Country star Dolly Parton has shared a tearful message on Twitter following the death of her "true friend" and collaborator Kenny Rogers on Mar. 20 at the age of 81. "Well, I couldn't believe it this morning when I got up and turned on the TV, checking to see what the Coronavirus was doing," she says in the clip she shared on Saturday morning. "And they told me that my friend and singing partner, Kenny Rogers, had passed away. I know that we all know that Kenny is in a better place than we are today, but I'm pretty sure he's going to be talking to God some time today, if he ain't already, and he's going to be asking him to spread some light on a bunch of this darkness going on here." The pair first teamed up on 1983's smash (and Billboard Hot 100 No. 1) "Islands in the Stream," and proceeded to record several duets together, their last being 2013's "You Can't Make Old Friends." "I loved Kenny with all my heart," she continues. "And my heart is broken. A big ol' chunk of it has gone with him today. I think that I can speak for all his family, his friends and fans, when I say that I will always love you." 
Also remembering his good friend -- and fellow Texas native -- is Eagles co-founder Don Henley. In a statement provided to Billboard, Henley reflected on how Rogers was "a wise mentor to so many of us," and the impact he had on his own musical journey. "Fifty years ago, The Gambler took a gamble on me and my first band from small-town Texas, and his big-hearted support launched many careers, including mine," he wrote. "He also gave me some of the best career advice I ever got: 'You'd better be nice to the people you meet on the way up, because you're going to meet those same people on the way back down.'" Henley concluded that "He fought the good fight for as long as he could, but he was tired, and he was ready to make his exit. I'm just grateful that I got visit with him in the hospital, about six weeks ago, and convey my gratitude to him for all he did for me. RIP, my friend. Thanks for all the gladness you gave us." Before Henley rose to fame with the Eagles, he was in a band called Shiloh. Rogers not only signed the act (to Amos Records) shortly after meeting them in 1969, but produced its first album and brought them to Los Angeles, where Henley met Glenn Frey and his future bandmates. - Billboard, 3/21/2020...... In a newly published John Entwistle biography from rock journalists Paul Rees and Thomas Judd, the late The Who bassist recalls how the Beatles used to sing explicit lyrics live as their fans' deafening screams drowned them out during the heyday of Beatlemania. "It became apparent that The Beatles had figured that since the screaming couldn't be stopped and no one out front in the audience could possibly hear a thing, then they might as well have some fun," Entwistle is quoted in The Ox: The Last of the Great Rock Stars. "Soon, the four of us were crying with laughter at words they were singing and which only we were able to pick up on, 'It's been a hard day's c**k...' 'I wanna hold your c***...'," he added. The Who once opened for the Beatles in Blackpool in 1964. Meanwhile, surviving Who members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend have announced that their UK and Ireland tour will now take place in March 2021, after it was delayed by coronavirus. The Who were due to begin their latest arena tour on Mar. 16 at the Manchester Arena, including a special gig at London's Royal Albert Hall on Mar. 28 as part of the annual Teenage Cancer Trust shows. The shows will now take place in March 2021, and original tickets will still be valid. - Music-News.com/NME, 3/20/20...... 
With his extremely nosy pup by his side, Neil Diamond performed a fireside digital sing-along of his 1969 hit "Sweet Caroline" to help comfort those concerned about the coronavirus pandemic on the evening of Mar. 21. "I know we're going through a rough time right now, but I love ya," the singer/songwriter said, as he shared the performance on Twitter. "I think, maybe if we sing together, well, we'll just feel a little bit better. Give it a try, okay?" Diamond then played "Sweet Caroline," giving its beloved lyrics a new twist encouraging safety precautions and social distancing. Instead of "hands, touching hands," Diamond sang "hands, washing hands," and "reaching out / Touching me, touching you" then became "reaching out / Don't touch me, I won't touch you." One refrain stayed the same, though: "Good times never seemed so good." - Billboard, 3/22/20...... Meanwhile, director Baz Luhrmann posted on Twitter on Mar. 20 that he plans on suspending production of his new Elvis Presley biopic indefinitely due to the global pandemic. "All going well, we have a passionate conviction to be back here on the Gold Coast, picking up where we left off as soon as the time is right," Luhrmann wrote. "In fact, we are not even taking our sets down, simply locking up the creative space over the next few days. We all agree that right now this is the right time for people all over the world, from all walks of life, to be at home, indoors, with their loved ones (washing our hands five times a day)," he added. Principal photography on the movie, which stars newcomer Austin Butler as Presley, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Presley's mother Gladys, and Tom Hanks as Presley's manager Col. Tom Parker, was due to start in late March. Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson posted on Instagram on Mar. 11 that they have tested positive for coronavirus and will remain "isolated for as long as public health and safety requires." - Billboard, 3/20/20...... In related news, Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot has led a star-studded rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine" as coronavirus continues to spread across the globe. In a video posted to Instagram, Gadot began singing Lennon's seminal track, before the likes of Will Ferrell, Natalie Portman, Lynda Carter, Norah Jones, Jimmy Fallon, Maya Rudolph and Jamie Dornan joined in to lift spirits. Gadot explained that she had been in isolation for six days, and that the global spread of the disease had left her feeling "philosophical." She added that she was inspired by a viral video from Italy -- which remains in lockdown -- showing a man playing Imagine on his trumpet while his neighbors sang along from the safety of their homes. She captioned the video: "We are in this together, we will get through it together." Gadot's rendition of "Imagine" comes as radio stations across Europe including the BBC have joined forces to simultaneously to play Gerry & The Pacemakers's stirring 1963 song "You'll Never Walk Alone" in a show of solidarity against the virus. The song also was broadcast at the same time, 7:45 am GMT on Mar. 20, on hundreds of radio stations in countries across Europe including Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Latvia, Slovakia, Romania and Spain. - New Musical Express, 3/18/20...... 
Two classics from ZZ Top have reached the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart dated Mar. 21 following the release of a new ZZ Top documentary, ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas. The Texas trio's "La Grange" collected debuted at No. 12 with 1.4 million U.S. streams, up 16%, and sold 2,000 downloads, a boost of 85%, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. Additionally, "Sharp Dressed Man" bowed on the same chart at No. 14, with 1.6 million streams, up 13%, and 1,000 sold, up 42%. The track hit No. 8 on the Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart and No. 56 on the Hot 100 in 1983. Originally premiered in a limited theater run in 2019 (the 50th anniversary of the band's founding), ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas received a home video and digital release on Feb. 28, including on Netflix. - Billboard, 3/19/20...... Posting on his own social media profiles on Mar. 18, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger says the band is "raring to get back on stage" when it's safe to do so. "To everyone who has got tickets to the No Filter Tour, I'm sorry the shows have to be postponed but staying healthy is everyone's priority right now," Sir Mick posted. "We are raring to get back on the stage and as soon as that's possible we will be there! Keep your eyes on RollingStones.com for the latest updates. Stay safe, Mick," he added. The legendary group were due to kick off the the US leg of the tour on May 8 at San Diego's SDCCU Stadium, and conclude at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on July 9. - Music-News.com, 3/18/20...... David Crosby has been keeping busy during the coronavirus outbreak by taking to social media to rate his fans' attemps at rolling a joint. Earlier in March, Crosby tweeted Jeffrey Guterman, telling him "Jeff & I need to show you how to roll a joint after Guterman posted a picture of one of his efforts." Following this, fans from all around the world responded by sending the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash legend pictures of their own creations and soon after, Crosby started to review the attempts. "Looks like a snake who swallowed a bowling ball, and "crumbled and puny," he tweeted to one fan. "Nice work, I would smoke that," he said to another. "It's a calling, Crosby later said of his online reviews system before adding: "I was born to do it." - New Musical Express, 3/19/20...... 
Also helping to keep his fans entertained during the coronavirus self-isolation is Bruce Springsteen, who shared his London Calling: Live In Hyde Park show in its entirety for free at bspringsteen.lnk on Mar. 17. "Stream 'London Calling: Live In Hyde Park' from the comfort of your own home, now on YouTube & Apple Music in its entirety for the 1st time!," the Boss wrote, before directing fans to a link to the show. The London Springsteen and the E Street Band gig took place on June 28, 2009 as part of the Hard Rock Calling festival at London's Hyde Park. A DVD of the gig was released the following year. - New Musical Express, 3/18/20...... Actor Stuart Whitman, whose Hollywood career spanned five decades, passed away on Mar. 16 in Montecito, Calif. He was 92. Known for his rugged roles and handsome charm, Mr. Whitman was famous for starring in several Westerns alongside John Wayne. He was nominated for an Oscar in 1962 for his leading role in The Mark, and on the small screen starred in the Cimarron Strip Western series as well as having roles on Knots Landing and Murder, She Wrote. Mr. Whitman had reportedly been in and out of the hospital lately due to skin cancer that seeped into his bloodstream. Mr. Whitman, who was married three times, is survived by his current wife, Julia Vadimovna Paradi, and five children from previous marriages. - PageSix.com, 3/17/20.
Country/pop superstar Kenny Rogers, who charted two pop No. 1's and 20 country chart toppers in the 1970s and 1980s, died of natural causes under the care of hospice in Georgia on Mar. 20. He was 81. "Kenny passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his family," a representative for the singer said in a statement. Mr. Rogers, who earned three Grammys with a string of sleekly tailored hits with his appealing, sometimes gritty voice, was also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Country Music Association the same year. Born in 1938 and raised in Houston, Mr. Rogers was the fourth of eight children in a poor family and as a teen would sometimes perform with another aspiring local musician, Mickey Gilley. While in high school, he formed a rockabilly group, the Scholars, who recorded for the local Carlton Records label. After a brief stint at the University of Houston, he played bass with the jazz groups of Bobby Doyle and Kirby Stone. After moving to Los Angeles in 1966, he joined the folk-pop unit the New Christy Minstrels, then he and three members (Mike Settle, Terry Williams and Thelma Camacho) founded the rock-leaning group The First Edition in 1967. That group charted two top-10 pop hits: "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" (No. 5, 1968), a version of Mickey Newbury's slice of pop psychedelia, and "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" (No. 6, No. 1 U.K., 1969), Mel Tillis' downbeat song about the faithless wife of a crippled Vietnam vet. As The First Edition's fortunes began to wane, Mr. Rogers signed a solo deal with United Artists Records in 1976 and had almost immediate success with "Lucille," about a barroom encounter with a disillusioned woman and her estranged husband. The number became Mr. Rogers' first No. 1 country hit and reached No. 5 on the national pop chart. It also scored Mr. Rogers his first Grammy, for best male country vocal performance. He notched five more No. 1 solo country singles by the end of the decade. 
The biggest of these were the Grammy-winning "The Gambler" (also No. 16 pop in 1978) and Mr. Rogers' biggest hit, the backwoods narrative "Coward of the County" (also No. 3 pop in 1979). They pushed the albums The Gambler and Kenny to No. 12 and No. 5, respectively, on the pop album charts. Each inspired a popular TV movie in which Mr. Rogers portrayed Brady Hawkes, protagonist of The Gambler, in a series of five telepics that ran through 1994. On the heels of a No. 1 greatest hits set in 1980, Mr. Rogers moved increasingly into pop terrain and focusing on romantic balladry, with "Lady" and "Islands in the Stream" (the latter one of many duets with frequent partner Dolly Parton) solidifying his standing as country's biggest crossover artist. As the "countrypolitan" style began to fall out of favor, "Make No Mistake, She's Mine," a duet with fellow country star Ronnie Milsap, became Mr. Rogers' next-to-last No. 1 country single in 1987. It also scored a Grammy for best country vocal duet performance. Mr. Rogers had sporadic releases on Capitol Nashville and Warner Bros. Nashville in the new millennium, but produced no major hits. However he maintained a busy touring schedule and increasingly turned his attention to various entrepreneurial enterprises, opening a chain of fast-food chicken outlets, Kenny Rogers Roasters, and a Sprint car manufacturing firm, Gamblers Chassis. In 2012, Mr. Rogers released a memoir, Luck or Something Like It, and announced his retirement in Sept. 2015, not long after a widely aired commercial for Geico insurance saw him reprising "The Gambler" for comedic effect. Married five times, Mr. Rogers is survived by his last wife Wanda and five children. Due to the national COVID-19 emergency, the family announced that it is planning a small private service at this time with a public memorial planned for a later date. - Variety.com, 3/21/20.
In related news, '70s disco queen Gloria Gaynor has shared a clip on 
ABBA member Bjorn Ulvaeus has told the Financial Times newspaper that the quartet's forthcoming "comeback tracks" were actually recorded back in 2018. "We recorded them quite some time ago, actually one-and-a-half years ago," Ulvaeus says. Ulvaeus, 74, partnered with a new software program called "Session," which registers contributions to recordings in real time and as a result, it can be used to resolve issues relating to music rights. However, Ulvaeus says "Session" wasn't used for recording the upcoming ABBA songs "because it wasn't quite ready." In February, the group announced they were "aiming" for a September 2020 release for their first new tracks in 35 years. In a clip shared by fan site ABBA Talk, ABBA's Benny Andersson was asked what has happened to the songs that have been promised for such a long time. In his native Swedish, he replied: "They're coming. They're coming this year. I'm guessing after the summer. But I can only guess, because I'm not really sure. But I would think so." Asked if they will be out in 2020, he added: "One shouldn't promise anything but if I were to decide myself, it would be September... I can't make that decision alone. But that's what we're aiming for." - Music-News.com, 3/15/20...... Sales and streams of Talking Heads music have seen a bump after the band's former frontman David Byrne performed on the Feb. 29 episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live. In all, the band's songs drew 5.7 million U.S. on-demand streams in the tracking week ending Mar. 5, a boost of 36%, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. Additionally, Talking Heads earned 6,000 equivalent album units, a boost of 50%, with 2,000 of those via album sales. And on the digital download side, it racked up 7,000 song downloads, up 245%. Leading the way on a song level with 2,000 downloads was "Once in a Lifetime," which Byrne performed on SNL while promoting his "American Utopia" show, which after a multi-city tour also enjoyed a Broadway run that will continue this fall. "Psycho Killer" also saw gains, though its rise also came concurrent with its appearance in a trailer for Amazon Video's new series Hunters. With 1,000 downloads, the song debuted at No. 21 on Billboard Rock Digital Song Sales. - Billboard, 3/13/20...... A builder in the U.K. could be about to secure a £2,000 payday after finding the sketches Paul McCartney commissioned for his "psychedelic" piano in a dumpster. Oldham resident Andy Clyne, 54, says he was leading a team at a mill near Manchester in 1999 when he noticed the papers had been thrown out with other waste. After taking them out of the skip, Andy stored the papers in his loft for 20 years before recently deciding to get them valued. The sketches of the Sir Paul's "psychedelic" piano, which was designed in 1967 and he still plays in concert to this day, will now go under the hammer at Omega Auctions on Mar. 24, where they are expected to reach £2,000. "I've had them for 20-odd years. You put things away and forget about them and then something triggers your mind," Clyne said. "I haven't planned what I'll do with the money yet but I was surprised about the value... I Googled 'Paul McCartney's piano' and when I looked at the drawing it was very similar." Meanwhile, a sidewalk performer in London says McCartney tipped her guitar case while she was performing in the city on Mar. 11. Charlotte Campbell says she was performing outside Charing Cross station in the center of the capital when the Beatles legend approached her and tossed some coins her way. "I was absolutely speechless," Campbell told the Evening Standard, when Sir Paul approached her, but she nevertheless managed to thank Macca as he walked away. "When he looked up it was Paul McCartney, like actually Paul McCartney and I was so shocked because I am such a huge fan of the Beatles," Campbell says. "They are such an inspiration I think to any musician ever -- the Beatles are the ultimate -- and to see Paul McCartney and for him to be putting money in my guitar case I was so speechless." - New Musical Express, 3/16/20...... 
Lyle Waggoner, best known as a member of Carol Burnett's comedic troupe in 
The Who's Roger Daltrey issued a statement on Mar. 12 announcing the band would be postponing their upcoming UK tour dates following the global outbreak of coronavirus. "After serious consideration, it is with much regret that The Who have postponed their U.K. tour, due to start next Monday March 16 in Manchester at the Manchester Arena and finishing at Wembley SSE Arena on April 8," Daltrey wrote. "The dates will be rescheduled for later in the year. All tickets will be honoured. The fans safety is paramount and given the developing coronavirus concerns, the band felt that they had no option but to postpone the shows as a precaution," he added. Daltrey's bandmate Pete Townshend added that the Who "haven't reached this decision easily, but given the concerns about public gatherings, we couldn't go ahead." The band also said it will be canceling its Mar. 28 charity gig and London's Royal Albert Hall which benefits the Teenage Cancer Trust, with plans to reschedule that show also. A total of 11 shows will be affected by the postponement of the tour, which had been slated to kick off on Mar. 16 at The Arena in Manchester and wrap on Apr. 8 at Wembley Stadium in London. Meanwhile, Queen + Adam Lambert announced on Mar. 7 that they've been forced to reschedule a May 20 concert at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France, following a government decree to cancel all indoor events over 5,000 capacity until May 31 in an effort to contain the spread of the virus. Queen said they are "currently working with the promoter to try to reschedule the date" and urged fans to "please keep hold of your tickets, which would be valid for the new date." Although several major rock acts are postponing their concerts in the near future, organizers of the UK's Reading & Leeds Festival announced on Mar. 12 that their festival, set for Aug. 28-30, is still going ahead despite of the coronavirus outbreak. In a statement, they said that they're "closely monitoring official guidance from the World Health Organisation, Public Health England, UK Government, local public health authorities and are working with event promoters and organisers as information evolves." California's Coachella and Stagecoach festivals recently announced their festivals have officially been postponed as state officials take drastic measures to contain the coronavirus, delaying their festivals until mid and late October, respectively. The outbreak has also affected two of Hollywood's most beloved actors personally, as Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson posted on Instagram on Mar. 11 that they have been diagnosed with coronavirus. The couple apparently contracted the disease in Australia, where Hanks is currently filming director Baz Luhrmann's as yet titled Elvis Presley biopic. Hanks said he and Wilson "will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no?" - New Musical Express/Music-News.com/The Hollywood Reporter, 3/12/20...... In related news, disco legend Gloria Gaynor is (literally) taking virus prevention measures into her own hands to inspire TikTok users to efficiently wash their hands (scrubbing with soap and water for 20 seconds). Fittingly, Gaynor is using her 1979 hit, 
The Allman Brothers Band staged a 50th anniversary reunion concert at Madison Square Garden on March 10. Billed as "The Brothers: Celebrating 50 Years of The Allman Brothers Band," the show featured the five surviving members of the ABB's last and longest lasting lineup, which played together from 2000 until their final show, at New York's Beacon Theater, on Oct. 28, 2014: guitarists Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, bassist Oteil Burbridge, percussionist Marc Quinones and drummer Jaimoe, the only founding member on stage. (Dickey Betts is the only other survivor; he has not played with the band since 2000 and was not in New York.) The 4+-hour, 2 set gig had the band playing with urgency, intensity and creativity, with the absence of late ABB members Gregg Allman and Butch Trucks filled by Duane Trucks, Butch's nephew and Derek's brother; organist Reese Wynans; and pianist Chuck Leavell. They started the night with the first two songs on the Allman Brothers' 1969 debut, "Don't Want You No More" and "It's Not My Cross to Bear." Coming back for the encores, Jaimoe took the microphone and said a few words of thanks, before they closed out with "Midnight Rider" and "Whipping Post." A packed arena enjoyed the show, despite many attendees questioning their choice to attend due to the specter of the caronavirus threat, and word of a flood of cheap tickets online. - Billboard, 3/11/20...... Disney executive chairman Bob Iger announced on Mar. 11 that Disney has acquired the worldwide rights to director Peter Jackson's upcoming Beatles documentary, The Beatles: Get Back. The film, which takes a look back at the recording of the band's penultimate album 
The Boomtown Rats of "I Don't Like Mondays" fame have announced they will release 
Founding The Guess Who members Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman have announced they're reuniting for a summer 2020 tour for 24 dates, beginning on June 13 in Huber Heights, Oh. The tour will then play six Midwest U.S. dates before heading north of the border on June 11 in Windsor, Ontario, for the rest of the tour, finishing Aug. 8 in Grand Forks, B.C. The June 27 show in the Guess Who's hometown of Winnipeg will be part of historical celebrations for both the city and the province of Manitoba. will also be releasing The Bachman-Cummings Collection in June via Sony Music Entertainment, a seven-disc box set that features the Guess Who albums Bachman played on as well as subsequent material by Bachman and Cummings. The tour comes alongside the 55th anniversary of the Guess Who's first hit single, a cover of Johnny Kidd & the Pirates' "Shakin' All Over," and the 50th anniversary of the iconic 
Veteran actor Max Von Sydow, the tall, tragic-faced Swedish actor whose name was virtually synonymous with the films of Ingmar Bergman, died on Mar. 8 at the age of 90. Mr. Von Sydow, who became Bergman's symbol for the modern man in such films as The Passion of Anna and Shame after making his Bergman debut as the errant knight in The Seventh Seal, also had an unusually prolific career in Hollywood and international films. He made his American debut in the role of Jesus Christ in George Stevens' turgid 1965 epic The Greatest Story Ever Told and went on to make strong impressions with audiences in such films as The Exorcist, Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters, David Lynch's Dune, Three Days of the Condor, Hawaii, Conan the Barbarian and Awakenings. Mr. Von Sydow worked for other Scandinavian directors as well, drawing an Oscar nomination for his role in Bille August's Pelle the Conqueror and starring in Jan Troell's acclaimed two-part epic The Emigrants and The New Land. Most recently, the actor starred in Game of Thrones as the Three-Eyed Raven. He also appeared in Kursk: The Last Mission (2018) and Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2017). In 2014 he was cast in J.J. Abrams' continuation of the Star Wars saga, Episode VII -- The Force Awakens as Lor San Tekka. In 1990, he was nominated for an Emmy in 1990 for his role in the HBO thriller Red King, White Knight. Mr. Von Sydow was married twice, to actress Kerstin Olin in 1951 and to French filmmaker Catherine Brelet in 1997. He is survived by Brelet; his two sons by Olin, Claes and Henrik (who appeared with the actor in the film Hawaii); and two sons, Cedric and Yvan, by Brelet. - Variety.com, 3/9/20.
The Burnt Orange Heresy, a new film featuring Mick Jagger as a devilish art collector who cunningly convinces an art journalist (Bang) to use a rare interview with a reclusive artist (Donald Sutherland) as an opportunity to steal one of his paintings, hit U.S. theaters on Mar. 6. The film Jagger's first since 2001's The Man From Elysian Fields, and, he says, it might be his last. "I wish I had done a lot more acting. I've just done bits and pieces here and there whenever I've been able to," Jagger said in an interview with AP. Then he chuckles, "You know, I have another job. I have several other jobs, really." Jagger added that his role as an art dealer "was in my grasp to do this character." "I thought it would be fun to do," the 76-year-old Rolling Stones frontman said. "He basically charms and threatens him to do what he wants. It's not a lot of screen time but he's the one who sets off the action." One of Jagger's first films remains one of his most celebrated: Nicolas Roeg's hallucinatory 1970 film Performance, in which he played a drug-addled, gender-bending rock star. Critically slammed upon release, it's steadily grown a cult following with Jagger's performance often ranking among the best by a musician in a film. Jagger acknowledges The Burnt Orange Heresy could be his big-screen swan song. "If I don't get offered another decent role, it might be," he says, then adding "It's not planned. If someone offered me something to do in the autumn, I'm sure I'd do it if it was a good part." - AP, 3/5/20...... Officials in Austin, Tex., announced during a press conference on Mar. 6 that the hugely popular South by Southwest Conference and Festival will be canceled this year due to concerns over the coronavirus threat. It is the first time the entire annual festival, which had been scheduled for Mar. 13-22, has been canceled in its 34-year history. "I am proud that we are making decisions that are data driven," Austin Mayor Steve Adler said, adding, "It is really unfortunate to be cancelling SXSW. It is really important to our city." Last November, it was revealed that Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters would be the keynote speaker for the 2020 SXSW festival, with Nile Rodgers of Chic and comedic actor Cheech Marin also among the featured speakers. Before the announcement, Ozzy Osbourne, Nine Inch Nails and Beastie Boys had already announced they were cancelling their appearance at this year's SXSW due to coronavirus fears. City officials have estimated that the 2019 SXSW had a $356 million economic impact on the city of Austin. The news came after another day of SXSW cancellations that included longtime presenter BMI, which said it was pulling out of the event this year "out of an abundance of caution." In addition to SXSW, several major live music events have been canceled in the wake of the spreading virus including Tomorrowland Winter in France, Ultra Abu Dhabi and the 21st edition of Ultra's flagship dance music festival in Miami. More than 98,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus worldwide, and nearly 3,400 people have died from contracting the virus, which has spread to 88 countries since the outbreak began at the end of 2019. - Billboard, 3/5/20...... Speaking of Ozzy Osbourne, the rocker has topped Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart and Hard Rock Albums chart for the first time in nearly a decade as his new album 
Some 4,000 AC/DC fans broke a Guinness World Record for air guitar playing on Mar. 1 during the Perth Festival in Australia. The festival, which this year included several tributes to AC/DC on the 40th anniversary of founding band member Bon Scott's death, opened with a Guinness World Record attempt for the largest air guitar ensemble. The impressive turn out saw the Guinness record broken as 3,722 fans smashed the record for the biggest air guitar gathering. Revellers strummed their hearts out to "Highway To Hell," led by air guitar champion Alex "Jinja Assassin" Roberts. The air guitar tribute can be streamed on 
Genesis announced on Mar. 4 that they will reunite in 2020 for a UK tour, 13 years after they played their last gig. Genesis last performed together in 2007 to mark their 40th anniversary and since then have been in two minds about reuniting due to drummer/vocalist Phil Collins's medical issues. Prior to their reunion, Collins said during an interview that his medical conditions would mean that he wouldn't be able to play the drums for the band if they were to reunite and his son Nicholas, 18, would have to play in his place. He said: "I'm saying this to you... I haven't really said it to Tony [Banks] and Mike [Rutherford] did mention to Tony very quietly if we did anything again it would be with Nic on drums. He kind of didn't say no. But I'm not sure if he heard me or not." It's not believed original Genesis singer Peter Gabriel, 70, will join the trio for this set of shows when they hit the road in November and December to perform in arenas across the UK. The 16-date tour kicks off in Dublin on Nov. 16, also visiting Belfast, Liverpool, Newcastle, Leeds and Birmingham before wrapping in Glasgow on Dec. 12. - Music-News.com, 3/4/20...... Journey guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain have fired their bandmates, drummer Steven Smith and bassist Ross Valory, alleging the two attempted a "coup" in order to gain control of the "Journey" trademark. According to the complaint, which was filed in California Superior Court on Mar. 3, Schon and Cain are seeking damages in excess of $10 million. The suit, which was filed by law firm Miller Barondess, lays out what the plaintiffs allege was an underhanded effort by Smith and Vallory to steal away the "Journey" name, to which Schon and Cain claim they own the exclusive rights per a 1998 agreement signed with former frontman Steve Perry when he left the group. That agreement followed a previous one entered into by Schon, Cain and Perry in 1985 via the corporate entity Nightmare Productions providing the trio with an "exclusive, irrevocable license" over the Journey trademark. Schon and Cain allege the two men held "improper" shareholder and board of directors meetings of Nightmare Productions on Feb. 13, 2020, under the "incorrect" assumption that the company held the rights to the Journey name. They accuse Smith, Valory and unnamed "allies" of voting in those meetings to give Smith and Valory control of the board, with Smith usurping Cain as board president and Valory replacing Schon as secretary. Though both Smith and Valory have been members of Journey on and off since the band formed in 1973, the complaint diminishes their contributions to the group, stating that the two "have very few song credits on Journey's albums." Schon is the only founding member of Journey that remains in the band. Cain joined in 1980, departed in 1987 and returned in 1995 and has played with them ever since. The only other remaining member of Journey is current frontman Arnel Pineda, who joined the group in 2007. - Billboard, 3/4/20...... 
Kansas has announed it will release its latest prog rock offering, The Absence of Presence, on June 26 and launch a European tour behind the new album in the fall with co-headliners Foreigner and Europe. Founding Kansas member Phil Ehart says the new LP, which was produced by Kansas guitarist Zak Rizvi, sounds like vintage Kansas. "Zak wrote the majority of 'The Prelude Implicit' and this album, and now having [new member] Tom Brislin add a couple of his songs and his keyboard prowess really pushes the band even more toward that original sound, which is not easy to do by any means," Ehart noted. The lyrics to the title track, meanwhile, were written by Brislin from a title and concept suggested by Ehart. "It can mean a couple of different things," the drummer notes, "but what sticks out is when we're at an airport, there's a lot of people there but everybody is staring at their phone or looking at their computer or their iPad or reading a paper or whatever. Someone's sitting across from you looking up, and you can tell they're not engaged at all. People are there, but they're not really there. They're present, but there's an absence of presence." The first single from the new LP is due in early April, and Kansas has just started a U.S. run of "Point of Know Return and Kansas Classics" shows that stretch into May. The European tour will begin Oct. 18 at The Palladium in London and run through Nov. 10 in Amsterdam. - Billboard, 3/2/20...... Queen has teamed with a Swedish sock manufacturer called Happy Socks for a limited-edition collection of Queen socks that are just as vibrant as Queen's music. Released on Mar. 3, the Happy Socks x Queen collaboration features six pairs of cotton crew socks ($16 each) and four pairs of kid's crew socks ($8 each). There's also a 4-pack gift set ($64) and a Collector's Edition 6-pack ($96) that features the band in a concert setting. Happy Socks is known for its artist collaborations, including the Beatles, Pharrell Williams, Andy Warhol's iconic banana print and -- most recently -- Linda Ramone. The Queen socks collection is now available to purchase at select retailers and the 
'70s 
A tribute concert to founding former Fleetwood Mac member Peter Green organized by Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood was held on Feb. 27 with appearances by Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie as well as David Gilmour, Pete Townsend, Steven Tyler, Billy Gibbons, Neil Finn, Kirk Hammett and Noel Gallagher. Footage of Gilmour performing "Oh Well (Part 2)" from the event, which benefited the Teenage Cancer Trust, has been shared on 
After announcing in late January an ambitious 32-date 2020 North American tour set to kick off in May, Hall & Oates played a sold-out show at New York's Madison Square Garden previewing the upcoming tour on Feb. 28. After sets from tour openers KT Tunstall and Squeeze, Hall & Oates opened the show with lively rendition of their H2O album hit "Maneater." Longtime H&O saxophonist Charles DeChant reminded the 20,000 fans in attendance how crucial the sax is to the duo's music on songs like "Say It Isn't So," during the set, which in addition to H&O hits included a few covers of songs by such acts as Paul Young, The Righteous Brothers and The Dramatics. Just before leaving the stage before the encore, the pair delivered a smooth version of The Dramatics' "What You See Is What You Get" (featured on 2004's Our Kind of Soul), the most R&B-heavy cover of the night. Meanwhile, John Oates has announced he's donating two of his cars, including 1984 Tiga SC84 Sports 2000 race car and a custome Porsche, for auction to benefit the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Foundation. Hall & Oates also recently announced they're planning a new album, the first studio set by the duo since their 2006 Home For Christmas album. - Billboard, 2/29/20...... With his contribution to the new Ozzy Osbourne hit "Ordinary Man," Elton John has set a new record on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs chart for the longest gap between mainstream rock song entries. Osbourne's ballad, featuring John, has bowed at No. 34 on the airplay tally dated Feb. 29, marking the first time that John has appeared on the survey in over 27 years. The last time Elton made the tally was in Sept. 1992, when his "Runaway Train," featuring Eric Clapton, rolled to No. 10. John now has the record for the longest break between Mainstream Rock Songs appearances in the chart's 39-year history, passing Queen guitarist Brian May, who waited just under 26 years between his solo track "Driven by You" (No. 9, 1993) and his featured appearance on Five Finger Death Punch's "Blue on Black," (No. 1 for five weeks beginning in June 2019). Sir Elton has tallied five top 20 hits on Mainstream Rock Songs from the chart's 1981 inception through 1992, with "Runaway Train" marking his lone top No. 10. "Ordinary Man" is the title track from Ozzy Osbourne's 12th solo studio album, which was released Feb. 21 and is expected to bow in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 200 album chart dated Mar. 7. Meanwhile, Ozzy says he's relieved that he and Elton never partied together during their drink and drug-fuelled heydays because he's convinced it would have led to an early grave. "I don't think we would have both f--ing made the '90s if we had," the 71-year-old told New Musical Express. "I remember (manager wife) Sharon (Osbourne) taking me to a gig of his (Elton's) years ago, and his f---ing dressing room was like a f---ing bar with every known f---ing spirit (liquor). Then he'd do seven gigs on the bounce. I've said to him, 'How the f--- did you keep singing?' If I even thought about cocaine, my singing would go out the f---ing window." Ozzy is also the focus of a new 8-bit video game called Legend Of Ozzy. The aim of the game is to catch as much blood as you can, keeping your Ozzy-bat alive, while killing monsters and avoiding wolves, devils and other creepy foes will earn you health points. It can be played at 
Deep Purple have announced they'll release their 21st LP, 
In an interview on CBS's Sunday Morning show on Mar. 1, former supermodel Paulina Porizkova branded her omission from her late husband Ric Ocasek's will an act of "betrayal." Ocasek and Porizkova were in the midst of divorce proceedings at the time of The Cars frontman's death in Sept. 2019, but the stars had still been living together at their marital home in New York City, where Porizkova found him dead following a surgical procedure -- a discovery she claims was the "worst moment" of her life. "It made the grieving process really, really tricky," Porizkova said. "I would love to be able to be sad and miss him and not also feel this incredible hurt and betrayal." The couple had separated more than a year before the Ocasek's demise, but Porizkova -- who was 19 when she met Ocasek, then 40, back in 1984 -- revealed she wasn't the one who wanted a divorce, so she continued to live with the singer, the father of her two sons, in the hopes of maintaining a close bond. "He was still the man that I loved and that I had grown up with. And I couldn't really imagine life without him," Porizkova said. She insists she has no idea why Ocasek chose to cut her out of his will completely, and it's a question she will forever wrestle with: "I'm never gonna get an answer. And that sucks," she added. Porizkova officially filed court papers seeking a share of Ocasek's estate, worth at least US $5.1 million, in December. She wasn't the only family member snubbed in the 75-year-old's will -- Ocasek also appeared to have cut out two of his six sons from a previous relationship. They have yet to formally reveal if they will challenge the decision. - WENN/Canoe.com, 3/1/20...... In a new interview on SiriusXM radio, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister said the next AC/DC album will feature a number of surprises involving the late AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young. Snider said he previously had dinner with AC/DC vocalist Brian Johnson and the pair discussed the group's plans for 2020. "He told me a lot of stuff, and a lot of stuff that I don't wanna say," Snider said. "But we know from the photos, and Brian confirmed it, they've been in the studio, they've been recording. The original -- I don't say the 'original' guys, because a lot of 'em are gone, but I say the 'classic' line-up is back together and there are some surprises, which I can't talk about, regarding Malcolm Young that just had my jaw on the floor. I will say he will be present. So this is AC/DC as we know and love them," he added. Young, the group's founding guitarist and brother of Angus Young, passed away in 2017 after battling dementia. - NME, 2/29/20...... Malcolm Jones, cofounder and bassist of the '70s pop band Blues Image, reportedly died on Feb. 22. Blues Image, best known for its 1970 hit "Ride Captain Ride, was formed in Tampa, Fla. in 1966 by singer-guitarist Mike Pinera, singer-drummer Manuel "Manny" Bertematti, singer-percussionist Joe Lala, keyboardist Emilio Garcia, and bassist Jones. The band moved to Los Angeles and signed with Atco Records, releasing their self-titled debut album in Feb. 1969. Their second album, Open (Apr. 1970), included the popular hit "Ride Captain Ride." Featuring Kent Henry on guitar solo and fills, and Pinera playing solo at the end, the song was co-composed by Pinera and Konte. This disc sold over one million copies, and earned a gold record from the R.I.A.A. in August 1970. It was Blues Image's only charting hit, making the group a one-hit wonder. Pinera left the band to join Iron Butterfly in the fall of 1969, during the recording of Open, and was replaced by singer Denny Correll and guitarist Henry. The band later broke up after the release of their third album, Red White & Blues Image, in May 1970. - 2/24/20...... Actor Ben Cooper, who starred in the 1954 western drama Johnny Guitar and also had roles in such TV series as Gunsmoke and Bonanza, died on Feb. 24 in Memphis, Tenn., after a long illness. He was 86. Mr. Cooper starred opposite Joan Crawford in the 1954 western Johnny Guitar, which saw him play the bandit Turkey Ralston. Throughout his career, Mr. Cooper also appeared in a variety of western films and TV shows, including Gunsmoke, Bonanza and Gunfight at Comanche Creek. - DailyMail.co.uk, - 2/25/20.