Former Bee Gees member Barry Gibb is on track for his very first UK No. 1 LP as a solo artist with his latest effort Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook Vol. 1. Gibb's album currently sits atop the UK's Official Albums Chart Update with his collection of country reinterpretations of he and his brothers' classic hits, all of which are collaborations with some of the genre's biggest names such as Dolly Parton, Keith Urban, Olivia Newton-John and Brandi Carlile. Gibb's highest-charting UK album as a solo artist until now was 2016's In The Now, which peaked at No. 3 on the chart. As part of Bee Gees, Barry claimed 5 UK No. 1 singles and 16 UK Top 10 albums. Meanwhile, David Bowie's hits collection Legacy has rocketed 21 places to No. 10 on the same chart, with fans revisiting his iconic hits following what would have marked his 74th birthday on Jan. 8. - Music-News.com, 1/11/21...... 
Cable channel FX has announced a six-episode limited series on the Sex Pistols based on a memoir from Sex Pistols guitarist, Steve Jones. Pistols will be directed and executive produced by Danny Boyle, who helmed the acclaimed movies Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire. "It's great to be back in business with Danny Boyle, an exceptional artist responsible for so many great feature films and TV series," said Nick Grad, president original programming at FX. "Steve Jones was at the center of the storm that shook the rock establishment and we're thrilled to have Danny and the rest of the creative team tell his story as a member of one of music's most notorious bands -- the Sex Pistols." The movie will center on Sex Pistols co-founder Jones and follow his life from West London's council estates to Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren's boutique, Sex -- one of the early centers of punk culture in London -- and the band's meteoric rise and fall. Production on the series is slated to begin in March. - The Hollywood Reporter, 1/11/21...... David Bowie's son Duncan Jones remembered his late dad and the 5th anniversary of his death on Jan. 10 with a Twitter post. "Today marks 5 years since dad died," writes Jones, a celebrated filmmaker in his own right. "We are all a little sad, coping individually in our own ways. But it's both remarkable & delightful that dad is still so clearly loved by so many. Yes, he's missed... but with so much of "him in the work he made, he's clearly still here," he added. The post also features the artwork from what turned out to be Bowie's final studio album, Blackstar, a gift to his fans which dropped Jan. 10, 2016, just two days after his 69th birthday. Meanwhile, Bowie's legacy was celebrated on Jan. 9 with an evening full of virtual performances of his music by some of his biggest all-star fans. "A Bowie Celebration: Just For One Day!" had been set for his Jan. 8, what would've been his 74th birthday, but was delayed 24 hours "due to technical difficulties and COVID-19 restrictions," according to organizers. Duran Duran opened the concert with a spine-tingling cover of "Five Years," the opening track from Bowie's classic 1972 album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Dust and the Spiders from Mars. Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins also contributed with an emotional cover of the Bowie classic "Space Oddity," with Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, who toured and recorded with Bowie in the mid 1990s, also making an appearance for two dazzling songs, "Fantastic Voyage" and "Fashion." The one-night-only paid event also featured Bowie's longtime producer Tony Visconti and members of his final touring band, with other stellar covers of Bowie's catalog by the likes of Peter Frampton, Boy George, Adam Lambert, Perry Farrell and Corey Taylor. Proceeds from the concert will be donated to Save the Children, which Bowie supported with ticket sales from his 50th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden in 1997. Bowie's official Instagram page has also announced some of the artist's biggest hits are now available on TikTok to celebrate his birthday. The popular social media app now features tracks including "Modern Love," "'Heroes'," "Starman," "Rebel Rebel," "Under Pressure" and more. Two previously-unreleased Bowie covers of songs by John Lennon and Bob Dylan have also arrived on streaming services. "Tryin' to Get To Heaven" and "Mother" can be streamed on Spotify.com. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 1/11/21...... 
John Fogerty's new single, "Weeping In the Promised Land," was released on Jan. 6, coincidentally the same day that pro-Donald Trump rioters broke into the U.S. Capitol and temporarily disrupted the peaceful transfer of democratic power. A minimalist recording that finds the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman at the ivories backed by a subdued but strong chorus of female voices, "Weeping In the Promised Land" touches on the pandemic, the deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police officers and political divisions fracturing the country in a way not seen since the '60s. "This song, for me, scraped off a lot of barnacles," Fogerty says. Fogerty adds that he wrote the title in a little song book that he started in 1967. "I wrote this title in that book somewhere between 25-30 years ago. It was compelling. I understood that it had a lot of meaning, but I didn't know specifically where it would go. I wrote a song using that title maybe two years ago and actually recorded it with some musicians; it was not this song, it was a different song, and it wasn't focused in its intent like this. It was kind of generic, I would say, therefore I was dissatisfied with it. I thought the title was better than the song, so I shelved it." He adds that he seriously started working on it as a song last July. "The idea that the water in the well has been poisoned with lies -- once I had that as a reference point with obvious cultural ties to the present that would be well understood, that was my beginning, where the song took off. I must say it was by far the most difficult song I've ever written. But I also think it's one of the best. It really made me fight for it." "Weeping In the Promised Land," which has been shared on YouTube, will also be featured on Fogerty's first album of original material since 2007's Revival, which he promises is coming in later in 2021. - Billboard, 1/8/21...... The unlikely pairing of a gay rock star icon, a former Disney Channel star, and a renowned Chinese-American classical cellist is rumoured to be about to happen when Elton John collaborates with Miley Cyrus with a contribution from Yo-Yo Ma on Cyrus' upcoming cover of the Metallica song "Nothing Else Matters." Miley Cyrus teased the upcoming collaboration, which will also feature Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith in a new interview with the UK radio station Capital FM. "I did a Metallica cover of 'Nothing Else Matters' featuring Elton John on piano, I've got Yo-Yo Ma, Chad Smith; so many all-stars in this band," the pop star said. "I'm so excited about this collaboration." Cyris went on to say she understands that the concept of the song may not make sense to some fans -- which is why she loves it even more. "I mean, having Elton John and Metallica and me ... I love when ingredients don't quite fit," she said. "Or it seems like a concoction that no one would ever put together, and you gotta have someone like [the song's producer Andrew] Watt that will take that risk." Cyrus' full interview can be streamed on YouTube. - Billboard, 1/6/21...... 
Queen guitarist and animal rights activist Brian May has launched a fresh new fragrance called "Save Me" as a fund-raiser for the protection of wildlife. May has joined forces with Sergio Momo, founder and creative manager of Italian luxury goods brand Xerjoff, to launch the new scent. Named after Queen's 1980 hit, the new cologne is said to smell of "sandalwood and badger," an animal that's close to May's heart. "SCENT FROM HEAVEN!!! Wild Animal Rescue never smelled so good!," May posted on his Instagram account brianmayforreal. "This amazing man is doing something wonderful for animal welfare," he wrote of Momo. "This amazing man is doing something wonderful for animal welfare," May wrote of Momo. For superfans, May and Xerjoff are stocking an autographed 50ml bottle priced at £410 ($500), and the standard bottle is priced at £197 ($240). May is a long-time advocate for wild animals and co-founder of the Save Me Trust, which has battled the U.K. government on badger culls, among other issues. - Billboard, 1/11/21...... Speaking to The Irish News, Ringo Starr says whenever he performs with his former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney "it lifts everything, in a joyous way." "I love that, getting up with him," said Ringo, who has shared the stage with Paul twice in the past few years. "We did it at the O2 in England [in 2018]. And then he called me and he said, 'I'm doing Dodger Stadium, if you want to do a few numbers'." Ringo continued: "The audience is like, 'Oh, there's two of them! Wow'. It lifts everything, in a joyous way. So, yeah, I had a great time." Speaking of the pair's current friendship, Starr added: "We're still pals. We don't hang out with each other a lot. But if we're in the same country, and if we're in the same town we always have a dinner, and we say hi or he comes over here or I go over to his house." McCartney is among the contributors to Starr's upcoming EP, "Zoom In", which is set for release in March. Meanwhile in another interview with the UK's Daily Mirror, Ringo said he "has a little guest house here and it's now my studio... It's been my studio for the last 10 years, actually" as he spends his time during the Covid-19 lockdown recording music, painting and keeping fit at the Los Angeles home he shares with his wife, former Bond girl Barbara Bach, 73. "This time it was a little awkward because people were getting tested to come and play. Or, if they had a studio, they could play in their own place. So that took the pressure off the lockdown a little because I was drumming and singing and hanging out with musicians. I do go to the gym quite a lot. And also I took half of the gym, now that's where my paint studio is. So I can make a mess without Barbara getting crazy," Ringo adds. Ringo and his All-Starr Band are due to hit the road in June, though it's uncertain if those gigs will go ahead amid the global coronavirus pandemic. - NME/Music-News.com, 1/9/21...... In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the bandmates and family of late Rush drummer discussed the death of the famous sticksman on the one year anniversary of his Jan. 7, 2020, death. Rush member Alex Lifeson said that Peart "asked us not to discuss [the illness] with anyone," adding: "He just wanted to be in control of it. The last thing in the world he would want is people sitting on his sidewalk or driveway singing 'Closer to the Heart' or something. That was a great fear of his. He didn't want that attention at all. And it was definitely difficult to lie to people or to sidestep or deflect somehow. It was really difficult." Geddy Lee added that Peart "didn't want to waste his remaining time talking about shit like that... He wanted to have fun with us. And he wanted to talk about real things right up to the very end." Elsewhere in the interview, Lifeson spoke of how Peart spent his final days revisiting Rush's material, and reflecting on his life in music. "It was interesting to see him smile and feel really good about that. And when he still could write to us, he wrote about how he was reviewing some of our older music and how it stood up for him." - NME, 1/8/21...... Michael Fonfara, the longtime keyboardist for Lou Reed, died in a a Toronto hospital on Jan. 8 after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 74. A native of Stevensville, Ontario, Fanfara is best known for his decade-long run performing with Lou Reed on the albums Rock and Roll Heart (1976), Street Hassle (1978), Live: Take No Prisoners (1978), The Bells (1979) and 1980's Growing Up in Public, which he co-wrote and co-produced with Reed. In a lengthy, eclectic career that spanned more than 50 years, Fonfara performed with the 1960s rock bands The Electric Flag, Rhinoceros, Blackstone and Rough Trade, as well as adding "keyboard textures" on Foreigner's multi-platinum 1981 album 4 on the No. 4 hit "Urgent" and the track "Girl on the Moon." Fonfara also recorded with the Everly Brothers, Grievous Angels, Cameo Blues Band and many others in a lauded career that included a 2000 Maple Blues Award honor for piano/keyboard player of the year. His final recording was The Downchild Blues Band's Live at the Toronto Jazz Festival 50th anniversary performance in 2019. "He was an incredible musician, a gentle soul and we were honoured to share the stage with him every time we performed," one of his former bandmates in Downchild said in a statement. "He will be deeply missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. There will be a celebration of life once we are all safely able to get together." - Billboard, 1/11/20...... 
Gene Simmons has announced he's partnering with Gibson Guitars to launch a series of new electric guitars and basses. Under the name G², the collaboration will introduce new collections of left-handed electric guitars and basses across Gibson's "Gibson", "Epiphone" and "Kramer" brands, as well as develop new entertainment content to be streamed globally. G² will release the first instrument, the new G² Thunderbird Bass later in 2021, which made its worldwide debut on stage with Simmons recently during Kiss' New Year's Eve concert in Dubai. Following that release, Simmons and Gibson have plans to release a Flying V bass and Flying V guitar. "I have been designing and trademarking bass guitars for decades, and when I heard Gibson's vision and learned about their creative process, it just made sense for us to join forces to take things to the next level, Simmons said in a statement. "Gibson is an outstanding company and has earned its place as a leading guitar brand with fans around the world. These guitars and basses will all be handmade, with a sound that is off the charts. The design is so beautiful and collectible that they are simply works of art," he added. Simmons and Gibson exec Mark Agnesi will be discussing the new series on Jan. 18 at 4:00 p.m. GMT on Gibson TV, it can be streamed on Gibson's YouTube channel. - NME, 1/9/21...... Country musician/songwriter/actor Ed Bruce, perhaps best known for co-writing the 1978 Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings hit "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" with his then-wife, Patsy, died of natural causes on Jan. 8. He was 81. The song would go on to become a classic of the country genre, with Nelson and Jennings recording the most notable version of it. The track earned the pair a Grammy in 1978 and the song spent several weeks in the Billboard charts. Bruce later found chart success of his own, scoring six Top 10 hits during the 1980s, including "After All' and "You're The Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had." The latter, released in 1981, was the sole No. 1 of Bruce's recording career. Bruce also found success as a film and television actor. At the height of his recording career, he starred as ex-policeman Tom Guthrie in the short-lived Western television series, Bret Maverick, lending his dulcet tones to the series' theme song as well. He was frequently cast as lawmen throughout his acting career, including in the 1997 Steven Seagal film, Fire Down Below, and in the biographical crime film Public Enemies, alongside Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. - NME, 1/9/21...... Actress Marion Ramsey, known for acting in the Police Academy films and gracing the Broadway stage in 1978's "Eubie!," died on Jan. 7 at her home in Los Angeles of as yet undetermined causes. She was 73. Though many may know Ramsey for her role as Officer Laverne Hooks in the Police Academy films, her career began much early. In 1964, she appeared in "Hello, Dolly!," and in the 1970s she established herself as a theatre, film and television talent. On stage, she acted in "Miss Moffat," and on screen she took part in the variety show Keep On Truckin' on ABC and held a regular role on Cos. An active advocate for HIV and AIDS awareness, Ramsey also portrayed one-off roles in Beverly Hills, 90210 and MacGyver,while voicing D.I. Holler in the animated The Addams Family from 1992 to 1993. - Variety.com, 1/7/21...... William Jellett, a UK music fan who was known for attending music festivals naked during the '70s and '80s, died on Jan. 8 after a bout of poor health in recent years. He was 72. Jellett, who was also known by the nickname "Jesus," attended hundreds of UK festivals and shows, and appeared in a number of concert footage over the years. He can be seen in the Rolling Stones' Rock And Roll Circus and was filmed at Cream's farewell show at the Royal Albert Hall in 1968. Many years later, he would go on to be the inspiration for the artwork for the Chemical Brothers' single "Surrender," which was based on a 1976 photo of him. The music fan was also known for his speeches at Speaker's Corner in London, where he would talk about the importance of music while highlighting the dangers of drugs. He also set up a "Jesus tent" at the Glastonbury festival in 1973 and claimed to be the reincarnation of the biblical figure. "He was at every gig I ever went to in the 70s, doing his groovy dancing and blessing us all with his happy presence," Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet posted on social media. "We'd call his name from the bleachers. He was validation that the artist was worth seeing." - NME, 1/11/21.
The new year has rang in a slew of music licensing acquisitions of the catalogs of some of rock music's biggest stars, including Neil Young, Lindsey Buckingham and producer Jimmy Iovine. Neil Young, who for years has refused to "sell out" his songs by licensing them for use in commercials, has signed a deal to sell his 50% of his song catalog to Hipgnosis Songs for what is thought to be a record amount according to the standard industry measure. Young's deal, which was announced on Jan. 6, is rumoured to have valued the catalog at between $90 million and $105 million, though terms were not disclosed. His catalog includes some 1,180 songs, according to a statement announcing the deal, which he wrote over the course of a 50-plus year career that in addition to his prolific solo efforts includes stints with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The Young acquisition is the second big deal of the new year for Hipgnosis, which has been on an acquisition binge of late, after its Jan. 5 announcement that it bought 100% of the catalog of former Fleetwood Mac frontman Lindsey Buckingham, including the songs he wrote or co-wrote for the band, including "Go Your Own Way," "The Chain," "Big Love," "Never Going Back Again" and "Tusk," among others. Fleetwood Mac classics written or co-written by Buckingham include "Go Your Own Way," "The Chain," "Big Love," "Never Going Back Again" and "Tusk," among others. Since 1991, the band's catalog has moved nearly 26 million album consumption units in the U.S., with the vast majority of that number from Buckingham's time in the band, while his solo catalog, which produced songs like "Holiday Road" and "Trouble," has accumulated 550,000 album consumption units. On Jan. 4, Hipgnosis Songs announced that it purchased Jimmy Iovine's royalties as a producer. While Iovine is best known today as a music executive who co-founded Interscope Records and Beats Electronics, he first rose to prominence in the 1970s as a music engineer, working with such icons as Tom Petty, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits, Stevie Nicks, U2 and Patti Smith. Iovine's deal gives Hipgnosis 100% of his worldwide producer royalties across 259 songs, as well as his film production royalties for two films he co-produced: 8 Mile starring Eminem and Get Rich or Die Tryin' starring 50 Cent. - Billboard, 1/6/21...... 
As the fifth anniversary of the 2016 death of David Bowie approaches on Jan. 10, his widow Iman has given an interview to Harper's Bazaar UK magazine about how she keeps his memory alive. "David is in our hearts and minds on a daily basis, for all of us," the 65-year-old model said of herself and her family. "You know, this was my true love. My daughter once asked me if I would ever marry again and I said, 'never'." Bowie and Iman met in 1990, and Iman once said the attraction was "immediate and all-encompassing. I couldn't sleep for the excitement of our first date." The couple were married in 1992, and remained husband and wife until his death from liver cancer 24 years later. Iman says she currently spends her time in lockdown at her upstate New York country home, where she's been hiking, cooking, reading and painting, another tribute to her late love. "David was a painter; my daughter is a painter. I never painted in my life, so I've taken it up. I learnt that I don't have to be good at something to start doing it," she said. Iman added that Bowie is still all around, whether you know it or not. She said the anniversary of his death is always the "saddest time," but she finds hope in the idea that he is "hiding in plain sight... His fans are still around. His music is still relevant." Meanwhile, two big virtual celebrations will occur on what would've been his 74th birthday on Jan. 8. "A Bowie Celebration: Just For One Day!" will be streamed globally beginning at 9:00 p.m. EST. Trent Reznor, Billie Corgan, Boy George, Peter Frampton, Rick Wakeman and Perry Farrell will be among the many musicians are participating in the 3-hour concert. More info can be found at rollinglivestudios.com. On Jan. 8-10, the London production of "Lazarus," which was captured live on stage and starred Michael C. Hall, will stream in celebration of the birthday. the show features music from Bowie's catalog, and is available to stream in multiple time zones. info can be found at dice.fm. - Billboard, 1/5/21...... During a call to his SiriusXM channel "E Street Radio" on Dec. 31, Bruce Springsteen teased that he's working on a "big surprise" that will be revealed later in 2021. While the Boss confirmed that he wouldn't attempt a new tour this year in the light of the Covid pandemic, he said he had some more projects underway that would be shared over the course of 2021. "2022 -- if you want to talk about that -- as far as what I know and if things go as according to what Dr. Fauci is projecting, as soon as we can, we'll be out there," he said. "And that might be 2022, you know, somewhere in the New Year of 2022. "So -- and I'm completely projecting because no one really knows -- that's what I think, according to all the information that's available at this moment, will be able to happen. You know, I have some projects coming up this year that I won't tell cos it's going to be a secret and then a big surprise [laughs]. But I do have things to keep me busy this year that I'll be doing that should give the fans something to bide their time with." Listen to Springsteen speak about his plans for 2021 above." The full interview can be heard on YouTube. - NME, 1/5/21...... The Internal Revenue Service has valued Prince's estate at 50 per cent higher than proposed by the administrator, causing more legal trouble for the estate's settlement. As reported by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the IRS has valued Prince's estate at $163.2 million, significantly higher than the $82.3 million valuation from Commercial Bank & Trust, the estate's administrator. Because of this new valuation, the IRS has claimed the estate owes an additional $32.4 million in taxes, approximately doubling the tax bill. The government agency has also issued a $6.4 million "accuracy-related penalty" on Prince's estate, according to court documents. Prince died in 2016 from an overdose, leaving behind no will. In the years since his death, the exact valuation of the singer's estate remains up for debate. In 2018 the Associated Press reported that while the singer's heirs have yet to benefit from the estate, bankers, consultants and lawyers have earned millions from it. - NME, 1/4/21...... A new documentary about Elton John is reportedly in the works, featuring behind-the-scenes footage that didn't fit in the 2019 Elton biopic Rocketman. According to sources, the follow-up to the film will be titled The Pillars of Hercules (after John's middle name) and would come in a documentary format. According to the UK paper The Sun, it will cover tours across the 1970s, and never-before-seen footage of the singer and John Lennon. The film has been the long-time project of Elton's longtime guitarist Davey Johnstone, who has been working on the project for years. Johnstone reportedly has the blessing of the Rocket Man himself and his husband, David Furnish. Regarding a potential release date for the new film, Johnstone says: "There are two more interviews we are looking to get and we will probably be finished with all the recording by late January and then we will go into editing and we will be ready about Easter." - NME, 1/4/21...... 
Surviving Bee Gees member Barry Gibb says he's unable to watch the new Bee Gees documentary How Can You Mend A Broken Heart? which recently premiered on premium cable channel HBO because it's subject matter is too painful. Appearing on CBS Sunday Morning on Jan. 3, Gibb says the Frank Marshall-directed film would reignite his grief over the loss of his late brothers Maurice and Robin Gibb, who passed away in 2003 and 2012 respectively. "I can't handle watching the rest of my family. I just can't handle it," Barry said in the interview, which can be viewed on YouTube. He added: "Who would? I think it's perfectly normal to not want to see how each brother was lost, you know? And I don't want to address it. I'm past it." Meanwhile, Gibb says he was "terrified" when he heard his recent collaborator, country music star Keith Urban, would be bringing his actress wife and Aussie native Nicole Kidman to the studio for a new rendition of the Bee Gees' "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" for Gibb's new country duets album, Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook Vol. 1. "He gave us a great gift because he brought Nicole with him, and that was such a thrill," Barry told Billboard. "I'm freaking out, you know." Barry also reteamed with Dolly Parton, who recorded his "Islands in the Stream" song as a duet with Kenny Rogers 40 years ago, revealing he had never met her since. "Dolly was a great thrill, and as incredible as she always is," he added. "She's such a humble person. I just don't understand how people of that stature remain calm and humble and ready to have a laugh, you know?" - New Musical Express/Music-News.com, 1/5/21...... Appearing on a recent episode of "Coffee Talk with AKIKA Live," the YouTube live show hosted by former Rolling Stone writer Corey Levitan and bassist Stefan Adika, Alice Cooper surprised late singer Harry Nilsson's son Zak Nilsson with a sweet new tune in a bid to cheer him up as Zak continues to suffer from end-stage colon cancer. A bright piano melody carries Cooper's croon, as he sings cheery lines like "So Zak, your doc could be a quack, considering all that, tomorrow morning you'll see the sun!" Cooper's performance, which was arranged through his daughter Calico, has been shared on YouTube. - NME, 1/5/21...... Kiss frontman Paul Stanley has lashed out at Pres. Donald Trump after explosive newly-released audio footage revealed the moment the President pressured Georgia's Secretary Of State to "find" votes that would overturn his election loss to President-elect Joe Biden. Sharing a link to the Washington Post article on Twitter, he wrote: "This is ABHORRENT. A true danger to our democracy. The issue isn't that it WON'T work. It's Mob Boss behavior and politicians putting party over audits, investigations, court rulings & COUNTRY in an effort to overrule the will of American voters". Stanley continued: "Republican politicians who now cower before this president are the same ones that ridiculed & dismissed him in the 2016 primaries. Their silence IS a choice & not sharing their opinion IS a coward's way out. It feeds the mistrust that eats at the core of this country I love." The recording of the Jan. 2 call was obtained by the Post and showed Trump repeating baseless claims of electoral fraud as he criticized Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for refusing to say he won the election. In other Kiss-related news, bassist Gene Simmons has doubled down on previous comments he made back in 2014 about the state of rock music in which he declared the rock music genre to be "finally dead." "Rock is dead. And that's because new bands haven't taken the time to create glamour, excitement and epic stuff," Simmons recently told Gulf News. "I mean, Foo Fighters is a terrific band, but that's a 20-year-old band. So you can go back to 1958 until 1988. That's 30 years. During that time, we had Elvis [Presley], The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones, on and on. In disco, you had Madonna, and then you had your hard rock, you had AC/DC, maybe us, a few others. Motown, all that great music. From 1988, until today, that's more than 30 years. Tell me who the new Beatles is. You can't. There are popular bands. BTS is very popular. All kinds of bands are very popular. That doesn't mean iconic and legacy and for all-time. It's different." - NME, 1/4/21...... 
Def Leppard has announced an "unlocking date" for a new online collection of the band's artifacts, stories and rarities, curated by band members Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, Rick Allen, Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell. The "Def Leppard Vault," which will debut on Jan. 13 at the Def Leppard website., is set to gather the band's history in a digital museum, including special installations covering the band's history from 1977 up to the present day. Fans can sign up at website, after which they will receive a special code to access the various curiosities upon its opening. Def Leppard has described the concept of the vault in a new video on YouTube. - NME, 1/3/21...... Tom Jones has revealed he has been finishing a new record during the Covid-19 lockdown and he is looking forward to releasing it in 2021. Speaking on "Jools Holland's Annual Hootenanny" show, the 80-year-old Sir Tom said: "I recorded an album just before the lockdown, at the beginning of the year. During lockdown, we've been mixing it and putting it together. That's what I'll be looking forward to." - Music-News.com, 1/2/21...... Journey guitarist Neal Schon says his band has signed on to headline the Lollapalooza 2021 festival in Chicago. "I'm dying to get on stage again," Schon told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" show on Dec. 30, before going on to seemingly reveal that the festival -- usually held in late July or early August -- would be being held in April. "We have our first date booked for Lollapalooza, and we're headlining in Chicago. And that's supposedly in April. Hopefully that'll not get pushed back, because the vaccine is finally here," Schon added. "And hopefully they start dispersing it very quickly so everybody can get back on their feet and can get out and hear music, 'cause that's what heals the world, I think," he continued. The annual festival is held at Grant Park in Chicago, Ill, and its 2020 event was cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns. - NME, 1/2/21...... Elvis Costello is ringing in 2021 with a new experimental, disconcerting track titled "Farewell, OK 2020" that he shared on YouTube on Jan. 1. Costello first teased something called "Farewell, OK" on Dec. 27 which -- judging by one fan's reaction to the singer's "Farewell, OK 2020" tweet -- sounded markedly different from the finished product. "Wait wtf happened to the original version lol," the person wrote on Twitter. Costello had shared a version of the song on Dec. 31 containing the lyrics: "Farewell, OK/ You'll be on way/ You'll be on your own now/ Much to my dismay" and "I can't go on/ After what you've done." However these lyrics do not appear to feature, or are at least not obviously discernible, on the "Farewell, OK 2020" version shared by Costello on Jan. 1. Judging by broken video links, the original version has now been wiped from record with no explanation as to why. Costello released his 31st studio album, Hey Clockface, in Oct. 2020. - NME, 1/2/21...... It was announced on Jan. 5 that Grammy Award-winning British songwriter Geoff Stephens passed away after a battle with pneumonia on Dec. 24. He was 86. Born in 1934 in London, Stephens kicked off his songwriting career in musical theatre, before eventually moving into pop music. He made his big break in the pop world with his 1964 single for The Applejacks, "Tell Me When," co-written with Les Reed, which landed in the UK Top Ten. One of his most notable successes, however, was when he formed The New Vaudeville Band to record his song "Winchester Cathedral." The song went on to earn him a Grammy Award in 1967 for Best Contemporary (R&R) Recording. The track was subsequently covered by Frank Sinatra. Stephens also wrote "There's a Kind of Hush" for The New Vaudeville Band, which was later covered by Herman's Hermits and The Carpenters in later years. In addition to his group, Stephens also wrote or co-wrote successful songs for other high-profile artists including Tom Jones ('Daughter of Darkness'), Elvis Presley ("Heart of Rome") and The Hollies ("Sorry Suzanne"). Upon hearing of his death, fellow lyricist Sir Tim Rice celebrated Stephens' life on Twitter, describing him as a "major talent and lovely chap." - NME, 1/5/21...... 
English pop singer/composer Gerry Marsden, the frontman of the British '60s Invasion band Gerry and the Pacemakers, died on Jan. 3 after a short illness related to a heart infection. He was 78. Marsden's friend Pete Price announced the news on Instagram after speaking to Marsden's family. "I'm sending all the love in the world to (his wife) Pauline and his family," Price said. "You'll Never Walk Alone," referring to how Marsden turned a song from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Carousel" into one of the great anthems of soccer. Marsden was the lead singer of Gerry and the Pacemakers, who found fame in the Merseybeat scene in the 1960s. Though another Liverpool band -- the Beatles -- reached superstardom, Gerry and the Pacemakers will always have a place in the city's consciousness because of "You'll Never Walk Alone". "I thought what a beautiful song. I'm going to tell my band we're going to play that song," Marsden told the Associated Press in 2018 when recalling the first time he heard the song at the cinema. "So I went back and told my buddies we're doing a ballad called 'You'll Never Walk Alone.'" The Pacemakers' cover version was released in Oct. 1963 and became the band's third No. 1 hit on the British singles chart. It was adopted by fans of the soccer club Liverpool and is sung with spine-tingling passion before each home game of the 19-time English champion -- before coronavirus restrictions have meant that many matches have been played in empty stadiums. In 1962, Beatles manager Brian Epstein signed up the band and their first three releases reached No. 1 in 1963 -- "How Do You Do It?" and "I Like It" as well as "You'll Never Walk Alone." Later hits included "Ferry Cross the Mersey," and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying." The group split in 1967 and Marsden pursued a solo career before reforming the bank a few years later. Frankie Goes To Hollywood singer Holly Johnson, who is from Liverpool and covered "Ferry Across The Mersey" tweeted that Marsden was a "Liverpool legend." The Cavern Club in Liverpool, the music venue which was the venue for many of the Beatles' early gigs, described Marsden as a "legend" and a "very good friend." Beatles legend Paul McCartney tweeted that Gerry was "a mate from our early days in Liverpool." "He and his group were our biggest rivals on the local scene. His unforgettable performances of You'll Never Walk Alone and Ferry Cross the Mersey remain in many people's hearts as reminders of a joyful time in British music. My sympathies go to his wife Pauline and family. See ya, Gerry. I'll always remember you with a smile," McCartney added. Marsden is survived by his wife Pauline, whom he married in 1965, and two daughters. - AP, 1/3/21...... Former Mott the Hoople keyboardist Mick Bolton passed away in the early hours of Jan. 1 of as yet undisclosed causes. He was 72. Bolton pursued his passion for music in the late 1960s, joining his first band, White Myth, in 1969, but left in 1971 to become a member of blues group Blind Eye, a support act for the likes of Slade, Queen, and Supertramp. In 1973, he auditioned to play piano for glam rockers Mott The Hoople, but missed out on the gig when Morgan Fisher was hired. Instead, Bolton was invited to play the Hammond organ, touring the U.S. with support from REO Speedwagon and Joe Walsh, and later hitting the road around the U.K., with Queen as their opening act. Bolton bowed out of the group in late 1973, and later briefly joined pop group Dexys Midnight Runners from 1985 to 1986. He also taught Linda McCartney how to play the keyboard, and co-wrote her song "Endless Days", which featured on her posthumous compilation album Wide Prairie in 1998. "One of the sweetest of men, and a fine musician. Sorry I have no more information yet other than he passed away suddenly in his sleep, earlier today. Our hearts go out to his wife Carol, his son, and all friends and family," Morgan Fisher posted on Facebook. - WENN/Canoe.com, 1/2/21...... 
Actress Tanya Roberts, best known for roles in the James Bond film A View to a Kill and the TV series Charlie's Angels and That '70s Show, died on the evening of Jan. 4 in Los Angeles, a day after her publicist mistakenly announced her death. She was 65. Roberts died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she had been hospitalized since Christmas Eve after collapsing in her home, her partner Lance O'Brien told The New York Times and TMZ.com. Her spokesperson, Mike Pingel, said her death was from "a urinary tract infection, which spread to her kidney, gallbladder, liver and then bloodstream." Roberts appeared in various TV pilots, series and cult films before going on to star in the fifth season of ABC's Charlie's Angels. She joined Cheryl Ladd and Jaclyn Smith as Julie Rogers, a character that replaced Shelley Hack's Tiffany Welles. Roberts then starred in the film The Beastmaster and other projects before landing the role as Bond girl Stacey Sutton in 1985's A View to a Kill, opposite Roger Moore's Agent 007. Roberts is also known for playing Midge Pinciotti, the mother of Laura Prepon's Donna, on That 70's Show from 1998 to 2004. Her other TV credits include The Love Boat, Silk Stalkings, Fantasy Island and The Blues Brothers Animated Series. She most recently appeared on television in Showtime's Barbershop: The Series in 2005. The actress, who is survived by her partner Lance O'Brien, was married to Barry Roberts from 1974 until his death in 2006. She had been hosting a series of live chats with fans during the Covid-19 pandemic up until her death. - Deadline.com, 1/3/21.
Patti Smith took over London's Piccadilly Circus billboards on New Year's Eve as part of a virtual performance that was streamed around the world on the YouTube channel of digital art platform Circa. The punk poetess paid tribute to Britain's NHS and healthcare workers who have died from COVID-19 in 2020. "It's just so sad when we lose people who work so hard to rebuild our world," Smith told the UK paper The Guardian. She also read a new poem dedicated to the environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg, who will turn 18 in January. Thunberg first came to global prominence in 2018, after her first United Nations address warning of the dangers of global warming. Smith also shared her feelings about outgoing U.S. president Donald Trump and how she felt relieved about the victory of former vice-president Joe Biden and his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris. "It's been a terrible atmosphere to live in," Smith said of Trump's tenure. "You try to do your work and not let [politics] permeate your consciousness daily but it does. It's very insidious." Going on to note that she's about the same age as 74-year-old Trump, Smith added: "I have encountered him in New York through the years and found him a horrible, narcissistic person and just a bad businessman. I've seen the debris of his deals." - NME, 12/29/20...... Appearing in a new documentary about Scottish soccer star Denis Law, Rod Stewart revealed he once conned his way out of massive hotel phone bills by convincing staff they must have made a mistake. Stewart recalled one phone bill he was handed as he checked out of a U.S. hotel in late 1973 during his tenure with the Faces. "To get to the 1974 World Cup in Germany, we had to beat Czechoslovakia," Stewart, 75, recalled. "This was another game I didn't see, because I was working with the Faces, but I remember it like it was yesterday... I used to phone up, and my dad would put the phone by the television and I would listen for the whole game," he went on, adding: "Then they would send me a bill for hundreds of quid (pounds)." He continued: "I would say, 'What person in his right mind would be on a phone call for 90-odd minutes?' and they would say, 'Oh, yes, I suppose it is a mistake, Mr. Stewart', and I would get a bill for 10 quid." Stewart proved to be the Scottish team's good luck charm in 1973 -- they beat Czechoslovakia and made it to the 1974 World Cup, but despite only giving up a goal in the first round in a 1-1 draw with Yugoslavia, they didn't move on. - Music-News.com, 12/31/20...... 
Elton John has made an appearance on the first episode of Prince Harry and Megan Markle's new podcast, Archewell Audio. The royal couple launched their streaming service in the final week of 2020, and their first episode sees them reflecting on the events of 2020 alongside "a few friends and a lot of other folks" that the pair "admire," aiming to "get their thoughts on what they learned from 2020." In his segment, Elton alled 2020 "the worst year I've ever known," while hoping that the pandemic means "that we have become better people" and shared a "hope for healing" in the following years. The first episode can be streamed on 
Elton's former touring co-headliner Billy Joel took to Instagram on Dec. 29 to share a video clip of his 5-year-old daughter Della belting out "Happy Birthday" to her singer sister Alexa Ray Joel in honor of her 35th birthday, proving she, too, has the potential to follow in her family's showbiz footsteps. Joel captioned the video "Happy Birthday to our big sister @alexarayjoel. You have been singing us lullabies since we were born. We are so excited to finally get to sing to you on your birthday. We love you more than words can say!," and the message was signed from Della and her 3-year-old sister Remy, who Joel shares with his wife of five years, Alexis Roderick. Responding to the sweet surprise, the birthday girl replied, "Aww My Little Diva...! love you rosebud, thanks for serenading me." Joel shares Alexa Ray with his second wife, Christie Brinkley, with whom he was married from 1985 to 1994, and before tying the knot with the model, the music icon was wed to Elizabeth Weber from 1973 to 1982. The 71-year-old Piano Man also posted a clip of his young daughters sweetly dancing to Taylor Swift's hit "You Need to Calm Down." "Merry Christmas from the Joels. Billy, Alexis, Della and Remy," he wrote. "Rockin' Out to @taylorswift on Christmas morning." - Music-News.com, 12/31/20...... Alice Cooper and Guns 'N Roses guitarist Slash are among some of the biggest rock stars to appear in the trailer for forthcoming documentary film Rock Camp, which documents the famous "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp" which for more than two decades has given people the chance to jam with and learn from rock stars. Started by producer David Fishof in 1996, the camp sees the rockers teach and inspire campers over the course of four days, concluding with attendees and counsellors performing alongside one another in a huge concert. In the trailer for Rock Camp, former camp counsellor Cooper can be seen giving an interview in which he reflects on the people and the nature of the camp, saying, "You would have a 15-year-old kid playing drums, and a dentist on guitar. If this band were a real band it would be the weirdest band ever, but cool!" The film chronicles the experiences of four campers as they learn to perform from some of rock's greatest artists, and its trailer has been shared on 
1960s hitmaker Petula Clark says she's not happy that the man responsible for the Christmas morning explosion in downtown Nashville, Tenn., played her No. 1 1964 hit 
Alto Reed, the longtime saxophonist for Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, died on Dec. 30 after a long battle with colon cancer. He was 72. Born Thomas Neal Cartmell on May 16, 1948, the gifted Detroit musician began playing with Seger in 1971 before joining the Silver Bullet Band three years later. He's widely recognized for his saxophone solo in "Turn the Page" from the band's Back in '72 album, and "Old Time Rock and Roll" from 
Actress Dawn Wells, best known for parlaying her girl-next-door charm and wholesome beauty into enduring TV fame as the sweet-natured desert island castaway Mary Ann on the classic 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island, died on Dec. 30 after losing a battle with COVID-19. She was 82. Born in Reno, Nev. on Oct. 18, 1938, Wells studied theater at the University of Washington, and headed to Hollywood after her beauty pageant success. Wells beat out several actresses including 60s bombshell Raquel Welch for her role in Gilligan's Island, in which she played Kansas farm girl Mary Ann Summers, one of seven castaways stranded after their boat, the S.S. Minnow, became battered in a storm during what was supposed to be a three-hour tour from Hawaii. The series ran for three seasons from 1964-1967 and its 98 episodes invariably involved their efforts in vain to get off the island, even as a parade of guest stars dropped in and had no trouble getting out. The show, which also starred Bob Denver as the zany Gilligan, Alan Hale Jr. as "The Skipper," Jim Backus as millionaire Thurston Howell III, Natalie Schafer as his posh wife, Russell Johnson as "The Professor," and Tina Louise as movie star Ginger, drew the wrath of critics but its innocent fun caught on with viewers at a time of tumult in America after the assassination of a president and during the rise of the civil rights movement and the escalation of the Vietnam War. Wells, playing a cheerful brunette Midwestern farm girl, appeared in the series wearing short shorts, midriff tops and pigtails. Louise, playing a buxom red-headed sensation akin to Marilyn Monroe, wore slinky, form-fitting dresses. The two inspired what became an enduring pop culture question for men: "Ginger or Mary Ann?" In an interview with Forbes magazine, Wells said she was paid $750 for her work on the show and "didn't really get a dime" in residuals, adding, "Sherwood Schwartz, our producer, reportedly made $90 million on the reruns alone." Like some of her co-stars, she suffered from typecasting in Hollywood in the years after the series ended, appearing in TV guest spots and stage work before taking roles in B-movies. Wells also appeared in three made-for-TV movies based on the Gilligan's Island concept, and lent her voice to the animated Gilligan's Planet (1982) in which the castaways become stranded on a far-away planet. She also capitalized on her fame by writing, Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook, and later, for the 50th anniversary of the series in 2014, the book, What Would Mary Ann Do? A Guide to Life. Following her death, Tina Louise, who at age 86 is now the sole survivor of the cast members, said in a statement to CNN: "I was sad to learn of Dawn's passing, I will always remember her kindness to me. We shared in creating a cultural landmark that has continued to bring comfort and smiles to people during this difficult time. I hope that people will remember her the way that I do -- always with a smile on her face." - WENN/Canoe.com, 12/30/20.
A coffee company known as Dead Sled Coffee announced on 
The famous and sometimes infamous Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, Calif., near Santa Barbara that once belonged to Michael Jackson has sold to a billionaire for $22 million (£16m), which is $78 million (£57m) less than its 2016 asking price. Ronald Burkle, a billionaire businessman specializing in the mergers and acquisitions of American supermarkets, paid $22 million for the 2,700-acre property according to the Wall Street Journal, a significantly less amount than previous asking prices for the ranch which was first put up for sale for $100 million (£73m) in 2016. A year later, its price had dropped to $67 million (£49m), then the following year, the asking price had fallen even further to $31 million (£22m). The buyer reportedly views Neverland as a "land banking opportunity, having chosen not to open up a new branch of the private members club Soho House, of which is is the majority shareholder, near an adjoining lake to the ranch. Jackson purchased the property in 1988 for $19.5 million (£15m), naming it "Neverland" after the magical kingdom in Peter Pan, and turning it into his own private amusement park, building three ailroads on the property, an electric train with 100 feet of track, and a ferris wheel. Other highlights included a pirate ship, a roller coaster, bumper cars and an arcade. When Jackson died in 2009, rides and many of the exotic animals that lived on the ranch were removed. - Independent.co.uk, 12/25/20...... Speaking in his new The Public Image Is Rotten documentary, John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) says during his Sex Pistols days he was terrified of falling asleep and then not being able to remember anything when he woke up the next day after losing his memory after a serious case of meningitis when he was just seven-years-old. "There was just too much temptation. There was a lot of that cocaine floating around which can screw up a lot of things. That was a hard one to walk away from," Lyon said. "For me, it's things that keep me awake which are the things I'm interested in. The longer I'm awake the less chance of waking up from a sleep not knowing who I am. I never, ever want to go through that period of being in the hospital and not knowing who I was again," he added. Lydon has previously shared how he is now a full-time caretaker for his wife who is afficted with dementia. "Nora has Alzheimer' ... I am her full-time carer and I won't let anyone mess up with her head. For me the real person is still there. That person I love is still there every minute of every day and that is my life. It's unfortunate that she forgets things, well, don't we all?," he said. - Music-News.com, 12/23/20...... Seventies New Wave pioneers Talking Heads are among the acts tapped to receive a special Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2021 Grammys. The Recording Academy announced its 2021 Special Merit Awards on Dec. 22, with other Lifetime Achievement honorees to include Salt-N-Pepa, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Lionel Hampton, Marilyn Horne and Selena. The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards takes place on Jan. 31, 2021, with details on exactly how it will be presented in the coronavirus era to be announced soon. - NME, 12/22/20...... 
In the fourth week of December Neil Diamond shared a new "global singalong" video for his beloved hit "Sweet Caroline" on 
Leslie West, the singer and guitarist for Mountain who were among the acts to play the legendary Woodstock festival in 1969, died on Dec. 23 after a brief illness. He was 75. West's brother Larry West Weinstein had shared news of his brother's rapidly declining health in a Facebook post on Dec. 20. "I am asking for all your prayers. Jenni [Leslie's wife] is by his side in Florida but it's not looking good. Thanks Jenni, he wouldn't have made it this far without you. His heart gave out and he's on a ventilator. May not make it through the night," Weinstein posted. West reportedly entered cardiac arrest on Dec. 21 and was rushed to a hospital near his home in Daytona, Fla. He reportedly did not regain consciousness. Born Leslie Weinstein in Queens, N.Y., on Oct. 22, 1945, West founded Mountain in 1969, alongside Cream associate and producer Felix Pappalardi, N.D. Smart and Steve Knight. Mountain are perhaps best known for their Southern-rock hit "Mississippi Queen," co-written by West, which appeared on Mountain's 1970 debut album, Climbing!. The song was the group's biggest chart hit in the U.S., peaking at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. More recently "Mississippi Queen" was covered by Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin as part of their "Hanukkah Cover Song Series," which celebrated the religious holiday by paying tribute to Jewish artists. Mountain also had the distinguished honour of performing at Woodstock in 1969. In one of their earliest appearances as a band, the group joined a legendary lineup which featured Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Janis Joplin and more. "Woodstock was just our third job, and it was quite a thrill," West once told Rolling Stone magazine. "Mountain got on the show because our booking agent also handled Jimi Hendrix... I think I had the most amplifiers of anybody there. It was paralyzing because that stage, that setting, was some kind of natural amphitheater. The sound was so loud and shocking that I got scared. But once I started playing, I just kept going because I was afraid to stop." 
Although Mountain's 11-song set went unrepresented in the original film documentary and soundtrack album, it did figure into the Woodstock II album and the extended home-video cut of the movie. Mountain disbanded for the first time in 1972, before reforming periodically in the years that followed. During one of Mountain's hiatuses, West formed a supergroup with Cream bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Corky Laing called West, Bruce and Laing. West was often cited as one of the all-time great rock guitarists, but he downplayed his ability in a 1987 interview with Guitar World magazine. "I'm no great guitarist technically," he said. "I only play with these two fingers [index and ring]. But you wanna know why people remember me? If you take a hundred players and put them in a room, 98 or 99 of 'em are gonna sound the same; the one who plays different, has some of his own, that's the one you're gonna remember." West had appeared almost unrecognizably thin in recent years, after being big enough at the outset of Mountain's career that the band was said to have been named after his hefty size. He even named his second solo album in 1975 The Great Fatsby. In 2011, he had part of his right leg amputated as a result of complications from type II diabetes. "I lost my leg, but at least it wasn't one of my arms," West said in a 2016 interview. "Otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation right now." The last studio album under the Mountain name, Masters of War, which consisted of Bob Dylan covers, was released in 2007. West continued doing live shows under his own name as recently as the fall of 2019, and also became known to new generations via his appearances on Howard Stern's radio show. Paul Stanley, Tom Morello, Slash and Twisted Sister's Dee Snider are among those to have paid tribute to West following news of his passing. "So very sad. Leslie's tone could stop a rhino in a full charge. Mountain sound was massive. Leslie was a warm and lovely guy. Sad," Paul Stanley 
A San Diego-based indie brewing company named Duckfoot Brewery Co. has teamed up with the estate of Frank Zappa to create a new tribute beer, hilariously named "Why Does It Hurt When IPA?," a play on the 1979 Zappa Joe's Garage track "Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?" Described as containing "notes of passion fruit, spice and the rocker's favorite, grapefruit," Why Does It Hurt When IPA? features never-before-published photos of Frank on the cans and was launched on Dec. 21 to mark Zappa's birthday. Duckfoot's co-founder, Matt DelVecchio, says he's a Zappa fan from childhood and also a longtime friend of a member of the Zappa Plays Zappa touring band fronted by Frank's son, Ahmet Zappa. "Stay home, be safe and enjoy Why Does It Hurt When IPA? responsibly," Ahmet said in a press release. "All the Zappa Trust proceeds from this batch will go to support the music community in need. Music is the Best!," he added. U.S. residents can purchase the beer at ZappaBrew.com. - Billboard, 12/21/20...... As he embarks on a promotional campaign for his new album 
Soul singer Al Green has just released his first new recording in a decade, a cover of Freddy Fender's 1975 hit 
As Keith Richards celebrated his 77th birthday on Dec. 18, the Rolling Stones frontman has been honoured with a cockroach named after. Officials at the Children's Museum in West Hartford, Conn. have decided to name a Madagascar hissing cockroach after the Rolling Stones icon -- and have even given the insect its very own custom miniature guitar to crawl all over. The news was revealed to acknowledge the fact that both Keith Richards and cockroaches have great survival rates, according to the celebrity gossip site TMZ. "Keith the Cockroach" has been adopted by Denver, Colorado's classic rock radio station 103.5 The Fox, although it will permanently remain at the museum's wildlife sanctuary -- not far from the town of Weston, where Richards has a home -- and it will be cared for by staff at the museum, noting that "all of his rider demands will be met" thanks to a generous contribution from 103.5 The Fox. "It is said the only two things to survive a nuclear war would be cockroaches and Keith Richards," the museum wrote in a press release. "Chances are the real Keith will outlive the newly named, oval-shaped invertebrate whose life span is two to five years," it added. The museum said it was inspired to name the nightcrawler after Richards, who himself has notoriously cheated death on several occasions, including when he fell out of a coconut tree in 2006, and in 1978, when someone laced his dope with strychnine, which landed him in a coma. Stones fans can visit Keith the Cockroach by getting tickets on the website of the Children's Museum in West Hartford. Admission is $8 for both adults and children. - The New York Post, 12/18/20...... Ozzy Osbourne is reportedly "about halfway through" his next studio album, according to producer/guitarist Andrew Watt, and it includes contributions from members of Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Metallica. The new band, Watt explained in a new interview, features Ozzy on vocals, himself on guitar, Metallica's Robert Trujillo on bass, and Taylor Hawkins and Chad Smith sharing drumming duties. "There's a bunch of people involved," Watt told Guitar World magazine. "I can't say for sure until the end, but I started doing a bunch of basic tracks with Chad and Robert Trujillo, who used to play in Ozzy's band. Osbourne released his well-received last studio album, Ordinary Man, earlier in 2020, just before the pandemic hit. - NME, 12/18/20...... John Prine has been honoured posthumously with an Artist of the Year prize at the 19th annual Americana Honors and Awards. Prine, a 2003 Americana Lifetime Achievement Award winner, becomes the first artist in Honors & Awards history to be posthumously nominated in this category. There will be no in-person awards ceremony this year due to the COVID crisis and the winners were announced via social media on Dec. 15. Prine lost his battle with the coronavirus in April. - WENN/Canoe.com, 12/15/20...... Actor Jeremy Bulloch, best known for playing Boba Fett in the original 
British '60s pop singer Chad Stuart, one half of '60s hitmaking folk-pop duo Chad & Jeremy, has died at age 79, according to a post on the duo's Facebook page on Dec. 20. Born David Stuart Chadwick, Stuart met Jeremy Clyde at London's Central School For Speech and Drama, and the pair started performing together as a folk duo in the early '60s. After briefly attempting a side rock band and separating after graduation, they reassembled as Chad & Jeremy -- both members singing and playing guitar -- and released their debut single, the upbeat-but-melancholy "Yesterday's Gone," in 1963. The song became a No. 37 hit in their home country, but was more successful on U.S. shores, where it peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100, as part of a growing wave of popular post-Beatles U.K. acts collectively known as the British Invasion. The group would score two more Stateside hits off their eventual 1964 album, also titled Yesterday's Gone: "A Summer Song" (No. 7) and "Willow Weep For Me" (No. 15). Stuart continued to find work in entertainment after Chad & Jeremy's split in 1968, becoming the musical director for The Smothers Brothers' variety TV show, and later working as a staff producer for A&M Records. Chad & Jeremy informally reunited in the late '70s, and eventually began to record and tour again, releasing the Chad Stuart & Jeremy Clyde album in 1983. They separated again from 1987 to 2002, but resumed touring for much of the 21st century, playing at a number of '60s and British Invasion-themed gigs and on such package tours, before Stuart officially retired to Sun Valley, Idaho in the late '10s. "He just loves being at home and puttering about," Clyde said about Stuart in 2019. "He has a shed and he does all sorts of woodwork, and feeds the birds and watches and identifies them, and has a lovely time." According to the Facebook post, Stuart contracted pneumonia in the fall, after having been admitted to the hospital for non-COVID-related reasons. "The family would like to thank his fans from around the world for the outpouring of birthday wishes and gifts he received every year," his family noted. "Chad took the time to read each and every card. The world has lost a legend today, but his voice will continue to touch our lives through his music," they added. - Billboard, 12/21/20...... Country star K.T. Oslin, a three-time Grammy-winning country singer and songwriter, died on Dec. 21 after battling Parkinson's Disease and being diagnosed with COVID-19 the previous week. She was 78. The Crosssett, Ark., native won a trio of Grammys in the late 1980s for her songs "80s Ladies" and "Hold Me." She took home best country vocal performance by a female for "80s Ladies" in 1988, then won the same award and best country song for "Hold Me" in 1989. The singer-songwriter also topped the charts with her 1990 song "Come Next Monday." At the Country Music Association awards, Oslin was named the 1988 female vocalist of the year, and "80s Ladies" earned the song of the year award. It was the first time a female songwriter took home the prestigious honour. Oslin would go on to influence several of today's songwriters, including Grammy-nominated country music singer Brandy Clark, who remembered her in a Twitter thread as "Larger than life, smart, funny, elegant, beautiful...the list could go on and on." - Variety.com, 12/21/20.