Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on August 3rd, 2025

Dave Edmunds, veteran British solo rocker as well as a former member of the New Wave band Rockpile, is in hospital after reportedly suffering a "major cardiac arrest." Edmunds' wife, Cici, shared the news in a Facebook post on July 29, saying he had briefly "died in my arms," before medics managed to revive him with "heavy CPR." He remains in critical condition in hospital, with Cici adding that he "very clearly has brain damage and severe memory loss" and that the risk of "another major cardiac arrest is high." She added that she believes she has "PTSD from the horrific experience" and asked for fans to send their "prayers and good wishes, and concluded her post by saying: "Dave will have a very long journey ahead of him if he survives. We both have. But knowing that there are kind-hearted people such as you all. Makes this tremendously difficult journey a little easier. Bless you all." - NME, 8/2/25...... A few hundred people gathered at 710 Ashbury St. in San Francisco on Aug. 1 to name the tiny street after legendary Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia on what would have been his 83rd birthday, and as part of a citywide celebration to mark the band's 60th anniversary. Fans in rainbow tie-dye and Grateful Dead T-shirts whooped and cheered as the sign was unveiled, later posing for photos in front of Garcia's childhood home. Harrington Street, which is one block long, will also be called "Jerry Garcia Street." Garcia spent part of his childhood in a modest home in the city's diverse Excelsior neighborhood, living with his grandparents after the death of his father, Jose Ramon "Joe" Garcia. "I hope that you all get a chance to enjoy the music, dance, hug, smile," said daughter Trixie Garcia, growing emotional during her brief remarks. "Cherish what's valuable, what's significant in life." Although Garcia died in 1995, the band's popularity has only grown as younger generations discover the GD's improvisational music, which blended rock, blues, folk and other styles. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of fans are Frisco to commemorate the GD's 60th anniversary with concerts and other activities throughout the city. The latest iteration of the band, Dead & Company, with original GD members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, play Golden Gate Park's Polo Field for three days beginning on Aug. 1, with an estimated 60,000 attendees expected each day. - Billboard, 8/2/25...... Ozzy Osbourne was laid to rest on July 31 at the grounds of his mansion in Buckinghamshire, UK, with approximately 110 close family and friends in attendance at the 250-acre estate. Joining his family were his Black Sabbath bandmates, and other musicians including Elton John, Marilyn Manson, Corey Taylor, Rob Zombie, Zakk Wylde and members of Metallica. Both Wylde and Metallica bassist Rob Trujillo had formerly performed with the heavy metal legend as part of his solo career. A huge floral arrangement was made in the grounds, situated near a lake and spelling out "Ozzy F---ing Osbourne." Yungblud reportedly gave a reading at the funeral. He and Ozzy had remained close since Ozzy and his wife Sharon appeared in the music video for his 2022 song "The Funeral," and a touching moment between them at the final live show recently went viral. After the funeral, Marilyn Manson took to X/Twitter and shared: "Today we laid to rest a beloved friend. I am eternally grateful that you let me into your life, Ozzy. Your inspiration and love will always be with me. "Thank you, Sharon and family for a reverent, beautiful ceremony. Your legacy lives on." The burial took place after thousands of Ozzy fans lined the streets of Birmingham, UK for a funeral procession earlier that day, also leaving flowers and written emotional tributes. Osbourne, 76, died on July 22, just weeks after playing his final live show in his hometown, and raising "a ton" of money for charity along the way. On Aug. 1, Ozzy's 40-year-old TV personality daughter Kelly Osbourne shared a "Not Safe For Work" photo on her Instagram Story in memory of her dad. The outdoor image featured a beautiful display of purple flowers arranged to spell out "Ozzy F---ing Osbourne," set beside a serene pond surrounded by a rolling hill and trees. Also King Charles' Army Band has paid tribute to Ozzy during a Changing of the Guards ceremony outside of Buckingham Palace. With a conductor keeping time, the brass and woodwind instrumentalists play the melody of "Paranoid" over the sound of brash snare drums. Footage of the event has been shared on TikTok. - NME, 8/1/25...... Stevie Nicks announced on Instagram and her other social media on Aug. 1 that her next two months of shows will be postponed as she heals from a recent shoulder injury. "Due to a recent injury resulting in a fractured shoulder that will require recovery time, Stevie Nicks' scheduled concerts in August and September will be rescheduled," the announcement from her team read. Noting that the star will proceed with her shows in October as scheduled, the message concludes, "Stevie looks forward to seeing everyone soon and apologizes to the fans for this inconvenience." The former Fleetwood Mac frontwoman had been slated to perform in a handful of cities across the US and Canada across August and September, including Detroit, Toronto, Boston, Cincinnati and Brooklyn, N.Y. All of the postponed shows have already been rescheduled to new dates in late October, November and the first couple of weeks in December, as listed in the singer's post and on her website. The news of Nicks' injury comes more than three months after she first announced her solo tour in April, writing at the time that she couldn't "wait to share these nights with you." Stevie had also been supposed to tour with Billy Joel in 2025, but the Piano Man similarly had to cancel all of his 2025 and 2026 performances as he battles a condition called normal pressure hydrocephalus. - Billboard, 8/1/25...... Elton John has made an hilarious pop-in for an updated version of Spinal Tap's iconic tribute to Stonehenge, the place where demons dwell, banshees wail and children dance to the pipes of pan in a just-released video for the Spinal Tap song of the same name. "Stonehenge" appears on the new soundtrack album, The End Continues, a companion to the upcoming sequel to the 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap. The 13-track LP, due out alongside the film, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, on Sept. 12, features a return to some of the farcical band's most beloved tracks with help from John ("Flower People"), Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood ("Big Bottom") and Sir Paul McCartney ("Cups and Cakes"). Elton totally got into the spirit of the "Stonehenge" bit on Instagram, writing, "This was a blast, rocking out with @spinaltap for their new movie, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, and re-recording their epic 'Stonehenge' - this one is best played at volume 11!" The "Stonehenge" clip can be viewed on YouTube. Meanwhile, John has taken to Instagram to commemorate his 35 years of sobriety with a heartfelt message to fans and family. On July 29, he commemorated the anniversary with a photo of handmade cards from his sons, Elijah and Zachary, alongside a bouquet of flowers. "Grateful for all the love on my sobriety birthday," he captioned the post, which drew thousands of comments from fans and friends. John, 78, has long been open about his past struggles with addiction and the transformative power of recovery. His battle with alcohol, marijuana and what he once called his "worst best friend" -- cocaine -- was dramatized in the 2019 biopic Rocketman. In interviews, he has spoken candidly about the extremes of his life during the height of his fame. "It nearly destroyed my soul," he told CBS News in Oct. 2019 of his addiction. "My soul was black, like a charred piece of steak, until I said, 'I need help.' And suddenly, a little pilot light in my soul came along going, 'Yes, I'm still here. I'm still here. I'm still here. I can still be rescued.'" - Billboard, 7/31/25...... On July 31 Brian Eno announced on his Instagram and other social media that he'll play a one-off show at London's Wembley on Sept. 17, which will see artists come "together for Palestine." Titled "Together For Palestine," the event will see Eno, Khaled Ziada, Khalid Abdalla and Tracey Seaward work as executive producers and enlist performances from "artists, musicians and people for whom silence feels impossible." Explaining why he is organising the event, Eno said: "I've had the good fortune to work with some of the world's most remarkable artists for over 50 years. But one of my biggest regrets is that during that time so many of us have remained silent about Palestine. "Often that silence has come from fear, real fear -- that speaking out could provoke a backlash, close doors or end a career. But that's now changing -- partly because some artists and activists have lit the path, but mostly because the truth of what's going on has become impossible to ignore." Earlier in 2025, Eno urged Microsoft Corp. to cut ties with Israel in an open letter, and shared that he would be donating his fee from the Windows 95 chime (which he composed for them) to aid Palestine. - NME, 7/31/25...... David Gilmour has announced a new concert film that will showcase his "Live At Circus Maximus, Rome" shows. The forthcoming film follows on from the Pink Floyd legend heading out on his "The Luck And Strange" tour dates in 2024. Those shows came in celebration of his fifth solo album of the same title, which topped the charts in the UK, Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Portugal and Austria, and made the Top 10 in the US. Gilmour kicked off the tour dates with two warm-up shows at the Brighton Centre, before heading over to the historic Circus Maximus in Rome for six sold-out nights. He followed this up with shows at London's Royal Albert Hall, LA's Hollywood Bowl, and New York's Madison Square Garden. Set alongside the backdrop of the ancient ruins of Rome, the footage of the shows was captured by long-time Gilmour collaborator Gavin Elder. Live At The Circus Maximus will be released on Blu-ray and DVD via Sony Music Vision and Trafalgar Releasing, and shown in cinemas & IMAX worldwide for a limited time beginning Sept. 17. - NME, 7/30/25...... If there was ever any doubt that Zak Starkey's tenure as The Who's drummer was over, Who frontman Roger Daltrey has confirmed it in a new interview. Starkey's time with The Who came to an end in May after a confusing period of contradictory reports, with Pete Townshend finally confirming that "the time has come for a change." Starkey -- who is the son of Ringo Starr -- had been the The Who's drummer since 1996, but after a series of four shows at the Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust in March, frictions between him and the rest of the band appeared to emerge as Daltrey and Townshend informed Starkey that they wanted him to "tighten up his latest evolved drumming style to accommodate our non-orchestral line-up," which he said at the time the drummer had "readily agreed" to do. After he was let go, however, Starkey disputed Daltrey's assertion that he had not been fired but had instead been "retired" as "total bollox." Now, in an interview with London's The Times, Daltrey has addressed the situation. "It was kind of a character assassination and it was incredibly upsetting," he said. Explaining what happened at the Royal Albert Hall, he added: "It is controlled by a guy on the side, and we had so much sub-bass on the sound of the drums that I couldn't pitch. I was pointing to the bass drum and screaming at [Starkey] because it was like flying a plane without seeing the horizon. So when Zak thought I was having a go at him, I wasn't. That's all that happened. Pete and I retain the right to be The Who. Everyone else is a session player." The Who's farewell tour, now with Scott Devours sitting in behind the kit, is set to begin in Florida on Aug.16, and other shows across the month include stops in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New York. - New Musical Express, 8/2/25...... Country music trailblazer and Grand Ole Opry star Jeannie Seely died on Aug. 1 at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tenn., due to complications from an intestinal infection. She was 85. Ms. Seely had been battling health issues since last fall and underwent multiple back surgeries this spring, as well as two emergency abdominal surgeries. Ms. Seely was known as a pioneering country music artist, with songs such as "Can I Sleep in Your Arms" and the Grammy-winning "Don't Touch Me," and was also known as a fierce advocate for women artists and performers. Born in Titusville, Penn., on July 6, 1940, Ms. Seely was singing on a Saturday morning radio show on WMGW by age 11, and by 16 she was performing on TV station WICU in Erie, Penn. At 21, she moved California and eventually landed a job at Liberty and Imperial Records in Hollywood. She began writing songs for Four Star Music and was a regular alongside Glen Campbell on the TV series Hollywood Jamboree. She also earned a recording deal with Challenge Records. In 1964, Ms. Seely earned the most promising female artist honor from the Country and Western Academy (now the Academy of Country Music). She then moved to Nashville and inked a deal with Monument Records, which released her signature song, "Don't Touch Me," in 1966. Inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on Sept. 16, 1967, Ms. Seely soon became the first woman to regularly host Opry segments. She was also a trailblazer when it came to the image of women country entertainers, as she was the first to wear a miniskirt onstage at the Opry. She played her most recent Grand Ole Opry show on Feb. 22 and made more Grand Ole Opry appearances than any other artist in the show's 100-year history, with 5,397 appearances. In 2022, she was honored when she reached her 5,000th Opry appearance milestone. Ms. Seely also recorded several hit duets with Jack Greene, including "Wish I Didn't Have to Miss You," which reached No. 2 on the country singles chart in 1970. "Jeannie Seely was one-of-a-kind across the board: as an entertainer, friend, and human being," said Dan Rogers, Sr., an exec with the Grand Ole Opry and one of Ms. Seely's longtime friends in a statement. "She gave it her all with every single Opry performance. All 5,397 of them. She is loved so much and will never be forgotten." - Billboard, 8/1/25...... Loni Anderson, who played the savvy, high-heeled receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on the late '70s/early '80s sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, died on Aug. 3. She was 79. Anderson died at a hospital in Los Angeles after a battle with a "prolonged illness," according to her publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan. "We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother," Anderson's family told the Associated Press in a statement. Airing on CBS for four seasons from 1978 to 1982, WKRP in Cincinnati followed a has-been Ohio radio station attempting a desperate image change by swapping their typical fare of low-impact jams to chart-topping rock and roll. Anderson starred as Jennifer Marlowe, WKRP's empowered, quick-witted receptionist. Known for using her womanly charms to dismiss her boss, Mr. Carlson (Gordon Jump), she often served as a reliable anchor for the station, getting things done despite her incompetent co-workers. She earned two Emmy nods and three Golden Globe nominations for the role. Other cast members included Gary Sandy, Howard Hesseman, Richard Sanders, Frank Bonner, Tim Reid and Jan Smithers. The series made Anderson a household name, although she struggled to escape her typecast as the buxom blonde. She went on to star in the 1983 film Stroker Ace with Burt Reynolds, whom she famously married in 1988. The pair were together until 1994, when their messy divorce became the subject of tabloid fixation. She then went on to appear in dozens of TV movies, including Country Gold, The Lonely Guy A Letter to Three Wives, Stranded, Blondie & Dagwood and Blown Away. She is survived by her husband of 17 years, Bob Flick, as well as her daughter Deidra, son-in-law Charlie Hoffan and son Quinton Anderson Reynolds. - Variety, 8/3/25.