare behind-the-scenes footage of the band beginning work on The Dark Side of the Moon at Abbey Road Studios. The cinema release will be released on Blu-ray on May 2, and will be accompanied by a live album, released the same day by Legacy Recordings. - New Musical Express, 4/11/25...... Producers of the new John Lennon documentary Borrowed Time have announced the film will receive its world premiere at London's Cine International Film Festival in May. The four-day event is taking place at the Karma Sanctum Soho Hotel in the capital from May 7 to 10 and will include the first screening of the biopic on May 9. The film's director Alan G. Parker will also be on hand for an exclusive talk after the screening. Borrowed Time is an ambitious new documentary that uses archive footage, never-before-seen interviews and eyewitness accounts to explore the final decade of the Beatle legend's life. The film's trailer was shared in February and can be viewed on YouTube. "Follow the legend as he evolves beyond The Beatles, creating revolutionary music and standing at the forefront of anti-war protests that would make him one of the most influential pop culture icons of all time," reads the film's official synopsis. "For the first time ever, the full story of how John and Yoko met is revealed and watch as the curtain is lifted on the 1981 comeback tour that never came to be," reads the documentary's logline. Meanwhile, another Lennon-related film project, One To One: John & Yoko, opened in UK cinemas on Apr. 11. The Kevin Macdonald-directed film explores the couple's time in New York City from 1971 to 1973. - NME, 4/11/25...... Shaun Cassidy has paid tribute to his late brother and fellow '70s teen idol David Cassidy on what would have been David's 75th birthday. Posting on Instagram on Apr. 12, Shaun recalled childhood memories with his big brother: "When David came to visit us on the weekends, my mother always made it a priority to celebrate him," he captioned a throwback photo with his brother. "She knew how difficult it was for a kid to be shuttled back and forth between two households, and she never wanted David to feel like he was a guest or a 'half-brother' in our home." David was born to actor Jack Cassidy and his first wife, Evelyn Ward, in 1950. Shaun was born to Jack and his second wife, Shirley Jones, in 1958. "There were no better nights than when David came to sleep over, and no better mornings than those spent walking around Westwood, dining at Ships coffee shop, and then riding the ponies at Beverly Park," the singer continued. "Before my younger brothers were born, these were the happiest days of my childhood because I got to share them with my big brother, Dave. God, I miss him. Happy birthday, pal." David Cassidy, best known for his role as Keith Partridge alongside his real-life stepmother Shirley Jones on The Partridge Family, died in 2017 from organ failure at the age of 67. - Music-News.com, 4/15/25...... Stevie NicksOn Apr. 14 Stevie Nicks announced on Instagram she "can't wait" to get back on the road with a run of solo dates beginning Aug. 12 with a show in Boston, which she'll follow with stops in Toronto, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina, Florida, Arizona, Nevada and Oklahoma. Sharing a poster with the dates listed on it, the Fleetwood Mac frontwoman wrote, "More solo shows are on the way in 2025 -- I can't wait to share these nights with you." Four days prior to her kickoff performance in Massachusetts, Nicks will play MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., with Billy Joel. The duo has been co-headlining gigs together for the past couple of years, and after the remainder of Nicks' solo August shows, they'll team up again for stadium performances in Santa Clara, Calif., on Oct. 4, New Orleans on Oct. 18 and Detroit on Nov. 15. The tour dates come about seven months after Nicks dropped "The Lighthouse," a women's empowerment anthem inspired by the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade that marked her first proper release since 2020's "Show Them the Way." She's since performed the track on Saturday Night Live in October as well as Jimmy Kimmel Live the following month. "I have often said to myself, 'This may be the most important thing I ever do,'" Nicks wrote of the song in a statement at the time of its release. "To stand up for the women of the United States and their daughters and granddaughters - and the men that love them. This is an anthem." - Billboard, 4/14/25...... British actress Jean Marsh, who co-created and starred in the beloved television series Upstairs, Downstairs, died at her home in Britain on Apr. 13 of complications of dementia. She was 90. Ms. Marsh and her fellow actress Eileen Atkins developed the Upstairs, Downstairs concept over several years. The characters who eventually became Rose and Sarah, the maids, were intended to be played by the two of them. It was intended to be comedy but then the Bellamy family was added and it became drama. By the time it went into production, Atkins was performing on stage and wasn't available; Sarah was recast. The series was set in a "small" house at 165 Eaton Place, in fashionable Belgravia. The family had a long-term land lease; noble families tend to own the most valuable land in London. It was never clear to me if they owned or leased the house itself. Rose was the experienced upstairs made (plus other duties that required a uniform change during the work day) who later became the nanny as the upstairs household changed. The show lasted for 68 episodes over five seasons 1971-1975 and was produced by London Weekend Television. The show was aired in the U.S. three years after it first aired in the U.K., part of the popular WGBH Masterpiece Theatre, hosed by Alistair Cooke. - 4/13/25...... Wink MartindaleWink Martindale, a rock 'n' roll disc jockey and good friend of Elvis Presley who gained fame as the host of such TV game shows as Tic-Tac-Dough, Gambit and High Rollers, died on Apr. 15 in Rancho Mirage, Cal., according to his publicist. He was 91. The friendly Martindale, who had a 74-year career, was known for his resonant voice, vivid sport coats and, especially, his curious first name. "When I was a kid in Jackson, Tennessee, one of my playmates, Jimmy McCord, couldn't say 'Winston,' which is my given name. He had a speech impediment, and it came out sounding like 'Winky,'" Mr. Martindale explained to ABC News in 2014. "So Winston turned into Winky, and then I got into the business and Wink it was! It served me well." Mr. Martindale recorded for Dot Records -- Pat Boone was another artist on that label -- and his "Deck of Cards," a narrative release from 1959, sold more than 1 million copies. He also sang "All Love Broke Loose" during the 1958 film Let's Rock. His second wife, Sandy, whom he married in 1975, dated Presley on and off until shortly before the singer wed Priscilla Wagner in 1967, and she appeared as a dancer in Viva Las Vegas (1964) and other Elvis movies. "Elvis is responsible for me marrying Wink," she said in a 2015 interview. "When [Mr. Martindale] said he was from Tennessee, I said, 'He must be a nice guy,' because I loved the state, I loved all the guys, I loved everything in the state of Tennessee because Elvis was such a wonderful part of my life." Winston Conrad Martindale was born on Dec. 4, 1933, in Jackson. His former Sunday school teacher managed WPLI, a 250-watt radio station, and gave him his first job in radio at $25 a week in 1951. He was 17 and a senior in high school. A few years later, he made the big move to WHBQ in Memphis, about 90 miles away from home, where he hosted a radio show in the morning and a popular kids TV show, Wink Martindale of Mars Patrol, in the afternoon. "All of a sudden I became a radio personality that everyone knew and respected to a television 'star,' and the kids loved me!" he said in a 2010 interview. Mr. Martindale happened to be back at WHBQ on one evening in July 1954 when he helped arrange to get Presley to the station for his first-ever radio interview, shortly after the debut of his song "That's All Right." Mr. Martindale hosted the American Bandstand-like show Top Ten Dance Party in Memphis -- Elvis was a big get for him on that show -- then asked for and was granted a transfer to Los Angeles' KHJ (radio and television) in 1959. He hosted another local Dance Party program, this one from Pacific Ocean Park in Santa Monica, and later had a 12-year run as the midday personality on the Gene Autry-owned station KMPC beginning in 1971. Mr. Martindale said he became interested in hosting a TV game show in 1965 when he learned that Password's Allen Ludden would "go in two days a week and tape five shows one day and five shows the next and the other five days play golf. I went to my agent and said, 'How about sending me on a game-show hosting interview?'" He eventually landed at NBC's What's That Song? (billed as Win Martindale) and worked for a year on that, the first of the 20 game shows that he hosted (only Bill Cullen did more). He was on Tic-Tac-Dough for a decade, did two shows for producer Chuck Barris (How's Your Mother-in-Law? and Dream Girl of '67) and produced game shows as well. Mr. Martindale co-hosted and helped produce a cerebral palsy telethon in his hometown for more than a decade and published an autobiography, Winking at Life, in 2000. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame six years later and on Oct. 13, 2007, he was one of the first inductees into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. In addition to his wife, survivors include his daughters, Lisa, Lyn and Laura; his sister, Geraldine; and his "honorary son," Eric. - The Hollywood Reporter, 4/15/25.

Mick Jagger's current girlfriend Melanie Hamrick has finally confirmed the couple have been engaged "for two or three years." In an interview for the French magazine Paris Match, the 37-year-old former ballerina addressed rumours suggesting that the Rolling Stones frontman had proposed to her around two years ago. "We've been engaged two or three years," she revealed. However Hamrick added she and Jagger, 81, aren't in a rush to tie the knot. "Maybe one day we'll marry, maybe not. We are so happy in our current life that I would be too afraid to change anything," she continued, before reflecting on the secret to their relationship. "We try to support each other, be there for each other, and make sure everyone is happy. That's all that matters to me and all I strive for." In June 2023, Hamrick sparked engagement rumours when she wore a large diamond ring on her ring finger while promoting her debut novel, First Position, but later told People magazine it was merely a "promise ring." Hamrick and Jagger first met in 2014 and welcomed a son, Deveraux, two years later. Jagger's only legal marriage was to Bianca Jagger from 1971 until their split was finalized in 1978. He is father to seven other children from previous relationships. - Music-News.com, 4/11/25...... Rod StewartRod Stewart has shared details of a new best-of album which will drop just before his milestone performance the UK's Glastonbury festival this summer. Dubbed Ultimate Hits, the forthcoming LP comes as part of his 80th birthday celebrations and is set for release on June 27 via Warner. It's being touted as the first-ever solo-career-spanning hits collection from the legendary songwriter, and will include his signature breakthrough songs "Handbags and Gladrags" and "Maggie May," and move through to follow-up hits like "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?," "Hot Legs" and "Baby Jane." Various versions include 1-CD and 2-CD deluxe editions, collector-edition vinyl pressings in various colours, store-exclusive alternative-cover variants, and limited-edition cassette and Blu-ray audio versions. Stewart will take Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm in Somerset for the coveted Sunday afternoon "Legends slot" on June 29, and has announced he'll be accompanied by his friend and former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood. 2025 will also see Stewart return to his Las Vegas residencies at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace, then perform in Europe, South America and North America as part of his highly anticipated "One Last Time" tour, which launches another European leg later in April. - New Musical Express, 4/10/25...... Former Eurythmics member Dave Stewart will release Dave Does Dylan, a 14-track LP of Bob Dylan covers, on Record Store Day (Apr. 12). The album features recordings of Dylan tracks such as "Simple Twist of Fate," "Forever Young," "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," "Visions of Johanna" and more. They're songs Stewart says he recorded on his iPhone over time -- during breaks in the studio, in his hotel rooms on tour or backstage at gigs. "Whenever I was waiting in-between something, I just started to put an iPhone on a little stick and sing a Bob Dylan song. I was just doing it for fun, and then I would put one up on Instagram every now and then and people would say, 'Oh, we love this! Why don't you make an album of this?'." He continued: "I didn't take any of it seriously. Then my management company said, 'We'd love to put this out on vinyl on Record Store Day.' I had 24 songs, so then it was, 'OK, we have to cut it down to fit on an album unless it's a double album,' which we didn't want to do. So we picked these (14), and I think you can hear that I have a deep connection to the songs and you can hear every word, even though we couldn't really mix them because the guitar and the voice are going down the same mics." Dylan himself has voiced his support of the project in a statement announcing the album: "Captain Dave is a dreamer and a fearless innovator, a visionary of high order, very delicately tractable on the surface but beneath that, he's a slamming, thumping, battering ram, very mystical but rational and sensitive when it comes to the hot irons of art forms," he wrote. "An explosive musician, deft guitar player, innately recognizes the genius in other people and puts it into play without being manipulative. With him, there's mercifully no reality to yesterday. He is incredibly gracious and soulful, can command the ship and steer the course, dragger, trawler or man of war, Captain Dave." Dave Stewart fans can catch the singer in an episode of Recorded Live at Analog that will premiere during July on PBS. - Billboard, 4/10/25...... Bootsy Collins will release his new album, Album of the Year #1 Funkateer, on Apr. 11. In addition to straightforward funk ("The InFluencers," with guest star Snoop Dogg), Collins travels into guitar-shredding metal ("Barbie T & Me"), electronic dance music (the murmuring "I.Am.AI," with competing robot voices) and hip-hop ("Bootdullivan is Soopafly"). Collins' solo albums in recent years have been long and varied, unlike the Bootsy's Rubber Band days, when he hit the studio, jammed with his bandmates and occasionally turned on the recording machines. "Those jams were just so long. You could only put so much on an album back in the day without it not sounding good," he says. "I never thought we were going to be doing as many songs as I'm doing now, but that's where technology has taken us." - Billboard, 4/9/25...... The Eagles have added more dates to their ongoing residency at Las Vegas Sphere, including new dates in October and November 2025. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers kicked off their current Sphere residency on Sept. 20, 2024, taking over from Dead & Company, who brought their never-ending road trip to the venue on May 16, 2024, with a new run of new dates that kicked off on Apr. 10. The Eagles' remaining 2025 dates can be viewed on Instagram. - Billboard, 4/8/25...... The Tribeca Festival has announced it will kick off its 2025 edition with the world premiere of a new Billy Joel documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes. The two-part doc features unreleased performances, home movies, personal photographs and in-depth, one-on-one interviews. The film, an HBO original, is described as "an expansive portrait of the life and music of Billy Joel, exploring the love, loss, and personal struggles that fuel his songwriting," according to an official announcement from Tribeca. Billy Joel: And So It Goes will have its premiere at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on June 4, 2025, the first night of this year's Tribeca Festival. Running from June 4-15 in NYC, the fest's full lineup -- featuring film, music, TV, audio storytelling, talks, games and immersive programming -- is expected to be revealed soon. Ahead of the Tribeca announcement, the film and plans for its HBO release were first confirmed in late March. Following its festival premiere, the doc will debut on HBO and be available to stream on MAX some time this summer. A release date has yet to be announced. Joel will also return to the stage this summer. In March he postponed his tour in order to recover and undergo physical therapy following an undisclosed surgery, announcing that he will resume performing in July. - Billboard, 4/6/25...... The BBC Two and iPlayer are set to honor Bruce Springsteen in May with a special night of programming marking the 50th anniversary of Springsteen's first-ever UK concert. The centrepiece of the celebration is When Bruce Springsteen Came to Britain, a new one-hour documentary from Wise Owl Films, featuring a world-exclusive interview with the American music icon. The film dives into Springsteen's unique and enduring bond with the UK, beginning with his now-legendary 1975 debut at London's Hammersmith Odeon. At just 26, Springsteen was already creating buzz with Born to Run -- but despite a sold-out crowd, he left the stage disillusioned with his performance. "I had PTSD from the first Hammersmith show," he reveals in the candid new interview. Featuring unseen archive footage and contributions from E Street Band's Stevie Van Zandt, fellow artists Sting and Peter Gabriel, the documentary explores Springsteen's evolving relationship with British fans and musicians. Promoter Harvey Goldsmith, manager Jon Landau, and Sir Michael Palin also offer reflections, with Palin recalling the night in his famous diary. Springsteen's UK journey continued with his triumphant The River Tour in 1981, visits to cities like Newcastle and Brighton, and his massive Born in the USA tour in 1985. The story is brought full circle with his acclaimed 2024 UK shows and his recent induction as the first overseas songwriter to become a Fellow of The Ivors Academy. Also airing as part of the Springsteen celebration is Hammersmith Odeon, '75 -- a full broadcast of the landmark 1975 show -- and a new Bruce Springsteen at the BBC compilation, featuring performances from Top of the Pops, Old Grey Whistle Test, and more. - Music-News.com, 4/10/25...... Elton JohnThe Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) has released a statement saying Russia's just announced ban on its services will "undoubtedly endanger lives." In a statement released Apr. 3, the prosecutor general's office of the Russian federation banned both the British and U.S-registered foundations of the EJAF from offering its services in Russia, designating the non-profit as an "undesirable organization" -- a classification that would allow the state to prosecute and potentially jail individuals affiliated with the charity if they continue working in Russia. EJAF responded with a statement saying it is "devastated to learn of its new label under Russian law." "This decision by the Russian Federation will undoubtedly endanger lives and disrupt critical HIV prevention efforts for ordinary Russian citizens," the statement reads. "At a time when we have the tools and knowledge to defeat HIV, it is heartbreaking to be unable to support them." The organization pointed out that, according to the Russian governments own reporting, over 1.2 million Russians were living with HIV in 2024, and nearly half a million of those people had not received medical treatment. "Despite this setback, we will continue our work across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where the Foundation is the largest philanthropic HIV/AIDS funder," the organization said. Russia's move comes as a double whammy to the EJAF -- in February, the administration of Pres. Donald Trump announced it was eliminating more than 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID's) foreign aid contracts, which the EJAF said "could have devastating effects on the HIV response." - Billboard, 4/10/25...... In other Elton John news, the Rocket Man and his current collaborator Brandi Carlile have dropped a raw, emotional making-of short for their first joint album together, Who Believes In Angels?. In a first for John, the superstar rocker allowed cameras to film the entire recording process, resulting in the 32-minute YouTube short Who Believes in Angels?: Stories From the Edge of Creation, which dropped over the second weekend of April. In addition to the short, fans can also read a song-by-song breakdown of the new album by the two singers, watch their recent performance on SNL, check out the one-hour concert An Evening With Elton John and Brandi Carlile on Paramount+ and hear the duo's song "Never Too Late" from the Disney+ doc Elton John: Never Too Late. Meanwhile, '80s/'90s pop queen Madonna has reported that she and Elton have officially "buried the hatchet" in a long-running feud between the two pop stars that dates back to Nov. 2002. In a photo posted to her Instagram page on Apr. 7, the Material Girl singer is giving the Rocket Man star a side-hug, and says that she and John are on the same page at long last. "We Finally Buried the Hatchet!!! Madonna wrote in her caption. "I went to see @eltonjohn perform on SNL this weekend!! WOW."I n the caption, Madonna revealed that seeing one of John's shows when she was in high school "changed the course of my life, helping her realize that she wanted to become a pop sensation." So, when John publicly expressed his disdain for her, she says she felt wounded. "I had always felt like an outsider growing up and watching him on stage helped me to understand that it was OK to be different -- to stand out -- to take the road, less traveled by, she wrote. "Over the decades it hurt me to know that someone I admired so much shared his dislike of me publicly as an artist. I didn't understand it." In the comments, Elton thanked her for coming to see him at SNL -- and for "forgiving me and my big mouth." The pair's feud officially started in 2002, when John said that Madge's "Die Another Day" was "the worst Bond tune ever" and that the track "hasn't got a tune." He continued to throw digs at the pop singer at the 2004 Q Awards, where he lambasted her winning the best live act award at the ceremony. "Madonna, best live act? F--- off. Since when has lip-synching been live?" he asked. "I think everyone who lip-synchs on stage in public when you pay, like, 75 quid to see them should be shot." Madonna even revealed that the pair's reconciliation could potentially bear fruit. "....He told me had written a song for me and he wanted to collaborate. It was like everything came full circle," she wrote. "And you can tell everybody, This is Your Song." - Billboard, 4/8/25...... In still more Elton news, the singer's epic 1973 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road double-album is among 25 additions to the 2025 National Recording Registry, which is administered by the Library of Congress. The list includes three songs that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100: Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman (1972), which gave the women's liberation movement a theme song; Freddy Fender's country/pop smash "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" (1975), and Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On, the Oscar- and Grammy-winning smash from Titanic (1997). Two double-disk jazz albums -- Miles Davis' classic jazz fusion LP Bitches Brew (1970) and Keith Jarrett's The Köln Concert (1975) -- were also honored, along with Chicago's 1969 debut album, Chicago Transit Authority. The Steve Miller Band were honored for their 1976 album Fly Like an Eagle, which spawned three top 20 hits on the Hot 100 album chart, including the No. 1 smash "Rock'n Me." A left-field selection was Microsoft's Windows reboot chime (1995), composed by Brian Eno. When Microsoft wanted a brief start-up sound that would play when Windows 95 booted up, they approached Eno, who came up with a sound that Microsoft designers felt conveyed the sense of "welcome, hopefulness and progress that they desired." Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian of Congress, with advice from the National Recording Preservation Board, selects 25 titles each year that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Recordings become eligible for the Registry 10 years after release, compared to 25 years for the Grammy Hall of Fame. "These are the sounds of America our wide-ranging history and culture, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement. "The Library of Congress is proud and honored to select these audio treasures worthy of preservation." - Billboard, 4/9/25...... Pete BestPete Best, the original drummer for The Beatles, has announced his retirement. The 83-year-old Best announced his retirement on X, with his brother Roag Best confirming that the drummer will no longer be performing as part of the eponymous Pete Best Band going forward. "Well what an absolutely wonderful ride we've had. However, everything comes to pass," Roag noted. "My brother Pete Best has announced today he is retiring from personal appearances and performing with the group. His daughter has informed me its due to personal circumstances." Pete himself acknowledged his retirement, reposting the original announcement and adding, "I had a blast. Thank you." Best's association with The Beatles began in the late 50s when The Quarrymen -- which was comprised of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ken Brown -- approached his mother Mona to perform at her Liverpool venue, the Casbah Coffee Club. The Quarrymen evolved into The Beatles in 1960, and following brief stints with Tommy Moore and Norman Chapman, the group recruited Best as their drummer ahead of launching a residency in Hamburg, Germany in August of that year. After two years with The Beatles, Best was ousted by manager Brian Epstein in favor of Ringo Starr. Various stories have circulated as to the reason for Best's dismissal, though his alleged lack of ability, his chemistry within the band, and his purported attractiveness have since been raised as possible explanations behind his firing. Following his time with the band, Best performed with other bands including Lee Curtis and the All-Stars and The Pete Best Combo, which notably attempted to capitalize on Best's prior work by releasing an album coyly titled Best of the Beatles. Best later enjoyed a successful career in civil service, raised a family, qualified for early retirement, and made millions from the Beatles' Anthology One album, which featured 12 tracks on which he drummed. The Pete Best Band is currently scheduled to perform at the Liverpool Beatles Museum on Aug. 23, though it's currently unknown if Best's retirement from the band will impact the planned appearance. More info can be found at liverpoolbeatlesmuseum.com. - Billboard, 4/7/25...... In other Beatles-related news, John Lennon's half-sister Julia Baird has said that an actor from Liverpool should play him in the forthcoming Beatles biopics, directed by Sam Mendes. Speaking to The Telegraph, Baird weighed in on her late brother's casting, in which it was recently announced that London-born actor Harris Dickinson (Babygirl) will play Lennon. "Yes, of course" she replied when asked if it should be a Scouser (a person from Liverpool) playing him. "No one else can get that Liverpool intonation. Nobody," she said. On the subject of being consulted about the movie, Baird replied: "[Mendes is] never going to ask me! I'm the last person he would want to talk to because then he can't make it up." Later in the interview, she described John Lennon as: "a brilliant older brother, very bossy -- a family trait." She does, however, regret his fame, given it led to his murder at the hands of fanatic Mark David Chapman in 1980. "To be John's sister is a privilege that I couldn't begin to describe to you. But given the choice I wish he'd never seen a guitar." When asked why, she replied: "Well, then he might have been an art teacher and he'd still be here." All four films -- one dedicated to each Beatle -- will premiere in Apr. 2028, in what Mendes describes as the first "bingeable moment in cinema." - NME, 4/7/25...... Patti Smith has announced she'll release a new memoir, Bread of Angels, in the fall. Described as Smith's "most intimate" memoir, the book follows on from the likes of her previous successful books including 2010's Just Kids, 2015's M Train, and 2019's Year of the Monkey, and is scheduled to release on Nov. 4 via Random House. "It took a decade to write this book, grappling with the beauty and sorrow of a lifetime. I'm hoping that people will find something they need," Smith said in a statement. According to a synopsis, the book focuses on Smith's teenage years, her foray into the world of poetry, and the recording of seminal works such as her Horses and Easter albums. In February, Smith announced a run of European, U.K., and U.S. tour dates in support of the 50th anniversary of Horses. The singer will be joined by longtime side men guitarist Lenny Kaye and drummer Jay Dee Daugherty, who both played on the seminal 1975 LP. - Billboard, 4/10/25...... The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville has announced it will open a Dolly Parton exhibit in May. "Being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame was one of the greatest moments of my life, and being able to have a personal exhibit for the fans that put me there is a very big deal to me, Parton said in a statement. "This seeker is very proud and honored, and I hope you enjoy my journey. I will always love you." The exhibit will highlight key points in Parton's career, such as the handwritten lyrics to her No. 1 hit "Jolene," and the Sony portable cassette tape player recorder the 10-time Grammy winner used when she wrote her now-iconic songs including "I Will Always Love You," "Jolene" and the exhibit's namesake song, "The Seeker." Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker will open on May 20 and run until Sep. 2026. - Billboard, 4/9/25...... Paul SimonPaul Simon kicked off his 2025 North American tour in New Orleans on Apr. 4, following a return from retirement and struggles with his hearing. The opening night of his "A Quiet Celebration" tour also came as a huge milestone, as it was his first headline performance in two years, following rumours that he may never play live again due to severe hearing loss. Taking to the stage at the Saenger Performing Arts Theater, the 83-year-old kicked off the set with a handful of songs from his most recent studio album, Seven Psalms and was joined by his wife Edie Brickell for renditions of "Wait" and "The Sacred Harp." As the set developed, Simon moved into some of his most popular tracks including "Homeward Bound," "Slip Slidin' Away" and "Graceland," before wrapping up the 19-song setlist with performances of two huge Simon & Garfunkel songs: "The Boxer" and "The Sound Of Silence." Simon worked alongside the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss to help overcome the obstacles around playing live. This included repositioning the monitors on stage and opting for smaller venues with better acoustics -- allowing him to hear himself better during the performances. Other stops on the tour include Austin, Denver, Minneapolis, Kansas City, St. Louis, Dallas, Boston, Chicago and more throughout the summer, including five shows at the Disney Hall in Los Angeles and five shows at New York's Beacon Theatre. Footage from the NO show can be viewed on YouTube. - NME, 4/7/25...... Neil Young will be among the headliners for the 59th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival, set to take place on the picturesque shores of Lake Geneva between July 4-19. The opening night will feature a celebration of the late music icon Quincy Jones by soul legend Chaka Khan ("To Quincy With Love"), as well as a set marking Kahn's half-century of music-making, with the Casino stage hosting a James Blake solo piano set that same night. In addition to Young and his band the Chrome Hearts and Kahn, other acts slated to perform include Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Santana, The Black Keys, Brandi Carlile and Alanis Morissette, among others. The full lineup can be viewed on MJF's Instagram page. - Billboard, 4/10/25...... Former child actor Jay North, who starred as the titular troublemaker on the 1959-1963 CBS sitcom Dennis the Menace died peacefully at his home on Apr. 6, according to an announcement shared by his friend and Dennis the Menace co-star Jeannie Russell. He was 73. North's and Russell's mutual friend Laurie Jacobson posted on Facebook that Russell told her that "Our dear friend JAY NORTH has been fighting cancer for a number of years and this morning at noon EST, Jay passed peacefully at home." Born Aug. 3, 1951 in Hollywood, North was discovered after appearing on the Los Angeles children's show Cartoon Express, which led to appearances on several NBC variety shows, as well as episodes of Wanted: Dead or Alive, 77 Sunset Strip and Colt .45. At 6, North won a nationwide casting search for his breakout role in the CBS sitcom adaptation of Hank Ketcham's comic strip. During his time on Dennis the Menace, the child actor was abused by his aunt and uncle, which was revealed during a 1993 big screen adaptation of the series. Over the years, North appeared on such shows as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Lucy Show, My Three Sons, The Flinstones Comedy Hour, Lassie, General Hospital and The Simpsons, as well as movies like Zebra in the Kitchen (1965), Maya (1966), The Teacher (1974) and Dickie Robert: Former Child Star (2003). "He had a difficult journey in Hollywood and after but he did not let it define his life," Jacobson wrote. "He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply. He called us frequently and ended every conversation with 'I love you with all my heart.' And we loved him with all of ours. A life-long friend of Jon's, a brother to Jeanne and a dear friend to me, we will miss him terribly. He is out of pain now. His suffering is over. At last he is at peace." - Deadline.com, 4/6/25...... Clem BurkeClem Burke, the founding drummer of Blondie, died on Apr. 6 following a battle with cancer. He was 70. The group announced Burke's passing the following day on BlueSky, writing, "it is with profound sadness that we relay the news of the passing of our beloved friend and bandmate Clem Burke following a private battle with cancer. Clem was not just a drummer; he was the heartbeat of Blondie. His talent, energy, and passion for music was unmatched, and his contributions to our sound and success are immeasurable. Beyond his musicianship, Clem was a source of inspiration both on and off the stage. His vibrant spirit, infectious enthusiasm and rock solid work ethic touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing him." Burke (born Clement Anthony Bozewski in Bayonne, N.J. on Nov. 24, 1954) joined punk/new wave pioneers Blondie in 1975, not long after the group was formed by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. He performed on all of Blondie's albums, from their 1976 self-titled debut, to their breakthrough 1978 LP Parallel Lines (which featured their No. 1 hit "Heart of Glass," 1979's Eat to the Beat and 1980's Autoamerican. He was behind the kit during a pivotal time in mid-1970s New York when Blondie, along with such acts as The Ramones, Patti Smith, Talking Heads and Television, were regularly playing in such legendary bars as CBGB and Max's Kansas City, setting the stage for the punk revolution in America, and across the world. Following their string of hit albums, Blondie announced their split in late 1982 before getting the original members back together for a brief 1997 tour and then a world jaunt the next year and a new album, No Exit, in 1999. The group's eighth studio album, The Curse of Blondie, dropped in 2003, followed by more touring and 2014's Ghosts of Download album and their final known recorded set with Burke, 2017's Pollinator LP. With an exuberant, high-energy style influenced by the Who's Keith Moon and Beatles' Ringo Starr -- he played left-handed on a right-handed kit just like Ringo -- Burke told Tidal in 2022 that he never thought of his day job as work. "Especially when I do things with my friends and my little side projects that I have with various bands, he said. "With drumming, you kind of have to keep doing it. You dont really wanna lose your chops. You wanna be prepared to play when you have to play. So it works both ways. I help people out by playing with them, and they help me to keep my abilities together." After Blondie's split in 1982, Burke stayed very busy performing and recording with a wide variety of bands, including the Romantics, Pete Townshend, Iggy Pop, Plimsouls, Bob Dylan, the Eurythmics, Joan Jett, Wanda Jackson, Dramarama, Nancy Sinatra and Johnny Thunders. He even briefly filled in for a couple of gigs in 1987 for his pals in the Ramones under the stage name Elvis Ramone. During his eight-year (1980-1988) run with the Eurythmics, Burke performed on three albums with the group, including on their 1986 Grammy winning single "Missionary Man." - Billboard, 4/7/25...... Dave Allen, who played bass guitar during influential British post-punk band Gang of Four's early years -- and who went on to found the group Shriekback -- died on Apr. 6. He was 69. "It is with broken yet full hearts that we share the news that Dave Allen, our old music partner, friend, and brilliant musician, died on Saturday morning. He was at home with his family," his former Gang of Four bandmate Hugo Burnham posted on Instagram, where the band featured several photos in a tribute to Allen. "Dave had endured the early-onset of mixed dementia for some years which has been a heartbreaking time for his wife Paddy, his children, and close friends. Our love and thoughts are with them," he stated. After joining Gang of Four with Burnham, Jon King and Andy Gill in Leeds in 1976, Allen made his mark as bassist on the band's debut album, 1979's Entertainment!, and their follow-up set, 1981's Solid Gold. While neither were chart successes in the U.S., Gang of Four's early work influenced the likes of Michael Stipe, Flea an dKurt Cobain, who included Entertainment! on his top 50 albums list (as published in the posthumous Journals). In 1981, Allen formed Shriekback with Barry Andrews (XTC, The League of Gentlemen), and went on to record a number of albums with the group. Allen rejoined Gang of Four for a reunion with the core lineup in the mid-'00s. He also performed with bands including The Elastic Purejoy and Low Pop Suicide. Gang of Four bandmate Gill, the group's founding guitarist, died in 2020. - Billboard, 4/6/25.