Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on September 17th, 2026

A new book about Freddie Mercury features the late Queen frontman's personal notes and alternative "Bohemian Rhapsody" lyrics. Authored by Mercury's longtime friend, Mary Austin, A Life in Lyrics: The Official Creative Legacy of Freddie Mercury opens a window into the private creative world behind the rocker's legacy. It brings together handwritten drafts, rough ideas, unused verses and visual notes from Mercury's creative work, reaching from his pre-Queen days through his solo years. Among the archive are early versions of "Bohemian Rhapsody" and several drafts connected to "Don't Stop Me Now," alongside complete songs that never made it into the studio. Personal photographs and recollections also add intimate context throughout the book. - Billboard, 9/15/26...... Roger Waters has sent a social media message to British pop star Ed Sheeran regarding Sheeran's decision to remove rapper Macklemore from his tour for making pro-Palestine comments on stage. The controversy started when Macklemore made an impassioned speech on-stage while opening for Sheeran, calling for "all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality" and for a "free Palestine," which prompted the Israeli-American Council to call for his removal from the tour, claiming the rapper had used his platform to "advance a one-sided political agenda." Macklemore then shared a social media message claiming New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft, who is Jewish, had started a campaign against Sheeran to drop him or the shows couldn't go ahead. Now, Roger Waters has weighed in on the discussion, and showed his backing for Macklemore, while calling Sheeran a "little prick." "Ed Who," Waters began a video message he posted on Instagram. "This is a little message for Ed Sheeran," he said, before showing an image of United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese behind him, as well as an unnamed woman from Gaza pictured with tears in her eyes. "I just have a little message for [Sheeran]," Waters added. "There are two kinds of people in this world. There's people who do the right thing -- the rapper Macklemore would be one of those people. "And there's people -- many of them, sadly -- little f excuse me, I nearly used the F-word then pricks like you who do the wrong thing. Goodbye." Waters has been a longtime supporter of Palestine. In 2024, he urged followers on social media not to vote for Kamala Harris or Donald Trump in the US election due to their respective stances on the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. More recently, last July, he voiced his support for Palestine Action after the organisation was proscribed as a terrorist group under the Terrorism Act 2000. - NME, 9/16/26...... In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Bruce Springsteen revealed he has two albums on the way -- one of which is completed and another he's still working on, but that he would like to release first. "I'm currently working on a couple of records. I did finish one, and it is done. I'm in the process of working on this other one, which, because of the nature of the material, felt like it should come out first," he said. "So that's the situation I'm in. I'm trying to finish that up, and I'd like to release that first. And then this other record that I made, which is not time-relevant, it can come out at any time and it'll work," he added. When asked whether they are solo efforts or E Street Band records, Springsteen said: "It's a surprise." No title, release date or further information has been shared for either album. The Boss has also revealed that his wife and fellow E Street Band musician Patti Scialfa is in remission from cancer. "As you know, Patti's been living with her multiple myeloma for over eight years, but now thankfully she is in remission," he said. Scialfa first publicly discussed her 2018 diagnosis in the 2024 documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band, explaining that the condition had weakened her immune system and led to limited appearances for her on tour. Meanwhile, Springsteen has shared a "Philadelphia Freedom Cut" from his "Land Of Hope And Dreams" US tour, which captures footage of his live show. The official video, shared on YouTube, comes as his show in Philadelphia on May 30 was filmed in its entirety, and is set to be released in four segments. This is the first of the four segments of footage, and captures the first seven songs of the tour's Philadelphia finale -- held at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. To open the show, The Boss played Motown classic "War" before following it with classic track "Born in the U.S.A." and "Death to My Hometown." More details about the remaining footage from the show will be released soon, and all three additional segments are set to be released chronologically throughout the rest of 2026. Elsewhere, Springsteen has defeated a second attempt at litigation over his use of a New Jersey man's 1967 Pontiac GTO in the album art for his 2022 cover collection Only the Strong Survive. On Sept. 15, a New Jersey appeals court affirmed the earlier dismissal of a lawsuit brought against Springsteen by the family of deceased classic car collector Louis Billotti. The case had also targeted Sony Music, which owns Springsteen's label Columbia Records, and his longtime manager Jon Landau. Billotti died shortly before the LP's release, and the man's son alleged in a 2023 lawsuit that Springsteen had orally promised to pay his father additional money if the car photos ever ended up on an album cover. Springsteen denied making any such promise, and a trial court judge threw out the case last year due to insufficient evidence. Billotti's estate appealed. The New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division ruled Tuesday affirmed the dismissal, saying there isn't a single witness or document to back up the younger Billotti's description of a conversation relayed to him by his late father, a legal situation known as "double hearsay," which must clear a high bar to be deemed admissible as evidence in court. - NME/Billboard, 9/14/26...... Columbia/Legacy Recordings announced on Sept. 15 that a huge 39-CD Bob Dylan box set, The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1976 Live Recordings will drop on Nov. 6. With 381 tracks -- 371 of which have never been released up until now -- the set fully captures Dylan's 1976 tour. The trek kicked off on Apr. 18, 1976 in Lakeland, Fla., and spanned 27 dates -- concluding in Salt Lake City on May 25 that year. This is the first time the performances have become available for fans to listen to since the shows. Included in the release is a 3LP set of the complete May 16 Fort Worth show, remixed from the original multi-track tapes, and Dylan's rendition of "Going, Going, Gone" from that show has been shared on YouTube. During the tour, Dylan reunited with his old girlfriend Joan Baez to perform a moving set of duets across many dates, including performances of "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Railroad Boy." Earlier this summer, Dylan wrapped up the US leg of his 2026 "Rough and Rowdy Ways" tour. The UK and European leg of the tour kicks off in Norway in October. - NME, 9/15/26...... Dionne Warwick has teamed with a fellow Grammy-winning songstress, R&B/pop singer Mya, and platinum-selling rap star Saweetie for a new song in conjunction with International World Peace Day, "One Heart Can Change the World." The song is being released Sept. 25 and, according to a press release, "the day is dedicated to strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples." Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker, the United Nations' International Good Will Ambassador, is the single's narrator. Also appearing on "One Heart Can Change the World" are Grammy-winning violinist Miri Ben-Ari and sound healer Ana Netanel. "I was part of the supergroup that united for USA For Africa in 1985 with a Michael Jackson/Lionel Richie-penned song produced by Quincy Jones, 'We Are the World'," Warwick commented. "This groundbreaking musical collaboration was aimed at raising awareness for famine relief in Ethiopia. I was also joined in 1986 by my friends Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder on the Burt Bacharach/Carole Bayer Sager anthem 'That's What Friends Are For,' a No. 1 Grammy-winning song with all proceeds to this day benefiting the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR.) I have seen just how powerful a song for a call to action can be," she added. - Billboard, 9/14/26...... Tony Iommi has revealed why he turned down the chance to make one final Black Sabbath album with members of the original line-up. In a new interview with Classic Rock, Iommi shared that Andrew Watt, who produced Osbourne's final two albums (2020's Ordinary Man and 2022's Patient Number 9), had approached him about making a Sabbath album with the original line-up. "I'd met Andrew Watt when he was producing Ozzy," Iommi said. "He was very keen and a bit too excited. He also didn't know what it was like working with the original Sabbath, working with Bill [Ward]. Also, we'd done 13, and I didn't like the idea of: 'Now here's another album'," he added. The line-up for 13, in addition to Ozzy and bassist Geezer Butler, was completed Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave drummer Brad Wilk after original drummerBill Ward chose to not participate due to a contractual dispute. At one point, Osbourne said Black Sabbath would record "one more album" after 13, but in 2015 he revealed that the band had "opted against" it and that they would be too old by the time it was completed. "It would take three or four years to write and record an album, by which time I'll be f----ing 73 or 72 or something, so we decided just to do a farewell tour," Osbourne said at the time. The band did later reunite in 2025 at the huge "Back To The Beginning" event at Birmingham's Villa Park. The gig saw both Sabbath and Ozzy stage their last-ever shows, and it marked the first time the original members had played alongside each other since 2005. The performances were held just over two weeks before Osbourne passed away in July 2025, aged 76. - NME, 9/14/26...... The first-ever authorized rockumentary on Def Leppard, Long Live Def Leppard, is slated for release in theaters in early 2027. Directed by Jeff Feuerzeig (The Devil and Daniel Jonston), the film is an all-access account of the U.K. rockers' rise from humble beginnings in working class Sheffield to global chart domination in the 1980s and 1990s with such hits as their No. 1 smash "Love Bites," as well as their other top 10 hits "Pour Some Sugar on Me" (No. 2), "Armageddon It" (No. 3) and "Hysteria" (No. 10). The film was produced in collaboration with the Joe Elliott-led Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group that has sold 110 million albums worldwide; the group also features guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, bassist Rick Savage and drummer Rick Allen, who along with Elliott, will be featured in new interviews. It will feature never-before-seen footage, with writer/director/producer Feuerzeig saying in a statement that his connection to the band goes back to their rise to fame with 1981's breakthrough sophomore album High 'n' Dry. Def Leppard concluded a residency run at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in February, then began a European tour this summer. They'll play the Seminole Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Fla. on Oct. 15 before moving on to a run of shows in Mexico and Central and South America later than month into November. - Billboard, 9/11/26...... Meanwhile, a new documentary showcasing late Rush drummer Neil Peart debuts on Sept. 16 at the Toronto International Film Festival. Peart, the much-admired drummer-lyricist for the Toronto-based prog-rock trio, died in 2020 at the age of 67 from a brain tumour, but his friendships with and inspiration to other drummers -- as well as his two surviving bandmates -- live on in the touching and funny film. The documentary, which will also get a nationwide Canadian broadcast on Sept. 23 on CBC/CBC Gem, finds Rush bassist-singer Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson playing songs like "Working Man" and "Dreamline" with other drummers from such bands as Tool, The Police, King Crimson, Jethro Tull and Red Hot Chili Peppers, and it becomes obvious very quickly just how demanding Peart's drumming parts are to play. - Canoe.com, 9/14/26...... Original Journey bassist Ross Valory has confirmed he will not be rejoining the band on its ongoing "Final Frontier Tour." Valory, who was fired alongside drummer Steve Smith in 2020, says he has made peace with his departure and has no desire to revisit the past. Speaking on SiriusXM's Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, Valory explained that the legal fallout between him and the band is firmly behind him. "We made what I think is a very reasonable settlement, and everyone moved on with their lives," Valory said. "I certainly have, and I believe that everyone else involved has just moved on. I'm no longer a part of the organization or the brand, so my position now, at best, is a casual observer. So it was many years ago, and we all move on. Everybody gets on with their lives." Asked whether he had been approached about returning, Valory made it clear the answer is no -- and compared the speculation to long-running fan hopes for a Steve Perry comeback. He said: "Not that I know of, no. And there's been rumours for years about Steve Perry returning, and he has to keep telling people, 'No, I'm just not doing it.' And you understand it from the fans' standpoint that's what they really want. The hardcore fans want to see everybody together. But I don't see that happening." Valory added that Journey's legacy is ultimately defined by the music, not the lineup, and praised the current incarnation for delivering what audiences expect. "It's about the songs. Regardless of which band has too few, (or) how many original members, it's a matter of being able to go onto that stage and provide for, let's say the average ticket buyer, they want to hear the songs, they want to hear them like they heard them on the record," Valory noted. "And as long as any band can do that, there's no reason to consider who's in the band and who's not. And Journey's one of those bands that continues to do that." Formed in 1973, Journey have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, earning induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. The band's history has been marked by financial disputes, trademark battles and lawsuits between members. The "Final Frontier Tour" is set to wrap on Nov. 28, with guitarist Neal Schon previously suggesting Journey will continue without keyboardist Jonathan Cain once the run ends. - Music-News.com, 9/15/26....... The Beatles have shared an early version of their Rubber Soul track "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," with George Harrison putting his sitar mastery on display, on YouTube. Dubbed "Second Version -- Take 2," the recording comes as the first original version of the now-classic song was recorded during the first day of sessions for Rubber Soul and featured Harrison's new discovery, the sitar. The band were unhappy with that version, so recorded three more takes nine days later. On Take two, the first attempt featured John Lennon's acoustic guitar, Paul McCartney's bass, Ringo Starr on drums and George playing drone notes on sitar. George added more sitar on tracks two and three, and John and Paul's vocals were also recorded on track three. While the final version opens with an instrumental version of the verse melody, this this arrangement opens with double-tracked sitar playing the bridge section. Speaking about how the instrumental was used, George previously shared: "It felt very familiar to me to listen to that music. Around that time I'd bought a cheap sitar in a shop called Indiacraft in London. When we were working on 'Norwegian Wood', it just needed something and it was quite spontaneous. I picked the sitar up and kind of found the notes. We put it on and it seemed to hit the spot and that was it." The song is set to feature on the new expanded special edition of Rubber Soul, which is released on Oct. 2. - NME, 9/14/26...... Cheetah Chrome, the co-founding drummer of the legendary punk band Dead Boys, has died aged 71. His death was announced by the band on Sept. 13 in a statement on Instagram. "We are incredibly sad to announce the news of the passing of our beloved friend and bandmate Cheetah Chrome," the statement read. "Cheetah was a true original, an architect of the punk rock movement. A one-man hurricane tearing up the musical landscape with his feral guitar riffs and manic energy. Beyond all that Cheetah was also just a really sweet guy that loved rock-roll. No cause of death has been provided. Cheetah (real name Eugene Richard O'Connor), first joined the band Rocket from the Tombs before forming Dead Boys alongside fellow RFTT members Stiv Bators and Johnny Madansky. As Dead Boys, they released two albums: 1977's Young, Loud and Snotty and, the following year, We Have Come for Your Children. The band broke up in 1980 and later reunited for a series of live performances -- first in 1987, again in 2004 and once more beginning in 2017. They never released another studio album. The band also featured prominently in Lech Kowalski's iconic 1980 punk documentary D.O.A.: A Right of Passage. After Dead Boys disbanded, O'Connor went on to pursue several solo projects, as well as working as a session musician and touring with GG Allin. Dead Boys had planned to reunite in 2027 to mark their 50th anniversary. O'Connor is survived by his wife, Anna O'Connor, and his 14-year-old son Rogan, who reside in Nashville. - NME, 9/14/26...... Bob Mackie, the dress designer whose legendarily glitzy gowns were the go-to for stars including Cher, Barbra Streisand, Carol Burnett, Tina Turner and Miley Cyru, died on Sept. 14. He was 87. "It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Mr. Bob Mackie passed away today," reads a statement on his Instagram page. "He lived his 87 years to the fullest, fulfilling his dream of being a Fashion and Costume Designer, which is all he ever wanted to do. His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world." The post was accompanied by a photo of the designer flashing his signature smile while seated at his drafting table surrounded by colored markers and sketches. Born in Monterey Park, Calif. on March 24, 1939, Mr. Mackie dropped out of Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles and began working as an apprentice designer at Paramount Studios before renowned film costume designer Edith Head took him under her wing as a sketch artist. One of his first gigs out of college was the iconic skin-tight mesh dress covered in crystals worn by Marilyn Monroe when she serenaded Pres. John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden in 1962; social media influencer Kim Kardashian wore the dress at the 2022 Met Gala. The combination of his sketching skills, eye for attention-grabbing looks and love of Hollywood glamour helped land Mr. Mackie -- also known as the "Sultan of Sequins" -- his first big break when singer/actress Mitzi Gaynor hired him to design the costumes for her Las Vegas revue, and then later for her TV specials, which earned him Emmy awards in 1976 and 1978. He also scored another major gig early in his career when he was tapped to be the costumer for The Carol Burnett Show, a hugely popular weekly sketch series that ran from 1967-1978, for which he cranked out dozens of outfits per week. The gig helped make Mr. Mackie the go-to designer for some of the eras biggest stars. He met Cher on the set of the Burnett show and began a long friendship and professional collaboration with the singer that included him becoming the official costumer for The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and, later, one of the singer/actresses' favorite designers. Over the years, their creative partnership would spawn some of the most outrageous, talked-about red carpet outfits of all time, including the sheer, sequin- and feather-covered "nude illusion gown" she wore at the 1974 Met Gala, where she was escorted by Mr. Mackie, and the black, belly-baring two-piece with a giant feathered headdress she wore to the 1986 Academy Awards. Among their other legendary collabs is the "seat belt" outfit Cher wore in the "If I Could Turn Back Time" video, which famously consisted of a sheer black bodysuit with garters, thin black strips of fabric covering Cher's private parts and not much else. A 32-time Emmy nominee, Mr. Mackie was nominated for three Oscars in his lifetime -- for Lady Sings the Blues (1973), Funny Lady (1976) and Pennies From Heaven (1982) and won nine competitive Emmy Awards and one honorary award, as well as a Tony in 2019 for The Cher Show, for which he created more than 450 outfits. Mr. Mackie debuted the Bob Mackie Barbie collection in 1982 and in 2002 he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. "My dear Bob has gone up to heaven. Knowing him, he's bringing Sequins, Beads, & his sketch pad," Cher posted in tribute on X on Sept. 15. "Good nite sweet Prince." - Billboard, 9/14/26.