Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on February 9th, 2026

Seventies artists Elvis Costello, Paul Simon, Nile Rodgers & Chic and ZZ Top guitarist/vocalist Billy Gibbons will be among the headliners at the upcoming 2026 Love Rocks NYC Benefit concert that supports the delivery of nutritious meals for people affected by serious illness in the NY area. The 10th annual charity show will also feature performances by the likes of Mary J. Blige, Hozier, Goo Goo Dolls, Jon Batiste and Susanna Hoffs, among others. Since its founding in 1985 in the midst of the AIDS epidemic, God's Love We Deliver has served more than 40 million meals to those in need, with 2026 marking the organization's 40th anniversary. In 2025, according to a press release, the organization's cooked, packaged and home-delivered four million medically tailored meals to 15,000 New Yorkers living with and affected by severe illness. Since 2017, the Love Rocks NYC concerts have raised $65 million, funding 6.5 million meals to New Yorker affected by illness. A trailer for the show has been shared on YouTube. - Billboard, 2/9/26...... Interviewed on CBS Sunday Morning on Feb. 8, Eagles co-founder Don Henley said his Grammy-winning California rock band will disband after it completes its residency at the Sphere venue in Las Vegas at the end of February. Asked if the Eagles are finally going to quit, Henley said, "You know, I think this year will probably be it. And I've said things like that before, but I feel like we're getting toward the end... And that will be fine too." When asked if it's definitely the end for the band, which formed in 1971, he added: "I think so, yeah. And I'm OK with that." Henley went on to reveal he is hoping to spend more time with his family and tending to his garden as well as travelling when he no longer has to consider his responsibilities with the group. "I would like to spend more time with my family and I would like to spend more time growing vegetables and I'd like to... I've traveled all over the world, but I haven't seen much of it because we see the airports and the hotel room and the venue, and we don't get out much, you know," he said. "And so I'd like to go back to some of the same places I've been and see more of those places, you know, before it all disappears or it gets vaporized or whatever." The Eagles, who have been playing shows on their lengthy "The Long Goodbye" tour, recently became the first group with an album certified quadruple diamond platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for their 1976 hits collection Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975. Henley said he now feels more comfortable playing the band's classic hits because they are what the fans want to hear at the shows. "After a while, you learn to make friends with the songs. It's not about us. It's about what they mean to the people we're playing them for," he said. "You have to play every night with your heart in it. Music is medicine. And people need some medicine right now." - Music-News.com, 2/9/26...... In an apologetic message to his fans on his Neil Young Archives website on Feb. 6, Neil Young revealed he is canceling his planned 2026 tour dates with his Chrome Hearts band in the U.K. and Europe, saying "this is not the time." "I have decided to take a break and will not be touring Europe this time," the message begins. "Thanks to everyone who bought tickets. I'm sorry to let you down, but this is not the time. I do love playing LIVE and being with you and the Chrome Hearts." He signed the note: "LOVE Neil" and "be well." Young and the Chrome Hearts had been set to kick off the European jaunt on June 17 in Bodelva, England, and were scheduled to perform through July 26 in Udine, Italy, with Elvis Costello and the Imposters set to open on select dates. Young's Chrome Hearts band includes guitarist Micah Nelson, bassist Corey McCormick, drummer Anthony Logerfo and organist Spooner Oldham. Young recently made headlines when he pledged to give his music to anyone in Greenland after Pres. Donald Trump's administration announced plans to seek U.S. control of the island nation, and spoke out against big corporations such as Apple, Verizon and T-Mobile for supporting the "fascist Trump regime." - Billboard, 2/6/26...... Don McLean has marked his 10-year relationship with reality star Paris Dylan in an Instagram tribute of a photo of the couple together in May 2024 when they attended a state dinner at the White House. "Happy anniversary, Paris," McLean wrote in his caption. "We've been together for more than 10 years, and you are the love of my life." Dylan, who turns 32 in February, commented, "Love of my life," with a red heart emoji. The 80-year-old "American Pie" singer and Dylan, who gained notoriety on the MTV reality show Catfish, met in 2016 when Dylan was hired to run McLean's social media accounts. They went public with their relationship shortly before Thanksgiving that year. Dylan later made their romance Instagram official with a birthday tribute to McLean in May 2018. "Happy birthday my baby, my beauty, love of my life, my everything," she wrote alongside the photo of them smiling and hugging. During a 2021 interview with People magazine, McLean called Dylan "the most wonderful person that I have ever known." "I think of her when I sing a lot of my songs. But I especially think of her when I sing that song," McLean said of his 1970 hit "And I Love You So." McLean was previously married to Carol Sauvion from 1969 to 1972, and Patrisha Shnier from 1987 to 2016. He shares two children with his second wife. His marriage to Shnier imploded when he was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic violence in 2016. He pleaded guilty to four of six charges as part of a plea agreement and did not receive any jail time. - Music-News.com, 2/8/26...... Posting on Instagram on Feb. 4, Barry Manilow announced that he's postponing his upcoming Las Vegas residency dates as he recovers from his recent cancer surgery. The 82-year-old "Copacabana" hitmaker was forced to postpone his January arena shows to allow him to recover from surgery to remove a "cancerous spot" on his left lung in December, but assured his fans that he would be back performing at his "home away from home" at the Westgate Las Vegas on Valentine's Day weekend. However, now Manilow says that he had to reschedule his February residency shows to ensure he was well enough for his upcoming arena tour. "I'm doing great and recovering very well after my surgery. I've been getting exercise and spending some time in the studio, which has been fantastic," he wrote on Instagram. "With my doctor's guidance and recommendation, however, we have decided to postpone my residency dates at Westgate Las Vegas from February 12-21 so I can stay focused on healing and getting ready for the tour that's kicking off at the end of February. Having a few weeks to rest and prepare is what the doctor ordered!," he added. Manilow's rescheduled arena tour is set to launch in Tampa, Fla. on Feb. 27 and run through to his show in Duluth, Ga. on Apr. 29. Manilow is slated to perform his residency at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino on selected weekends throughout 2026. His next shows at that venue are scheduled for Mar. 27 and 28. - Music-News.com, 2/5/26...... The BRIT Awards, the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards, will honor Ozzy Osbourne during its 2026 ceremony on Feb. 28 at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester. A source told the UK tabloid The Sun that a new "large-scale In Memoriam section of the Brits is being planned" that will not only remember Osbourne and the late Stone Roses musician Gary "Mani" Mounfield, but also "several artists we have lost in the past 12 months." The BRIT Awards, first staged in 1977, are the UK's highest profile music awards show and recognize the best in British and international music. Ozzy died from "acute myocardial infarction" and "out of hospital cardiac arrest," with coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease with autonomic dysfunction as "joint causes" of his death on July 22, 2025. - Music-News.com, 2/7/26...... KISS has joined the elite club of a billion YouTube views with their hit "I Was Made For Lovin' You," hitting the 10-digit milestone with the video since it was first uploaded in 2019. Though filmed in 1979 (according to IMDb), the video was posted to YouTube less than six years ago. It features the members of the iconic rock band all dressed up in their signature black-and-white hair, makeup and outfits, performing the classic hit on a stage beneath flashing lights. Long before its triumph on YouTube, "I Was Made For Lovin' You" was a success on the Billboard, peaking at No. 11 on the Hot 100, while the album it hails from, Dynasty, reaching No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart. The song is KISS's first entry on YouTube's Billion Views Club. - Billboard, 2/4/26...... Diana Ross has been tapped to headline the UK's Brighton & Hove Pride 2026 on Aug. 3. "Welcoming the incomparable Diana Ross as our Sunday headliner as a UK live show exclusive is a dream come true," festival managing director Paul Kemp said in a statement. "Her legendary voice and catalogue of hits will be an unforgettable moment in Brighton Pride history." Kickstarting Brighton & Hove Pride this year will be its annual LGBTQ+ Community Parade. The theme the 2026 event is "The Power Of Love" -- which will bring attendees "together in solidarity, resistance and community" as they "strive for equality for all." London-born singer RAYE will headline the opening night of the Pride festival on Aug. 2. More information can be found at www.brighton-pride.org. - New Musical Express, 2/4/26...... In the newly uploaded official trailer for his forthcoming Wings documenary Man on the Run, Paul McCartney wonders "how can I ever do anything that's anywhere as good as the Beatles?" After the Fab Four's contentious break-up in Apr. 1970, the then-27-year-old McCartney was suddenly faced what was perhaps the most daunting second act in pop culture history, and in the film describes that worrisome time and his determination to punch through the fear. "The Beatles had broken up and I was thinking, 'what do I do now?," McCartney says over the strains of the Paul McCartney and Wings' 1974 No. 1 hit "Band on the Run." In voiceover, he continues, " How can I ever do anything that's anywhere near as good as the Beatles?'" But the superstar needn't have worried, as evidenced by the tireless touring and successful recordings he's done in the half-century since. Directed by Oscar-winner Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom, Won't You Be My Neighbor), Man on the Run follows McCartney's rebirth after the Beatles' messy dissolution. The movie will be released into theaters for one-night-only by Trafalgar Releasing on Feb. 1. Each screening will also include a bonus conversation between McCartney and Neville. - Billboard, 2/4/26...... Appearing in London's High Court during his breach of privacy suit against the UK tabloid Daily Mail on Feb. 6, Elton John condemned what he called a "sickening" press intrusion into his family's private life. John, 78, described how the Daily Mail allegedly breached his family's privacy after the birth of his eldest son, Zachary, in 2010 and reported on his own health in a manner he found deeply distressing. Elton noted that 10 Daily Mail articles published between 2002 and 2015 were based on information obtained unlawfully, and said the intrusion was "truly sickening" and "outside even the most basic standards of human decency." The Rocketman added he felt "passionately" about "how wrong it is that such gross invasions could have been inflicted upon us and our family and friends without us ever knowing." During the hearing, Catrin Evans KC, representing Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers Limited, asked the singer whether he had complained at the time the articles were published, to which he responded, "I can't remember." "We did not know the extent of the seriousness of what had gone on," he continued. "When we knew the seriousness of what had gone on, we took action, because we were outraged." Elton told the court that while he accepts being in the public eye, that does not mean forfeiting his right to privacy, stating that "deeply personal things which I have a right to deal with in private are fair game." John's husband, David Furnish, testified the previous day and told the court that a 2010 article included details from their son Zachary's birth certificate before they had received it themselves. Lawyers for ANL have maintained that the article was sourced "entirely legitimately." - Music-News.com, 2/6/26...... Fred Smith, bass player for the New Wave bands Television and an original member of Blondie, died on Feb. 5 after battling an unspecified "illness long and hard these last few years," his bandmates revealed. He was 77. Smith got his start as the original bassist for Angel and the Snake, which would later become Blondie, in 1974. He left the band the following year to join Television, replacing frontman Richard Hell. He stayed with Television as a core member until their split in 1978, playing on 1977's seminal hit "Marquee Moon" from their debut LP of the same name and 1978's Adventure. After the group's breakup, Smith featured on solo albums for bandmates Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, as well as for other artists including the Roches, Willie Nile, Peregrins and the Revelons. Smith was also part of Television's reunion in 1992, which coincided with the release of their third, self-titled album, and would join them onstage throughout the 2000s. In the Instagram post announcing news of Smith's death, Television member Jimmy Rip remembered the musician as "not only my bandmate for 46 years -- he was my true friend." Rip went on to say that Smith was "the guy you wanted around when road life got wearisome," adding, "His sense of humor, much like his musical voice, was dry, subtle, to the point, hilarious and always left you wanting a more." Rip said they had plans to play music by frontman Verlaine, who died in Jan. 2023, this year, but that it "wasn't meant to be." - NME, 2/7/26...... LaMonte McLemore, a co-founder of the '60s/'70s Grammy-winning soul/pop group The 5th Dimension, died of natural causes on Feb. 3 at his home in Las Vegas. Mr. McLemore, who suffered a stroke several years ago, was 90. Born Sept. 17, 1935, in St. Louis, Mo., Mr. McLemore enlisted in the Navy early in life and worked as an aerial photographer. Before setting his sights on dual careers as a music artist and as a professional entertainment and sports photographer for Jet magazine and other publications, the multi-faceted Mr. McLemore sought a baseball career in the Los Angeles Dodgers' farm system. An author as well, Mr. McLemore co-authored the 2014 autobiography From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension: A Life Fulfilled in Baseball, Photography, and Music with Robert-Allan Arno. A popular crossover fixture in the late '60s and early '70s music scene, The 5th Dimension formed in Los Angeles and was originally comprised of McLemore, Billy Davis Jr., Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo and Ron Townson (who died in 2001). Known for its signature silky harmonies and sophisticated fusion of R&B, soul and pop, the group cemented its success through hits such as "Up, Up and Away," "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)," "Wedding Bell Blues," "Stoned Soul Picnic" and "One Less Bell to Answer." During Mr. McLemore's tenure with The 5th Dimension, the group twice won record of the year Grammy Awards for "Up, Up and Away" and "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)," the latter of which spent six weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. Both songs have since been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. All told, the group received seven gold albums and six RIAA-certified platinum singles. Additional achievements include embarking on a State Department cultural tour in 1973 that brought American music behind the Iron Curtain and receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991. In remembering Mr. McLemore, the group's bass singer LaRue commented in a press release that Mr. McLemore's "cheerfulness and laughter often brought strength and refreshment to me in difficult times... We were more like brother and sister than singing partners." In a joint statement, McCoo and Davis Jr. said of Mr. McLemore, "All of us who knew and loved him will definitely miss his energy and wonderful sense of humor." Surrounded by family when he died, McLemore is survived by Mieko McLemore, his wife of 30 years, daughter Ciara, (adopted) son Darin, sister Joan and three grandchildren. A memorial service and celebration of life will be announced at a later date. - Billboard, 2/4/26.