An all-star "living room" concert organized by Elton John on Mar. 29 has raised nearly $8 million to battle the coronavirus. Sir Elton, along with such top performers as Tim McGraw, Dave Grohl, Mariah Carey, and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong performed from their homes for the hourlong event that aired on Fox and iHeartMedia radio stations. John, looking dapper in a royal navy jacket and matching blue shirt, kicked off the live broadcast with an uplifting message to viewers. "Here we are, all together at home. You've got your family and loved ones, and I've got mine close too... We're taking care of each other through this crisis," the five-time Grammy winner said. "Let me tell you what's going to keep us together: All the goodness that's happening in the world. There's doctors, nurses and scientists on the front lines. They're living proof that most superheroes don't wear capes," explained John. "And since we're all hunkered down together, until those days greet us again, we thought we'd put together a little show for you... For the next hour, we'll do what we can to lift your spirits... say hi and tell you we love you," he added. Proceeds from the concert, which took place during the time slot that was to belong to the iHeartRadio Music Awards, will go to Feeding America and First Responders Children's Foundation. YouTube is currently streaming the concert on iHeartRadio's YouTube Channel. - AP/Billboard, 3/31/20...... 
The Material World Foundation, the charity set up by late Beatles guitarist/singer/songwriter George Harrison in 1973, has donated $500,000 to a series of charities providing much needed aid and care during this coronavirus pandemic. On Mar. 26, the foundation announced that it donated the funds to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, Save the Children, and Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders). The Beatles official YouTube page shared the following lyrics from the band's 1968 non-album single "The Inner Light": "Without going out of my door, I can know all things of earth/ Without looking out of my window, I could know the ways of heaven." George's widow, Olivia Harrison, noted that the lyrics "are a positive reminder to all of us who are isolating, quarantined or respecting the request to stay in our homes." "Let's get and stay connected at this difficult time. There are things we can do to help and we invite you to share your Inner Light," Olivia added. She then issued an "Inner Light Challenge," saying the Material World Foundation will donate a further $1 (up to $100,000) for every person who shares their own "Inner Light" moment on social media using the hashtag #innerlight2020. "This can be a verse, a chorus, or a line from the song, sing it, play it, hum it, strum it, paint it, knit it, chant it, plant it, pray or meditate and post it to social media," the statement revealed. George and Olivia's son, Dhani Harrison, also shared his own "Inner Light" moment on YouTube. - New Musical Express, 3/28/20...... Meanwhile in other Beatles-related news, a London municipal crew has repainted the Abbey Road crossing made famous by the cover of the Beatles' 1969 album of the same name, while the city is under lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus. The pedestrian crossing was designated a site of national importance by the British government in 2010. This means it can only be altered with the approval of the local authorities which would make a decision based on the site s historic significance, function and condition, according to Reuters. - New Musical Express, 3/28/20...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, John Lennon's son Julian Lennon has told Observer magazine that he felt "cast aside" when his dad embarked on a relationship with Yoko Ono in the late Sixties. "He and Yoko Ono were deeply and publicly in love. And I felt as if my mum and I had been cast aside," said Julian, now 56. But Julian felt grateful that his dad's bandmate, Paul McCartney, didn't "forget" about him. "Not everyone forgot about us, though. Paul wrote 'Hey Jules' after dropping in to check how my mum and I were doing. (Obviously, the title of the song changed to Hey Jude)." Lennon said that "maybe 10 years passed during which my dad and I barely spoke. I was very angry about how he left the family" but that his mother, Cynthia Lennon helped him to have conversations with his dad. "She was such a gentle soul, never vindictive in any way, shape or form. She always wanted me to have a relationship with him." Julian said he still strives for "forgiveness and understanding" towards his late father and holds his memory "dear," though he can't "forget" John's behavior towards Cynthia. He said: "I try to remember my dad as fondly as possible. I strive for forgiveness and understanding in that area of my life, for the difficult times he put my mum and me through. I loved her more than anything and can't forget how poorly he treated her.... Even now, almost 40 years after he died, I hold my father's memory dear." - Music-News.com, 3/30/20...... 
Queen + Adam Lambert announced on Mar. 31 they the upcoming European leg of Queen's Rhapsody Tour would be postponed until summer 2021 due to the continued spread of the coronavirus throughout the world. Queen guitarist Brian May said it was a difficult decision, but added that he was glad to see that fans would still get to see the show they paid for, just one year later. "In the present crazy state of the world, it cannot be a surprise to our fans. Those incredible scenes at our concerts just over a month ago now seem like an impossibly distant dream," he said. "The good news is that we do now have a Plan B ready to roll. If you hold on to your tickets they will be valid for the rescheduled shows. God willing, we will be there with bells on!," May added. Queen's tour had been set to launch May 24 in Italy, stretching through the summer and ending July 7-8 with two shows in Madrid. In other Queen-related news, the English prog-rockers' famous 1975 track "Bohemian Rhapsody" has been refashioned as "Coronavirus Rhapsody" with lyrics about the current state of our world. The track, with new lyrics by Dana Jay Bein and vocals by Adrian Grimes is just meant to be "some humor to see us through the COVID-19 crisis," according to the description of the video, which has been shared on YouTube. "Is this a fever?/ Is this just allergies?/ Caught in a lockdown/ No escape from the family..." the parody begins. - Billboard, 3/31/20...... As Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" is parodied, the UK's Official Charts Company has compiled the most popular coronavirus quarantine songs. Topping the list is Gerry and the Pacemakers track "You'll Never Walk Alone," which has become the unofficial anthem of solidarity through the current pandemic. The song has seen a 150% increase in streams, and was also played in tandem across a host of radio stations across the UK in the fourth week of March. Coming in second is the all-too-appropriate "Locked Up" by Akon, while The Police's "Don't Stand So Close To Me" is the third most popular. Also in the top 10 is "Reach" by S Club 7, while the R.E.M. tracks "Everybody Hurts" and "It's the End of the World as We Know It" also made the list, as did John Lennon's "Imagine." - New Musical Express, 3/30/20...... Dolly Parton announced on Apr. 1 that she is donating to $1 million to Nashville's Vanderbilt Hospital for ongoing research for a a coronavirus cure. The beloved country star shared on Twitter that her longtime friend and Vandy medical researcher Dr. Naji Abumrad informed her that his team has been "making some exciting advancements towards research of the coronavirus for a cure" and that she hopes her $1 million donation will "encourage people that can afford it to make donations." Dolly also recently announced that she'll be taking part in a new bedtime stories video series Goodnight With Dolly, where the country singer will read bedtime stories to viewers. Meanwhile, Parton's fellow country icon, singer/songwriter John Prine, remains in critical condition after being hospitalized on Mar. 26 with complications from coronavirus. Prine's wife, Fiona, says her 73-year-old husband's condition is "stable," however that was not the same as "improving." "This is hard news for us to share. But so many of you have loved and supported John over the years we wanted to let you know, and give you the chance to send on more of that love and support now," said Fiona. Prine has been on tour across the world recently, though had to cut short a recent Australian tour due to a hip injury. The pandemic has also forced Ozzy Osbourne to cancel his planned trip to Switzerland in early April to undergo the week when many Americans first self-quarantined and other non-essential outlets business closed across the country. "We had to cancel our trip to Switzerland. We were meant to go on the eighth of April for his treatment, but we had to cancel for his treatment," Ozzy's wife Sharon Osbourne said on Mar. 30 on CBS' The Talk. "We're just hanging in like everybody else, you know? Just trying to stay away and be quiet and just hold it in there. I honestly find this such frightening times. I just think it's a really, really frightening time to be alive." - Billboard/NME, 4/1/20...... 
In a new interview with the UK's The Independent newspaper, Van Morrison said he's been "getting a bit lazy" being at home during the coronavirus pandemic, but he's "trying to get back into writing" during the lockdown. "I was supposed to be doing six gigs in London, so I went from touring to basically just being at home. I am trying to get back into writing," said the 74-year-old Belfast native. Morrison will release a book of his lyrics, Keep 'Er Lit: New Selected Lyrics, on Apr. 14 and says that most of his back catalog of song lyrics is poetry. "Some of my works are just straight poetry, some could be a song or a poem and some are poetry with a music back-up, like 'On Hyndford Street', which was based on my early days, listening to my father's record collection and Radio Luxembourg," Morrison says. "I have a book of Cole Porter's songs and his lyrics are just poetry. I don't think there is a lot of difference," he added. - Music-News.com, 3/31/20...... According to Billboard, album sales have fallen to their lowest in 60 years in the US as the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect the music industry. The equivalent of 1.52 million albums were sold during the week of Mar. 19 according to the music trade publication, which is the lowest album sales have dropped since the mid-1960s. Physical sales of albums have been impacted by the closure of record shops to co-operate with lockdown and social distancing measures, although many are still selling stock online. Amazon has also stopped stocking vinyl to make room for more essential products. Meanwhile, the annual Record Store Day, which traditionally provides a boost of sales to the music industry, has been postponed from April 18 to June 20 because of coronavirus. The global crisis has also seen drops in streaming numbers, with analytics provider Alpha Data revealing figures that show a 7.6 percent drop in streams in the US in the week of Mar. 13-19, the week when many Americans first self-quarantined and other non-essential outlets business closed across the country. - NME, 3/28/20...... David Byrne has written an opinion piece on the coronavirus pandemic on his "Reasons To Be Cheerful" website, calling it an "opportunity to learn how to change our behavior." "It's ironic that as the pandemic forces us into our separate corners, it's also showing us how intricately we are all connected," the former Talking Heads frontman wrote. "It's revealing the many ways that our lives intersect almost without our noticing. And it's showing us just how tenuous our existence becomes when we try to abandon those connections and distance from one another. Health care, housing, race, inequality, the climate... we're all in the same leaky boat," he added. Byrne said that "What is happening now is an opportunity to learn how to change our behaviour," he continued. "For many of us, our belief in the value of the collective good has eroded in recent decades. But in an emergency that can change quickly.... We might be too far down the road to test every asymptomatic person, but a change in our mindsets, in how we view our neighbours, could lay the groundwork for the collective action we ll need to deal with other global crises. The time to see how connected we all are is now." - New Musical Express, 3/28/20...... 
In a new interview with Mojo magazine, Art Garfunkel said he has always worried that his voice is "too feminine." "I worry that it's too damn sensitive. It's too fragile," the former Simon & Garfunkel star admitted. "What's a man doing being so... feminine, so perfect, gilding the lily on all those notes. Is that manly?" Garfunkel added: "I never knew how to take this joy of singing in the alleyways at seven, nine, 12 years old and see it vocationally. I was never able to go there. I was sure that I'd have to ultimately find a profession; I'm going to be a teacher or something." Garfunkel also said he was attracted to how well his former partner Paul Simon played guitar: "I knew I could sing, but if Paul is available to tilt the singing in to all these harmonies, it's more interesting. And then he played guitar magnificently, never forget that. I was very attracted to how good Paul plays acoustic guitar. He's wonderful - rhythm and subtleties and accents. Charlestons and syncopations fall into place." - Music-News.com, 3/27/20...... Alan Merrill, the co-writer and singer of the original version of the rollicking song "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" later made famous by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, died on Mar. 29 from COVID-19, according to his daughter Laura. He was 69. The New York native spent time in Japan and the U.K. throughout his music career before forming the Arrows in 1974 in London. They released singles including "Touch Too Much," "My Last Night With You" and "I Love Rock 'N' Roll," which he wrote with guitarist Jake Hooker in 1975. Merrill was lead vocalist on the Arrows' original "I Love Rock 'N' Roll," but the song went on to be recorded and released by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, the version that climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in 1982. Although the Arrows split in the '70s, Merrill later joined the band Runner and worked with such artists as Rick Derringer and Meat Loaf. He released several albums as a solo artist, with 2019's Radio Zero being the most recent, and was playing live shows in New York up through March of this year. - Billboard, 3/29/20.
Def Leppard released a 5-disc compilation of their original albums from 1979-1981, The Early Years 79-81, in remastered versions with rarities and re-mix versions, on Mar. 20. Vocalist Joe Elliot and bassist Rick Savage say they assembled the collection to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their major-label debut, 1980's On Through the Night. In addition to featuring remasters of that album and 1981's High 'n' Dry, the set includes the group's first studio recording, alternate song takes, B-sides and live recordings. "The bottom part of an Apollo rocket gets you off the ground and moves you into another stratosphere, but then it just pulls away and it's gone," Joe Elliot noted about the band's motivation for compiling the new set. "Music's not like that because people can always go and revisit your history. So we dressed it all up in a physical box with a book and included things people never have heard before," he added. Def Leppard is hoping to treat their fans to several tracks from the collection with a stadium tour with Motley Crue with guests Poison and Joan Jett that is tentatively set to begin on June 18 in Jacksonville, Fla. - Billboard, 3/27/20...... 
Jackson Browne revealed to Rolling Stone magazine on Mar. 24 that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. Browne, 71, said he immediately sought out testing when he developed a cough and started running a fever. Browne did test positive, however he downplayed the severity of his illness. "My symptoms are really pretty mild, so I don't require any kind of medication and certainly not hospitalization or anything like that," he said. Browne said he is pretty certain he picked up the virus on his recent trip to New York for the Love Rocks NYC benefit, which moved forward on Mar. 12 as planned but, for the first time, live-streamed and with no audience because of early coronavirus cautions. "Now I wish I hadn't gone to New York and done this benefit," he admitted. The 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee also encouraged young people to take part in the global response to stop the spread by avoiding unnecessary contact with people. "So many people that have it aren't going to be tested," he said. "They don't have symptoms, but they might have it and might be able to pass it on... you have to assume you have it." - Billboard, 3/24/20...... In related news, Bruce Springsteen is offering hope for those suffering from COVID-19, especially in his native New Jersey, by supporting the launch of New Jersey's Pandemic Relief Fund. "These are uncertain times," Springsteen says in a new video posted on YouTube announcing the fund on Mar. 24. "What is for certain is the pain, the fear, and the real needs of many of our neighbors, our friends, and certainly all of those who are on the front lines of this pandemic." The Boss also confirmed he and his family have been doing their part to stop the spread of the virus: "We are practicing social distancing; we are staying at home." Also appearing in the video are Jon Bon Jovi, Danny DeVite, Whoopi Goldbert, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, among others. - Billboard, 3/24/20...... Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks says that pop sensation Harry Styles is inspiring her to write new music as she listens to his new album, Fine Line, to get through the pandemic crisis. Nicks posted a message to her fans on Mar. 23 urging them to remain positive as coronavirus continues to spread: "Dear Everyone, I know you are doing everything you can to help the situation we are all in. I am staying in with my Goddaughters and my assistant Karen and all our dogs -- Lily, Luna and Mana -- trying to think of creative things to do. I am getting all my paintings and drawings out listening to music (mostly Harry Styles 'Fine Line') and being inspired by him to write some new songs and poetry. Way to go H. it is your 'Rumours'." Nicks added: "My advice for all this free time and terrible news is just dance, this will pass, love will find a way, it always does." - New Musical Express, 3/23/20...... Organizers of the 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony announced on Mar. 24 that the ceremony has been moved from May 2 to Nov. 7 due to the coronavirus. The annual ceremony will still take place in Cleveland and honor acts including the Doobie Brothers, T. Rex, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Notorious B.I.G. and Whitney Houston. The event will broadcast live from the city's Public Auditorium at 8 p.m. ET on HBO, marking the first time the ceremony will be broadcast in real time on the network. - Billboard, 3/24/20...... 
Former The Commodores member and '80s solo hitmaker Lionel Richie says he's considering a new version of "We Are The World" to raise money for the fight against coronavirus. Although Richie said he wasn't expecting to mark the 35th anniversary of the charity track which raised over $63 million in humanitarian aid for Africa in 1985, he now believes that the pandemic has made WATW's message "so clear" once again. "Two weeks ago, we said we didn't want to do too much [about the song] because this is not the time to sell an anniversary, he said... But the message is so clear," Richie explained. He also singled out the significance of WATW's chorus line: "There's a choice we're making, we're saving our own lives." Richie added that he is currently at home, self-isolating with his own family. "We are all hunkered down. Family is the key to this. It is the soother," he explained. Meanwhile, the estate of Michael Jackson, who contributed to the original WATW song, has announced that the Jackson estate will be donating $300,000 (£252,000) to coronavirus response efforts. The donation will be split between the Recording Academy's MusicCares charity, the Three Square Food Bank in Las Vegas, Nevada, and New York's Broadway Cares initiative, with each receiving $100,000 (£84,000). Jackson estate co-executors John Branca and John McClain said the recent death of Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango, whose work helped inspire Jackson's hit "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," prompted them to make the donation on behalf of the late King of Pop. "Michael's spirit of generosity and helping others during his lifetime is legendary," the executors added. "These donations are inspired by him." - New Musical Express, 3/23/20...... Elton John announced on Mar. 25 that he will host an all-star benefit special aimed at providing some relief and entertainment for Americans locked down in their homes during the coronavirus pandemic. Fox Presents the iHeart Living Room Concert For America will be a one-hour, commercial-free special airing in the slot originally intended for the 2020 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Mar. 29 from 9-10 p.m. EST -- and on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide, as well as on the IHeartRadio app. Joining Elton in celebrating the nation's resilience in fighting the COVID-19 virus will be the likes of Billie Eilish, Alicia Keys, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, Mariah Carey, Tim McGraw and Backstreet Boys, among others. The performances will be filmed on the singers' personal cell phones, cameras and audio equipment in order to ensure the health and safety of the participants in this period of social isolation. Fox will offer the event across all its linear and digital platforms, with additional details and performers to be announced soon. - Billboard, 3/25/20...... 
Two surviving members of '70s New Wave icons The Knack have provided a new take on their No. 1 1979 hit single "My Sharona" by uploading a video to YouTube on Mar. 25 called "Bye Corona." "Some people have asked whether we were going to get around to doing our own 'Sharona' corona parody song, because apparently, there aren't enough of them," Knack lead guitarist Berton Averre mused about the catchy hit that has inspired countless parodies and sung by late Knack frontman Doug Fieger (who died in 2010 after a battle with cancer). "Sadly, our lead singer is no longer with us and trust me, you don't want to hear me croak it out," said Averre, who added he had a better idea and decided to show fans a close-up "instruction video" of the song's guitar solo. Averre masterfully delivers the solo, before Knack bassist Prescott Niles joins him (virtually) for the chorus, where they proclaim: "Bye, corona!" The Knack said they will be donating the recent bump-up of "My Sharona" digital streaming royalties to the Music Heath Alliance (MusicHeathAlliance.com). - Billboard, 3/25/20...... Queen guitarist Brian May has been teaching fans how to play a number of the band's classic tracks on guitar via live-stream from his home. May launched a series he dubbed "MicroConcerto" earlier in March as many continue to self-isolate amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis, writing: "In my living room at home where else?! I seem to have most all my usual channels to entertain you & so maybe here on [Instagram] is the place to perform micro concerts across the ether. Is that a good plan? Responding to fans' requests for tracks, May then offered up tutorials on how to play "Bohemian Rhapsody" and most recently "Keep Yourself Alive." Speaking of his own experience of tackling the current crisis, May said: "I'm taking the whole self-isolation thing very seriously as I think you have to. I think everybody has to cut down on their social interactions as much as they can in order for us to stand a chance of keeping this virus in check.... Be safe and let's be grateful we have a chance here... let's still try to enjoy each day we're given." - NME, 3/25/20...... Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood is also sharing advice for recovering addicts who are self-isolating during the coronavirus crisis. In a post on Twitter, Wood -- who has been sober since 2010 -- has given advice to any recovering addicts unable to make rehab meetings or keep good practices going while self-isolating at home. In the video, Wood holds up the book Keep It Simple: Daily Meditations for Twelve-Step Beginnings and Renewal, which he calls "one of my books that help me get through every day and proceeds to read a passage from." "I will share my hope for the future with myself, my higher power, and my friends," Wood read. "I will also share this with someone who has lost hope. Now, if anything, we have tended to be people who have wanted it all now. To hope is not to demand. Maybe we were a bit demanding. Maybe we were a bit impatient. Maybe that's why we had such little hope. Hope is believing good will come, even in bad times; hope is knowing that this too shall pass," he added. The Rolling Stones recently announced they were forced to postpone their upcoming "No Filter" tour dates due to the pandemic. - NME, 3/25/20...... 
Bob Dylan shared a previously unreleased song he composed about the assasination of Pres. John F. Kennedy. The rock bard shared "Murder Most Foul" on YouTube on Mar. 27, a powerful retelling of JFK's last moments on earth, his gruesome assassination and the complicated world of the early '60s. In the almost 17-minute track, Dylan sings: It was a dark day in Dallas, November '63. The day that will live on in infamy. President Kennedy was a-riding high, good day to be living and good day to die." The rock icon seems to currently be in a sharing mood, also adding a message to the new track: "Greetings to my fans and followers with gratitude for all your support and loyalty over the years. This is an unreleased song we recorded a while back that you might find interesting. Stay safe, stay observant and may God be with you." - Billboard, 3/27/20...... As Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler celebrated his 72nd birthday on Mar. 26, his fellow rocker Alice Cooper wished him a happy birthday in shock-rock fashion by posting a message on Twitterf linging knives at a printed picture of Tyler's face while his own song "Go to Hell" track plays in the background. Throwing knives is Alice's well-known pre-show ritual, and his precision only zeroes in on his affection for Tyler. "Please help me wish a very happy birthday to the Demon of Screamin' - @IamStevenT!," Cooper captioned the 20-second clip on Twitter. Tyler retweeted all his idiosyncratic birthday well wishes, including those from Slash, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi lead guitarist Phil X, and others. - Billboard, 3/26/20...... The Eagles have rescheduled their "Hotel California" tour dates due to the oronavirus outbreak. The band will resume the tour in September with a two-night stand at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Sept. 18 and 19, followed by three nights in L.A. at the Forum (9/25, 26, 29); two nights in San Francisco (10/2, 3); two nights in St. Paul, Minn. (10/16, 17); one night in Dallas on Oct. 21, and wrapping with two nights in Phoenix on Oct. 24 and 25. The band will play the entirety of their 1976 hit album Hotel California with an accompanying orchestra and choir. The performances will also include an additional set of the band's greatest hits. - Billboard, 3/26/20...... David Byrne announced on Mar. 24 that he is adapting his stage play "American Utopia" for the printed page. The former Talking Heads frontman says he's collaborating with the author and illustrator Maira Kalman, who worked on the Broadway show. The book, also called American Utopia, will be published Sept. 8 by Bloomsbury. "Here is the hope and joy that I believe emanates from this show turned into something you can hold in your hand," Bynre said in a statement. - AP, 3/24/20...... 
The Library of Congress announced on Mar. 25 that songs and albums from '70s artists Village People ("Y.M.C.A"), Glen Campbell ("Wichita Lineman"), Tina Turner (Private Dancer, album) and Cheap Trick (Cheap Trick at Budokan, album) will be among 25 aural treasures as worthy of preservation in the National Recording Registry. The new slate of 25 recordings spans 1920-2008 and brings to 550 the total number of titles preserved under terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000 in conjunction with the Library's Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation to ensure availability for future generations. Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian, with advice from the Library of Congress' National Recording Preservation Board, is tasked each year with selecting 25 titles that are "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" and at least 10 years old. - Billboard, 3/25/20...... The writers of The Simpsons say that Paul McCartney always checks that Lisa Simpson is still a vegetarian every time they run into him, after it became a key condition of his guest appearance on the show in 1995. Sir Paul, with then wife and staunch vegetarian Linda McCartney, guested on The Simpsons in the episode "The Vegetarian," In a new interview with the UK's Radio Times, show consultant David Mirkin -- who is also a vegetarian -- said he was "happy to comply with McCartney's request," but admitted that every time he bumps into the former Beatle, Macca always checks. "And he's always surrounded by nine or ten lawyers so it's quite frightening," Mirkin says. This comes as The Simpsons arrives on Disney+ this week, as the streaming service launches in the UK. The Walt Disney Company is also set to release a new Beatles documentary from Lord of Rings director Peter Jackson, The Beatles: Get Back. - New Musical Express, 3/24/20...... Bill Rieflin, the current drummer of prog-rockers King Crimson has passed away at the age of 59, following a long battle with cancer. King Crimson frontman Robert Fripp announced the news on his Facebook profile and said himself and his wife Toyah Wilcox -- who Bill worked with on her project The Humans -- received a phone call from the late star's wife Tracy from their home in Seattle to let them know he had sadly lost his fight with the disease. In a touching tribute, the 73-year-old Fripp said his life was made "immeasurably richer" for knowing Rieflin. As well as King Crimson, Rieflin had most recently played with R.E.M and Ministry, whilst in the 90s he worked for the late Chris Cornell, Nine Inch Nails, and many more. In 2012, the versatile musician played drums on Robbie Williams' LP Take The Crown. - Music-News.com, 3/25/20.
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 
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 
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, 
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 
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 
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.