Paul McCartney is among a litany of both established and up and coming artists set to offer signed, rare and otherwise unique collectibles that will benefit MusiCares, the charity arm of The Recording Academy. An Hofner B-Bass Hi Series violin bass guitar belonging to Sir Paul will be among the articles on the block in the virtual auction conducted by Julien's Auctions on Jan. 30. The sale comes in tandem with the 2022 Grammy Awards which will be held the following evening. Other artists contributing items include Keith Richards (a signed ebony Gibson ES-333 guitar), the estate of Tom Petty (a signed Gibson ES-335 guitar), Joni Mitchell (an original oil painting of Prince), and KISS's Gene Simmons (two of his own unique artworks), as well as items by such hot rising artists as BTS and Harry Styles. More details on the auction can be found on the Julien's Auctions website. - New Musical Express, 12/21/21...... 
Bette Midler has apologized to the residents of West Virginia after the longtime liberal diva took to Twitter on Dec. 20 to criticize WV Sen. Joe Manchin for his refusal to vote for Pres. Joe Biden's Build Back Better Act. "What #JoeManchin, who represents a population smaller than Brooklyn, has done to the rest of America, who wants to move forward, not backward, like his state, is horrible. He sold us out. He wants us all to be just like his state, West Virginia. Poor, illiterate and strung out," Midler huffed on the popular social media platform. After major blowback from the people of the Mountain State, Midler tweeted an apology just 30 minutes later: "I apologize to the good people of WVA for my last outburst," she wrote. "I'm just seeing red; #JoeManchin and his whole family are a criminal enterprise. Is he really the best WV has to offer its own citizens? Surely there's someone there who has the state's interests at heart, not his own!" Midler, meanwhile, was one of the recipients of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors awards earlier in December her lifetime of artistic achievement, alongside Joni Mitchell, Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr., Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels and opera star Justino D'az. A taped presentation of the ceremony will be broadcast on the CBS network on Dec. 22 at 9:00 p.m. EST. - Billboard, 12/21/21...... Elton John gathered several of his famous friends who participated on his recent The Lockdown Sessions album of duets on Dec. 21 for what the Rocket Man called an "Ultimate Zoom" call. John's "Cold Heart" collaborator Dua Lipa, Damon Albarn, Stevie Wonder, Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X, Stevie Nicks and Young Thug were among those participating in the call, which has been shared on YouTube. Meanwhile, Elton is set to snag the coveted Christmas U.K. No. 1 with Ladbaby's "Sausage Rolls For Everyone," on which he features with his mate Ed Sheeran. John and Sheeran rang in the holidays together on the Dec. 16 broadcast of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! with a glittery, joy-filled run through their holiday single, "Merry Christmas." The song, which dropped earlier in December and immediately topped the U.K. singles chart, is an upbeat, cheery ode to the yuletide season. The pair, who co-wrote the track, were accompanied by a full band and a trio of backup singers on a massive soundstage decked out with Christmas trees for the performance that benefited Sheeran's Suffolk Music Foundation and the the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The performance can be viewed on YouTube. - Billboard, 12/21/21...... Former Roxy Music member and U2 producer Brian Eno has told the crypto currency publication The Crypto Syllabus that he doesn't agree with the current NFT (non-fungible tokens) craze, saying it allows artists to be "little capitalist assholes." After being asked why he hasn't yet released anything in the format, which has been criticized by many due to its effect on climate change, Eno said: "I've been approached several times to 'make an NFT.' So far nothing has convinced me that there is anything worth making in that arena. 'Worth making' for me implies bringing something into existence that adds value to the world, not just to a bank account." He added that if he "had primarily wanted to make money I would have had a different career as a different kind of person. I probably wouldn't have chosen to be an artist. NFTs seem to me just a way for artists to get a little piece of the action from global capitalism, our own cute little version of financialisation. How sweet -- now artists can become little capitalist assholes as well." Eno also recently guested on the new climate change podcast Sounds Like a Plan, where he called for "a revolution" in the music industry's approach to climate change, and praised Coldplay and The 1975's efforts to be more sustainable in their practices. - NME, 12/20/21...... 
Queen guitarist Brian May took to Instagram on Dec. 18 to announce that he has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. "Yep. The shocking day finally came for me. The dreaded double red line," May wrote alongside a photo of his test results. "And yes -- definitely NO sympathy please -- it has been a truly horrible few days, but I'm OK. And I will tell the tale," he added, also imploring his fans to exercise caution to prevent catching Covid. "PLEASE take extra care out there, good folks. This thing is incredibly transmissible. You really do NOT want it messing up YOUR Christmas. With love...Bri," he added. May, who is triple vaxxed, said he likely picked up the virus at an unmasked birthday party recently. On Dec. 20, May gave an Instagram update on his status, saying that he's still struggling with the coronavirus and made another plea for fans to follow expert advice on avoiding infection. "Day 8 for me -- the 8th day after my body was invaded by enough Coronavirus organisms to bring me down," the 74-year-old wrote that included a short video clip with the latest results of his at-home test. "Firstly, I think I was a little too optimistic yesterday, imagining that the red 'T' line was looking fainter. It's a different test kit today -- but the lines look pretty much of equal intensity today. So I'm assuming the battle inside my body is still in progress. It also feels like it -- that dry wheezy cough has returned today, and there is a kind of fountain of irritation on one side of my sinuses." May said he keeps finding himself falling asleep, but "not in a peaceful kind of way, but in a 'I can't keep my eyes open another second' kind of way. So it's a d-n good job this happened at a time when I'm NOT crazy busy as usual." May recently lashed out at anti-vaxx statements by Eric Clapton, who said in July that he wouldn't play any live shows that required attendees to show proof that they'd received the coronavirus vaccine. "He's my hero, but he has very different views from me in many ways," May told The Independent in August. "Anti-vax people, I'm sorry, I think they're fruitcakes. - Billboard, 12/18/21...... Meanwhile, Eric Clapton has announced the imminent release of a new single titled "Heart Of A Child," which he co-wrote with fellow vaccine skeptic Robin Monotti. "New song coming next Friday - Christmas Eve," Clapton posted on Instagram. "Heart Of A Child" will drop on Christmas Eve via Bushbranch / Surfdog Records, and will be Clapton's second new track of 2021 after "This Has Gotta Stop" single landed back in August. Like that track -- and his 2020 single, "Stand And Deliver" -- "Heart Of A Child" seemingly addresses the musicians's disdain for Covid-19 safety measures like vaccines and lockdowns, with a passage featuring the lyrics: "We lost the love of a man / I was proud to know / They locked you down boy / Made you grieve alone / Turn off the TV / Throw your phone away / Don't you remember / What your daddy used to say." Earlier in the year, Robin Monotti -- who describes himself as a "human rights advocate, architect, film producer [and] songwriter," and is currently suspended on Twitter for allegedly spreading false Covid-19 propaganda -- hosted Clapton for an interview in which they riffed on the latter's "disastrous" experience with the Covid-19 vaccine, and pondered the efficacy of virus-curbing measures like lockdowns and the controversy surrounding Ivermectin. - NME, 12/20/21...... As Eric Clapton doubles down on his anti-vaxx outlook, Neil Young has confirmed that he's squarely in the opposite camp when it comes to Covid-19 prevention. Appearing on Howard Stern's syndicated SiriusXM radio show on Dec. 10, Young confirmed that people won't see him "playing to a bunch of people with no masks on," and said he won't be touring until the pandemic is over. "I don't care if I'm the only one who doesn't do it," he said. Young later criticized the attitude of anti-vaxxers, saying "People are not being realistic and they're not being scientific. If we followed the rules of science, and everybody got vaccinated, We'd have a lot better chance." The folk-rock icon then said how thankful he was that "we might be able to beat this. There's no reason why we can't. If we came together, we could take care of this. And I have confidence that we can. "We got a lot of smart people in the world with a lot of great ideas. And the more love there is in the world, the more we're gonna hear those ideas. We're gonna make this happen," he added. Meanwhile, Young dropped his 41st studio album (and 14th with his longtime backing band Crazy Horse), Barn, on Dec. 10. - NME, 12/18/21...... 
Rod Stewart and his son Sean Stewart have resolved an assault case stemming from a New Year's Eve 2019 altercation with a security guard at an exclusive Florida hotel. Court records released on Dec. 17 show that the Stewarts entered guilty pleas to misdemeanor charges of simple battery. The plea agreement, dated and signed Dec. 13, means that Stewart, 76, and 41-year-old Sean won't have to appear in court and formal adjudication of the charge was withheld. There will be no trial and neither will do any jail time or be required to pay fines and won't be placed on probation, according to Stewart's attorney Guy Fronstin. "No one was injured in the incident and a jury did not find Sir Rod Stewart guilty of the accusation," Fronstin said in a statement. "Instead, Sir Rod Stewart decided to enter a plea to avoid the inconvenience and unnecessary burden on the court and the public that a high profile proceeding would cause," Fronstin added. The Stewarts were accused of a physical altercation with security guard Jessie Dixon at the luxury Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach on Dec. 31, 2019. The dispute involved Dixon's refusal to allow them into a private New Year's Eve party at the hotel. Dixon said in court papers that Rod Stewart punched him in the rib cage with a closed fist and that Sean Stewart shoved him. A spokesperson for Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg, whose office prosecuted the case, said in an email that Dixon agreed with the outcome of the case. - Billboard, 12/18/21...... Stevie Wonder held his annual House Full of Toys Benefit in Los Angeles on Dec. 18. In addition to marking the charity benefit's 23rd anniversary, the holiday concert also celebrated its return after a three-year break owing to Wonder's successful kidney transplant in 2019, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Rocking a stylish black suit, Wonder stood before a sold-out audience at the Microsoft Theater and thanked those who attended. "A lot has happened in the world, my world and your own worlds. But the blessing is that we are all here to give to those less fortunate," said the 71-year-old Motown legend. Concert-goers were asked to bring an unwrapped toy or "unwrapped gift of joy," which were placed in bins outside the theater on behalf of Wonder's nonprofit We Are You Foundation. After briefly reminiscing about his mother's crying over learning her son's blindness when he was a youngster and recalling his career start at Motown ("Berry Gordy said, 'We've got to work on that voice -- but the harmonica playing is good'"), Wonder spent the next two-and-a-half hours delving into his deep catalog of hits, ripping through roof-raising audience singalongs to "Master Blaster (Jammin')," "Higher Ground" and "Don't You Worry Bout a Thing." Near the show's end, Wonder acknowledged the audience's latest in a string of standing ovations throughout the evening, saying, "I live to love you & all of my life." - Billboard, 12/19/21...... Don McLean announced on Dec. 19 that he'll launch an ambitious 68-city 2022 world tour celebrating 50 years of his iconic hit "American Pie" on Jan. 28 in Honolulu with a three-night stand at the Blue Note Hawaii venue. The tour will then head through North America from February through July before heading to the UK and Europe in September, October and November, wrapping in Linz, Austria, on Nov. 13. "After spending the past 18 months at home, I am thrilled to be getting back on the road with my band," McLean said in a statement. "2022 marks the 50th anniversary from when 'American Pie' landed at the #1 spot on the Billboard chart and we will be celebrating on tour all year long. We will be performing all the songs from the American Pie album plus many of the other hits that fans will be expecting to hear." - NME, 12/19/21...... It was announced on Dec. 17 that Motown legend Smokey Robinson, Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, Jr., R&B legend Ray Charles, and actress Cicely Tyson will be honored at the 2022 Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame awards ceremony on Feb. 17 during Black History Month in Atlanta. Lionel Richie is set to be recognized as a legacy artist, with Prince as mainstream male, Mary J. Blige as mainstream female, New Edition as mainstream male group, and TLC as mainstream female group. According to a release, the ceremony aims to honor the "the trailblazing artists, iconic entertainers, and luminaries who have impacted both Black culture and the community at large." The walk of fame for the 2022 inductees is slated to be installed in downtown Atlanta. Revealed in June, previous foundational inductees were James Brown, Otis Redding, Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder. Other honorees included Michael Jackson (legacy artist) and Beyoncé (mainstream female). More information can be found at theblackwalkoffame.com. - Billboard, 12/17/21...... 
BMG Music and the American global investment company Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) announced on Dec. 21 they've acquired all of ZZ Top's publishing catalog and recorded music royalties in a deal that has an estimated $55 million valuation. In a joint statement, the two companies noted that since its formation in 1971 ZZ Top has sold over 50 million albums worldwide, earning one diamond album, and two multi-platinum albums along the way. The Texas trio's album catalog has averaged close to 300,000 album consumption units a year, according to MRC Data, and though the announcement doesn't disclose the acquisition price, the Wall Street Journal estimates the band's recorded masters catalog has averaged annually about $4.481 million in revenue over the last four years. Meanwhile, Billboard estimates that the band's publishing, which includes rock staples like "Legs" and "La Grange," comes out to about $1.262 million annually and the band's share of that is about $950,000. BMG has served as co-publisher and administrator publishing catalog for the band, which was the subject of the 2019 documentary ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas. ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and has received three Grammy nominations, one of its founding members, bassist Dusty Hill, dying earlier in 2021 at the age of 72. - Billboard, 12/21/21...... Dolly Parton has added three new Guinness World Records awards to her already epic 2021. After contributing to the funding of the coronavirus vaccine, being included on the Time 100 and People of the Year honors, raising $700,000 for Tennessee flood relief, and dropping a new fragrance, Parton now holds the high-water mark for most decades on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart by a female artist (seven) and most No. 1 hits on that chart by a female artist (25) as well as breaking her own existing record for the most hits on the that chart by a female artist with a mind-blowing 109 hits. "Well, I feel like a bird that wants to fly away," Parton said in a Guinness video on Twitter announcing the three new achievements when asked how it feels to add a fourth record while breaking a previous one. "Actually, getting the first one was an amazing thing to me and I thought just to be in the Guinness Book of World Records one time would be great," she said. "And now that I've got all this going it's an amazing feeling. I'm very honored, very proud and I've had a lot of people helping to get me here, so thanks to all of you and all of them for helping me have all this!," she added. - Billboard, 12/17/21...... A 50th anniversary special vinyl picture disc reissue of David Bowie's classic 1971 fourth album Hunky Dory has been announced for release via Parlophone Records on Jan. 7, the day before what would have been Bowie's 75th birthday. Produced by Ken Scott and Bowie, Hunky Dory was released on Dec. 17, 1971, and features the singles "Changes," "Life On Mars?" and "Oh! You Pretty Things." To mark the half-century milestone, a new take on "Changes", "Changes (2021 Alternative Mix)," has been shared on YouTube ahead of the reissue of Hunky Dory. The new "Changes" arrives with an accompanying new lyric video featuring previously-unseen photographs from the Hunky Dory sessions. "When listening to the original multi-track I discovered a few things that I had eliminated from the original mix and also a completely different sax solo at the end," Ken Scott said in a statement. "It was those things that led me to try a new mix, trying for a slightly harder, more contemporary edge to it," he added. The picture disc vinyl will boast the 2015 vinyl remaster of Hunky Dory and includes a poster featuring the annotated back cover art of the album. Meanwhile, Bowie's 75th birthday is set to be marked with a special live-streamed event on Jan. 8. "A Bowie Celebration" will feature members of the late icon's band alongside a host of famous fans, including Ricky Gervais, Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon and Gary Oldman. - NME, 12/17/21...... 
Wanda Young, a member of the 1960s Motown group The Marvelettes who sang lead on such hits asd "I'll Keep Holding On" and "Don't Mess With Bill," died on Dec. 16. She was 78. "We are so saddened by the news of Wanda Young of the Marvelettes passing," the Motown Records official Twitter account wrote on Dec. 17. "What an impact she has had on the world of Classic Motown and the lives of so many. Her legacy will continue to live on," the statement added. Born in Inkster, Mich., a suburb of Detroit, Young joined The Marvelettes in 1961 after being brought in by her high school classmates Gladys Horton and Georgia Dobbins. Young served as a replacement for Dobbins, who left the group to take care of her ill mother and because her father didn't want her involved in the music industry. Her passing follows the death of Marvelettes co-founder Horton, who died in 2011 at the age of 66, and sang lead on several of the group's hits, including the Dec. 1961 Billboard No. 1 "Please Mr. Postman." Dobbins, a co-writer of the track, died in Sept. 2020. Young, who also performed under the name Wanda Rogers, can be heard singing backup vocals on "Postman," as well as other Marvelettes classics like "Playboy" and "Beechwood 4-5789." Young went on to marry The Miracles singer Bobby Rogers in 1963, taking on his last name. By the mid-'60s, she was singing lead vocals on Marvelettes songs "I'll Keep Holding On, "Don't Mess With Bill, "My Baby Must Be a Magician" and "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game." The Marvelettes officially split following the release of their Smokey Robinson-produced 1970 album, Return of the Marvelettes, which was originally planned as a solo release for Young. Soon after, she mostly stepped away from the music industry, but performed alongside a semi-reunited Marvelettes in 1989, according to Rolling Stone. - Billboard, 12/18/21.
Rod Stewart headlined an online Christmas carol concert on Dec. 14 in London organized by the music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins. The annual event, held at St Luke's Church in Chelsea, also featured the likes of Lindsey Buckingham, Robbie Williams, Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, Tony Bennett and Nile Rodgers and Chic. Fans can catch the concert online for free on Dec. 19 beginning at 7:00 p.m. GMT and sign up at carols.nordoff-robbins.org.uk/. - Music-News.com, 12/17/21...... The Rolling Stones have been named the highest-earning touring act of 2021 according to figures from concert trade publication PollStar. In the US, the legendary group earned £87.2 million from live dates this year. The British rockers only played 12 dates of their rescheduled "No Filter" tour, but still pulled in over £87 million from their stadium shows. In November, Stones frontman Sir Mick Jagger suggested the band could tour again in 2022 if "everyone" is feeling up for it. The band -- also including Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood -- have been on the road completing their rescheduled "No Filter"' US tour dates, which mark their first run without late drummer Charlie Watts, who was replaced by Steve Jordan. Jagger said: "If things are good next year and everyone's feeling good about touring, I'm sure we'll do shows." - Music-news.com, 12/16/21...... 
Pink Floyd delivered its legion of fans a surprise Christmas gift on Dec. 16 by releasing to streaming services a dozen live albums documenting some of their gigs from the early '70s. Added to the services with no prior announcement, the 12 LPs span the prog-rock icons' years of 1970 to 1972, covering the period in which the band released Atom Heart Mother (1970), Meddle (1971), and Obscured By Clouds (1972). The earliest recording, titled They Came In Peace, features performances from Leeds University on Feb. 28, 1970 and Washington University on Nov. 16, 1971, which features seven tracks and totals one hour 34 minutes in length. That concert, like the other 11 albums, can be streamed on Spotify.com, as well as other services. Meanwhile, Pink Floyd has announced the forthcoming release of a restored version of their Oct. 1994 concert P.U.L.S.E., some 27 years after P.U.L.S.E. was released on CD in 1995. The "restored & re-edited" edition of P.U.L.S.E. will be issued on Blu-ray for the first time on Feb. 18, 2022, and feture the reintroduction of the iconic pulsating light, which was on the original 1995 CD. About the pulsating light, Floyd drummer Nick Mason has said: "Essentially, it's a device which we thought was entertaining. It's an idea of (Hipgnosis cover designer) Storm Thorgerson's which related to The Dark Side Of The Moon and the pulse, and it's a live album so the box is 'alive'. After that, in terms of seriously deep meanings, one might be struggling a bit." The P.U.L.S.E. concert film has been helmed by director David Mallet, and will be available as two Blu-ray and two DVD deluxe box sets. Deluxe packages will feature music videos, concert screen films, documentaries, "Pulse Tour" rehearsal footage and much more, as well as a 60-page booklet. - New Musical Express/Music-News.com, 12/16/21...... Bruce Springsteen performed a special set with Steve Earle and The Dukes at The Town Hall venue in New York City on Dec. 13 to benefit The Keswell School, an educational program for children and young adults with autism. Steve Earle and The Dukes were joined by the Boss about halfway into their set during the seventh annual John Henry's Friends benefit concert, and the collaboration was kicked off with a rendition of Springsteen's "Darkness On The Edge Of Town," a clip of which has been shared on YouTube. The 20-minute, 4-song set also featured "The Promised Land," "Glory Days" (where he was joined by Willie Nile) and "Pink Cadillac." Springsteen later returned to the stage with the rest of the artists who performed that night for a performance of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Teach Your Children." The concert raised over $100,000 for the Keswell School, with Earle sharing his gratitude to Springsteen and all of the artists who participated in an Instagram post the following day. - NME, 12/15/21...... In other Springsteen-related news, the New Jersey rocker has just sold the rights to his master recordings and music publishing to his label Sony Music in what may be the biggest deal in music for an individual body of work. "I am one artist who can truly say that when I signed with Columbia Records in 1972, I came to the right place," Springsteen said in a statement. "During the last 50 years, the men and women of Sony Music have treated me with the greatest respect as an artist and as a person. I'm thrilled that my legacy will continue to be cared for by the Company and people I know and trust," he added. The Springsteen album catalog, which has racked up 65.5 million sales in the US alone according to the RIAA website, includes the 15x platinum album Born In The U.S.A. and the 5x platinum The River, and in 2020 generated an estimate revenues of about $15 million. Further, Billboard estimates that his publishing catalog brings in about $7.5 million a year. His Sony deal comes a year after Universal Music Publishing Group purchased Bob Dylan's publishing catalog for between $375 million and $400 million. - Billboard, 12/16/21...... In related news, the estate of legendary late "Godfather of Soul" James Brown has been sold to the publishing and management company Primary Wave, for an estimated $90 million (£68 million). The deal reportedly includes the entirety of Brown's publishing, master income stream, and name and likeness rights that were owned by the Brown estate, and follows news earlier in 2021 that Brown's family had finally settled a 15 year legal wrangle over the late singer's estate. Brown, who died in 2006, had specified in his will in 2000 that he would leave very little to his heirs, other than a $2million (£1.46million) scholarship fund for his grandchildren. Most of his assets were left to establish scholarships for underprivileged children in South Carolina and Georgia. But this led to contention among his daughters Deanna Brown-Thomas and Yamma Brown, among others, who found a way to inherit potentially millions of dollars, following his death. Another complication centered around Tommie Rae Hynie, who claimed to be Brown's wife even though, South Carolina courts determined later, she was married to another man at the time of her marriage to Brown. In June 2020, the Supreme Court in his home state of South Carolina eventually ruled Hynie was not the late singer's legal wife, ruling out much of her influence over the estate. Primary Wave founder/CEO Larry Mestel has commented that the sale of the estate will help fund the scholarships Brown originally had in mind, with small percentages of earnings from future deals from his music will go towards setting up the scholarships. One of music's most decorated icons, James Brown began his career in the mid 1950s as lead singer in the Famous Flames before his solo superstardom in the 1960s. Since then, the frontman has become one of the most heavily sampled and cited artists in history, and the portion of his catalog ceded to Primary Wave includes perennials like "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," "I Got You (I Feel Good)," and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." - NME, 12/14/21...... A rare vinyl demo copy of a song recorded by David Bowie in 1965 called "I Want Your Love" has been scheduled to be put up for auction and command up to £12,000. "I Want Your Love" was recorded by a teenage Bowie with his band at the time, Davy Jones and the Lower Third, and has been shared on YouTube. "The seller purchased the physical music archive of one of the world's biggest publishing companies and therefore unearthed a raft of amazing demos and unheard tracks from huge artists, according to auctioneer Martin Hughes. - NME, 12/15/21...... In other aution-related news, the 1949 Wurlitzer spinet piano dubbed as "the piano that started rock 'n' roll" by being famously used by the "Million Dollar Quartet" in 1956 at Sam Phillips' Sun Records studios is being offered for auction for the first time ever. The "Million Dollar Quartet" was an impromptu jam session that involved Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins in 1956 and produced such tracks as "Love Me Tender," "Don't Be Cruel," and "Paralyzed." On GottaHaveRockandRoll.com, the piano is described as "The most important piano in rock and roll history" and notes that this is the first time in history that the piano has been up for auction." "The piano has a rock and roll jukebox list of credits and is featured on many of Memphis' 1950's Sun Records classics," the description reads, also noting that "the late, great Sam Phillips... purchased the piano in 1950 at the O.K. Houck piano store, located at 121 Union Avenue -- the same street as his Memphis Recording Service and Sun Records." The instrument is expected to bring over $1million (£755,000) at auction. - NME, 12/12/21...... A Yamaha BB-1200 bass guitar used by Paul McCartney has sold at a charity auction organized by U2's The Edge and producer Bob Ezrin for their Music Rising charity "to benefit musicians in the Gulf South," following "the devastation the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought on musicians and musical communities." McCartney used the bass, which sold for $496,100 (£374,905), in the studio and on tour with his '70s band Wings. That total beat the previous record of $384,000 (£290,190) set by the Rolling Stones' Bill Wyman's 1969 Fender Mustang bass in 2020. The likes of U2, Elton John, Pearl Jam, Rush, Tom Morello, Joan Jett, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Kings Of Leon, Johnny Marr, Green Day and Radiohead also donated instruments to the auction which raised over $2 million (£1.5 million). - NME, 12/14/21...... 
A new documentary on The Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson will hit UK cinemas on Jan. 21, 2022, and ahead of the band's celebration of its milestone 60th anniversary. Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road is described as a a "rare and personal music documentary that explores the life and career of legendary songwriter Brian Wilson, through a literal and metaphorical road trip exploring Brian's hometown." The documentary presents a new original Brian Wilson song and incorporates several of his famous tracks including "God Only Know," "Good Vibrations" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice." The film features over 36 of the artist's most iconic hits, rare tracks, never-before-heard demos, and offers intimate access to his personal home movies and photo albums. Rolling Stone editor Jason Fine accompanies Brian throughout on his tour and gives special access to Brian and his band as they play at The Hollywood Bowl in L.A, The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and the Odeon in London. - Music-news.com, 12/17/21...... An all-star cast of celebrities from the worlds of music, TV, film and comedy have joined forces to honor George Harrison in the first-ever official music video for his 1970 song, "My Sweet Lord." Over 40 musicians, actors, comedian, directors, artists and other creatives make cameos in the Lance Bangs-directed clip, ranging from Harrison's friends and former Beatles band mate Ringo Starr and Traveling Wilburys bandmate Jeff Lynne to actors Mark Hamill, Darren Criss, Jon Hamm and Rosanna Arquette. Originally released on Nov. 23, 1970, in the US, the track featured on the late Beatle's third studio album, All Things Must Pass. The new video version boasts a fresh 2020 mix by Paul Hicks, released this past August on the 50th anniversary edition of All Things Must Pass. The new official video for "My Sweet Lord" has been shared on YouTube. - NME, 12/15/21...... Yoko Ono's 1971 track "Listen, The Snow Is Falling," which was the B-side to the John Lennon yuletide classic "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)," was made available on all streaming platforms for the first time on Dec. 16. Speaking about the track in 1993, Ono said: "The first pop song -- if you can say pop song -- I ever wrote was 'Listen, the Snow Is Falling.' I did that before (Lennon and I) got together. Then, when we got together, I made it into a real pop song." "Listen, The Snow Is Falling" can be streamed on Spotify.com, among other services. - NME, 12/16/21...... The 2021 version of British designer Chris Barker's annual Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's cover-inspired tribute to the celebrities who passed away earlier in the year can be viewed on Twitter.com. This year's tribute includes the likes of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, The Monkees' Michael Nesmith, Gerry & the Pacemakers' Gerry Mardsen, Stephen Sondheim, Phil Spector, the New York Dolls' Sylvain Sylvain, the Bay City Rollers' Les McKeown, The Wailers' Bunny Wailer, ZZ Top's Dusty Hill, Don Everly, Kool & the Gang's Dennis Thomas, and Mary Wilson of The Supremes, among many others. Since 2016, Barker has been posting his quirky homage to the music, art, culture, politics and movie/TV stars who passed in the calendar year. While Barker's converted cover usually drops in early November, the artist says he found himself hedging this year, adding Michael Nesmith at the last minute after the TV actor/country rock innovator/musician passed away over the weekend. "Just as I was about to post the image I got news of Mike Nesmith dying. Suddenly the whole image made sense," he says. "A Monkee and a Rolling Stone right in the middle. And Merseybeat star Gerry Marsden just near them. Made the whole thing feel absolutely fine and got rid of any worries I had about the piece." - Billboard, 12/13/21...... Eric Clapton has won a legal case against a 55-year-old German woman who attempted to sell a bootleg CD of his on eBay. The defendant claimed she was unaware that she was committing copyright infringement by listing the album -- an unauthorized recording of a Clapton concert from the 1980s -- on eBay for $9.95. Clapton's attorney sent Düsseldorf regional court an affidavit stating that the recordings on the disc were illegal, which led to to the court's initial decision in favor of Clapton. However, the woman appealed, saying that her late husband told her he had purchased the CD in 1987 at a well-known department store. Her appeal was rejected, with the judge ruling that it was irrelevant that she did not buy the album herself. The German court has now ordered the woman to pay the legal fees of both parties, which add up to around $3,400. If she continues to offer the CD for sale, the court says she will face a fine of $250,000 or six months in prison. The woman's lawyer has pledged to appeal the latest verdict. - NME, 12/16/21...... 
The Kinks' guitarist/vocalist Dave Davies announced on Twitter on Dec. 15 that he'll be releasing his autobiography, Living On A Thin Line on July 7, 2022. Headline Publishing Group says the memoir will "revisit the glory days of the band that spawned so much extraordinary music, and which had such a profound influence on bands from The Clash and Van Halen to Oasis and Blur." "Full of tales of the tumultuous times and the ups-and-downs of his relationship with his brother Ray [Davies], along with encounters with the likes of John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix, this will be a glorious read for Kinks fans and anyone who wants to read about the heyday of rock 'n' roll," the synopsis continues. In a statement , Davies said: "I've had a laugh, and shed quite a few tears, thinking back over the last six decades since The Kinks had our first hit in 1964 with 'You Really Got Me'. Here are the ups and downs of my life in The Kinks and what happened afterwards. Prepare to be amazed and, I hope, surprised." Davies previously authored Kink: An Autobiography, in 1997. - NME, 12/15/21...... Stop Making Sense, the acclaimed 1984 Talking Heads concert film documentary, has been dded to The National Film Registry. The Library of Congress adds 25 films to the registry annually, recognizing aesthetically, culturally, or historically significant films that showcase "the range and diversity of American film heritage." Stop Making Sense is one of 25 new additions to the catalogue in 2021, with other inductees including Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi, Wall-E, Selena and more. - NME, 12/15/21...... Late guitar legend Eddie Van Halen is set to be the latest musician to be honored with a new Funko Pop! figure of his likeness. Eddie's son Wolfgang Van Halen posted on Twitter on Dec. 9 that "Pop signed off on this way back in 2019 and it's wonderful to see it finally come to fruition. So stoked with how it turned out!" The 11.8cm-tall figure of EVH is not yet available to purchase but according to a listing on the Funko website each figure will cost £12. The listing can be viewed on the FunkoEurope website. Van Halen passed away in Oct. 2020 at the age of 65 following a battle with cancer. - NME, 12/13/21...... Cher has stunned a young Houston couple by offering to take of photo of them on a date. Cher took to Twitter on Dec. 14 to post a photo of a man and woman wearing matching black outfits, and in the accompanying caption, explained that she was moved to take a snap of the sweet pair, even though they didn't recognize her. "When we were coming out of movie, I saw (a) beautiful Couple. He Was taking Her pic... She had flowers. I said ... can I take your Pic.... Had my mask on so they didn't Know Who I was. MAYBE Just a crazy woman... THAT ME (sic)," she wrote. The post quickly began to go viral on social media, with a Houston-based beauty blogger named Syndie recognizing herself in the photo. "Omg! That's me, and it was my birthday! Wow! I can't believe it!" she exclaimed, while her date, Tehran, added: "Wow! So we really did meet CHER! This night will certainly be remembered forever." - Music-news.com, 12/16/21...... 
Ken Kragen, best known for organizing the iconic 1985 "We Are The World" humanitarian project which spawned the hit single of the same name, died on Dec. 14 of natural causes at his Brentwood home in Los Angeles. He was 85. Mr. Kragen also produced TV's The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in the 1960s and managed the careers of Kenny Rogers and other top-notch entertainers including Lionel Richie, the Bee Gees, Olivia Newton-John, Burt Reynolds, The Smothers Brothers and Trisha Yearwood, among others. In 1985, after receiving a call from Harry Belafonte, Mr. Kragen was instrumental in rounding up the talent -- including Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Cyndi Lauper, Richie and Rogers -- that appeared on the fund-raising single and album "We Are the World," and he brought in Quincy Jones to produce the music. The project raised an estimated $64 million for poverty relief in Africa and the U.S. A year later, Mr. Kragen returned to organize "Hands Across America," a human chain that stretched across the U.S. and involved 6.5 million people. That raised millions to help the hungry and the homeless as well. He said that one of his proudest achievements was receiving the United Nations' Peace Medal in 1985 for the creation of "We Are the World"; he was one of only a handful of private citizens to receive the honor. Mr. Kragen was born on Nov. 24, 1936, in Alameda, Calif," and attended UC Berkeley before graduating from Harvard Business School. He joined The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour as a production coordinator in 1967, then served as executive producer during the controversial show's third and final season in 1968-69. He first met Rogers when his band, Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, played on the show, and soon became his manager. Mr. Kragen also wrote the 1994 best-selling book, Life Is a Contact Sport: Ten Great Career Strategies That Work, and with Jones, he produced a portion of the 1992 presidential inauguration for Bill Clinton. Mr. Kragen received two Emmy nominations, two MTV Awards, an American Music Award and a Manager of the Year Award from the Conference of Personal Managers and was the only person elected president of both the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music. He is survived by his sister, Robin; nieces and nephews; and brothers-in-law David and Mark and their families. A life tribute is being planned. - The Hollywood Reporter, 12/15/21...... Skeletal remains found nearly 40 years ago have been identified as those of a guitarist who once played with the R&B group The O'Jays and also co-wrote a few of their songs, investigators announced on Dec. 14. Authorities used DNA and genealogical research to identify the remains of Frank "Frankie" Little Jr., which were found in a garbage bag in a wooded area behind a business in Twinsburg in 1982, said Summit County Medical Examiner Lisa Kohler. Little's death has now been ruled a homicide, but who killed him remains unknown, she said. Little, who was born in Cleveland in 1943, played with the The O'Jays in the mid-1960s. He was not a founding member of the group that began in Canton, Ohio, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. He served in the U.S. Army for two years, including in the Vietnam War, but not much was known about his disappearance, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. Walter Williams, one of the original members of The O'Jays, said Little wrote songs with Eddie Levert, another one of the band's founders, according to Twinsburg detective Eric Hendershott, who helped revive the investigation into the remains. "Part of the mystery is over with, but we have no idea how he got there, how he disappeared or where he lived toward the end of his life," Hendershott said. - Billboard, 12/14/21...... 
Grammy-winning R&B singer Joe Simon, whose hits included 1969's "The Chokin' Kind" and 1972's "Power of Love," died on Dec. 13 his longtime hometown near Chicago. He was 85. Born on Sept. 2, 1943 in Simmesport, La., Mr. Simon hated picking cotton and moved to Los Angeles to make it as a singer, spending his early years there homeless and living in a chicken coop. With nothing to do at night, he wrote 20 to 30 songs daily and developed his voice to the point that a label owner paid him $1,100 to record four songs written by others. He brought in local musicians including future funk greats Sly Stone and Larry Graham to play on 1964's "My Adorable One," which became Mr. Simon's breakthrough hit. His career then moved quickly, as he landed three No. 1's and 14 Top 10's on what is now called Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and a Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male Grammy for "The Chokin' Kind." He collaborated with Philly Sound hitmakers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff for 1971's "Drowning In the Sea of Love," then created the theme to the 1973 "blaxploitation" flick Cleopatra Jones. Mr. Simon was known as "The Mouth of the South," and compared to Otis Redding, Sam Cooke and, perhaps most aptly, Jackie Wilson. "He had a very different and distinct voice," says his grandson, David Simon, a professional basketball player who toured with Simon toward the end of his R&B career in the '80s. "You can definitely pick his voice out of any crowd." Early in his touring career, Mr. Simon played New York's Apollo Theatre, where an employee told him he wouldn't amount to anything. "I went from the cotton field to the chicken coop to a superstar of rhythm and blues -- you can't tell me I ain't gonna be nothin'," Mr. Simon said in his 2016 documentary, Looking Back with Joe Simon. - Billboard, 12/14/21.
Genesis announced on Apr. 29 they'll be mounting their first North American tour in 14 years this fall. The English prog-rockers' "The Last Domino?" tour will visit major cities across the Eastern U.S. and Canada, with Phil Collins' son Nic Collins helping out on drums, with longtime Genesis lead guitar and bass player Daryl Stuermer also performing alongside Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford. Kicking off on Nov. 15 at Chicago's United Center, the tour will also hit Washington, D.C. (11/18), Charlotte (11/20), Montreal (11/22), Toronto (11/25), Buffalo (11/27), Detroit (11/29), Cleveland (11/30) and Philadelphia (12/2). Genesis will also play a two night stand at New York's Madison Square Garden on Dec. 5 and 6 and then hit Columbus, Belmont Park, NY, and Pittsburgh before wrapping on Dec. 15 at TD Garden in Boston. The 2021 tour marks the first time Genesis has performed stateside since 2007's "Turn It On Again: The Tour." In the meantime, the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2010. Tickets for all shows will be available first through a presale powered by Ticketmaster Verified Fan on May 5, followed by the general public on-sale on May 7. - Billboard, 4/29/21...... In more prog news, Yes's Rick Wakeman has joined forces with jazz saxophonist Justin Swadling on an upcoming collaboration. Wakeman and Swadling will release their new single, "Into the Light," on May 14. According to a press release, the genre-bending track "brings together Swadling's already mighty talent to create an outstanding record with the soloistic talents of a true Brit" and "penned amid the COVID-19 pandemic, 'Into The Light' carries a message of hope." Wakeman recently admitted he has no idea how the entertainment industry will recover from the global health crisis. "There's going to be massive job losses and companies going down. I truly don't know how the entertainment industry is going to recover. And we will have an anger period, because in this country people always look for someone to blame," he said. The 71-year-old Wakeman, who played on the iconic David Bowie tracks "Changes," "Life on Mars?" and "Hunky Dory," recently performed alongside Bowie's long-time band member Mike Garson and Yungblud for the "A Bowie Celebration: Just For One Day!" live-stream Bowie tribute concert in January to mark what would have been David's 74th birthday. Wakeman has a 16-date U.K. tour planned for the fall, kicking off on Nov. 28 in Basingstoke's The Anvil, hitting London's Cadogan Hall on Dec. 10, and wrapping on Dec. 21 at the Hull City Hall. - Music-News.com, 4/30/21...... A new 4-hour KISS biopic, Biography: KISStory, is set to air on the A&E cable channel in June over two nights. KISStory, which is separate to the band's upcoming biopic Shout It Out Loud which will apparently air on Netflix,h as the support of the members of KISS, with Paul Stanley calling it "really terrific." Featured artists in the film are set to include Dave Grohl and Tom Morello. A description of KISStory reads: "After 50 years of rocking and rolling all night and partying every day, the #1 Gold Record selling band of all time, KISS, shares their story of success before finally smashing their last guitar and extinguishing the fire-breathing demon. Through the Biography lens we are able to give fans a backstage pass to a two-night event that honors the legacy of the rock icons behind KISS," a press release added. "This documentary event is a special tribute to a one-of-a-kind band and the incredible Kiss Army fanbase that has idolized them for generations." - NME, 4/29/21...... 
A new massive collection of Jim Morrison's poetry, lyrics and writings, 
Tom Jones has become the oldest male to claim a Number 1 on the UK's Official Albums Chart as his new album 
A previously unreleased version of an early Fleetwood Mac hit called "Need Your Love So Bad" has been released, featuring vocals from the late Peter Green and a newly recorded guitar track from Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. The new take on the 1969 hit is one of two new versions of Fleetwood Mac classics that have been recorded to celebrate the release of Peter Green -- The Albatross Man, a new book in tribute to the late Fleetwood Mac guitarist which arrives in October. The second track, meanwhile, sees Metallica's Kirk Hammett playing guitar on a version of the 1971 classic "Man Of The World," which also features Mick Fleetwood on drums. While Gilmour recorded his guitar part relatively recently, Green's vocals have been newly unearthed and are thought to have been recorded in the mid-1960s in his mother's attic. Gilmour, a close friend of Green, also performed his signature "Albatross" at last year's Peter Green tribute concert, which featured a performance from Hammett too. Green, the co-founder of Fleetwood Mac, died in July 2020 at the age of 73. The unreleased version of "Need Your Love So Bad" can be streamed on 
60s hitmaker Marianne Faithfull released a new album, 
As the celebrity gossip site Deadline.com posted a link to an article on Twitter revealing that a new KISS biopic is being bid on by Netflix, KISS singer/guitarist Paul Stanley deployed a short-but-sweet message to the KISS Army: "True!" According to Deadline, Netflix is nearing a deal for the flick, which has the working title Shout It Out Loud, a standout song from the band's 1976 album Destroyer. To be directed by Joachim Rnning, the film could be the next big musical biopic in the wake of Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman. The tale will likely focus on the unlikely friendship of Stanley and bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons, and the classic lineup with Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss. KISS has said they will wrap up their career with the final date of their "End of the Road Tour," which which kicked off in January of 2019. - Billboard, 4/22/21...... The legendary residential Rockfield Studio located in Wales where Queen laid down its iconic "Bohemian Rhapsody" track and also played host to a number of other famous rock acts including Rush, Iggy Pop, Simple Minds, The Pogues and George Michael will be the subject of a new documentary called Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm. The movie, which chronicles a dream hatched by brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward in 1963 to build a recording studio in a farmhouse attic on their family farm deep in the Welch countryside, will be available as a WatchNow@Home direct-to-consumer release before hitting other platforms. Robert Plant, Black Sabbath, Oasis and Coldplay will be among the artists appearing in the film, directed by documentarian Hannah Berryman (Miss World 1970 and Bedlam). Director Berryman said in a statement that "the intensity of the 'make or break' nature residential recording [which] almost broke some bands... also produced tracks that have stood the test of time, and maybe you can hear everything that went on this isolated farm in that music, the pleasure and the pain." A trailer for Rockfield can be viewed on 
Talking to London's The Times's "Saturday Review" section, Van Morrison claims he's had a "very negative reaction" for exercising "freedom of speech" in his songs. The Celtic crooner, 75, who has been open about his criticism of Covid-19 lockdowns and released three protest songs in 2020 and launched a campaign to save live music amid the coronavirus pandemic, says he is concerned people are being silenced for expressing alternative views. "The only other person who has any traction or motivation to speak out about what's going on, to get out there and question things, is Eric [Clapton]. A few people got a petition together to end the lockdown, but nobody pays attention to petitions, do they? If I can write about it, I do. Poetic licence, freedom of speech... these used to be OK. Why not now? I don't understand it. Some people call it a cult. It is like a religion. Whether anyone agrees with me or not is irrelevant. Just as there should be freedom of the press, there should be freedom of speech, and at the minute it feels like that is not in the framework. If you do songs that are an expression of freedom of speech you get a very negative reaction." Morrison added he doesn't think it's "a given" that live music will return any time soon. "I heard that some music promoters met with the people at Imperial College who are running the whole thing. Well, really, Klaus [Schwab], the executive chairman of the World Economic Forum] is running the whole thing. Your guess is as good as mine because freedom is not a given any more. You have to fight for it. That's where the blues come in." Morrison's views on the state of the world are explored on his new album Latest Record Project: Volume 1, which he whittled down to 28 songs from more than 50 tracks he's written over the last 18 months, though he insisted inspiration doesn't come easily. "I write in the morning, every day from breakfast until lunch, and for that time I'll be concentrating fully. Inspiration doesn't come down the chimney. You have to work at magic." - Music-News.com, 4/25/21...... Meat Loaf has paid tribute to his long-time collaborator, producer/songwriter Jim Steinman, who passed away from kidney failure on Apr. 20 at age 73. The Texas-based rocker paid tribute to Steinman on Twitter with a photo collage of their golden years, and a nod to the winged mammal in that most famous 1970s album. "Coming here soon, My brother Jimmy," Meat Loaf posted. "Fly Jimmy Fly." Steinman was a composer on Meat Loaf's rock-opera juggernaut 
Never one to mince words, former Sex Pistols member John "Johnny Rotten" Lydon has called director Danny Boyle's Sex Pistols biopic series "the most disrespectful shit I've ever had to endure" and claims the project was green-lit without his consent. In an interview with London's Sunday Times, the singer reacted to recent publicity shots promoting the six-part series Pistol. "I think that's the most disrespectful shit I've ever had to endure. I mean, they went to the point to hire an actor to play me but what's the actor working on? Certainly not my character. It can't go anywhere else [but court]," Lydon said. Pistol, which has been created for TV by Craig Pearce (The Great Gatsby) and written by Pearce and Frank Cottrell-Boyce, began filming lin March, although no official premiere date has been confirmed yet. Elsewhere in the interview Lydon said "it's not like we're complete strangers" in reference to his claims that he wasn't contacted by Boyle, having previously met the director during preparations for the 2021 London Olympics opening ceremony. He added: "Sorry, you think you can do this, like walk all over me -- it isn't going to happen. Not without a huge, enormous f---ing fight. I'm Johnny, you know, and when you interfere with my business you're going to get the bitter end of my business as a result. It's a disgrace." A spokesperson for the Pistol production told the paper that Boyle contacted Lydon's management company about the planned series but "ultimately direct contact was declined." Pistol is based on guitarist Steve Jones' 2018 memoir Lonely Boy: Tales From A Sex Pistol, and is being made as a limited FX series. Boyle, who serves as director and executive producer, has described the Sex Pistols' breakthrough as "the moment that British society and culture changed forever." - NME, 4/25/21...... In related news, Tom Jones is reportedly in talks for a movie biopic, but says he isn't ready to "tell-all" just yet. Sir Tom, 80, says he has been in discussions regarding a movie about his life like Elton John's Rocketman and the Freddie Mercury/Queen film Bohemian Rhapsody. But Jones says he's not sure he is willing to share every detail about his life and career with the world on the big screen just yet. Appearing on Alan Carr's "Life's a Beach" podcast, he said: "Well there's been talk of it, yes. But then I'd have to tell-all. So I don't think I'm ready to tell-all yet. Y'know what I mean, it's one of those things. We're thinking about it." Although Tom didn't divulge who he'd like to play him in a biopic, he is adamant on it being an actor opposed to an actor-singer like Taron Egerton in Rocketman. "Well I think it would be better to get an actor because there are actor-singers who have come forward. But I think the best thing to do is get a really good actor like Elton John did. You've got to get an actor to play the part, then the music -- you get somebody to do. I'll either do [the music] myself or somebody who can do a soundalike. There are Tom Jones soundalikes out there. Y'know younger fellas. But the acting is the important part." Jones released his 41st studio album, 
Frank Zappa's 
The Bay City Rollers' frontman Les McKeown, who was recruited by the group in 1973 and fronted the Scottish pop-rockers during their most successful period and selling more than 100 million records worldwide, passed away "suddenly" on Apr. 20 of as yet undisclosed causes. He was 65. The news was announced on Apr. 22 by McKeown's family on his 
Paul McCartney announced on July 5 that he will promote his forthcoming LP 
During a live-streamed concert at Detroit's Fox Theatre on July 4, Neil Young voiced his support for immigrant children who have been separated from their parents at the U.S. southern border in one of his most politically overt concerts this summer. Adding the Buffalo Springfield track "I Am a Child," which he wrote when he was part of the band, to the set, Young pointed out that the children "are in the United States of America," adding that "a lot of people are looking at that," with some responding "So are we!" But mainly he let the music do the talking during the one-hour-and-45-minute show, one of six solo acoustic dates he's playing this summer, with politically charged songs such as "Ohio," "Angry World," "Love And War" and "Broken Arrow." The next dates on his itinerary includ the Promise of the Real fest in Quebec on July 6, then solo acoustic dates with shows on July 11-12 at the Wang Theatre in Boston. - Billboard, 7/4/18...... Charlie Daniels has raised over $100,000 for U.S. veterans by performing at the Veteran Impact Celebration in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on June 28. The sold-out fundraiser was held to benefit Middle Tennessee State University's Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center, a place that is very near and dear to Daniels' heart -- a fact confirmed with his presentation of a check for $100.000 on behalf of his non-profit Veterans' organization, The Journey Home Project. "I've been a patriot all my life. I've admired the military all my life," the 81-year-old "Uneasy Rider" singer noted. "I grew up during the second World War, and I remember the casualty reports, the campaigns, MacArthur and Eisenhower, and all these guys fighting the war. I remember D-Day... I remember it well," he says proudly of the events of June 6, 1944, and added that those serving today are just as brave. - Billboard, 7/4/18...... A cover of ABBA's "Fernando" by Cher and actor Andy Garcia from the movie Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again has debuted at No. 22 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary songs chart for the week ending July 7. "Fernando" is Cher's 28th AC chart entry and first since the No. 17-peaking "I Hope You Find It" in 2014. She made her debut on the chart on Sept. 25, 1971 with "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves," and has scored 14 Top 10s, including two No. 1's -- "After All," with Peter Cetera, and "If I Could Turn Back Time," both in 1989. She last reached the top 10 with the No. 3 smash "Believe" in 1999. The 
Styx has added the full version of "Mr. Roboto" to the setlist of their 2018 summer tour for the first time in 35 years. The band had quit playing "Mr. Roboto" live for many years due to bad memories from the acrimonious Kilroy Was Here project in 1983, a concept album spearheaded by former singer-keyboardist Dennis DeYoung that polarized fans and led to a seven-year split of the band. Even now, Styx guitarist James "J.Y." Young says he's ambivalent about the song, because of "all the bad things that went along with that record. It was just far off the mark from what I was interested in performing live -- and we have plenty of material without it." "Mr. Roboto" which peaked at No. 3 on the pop chart in 1983, got a new lease on life in a 1999 Volkswagen Golf ad, and ever since then has enjoyed a revisionist, kitschy status that's eclipsed any negative connotations it might have conveyed. Young says that fans would often request the song from Styx merchandise and crew members, and from the band when it would perform private shows, which led to a new understanding of and even appreciation for the song's importance. "While ['Mr. Roboto'] killed the momentum of the first huge wave of Styx, it actually spawned the next generation of Styx fans. A lot of people under the age of 12 bought it, and those people are now in their 30s, perhaps even older... so we just decided to try and do it," Young says. Dennis DeYoung, who parted ways with Styx acrimoniously in 1999, responded to "Mr. Roboto"'s new life with a tweet: "It's just two guys [Young and Shaw] finally admitting the obvious. People like it...Hallelujah." Styx will continue their summer co-headlining tour with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and Tesla through July 15. - Billboard, 7/2/18...... Chic co-founder Nile Rodgers was unanimously elected by the Songwriters Hall of Fame's Board of Directors on July 2 to serve as the organization's chairman for the next three years, succeeding Philly soul hitmakers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff. "I am truly honored and beyond humbled to be elected by such an esteemed group as this illustrious board," Rodgers said in a statement. "I will try and serve with all my heart. I hope I can make you half as proud of me as I am to even sit in the room with you who've done so much for the furtherance of composition. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve the songwriting community." Meanwhile, Rodgers is resurrecting Chic for the Sept. 14 release of its first new album in 26 years, It's About Time. - Billboard, 7/2 18...... Lawyers for Ozzy Osbourne have called a motion to dismiss his lawsuit filed by concert promoters AEG "baseless on the facts and the law alike." In the June 1 motion to dismiss the lawsuit from Osbourne that seeks injunctive action against AEG over their block booking policy between the O2 Arena in London and Los Angeles' Staples Center, AEG said that Osbourne cannot claim anti-trust injury since the policy ties the promoter to the agreement, not the artist. In a rebuttal to the motion to dismiss, Osbourne attorney Dan Wall writes that AEG is "misleading the court and are fully aware that the policy forces artists to play their venue in Los Angeles, sometimes against their will." AEG has argued that Osbourne has no claim to sue the promoter and venue operator, because he did not sign the "Staples Center Commitment," which was actually signed by the No More Tours 2 promoter, Live Nation. - Amplify.com, 7/3/18...... 
Meat Loaf announced on July 2 that he will be heading back on tour, but not doing any actual singing. Meat Loaf, 70, says he'll be handing vocal duties to Caleb Johnson, the winner of the American Idol competition in 2014. A source close to Meat Loaf told the UK paper The Sun that "Meat Loaf is concerned he isn't up to some of the bigger numbers after losing his voice a couple of years ago. He's been relying on pre-recorded vocal tracks for a while but doesn't want to face accusations of miming on a huge tour, so is passing the baton on to Caleb, who he's a big fan of. Instead his involvement will be telling stories of how he met Jim Steinman, who he's worked with since the Seventies, and other anecdotes. But the singing will be left to Caleb." Dates for the international tour will be announced in the coming days. - NME, 7/2/18...... The electronics and music retailer Best Buy announced on July 1 that it plans to pull all CDs out of its stores this summer, but will be keeping vinyl records. CDs, a once commonplace digital music format, has recently been getting hammered in the United States. CD sales were down 18.5 percent last year and some experts estimate Best Buy's CD receipts are just $40 million annually. But Best Buy says it's committed to carrying vinyl records, which have been enjoying a resurgence lately, for at least the next two years. - ABC7Chicago.com, 7/1/18...... Michael Jackson's daughter Paris Jackson was granted a temporary restraining order by a Los Angeles court on July 3 against a man she says has been stalking her. The ordersays 23-year-old Nicholas Stevens must stay away from Jackson at least until July 24. In her complaint, Jackson said that she and a bandmate were leaving her recording studio June 13 when Stevens, who she does not know, appeared and said he'd waited for her last week for 15 hours. Jackson says Stevens refused to leave, said he was "stalking her," mentioned a shotgun and said "by midnight it will all be over." Then July 1, Stevens tweeted at Jackson that he was her "soulmate." Stevens could not be reached for comment. In other Jackson family news, family patriarch Joe Jackson was laid to rest on July 2 during a private ceremony at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, the same Suthern California cemetery as his late son Michael Jackson. Mr. Jackson died on June 27 in Las Vegas at age 89 and is survived by wife Katherine, eight children and dozens of grandchildren. - AP, 7/4/18...... Harry M. Miller, an Australian showbiz legend who twice promoted tours by the Rolling Stones in the 1960s and presented the successful stage productions of "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "The Rocky Horror Show" Down Under, has died at age 84. Mr. Miller also promoted shows by the Beach Boys, Ella Fitzgerald and Tom Jones in Oz. He passed away peacefully in Sydney on June 4, the HMMG agency he founded, said in a statement. "By his side were his long term partner Simmone Logue, daughters Justine, Brook and Lauren and their mother Wendy," the statement reads. Mr. Miller also guided the careers of leading Australian media, sporting and entertainment figures including Deborah Hutton, Alan Jones, Maggie Tabberer and Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton. After 50 years in the business, Mr. Miller retired at the end of 2009 and published his memoirs two years later, Harry M Miller: Confessions of a Not-So-Secret-Agent. He was diagnosed with dementia in 2011. - Billboard, 7/5/18...... 
Alan Longmuir, founding bass player with the Scottish '70s pop phenomenon The Bay City Rollers, died on July 2 following a brief illness. He was 70. Longmuir formed the band, initially known as The Saxons, back in 1966 with his younger brother and drummer Derek Longmuir, and singer Gordon "Nobby" Clark. The lineup went through multiple changes through the years, with Longmuir leaving the band in 1976 and returning two years later, after which time he alternated between bass duties, rhythm guitar and keys. In its heyday, the band scored three top 10s in the U.S., including a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart with 
During a two-night stand at the Hollywood Bowl on June 26 and 27, Rod Stewart revealed that his upcoming album will be called Blood Red Roses and hit stores in September. Stewart played his first concert in his adapted hometown of Los Angeles in over seven years, treating fans to a hearty dose of career touchstones ("Maggie May," "Tonight's the Night," "You're in My Heart," "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy"), as well as a liberal sprinkling of covers ("Having a Party," "Have I Told You Lately"). He also introduced two new songs from his upcoming album on each night, "Grace" and "Hole in My Heart," introducing the latter by saying it was inspired by his days as a twenty-something running around with the ladies. The 73-year-old rocker and his opener Cyndi Lauper next head to cities including Charlotte, N.C. (7/26), Nashville (8/1), New York (8/7), Indianapolis (Aug. 18), and San Francisco (Aug. 29), before wrapping on Sept. 1 in Seattle. - Billboard, 6/27/18...... The estate of Prince and Sony Music Entertainment announced on June 27 that they have signed an exclusive distribution agreement that covers 35 of Prince's previously released albums. Under the new arrangement, the Purple One's catalog included in the deal will be distributed by Legacy Recordings. Worldwide rights begin immediately for Prince's album releases from 1995-2010, with the others following in years to come. Among the titles included in the first phase are The Gold Experience (1995), Emancipation (1996), Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic (1999), The Rainbow Children (2001) and 3121 (2006), as well as Musicology (2004) and Planet Earth (2007), which were originally released via Sony through Columbia. Additional album titles from the 2014-2015 era will also be distributed with worldwide rights under the deal in the future. The deal also includes rights to other previously released singles, B-sides, remixes, non-album tracks, live recordings and music videos recorded before 1995. Additional album titles from the 2014-2015 era will also be distributed with worldwide rights under the deal in the future. "Sony Music is honored to play a part in keeping Prince's music alive and making it available for generations of lifelong listeners and future fans," SME president Richard Story said in a statement. - Billboard, 6/27/18...... Blues legend Mike Vernon and his band The Mighty Combo will release his debut album, Beyond the Blue Horizon, on Sept. 7. Vernon has produced albums for some of the most famous artists in British rock and blues including John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (with Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor), David Bowie, Ten Years After, Savoy Brown, Fleetwood Mac, Chicken Shack, Focus, Freddie King, Climax Blues Band and Level 42 Vernon is best known as the founder of the Blues record label Blue Horizon, with a roster including Peter Green, Rory Gallagher, Paul Kossoff and Christone McVie, which was a major "ground breaker" in its time and still revered to this day. "To be fronting my own R&B outfit has always been a dream but the right moment to make that transition never appeared until now," says Vernon. Vernon and the Mighty Combo will also be mounting an 18-date UK and European tour behind the new album this summer, beginning with an appearance at the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival on July 22. - Noble PR, 6/26/18...... 
Jackson family patriarch Joe Jackson, father and early manager of the Jackson 5, died on the morning of June 27 in Los Angeles after a battle with cancer. He was 89. According to TMZ.com, Mr. Jackson was surrounded by his wife Katherine Jackson and "some" of his grandchildren at the time of his death. Mr. Jackson had been dealing with a host of medical problems over the past few years, including a recently revealed battle with pancreatic cancer. Born in 1928, Mr. Jackson married Katherine in 1949, and the couple went on to have 11 children. As a manager, Mr. Jackson launched the career of son Michael Jackson -- along with Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Tito Jackson -- out of Gary, Ind., as the Jackson 5 in the 1960s. The group signed with Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and in 1970, their first four singles ("I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There") all went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. They also have the distinction of being the first act ever to see their first four singles top the chart. Jermaine Jackson tweeted about his father's health on June 21. "For however long he has left, my mother, siblings, and relatives want to be with him, without hindrance." Then on June 24, a more ominous update was posted on Mr. Jackson's Twitter page: "I have seen more sunsets than I have left to see. The sun rises when the time comes and whether you like it or not the sun sets when the time comes." Mr. Jackson suffered a stroke while visiting Brazil in 2015 and was again hospitalized after a car he was riding in was involved in an accident in Las Vegas in 2017. Although he was known for his iron-fisted management of his children, in 2002, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honored him as the Best Entertainment Manager of All Time. Although some of his children have criticized him for his harsh parenting techniques, his daughter, pop star Janet Jackson, recently spoke warmly of her father as she received the Radio Disney Music Awards first-ever Impact Award. "My mother nourished me with the most extravagant love imaginable," she said. "My father, my incredible father drove me to be the best I can." Michael's daughter Paris Jackson, posted a touching tribute to her granfather after his death: "I have immense gratitude for you, and always will... rest in peace and transition. i'll see you in my dreams very very soon." "RIP to the king that made everything possible," his grandson Randy Jackson tweeted on June 27. "I love you." - Billboard/Jezebel.com, 6/27/18...... In other Jackson-related news, a new art exhibition in London entitled "Michael Jackson: On the Wall" opened on June 28 and depicts Michael as everything from a savior, a saint, an entertainer, an icon, a monarch, a mask and a mystery. The show at the UK's National Portrait Gallery explores the way contemporary artists have been drawn to the late King of Pop, as an artistic inspiration, a tragic figure and a fascinating enigma. A total of 48 artists are represented in the exhibit, including 1980s pop-art portraits by Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, depictions of a Christ-like Michael by David LaChapelle, and a vast portrait of the "King of Pop" as a king on horseback. "It explores how Michael could mean so many different things to so many people," said curator Nicholas Cullinan. - AP, 6/27/18...... Justo George Cameron, a founding member of the baroque '60s pop band The Left Banke, died on died on June 24, 2018 at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan after a battle with cancer. He was 70. The Left Banke gained popularity in the late 1960's for their hit singles, "Walk Away Renee" and "Pretty Ballerina." His involvement with the band remained until his death, and he often hosted reunion concerts and tours, releasing additional songs and albums, and the Manhattan native often performed at many children's charity events throughout New York City. - 5/25/18...... Legendary New York and Connecticut radio air personality Dan Ingram has passed away at the age of 83. Mr. Ingram began his five decade broadcasting career at small stations such as WNRC/New Rochelle, NY, WALK/Patchogue, NY, and WNHC/New Haven, CT, and worked at WICC/Bridgeport, CT as 'Ray Taylor." He moved on to larger markets and was responsible for huge ratings jumps at both KBOX/Dallas and WIL/St. Louis before returning to New York to create and sell radio contests for Mars Broadcasting. In 1961, Ingram returned to the airwaves at WABC/New York where he stayed for the next 21 years until it went all-talk. During that period he also did "The Other Dan Ingram Show" playing jazz on WABC-FM. He combined humor, an irreverent style, and impeccable timing and established himself as the leading rock radio personality in North America. Mr. Ingram was the master of the "talk-up," speaking over the introduction and finishing his thoughts at the exact moment the lyrics started. Mr. Ingram joined the oldies station WCBS-FM/New York in 1991 where he worked until he retired in 2003. He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2007. - 5/25/18...... 
A new compilation featuring some of late the Clash frontman Joe Strummer will be released on Sept. 29 in a variety of formats. Entitled