Neil Young has achieved his 40th top 40-charting solo LP with his latest studio effort Hitchhiker, which bowed on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart at No. 20 for the week ending Sept. 14. In total, Young has notched 56 solo entries on the Hot 200, with an additional nine as part of the supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Meanwhile, Gregg Allman's posthumous released Southern Blood has become the late Southern rock icon's fourth Top 40 album. Allman died May 27, and last hit the top 10 with his highest-charting solo effort, 2011's Low Country Blues, which peaked at No. 5. - Billboard, 9/23/17...... 
In a show of support for former NFL player Colin Kaepernick's now-viral move to take a knee during the National Anthem in 2016, Stevie Wonder took to both knees on Sept. 23 during the 6th annual Global Citizen Music Fest in New York City's Central Park. "Tonight, I'm taking a knee for America," Wonder explained as he knelt down. "But not just one knee. Both knees. Both knees, in prayer for our planet, our future, our leaders of the world and our globe. Amen." Wonder's rousing hour and a half performance included several of his greatest hits including "Isn't She Lovely" and "We Are the World." Wonder also referenced US Pres. Donald Trump, who recently stated that NFL players who protest should be "fired," and Pres. Trump's current feud with North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un. "We must take care of each other, and this planet. If we don't, we could lose the ultimate video game of life," the 67-year-old singer and activist said. "Weapons are real and rhetoric is dangerous." - Billboard, 9/23/17...... Cher is among the many celebrities who are paying tribute to Sen. John McCain for the Arizona Republican's decision to break from his party vote "no" on the Graham-Cassidy health-care proposal, which put the brakes on the Republican agenda to repeal the Affordable Care Act put forth under former president Barack Obama. "Bless you @SenetorJohnMcCain," Cher tweeted on Sept. 22. "This is 3rd Time I've Watched You Take The High Road,& Pick The American----Ppl over Politics----#StillaHero2Me," the diva added. Director and former All In the Family actor Rob Reiner also echoed Cher's opinion. "John McCain-a hero once again. Hopefully this will encourage other senators to have courage and kill this abomination once and for all," he posted the same day. - Billboard, 9/22/17...... Bob Seger released the first single from his upcoming album I Knew You When on Sept. 22, a cover of the late Lou Reed's "Busload of Faith." Recorded with the Silver Bullet Band during May 2017 in Nashville, the song was premiered by Seger and his band during a concert on Sept. 21 at a concert in Cincinnati. Seger also performed "Busload of Faith," which originally appeared on Lou Reed's critically lauded 1989 album New York, when he and the Silver Bullet Band played the final show ever at the Palace of Auburn Hills, in suburban Detroit, on Sept. 23. Seger tweaked some of Reed's original lyrics as well for his version -- for instance, substituting "You can't depend on the president" into the verse Reed wrote as "You can't depend on the churches." - Billboard, 9/22/17...... 
Dates for a hologram tour featuring the late Frank Zappa are expected to be announced in late 2018, hologram entertainment company Eyelussion announced on Sept. 21. The company is partnering with the Zappa Family Trust to to produce the "Frank Zappa - Back on the Road" concerts which, according to Zappa's son Ahmet Zappa, will be playing his late dad's "most well-known music as well as some rare and unheard material." The Zappa shows will also incorporate several former Zappa collaborators, including Steve Vai, Ian Underwood, Adrian Belew and Arthur Barrow. Production for the show will begin later in 2017, with a tour date announcement planned for late 2018. - Billboard, 9/22/17...... Elton John is calling on Australians to vote "yes" in the country's current same-sex marriage referendum. A postal vote is taking place Down Under to decide whether or not to legalise gay marriage. John -- who is currently touring in Australia -- posted an emotional Instagram post, revealing the "guilt and regret" he felt being previously married to a woman, saying he had "denied who I really was." "Many years ago, I chose Australia for my wedding to a wonderful woman for whom I have so much love and admiration," Elton wrote. "I wanted more than anything to be a good husband, but I denied who I really was, which caused my wife sadness, and caused me huge guilt and regret. To be worthy of someone's love, you have to be brave enough and clear eyed enough to be honest with yourself and your partner," he added. Voting on the bill began on Sept. 12, and the result will be announced on Nov. 15. - New Musical Express, 9/21/17...... According to The Hollywood Reporter, David Lee Roth has just signed with the ICM Partners talent agency in all areas. Roth, the original lead singer of Van Halen who went solo in 1985 but rejoined the band in 2007, continues to be represented by business manager Gerri Leonard of Leonard and Associates. - The Hollywood Reporter, 9/21/17...... A memorial for recently deceased country singer Don Williams has been set for Sept. 27 at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tenn. Williams, who died Sept. 8 at 78 years old, was inducted into the CMHOF in 2010. The memorial service at CMA Theater, beginning at 4:30 p.m., will be open to Williams' family, friends and music industry personnel. Meanwhile, Williams' 20 Greatest Hits album has reentered the Billboard Hot 200 album chart at No. 85, his highest-charting album on the pop survey since 1980. - Billboard, 9/21/17...... 
Two founding members of Kiss -- bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons and guitarist/vocalist Ace Frehley -- performed on stage together for the first time in 16 years on Sept. 20 at a Hurricane Harvey benefit show in St. Paul, Minn. Simmons and Frehley, who hadn't played with each other since the last show of Kiss' Farewell Tour in Australia in April 2001, have had an ongoing beef that was still simmering as recently as 2014, when Kiss were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Frehley didn't perform with the rest of the band. Frehley told the Minneapolis StarTribune that his decision to perform with his old bandmate was the result of a spur-of-the-moment phone call: "I just did four shows on the East Coast, and I looked at my calendar and I noticed I was off today. I had to head back to San Diego eventually where I live, so I figured I could make a pit stop here. I called Gene, and he was really excited about me being involved, and it's that simple." He also noted that Simmons had been to his house recently to co-write two songs for an upcoming solo album. The two rockers performed four tracks together: "Parasite," "Cold Gin," "Shock Me," and "Rock And Roll All Nite," the latter with select audience members onstage. - Stereogum.com, 9/21/17...... A new version of Paul McCartney's venerable yuletide hit "Wonderful Christmastime" by McCartney, Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon, and his house band The Roots, will be part of a 16-track Christmas album entitled Holidays Rule Vol. 2, due from Capitol Records on Oct. 13. The freshly recorded "Wonderful Christmastime" will be joined in the compilation with seasonal tunes by the likes of Norah Jones, Grace Potter, Roseanne Cash, The Decemberists and Judah & the Lio. The first edition of Holidays Rule was released in 2012 and featured songs from McCartney fun., The Shins and Rufus Wainwright, among others. - Billboard, 9/22/17...... A British auction house called Parlogram is auctioning a rare, unreleased demo of the Beatles song "What Goes On" on the UK eBay website. This 1963 demo version predates the Beatles recording sung by Ringo Starr and released on the UK Rubber Soul album in 1965; instead it is sung by John Lennon, who wrote the song, and features Lennon singing different lyrics. The demo also has Lennon on acoustic guitar and Paul McCartney on harmony on the chorus; a few piano notes are audible in the background toward the end of the track. So far, the sale has attracted at least 25 bidders and, with 7 days to go, has a high bid of £6,500. The Beatles are said to have originally intended to record "What Goes On" during a 1963 session, but the plan was scrapped. Starr was later given a co-composer credit for the new middle eight, which was added during the 1965 recording sessions. The "What Goes On" demo disc was first sold by the George Harrison family though Bonham's auction house in 2012 for $8,461, including buyer's premium. Under U.K. law, the track is now in the public domain since it hadn't been released within 50 years of recording. - Billboard, 9/21/17...... In other Beatles-related news, Yoko Ono has forced a Polish lemonade company calling itself "John Lemon" to change its name. Yoko's lawyers recently sent legal letters to the company established in 2012 that distributes lemonade to bars and restaurants in the UK and 13 other European countries. Ono's lawyers cited trademark infringement against her husband's name and personal rights, telling a London paper that the company was "abusing and misusing the legacy of John Lennon to sell their soda." The attorneys also cited a Facebook post by John Lemon - Ireland that displayed a mural of Lennon holding lemons with the company's logo underneath. Other advertisements displayed round glasses that recalled Lennon's signature frames, along with the words, "Let It Be." Upon receiving the letters, John Lemon agreed to change its name to On Lemon, which is remarkably similar to "Ono Lennon," though there's nothing Yoko can do about that. - Billboard, 9/20/17...... 
Appearing on the Today show on Sept. 20, Olivia Newton-John told hostess Natalie Morales that she is still "a thriver" some 25 years after her first cancer diagnosis. Newton-John has recently had a resurgence of breast cancer that metastasized to her lower back, and according to her the pain had been so debilitating she was forced to cancel her tour that was scheduled for May and, at times, made it difficult for her to walk. "In my mind, it was over, I'd finished with it," said Olivia, whose first bout of cancer occurred in 1992, which motivated her to become an advocate for cancer research and eventually build the namesake Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre in 2008. On top of chemotherapy and a holistic treatment plan, Newton-John attributed the remission of her first cancer to medicinal marijuana, which her husband (a president of a natural remedy company) grows himself. "This plant is a healing plant. I think we need to change the vision of what it is because it helped me greatly and it helps with pain and inflammation," she said. - Billboard, 9/21/17...... Bob Dylan and Columbia Records announced on Sept. 20 that the latest installment of his ongoing Bootled Series box set will explore the singer's gospel period and its accompanying late '70s/early '80s albums: Slow Train Coming, Saved and Shot of Love. Trouble No More - The Bootleg Series Vol. 13 / 1979-1981, due from Columbia/Legacy on Nov. 3, will drop in a two-CD or four-LP set, or a deluxe box that includes eight CDs and one DVD. The collection will feature 100 previously unreleased live and studio recordings, along with 14 songs never included on any Dylan release. Fans who purchase the deluxe box will also receive Trouble No More: A Musical Film, which includes never-before-seen footage of Dylan's 1980 tour. In other Dylan news, the singer is the last cover star for the print edition of New York's legendary The Village Voice alt-weekly paper, which released its final print edition on Sept. 20. The photo was taken by the late Fred McDarrah, a staff photographer for the Voice who was one of the first to photograph Dylan, and the cover is itself a cropping of one of McDarrah's more famous Dylan photos. The Village Voice has announced it is going digital-only as a response to the changing publishing landscape. - Billboard/Spin.com, 9/20/17...... A deluxe edition of the Sex Pistols' seminal 1977 album Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols will be released Oct. 27 in the UK via USM/USC to celebrate the LP's 40th anniversary. The label announced that the out-of-print deluxe edition of the album, which was originally released in 2012 and has since been out of print, will now be rereleased. The box set will include three CDs, including the original album with b-sides from 1977, a disc of outtakes, and a disc of live material, also recorded in 1977. It will also feature a DVD of footage of the band playing live from the infamous boat party held on the Thames as well as performances at Penzance's Winter Gardens and Stockholm's Happy House. Never Mind the Bollocks... was originally released on Oct. 28, 1977, and is famously the only studio record to be put out by the punk group. At the time of its release, many stores refused to stock it. - NME, 9/20/17...... 
Also celebrating its 40th anniversary is the Queen double A-side single "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions," which has just been named by Billboard as the "Biggest Jock Jam Single of All Time." Still played on an almost-daily basis on radio and at just about every major sporting event on the planet, "We Will Rock You" has transcended time, fashion, and Queen's own seeming obstacles to current popularity. Queen's Roger Taylor recalled how the band recorded the song: "Cut to we're in the studio in Wessex and I'm nervous about telling the guys: 'So, there's no drums or bass, just foot stomps, claps and vocals for most of it.' So we stamped on these boards in this old church where we recorded and it made a good noise and I thought, 'stamp here and clap and we'll build it up a million times so it sounds like a huge audience.'... I was really pushing the boundaries of what I knew had been done in terms of creating live sound in the studio. I didn't want it to be a normal song where you pause for guitar solo, so we say everything and then the guitar solo kicks in. That was odd." - Billboard, 9/22/17...... It has been revealed that iconic comedian Jerry Lewis, who died on Aug. 20 at his home in Las Vegas at age 91, has intentionally excluded his six sons from his first marriage -- including '60s pop singer Gary Lewis --- from his last will and testament. In the document, which was executed in 2012, Lewis makes no secret of the fact he has decided to leave his children from his first marriage to Patti Palmer out of the will. The reasons for Lewis' estrangement from his sons is believed to have been connected to his son Joseph's death in 2009, with his eldest son Gary blaming his father for his son's passing. Labelling him a "mean and evil person," Gary added that he believes Joseph's suicide could have been prevented if he and his father had a better relationship. "I believe he partly died of a broken heart," Gary Lewis told the Daily Mail. According to reports, Lewis left his entire estate to widow SanDee Pitnick, with their adopted daughter Danielle second in line to inherit the fortune. - WENN.com, 9/22/17...... Producer/engineer Johnny Sandlin, best known for his work with Gregg Allman, The Allman Brothers Band, Widespread Panic, Col. Bruce Hampton and Chuck Leavell, has died at the age of 72. Born in Decatur, Ala., on Apr. 16, 1945, Sandlin was a longtime producer for the Capricorn Records label, as well as a session musician who played guitar, bass and drums in a series of bands in the early 1960s. Sandlin worked on the production side of such landmark Allman releases as Live at the Fillmore East (1970), Eat a Peach (1971) and Brothers and Sisters (1973), among others. He also worked on some of Gregg Allman's solo albums, as well as releases from Wet Willie, Kitty Wells, Bonnie Bramlett, comedian Martin Mull and many others. He gave up his gig as vice president of A&R at Capricorn in 1976 to work as an independent producer on albums including Gregg Allman and then wife Cher's 1977 duets release Two the Hard Way, as well as efforts by Delbert McClinton. In the 1980s he shifted his focus to work with a number of classic country acts, including Ronnie Dunn, Jerry Reed and the Gatlin Brothers. He is also an inductee of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. - Billboard, 9/19/17...... 
Heart member Nancy Wilson's new band Roadcase Royale released its debut First Things First on Sept. 22, and it features "The Dragon," a song Wilson wrote back in the 1990s for Heart. In addition to band originals, the album includes new renderings of the Heart favorites "Even It Up" and "These Dreams." Roadcase Royale is currently touring behind the new LP, opening for Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band into November. As for Heart, the band remains fractured after Ann Wilson's husband Dean Wetter was arrested for assaulting Nancy's 16-year-old twin sons backstage at a Heart show in suburban Seattle. Ann Wilson is currently touring as a solo act. - Billboard, 9/20/17...... Soul singer Charles Bradley, who drew comparisons to James Brown thanks to his excitable stage persona, passed away in Brooklyn on Sept. 23 following a long bout with cancer. He was 68. Bradley had been suffering from stomach cancer after first being diagnosed with the disease last year. Earlier in September, he was forced to cancel a string of live dates after the cancer returned and spread from his stomach to his liver. After spending decades working as a chef and playing gigs on the side, his music career only took off relatively recently, having been signed to Daptone Records in 2002 for a series of singles after years of singing in cover bands. His life and career later became the subject of the 2012 documentary Charles Bradley: Soul of America, which showcased his talents to a wider audience. - Billboard, 9/23/17.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers closed out the three-day KAABOO festival in Del Mar, Calif. on Sept. 17 with a two-hour set that highlighted his catalog of hits like "Free Fallin'," "Refugee" and "Don't Come Around Here No More," as well as delving into album territory with tracks like "Crawling Back to You" from Petty's 1994 solo release Wildflowers. Coincidentally, the date marked the same week 40 years earlier when Petty and the Heartbreakers' eponymous LP debuted on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart for the week ending Sept. 24, 1977. "Thanks for 40 years," Petty shouted to the crowd at the end of the marathon set. - Billboard, 9/18/17...... 
John Fogerty has signed an exclusive record deal with BMG for a new solo album and to reissue his solo catalog, the label announced on Sept. 18. The deal kicks off on Nov. 17 with a 20th anniversary release of the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman's Grammy-winning 1997 solo album Blue Moon Swamp in various configurations and with a new cover, with re-releases of his solo LPs Centerfield, Eye of the Zombie and Deju Vu (All Over Again), as well as his live album Premonition and a new greatest hits collection curated from his solo catalog. "We couldn't be more proud to sign a cultural and musical icon like John Fogerty, and become part of his legacy as he continues to create extraordinary and timeless music," BMG exec John Loeffler said. Meanwhile, Fogerty is also at work on a new solo LP due in 2018, the followup to his 2013 album Wrote a Song for Everyone, a collaboration with such artists as Foo Fighters, Bob Seger and Miranda Lambert, among others. Fogerty will begin a residency at Las Vegas' Wynn's Encore Theater this fall, with upcoming runs set for Sept. 20-Oct. 7 and Jan. 10/20, 2018. - Billboard, 9/18/17...... Paul McCartney treated fans at New York's Madison Square Garden to an assortment of solo and Beatles hits, humor and humility as his "One on One" tour hit the Big Apple on Sept. 15 for the first of two shows at the legendary venue. "You must be bored by now," McCartney said to a fan holding up a sign that read this was their 113th McCartney show. "Tonight we're going to have some fun," the 75-year-old music legend said as he opened with the Fab Four's 1964 hit "A Hard Day's Night" that segued into "Save Us" from his 2013 solo album New. "This is going to be a night full of memories for me," Paul said in a social media post earlier in the day. After bringing out Bruce Springsteen for an encore jam of "I Saw Her Standing There" (not once but twice, at the Boss's suggestion), Macca closed the three-hour set in a fitting manner with the Abbey Road medley of "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End." - Billboard, 9/18/17...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, Ringo Starr told the BBC's Newsnight on Sept. 13 that he made the decision to vote in favour of the Brexit referendum in 2016 because the EU was a "shambles." "The people voted and, you know, they have to get on with it," Starr said, then urged the British government to move ahead with the Brexit negotiations. "Suddenly, it's like, 'Oh, well, we don't like that vote.' What do you mean you don't like that vote? You had the vote, this is what won, let's get on with it." Ringo added that "being in control of your country is a good move... but don't tell [Brexit opponent] Bob Geldof" about his opinion. Starr's Brexit opinion also differs from his former bandmate Paul McCartney, who previously told the Washington Post that "I think I would have come down on the remain side because people like the Governor of the Bank of England, a lot of financial experts, were saying that." - New Musical Express, 9/13/17...... Country star Dolly Parton reunited with her 9 to 5 pals Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda to present the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sept. 17. "I have been waiting to a 9 to 5 reunion since we did the movie," Parton said. Tomlin and Fonda then took a few shots at Pres. Donald Trump, comparing him to Dabney Coleman's portrayal of the caddish Franklin Hart Jr. from the 1980 film. "In 1980, we refused to be controlled by a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot boss," Fonda said, with Tomlin adding "...and in 2017 we still refuse to be controlled by a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot boss." The trio then announced the winner, Alexander Skarsgard, for his work in Big Little Lies. - Billboard, 9/17/17...... 
Alan Parsons has collaborated on a remix of his 1982 hit "Eye in the Sky" by the Disco Demolition troupe to celebrate the 35th anniversary reissue of his album of the same name. The track -- which the Chicago Bulls used for player introductions during their 90s championship run, with other sports teams subsequently adopting it -- will not be included on the upcoming deluxe anniversary edition of the album, but Parsons says he still finds the prospect of remixing one of his iconic pieces intriguing. "We communicated first by phone and then went online and were able to actually work together in real time, listening to how the mix developed," says Parsons. "I think it ended up great. The first (remix) was steering a little too far away from the original. I think we've captured the spirit of the original in this one," he added. The Eye In The Sky 35th Anniversary Collector's Edition, due Nov. 17, features three CDs, including bonus tracks and collaborator Eric Woolfson's dictated songwriting diaries, as well as a Blu-ray disc with 5.1 Surround Sound and Stereo HD mixes of the album. Parsons says the new "Sirius" has opened him to allowing and working on other remixes of his material. "[Today's youth] want a different style, a different kind of music in their clubs and in their homes, on their trains with their iPhones. So, yes, I have to be open to that," he noted. - Billboard, 9/14/17...... Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir has been appoined as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for his work with an outfit called Tribal Planet, which became the official technology provider for the United Nations Development Programme. Weir was honored with the position at the 8th annual Social Good Summit at the 92nd Street Y. As a Goodwill Ambassador, Weir will work with the UNDP to raise awareness of the UN's Global Goals and work to combat climate change. "I'd like to see climate change and the ongoing diminishing of biodiversity arrested and dealt with to the point where the sustainability of life on earth isn't threatened," Weir told Billboard. He added he will help the UNDP advocate for climate initiatives and projects that promote renewable energy, preserve coastlines, combat deforestation and ensure a healthy planet for generations to come. - Billboad, 9/17/17...... The 32nd Annual Farm Aid benefit concert was held in Burgettstown, Penn., on Sept. 16, with longtime co-headliners Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews, and accompanied by an all-star bill that included Sheryl Crow, Jack Johnson, the Avett Brothers and more. "America is already great," said Neil Young pointedly in an onstage press conference that preceded the concert, the first Farm Aid of the Donald Trump era. "We don't need to apologize. We don't need to feel bad," he added. At the end, all of the performers came onstage for a medley of "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die," "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," "I'll Fly Away" and "Living in the Promisedland." Farm Aid has raised some $50 million in its three decades of existence to help family farmers remain on their land, making it music's longest-running concert for a cause. - Billboard, 9/17/17...... 
Disco hitmakers Village People are set to close the 2017 Internet streaming "Streamy" Awards on Sept. 26, which will be airing live on Twitter at 9:30 p.m. ET to 6:30 p.m. Original Village People "Cop" member Victor Willis will be returning to perform with the group for the first time in over 30 years, however he's completely replacing the group's lineup, including two Village People who have been a part of it since its inception in 1977. Those two members, "Native American" Felipe Rose and "GI" Alex Briley, are reportedly furious that Willis is ousting all of them to form a practically new group. Willis, who left the group in 1979, is the recognizable voice behind the group's most iconic hits, including "Y.M.C.A.," "Macho Man," and "In The Navy." Willis says that he "felt the former touring version of the group... looked old and tired... So a revamp or repositioning of the group was required to bring it back into the mainstream. The addition of an Asian American for the first time in the group's history is part of that reposition." Willis went on to criticize the lineup for being what he deemed a "karaoke" act, and blasted them for using backing tracks during their live performances rather than a live band. The new (and improved?) Village People are set to close the Sept. 26 show with a medley of the group's greatest hits. - Billboard, 9/14/17...... After attorneys representing record companies who manage late country legend Johnny Cash's discography sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Internet radio station Stormfront, the white nationalist organization stopped using Cash's cover of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" as its theme music. In August, Cash's children, Rosanne and John Carter Cash, said their dad abhorred racism and were "sickened" to learn that a neo-Nazi wore a shirt bearing their father's name at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Stormfront has reportedly pivoted to the Confederate standard "The South Will Rise Again" as its theme song. Cash covered Petty's "I Won't Back Down" on his 2000 covers album American III: Solitary Man. - Billboard, 9/14/17...... Foreigner has announced it will film its forthcoming 40th anniversary reunion at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant, Mich. on Oct. 6-7 for a TV special, DVD and live album. Foreigner founder and leader Mick Jones will be joined by original frontman Lou Gramm, drummer Dennis Elliott, keyboardist Al Greenwood and multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald, along with the group's second bassist Rick Wills. Mick Jones says he repaired his fractured releationship with Lou Gramm when the pair were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013, and that he's "kept his voice." "All the musicians are getting on very well together and it's just refreshing and we're really enjoying it," Jones added. Foreigner currently has North American dates and a concert in Mexico booked into mid-November, while a European tour set to launch May 8 in Bulgaria. The 40th anniversary reunion show is expected to be released in 2018. - Billboard, 9/14/17...... In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Ozzy Osbourne responds to rumors that he's planning to retire. "People around my age go, 'I'm 65 now. I'm retired.' Then they f-----g die," Ozzy said. "My father got a bit of cash from the job he had, did the garden and died. And I'm going, 'That's a bit of an anticlimax after working so many years in a factory.' I ain't retiring. People still want to see me, so what's there to retire from?" On the subject of Black Sabbath, Osbourne said: "They've retired but I haven't. It's like I'm jumping off one boat onto another. People forget, I was with Sabbath from '68 to '79, but I've been on my own from '79 'til now." - NME, 9/15/17...... 
Speaking of Rolling Stone magazine, founder/publisher Jann S. Wenner told the New York Times on Sept. 17 that he's putting his stake in the publication up for sale. "I love my job, I enjoy it, I've enjoyed it for a long time," the 71-year-old Wenner said, adding that his move was a business decision and "just the smart thing to do." Wenner and his son Gus, 27, recently sold Wenner Media's other two magazines, Us Weekly and Men's Journal, to American Media. As reported by the Times, they also sold a 49 percent stake in Rolling Stone in 2016 to a Singapore-based music tech company called BandLab Technologies. Both Wenner and his son said they would like to continue working for the magazine, but acknowledged that decision would be up to the new owner. Founded in 1967, Rolling Stone became famous for covering rock and pop music and counter-culture as well as politics and gonzo-style journalism, with the likes of such esteemed writers as Hunter S. Thompson, Tom Wolfe and Lester Bangs. It is not known whether the company is already in talks with potential buyers. - Billboard, 9/17/17...... Steely Dan's Donald Fagen announced on Sept. 13 that he's been forced to cancel four solo dates due to an undisclosed illness. The news comes just 10 days after the death of Fagen's longtime Steely Dan partner Walter Becker at age 67. The shows in question were set to take place in Portland on Sept. 12, Seattle on Sept. 13, Saratoga, Calif. on Sept. 15 and San Francisco on Sept. 16. It is unclear if Fagen's health will effect the recently announced run of Steely Dan dates scheduled to take place across October. - Spin.com, 9/13/17...... Gene Simmons of Kiss has announced he'll release a box set of previously unreleased solo material this year known as The Vault on 10 CDs in a big vault-like box. The catch is The Vault will only be available to those who spend an exorbitant amount of money for one of three different "experiences": for $2,000 you can meet up with Simmons at one of 21 events around the world where you can pick up your box set and chat with Simmons for 5 minutes; for $25,000 you can meet up with Simmons at one of 11 studios around the world where you can pick up The Vault and spend an hour with him listening to its tracks; and for $50,000 Simmons will hand-deliver The Vault to your very home, where you and up to 25 friends can spend two hours with him. However, it is stipulated he will not be in full makeup and costume, nor will he supply food and drink. - Stereogum.com, 9/13/17...... 
Harry Dean Stanton, the quintessential American actor with a gaunt, bedraggled look who labored in virtual obscurity for decades until a series of roles increased his visibility, died of natural causes on Sept. 15 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 91. Rarely a leading man, Mr. Stanton delivered memorable performances in such films as Cool Hand Luke (1967), Two-Lane Blacktop (1971), Ridley Scott's Alien (1979), John Carpenter's Escape From New York (1981) and John Hughes' Pretty in Pink (1986). He was eerily creepy as evil polygamist and self-proclaimed Mormon prophet Roman Grant on HBO's Big Love, and he partnered regularly with David Lynch, appearing in the director's Wild at Heart (1990), Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992), the 1993 miniseries Hotel Room, The Straight Story (1999) and Inland Empire (2006). With great pal Jack Nicholson, Mr. Stanton worked in The Missouri Breaks (1976), Man Trouble (1992), The Pledge (2001) and Anger Management (2003). In Cool Hand Luke, Mr. Stanton coached Paul Newman's character on the song "Plastic Jesus," and sang rendition of the gospel standard "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" himself in the film. Born on July 14, 1926, in West Irvine, Ky., Mr. Stanton served in the Navy as a cook on an ammunitions ship in the Pacific during World War II -- he was in the Battle of Okinawa -- then enrolled at the University of Kentucky to study journalism and radio arts. Since 2011, the Kentucky city of Lexington each year has hosted a Harry Dean Stanton Festival. Except for a brief marriage, Stanton was a bachelor who in the 2013 Stanton documentary Partly Fiction spoke about the lost love of his life, actress Rebecca De Mornay. "She left me for Tom Cruise," he says in the film. Blondie's Deborah Harry, whom he also dated, recorded a 1989 song for him, "I Want That Man." His agent said that Mr. Stanton "is survived by family and friends who loved him." - The Hollywood Reporter, 9/15/17.
Bob Dylan announced on Sept. 11 that he'll hit the road with opening act Mavis Staples for a 21-date fall tour set to kick off on Oct. 13 at Harrah's Resort SoCal in Valley Center, Calif. The tour will visit many cities than Dylan missed during his recent Outlaw Music Festival Tour with Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow and more, including Omaha, Neb.; Ames, Iowa; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Akron, Oh.; Uniondale, NY.; and Richmond, Va. The tour wraps on Nov. 16 in Boston. - Billboard, 9/11/17...... As Hurricanes Harvey and Irma ravaged the southern US and several Carribean islands in recent weeks, Barbra Streisand has penned an 
As a new Eric Clapton documentary called Eric Clapton: A Life in 12 Bars premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 11, the legendary guitarist says he isn't bothered that guitar sales are down. "My kids listen to classic rock, but that may only be because of me, because that's what I've played to them," Clapton said during a press conference earlier in the day. "I mean, from the time of their conception, they've been listening to music through the womb. I played them playlists, just brainwashed my kids, and at the back of it was always the guitar or some kind of solo instrument or a singer. My belief in music is it's all good. It's all good. Even stuff that doesn't appear to be so, it's all good." According to a recent story in the Washington Post, sales of guitars were down to 1 million a year from 1.5 million, and major manufacturers (Gibson and Fender) are having financial difficulties, as is the retail outlet Guitar Center. "I don't know. Maybe the guitar is over," Clapton said, laughing. "Good question though." - Billboard, 9/11/17...... A new music festival in Memphis, Tenn. set for Oct. 6-7 at Shelby Farms will showcase Stax Records veterans Booker T. Jones and Steve Cropper on the closing day. The ten-piece act Booker T Presents: A Stax Revue & Journey Through Soul, Blues, and R&B will perform the main stage, with an All-Star performance from Steve Cropper & Friends to follow. Other performers headlining the 
Country singer Hank Williams Jr., who parted ways with ESPN's Monday Night Football amid controversy in 2010 after comparing former president Barack Obama to Adolph Hitler, has returned to the broadcast with a revamped performance of "All My Rowdy Freinds Are Here on Monday Night" alongside Jason Derulo and Florida Georgia Line. "Monday Night Football has the most famous music video in sports television. It's time to bring it back," Stephanie Druley, the network's senior vice president for events and studio production, told The Washington Post after Williams' return was announced. The song had served as MNF's intro song to ESPN's sports broadcast for more than 20 years before Williams' six-year hiatus. The newly-recorded song was played before the MNF game between the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings. - Billboard, 9/12/17...... Former Doobie Brothers member and '80s solo star Michael McDonald will release 
Melissa Manchester released her 21st studio album, 
Prog-rockers Yes announced on Sept. 12 that they're scrapping the remaining dates on their Yestival Tour with openers Todd Rundgren and Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy following the unexpected death of Yes guitarist Steve Howe's son, Virgil. Virgil, who played drums for the British power-rock outfit Little Barrie, played behind the kit, sang and performed keys on his father's 1993 album The Grand Scheme of Things. Details surrounding Virgil's death have not been disclosed. Yes, whose current lineup also features Alan White, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood, issued a statement thanking "all their fans for their support and understanding at this time" and asked that the Howe family's privacy "be respected during this difficult time." On the Yestival Tour, the band mined its first nine albums, from 1969's Yes through 1978's Tormato, with at least one song from each. - Billboard, 9/12/17...... Former Thin Lizzy member Brian Downey has added a second London date to his "Alive and Dangerous" concert in London. Downey will perform at Nells Jazz & Blues in London on Nov. 24 with his new band Brian Downey's Alive and Dangerous to mark the 40th anniversary of one of Thin Lizzy's classic concert LP, Live and Dangerous. The album was recorded live in 1977 at London's Hammersmith Apollo and Toronto's Seneca College, though it wasn't officially released until a year later in 1978. Downey's band features Brian Grace (best known as the guitarist for the Commitments' Andrew Strong), and former Low Rider members Matt Wilson (lead vocals, bass) and Phil Edgar (lead guitar). - Noble PR, 9/12/17...... Don Ohlmeyer, a legendary TV sports producer and executive who helped lead NBC's "Must-See TV" revival in the 1990s, died on Sept. 10 at his home in Palm Desert, Calif. He was 72. Ohlmeyer's death was announced by his longtime friend Al Michaels during the Sunday Night Football telecast on NBC. "He was truly special and one of a kind," said Michaels. Ohlmeyer had a long run as a sports producer at ABC and NBC in the 1970s and 80s before he moved to NBC as West Coast president in 1993. - Variety, 9/11/17.
Barbra Streisand will be among the headliners of a Hurricane Harvey benefit telethon set for Sept.12 at 8:00 p.m. ET on the four major broadcast networks and cable channel CMT. The Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Harvey Relief, organized by Houston rapper Bun B and SB Projects head Scooter Braun, will be based in Los Angeles at the Universal Studios lot, with stages also at New York's Times Square, Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, and San Antonio's Majestic Theater. Other musicians set to appear inlcude Beyoncé, The Black Eyed Peas, Justin Bieber, Drake, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Lyle Lovett and George Strait, among others. Non-music celebrities include George Clooney, Robert De Niro, Jamie Foxx, Adam Sandler, Ryan Seacrest, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts and Matthew McConaughey, among others. Organizers have also announced that the telethon will be expanded to help those affected by the impending Hurricane Irma in Florida. - Billboard, 9/6/17...... Rising actress Lucy Boynton, most recently seen in the music-themed and critically acclaimed film Sing Street, has signed on to portray Freddie Mercury's lifelong companion Mary Austin in the upcoming Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. While Austin and Mercury lived together in London for several years, he later had relationships with male lovers, and told Austin of his homosexuality. The pair remained friends however, and Mercury wrote several songs about Austin, including "Love of My Life." Shooting is scheduled to begin on Bohemian Rhapsody this month, and the film, with Rami Malek portraying Mercury and Ben Hardy, Joe Mazzello and Gwilym Lee playing band members Roger Taylor, John Deacon and Brian May, respectively, is slated for U.S. release on Dec. 25, 2018. In other Queen news, Brian May met with UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for the first time on Sept. 4 at the Lush Summit 2017 in London, and described the politician as "very impressive" and afterward tweeted that Corbyn "speaks like a human being rather than a politician." May, an animal rights activist, has been a local Labour supporter in the past and recently criticised Prime Minister Theresa May's stance on fox hunting. May also praised Corbyn for "talking good sense on attacking wildlife crime." - The Hollywood Reporter/New Musical Express, 9/7/17...... 
David Crosby has shared the title track from his forthcoming solo album 
Cher says she was livid when Pres. Donald Trump announced he was going through with his plan to end the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program put in place by Pres. Obama in 2012 to protect "DREAMers" (named for the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act), who came into the country as children from being deported. The pop singer has labeled Trump a "complete coward" for his action, is vowing to take in some of those affected, and is encouraging her fans to do the same. "Those who can must take a DREAMER in2 their home & protect them!!" she tweeted on Sept. 5. "I'm ready 2 do this." - Billboard, 9/6/17...... A posthumous release from Gregg Allman, 
The CBS television network announced on Sept. 7 that it will celebrate the 50th anniversary of 
Country music legend Don Williams, who scored 17 No. 1 singles and 45 Top 10 singles on the country charts including "Tulsa Time," "Good Ole Boys Like Me" and "I Wouldn't Want To Live If You Didn't Love Me," passed away on Sept. 8 after what his reps describe as a "short illness." He was 78. Born on May 27, 1939 in Floydada, Tex., Williams began his solo career in 1971, and wrote for the publishing company of legendary Nashville producer Jack Clement. A crooner as much as a country singer, Williams topped the country chart in 1979 with "It Must Be Love" and "Love Me Over Again," and recorded the 1981 crossover hit "I Believe in You," which hit No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 in addition to hitting the top of the Hot Country Songs chart. "Tulsa Time," perhaps Williams' most rockin' performance, was released in 1978 and covered by many artists, most notably Eric Clapton, who released the song as the B-side to "Cocaine" in 1979. Williams' star shined throughout the '80s decade with hits such as "Stay Young," "Desperately," and "Old Coyote Town," keeping his records in the top 10 through label changes to Capitol (1986) and RCA (1989), where he notched his final top 10 hit, 1991's "True Love." All in all, Williams' Hot Country Songs chart numbers include 45 top 10 hits and 17 No. 1s, with his final chart-topper being 1986's "Heartbeat in the Darkness." The laid-back artist, known as "The Gentle Giant" for his broad six-foot-plus frame and big, smooth baritone voice, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010, and retired from music in 2016. - Billboard, 9/9/17...... Holger Czukay, co-founder of legendary German '70s experimental act Can, passed away on Sept. 5 at the age of 79. Though his cause of death is unknown, Czukay was found dead in Can's studio in Weilerswist, near Cologne, according to a German newspaper. Czukay, born in Poland in 1938, formed Can with bandmate Irmin Schmidt in 1968. Can pioneered the "Krautrock" movement, mixing rock, electronic and world music, and released numerous albums, including 1973's notable Future Days. "I Want More," Can's biggest hit, peaked at No. 26 on the U.K. singles chart in 1976, but the group's sound proved influential to many artists. Czukay also released several solo albums, with his latest being 2015's Eleven Years Innerspace. - Billboard, 9/5/17...... Famed tour manager and rock photographer Harry Sandler passed away on Sept. 2 after a brief fight against cancer. He was 73. Sandler spent much of his career as a tour manager working with Irving Azoff, assisting with the careers and tours of artists like John Mellencamp, Eagles, Katy Perry, Billy Joel, Jewel, Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Nicks. "Harry Sandler worked for me for 32 years," said John Mellencamp. "We fought many a round together against unscrupulous promoters, record companies, managers, merchandisers, and tried to keep ticket prices fair from dishonest ticket scalpers. Harry even produced a movie for me. He gave many people their start in this business. Harry was part of my family. All my kids grew up knowing him, and we traveled the world together. I don't recall having any serious arguments with Harry. He was generally correct about most things. But mostly I remember just laughing with him." Sandler had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on June 29 and died 66 days later. - Billboard, 9/3/17.
Walter Becker, the guitarist/songwriter and cofounder of Steely Dan, died on Sept. 3 of an unspecified illness. He was 67. His passing was confirmed by a post on his 
The album sold well and was hailed by critics, but Becker, Fagen and Katz were put off by a singles-oriented audience, and the followup, 1973's 
He also released two solo albums, 11 Tracks of Whack (1994) and Circus Money (2008). Steely Dan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, taking the opportunity at the ceremony to take questions from the audience. Becker overcame substance-abuse problems in the 1980s after his girlfriend died from an overdose, with her mother claiming he fostered the young woman's drug problem and attempting to sue him. Becker was absent at both of Steely Dan's performances during the July 2017 Classic West and Classic East concerts due to an unspecified illness. In August, Fagen said in an interview that his longtime collaborator was "recovering from a procedure," but didn't elaborate further. In a statement published on RollingStone.com, Donald Fagen paid tribute to his dear friend and bandmate in a thoughtful lengthy post, which included: "Walter Becker was my friend, my writing partner and my bandmate since we met as students at Bard College in 1967... He was smart as a whip, an excellent guitarist and a great songwriter. He was cynical about human nature, including his own, and hysterically funny... His habits got the best of him by the end of the seventies, and we lost touch for a while. In the eighties, when I was putting together the NY Rock and Soul Review with [my wife] Libby, we hooked up again, revived the Steely Dan concept and developed another terrific band. I intend to keep the music we created together alive as long as I can with the Steely Dan band." - Billboard/Rolling Stone, 9/3/17.
'70s soul singer Gloria Gaynor has rewritten the lyrics to her inspirational 1979 No. 1 smash 
A Chuck Berry tribute concert planned for the 2017 LouFest in the pioneering rock & roller's hometown of St. Louis will be headlined by artists including Dave Matthews Band, Cage the Elephant, members of The Roots, and Britt Daniel of Spoon. Dubbed "Hail! Hail! Chuck Berry!," the all-star tribute will take place Sept. 9 at 8 p.m. on the festival's Bud Light Stage. The concert has the blessing of Berry's family, which is using the occasion to announce the formation of the Chuck Berry Foundation, which will focus causes in the arts and music education. Concert organizers say the Berry tribute will "ultimately become an everlasting piece of the festival for years to come." Berry died on March 18 at the age of 90. The LouFest 2017 is set for Forest Park at a new event space adjacent to the historic Muny Amphitheater. - Billboard, 9/1/17...... Several artists who recorded for the legendary Stax Records participated in a 50th anniversary tribute to the famed 1960's Stax/Volt Records tour, which took the U.K. and Europe by storm in 1967, as part of the 2017 BBC Proms season at London's Royal Albert Hall on Sept. 1. From that tour, Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd and Sam Moore all took part in the concert, along with Stax labelmate William Bell. The concert took place as Stax continues the year-long Stax 60 commemoration of the company's 1957 inception. "It was a family at Stax," Cropper noted before the concert. "We were like brothers and sisters, and we worked together for the same purpose, to get hit records for everybody." - Billboard, 9/1/17...... Bruce Springsteen has added 10 weeks to his upcoming Broadway residency at the Walter Kerr Theatre, which is set to get officially underway on Oct. 12. Springsteen announced on Aug. 31 he will perform five shows a week beginning Oct. 3, and his run is now scheduled through Feb. 3. The extension announcement was made on Aug. 30, the same day tickets for "Springsteen on Broadway" went on sale exclusively through Ticketmaster Verified Fan, a new technology that aims to combat bots and get tickets into the hands of real fans who intend to go to the event. The entire initial 10-week run sold out within the day, with tickets hitting the secondary market shortly afterward -- some offered at up to nearly $10,000 a seat. "I wanted to do some shows that were as personal and as intimate as possible," stated Springsteen when he officially announced the run. "I chose Broadway for this project because it has the beautiful old theaters which seemed like the right setting for what I have in mind." - The Hollywood Reporter, 8/31/17...... 
On Aug. 31, Elton John remembered the 20th anniversary of the untimely death of Princess Diana, who perished in 1997 after being involved in a car crash in a Paris tunnel. "20 years ago today, the world lost an angel #RIP," Sir Elton posted on Instagram, including a photo of the pair together. John, who was good friends with Diana, 
Author Jimmy McDonough, who previously penned the bestselling Neil Young biography Shakey, released an Al Green biography entitled 
Skip Prokop, drummer/vocalist with seminal Canadian rock/jazz ensemble Lighthouse, died on Aug. 30 from heart complications. He was 73. Formerly with The Paupers, Hamilton, Ont. native Prokop went on to be the band leader with Lighthouse in 1968 along with keyboardist Paul Hoffert and guitarist Ralph Cole. Known as Canada's answer to Chicago, Lighthouse launched as a 13-piece, rock/funk/jazz group making their debut at Toronto's Rockpile on May 14, 1969. One of their first gigs was at New York's Carnegie Hall and they also played Bill Graham's Fillmore East and Filmore West during that first year. They won the Juno Award for Top Canadian Group three consecutive years in 1972-73 and 74. After three relatively unsuccessful albums on RCA, Lighthouse finally clicked as a recording group when, after enlisting Bob McBride as lead vocalist, they recorded