Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on May 10th, 2026

Ringo Starr's new country-themed album Long Long Road has debuted in the top 10 of Billboard's Album Sales Chart dated May 9 after its Apr. 24 release. Long Long Road becomes the former Beatle's second top 10 on the Album Sales Chart, which launched in 1991, following last year's Look Up. Long Long Road debuted on a total of five Billboard charts, including Top Album Sales (No. 9), Indie Store Album Sales (No. 11), Americana/Folk Albums (No. 15), Vinyl Albums (No. 15) and Top Country Albums (No. 40). Starr's new album marks his 22nd solo album and his second co-written and produced by T Bone Burnett, following Look Up, with collaborations from the likes of Sheryl Crow, Sarah Jarosz, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle and St. Vincent. - Billboard, 5/8/26...... In related news, Ringo's first ever debut with Paul McCartney, "Home To Us," has been shared on YouTube. The track is the second to be shared from Macca's new album The Boys of Dungeon Lane, which arrives on May 29, following on from the powerful nostalgic lead single "Days We Left Behind." After that lead single dropped, reports started to emerge that Ringo would appear on the record as a guest drummer, and at a special fan album playback event at Abbey Road Studios on May 5, Sir Paul confirmed that rumours were true. He played the full album exclusively for the 50 lucky fans in attendance, and confirmed that the song with Starr was called "Home To Us" and set for release on May 8. "Home To Us" is the first music the two Beatles icons have made together as a duet, and also features Sharleen Spiteri and The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde on guest vocals. McCartney plays the majority of instruments on the song -- much like in his 1970 solo debut album, McCartney -- and it is produced by Andrew Watt. McCartney will take the stage on the season finale of NBC's Saturday Night Live on May 16 to perform selections from The Boys of Dungeon Lane, his fifth appearance as SNL's musical guest, with Emmy winner and former SNL player Will Ferrell hosting. - NME, 5/6/26...... Eric Clapton decided to end his gig early at Madrid's Movistar Arena on May 7 after a fan in one of the front rows hurled a vinyl LP at the veteran rocker which hit him in the chest. The guitarist, playing the Spanish capital as part of his current European tour, had just finished a rendition of his U.S. 1980 hit "Cocaine," and had been scheduled to return for an encore of the blues standard "Before You Accuse Me" in his 13-song set, but in the end he chose not to retake the stage. "Very sad indeed. What kind of idiot does that?," one fan posted on X/Twitter along with footage of Clapton's show. Clapton, who released his latest album Meanwhile in 2024, is set to play a huge one-off show in the UK this summer, at the Sandringham Estate on Aug. 23. He will be joined on the bill by Ronnie Wood and His Band, as well as Andy Fairweather Low and The Low Riders. More fan-shot footage of the Madrid show can be streamed on YouTube. - New Musical Express, 5/9/26...... Michael Jackson's classic 1982 LP Thriller has zoomed from 48-7 following the release of the Michael biopic in movie theaters on Apr. 24, with the Michael soundtrack debuting at No. 8 on Billboard's Album Sales Chart dated May 9. The King of Pop's solo song catalog registered a collective 137.5 million official on-demand streams for the week of Apr. 24-30 in the US, according to Luminate, up 146% and more than doubling his previous career high. Thriller's No. 7 debut marks the album's best showing since reaching the same position in Dec. 2022 after a 40th anniversary reissue. Excluding that celebration, Thriller last ranked higher on the chart dated June 2, 1984, at No. 6. Just weeks before, the blockbuster, wrapped 37 weeks at No. 1 across 1983-1984, still the most weeks at No. 1 by an album by a singular artist in the chart's history. It also charted a total of seven Top 40 singles from 1983-84. Prior to the Michael era, the late icon, who died in 2009, recorded a high of 53.7 million for the week of Oct. 25-31, 2019, spurred by the now-annual Halloween resurgence for "Thriller." Michael covers Jackson's life from 1966 to 1988, including time with both The Jackson 5 and The Jacksons groups with his brothers. As such, those acts' catalogs experience massive increases too, with the former's songs pulling 10.1 million streams in the tracking week, up 135% from the previous week's 4.3 million. The Jacksons, meanwhile, surge to 4.9 million clicks for their tracks, up 57% from 2.1 million last week. At the box office, Michael has also generated a huge commercial response. The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role, grossed $97 million in its first weekend in the U.S. and Canada and $218.8 million worldwide, both the highest ever opening figures for a biopic. - Billboard, 5/6/26...... Ronnie Wood has revealed that he has a tribute to Beach Boys' Brian Wilson on the new Rolling Stones album, Foreign Tongues. Speaking on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Wood revealed that he learned of Wilson's passing while in the studio working on Foreign Tongues, and wanted to play something from the heart that expressed how he felt after hearing the news. "I was so moved that day, and disappointed and sad, I had so much feeling because Brian Wilson died. I'll never forget," he said, going on to reveal that he wrote a nine-minute guitar solo which helped him channel his emotions. That solo was later cut down to around five-minutes, and now features in a song called "Back In Your Life." "That week Sly Stone died too, I thought, 'Oh, no. It's so sad'. It came out through my guitar, the feeling, in just one take. I didn't do that, the guitar played itself," he added. The 14-track Foreign Tongues is set for release on July 10 via Polydor/Universal Music. Wood's Tonight Show interview can be viewed on YouTube. - NME, 5/8/26...... Cher and her frequent songwriting collaborator Diane Warren have scored a number of chart hits over the years, including such classics as "If I Could Turn Back Time," "Just Like Jesse James" and "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me," and on May 8 Warren reposted an Instagram post which Cher made earlier: "You're annoying but U write great songs." The post included a seemingly recent smiling pic of the duo hanging out, along with Warren's reaction to the star's backhanded praise: "haha thnx Cher." The singer's Warren-penned and co-produced massive 1989 hit "If I Could Turn Back Time" rose to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and they've teamed up for more than a dozen other classics, including the Golden Globe-winning Burlesque soundtrack hit "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me," the country-leaning 1989 song "Just Like Jesse James," as well as 1991's "Save Up All Your Tears," 1987's "Perfection," "Does Anybody Really Fall in Love Anymore?," "Love and Understanding" and several others. Cher's last album of original material was 2013's dance-heavy Closer to the Truth, and her most recent project was her 2023 Christmas album, which debuted atop the Top Holiday Albums chart in 2023. Meanwhile, the family drama between Cher and her son, Elijah Blue Allman, continues as Allman filed a court document in the Superior Court of Los Angeles on May 5 asking a judge to slash the spousal support payments he makes to his estranged wife, Marieangela King. Elijah claims the reason is his mother stopped supporting him financially. Allman, 49, said he used to receive $10,000 a month from Cher, but that money allegedly stopped coming in Aug. 2021, according to PageSix.com. He told the court he now only receives $10,000 monthly from a trust tied to his late father, Gregg Allman. After taxes, he says his income works out to about $6,790 a month. Right now, Allman is required to pay King $6,500 a month in spousal support. His lawyers are asking the court to cut that amount down to $1,651 monthly. In the filing, Allman also accused King, 38, of making "no efforts to become self-supporting" since the couple split in 2021. The pair married in 2013. Allman first filed for divorce in 2021, but the case was later dismissed after the couple reconciled. King then filed for divorce herself in Apr. 2025. Their next court hearing is set for July 17. The latest legal battle comes as Cher continues trying to gain conservatorship over her son due to ongoing addiction and mental health struggles. - Billboard/Canoe.com, 5/8/26...... Barry Manilow shared a new version of his 1992 album track "Another Life" on YouTube on May 8. Co-written by Andrew Hill and Preston Sturges, "Another Life - 2026" explores the distance between former lovers, as one struggles to come to terms with the relationship's end. Arranged by Manilow and longtime collaborator Michael Lloyd, the new 2026 recording retains the song's wistful core while deepening its sense of nostalgia. Manilow was in his late 40s when he first recorded the song. He's now in his 80s and has had to confront a serious health challenge, giving the song added meaning. Manilow first recorded the song for his 1992 box set The Complete Collection and Then Some... The song wasn't officially released as a single, but as an album track, it reached No. 33 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. The new single follows Manilow's first public appearance since undergoing surgery for lung cancer. On Apr. 23, Manilow appeared at the American Advertising Federation's Hall of Fame gala in New York City to accept the President's Award, recognizing his iconic work in advertising, including writing famous jingles for McDonalds and other companies, before he launched his recording career in the early 1970s. "Another Life - 2026" is the final preview from Barry's forthcoming album What a Time, his first collection of nearly all-original material in almost 15 years. The album is due June 5. After his recovery is complete, the singer says he plans to tour throughout 2026. - Billboard, 5/8/26...... A new Ian Curtis exhibition will open in New York this summer and will feature rare archival material, including handwritten Joy Division lyrics. Held at the Voltz Clarke Gallery between June 25 and July 22, "Ian Curtis: Insight" will bring pieces from the late singer's archive to the United States for the first time and offer a new perspective on the UK's iconic Manchester artist. On display will be an "intimate and revealing" selection of handwritten lyrics, photographs, personal letters, ephemera and artefacts. They are being brought over from the The John Rylands Library at The University of Manchester, where they are housed as part of the British Pop Archive. Many of the pieces from the archive have never come to the US before, and organizers say that bringing them across the pond now, 46 years after Curtis' death, proves how his music continues to resonate with people across the globe. "This exhibition is part of The University of Manchester's remit to share our Special Collections globally," said Professor Christopher Pressler, University Librarian and Director of The John Rylands Library. Curtis and his bandmates first founded Joy Division in Salford, England back in 1976 under the name Warsaw. They changed their name to Joy Division in early 1978, and stayed together until the frontman took his own life in May 1980, after battling depression and epilepsy. Bandmates Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris went on to form New Order after his death, and have made numerous tributes to the late singer over the years. Both Joy Division and New Order will enter the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame as a single act during a ceremony in Los Angeles in November, following previous nominations in 2023 and 2025. - NME, 5/8/26...... During a recent interview on CBS Sunday Morning on May 3, Sting praised the "extraordinary work ethic" of his six children, and doubled-down on not passing his fortune down to them. Sting has two children with his first wife, son Joe Sumner and daughter Fuschia Sumner, as well as four kids with his second wife, Trudie Styler, Mickey, Jake, Eliot and Giacomo Sumner. "I think that's a form of abuse that I hope I'm never guilty of," Sting said, adding that all of his kids have been blessed with an "extraordinary work ethic," whether from their famous dad's DNA or from him simply being very frank about his financial planning. "Guys, you got to work," Sting says he told his kids. "I'm spending our money. I'm paying for your education. You've got shoes on your feet. Go to work. That's not cruel. I think there's a kindness there and a trust that they will make their own way. They're tough, my kids." Speaking about his stage musical," The Last Ship," in which he pays tribute to the hard-working shipbuilders fallen upon hard times in his home city of Newcastle, the 74-year-old musician said he took to heart the values of those working-class folks. "The working class works and wants to work. I'm one of those people, I love to work," he said. Sting's "3.0" US tour kicked off at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Fla. on May 6. His CBS Sunday Morning interview can be streamed on YouTube. - Billboard, 5/6/26...... Stanley Simmons, the group comprised of the sons of KISS' Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, have announced their debut album. Evan Stanley and Nick Simmons first revealed in early 2025 that they were working together on the project, saying at that time that they had written and recorded 10 songs together. Now, they have revealed that their album Dancing While The World Is Ending will be released on Aug. 28, and they have given a taste of it with the singles "Body Down" and the title track on YouTube. Stanley Simmons played their first ever live show on May 4 in San Diego, Calif., with followed by three further shows in the Golden State. As for KISS, the launch date for their Las Vegas avatar shows has been tentatively scheduled for 2028. Production will be overseen by Pophouse Entertainment, the founding investor behind ABBA's Voyage show. - NME, 5/4/26...... Deep Purple have confirmed their new studio album SPLAT! will arrive via EarMusic Records on July 3. Rather than leaning on their legacy, the group say the new material captures the same energy that defined their classic era. Frontman Ian Gillan said the current line-up feels like a modern reflection of the band's 1970s peak. He said: "Where we are now with this incarnation of Deep Purple feels very much like a very 'now' version of Deep Purple as it was in the seventies." For SPLAT!, he band once again worked with legendary producer Bob Ezrin -- known for his work with Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, KISS and Lou Reed -- crafting what they describe as "their heaviest album in years," recorded live together in the studio. Gillan says the new songs sit comfortably alongside some of their most iconic work. "I have to say, now we are very much back in with material that is compatible with 'Highway Star', 'Smoke on the Water', 'Lazy' -- the dynamics, the balance, and the fun of the music we made from '69 to '73," he said. At the center of SPLAT! is a concept developed by Gillan, exploring the end of humanity not as destruction but as transformation -- a shift beyond physical existence. SPLAT! marks the latest chapter in a career that has seen the band sell more than 120 million albums since forming in 1968. The band will support the album with an extensive 2026 touring schedule, including 86 shows across 28 countries on three continents. Gillan said the group are thriving as they enter this next phase, adding: "Deep Purple is in a great place right now." SPLAT! will be released in multiple formats, including CD, digital, standard 2LP, limited purple and limited transparent yellow vinyl editions, along with a Limited Vinyl Box Set with 2LP+CD+3x10inch and 7inch formats. Deep Purple will mount an 8-date UK tour behind the new record in November. - Music-News.com, 5/6/26...... Veteran rock drummer Carmine Appice has spoken out about the rumours that Led Zeppelin asked him to join after John Bonham's death in 1980. Speaking on the Talk Louder podcast, Appice confirmed that he was aware of the rumours at the time that he was aware of the speculation he would replace Bonham, but says he was never approached by the band in any formal capacity. Appice recalled that he had heard that it might come down to a choice between himself and Cozy Powell of The Jeff Beck Group, but that even if he had been asked, he would have been unable to accept, as he was on tour with Rod Stewart at the time. "I would've, but I was with Rod," Appice explained. "It's not like I was with nobody, we'd just finished doing six nights at the Forum [in Los Angeles]." "So, Rod said to me, 'Are you gonna join Led Zeppelin?' I said, 'Not that I know of.' I said, 'I know there's rumours, but I never got a call or nothing.' He said, 'Oh, that's good. Let's keep [the rumours] going. There's rumours that I'm gonna retire, so let's keep it going. We'll just sell more tickets.' I said, 'OK.' So that's what we did. But I was never asked." Bonham passed away on Sept. 25, 1980 at the age of 32 after aspirating vomit following heavy alcohol consumption. In the end, Zeppelin chose not to replace him, feeling he was irreplaceable, and they disbanded the group shortly afterward. Phil Collins filled in on drums for the metal icons' appearance at Live Aid in 1985, while Bonham's son Jason Bonham has played at the few subsequent Led Zep shows, including their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1995 and at the huge Ahmet Ertegun tribute concert in London's O2 in 2007. In addition to his time with Stewart, Appice has also sat behind the kit for Vanilla Fudge, Cactus and Beck, Bogert & Appice. Appice's full Talk Louder interview can be viewed on YouTube. - NME, 5/4/26...... Police were called to the Los Angeles home of The Four Seasons lead singer Franki Valli on the evening of May 3, according to TMZ.com. A report claimed that someone had violated a restraining order related to a domestic dispute, an LAPD spokesperson told People magazine. The "My Eyes Adored You" singer was granted a three-year restraining order against his son Francesco Valli in Apr. 2024. According to dispatch audio obtained by People, a 38-year-old man was "banging on the door demanding entry." L.A. police officers, including a police helicopter, responded to the home and found no evidence of a crime. The air unit then cleared the scene. Then less than a minute later, another call was generated from the address for a "family dispute - restraining order violation." "This is a private family matter, and it was resolved before the authorities arrived," a rep for Valli told People. The restraining order was granted after Francesco attempted to break into his father's property in 2024. Valli's younger son Emilio claimed that Francesco "repeatedly physically threatened to harm or kill" him and his father. In the filing, he noted that threats like this had been happening for "several months" but had escalated since Valli financially cut off Francesco. Francesco was ordered to have no contact with Emilio or Valli and to stay at least 100 yards away from their homes, cars and workplaces. The restraining order is set to expire on Apr. 29, 2027. Valli shares Francesco and twins Emilio and Brando with his third wife, Randy Clohessy. Valli had three daughters, Celia, Antonia and Francine, with his first wife, Mary Mandel. Celia and Francine died in separate incidents in 1980. - Music-News.com, 5/7/26...... Alex Ligertwood, the Scottish singer best known for his work with Santana, died at his Santa Monica, Calif. home on Apr. 30. He was 79. "It's with great sadness and heartache to announce the passing of my sweet dear Alex Ligertwood," his wife Shawn Brogan wrote in a statement. "Alex died peacefully in his sleep with his doggy Bobo by his side. [He] was loved by so many. If you knew him, you loved him. He touched so many with his extraordinary voice. He was all heart and soul." Ligertwood played with a wide range of artists, but is best remembered for his stints as lead vocalist with Santana between 1979 and 1994. His soulful voice helped to define that era of the Latin rock band, featuring on albums including Marathon (1979), Zebop! (1981) and Sacred Fire: Live In South America (1993). He sang on some of the band's most beloved tracks, including "Winning," "Hold On" and "You Know That I Love You," during a period when Santana pivoted to more of an AOR style. Born in Glasgow on Dec. 18, 1946, Ligertwood began playing skiffle in the 1950s and joined the band The Senate, and prior to joining Santana, he also worked alongside The Jeff Beck Group and Average White Band, building a reputation as a standout vocalist. In recent years, he continued to perform live and he released a solo album Outside The Box in 2019, and had performed his final show just a few weeks before his passing, capping a career that spanned six decades. - NME, 5/4/26...... Media mogul Ted Turner, who pioneered the modern 24-hour news culture when he launched the CNN channel in 1980, died on May 6. He was 87. Mr. Turner launched Cable News Network as the first dedicated rolling news channel, which soon became a central part of the media landscape. The network initially faced scepticism and struggles, being mocked as the "Chicken Noodle Network" in its early years by those who thought it would not succeed. But the channel proved its worth by providing speedy and continuous updates of stories like the assassination attempt on US Pres. Ronald Reagan in 1981, and the Challenger space shuttle disaster in 1986. Then it truly came of age with its live rolling coverage from Iraq during the 1990-1991 Gulf War. But CNN was far from Turner's only outlet. He began his career by taking over the successful family billboard company when his father took his own life, then bought a radio station in Atlanta, Ga. Within a decade, that station had become the foundation of the Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) and its boss was one of the biggest media moguls in the US. He was also known for his brash personality, which earned him the nicknames "the Mouth of the South" and "Captain Outrageous." He even lived in CNN's headquarters for a number of years, often walking around the newsroom in his bath robe, "eager to debate the day's news," according to current CNN CEO/chairman Mark Thompson. Born Robert Edward Turner III was in Cincinnati on Nov. 19, 1938, Mr. Turner grew up mostly in Savannah, Ga. The foundation of his broadcasting empire was a money-bleeding UHF station, then WTCG, in Atlanta, which he bought in 1970 for $2.5 million. Beyond the media, Mr. Turner was a world-class yachtsman, winning the America's Cup in 1977. In 1983, a Rupert Murdoch-sponsored yacht collided with Mr. Turner's boat in an Australian race, which led Mr. Turner to challenge Murdoch to a fist fight. Mr. Turner also owned sport properties including the Atlanta Braves baseball team, Atlanta Hawks basketball team and Atlanta Thrashers ice hockey team. Mr. Turner's television empire also included the TBS and TNT channels, Turner Classic Movies and Cartoon Network. He made a short-lived, ill-fated $1.5 billion acquisition of the MGM film studios in 1985. He went on to buy film and TV companies Castle Rock Entertainment and New Line Cinema in the 1990s, before his company merged with Time Warner. He eventually sold his company to Time Warner in a fateful deal that wiped out a lot of his fortune and was seen as something that took his power away in the media. He then became a major philanthropist, donating $1 billion to the United Nations and millions more to environmental causes, and promoted and invested in clean energy. He was married to actress Jane Fonda from 1991 until 2001. In 2018, Mr. Turner revealed he had Lewy body dementia, a degenerative nerve disease. In an Instagram post on May 7, Jane Fonda paid tribute to Mr. Turner: "He swept into my life, a gloriously handsome, deeply romantic, swashbuckling pirate and I've never been the same," the 88-year-old actress wrote. "He needed me. No one had ever let me know they needed me, and this wasn't your average human being that needed me, this was the creator of CNN, and Turner Classic Movies, who had won the America's Cup as the world's greatest sailor. He had a big life, a brilliant mind and a soaring sense of humor." Survivors include two children from his first marriage, Laura and Teddy; three children from his second marriage, Rhett, Beau and Jennie; 14 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. - BBC.com, 5/6/26.