Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on January 15th, 2026

The music and entertainment data provider Luminate has released a list of the US' "most listened to songs" in 2025 from the past decades on the streaming platforms, and Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" was the most played cut of the 1970s. "Dreams," according to the report, earned an enormous 387.4 million streams. The song enjoyed a resurgence in 2020 when it went viral on TikTok, and previously re-entered the US chart thanks to a popular meme. Meanwhile, Journey scored 2025's most popular song from the 1980s with "Don't Stop Believin'," with 263 million plays. The 1981 classic was named the biggest track of all time by Forbes in 2024, when it went 18x platinum. Creedence Clearwater Revival had the most played cut of the 1960s in the US in 2025, having racked up 136.7 million streams with 1969's "Fortunate Son." Hits by Goo Goo Dolls, The Killers, Chris Stapleton and Alex Warren were the most streamed songs from the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s, respectively. - NME, 1/15/26...... The so-called "secret daughter" of late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury has died at the age of 48. Identified only as "B," the woman's existence first came to light in May 2025 in the Mercury biography Love, Freddie written by Lesley-Ann Jones. Jones claimed Freddie kept a close relationship with "B" until his death in 1991, and that he would visit her regularly and give her 17 volumes of detailed personal journals. On Jan. 15, "B''s husband Thomas told the UK outlet Daily Mail that his wife died "peacefully after a long battle with chordoma, a rare spinal cancer" and has left behind "two sons aged nine and seven." Thomas also said that "B" was "now with her beloved and loving father in the world of thoughts," and had her ashes scattered over the Alps. Lesley-Ann Jones also shared a statement following news of "B"'s death, telling The Indendent: "I am devastated by the loss of this woman who became my close friend, who had come to me with a selfless aim: to brush aside all those who have had free rein with Freddie's story for 32 years, to challenge their lies and their rewriting of his life, and to deliver the truth." Jones also alleges that the Queen songs "Don't Try So Hard" and "Bijou" were written about "B." When Love, Freddie was first released, it was believed that only Mercury's inner circle were aware of "B"'s existence. Mercury died in 1991, aged 45, of bronchial pneumonia caused by Aids. - New Musical Express, 1/15/26...... The Michael Jackson accuser Frank Cascio and his parents and siblings are protesting an effort by the Jackson estate to keep their claims behind closed doors. The family, who Jackson groomed, manipulated and molested them for decades -- from the late 1980s until his death in 2009 -- appeared in a Beverly Hills courtroom on Jan. 14 seeking to void a "purported settlement" with the estate that they describe as "an unlawful agreement to silence victims of childhood sexual abuse." Marty Singer, a lawyer for the estate, told the court that the Cascio family members signed an initial deal with the estate in Jan. 2020, then later re-negotiated it for "significantly more money upfront," and now are seeking to file a public lawsuit that would violate the arbitration and confidentiality clauses of the original pact. "We categorically dispute these claims," Singer told the court, referring to the claims Jackson subjected all five Cascio children to sexual abuse. "The reason this case is going forward is because there was an extortion demand of $213 million last summer." Mark Geragos, lawyer for the Cascios, told the court the family had felt coerced into signing the agreements. The rushed process was intended to, and did, in fact, take advantage of the Cascio siblings' shock and trauma upon realizing this had happened to all of them, unbeknownst to each other and contrary to what they had been told," Geragos wrote in a filing in Oct. 2025. Ironically, Geragos previously represented Jackson when the pop star was under criminal investigation for child molestation in 2003. The "Thriller" singer was charged and later acquitted at a trial in 2005. After hearing the Cascios' arguments, the judge declined to issue an immediate ruling on the estate's petition to force the family into confidential arbitration. - Music-News.com, 1/15/26...... Ten years after his passing, David Bowie is being remembered for a #163;10,116 donation toward a local hall car park in the quiet Warwickshire, UK village of Binley Woods. According to a report by the BBC, the unlikely connection began in 2014 when Norman Miller, then a member of the village hall committee, decided to write to Bowie with a bold request. Hoping to raise funds for a much-needed car park, Miller invited the "Thin White Duke" to perform a benefit concert at the humble village hall. While Bowie's son, filmmaker Duncan Jones, initially replied that his father was not taking on new work due to his health, Miller was undeterred. Over the next two years, he sent a steady stream of letters filled with family anecdotes, local football updates about the Coventry City "Sky Blues," and jokes. On Jan. 10, 2016 -- the day Bowie passed away -- Miller received an unexpected follow-up from Duncan. The family revealed that Miller's persistent correspondence had not been in vain; the letters and jokes had genuinely brightened David's final days. In a gesture of "marketing genius" and profound gratitude, the estate offered the village exactly £10,116 -- a figure reflecting the date of his death (10/1/16). "I went to the bank and showed them the letter," Miller told the BBC, admitting he originally feared it was a scam. "They said they'd opened an account with nothing in it, and then the money was transferred the day he died." Paul Salisbury chair of the parish council, confirmed the funds covered the crucial deposit for the construction. A decade later, the site remains affectionately known by locals as "the car park David Bowie paid for." Without that final gift, Salisbury notes, the project likely would have remained an unfinished jigsaw. It stands as a quirky, heartfelt testament to the power of a well-timed joke and the quiet generosity of the iconic "Thin White Duke." - Music-News.com, 1/12/26...... On Jan. 14 London's High Court began hearing a lawsuit brought against Sting by his former The Police bandmates claiming some $2 million in unpaid streaming royalties. Guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland are taking legal action against Sting (real name Gordon Sumner), arguing they are entitled to the added royalties. None of the band members was in court at the start of a two-day preliminary hearing. Sting is contesting the pair's claim that they are entitled to "in excess of two million US dollars" in so-called performance royalties of songs recorded as The Police, according to the court documents. None of the band members was in court at the start of a two-day preliminary hearing. The plaintiffs are relying on a nearly 50-year-old verbal agreement stipulating that each member of the group should receive 15% of the royalties generated by the other members' compositions. As the trio's composer of all the band's hits, from "Roxanne" to "King of Pain," Sting receives by far the largest share of the group's royalties. The original agreement acknowledged the, at times, crucial contributions of the other two members, such as Summers' guitar arpeggios on The Police's biggest hit, "Every Breath You Take." The verbal agreement reached in 1977 was later formalized through a written agreement in 1981. A further agreement reiterated, albeit vaguely, the terms in 1997, before the existence of streaming. The dispute concerns the classification of revenue generated from services such as Spotify, Deezer and Apple Music for the purpose of royalty distribution. But only mechanical royalties are included in the 2016 agreement, something Summers and Copeland consider contrary to the spirit of the original 1977 agreement. The pair are demanding their share of all streaming revenue. Representatives for Sting, who sold his catalogue to Universal in 2022 for a reported $250 million, have called the legal action an "illegitimate" attempt to reinterpret the agreement. - AFP, 1/14/26...... After the Beatles broke up in 1970, Paul McCartney released two successful solo albums, but then formed Wings as an attempt to get back into a band setting. Following a slightly rocky start, Wings went on to become a phenomenally successful unit during its 10-year run with such his as "Band on the Run," "My Love," "Jet" and "Live and Let Die," and scoring five No. 1 albums in the US before disbanding in 1981. Now a new Wings documentary from Oscar-winning director Morgan Neville, Man on the Run, has been released that chronicles Macca's journey in forming Wings with his wife Linda McCartney and features previously unseen and rare archival footage. In the official trailer for the Amazon Prime documentary, Sir Paul reveals the motivation behind forming Wings: "It was about trying to do something different," he says. "When we started Wings, it was about freedom." The group's music wasn't well-received when it was first released, leading McCartney to declare, "I'm going to make the best record you've ever heard." Within years, the band was filling stadiums and routinely topping the charts. Paul also addresses his relationship with John Lennon, saying they were "growing apart," by the time the Beatles split, "But we loved each other all our lives." Man on the Run premieres on Prime Video on Feb. 27 and includes new interviews with McCartney, as well as archival footage of Linda, Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, among others. The film follows McCartney's book, Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, which came out in Nov. 2025, as well as the eponymous hits collection Wings, which was released on limited-edition vinyl and on streaming outlets. - Billboard, 1/14/26...... After undergoing successful surgery for a lung cancer scare, Barry Manilow has announced six new shows for 2026. The "Mandy" singer announced the news in a Jan. 13 Instagram post, and arrives after the Grammy winner revealed days before Christmas that he had been diagnosed with stage one lung cancer. "Barry is feeling great - so great that he's decided to add six additional concerts to his existing March schedule," the caption reads. A press release also noted that the singer's "operation went well and his medical team is optimistic." The six new shows -- which will all be held at arenas at the beginning of March -- are set to hit Charlotte, N.C.; Norfolk, Va.; Baltimore; Cincinnati; Nashville; and Lexington, Ky. The press release notes that these will be "his final concerts in these cities." But even more good news for fans was shared: the presser also said that Manilow is set to release new music in 2026. When Manilow -- who released his latest song, "Once Before I Go," in Sept. 2025 -- shared his cancer diagnosis with fans in December, he also postponed all of his January shows. His first show back after surgery will now take place Feb. 27 at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla., with the shows continuing through the end of April, wrapping up on the 29th at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Ga. In revealing his diagnosis, the singer shared that he had been recovering from bronchitis when his doctor ordered an MRI of his lungs just to be safe -- and that's when a cancerous spot was found on his left lung. "The doctors do not believe it has spread and I'm taking tests to confirm their diagnosis," he said in his statement at the time. "So, that's it. No chemo. No radiation. Just chicken soup and I Love Lucy reruns." - Billboard, 1/13/26...... After prevailing in a royalty war lawsuit with the late Sonny Bono's wife Mary Bono, Cher is asking a federal judge to force Mary to cover her $1 million legal tab. Cher and her lawyers say Mary should pay the bill because she tried to "misuse" the termination provisions of the Copyright Act to illegally "obtain a windfall" at Cher's expense. They claim Mary then "dragged this case out for five years by taking patently unreasonable positions." In the divorce settlement, Sonny had assigned Cher a 50% share of his composition royalties for the couple's '60s and '70s hit songs including "I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On." Cher also got a 50% share of the musical recordings they made together. But Cher's grant was untouchable, the judge found. "Defendant argued, repeatedly and frivolously, that a federal statute that expressly states it does not affect state-law rights somehow extinguishes those state law rights," the new motion for legal fees states. "Cher prevailed completely." Cher's new motion for fees says she was forced to run up a bill of over $1 million with her lawyers to successfully defeat Mary's "improper attempt at termination." Sonny died in a skiing accident in 1998, leaving Mary in charge of his estate. His music publishing grants became eligible for termination beginning in 2018. A hearing on Cher's request for the fees is set for Feb. 23. - Music-News.com, 1/14/26...... ABBA's latest crowning achievement is scoring its first No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Chart with its 1992 greatest hits release, Gold: Greatest Hits, nearly 50 years after the group first topped a Billboard chart. Gold: Greatest Hits, which includes many of the quartet's most enduring hits -- among them "Dancing Queen," "Mamma Mia" and "Take a Chance on Me" -- is ABBA's first career No. 1 on the Dance Chart ranking. The collection leads the current chart with 15,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the Jan. 2-8 tracking week, according to Luminate. Beyond the dance charts, Gold: Greatest Hits has also been a mainstay on the all-format Billboard 200. The set has spent 411 weeks on the chart and counting -- it sits at No. 80 on the chart currently -- making it by far the longest-charting album of ABBA's catalog. The group's next longest-charted release, the earlier Greatest Hits, spent 61 weeks on the chart in 1976-79. Meanwhile in other chart action, Fleetwood Mac's 1975 track "Landslide" has debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 pop songs chart, debuting at No. 41 on the Jan. 17-dated chart. "Landslide," from Fleetwood Mac's self-titled 1975 10th studio album, hits the Hot 100 following its placement in the series finale of Netflix's Stranger Things, released Dec. 31. It generated 7 million official U.S. streams (up 43% week over week), 888,000 radio audience impressions (up 10%) and 1,000 downloads sold (up 15%) Jan. 2-8, according to Luminate. The album was the group's first project featuring Stevie Nicks as a vocalist and Lindsey Buckingham as a guitarist. Nicks solely wrote the song and delivers its lead vocals. Despite becoming one of the band's most enduring compositions, "Landslide" was never issued as an official single during its original run. Still, it remained a staple of the band's live performances, as well as Nicks' solo tours. A live version was released as a single in 1997, following its inclusion on the band's album The Dance. That rendition debuted on the Hot 100 in July 1998 and peaked at No. 51 that August, while also reaching No. 10 on Adult Contemporary and No. 26 on Adult Pop Airplay. - Billboard, 1/13/26...... Ozzy Osbourne's son Jack Osbourne says his late dad is visiting his family members in identical dreams. In a new interview with host Billy Morrison on his Sirius XM show Influenced,, Jack said that he keeps seeing Ozzy in his dreams. "We all keep having dreams about him. In the dreams, he is laughing," Jack said. "And he is saying, 'Just stop f---ing crying'. He's laughing every time. Me and my wife, my daughters, all the same thing. We keep seeing him in our dreams, laughing." Morrison also confirmed that he'd been visited by Ozzy during his dreams too, sharing, "I've seen him. He's good, Jack. He's not in pain." Ozzy passed away in July 2025 at the age of 76 from a heart attack and had been in poor health beforehand, suffering from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's. Jack's Influenced interview has been shared on Instagram. - NME, 1/11/26...... Sir Tom Jones has issued a stark warning to his global fanbase regarding a rise in "sad and disheartening" online scams. According to a report by the BBC, the 85-year-old Welsh crooner took to social media to alert followers about sophisticated fraudsters using fake profiles to impersonate him and his management team. Sir Tom used his official Instagram account to urge the public to remain vigilant. Posting a high-contrast message -- a black screen with red text -- Jones clarified that he does not personally or directly communicate with individuals through private messaging on any social platform. "It is sad and disheartening to hear of these scammers attempting to trap and abuse vulnerable people," the "She's A Lady" singer stated. He further emphasized that any account attempting to initiate a private chat is a fake and should be reported and blocked immediately, noting that such accounts are designed to "trap and abuse" unsuspecting fans. Similar warnings were issued by Jones's team in late 2024 following reports of fans being swindled out of thousands of pounds. The BBC notes that the National Fraud Helpline frequently sees criminals leverage celebrity status or fake endorsements to bypass the natural defenses of the public. By impersonating a figure as beloved as Sir Tom, scammers exploit a sense of personal connection to gain financial information or personal data. The singer's message was clear: "This will not be Sir Tom Jones or his team. Please be careful and stay safe online." UK authorities continue to advise social media users to look for official verification badges (the "blue tick") and to never share financial details with anyone claiming to be a celebrity online. - Music-News.com, 1/12/26...... NBC has announced it plans to revisit one of its iconic 1970s series with a reported new reboot now in development. The network has ordered a pilot for a new The Rockford Files project, signaling a possible return of the classic TV private detective to primetime. The project is a contemporary update of the original Stephen J. Cannell and Roy Huggins series that aired on NBC from 1974 to 1980 and featured James Garner. The new version is written by Mike Daniels and comes from Universal Television. The logline states: "Newly paroled after doing time for a crime he didn't commit, James Rockford returns to his life as a private investigator using his charm and wit to solve cases around Los Angeles. It doesn't take long for his quest for legitimacy to land him squarely in the crosshairs of both local police and organized crime." The pilot is said to be a drama and part of its broader return to traditional pilot season. The announcement marks NBC's first pilot order for the 2026 broadcast cycle, and the network reportedly plans to develop 3-4 dramas and 2-3 comedies in the upcoming season. Universal TV previously attempted to remake the series with a 2010 pilot written by David Shore, produced by Steve Carell, and featuring Dermot Mulroney. The studio also developed a film version with Vince Vaughn, which did not move forward. - ComingSoon.net, 1/14/26...... Former Little House on the Prairie star has deactivated her social media accounts after New Mexico authorities issued a warrant for the arrest of her husband, West Wing and Thirtysomething actor Timothy Busfield. As of Jan. 11, Gilbert's official Instagram and Threads pages are unavailable. The Instagram account for the actress's lifestyle brand, Modern Prairie, remains active however. This latest update comes after Albuquerque police issued a warrant for Busfield's arrest, citing two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse. In the document obtained and reviewed by EntertainmentWeekly.com, Albuquerque police officer Marvin Brown wrote that two child actors, 11-year-old twin brothers who worked with Busfield on the Fox series The Cleaning Lady, alleged that he inappropriately touched them, with one of them claiming that Busfield rubbed his genitals and touched his buttocks on set. One of the minors alleged that the incidents began when he was 7 years old. Weeks before the warrant was issued, Gilbert addressed the subject of child sexual abuse while condemning conservative podcast host Megyn Kelly's incendiary comments about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Responding to the #IWasFifteen social media trend, Gilbert shared photos of herself on the Little House set and wrote, "I debated posting this, but I feel compelled to share. After seeing many women's posts with the hashtags #iwasfifteen #imfifteen #iwasachild, I decided to Google-search myself at that age and see what came up. And this is some of what I found." Gilbert drew attention to several photos of her embracing and kissing another cast member who was eight years older when they starred as love interests; he was 23 and Gilbert was 15. Busfield, who has denied the current allegations and promised to "defend these lies," faced two prior accusations of sexual assault, per the warrant, neither of which resulted in a criminal charge: one from a 17-year-old extra in 1994 who ultimately settled a lawsuit against the actor, and the other from a 28-year-old woman who accused him of groping her whose case was never prosecuted due to "slim evidence." - Entertainment Weekly, 1/11/26...... The "long, strange trip" of Bob Weir came to an end on Jan. 10 after the Grateful Dead guitarist/singer/songwriter died of an underlying lung condition after battling cancer. He was 78. "It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir. He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could. Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues," his family announded via his Instagram account. The statement went on, "For over 60 years, Bobby took to the road. A guitarist, vocalist, storyteller and founding member of the Grateful Dead, Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music." Diagnosed with cancer in July 2025, Weir began treatment weeks before returning to the stage for a three-night celebration of 60 years of music at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, Calif. "Those performances, emotional, soulful, and full of light, were not farewells, but gifts," his family shared. "Another act of resilience. An artist choosing, even then, to keep going by his own design. There is no final curtain here, not really. Only the sense of someone setting off again. And so we send him off the way he sent so many of us on our way: with a farewell that isn't an ending, but a blessing. A reward for a life worth livin'." Weir's Dead & Company bandmate John Mayer, who formed the band with Weir in 2015, also paid tribute following his death, posting a black-and-white photo of the musician on Instagram on Jan. 11 and writing a short but poignant tribute. "Okay Bob. I'll do it your way. Fkn' A... Thanks for letting me ride alongside you. It sure was a pleasure (sic)," he wrote. "If you say it's not the end, then I'll believe you. I'll meet you in the music. Come find me anytime," he added. The original line-up of Dead & Company featured former Grateful Dead members Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, as well as Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti. The band, which primarily performed Grateful Dead covers, went on several tours and even embarked on a Las Vegas residency. They last performed in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park to celebrate the Grateful Dead's 60th anniversary in Aug. 2025, marking Weir's final live shows. Hart, longtime drummer for Grateful Dead and Dead & Company, also paid tribute to Weir, describing him as "a little brother to me for almost sixty years." "He was my first friend in the Grateful Dead. We lived together, played together, and made music together that ended up changing the world," he said in a Facebook post. "What was a lifetime of adventure boils down to something simple -- we were family and true to the music through it all... Still cannot believe he's gone. I miss you so much already, dear friend." Hart and Kreutzmann are now the last surviving original members of the Grateful Dead. Weir was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with his bandmates in 1994, and was a Kennedy Centre Honoree in 2024. He is survived by his wife, Natascha, and their two daughters. - Music-News.com, 1/11/26.