The new Elvis Presley biopic Elvis has the latest Billboard charts all shook up. Its multi-artist soundtrack -- led by Presley -- makes a splash on a number of rankings, including a chart-topping bow on Billboard's Soundtracks tally. Meanwhile, Presley's 2002 hits compilation Elvis: 30 #1 Hits returns to the top 40 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for the first time in 19 years. Plus, the King of Rock & Roll's catalog of songs posted a 67% increase in on-demand official streams in the U.S. in the week ending June 30 (growing to 27.04 million), according to Luminate. His most-streamed song of the week was "Can't Help Falling in Love." Additionally, Doja Cat's contribution to the Elvis soundtrack, "Vegas," moves up a number of tallies. It hits the top 40 for the first time on both the Billboard Global 200 and the U.S.-based Billboard Hot 100 and reaches the top 10 on Hot Rap Songs. The song, which interpolates Presley's classic "Hound Dog," is being promoted to pop radio by RCA as of July 11. It gained by 68% in plays on stations that report to Billboard's Pop Airplay chart, where it's so far bubbling under, in the June 27-July 3 tracking week. - Billboard, 7/6/22...... 
Carlos Santana is reportedly "doing well" after collapsing onstage at Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Mich., a Detroit area outdoor ampitheater, on July 5. The following day Santana's manager released a statement that night that the 74-year-old guitar great was recovering. "Carlos is doing well and is anxious to be back on stage soon. He just needs rest," said Michael Vrionis of Universal Tone Management. "Santana profoundly regrets these postponements of his upcoming performances; but, his health is our number one concern. He is looking forward to seeing all of his fans very soon," he added. On July 8, Vrionis announced on Twitter that Santana will postpone his next six concerts as he continues to recover. "I regret to inform you that the Santana band has postponed tonight's show at Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, Ind.," the statement by Vrionis begins. "And, we are postponing the July 9 show at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, Oh.; July 10 at American Family Insurance Amphitheater - Summerfest Grounds in Milwaukee, Wisc.; July 12 at Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion in Rogers, Ark.; July 15 at Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas, Tex.; July 16 at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Woodlands, Tex.. Doctors have recommended that Mr. Santana gets rest to recuperate fully." Santana is on the road with his co-headlining tour with Earth, Wind & Fire, the "Micraculous Supernatural 2022" in support of his latest album, 2021's Blessings and Miracles. - Billboard, 7/8/22...... Bob Dylan's new studio recording of his classic 1963 track "Blowin' in the Wind" has sold for an impressive £1,482,000 ($1,769,508) at auction during Christie's London's "Classic Week." That amount exceeded expectations going into the July 7 auction -- known as "The Exceptional Sale" -- with initial estimates projecting it would go for between £600,000 and £1,000,000 ($720,000 and $1.2 million). The new "Blowin'" was recorded last year during a special session with veteran producer T Bone Burnett using the producer's patented Ionic Original disc format (from Burnett's NeoFidelity Inc.). According to a press release announcing the sale, the format delivers higher-quality audio than a typical vinyl record as well as "foreign particle resistance, durability, excellent signal-to-noise ratio, longevity [and] portability." Ionic Originals discs are playable on widely-available vinyl playback equipment. Only a single copy of the recording, the first to be recorded on an Ionic Original disc, is being offered for public sale. The original studio version of "Blowin' in the Wind" was recorded in July 1962. In April, Burnett revealed he had been in the studio with Dylan to re-record some of rock bard's most famous songs, and "Blowin' in the Wind" is the first of these re-recordings to be released. The auction coincides with Dylan's 60th anniversary as a recording artist. Ahead of the sale, Christie's offered exclusive in-person chances to listen to the new version of the song in Los Angeles, New York and London. - Billboard, 7/7/22...... Ozzy Osbourne's new single "Patient Number 9" has debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Hard Rock Songs chart for the week ending June 30. "Patient," which features guitar legend Jeff Beck, earned 2.2 million radio audience impressions, 1.4 million official U.S. streams and 1,800 downloads sold, according to Luminate. Concurrently, "Patient" achieves debuts of Nos. 17 and 22 on Hot Rock Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, respectively. "Patient" also vaulted from No. 20 to No. 9 on the plays-based Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, becoming Osbourne's 20th top 10 as a solo artist and his first since "Ordinary Man" (No. 7, May 2020). Ozzy's new album, Patient Number 9, will hit stores in early September with an A-list cast of contributors including Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Tony Iommi and Zakk Wylde. - Billboard, 7/7/22...... To help promote their upcoming box set Blondie: Against the Odds 1974-1982, Blondie have shared a previously unheard demo version of "Go Through It," formerly known as "I Love You Honey, Give Me A Beer," which is featured on the new release. The demo has frontwoman Debbie Harry singing different lyrics to the version that was released on the band's fifth album Autoamerican (1980). "Go Through It" also features mariachi horns, unlike the demo, and was rumoured to have been written to be included on the soundtrack for the 1980 movie Roadie. Against the Odds is set to arrive on Aug. 26 via UMC and The Numero Group, boasting 124 tracks -- 36 of which were previously unreleased -- alongside remasters of original analog tapes that were cut to vinyl at London's famous Abbey Road Studios. The Super Deluxe Collectors' Edition contains Blondie's first six studio albums, as well as bonus tracks including a previously unheard recording of "Moonlight Drive," which has been shared on YouTube. For nearly two decades the bulk of Blondie's audio and visual archive sat inside guitarist Stein's barn outside Woodstock, New York. Now, the work has been collated into the band's first official box set. Debbie Harry said in a statement she was "excited about this special collection... When I listen to these old tracks, it puts me there like I am a time traveler. As bad as it was sometimes, it was also equally as good. No regrets. More music." - NME, 7/7/22....... 
A Steve Perry-fronted Journey track, "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)," has been remixed for the soundtrack of season four of the popular Netflix series Stranger Things. The music featured on the latest soundtrack, which also includes The Beach Boys, Talking Heads, KISS, Metallica and James Taylor among others, has become as hyped as the series itself, as shown in the popularity surge of Kate Bush's 1985 track, "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)." Nora Felder, music supervisor of the series, has remarked about how a "meaningful, timeless (song's significance) can be revived and reconceived when it is married to a remarkable story such as Stranger Things." The Bryce Miller and Alloy Tracks remixed version of "Separate Ways," has been shared on YouTube, and the 22-track Stranger Things - Season 4 Soundtrack will drop on Sept. 9. - Billboard, 7/7/22....... Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang Van Halen and his girlfriend Andraia Allsop have announced their engagement via Instagram. Van Halen, 31, posted "She said yes!!," captioning a smiling photo alongside his new fiancée, whom he has been dating since 2015. A sparkling ring is seen on Allsop's hand, which she is sweetly resting on Wolf's face. Allsop is a software engineer, according to her private social media, but is also a photographer and often shares onstage photos of Wolf to her photography Instagram page. Eddie's mom, actress Valerie Bertinelli, replied to the post on Twitter, saying "So happy!!! It's nice to have some good news in this godforsaken world." The engagement comes just two months before Wolfgang is set to fly to London, where he will be taking part in a tribute show for the late Taylor Hawkins at Wembley Stadium on Sept. 3, joining a star-studded cast of performers that include Brian May, Roger Taylor, Geddy Lee, Liam Gallagher, Chrissie Hynde and Stewart Copeland. - Billboard, 7/6/22...... Bette Midler has come under fire on social media after tweeting about the "erasure" of women in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, comments some people have found to be transphobic. On July 3, in what appeared to be a reference to the Roe news, the diva tweeted, "WOMEN OF THE WORLD! We are being stripped of our rights over our bodies, our lives and even of our name! They don't call us 'women' anymore; they call us 'birthing people' or 'menstruators', and even 'people with vaginas'! Don't let them erase you! Every human on earth owes you!" The tweet set off a storm of controversy, garnering more than 20,000 replies, a significant number of them criticizing Midler for using language that some consider anti-trans as it excluded trans people who need abortion care. The more extreme reaction saw some users accuse Midler of being a "TERF," or trans exclusionary reactionary feminist, an epithet that has been used against Harry Potter authoress J.K. Rowling. Some even floated the idea of boycotting the upcoming Hocus Pocus sequel on Disney+, in which Midler reprises her role as Winifred. On July 5, in an attempt to provide context to her original tweet, Midler shared a New York Times opinion piece by Pamela Paul on her Twitter account. Paul's piece argued that "the far right and the far left have found the one thing they can agree on: Women don't count." - The Hollywood Reporter, 7/6/22...... Paul McCartney may be way past 64, but we still need him. To celebrate Sir Paul's 80th birthday in June, photographer Harry Benson has pulled together Paul, a trove of charming, intimate shots of the former Beatle and his family that hits stores on July 26. The shutterbug's relationship with Paul and the other Beatles dates back to 1964, when the band took America by storm, toured the world, and made their movie debut in A Hard Day's Night. - People, 7/4/22...... 
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Fleetwood Mac singer Christine McVie said she would "always want Lindsey Buckingham back" in the band if the classic Rumours line-up ever toured again. However McVie, 78, added she doubts it's likely that herself, Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Stevie Nicks will get back together for one final run. "Personally, I'd love to think it could happen. But honestly, I really can't see it happening. I don't know. I've been wrong before," McVie said. On whether she would rehire Buckingham, who was fired from the band in 2018, she replied: "I'd always want Lindsey back. He's the best." Mick Fleetwood recently admitted he hopes the Rumours line-up can "make music" again after reconciling in 2021. "That's not saying goodbye to [Buckingham's replacements] Mike Campbell or Neil Finn, we don't behave like that, but something connective," Fleetwood said. He added: "I've really enjoyed being re-connected with Lindsey, which has been gracious and open. And both of us have been beautifully honest about who we are and how we got to where we were." - Music-News.com, 7/9/22...... Soul singer P.P. Arnold has opened up about a dark period in her career in her new memoir Soul Survivor, in which she claims that Ike & Tina Turner Revue bandleader Ike Turner raped her while she was part of his and former wife Tina Turner's band. According to the U.K. paper The Telegraph, Arnold joined the Turner's band in 1965 for a one-year stint during which she performed live and sang backing vocals on Ike-produced songs on the duo's 1966 River Deep, Mountain High album. "What can I say? It was awful. I despised Ike on that level, but I didn't know how to express myself," the 75-year-old Arnold said of the incident she claimed found Ike Turner trapping her in a hotel room before the alleged sexual assault that she had not previously revealed. Turner, who was accused of sexual and physical assault by ex Tina Turner, died at age 76 in December 2007 of a cocaine overdose. "I was told Tina wanted to get rid of me because Ike was after me. If I had run to Tina or called my parents, it would have meant I would have [had] to come home." Arnold said she also was afraid to go home out of fear of further violence at the hands of her then-husband, who she described as having a "deep anger." She left the band in 1966 at the suggestion of Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger and stayed on in London to record her 1967 debut, The First Lady of Immediate and the following year's Kafunta. Though not as well-known in the U.S., Arnold established a solid career in the U.K. in the 1960s, which included a 1967 cover of Cat Stevens' "The First Cut in the Deepest," followed-up in 1968 with a cover of "Angel of the Morning" produced by Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. Elsewhere in the memoir, Arnold touches on her friendship with Jimi Hendrix and romances with Small Faces singer Steve Marriott and Rod Stewart. - Billboard, 7/5/22...... Roxy Music announced on Twitter on July 5 that their 2001 greatest hits album, The Best of Roxy Music, will be released on vinyl for the first time on Sept. 2 via Virgin/UMC. The 18-track collection will arrive on 2-LP 180-gram black vinyl and includes classic singles such as "More Than This" (1982), "Over You" (1980) "Angel Eyes'" (1979) and the Bryan Ferry-fronted group's 1981 cover of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy." The LP will be released ahead of Roxy Music's first UK shows in over a decade, which are due to take place in October. The concerts will mark the 50th anniversary of the band's self-titled debut album. Ferry and co. are also reissuing all eight of their studio albums over the course of 2022. - NME, 7/5/22...... 
KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons is claiming the band will take their extended farewell tour to 100 more cities worldwide. KISS announced in 2018 that they would embark on one massive final tour, before hanging up their iconic costumes. In a recent interview, Simmons said the legendary shock-rockers were retiring out of "self-respect" and because of the "love" for their fans. Simmons was then asked in a recent interview with Chaoszine.com, which has been shared on YouTube, when he envisions the tour ending. "We don't know. We've never retired before. This is our first time. It's like painting a painting or writing a book. When somebody says, 'When is it gonna be finished?' You're in the middle of it; you don't know," Simmons said. Of the scope of the additional dates, he went on: "The crew is happy. Everybody's happy. So we've decided to add another 100 cities before we stop. I don't know how long that's gonna take." After slots in Europe and Australia this summer -- including a headline slot at this year's Download Festival in the UK -- the band will return to North America at the end of 2022 for a few more festivals, which is everything they have officially left on the schedule. They also plan to reschedule their Las Vegas residency, which was cancelled in late 2021. - NME, 7/5/22...... Def Leppard has said in a new interview that they weren't planning to release another album until the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020. Def Leppard returned with their first album in almost seven years in May, Diamond Star Halos, but frontman Joe Elliott admits it was only because they had nothing else to do amid the Covid-19 crisis that they decided to make a record remotely. "We didn't set out to make an album, but the pandemic offered us an opportunity to do one because there was literally nothing else we could do, except waste time, which is not really in our DNA," Elliott told Goldmine magazine. He continued: "We had no idea how long lockdown was gonna last. Is it gonna be a week, two weeks or a month, two months, three months? Once we realised that we couldn't actually get together, I got on the phone with Phil [Collen], who was in California. Within about 40 minutes of this phone call, we had tipped everything that we had onto the metaphorical table and said, 'OK, great, we've got seven songs that we could be working on until the pandemic clears. But it never cleared, so we kept working and we worked these seven songs, and me and Phil over the spring and summer of 2020 wrote five more." Fortunately, due to living in different parts of the world, Elliott said they were used to remote working. Def Leppard kicked off a 16-date U.S. tour on July 10 in Detroit. They'll wrap on Sept. 7 in San Francisco. - Music-News.com, 7/9/22...... Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch, 91, and model-actress Jerry Hall, 66, are divorcing after six years of marriage. This was the fourth marriage for Murdoch and the first for Alabama native Hall, who previously had a two-decade relationship with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, 78. - People, 7/11/22...... Manny Charlton of the Scottish hard rock band Nazareth has passed away of as yet undisclosed causes at the age of 80. Nazareth had a huge hit with "Hair of the Dog" -- the title track from their 1975 album -- and a cover of the ballad "Love Hurts." Mr. Charlton formed the pre-Nazareth band Dunfermline in 1968 with Dan McCafferty, Darrell Sweet and Peter Agnew. Mr. Charlton decided to end his tenure with Nazareth in 1990, following their tour of 1989's Snakes 'N' Ladders album, the last album he featured on. He went on to release his debut solo album Drool in 1999, and his last lone effort was 2016's Solo. In 2021, to mark his 80th birthday, Mr. Charlton re-recorded Nazareth's 1976 classic "Telegram." - Music-News.com, 7/7/22...... TV actor Larry Storch, best known for his role in the '60s sitcom F Troop, died on July 7, according to a statement shared by his family on Facebook. He was 99. F Troop, which ran for two seasons on ABC, was a satirical Western about bumbling soldiers and peaceful Native Americans at a fictional Army outpost in the Old West. The politically incorrect series featured sight gags, slapstick comedy and White actors -- including Don Rickles -- playing Native Americans. The New York native made guest appearances in dozens of TV series throughout his long career, including I Dream of Jeannie, Get Smart, The Flying Nun and The Love Boat. Mr. Storch was also a familiar face on popular variety shows of the era, including Sonny and Cher, Laugh-In and Hollywood Squares. In the latter part of his career, he returned to New York and appeared on Broadway. He was cast with Reba McEntire in the 2000 revival of "Annie Get Your Gun." At age 81, he performed multiple shows a week in a 2004 production of the comic play "Sly Fox." "Please remember he loved each and every one of you and wouldn't want you to cry over his passing. He is reunited with his wife Norma and his beloved F Troop cast and so many friends and family," read the family's Facebook post. - CNN, 7/8/22...... 
Revered actor James Caan, whose iconic roles included the indelible, Oscar-nominated performance as Sonny Corleone, the recklessly hotheaded son of Marlon Brando's Mafia don in The Godfather, died on July 6. He was 82. "It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6," Mr. Caan's family tweeted on July 7. "The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time." Sonny's violent end in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" -- riddled, as he is, with dozens of bullets -- is one of the most memorable scenes in a film filled with them. Mr. Caan initially auditioned for the role of Michael, the college-educated war-hero son who would ultimately become don, and the studio, Paramount, supported this casting for a time; Al Pacino was cast as Michael and Mr. Caan as Sonny as part of a complex compromise between Paramount and Coppola. The actor had earlier starred for Coppola in the director's road movie The Rain People (1969), in which he played a brain-damaged hitchhiker. He was also riding high on the success of acclaimed made-for-tv movie Brian's Song, in which he played the dying football player Brian Piccolo alongside Billy Dee Williams as Piccolo's best friend, Gale Sayers, when he was cast in The Godfather. Brian's Song won a number of Emmys, including outstanding single program -- drama or comedy, and Mr. Caan was nominated for his performance. In addition to The Godfather, other signature films from the 1970s include Mark Rydell's "Cinderella Liberty" (1973), The Gambler (1974), The Killer Elite (1975), Funny Lady (also 1975), Rollerball and Comes a Horseman. Mr. Caan also had notable roles in films including Misery, Elf, Thief and Godfather Part II. By the early 2000s, Mr. Caan was still working steadily, but the roles were often predictable and the projects uninteresting, though there were exceptions, including his avant-garde film Dogville, City of Ghosts and Jericho Mansions. Mr. Caan turned to television in 2003, starring in NBC drama "Las Vegas" as a casino boss, but not a sinister one. The series was a moderate success and ran through 2007. In 2006 and 2007 Mr. Caan lent his voice to several Godfather videogames, and in 2012 the actor guested on Hawaii Five-O, starring his son Scott Caan. Mr. Caan starred with Maggie Lawson in the Little League-themed ABC sitcom Back in the Game, which ran briefly in 2013, and he recurred on the Starz drama Magic City in 2013 as a Chicago mob boss. Born in the Bronx on March 26, 1940, Mr. Caan attended Michigan State U. (where he played football) and Hofstra U. His classmates at the latter included Francis Ford Coppola. He studied at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theater under Sanford Meisner. The young Mr. Caan first worked on the stage and made his Broadway debut in "Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole," starring Peter Fonda, in 1961. He began making guest appearances on series including The Untouchables, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Ben Casey and Dr. Kildare. He appeared as a thug in the Olivia de Havilland thriller Caged in 1964 but first came to notice playing John Wayne's young sidekick in Howard Hawks' 1966 Western "El Dorado." He was married and divorced four times, to Dee Jay Mattis, Sheila Ryan, Ingrid Hajek and Linda Stokes. He is survived by daughter Tara A. Caan, by Mattis; son Scott, an actor, by Ryan; son Alexander James Caan by Hajek; and sons James Arthur Caan and Jacob Nicholas Caan by Stokes. - Variety, 7/8/22.
Paul McCartney, Billie Eilish and Finneas are some of the acts that participated in a special TV program that aims to raise awareness about and funds for Ukraine. Ukraine: Answering The Call aired on NBC on July 3 also with such artists as Alicia Keys, Jon Batiste, Kristen Bell, Brandi Carlile and Sheryl Crow. The hour-long event gave viewers the chance to help families by donating to the International Rescue Committee, an organisation that helps people affected by humanitarian crises to survive, recover and rebuild their lives. Ukraine Pres. Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Americans during the special and will encourage them to use their voices to fight for peace. NBC News also shared reports on the stories of real people all around the world who have been affected by the crisis in Ukraine. - NME, 7/1/22...... Less than two weeks after its June 24 premiere in theaters, the Elvis Presley biopic Elvis has become the ninth top grossing music biopic of all time. Though the Austin Butler-starred film is off to a fast start, it's not even one-fifth the way to matching the "domestic (meaning U.S. and Canada) grosses of the leader, the 2018 Queen/Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, which has a domestic gross of $216,668,042 and a worldwide gross of $910,809,311. To date, Elvis has a domestic gross of $40,732,008, and a worldwide gross of $60,732,008, according to boxofficemojo.com. - Billboard,..... 
Neil Young and Crazy Horse have shared a first preview of their upcoming album Toast by sharing a song called "Timberline" on YouTube. Young first announced the release of Toast -- named for the San Francisco studio in which it was minted -- in a post shared to his blog, the Neil Young Archives. Though that post has since been deleted, the album is set for release on July 8 via Reprise. CD and vinyl pre-orders are available from Young's webstore, The Greedy Hand, with a description of the LP as "heavy and distressed, brimming with electrifying tension." Saying that the album was "so sad at the time that I couldn't put it out," Young added of "Timberline": "The scene changes to a religious guy who just lost his job. He's turning on Jesus. He can't cut any more trees. He's a logger." Meanwhile, Young has announced his plans to release Noise & Flowers, a live album and film compiled from material recorded during his most recent tour of Europe and the UK. In July 2019, Young embarked on the nine-date run with Promise Of The Real as his backing band, taking in four shows in Germany -- as well as one each in Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, England and Ireland. The album and film will feature recordings from all of the shows; the CD and two-disc vinyl release will sport 14 tracks, but it's unclear if the film (which was co-directed by Bernard Shakey and DH Lovelife) contains the same content. The album will drop on Aug. 5 via Warner Records. - New Musical Express, 7/4/22...... The music of Crosby, Stills & Nash has returned to the popular streaming platform Spotify, five months after David Crosby, Graham Nash and Stephen Stills requested their labels remove their recordings in support of Neil Young's decision to leave the streaming service. CSN music was made available on Spotify on July 2, and the trio says they'll donate proceeds from streams to Covid-19 charities for at least a month. In February, the band members commented, "We support Neil and we agree with him that there is dangerous disinformation being aired on Spotify's Joe Rogan podcast. While we always value alternate points of view, knowingly spreading disinformation during this global pandemic has deadly consequences. Until real action is taken to show that a concern for humanity must be balanced with commerce, we don't want our music -- or the music we made together -- to be on the same platform. Nash had previously shared a statement in which he said he "completely agree[s] and support[s] my friend, Neil Young." The dispute between Young and Spotify began when Young released an open letter on Jan. 24 that demanded his catalog be removed from the streaming service due to Covid-19 and vaccine misinformation spread by Rogan, whose Joe Rogan Experience podcast is exclusive to Spotify. - Billboard, 7/2/22...... Three tracks from the 2010 posthumous Michael Jackson album Michael have reportedly been removed from streaming services amid accusations that the late King of Pop didn't sing on the recordings. "Monster" (featuring 50 Cent), "Keep Your Head Up" and "Breaking News" have been part of an ongoing lawsuit between Jackson's estate and Sony Music, which claims that they didn't feature the singer's vocals. A spokesperson for Jackson's official website confirmed the three songs were no longer available online, but claimed the move "had nothing to do with their authenticity." "The Estate and Sony Music believe the continuing conversation about the tracks is distracting the fan community and casual Michael Jackson listeners from focusing their attention where it should be, on Michael's legendary and deep music catalogue," the statement read. The songs were reportedly recorded in 2007 with songwriter/producers Edward Cascio and James Porte, but fans of Jackson have long disputed the assertion that the songs actually feature the artist's vocals. Moreover, Jackson's mother Katherine Jackson also claimed in 2010 that "some of the tracks on the [Michael] album are fake," and Michael's sister LaToya Jackson and his nephew Taryll Jackson have also cast doubt on their authenticity. Released in Dec. 2010, Michael served as the first posthumous album by Jackson following his death at 50 years old in June 2009. An Aug. 2018 ruling by three appeals court judges did not definitively settle the issue of whether Jackson actually sang on the songs, and the lawsuit is currently in the California Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Jackson's nephew Tito Jackson says a new Michael biopic is being planned that would help to reframe the "awful" sex abuse allegations that have been made since Michael's death. "I think it's in a way disgusting because what sells in this world is negativity. People like to gossip, people like scandals. My uncle is not here to defend himself, so he's an easy target. He was always an easy target, because he was always quiet," Tito told the UK paper The Daily Mirror. "To become, you know, sex symbols for our huge band and number one in the early 70s as black kids is an incredible accomplishment. That story needs to be amplified in my opinion. So I think there will be a Jackson story, a biopic," he added. - New Musical Express/Music-News.com, 7/5/22...... 
A rep for Steven Tyler has assured fans that the Aerosmith frontman is doing "extremely well" after completing a stint in rehab. In late May, Aerosmith announced that Tyler had voluntarily entered rehab after suffering a relapse following 10 years of sobriety. Over the first weekend of July, TMZ.com reported that the rocker had left the facility after staying for longer than the required 30 days. Tyler, 74, has been very open about his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, and announced he had suffered a relapse shortly before Aerosmith were set to re-launch their residency in Las Vegas. The June and July dates were scrapped and the residency will now commence in September. "We are devastated that we have inconvenienced so many of you, especially our most loyal fans who often travel great distances to experience our shows... Thank you for your understanding and for your support for Steven during this time," the band said in a statement at the time. - Music-News.com, 7/4/22...... Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne have raised a toast to their four decades of wedded bliss with Instagram posts marking their long union. "40 Years Ago Today! Happy Anniversary My Love," Ozzy wrote to Sharon in an Instagram post featuring a throwback pic of the all-white outfits they wore for their wedding in Maui, Hawaii in 1982. Sharon posted a more contemporary snap in which the couple model matching all-black outfits in their living room with an equally sentimental, loving note. Ozzy's post, meanwhile, said: "40 Years Ago Today! Happy Anniversary My Love," and featured throwback pic of the all-white outfits they wore for their wedding in Maui, Hawaii in 1982. The Osbournes' anniversary came just weeks after the 73-year-old former Black Sabbath frontman gave fans the first update following a major surgery to reportedly remove and realign pins in his neck and back from a previous tied to a 2003 ATV accident. "I am now home from the hospital recuperating comfortably," read a statement from Ozzy on June 15. "I am definitely feeling the love and support from all my fans and send everyone a big thank you for their thoughts, prayers and well-wishes during my recovery." - Billboard, 7/5/22...... In other Ozzy Osbourne-related news, the shock rocker has helped Jeff Beck break a record on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart as Osbourne's new single, "Patient Number 9," which features Beck, debuted on the tally for the week of July 2. It's Jeff Beck's first credited appearance on the ranking since 1994, when his song with Seal, "Manic Depression, peaked at No. 10 that February and charted through that March. The previous record holder was Elton John, who charted through Sept. 1992 when "Runaway Train," featuring Eric Clapton, hit No. 10. John then waited 27 years and five months until the debut of Osbourne's ballad "Ordinary Man," featuring John, in Feb. 2020. - Billboard, 6/30/22...... Elton John has collaborated with the UK band Yard Act for a new version of the band's song "100% Endurance" from its Jan. 2022 debut album The Overload. "Elton John saw our stuff and he started telling the press he thought we were good and then we chatted on the phone," says Yard Act frontman James Smith. After a few calls I said, 'Elton, do you want to come to the studio and play piano on a tune?' Because, f--k it, it doesn't matter if he says no. Anyway, he said, 'Yes', so it doesn't matter that he didn't say no. I don't know what else to say. He's brilliant. Switched on, hilarious and an amazing musician," Smith added. Says Elton: "From the first moment I heard Yard Act, I fell in love with James' lyrics, and the way he's delivered the song. Their sound is such a breath of fresh air. When James called and asked if I would come into the studio I instantly loved the idea. I started out as a session musician in the late '60s and I absolutely loved it then." The "100% Endurance - Elton John version" has been shared on Spotify.com. - NME, 7/1/22......
Bachman-Turner Overdrive founder Randy Bachman has been reunited with his cherished Gretsch electric guitar that was stolen from the Toronto hotel room in which he was staying in 1977. The guitar, on which he wrote the Guess Who classic "American Woman" and other famous Guess Who and BTO songs, was handed to the musician on June 26 by a Japanese musician who had bought it at a Tokyo store in 2014 without knowing its history. He said all guitars are special, but the orange 1957 Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins he bought as a teenager was exceptional, and he worked at multiple jobs to save money to buy the $400 guitar, his first purchase of an expensive instrument. "It made my whole life. It was my hammer and a tool to write songs, make music and make money," Bachman told the AP before the handover at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. When it was stolen from the Toronto hotel in 1977, "I cried for three days. It was part of me," he said. "It was very, very upsetting." Bachman added that he ended up buying about 300 guitars in unsuccessful attempts to replace it. Bachman talked frequently about the missing guitar in interviews and on radio shows, and more recently on YouTube programs on which he performed with his son, Tal Bachman. In 2020, a Canadian fan who heard the story of the guitar launched an internet search and successfully located it in Tokyo within two weeks. The fan, William Long, used a small spot in the guitar's wood grain visible in old images as a "digital fingerprint" and tracked the instrument down to a vintage guitar shop site in Tokyo. A further search led him to a YouTube video showing the instrument being played by a Japanese musician, TAKESHI, in Dec. 2019. After receiving the news from Long, Bachman contacted TAKESHI immediately, and recognized the guitar in a video chat they had. "I was crying," Bachman said. "The guitar almost spoke to me over the video, like, 'Hey, I'm coming home.'" Bachman said he and TAKESHI are now like brothers who own guitars that are "twin sisters." They are participating in a documentary about the guitar on which they plan to perform a song, "Lost and Found" together. They also performed several songs at the handover, including "American Woman." Bachman said he will lock the guitar up in his home so he will never lose it again. "I am never ever going to take it out of my house again," he said. - AP, 7/1/22...... Four years after it was initially due to come out, Pink Floyd has announced a remastered version of their 1977 album Animals will drop on Sept. 16 via Sony. Dubbed the Animals - 2018 Remix, the physical release will include both standard CD and SACD formats, 12-inch vinyl and Blu-Ray. A deluxe edition -- slated to ship on Oct. 7 -- will include the vinyl, CD and Blu-Ray, plus an exclusive DVD and 32-page book. It is being touted as an "entirely new remix" of Animals, reworked into 5.1 Stereo by legendary sound engineer James Guthrie. On the Blu-Ray and DVD releases, this will be paired with the original 1977 mix. It also sports new artwork by Aubrey "Po" Powell, who was a partner of the original cover's artist, Storm Thorgerson, as a member of the London-based collective Hipgnosis. Plans to release the reissue in 2018 were axed because of a feud between guitarist David Gilmour and ex-bassist Roger Waters, which reportedly stemmed from a dispute over the album's newly re-written liner notes. Waters wrote four of the album's five songs entirely by himself, while he and Gilmour collaborated (and shared lead vocals) on the track "Dogs." In June 2021, Waters wrote in a blog post that Gilmour refused to authorise the new release unless the liner notes, written by journalist Mark Blake, were scrapped from its packaging. "[Gilmour] does not dispute the veracity of the history described in Mark's notes," Waters said, "but he wants that history to remain secret." It's unknown whether those liner notes will indeed appear on the 2018 Remix edition of Animals, but they are already publicly accessible -- when he shared the above claims of Gilmour's dissatisfaction with them, Waters posted them to his website. Meanwhile, as Gilmour and Waters are currently shopping interest in Pink Floyd's recorded music catalog for $500 million, some industry experts say that figure is inflated because the band's catalog doesn't have very impressive streaming numbers, especially compared to such contemporary artists as Drake, Ed Sheeran, The Weeknd and Ariana Grande. What's more, many of these copyrights were written in the 1960s and 1970s, meaning titles in the catalog would be subject to reversion in the near future. These are UK copyrights, where rights revert to the authors 25 years after their death. Waters is 78. Gilmour is 76. Any new buyer would lose control 25 years from the date either author dies. - NME/Billboard, 7/1/22...... 
It was announced on June 30 that Universal Music Group has acquired the master recordings and publishing catalog -- as well as the film archives and name and likeness -- of the late rocker Frank Zappa. Zappa's song catalog -- which will be handled by Universal Music Publishing Group -- includes such songs as "Don't Eat The Yellow Snow," "Valley Girl," "Trouble Every Day" and "Dancin' Fool," as well as serious orchestral compositions like "The Perfect Stranger" and "Strictly Genteel." His masters catalog will be overseen by Universal Music Enterprises, including albums Freak Out, We're Only In It For the Money, Hot Rats, 200 Motels, Just Another Band From L.A., Apostrophe, Sheik Yerbouti, and Joe's Garage. The company has also acquired the Vault, a storage facility that houses Zappa's life work, according to the deal announcement. UMG says it "will build on the company's already successful track record of working with the Zappa Trust to amplify Frank Zappa's career as a trailblazer, iconoclast, brilliant musician and fearless artist who challenged music and culture with his unconventional and uncompromising vision and advocacy." Terms of the deal were not disclosed. - Billboard, 6/30/22...... Appearing on the syndicated TMZ Live TV program on July 4, Sammy Hagar says music not being his biggest source of income makes playing shows more enjoyable. The former Van Halen frontman, 74, insists he continues to play shows for the fulfilment it gives him, not the money, as he's able to make a better living from his booze empire and books. "I'm in my 70s and I'm still going playing music and you know why? Because I don't have to do it for a living I don't have to make it my business," Hagar said. "So I can pay my band, like more than they can make. You know, I mean, they're happy. And so they're happy to play with me that we all walk out on stage. And we're happy to do it because we don't have to do it when you've been doing it as long as me, man unless you're Keith Richards... He's my favorite rock star on the planet. A lot of people are doing it for money, and they go out they punch the clock. And so we do it for fun. It's almost like we're in a garage band again, because I make my living in another way and music is something I just love to do," he added. Hagar has been in the tequila business for three decades, having started out with Cabo Wabo in 1991. He's also released a series of tomes, his most recent being Sammy Hagar's Cocktail Hits: 85 Personal Favorites from the Red Rocker. Hagar and The Circle will kick off a North American tour on Aug. 7 at the Salamanca, Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino Outdoor Venue. They'll tour through Oct. 2 with a show at the Lincolh, Thunder Valley Casino Resort. - Music-News.com, 7/5/22...... The Rolling Stones played yet another headline show of dazzling live music at the UK's "American Express presents BST Hyde Park" festival on July 3 with a classic setlist composed of 19 of their biggest tracks. Frontman Mick Jagger made another special dedication to the late Stones drummer, Charlie Watts. Jagger nodded to the poignant videos screening behind the stage and told the crowd, "Watching those videos of Charlie before we came on... you know we played with him for 60 years... We really really miss him. So we're dedicating this show to Charlie." Meanwhile an authorized biography of Watts, Charlie's Good Tonight, will be released on Sept. 15 in the U.K. and Oct. 11 in the U.S. It will feature forewords from the late drummer's bandmates Jagger and Keith Richards, and a prelude from the Stones' former manager and producer Andrew Loog Oldham. Watts died in Aug. 2021 at age 80. The biography was authorised by his surviving Rolling Stones bandmates and family members. Paul Sexton authored the biography, including interviews with Jagger and Richards, as well as Ronnie Wood, family, friends, and other collaborators. - Music-News.com, 7/4/22...... The L.A.-based pop duo Sparks announced on Instagram on July 4 that they've entered the studio to work on what will be their 27th studio album. The post shows the Mael brothers in front of a home computer set up with recording software. Vocalist Ron Mael is sat at the computer, while keyboardist Russell Mael is standing and holding a note pad with chord progressions written on it. The as-yet-untitled album will be the prolific pop band's third of the 2020s. It follows on from 2020's A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip and the band's soundtrack album to the 2021 film Annette. Sparks completed a North American tour in April, and announced that same month they would be reissuing five of their 2000s albums on vinyl for the first time. In March, director Edgar Wright released an acclaimed documentary about the duo, The Sparks Brothers. - NME, 7/5/22...... Ted Nugent has slammed Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong for saying he would be "renouncing" his US citizenship over the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade. Armstrong is one of many musicians who has condemned the reversal of the landmark 1973 ruling that protects a person's right to safely terminate a pregnancy in the US. "F--k America. I'm f--king renouncing my citizenship. I'm f--king coming here... There's just too much f--king stupid in the world to go back to that miserable f--king excuse for a country [the US]," Armstrong said while on-stage at London Stadium on June 24 as part of Green Day's Hella Mega Tour. Speaking on the latest edition of his news commentary series The Nightly Nuge, archconservative American rocker and activist Nugent told his viewers that "the Supreme Court did a good job" and that Armstrong has "lost his soul." "The Nancy Pelosis and the left, and the maniacs don't seem to be for choice; they seem to literally be for killing babies," Nugent explained, then went on to praise Armstrong as being "incredibly talented... but he's just lost his soul." Nugent's entire speech can be heard on YouTube. - NME, 6/30/22...... 
Sonny Barger, a founding member of the Hells Angels who provided security at a notorious and fatal Rolling Stones concert in 1969, has died. According to a post on Facebook, which includes a Twitter message from Mr. Barger himself intended to be posted straight after his death, the Hells Angel "passed peacefully after a brief battle with cancer" aged 83. "If you are reading this message, you'll know that I'm gone. I've asked that this note be posted immediately after my passing," Mr. Barger wrote in the statement. "I've lived a long and good life filled with adventure. And I've had the privilege to be part of an amazing club. Although I've had a public persona for decades, I've mostly enjoyed special time with my club brothers, my family, and close friends. Please know that I passed peacefully after a brief battle with cancer. But also know that in the end, I was surrounded by what really matters: My wife, Zorana, as well as my loved ones," he added. Mr. Barger and the Hells Angels provided security at the Stones' notorious show in Dec. 1969 at the Altamont Speedway Free Festival, which was attended by 300,000 people. During the show, a Hells Angels member stabbed a Black man named Meredith Hunter to death, reportedly for trying to enter the stage. In his autobiography, Hell's Angel -- The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club, Mr. Barger blamed the Stones themselves for the violence, saying that they delayed their set time on purpose to rile up the crowd. He even went on in the book to claim that he held a gun to guitarist Keith Richards to insist that the Stones began their performance. Mr. Barger also spent time with '70s "gonzo journalist" Hunter S. Thompson for the latter's book Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga. He is survived by his wife Zorana. - NME, 7/4/22.
David Bowie is getting the Barbie treatment once again, this time to mark the 50th anniversary of the album that "ch-ch-ch-changed" his career, 1972's 
Paul McCartney pulled out all the stops for his headlining slot at the UK's Glastonbury Festival on June 25, while becoming the event's oldest-ever solo headlier (at age 80). Sir Paul brought out several fellow big-name rock stars including Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, who came on to play "Saw Her Standing There" and "Band on the Run." Then Bruce Springsteen was invited out to jam on The Boss' "Glory Days" and the early Lennon-McCartney song "I Wanna Be Your Man." Macca also paid tribute to his late Beatles bandmate George Harrison, who died in 2001, by performing the Harrison-penned "Something." Then thanks to modern technology, he sang with footage of John Lennon, assassinated in 1980, on the Let It Be track "I've Got a Feeling," with fan shot footage of the performance shared on 
Speaking of the BST Hyde Park event, the Eagles hinted during their performance at the fest on June 26 that their show could be their last ever in London. The Eagles headlined BST on that night, with Robert Plant + Alison Krauss, Little Big Town, Cam, Morgan Wade, The Wandering Hearts and Patrick Droney on support. During the show, Eagles co-founding member Don Henley said: "In case we don't pass this way again, I want to thank you all for embracing these songs, taking them into your hearts and your homes -- we appreciate it." During the 23-song set, the band -- also comprised of Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit and Vince Gill -- played tracks from across their five decades, including hits like "Tequila Sunrise," "Witchy Woman" and "Hotel California." The Eagles also paid tribute to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins with a rendition of "The Boys of Summer." Elsewhere during the show, tennis great John McEnroe made a cameo for the final number "Already Gone," along with his wife Patty Smyth. Deacon Frey, the son of late frontman Glenn Frey, also made an appearance for "Peaceful Easy Feeling" and "Take It Easy." - NME, 6/27/22...... In a new interview with Classic Rock magazine, Def Leppard's Joe Elliott revealed his band's stadium tour will travel to Europe in 2023. The "Pour Some Sugar On Me" rockers are currently on a jaunt across North America, but the 62-year-old Elliott has promised fans there will be "loads" more dates in Ireland and beyond. "One gig is absolutely confirmed so far, and we're looking at a second one in a different city," Elliott said. "There will be another in Dublin, and loads around Europe. Some of them will just be festivals [with different bands], but others will be what we're currently doing here in North America." Def Leppard's "The Stadium Tour" sees the British hard rockers joined by Mötley Crüe, Poison and Joan Jett. The US leg is currently due to conclude on Sept. 9 at the Las Vegas Allegiant Stadium in Nevada. - Music-News.com, 6/27/22...... Neil Young has announced his plans to release 
Ken Williams, the prolific songwriter who rose from participating in his U.S. Air Force singing group in the '60s to co-writing The Main Ingredient's timeless 1972 R&B smash 
As Americans recoil from the bombshell decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24 to wipe a half century of reproductive rights away -- overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that protected a woman's choice to have an abortion -- Seventies stars Bette Midler and Carole King were among the many musicians voicing their personal outrage and concern on social media. Posting on 
Stephen Stills, whose music helped define the sound of the Woodstock generation, has signed a new, multifaceted partnership with Irving Azoff's Iconic Artists Group assets management firm that aims to burnish that legacy with the 77-year-old singer-songwriter's current fans and attract new ones by getting his songs and albums on the playlists of the younger streaming set. The deal includes IAG's purchase of a controlling interest in Stills' intellectual property, including his music publishing catalog of 1,000-plus songs from his stints in Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY); Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN); Manassas; The Rides and The Stills-Young Band, as well as his solo career. Among the classics the deal covers are "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, "Southern Cross and "Love the One You're With." Additionally, IAG has acquired Stills' recorded-music assets from his solo work, his interests in the aforementioned groups and an interest in Stills' band trademarks, as well as his name, image and likeness. Stills joins an elite roster of acts at IAG, which Azoff co-founded in Jan. 2020: Stills' former bandmate David Crosby, The Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt and Nat "King Cole. Azoff and Stills' friendship spans over 50 years. They met when Azoff, now 74, was a young upstart at Geffen-Roberts, the Sunset Boulevard management company run by David Geffen and Elliot Roberts, who handled, among other acts, CSN. - Billboard, 6/24/22...... Elton John's 
Bonnie Raitt performed a two-night stand at New York's Beacon Theatre beginning on the summer solstice date of June 21. "I love coming back to the Beacon," declared Raitt, as she took the stage with her five piece band to open with "Made Up Mind," the lead single from her recently released 18th studio album, 
As the new highly-anticipated Elvis Presley biopic Elvis hit U.S. theatres on June 24, Warner Bros. released a revealing 
Cher has congratulated Kate Bush on passing her in the U.K. record books after Bush's "Running Up That Hill" finally reached the top of the pops on June 17. With Bush's hit conquering the survey some 37 years after its release, the English singer broke at least third chart records, one of which saw Cher bumped from the record books. At 63 years and 11 months, Bush becomes the oldest female artist to hit No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, eclipsing Cher, who was 52 when "Believe" led the chart in 1998. There's no animosity from Cher, just "mega respect." "Bravo Kate," Cher 
As Paul McCartney turned 80 years old on June 18, the famous former Beatle was messaged with numerous tributes on social media from his legion of fellow famous musicians, other celebrities, and fans. "They say it's your birthday Saturday happy birthday Paul love you man have a great day peace and love Ringo and Barbara love love peace and love," Ringo Starr tweeted alongside a photo of himself flashing the peace sign. John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono also tweeted a photo of herself and Paul captioned with the message: "Dear Paul, Happy 80th Birthday and many, many more! From a partner in Peace& love, yoko." Meanwhile, Sean Ono Lennon marked the special occasion by sharing a video of himself on 
Steve Miller was among the new inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame during an in-person ceremony on June 16 in New York City, after two years of Covid-related cancellations. Miller was inducted by actor Bryan Cranston, who shared that his whistling on Malcolm in the Middle led to an improbable ASCAP membership. Cranston said he had an "instant camaraderie, music without the music" when he first met Miller backstage at a Broadway show. When Cranston mused that "no one knows what the hell a line like 'pompatus of love' means" in the Steve Miller Band's No. 1 1973 hit "The Joker," Miller provided some oblique light on the famously obtuse lyric. "'Pompatus of love?' My attorney is here tonight and he will explain what it is and how much it costs when you say it," Miller said of the line, which some have traced back to a 1954 song from the doo-wop group The Medallions. Also honored that evening was songwriter/singer Paul Williams, a 2001 SHOF inductee who received the "gold standard" Johnny Mercer Award at this ceremony. Teary and fiery at various points during his speech, Williams spoke about his 32-year sobriety and his hope that someday, someone will write a song befitting comedian-turned-war hero, Ukraine Pres. Zelenskyy. There was also a Muppet connection, with Kermit the Frog appearing via video to salute Williams for "saying in words and music the longing each of us feels inside." - Billboard, 6/17/22...... Elton John began the UK leg of his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour in Norwich on June 15, delivering a 23-song set and kicking off the night with "Bennie And The Jets." Elsewhere at the gig fans were treated to classics "Tiny Dancer," "Rocket Man," "I'm Still Standing," "Crocodile Rock," and the main set closer "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting." "Tonight is the 229th show on the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. We have about 103 shows to do," Sir Elton told the audience at one point. "It's been quite a journey and it all ends next July. But I want to thank you because I won't be playing here again. I want to thank you for all the memories, all the love you've sent me, all the loyalty, the kindness, the letters, the dressing up, the costumes, the multiple shows you've been to. It means the world to me and I will never forget you guys," he added. Fan-shot footage of the gig can be viewed on 
Neil Diamond, who has rarely been seen in public since retiring from touring in 2018 after announcing he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, made an appearance during the Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park on June 18 to sing his beloved song "Sweet Caroline." Diamond, 81, stepped out during the 8th inning of the Red Sox's battle against the St. Louis Cardinals to deliver a rousing rendition of the song, with Broadway actor Will Swenson, who portrays Diamond in the new "A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical," at his side. The show is scheduled to hit Broadway this fall after its six-week run at Boston's Emerson Colonial Theatre from June 21-July 31. Diamond last performed at Fenway Park in 2013 -- just days after the Boston Marathon bombing -- and "Sweet Caroline" has been an 8th inning tradition at the ballpark since 1997. The singer announced his retirement from the live stage in 2018 after canceling dates in Australia and New Zealand, citing his Parkinson's diagnosis. "I plan to remain active in writing, recording and other projects for a long time to come," Diamond wrote on his website at the time. "This ride has been "so good, so good, so good' thanks to you. A clip of his Fenway "Sweet Caroline" performance has been shared on 
During a recent interview this week for Apple Music 1, Robert Plant revealed to Canadian media personality George Stroumboulopoulos that he was offered a role in the original Game of Thrones. "I don't want to get typecast," Plant joked of his reasoning for declining the part. "I started that s--- go back to 'Immigrant Song' and Led Zeppelin being part of cultural exchange in Iceland with the Icelandic government. So they didn't know what they'd invited onto their little island," Plant said. "I love Western European history from maybe the Bronze Age up through all the old religion and when we were really in touch with our Earth," he continued. "The Viking thing, the whole idea of playing in Iceland and experiencing this landscape and people. Yeah, I've got a lot to answer for, because I've never seen so many bands with double-bladed axes." As for what particular role he was offered in the wildly popular HBO series, Plant could not remember. "I got to ride a horse and go [lifts head]," he cheekily added. The final episode of Game of Thrones, which aired on May 19, 2019, brought in a series record of 19.3 million viewers. Plant's interview has been shared on 
George Benson praised his "amazing London" fans as he took to the stage at the Hampton Court Palace Festival 2022 in London on June 16. The 79-year-old R&B legend wowed the sell-out crowd on a hot summer's night at the historic venue and took a moment before playing his 1983 hit single "Lady Love Me (One More Time)" to share his love for the UK capital. "We're finally back here at Hampton Court. People are moving from all over the world to London. You're amazing. London is amazing," the "This Masquerade" singer said. Benson's setlist was packed with his greatest hits such as "Turn Your Love Around," "In Your Eyes," "Shiver" and "Never Give up on a Good Thing," which prompted the audience to join him in a mass singalong. At the end of the show Benson left the stage to raucous applause and cheering only to return for an encore which included a cover of Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" and The Drifters's classic "On Broadway," which he covered on his 1978 album Weekend in L.A. The Hampton Court Palace Festival is a series of special and unique open-air concerts, with artists performing in an intimate 3,000-seat auditorium in Base Court, set against the backdrop of Henry VIII's magnificent Tudor Palace. - Music-News.com, 6/18/22...... The Rolling Stones announced on 
In related news, Ringo Starr posted on his RingoStarr.com website on June 11 that the remaining dates of his 2022 summer tour have been postponed after two of his All-Starr Band members tested positive for Covid-19. Starr says the 12 concerts left on his North American trek will be pushed to Sept. 2022 after it was discovered that keyboardist Edgar Winter and guitarist Steve Lukather were diagnosed with Covid-19. "We are so sorry to let the fans down," Starr said in the statement. "It's been wonderful to be back out on the road and we have been having such a great time playing for you all. But as we all know, Covid is still here and despite being careful these things happen. I want to thank the fans for their patience, I send you all peace and love, and we can't wait to be back in the fall," he added. Ringo, 81, and his band which includes Colin Hay of Men at Work and Hamish Stuart of Average White Band, were nearly halfway through the 22-date tour prior to its halt. The trek, Starr's first outing since 2019, kicked off in Ontario, Canada, on May 27. Ringo and the band previously announced a fall tour that is scheduled to begin on Sept. 23 at the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, Conn., and wrap Oct. 20 at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City. The postponed summer dates will be added to the band's fall schedule, which can be viewed on Ringo's site. - Billboard, 6/11/22...... In yet another tour rescheduling due to Covid, Lindsey Buckingham has confirmed new UK and European shows -- at London (10/1), Glasgow (10/3), Liverpool (10/4) and Dublin (10/6) -- after announcing in May that he was forced to postpone the tour after he and members of his live band and crew contracted Covid. Buckingham's UK run will follow rearranged gigs in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Norway and Germany. Original tickets are valid for all the corresponding new dates. - New Musical Express, 6/14/22...... On June 10 it was announced that Jeff Beck and actor/musician Johnny Depp will once again appear onstage at the upcoming Montreux Jazz Festival, set for July 1 to July 16 on the shoreline of Lake Geneva, Wis. Beck's show on July 15 at the Auditorium Stravinski had already been announced, but festival organizers revealed on 
On June 13 Sting announced on 
Ozzy Osbourne's wife Sharon Osbourne 
Never a big fan of Britain's royal family, Elvis Costello has branded the recent "Platinum Party at the Palace" in honor of Queen Elizabeth II's 70 years on the throne "s--t" and singled out Sir Rod Stewart's performance for particular criticism. "I mean, I know you all love him and he's one of yours and everything, but Rod. What the f---? I must say, listen we all have bad nights vocally, but for f---'s sake, 'Sweet f---ing Caroline'? Are you f---ing kidding me?" The 67-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member continued his rant: "I mean I've been in show business 45 years so I do know a thing or two. How is it that nobody suggested Rod sing 'You Wear It Well'?" (Stewart's wife, Penny Lancaster, previously defended her husband in a BBC interview and insisted it wasn't his choice to sing the Neil Diamond classic -- that "it's the Queen's favourite you have to do it so he didn't have much of a choice.") Elvis then joked that another concert performer, Diana Ross, who sang "Chain Reaction," could have chosen other tracks from her back catalogue that would have been more appropriate. He quipped: "Listen, Diana Ross had a whole playlist of songs that would have fitted the occasion: 'You Keep Me Hanging On', 'I'm Living In Shame'. I'm not saying 'Love Child'. You never heard it from me." US fans of Costello can catch the rocker on Aug. 14 at the Gold Strike Casino in Tunica, Miss. - Music-News.com, 6/12/22...... Singer Julee Cruise, best known for her soundtrack work with director David Lynch and as a former member of The B52's, died by suicide on June 9 in Pittsfield, Mass. She was 65. Her death was announced on Facebook on June 10 n a post apparently by her husband, the author Edward Grinnan. It read: "I said goodby to my wife, Julee Cruise, today. She left this realm on her own terms. No regrets. She is at peace." Cruise famously sang the song "Falling," which featured lyrics by Lynch and music by Angelo Badalamenti. The instrumental was used as the theme tune for Lynch's acclaimed Twin Peaks series in 1990, with the vocal version and two other songs, "Into The Night" and "The Nightingale" appearing on the official soundtrack. Her first collaboration with Lynch was for the 1986 film Blue Velvet, which prominently features another Badalamenti collaboration, "Mysteries Of Love." In the 1990s she became a member of The B-52s, touring sporadically throughout the decade as a stand-in for Cindy Wilson. In 1993, she released a cover of Elvis Presley's "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears" for the soundtrack of Wim Wenders' Until the End of the World. - NME, 6/10/22...... Actor Philip Baker Hall, known as one of Hollywood's most distinctive, versatile and accomplished character actors, died at his home in L.A. on June 12. He was 90 years old. Effortlessly funny, and usually deadpan, Mr. Hall was a guest star on everything from Seinfeld to Family Ties to the animated feature Bojack Horseman (as the voice of Hank Hippopopalous). But he was a formidable presence in drama too -- and a particular favorite of director Paul Thomas Anderson, who cast him in small but juicy roles, most memorably in 
Prolific Billboard chart guru Joel Whitburn, one of the pre-eminent chart historians of the last 50-plus years, has died at age 82. The news was first shared on Facebook by Mr. Whitburn's protégé, longtime friend and Record Research Inc. co-worker Paul Haney, who wrote that the legendary industry figure "passed away peacefully overnight" on Tuesday (June 14). "He had been having some serious health issues recently, but his passing still comes as a shock," Haney continued. After founding the Record Research Inc. company in 1970, Mr. Whitburn became one of the leading authors of reference books on the Billboard charts, releasing over 100 total entries of series like Top Pop Singles, Top 40 Hits, Top 40 Albums and Top 40 Country Hits. Particularly in the time before the internet made archival chart information widely available, his books proved invaluable in providing the whole industry with reliable chart stats and records, becoming fixtures on the bookshelves for DJs, execs, writers and artists alike. (His accurate reporting also made it more difficult for publicists and labels to credibly fudge the chart achievements of their artists, a notoriously common practice in the early '70s.) Born in the Milwaukee area town of Menomonee Falls, Wis., in 1939, Mr. Whitburn grew up as a sports and music obsessive in the '50s, he became a Billboard devotee after seeing the magazine for the first time on a trip to the city with his mother. "I saw Billboard and I didn't know what it was," he recalled in a 2014 interview. "I grabbed it and started paging through it, and saw all these big, full-page ads for all these artists I had listened to on the radio... And then, all these charts ... top 20 charts, top 30 charts, with all these songs that I loved." From there, he begged his father to cover the $10 cost to be an annual subscriber to the magazine. "It was October 1953 when I first subscribed, and I don't think I've missed an issue through today," he offered. "I look forward to it every week. I can't go a week without reading my Billboard." When the Billboard Hot 100 arrived for the first time as Billboard's flagship songs chart in Aug. 1958, Mr. Whitburn made it his primary focus. He made index cards cataloguing all the relevant information of the songs listed on the magazine's then-two-page chart spread, tracking their movement on the chart from week to week. After founding his Record Research Inc. company in 1970, he released his first Top Pop Singles book. Further series followed, starting with Top Pop Albums and eventually encompassing genre-specific charts for rock, R&B, country, easy listening and more. (Eventually, Rhino Records also started to release dozens of hits compilations based on Mr. Whitburn's books.) Mr. Whitburn was also famous for his peerless record collection, which contained over 200,000 45 rpm singles, as well as "every album that has ever charted [on Billboard] all the way up to today." In his Facebook post announcing Whitburn's death, Paul Haney grouped his mentor with household name and late legendary longtime American Top 40 host Casey Kasem, in terms of his all-time chart idols. "I never got to meet Casey, but I did have the privilege of working closely with Joel for 30+ years," he wrote. "I will be eternally grateful to him for giving me my dream job and trusting me to work on the books that bear his name. Rest in peace, big guy." - Billboard, 6/14/22.