Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on June 24th, 2025

In celebration of 18 years of marriage, Rod Stewart and his wife Penny Lancaster revisited three memorable locations in June. The legendary singer and the former model began dating in 1999. They became engaged in Paris in 2005, and married in a medieval monastery in Portofino, Italy, nearly two decades ago. After their wedding on 16 June 2007, the couple enjoyed their honeymoon on the Lady Ann Magee yacht, which was moored in Portofino. Ringing in their anniversary, the pair revisited these memorable locations with a journey on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. Giving an insight into their holiday, Lancaster shared a photo of herself and Stewart in front of the train. She captioned her Instagram post: "Entering a bygone era @vsoetrain from Paris where we got engaged, to Portofino where we got married 18 years ago. It's totally magical Sir Rod Stewart xxxx." Stewart and Lancaster have two sons, Alastair, 19, and Aidan, 14, together, and Stewart has six other children from previous wives. His upcoming compilation album, Ultimate Hits, is out on 27 June. - Music-News.com, 6/20/25...... The 40th anniversary of the historic 1985 Live Aid benefit concert will be commemorated with radio and TV specials in the UK and US. On July 13, the UK's Greatest Hits Radio will re-broadcast the legendary 1985 benefit concert in its entirety in a 10-hour special by British radio veteran Simon Mayo. Titled Live Aid Relived, the program will feature performances by David Bowie, Paul McCartney, The Who, U2 and Queen, whose iconic 21-minute Live Aid set is widely regarded as one of the greatest live performances of all time, among others. The broadcast will run from noon local time, and include commentary from other Live Aid performers like Spandau Ballet frontman Martin Kemp and cast members from the upcoming Live Aid musical "Just For One Day." The special will close with the final episode of Live Aid: 40 Years On, a documentary series featuring interviews with Live Aid organizer Bob Geldof, Midge Ure, Queen's Roger Taylor and Brian May, and promoter Harvey Goldsmith. Originally broadcast to 1.9 billion people across 150 countries, Live Aid was a global benefit event staged at London's Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia's JFK Stadium to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. The concert raised over 114 million but has also since faced criticism regarding perceptions of African nations and aid distribution. Geldof, co-founder of the Band Aid Charitable Trust and the man behind the original concert, said the re-broadcast serves as a reminder of music's enduring power. "Thank you Greatest Hits Radio for hopefully letting people know that they are not powerless in the face of human monstrosity," Geldof said. "What better time than now to know and understand the power of music and what it can achieve." Meanwhile in the US, the CNN special Live Aid: When Rock 'n' Roll Took On the World is a four-part series that tells the story of how Geldof and U2's Bono inspired the largest global music events in history. It features interviews with several Live Aid principals and global leaders of the time, along with rare archival footage of performances and backstage. It premieres on the network on July 13 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. - New Musical Express/CNN, 6/23/25...... In related news, The Who's Pete Townshend has offered a ringing endorsement of the above mentioned Live Aid musical, "Just For One Day - The Live Aid Musical," currently being staged at London's Shaftesbury Theatre. Townshend even admitted he loves "the show more than I did the gig," a high compliment for the theatrical retelling of the iconic 1985 concert. Adding to the buzz, the musical's original cast recording has just released its latest single, a surprising rendition of The Who's classic "Pinball Wizard" sung by an actor portraying Live Aid promoter Harvey Goldsmith. The Just For One Day - The Live Aid Musical (Original Cast Recording) is set to drop on July 18 in the US on vinyl and MP3. - Music-News.com, 6/21/25...... As Paul McCartney turned 83 years old on June 18, the Beatles icon shared a message on social media thanking fans for helping him "celebrate this special day." In her own birthday tribute to Paul, Barbra Streisand posted a photo of herself and Paul sitting in a recording studio with the caption "To Paul... Happy Birthday. Hope you're celebrating with a little help from your friends... including me. xo Barbra," referring to the 1967 Beatles hit, "With a Little Help from My Friends." Streisand, 83, also shared the image via Instagram Stories with the song as the soundtrack. The pair recently collaborated on a cover of the Macca-penned "My Valentine" for her upcoming duets album, The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two, which drops on June 27. Accordingly, Paul gushed over the recording session in a blog post shared in May. "(It was) nerve-wracking. Nail-biting! I did the session with her in L.A. and I was pretty terrified. I think the session was about three hours, you know, a normal kind of session, and it was produced by my friend Peter Asher," he explained. "But it started off with a big 40-piece orchestra on the Sony lot, which is one of the old Hollywood film studios; it's very impressive. And we were on The Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage, so no pressure there!" - Music-News.com, 6/19/25...... On June 23 AC/DC announced they're planning a long-awaited stadium tour of their native Australia for November and December of 2025, marking their first national run since 2015. The rockers' Power Up tour will kick off Nov. 12 at Melbourne Cricket Ground and includes stops in Sydney (11/21), Adelaide (11/30), Perth (12/4) and Brisbane (12/14), with tickets going on sale via TEG Van Egmond. The tour follows AC/DC's massive European and North American legs earlier in 2025, and continues the band's celebration of their 2020 studio album Power Up, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart. The release became AC/DC's third No. 1 album in the U.S., joining 2008's Black Ice and 1981's For Those About to Rock (We Salute You). It also marked their 26th charting album on the Billboard 200, and 10th top 10 overall. The Australian shows will feature support from Amyl and the Sniffers, who frontwoman Amy Taylor called the "highlight of my literal life" when announcing the news on social media. AC/DC's current lineup features guitarist Angus Young, vocalist Brian Johnson, rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, drummer Matt Laug and bassist Chris Chaney. - Billboard, 6/23/25...... The Jacksons announced on June 19 they're preparing to release their first album since the death of their beloved older brother and band member Tito Jackson, who passed away in Sept. 2024 at the age of 70 after suffering a fatal heart attack. The legendary family pop group, which is now comprised of original Jackson 5/Jacksons members Jackie Jackson and Marlon Jackson, have continued the family band and will share their first studio project since 1989's 2300 Jackson Street "soon." Jackie told the UK paper Daily Star: "We got a new album coming up soon, as The Jacksons. I can't talk a lot about it but it's the brothers, and it's gonna be great." In the meantime, fans can catch The Jacksons at Audley End House and Gardens in Essex, UK, on July 19, as part of the Heritage Live Festivals series. Jackie said of the huge outdoor gig: "Fans should bring their dancing shoes. "We'll be doing all our hit songs." - Music-News.com, 6/19/25...... Neil Young kicked off his summer European tour with his band Chrome Hearts at the Dalhalla open-air theatre in Rättvik, Sweden, on June 18 when they wheeled out such classics as "Like A Hurricane," "Cinnamon Girl," "The Needle and the Damage Done" and "Harvest Moon," with fans in attendance saying the setlist was "wonderfully left field." The show kicked off with a solo from Young, an acoustic version of "Sugar Mountain" that gave way to "'Be The Rain" once the rest of the band joined him. The track comes from Young's 2003 rock opera Greendale, and hasn't had a live outing since 2014. Young's run of dates will see the Canadian musician make his way across Europe with stops in Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, along with a headlining set at the UK's Glastonbury Festival in June, followed by a headline slot at BST Hyde Park in July. In August, they'll head over to the US for a 15-date run across the country starting with a gig on August 8 at the PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, and will make further stops in Richmond, Detroit, Cleveland, Toronto, New York, Chicago, Denver, Vancouver and more before wrapping up on September 15 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. A clip of his Rättvik performance of "The Needle and the Damage Done" can be viewed on YouTube. - NME, 6/21/25...... In one of the most unlikely musical pairings imaginable, 80's "hair band" Mötley Crüe has recruited country music legend Dolly Parton for a duet version of the Crüe's classic single "Home Sweet Home." Parton joins in on the chorus of the 1985 power ballad, and takes the lead on the second verse. The reimagined "Home Sweet Home," released June 20 and available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more, will be featured on From the Beginning, an upcoming Mötley Crüe singles collection spanning four decades of music to be released on vinyl via BMG on Sept. 12 -- the date that also kicks off the group's 10-show residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas, which runs through Oct. 3. The band has also shared a "Dolly Crue" music video for "Home Sweet Home" paying homage to the original visual on YouTube. In a joint statement about the collaboration with Parton, the band writes, "'Home Sweet Home' was first released in 1985 as a single from our Theatre of Pain album. For an icon like Dolly Parton to sing on a song that has not only meant so much to us but to all the fans through the years, is a career high that means a lot to us." Meanwhile, Dolly Parton has just announced a six-concert run at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The mini-residency, titled "Dolly: Live in Las Vegas," runs from 4 to 13 December and coincides with the busy National Finals Rodeo. "To say I'm excited would be an understatement," said Parton, who hasn't toured regularly in nearly a decade, in a statement. "I haven't worked Vegas in years, and I've always loved singing there. I'm looking so forward to the shows in The Colosseum at Caesars, and I hope you are as well. See you there." - Billboard/Music-News.com, 6/20/25...... Although prolific recording bassist Carol Kaye was set to receive the Musical Excellence Awards at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony later in 2025, the retired 90-year-old musician says she's "turning down" her induction. In a post on Instagram, Kaye revealed that she wouldn't be attending this year's ceremony. "I am declining the [Rock & Roll Hall of Fame] awards show" she wrote, adding that she was "turning it down because it wasn't something that reflects the work that Studio Musicians do and did in the golden era of the 1960s Recording Hits." She continued that she took issue with the "Wrecking Crew" label that she was associated with, a loose collective of studio musicians in the 60s and 70s who would play on countless Top 40 hits of the time. "You are always part of a TEAM, not a solo artist at all," she continued in her post. "There were always 350-400 Studio Musicians (AFM Local 47 Hollywood) working in the busy 1960s, and called that ONLY," she continued. "Since 1930s, I was never a 'wrecker' at all that's a terrible insulting name." This year's Rock Hall inductees were revealed in April, with Joe Cocker, Bad Company, Warren Zevon, Cyndi Lauper and The White Stripes amongst the names being honored this year. - NME, 6/19/25...... Headlining the Isle Of Wight Festival on June 20, Sting performed a set filled with hits from his acclaimed catalog and longstanding career, including The Police hits "Message In A Bottle" and "Roxanne," along with his latest solo single "I Wrote Your Name Upon My Heart." The performance marked Sting's first live performance on the island since his 2008 reunion show with The Police, and was part of his ongoing Sting 3.0 World Tour which showcases selections from his vast catalog through the lens of a tight three-piece combo. In January, Sting announced that he was pulling out of his next few public engagements as he recovered from a temporary throat infection. On June 1, he played a rescheduled show in Phoenix. After a special joint performance with Billy Joel at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium on Feb. 8, he embarked on a run of Latin American shows. - Music-News.com, 6/21/25...... In a recent interview with the UK's The Daily Express, Suzi Quatro insisted that she was "never a sex, drugs and rock and roll girl" at the height of her 70's fame. Quatro, 75, came to global prominence in the 1970s with hits like "Devil Gate Drive," "48 Crash" and "Stumblin'," but admitted as she gears up for another tour that she always knew that she was going into a "profession" above all else. "I'm celebrating 62 years in the business next year," Quatro said. "It's a big tour across the UK- an entertaining two-hour rock and roll show with all the hits and a few surprises. I play the piano, drums and a seven-minute bass solo... I take you on a journey through my life." She continued: "I'm the rehearsal queen. I rehearse as if it was a live show, running around. If I'm not working, then I make sure I'm going to the gym. It means on stage, I still have that energy. I've partied, had the odd room wreck but I was never a sex, drugs and rock and roll girl. I was brought up in a musical family. My dad told me aged 15, 'Suzi, you've found what you want to do in life. This is a profession. If there's 10 people or 10,000 in the audience, everyone's paid to see you, and you owe them'. That's been embedded in me." Meanwhile, Quatro admitted that she will "take to [her] grave" that she attained the sort of fame when she did at a time when it was all a male-dominated indisutry, and insisted that she did it all without "stripping off" for her audience: I'll take to my grave that I was the first female rock musician to have worldwide success. There are many more female musicians today, but they tend to be too influenced by male opinion. I wore a jumpsuit, but I showed no flesh. You don't have to strip off to be sexy." - Music-News.com, 6/22/25...... Cher and the late Gregg Allman's son Elijah Blue Allman has reportedly been discharged from hospital after being treated for a drug overdose. Earlier in June, the celebrity gossip site TMZ.com reported that the musician, 48, had been rushed to a hospital in Southern California after emergency services responded to a call about a man "behaving erratically." A spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department (SBCSD) later shared that "deputies located drugs inside the home" and an investigation was ongoing. On June 22, insiders confirmed to TMZ that Elijah had returned to his property near Joshua Tree and "continues to recover." - Music-News.com, 6/23/25...... R&B singer-musician-producer Cavin Yarbrough, half of the duo Yarbrough & Peoples, passed away on June 19 owing to complications from heart disease. He was 72. Yarbrough & Peoples are best known for their crossover dance/funk hit "Don't Stop the Music." Released in 1980, the song spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in 1981 and also reached No. 19 on the Hot 100 singles chart. The RIAA gold-certified single was featured on the pair's also gold-certified debut album, The Two of Us, which topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for two weeks and rose to No. 16 on the Hot 200 albums chart. The duo went on to score another Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs with "Don't Waste Your Time" in 1984. Its engaging mix of R&B, soul, funk, pop and dance -- graced by its smooth and spirited vocals -- also sparked three additional top 10s on the chart during the pair's '80s heyday: "Heartbeats," "Guilty" and "I Wouldn't Lie." Born in Dallas, Yarbrough was a classically trained pianist who first met fellow Dallas native Peoples as youngsters taking piano lessons. The pair's friendship and creative bond later led to establishing their own band. It was Charlie Wilson of The Gap Band who discovered Yarbrough & Peoples, bringing them to the attention of Lonnie Simmons, who signed them to his Los Angeles-based label, Total Experience Records. "He was the love of my life, my protector. Now he's my guardian angel," Yarbrough's wife and longtime music partner, Alisa Peoples, said in a statement. - Billboard, 6/22/25...... Legendary rock guitarist Mick Ralphs, the co-founding guitarist of Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, has died at age 81. The musician's Bad Company bandmates announced his death on their official social media account on June 23, and a cause of death was not shared. Born on May 31, 1944 in Hereford, England, Mr. Ralphs formed a group called Silence in the late Sixties with Verden Allen, Overend Watts and Dale Griffin. They got a record contract in early 1969 and went to London with vocalist Stan Tippens to record under producer Guy Stevens, who renamed the band Mott the Hoople after a 1967 novel by Willard Manus. Tippens was replaced by Ian Hunter a few months later, and the group recorded its eponymous debut album in Aug. 1969. Mott became a big live attraction in England, even though its records sold relatively poorly. After the release of its 1972 album Brain Capers, the band was ready to disband when David Bowie stepped in to give it a focused glam-rock image and a breakthrough single in the form of "All The Young Dudes." Bowie produced Mott's album of the same name, and "All The Young Dudes" earned them a top British single later in 1972, with the song reaching No. 37 in the US. In 1973, the band released its masterpiece, the self-produced Mott, with the British hit singles "Honaloochie Boogie" and "All the Way from Memphis." Despite its success, the band began to fall apart; Allen left because the band rarely recorded his songs, and Mr. Ralphs quit because he was upset over Allen's departure and that one of his songs, "Can't Get Enough," was beyond the singing range of either himself or Hunter. The song would become a Top 5 US hit the next year for Mr. Ralphs' next band, Bad Company. Formed with former Free members Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke and former King Crimson member Boz Burrell, the band recorded its self-titled debut album in only ten days with a minimum of overdubs in Ronnie Lane's mobile studio. Led by its first single "Can't Get Enough," the album went to No. 1 worldwide and sold over four million copies. Bad Company went on to sell over 12 million albums worldwide, with their second and third albums, Straight Shooter and Run With the Pack, also going platinum. The group disbanded in 1982, with Rodgers releasing a solo album and then forming The Firm with ex-Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. In a statement shared alongside the news of Mr. Ralphs' passing, Paul Rodgers celebrated the life of his friend. "Our Mick has passed, my heart just hit the ground. He has left us with exceptional songs and memories," Rodgers wrote. "He was my friend, my songwriting partner, an amazing and versatile guitarist who had the greatest sense of humour. Our last conversation a few days ago we shared a laugh but it won't be our last. There are many memories of Mick that will create laughter." Drummer Simon Kirke shared his own tribute to the band's post, calling Ralph "a dear friend, a wonderful songwriter, and an exceptional guitarist," and simply adding, "We will miss him deeply." The news of Mr. Ralphs' death comes just two months after Bad Company was announced as one of the inductees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2025, which the band called a "fitting tribute to the band's enduring influence" in their memorial post for the guitarist. The band will be formally inducted to the Hall of Fame on Nov. 8. - Billboard/The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock, 6/23/25.