Posted by Administrator on September 8th, 2024
Billy Joel's Madison Square Garden special won three Creative Arts Emmy awards on Sept. 7 during a ceremony held at the Peacock Theater at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles. The Joel special, Billy Joel -- The 100th Live at Madison Square Garden won for best sound editing; lighting design/lighting direction; and technical direction and camerawork. But it lost the top award in its field, Outstanding Variety Special (pre-recorded) to the Dick Van Dyke special 98 Years of Magic. This is the second year in a row that award went to a show celebrating a TV legend in his or her 90s, with Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love winning in 2023. As the executive producer/performer of the MSG special, Joel would have won his first Primetime Emmy if the program had won. He has won five Grammys and a Tony. Also taking home a Creative Arts Emmy that evening were The Beach Boys, with their eponymous Disney+ special winning for outstanding sound mixing for a nonfiction program. An edited presentation of the awards from both nights of the Creative Arts Emmys will air on Sept. 14, at 8:00 p.m. PT on FXX, and it will be available for streaming on Hulu. The 76th Emmy Awards will be broadcast live from the Peacock Theatre on Sept. 15, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET/5 p.m. to 8 p.m. PT on ABC. The broadcast will be available for streaming the next day on Hulu. - Billboard, 9/8/24...... 
The first ever authorized feature-length documentary about the life of Jimi Hendrix is being planned by director Bao Nguyen, who helmed the Netflix documentary The Greatest Night in Pop, about the making of the 1985 smash hit charity single "We Are the World," earlier in 2024. To be titled Jimi, the film will, according to a press release, tell the story of a "transformational period in music history when Jimi Hendrix set the world -- and his guitar -- on fire." "Through this film, I hope to capture the vibrant atmosphere of the 1960s music scene, and his meteoric rise to superstardom, culminating in the legendary show at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival -- a triumphant homecoming where his incendiary performance didn't just set his guitar alight -- it ignited a cultural shift that changed the course of music history," Nguyen says. The late guitar god's sister, Janie Hendrix, has endorsed the project, saying: "Just as Bao Nguyen has achieved in his films highlighting the lives of other iconic figures who influenced pop culture, this presentation of Jimi's London experience will be inspiring and informative -- a story told the way it should be." Meanwhile, another Hendrix-related doc, Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision, is due out Oct. 4. It's an exploration of the iconic studio in New York. Hendrix died in 1970 at the age of 27 and his estate has never given permission for a full-length documentary, until now. - New Musical Express, 9/7/24...... As his new solo album Luck and Strange hit stores on Sept. 6, David Gilmour has revealed details of his forthcoming tour behind the new LP, his first concert trek in eight years. It kicks off on Oct. 9 with the first of six shows at London's famed Royal Albert Hall. He'll also play four Los Angeles area dates -- starting Oct. 25 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., and moving to three concerts at the Hollywood Bowl -- and five at Madison Square Garden in New York, wrapping up Nov. 10. "I'm thinking more modern times than old times," Gilmour says of the setlist, "but there'll be some songs from the '70s, '80s, '90s. All the way through, there'll be some stuff, but I'm focusing perhaps a bit more on the new album and the newer material." And, he hopes, there will be more new material in less than the nine years he took before making Luck and Strange. "My intention is to gather some of these people together and get back and start working on something else in the new year," Gilmour says. "What you want is a few things to get started with and hope it all starts flowing, and that's what I'm hoping will happen." A preview of Luck and Strange is currently available for streaming on Spotify.com. Meanwhile, Gilmour has told Rolling Stone magazine that it would be a "dream" to sell Pink Floyd's catalog, not because of the financial gain the sale would bring but it would allow him to het out of the "mud bath" with his former bandmate Roger Waters. "I am not interested in that from a financial standpoint. I'm only interested in it from getting out of the mud bath that it has been for quite a while," he said. The "mud bath" he refers to is most likely referring to the tension between him and Waters which has run for a number of years now. While it has gone on for decades, it came to a head again recently when Gilmour attacked Waters with claims of anti-Semitism. It kicked off in Feb. 2023, when Gilmour's wife Polly Samson shared a tweet in which she accused Waters of being "anti-Semitic to [his] rotten core," as well as "a [Vladimir] Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac." Gilmour then re-shared Samson's tweet, adding that "every word [is] demonstrably true." Waters himself issued a statement in response, which saw him describe Samson's comments as "incendiary and wildly inaccurate" and continued that he "refutes [them] entirely". He added that he was "taking advice as to his position" regarding the claims. Elsewhere in the interview, Gilmour said that he finds it "boring" talking about his disagreements with Waters. "As I said before, he left our pop group when I was in my 30s, and I'm a pretty old chap now, and the relevance of it is not there. I don't really know his work since. So I don't have anything to say on the topic." - Billboard, 9/6/24...... 
A new David Bowie documentary is claiming that the lyrics to one of Bowie's signature songs, "Heroes," was inspired by a day in 1977 he spent with his erstwhile girlfriend Clare Shenstone, instead of about an embrace the rock icon witnessed between his producer Tony Visconti and Visconti's girlfriend, German singer Antonia Maass, at the Berlin Wall. Bowie himself had given that as the key inspiration for the song's lyrics, but now a new BBC documentary, Bowie in Berlin, has cast doubt on the song's backstory. The doc claims that "Heroes," the title track to Bowie's 1977 studio album, in fact contains a lot of specific details about "an extraordinary day" Bowie and Shenstone, a model, actor and artist who had a relationship with Bowie in the mid-1970s, spent together in the German capital. Shenstone, a model, actor and artist who had a relationship with Bowie in the mid-1970s, claims that in fact the song contains a lot of specific details about "an extraordinary day" the two spent together in Berline. She says she told Bowie that morning about a dream she had in which she was swimming with dolphins, which she claims Bowie then referenced with the line, "I wish you could swim/Like dolphins can swim." Shenstone says the couple later crossed into East Berlin via Checkpoint Charlie. "We spent a couple of hours at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the guards were goose-stepping," she said. "We held hands very tightly and just took it all in, it was so extreme as an experience. We walked along the other side of the wall. There were spotlights and you could see the guns silhouetted and we were holding hands and he took my other hand and he kissed me. It was so beautiful." Shenstone says when she later heard the song, she recognized that day "immediately." "I knew what each word meant, and it described exactly from moment to moment what that day was about," she said. Bowie In Berlin is set to air on BBC Radio 4 on Sept. 14. - New Musical Express, 9/7/24....... Alex Van Halen has shared a snippet of "Unfinished," the last song he recorded with his late brother Eddie Van Halen, on Instagram. It was recently reported that the last song that Alex and Eddie ever wrote together would be included in the audiobook version of Alex's new memoir, Brothers. While the drummer has previously been absent from the public eye following Eddie's death in 2020, he made a rare statement sharing his motivations for writing the book. "This is my tribute to my brother; my way of saying goodbye," he said. "Ed, I love you and miss you. When I see you again, I'm gonna kick your ass!" It's set for release on Oct. 22 via HarperCollins. A series of VH family photos also appears alongside the Instagram snippet of "Unfinished." - NME, 9/6/24...... Bruce Springsteen will be among the headliners at the 18th annual "Stand Up for Heroes" benefit, which will take place on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, as part of the New York Comedy Festival. Springsteen and his wife Patti Scialfa, Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, Norah Jones, Jon Stewart, Questlove and Mark Normand are confirmed for the annual benefit, which raises awareness and funds for the Bob Woodruff Foundation. The charity's mission is to ensure that our nation's veterans, service members, and their families have stable and successful futures, and the event will take place at David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center in Manhattan and feature performances by these and other stars of music and comedy. In the past, Springsteen -- who is a regular at the event -- has peppered his set with dirty jokes such as this one he told at the 2022 event: "During sex, you burn off as many calories as if you ran 8 miles," he said. "But who can run 8 miles in 30 seconds? Got that off the Internet." Tickets are on sale at the event's website. - Billboard, 9/5/24...... A federal judge issued a temporary order on Sept. 3 prohibiting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his campaign from playing Issac Hayes' "Hold On, I'm Coming" at rallies. Judge Thomas Thrash Jr. sided with Hayes' estate weeks after Hayes' heirs accused Trump of using the song without a license. "I do order Trump and his campaign to not use the song without proper license," the judge said at a hearing, as reported by CNN. The judge's order bars the campaign from continuing to publicly perform the song at future rallies while the case plays out, but the judge denied a request for a more expansive order that would have forced the campaign to pull down videos of rallies in which the song can be heard. An attorney for the Hayes estate did not immediately return a request for comment. An attorney for Trump confirmed that the order was issued, though he stressed that the campaign had already agreed to stop using the song at rallies. Hayes' estate sued Trump in August, accusing the campaign of using "Hold On" at rallies and in video recordings of those events. Hayes co-wrote the 1966 song, which was performed and released by the duo Sam & Dave. The estate then went a step further, filing a federal lawsuit on Aug. 16 against Trump, his campaign, the Republican National Committee and others. The case accused the campaign of infringing copyrights, but also of violating federal trademark law -- essentially claiming that the campaign's use of the song made it appear that Hayes or his heirs had endorsed Trump's bid to return to the White House. The campaign has claimed that its use of Hayes' song was covered by a so-called blanket license it purchased from BMI, which grants political campaigns the legal right to perform millions of different copyrighted songs at rallies. But the Hayes estate says it withdrew the song from that catalog in June -- and that the Trump campaign was notified of the change in writing. It's also unclear if such a license would cover the use of the song in video recordings of the rallies. - Billboard, 9/3/24...... 
The Guess Who has settled a legal battle over trademark rights to the legendary Canadian band's name. In a statement, former GW principals Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings said they had reached a deal to resolve their lawsuit against fellow original members Jim Kale and Garry Peterson -- ending a legal battle among the four original members of the band best known for hits like "American Woman" and "These Eyes." Under the deal, Bachman and Cummings said they will acquire full control over the trademark to the band's name. Monetary terms and other aspects of the agreement were not disclosed in the announcement, and no legal papers announcing the settlement have yet been filed in court. "We are pleased to have reached a resolution that honors our shared history and allows us to move forward with a new sense of purpose and camaraderie," Bachman said, with Cummings adding that they were "committed to preserving and celebrating the legacy for our fans." Attorneys for Kale and Peter didn't immediately return a request for comment. As recently as April, their attorneys called the lawsuit "a complete farce" and threatened to "hold Bachman and Cummings accountable for their wrongful and extortionate conduct." The battle between the members of The Guess Who was just the latest clash between bandmates over the legal rights to classic group names. Journey, Stone Temple Pilots and Jefferson Starship have all fought protracted litigation over their trademarks, as have members of The Rascals, The Ebonys, The Commodores and The Platters. - Billboard, 9/4/24...... Queen guitarist Brian May has revealed that he recently suffered a minor stroke that resulted in damage to his left arm. May, 77, described a "health hiccup" last week that made him temporarily unable to control the hand he uses to pick out chords on his guitar, even as he assured his fans that he's on the mend. "I think good news is that I can play guitar after the events of the last few days and I say this because it was in some doubt because that little Health hiccup that I mentioned happened about a week ago and what they called it was a minor stroke and all of a sudden -- out of the blue - I didn't have any control over this arm so was a little scary," May said in a video posted on his website in which he wiggled his left hand as proof that he's getting better. "I have to say I had the most fantastic care and attention from Frimley Hospital where I went blue lights flashing the lot. Very exciting!!," he added. May said he initially didn't want to say anything because, "I really don't want sympathy. PLEASE DON'T DO THAT cuz it'll clutter up my inbox and I hate that." The good news, he said, is that he's okay now and that he's listening to his doctors, who have "grounded" him, which means no driving, no flying and no raising his heart rate too high. The health update came as May is busy promoting his recently aired new documentary, Brian May: The Badgers, the Farmers and Me, which chronicles his decades long campaign to end the UK's annual culling of badgers. His video can also be viewed on YouTube. - Billboard, 9/4/24...... In related news, May's fellow rock icon Elton John took to Instagram on Sept. 3 to reveal that he has been struggling with a "severe eye infection" that left him "with only limited vision in one eye." "I am healing, but it's an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sigght returns to the impacted eye," Sir Elton added. John then thanked the doctors and nurses that have been caring for him, noting that he's "been quietly spending the summer recuperating at home, and am feeling positive about the progress I have made in my healing and recovery thus far." He signed the note with his name, "with love and gratitude." Meanwhile, Elton and his husband David Furnish attended the world premiere of Disney+ documentary Elton John: Never Too Late at the Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on Sept. 6. The film starts and ends with the Rocket Man performing at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles -- in 1975 after his big breakthrough and again in 2022 on his farewell tour -- while looking back at his prolific time as an artist in the '70s, including his unhappiness behind the scenes with his abusive boyfriend-manager John Reid, and an addiction to cocaine and alcohol. "This remarkable time in music history, where was rock and roll going to go? And the answer was Elton John," said director R.J. Cutler in an interview the following day. "Suddenly, Elton becomes a pop writer because he can write for guitar now (after Davey Johnstone joined the band). I mean, it's really a fascinating evolution from singer-songwriter to massive pop star." The documentary gets a limited theatrical run on Nov. 15, and later streams on Disney+ on Dec. 13. - Billboard, 9/3/24...... Former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) has announced details of a second 2025 UK and Ireland spoken word tour. His "I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right" UK tour began in May. The shows promised to see the singer deliver an "untamed, unscripted and uncensored" spoken word session. Lydon will be visiting England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales next autumn, 2025. A press release says next year's events will see Lydon reflecting on "Sex Pistols, Public Image Limited (PiL), his art and his life's story during informal evenings of conversation and audience questions." Speaking about the event, Lydon said: "I could be shit. I could be shite. I'm left-handed. John Lydon or John Rotten." The new tour will launch on Sept. 10, 2025, in Dundalk, Ireland and wrap on Nov. 24 at the Hippodrome in London Golders Green. - NME, 9/4/24...... Cher is reportedly "in talks" for the legends slot at the 2025 edition of the legendary UK Glastonbury rock festival. According to a report by The Sun, the "Believe"' hitmaker is said to be in "meaningful talks" with the event organisers and is already planning to fit the festival around some plans for some headline shows in the UK. "Cher is practically the legend of all pop music legends. She would be incredible," a source told the outlet. "It's been a long time coming but she is finally in meaningful talks with Glastonbury about playing the legend's slot. Everything is very much in the planning stages but Cher is hoping to play a handful of shows in the UK next year and Glastonbury could be one of them. The idea of a full-scale tour just doesn't interest her anymore." MailOnline.com reported that it had contacted a representative for Cher for comment on the rumours, however there has not yet been an official comment from the singer's team. Shania Twain took on the slot at this year's edition, while Yusuf/Cat Stevens played in 2023. Performers previous to that include Diana Ross, Barry Gibb, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant and Kylie Minogue. - NME, 9/3/24...... According to founding Judas Priest member and bassist Ian Hill, the band are planning to re-release their debut album Rocka Rolla with a new mix. Hill revealed the plans for a 50th anniversary edition of Rocka Rolla during an interview on the Talkin' Rock with Ian Hill podcast, which can be viewed on YouTube. He said: "It's just been re-engineered by Tom Allom after all of these years. The multi-tracks were in remarkably good condition, and he's changed some of the sounds, made it more modern and obviously remixed it. And he's done a great job." He continued, noting that he believes it will be released soon: "It's just coming out shortly, I believe. It's only a few weeks away, I'm sure it is. Yeah, but he's redone it. It's gonna be re-released, which is great news. It's finally got the production it's always needed." Rocka Rolla was released on Sept. 6, 1974, and is best known for songs like "One for the Road," the title track and "Run of the Mill." Judas Priest most recently released their 15th studio album, Invincible Shield, in March this year. - NME, 9/3/24...... 
An expanded, deluxe edition of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' Long After Dark is set to be released in October. The new version of the hard rocking 1982 album will arrive in stores on Oct. 22, more than 40 years after it was first released. Set to arrive via Geffen/UMe on Oct. 18, the new variant will come as a double disc and contains seven recordings that remained unreleased up until now. These include Petty's "Never Be You," which became a chart-topping hit for Rosanne Cash in 1984, as well as "Don't Make Me Walk the Line" and "Ways To Be Wicked." The latter was released as a single by Lone Justice in 1985. The other bonus tracks include four songs that were filmed for a French TV Special at the Record Plant in Hollywood -- the same site where much of 'Long After Dark' was recorded. "Despite it being a golden era of The Heartbreakers playing at the height of their powers, it is widely known as the band's most misunderstood and underrated success," reads a press release. Ahead of the album re-release, the fan favorite "Straight Into Darkness" has been shared with a new video. The new version of the 1982 album will arrive as a triple-disc set containing 2 CDs and a Blu-ray audio disc with additional hi-res stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes of the album and bonus track, and as a double black vinyl. It also comes with remastered audio, plus liner notes from journalist David Fricke, and commentary from both Petty producer Jimmy Iovine and filmmaker Cameron Crowe. - NME, 9/2/24...... '50s-inspired musician Screamin' Scott Simon of the band Sha Na Na died on Sept. 5 in Ojai after a long battle with sinus cancer, his daughter Nina Simon announced. He was 75. A member of Sha Na Na from 1970 until they quit touring in 2022, Simon sometimes played the piano with his feet as he belted out such hits as Jerry Lee Lewis' "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and Danny & the Juniors' "At the Hop." Simon and Sha Na Na performed in the 1978 film adaptation of Grease as "Johnny Casino and the Gamblers," playing six doo-wop numbers in the high school dance scenes. Meanwhile, Simon partnered with Louis St. Louis to write "Sandy," sung by John Travolta. The film's soundtrack went on to become one of the top albums of all time, with sales of more than 30 million copies. While Sha Na Na primarily played classic '50s and '60s songs, Simon composed multiple songs and solo albums performed by the band and by himself on records and on TV. In addition to his daughter, survivors include his wife, Deborah; another daughter, Morgan; stepson Nick; and granddaughters Rocket and Naomi. - The Hollywood Reporter, 9/6/24...... Will Jennings, the Oscar- and Grammy-winning co-writer of Titanic's "My Heart Will Go On" and other hit songs by Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and Whitney Houston, died on Sept. 7 at his home in Tyler, Tex. He was 80. During his career, the superstar lyricist and Songwriters Hall inductee co-wrote six songs that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart: Barry Manilow's "Looks Like We Made It" (1977); Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes' "Up Where We Belong" (1982); Winwood's "Higher Love" (1986); Houston's "Didn't We Almost Have It All" (1987); Winwood's "Roll With It" (1988); and Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" (1998). Mr. Jennings also collaborated with Clapton on "Tears in Heaven," which hit No. 2 on the Hot 100 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart for three weeks in 1992. The tribute to Clapton's late son, who died tragically in a high rise apartment building accident, also earned the pair a song of the year trophy at the 35th annual Grammy Awards. Mr. Jennings won best original song at the Academy Awards in 1983 for co-writing An Officer and a Gentleman's "Up Where We Belong" alongside Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie. He took home the same honor in 1998 for the Titanic classic "My Heart Will Go On," which he co-wrote with composer James Horner (who died in 2015). The Dion-sung ballad also won Grammys for record and song of the year. He is survived by his wife, Carole, and his sisters, Joyce and Gloria. - Billboard, 9/7/24...... 
Bossa nova producer, composer, pianist and song interpreter Sergio Mendes died at home in Los Angeles on Sept. 5 after struggling with complications from Covid. He was 83. The legendary Brazilian superstar, whose career spanned more than three dozen albums released across six decades, helped craft the modern sound of crossover Brazilian pop thanks to such indelible hits as "Mas Que Nada" and "Magalenha." Beginning in his teens, Mr. Mendes -- who was born on Feb. 11, 1941 in Rio de Janeiro -- focused on dreams of becoming a classical pianist before being inspired by the then bubbling bossa nova explosion in the late 1950s that put a jazzy spin on the popular samba style. After moving to the U.S. in 1964, Mr. Mendes formed the first in a series of eponymous bands, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '65 and released The Swinger From Rio album, with contributions from his mentors, Antnio Carlos Jobim and American jazz trumpeter Art Farmer, followed by a live album recorded with his Brasil '65 crew, In Person at El Matador. Bouncing between recordings for Atlantic Records and Capitol, Mr. Mendes released albums at a furious pace throughout the late 1960s, quickly cementing his status as one of the premier ambassadors for the swinging bossa nova sound. But it was when he signed to jazz great Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss' A&M Records that Mr. Mendes' album sales and chart success began to take off thanks to the renamed Brasil '66's debut single, the Jorge Ben-penned "Mas que Nada." His output continued apace in the 1970s, when he released more than a dozen albums, including 1970's Stillness, which featured new lead vocalist (and later wife) Gracinha Leporace and Love Music, his third album with the reconfigured band -- now known as Brasil '77. The familiar formula continued apace, mixing songs by Jobim with covers of well-known tunes by Stevie Wonder and Leon Russell. He continued to release music throughout the 2000s, including his final studio album, 2020's In the Key of Joy. In addition to his Grammy award (for 1992's Brasileiro) and two Latin Grammys, Mr. Mendes was nominated for an Oscar in 2012 for his theme song to the animated film Rio, Real in Rio. Mendes was also profiled in the 2020 documentary Sergio Mendes: In the Key of Joy. His final performances took place in Nov. 2023 during a series of well-received shows in Paris, London and Barcelona. In an Instagram tribute, longtime friend and label boss Alpert wrote, "Sergio Mendes was my brother from another country passed away quietly and peacefully. He was a true friend and extremely gifted musician who brought Brazilian music in all its iterations to the entire world with elegance a joy." - Billboard, 9/6/24...... British pop art pioneer Derek Boshier, who collaborated with David Bowie and The Clash, among others, died on Sept. 6 at the age of 87. The Portsmouth-born artist was known for his work within the British pop art world and took pride and inspiration from his working-class roots. Upon finishing his studies at the Royal College of Art in London in 1962, he went on to teach at the Central School of Art and Design, where one of his students was The Clash frontman Joe Strummer. Mr. Boshier would go on to design the band's second songbook which featured a collection of the artist's drawings and paintings. In 1979, Boshier had a successful art exhibition titled "Lives," which caught the attention of Bowie who requested an introduction with Mr. Boshier. From there, the two would go on to have a friendship lasting over three decades that saw Mr. Boshier contribute to the design of Bowie's thirteenth studio album Lodger that same year. According to the artist's publicist, Mr. Boshier was one of the recipients of a handwritten note by the icon prior to his death in 2016. The note saw the "Let's Dance" singer praise Mr. Boshier for his art book at the time, with Bowie telling Mr. Boshier that his work "cascades down the generations." - NME, 9/6/24...... 
Legendary British bass guitarist Herbie Flowers, who contributed to recordings by the likes of David Bowie, Lou Reed, Elton John, Cat Stevens, Bryan Ferry, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr to name a few, died of as yet undisclosed causes on Sept. 5, according to a close family member. He was 86. His start as a musician came in 1956 when, aged 18, he was conscripted into the Royal Air Force. There, he played the tuba as a bandsman, before eventually taking up double bass shortly followed by electric bass. Once his military service was complete, he spent a brief period as a bandsman on the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth. Eventually, he began working as a session musician, lending his talents to producers such as Shel Talmy, Mickie Most, Steve Rowland, Richard Perry, Gus Dudgeon and Tony Visconti. In 1969, Mr. Flowers became a founding member of the group Blue Mink. Their biggest hit was "Melting Pot," which reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart that year. Alongside Blue Mink, he was also a member of T. Rex, Rumplestiltskin and Sky. By the end of the 1970s alone, it was estimated that Mr. Flowers had played bass on 500 hit recordings. Perhaps his most famous contribution was the bassline he wrote for Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" -- taken from his seminal 1972 album Transformer. It was the only song by Reed to reach the Top 20 in the US charts. Mr. Flowers also played on Bowie's 1974 album Diamond Dogs and on his 1969 single "Space Oddity." The official X page for Bowie wrote of Mr. Flowers' "incredible musicianship over many decades," and said the bassist be "sorely missed." "Though we've not managed to have it officially confirmed, if the news is correct, we are very sad to learn of the passing of Herbie Flowers in the last couple of days," the statement read. "His work with Bowie and associates over the years is too long to list here. Aside from his incredible musicianship over many decades, he was a beautiful soul and a very funny man. Our thoughts are with his family and friends." - NME, 9/8/24.
In other Pink Floyd-related news, David Gilmour has told the UK paper The Sun that his tenure in the legendary psychedelic rock band receives "way too much deference." Gilmour reflected on the weight of his achievements with the band, saying: "After you achieve these dizzying heights, people tend to show you way too much deference. It becomes hard to retrieve the setup you had when you were young. In the earlier stages of Pink Floyd, we could be as rude and insulting to each other about our personalities and our music as we wanted -- and yet everything would be all right in the end." Referencing Roger Waters' exit from the band in 1985, he said "No one ever stomped off permanently, until that bloke did." Gilmour explained he felt "thrust into being band leader," but prefers "a more collaborative approach." On Apr. 27, Gilmour posted to 
Moon Unit Zappa was only 14 years old when she helped her father, art rock legend Frank Zappa, accomplish something he had done before. Their 1982 collaboration 
Highlights of late Fleetwoood Mac keyboardist/vocalist Christine McVie's personal collection went on exhibit at the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville, Tenn. on Aug. 30. The day after the exhibition concludes on Oct. 15, a two-day auction dubbed "Property From the Life and Career of Christine McVie" will take place at the same venue and online via Julien's Auctions, marking the first time the items have been offered to the public. More than 650 of McVie's belongings will be available to bid on in the auction, including the Hammond XK-5 organ she played on tour with Fleetwood Mac (estimated $6,000-$8,000), a Yamaha CLP-470PE digital piano from her London home ($3,000 -- $5,000), a model KP-180-122 Leslie speaker in a red road case labeled "3rd Encore Christine's Locker" ($2,000 -- $4,000), Tusk chord sheets with unknown handwritten lyrics ($800-$1,200) and two setlists annotated by McVie ($600-$800). Pieces of fine art and jewelry will also be for sale. The proceeds of the auction will benefit MusiCares as well as other charities in the U.K. "Christine McVie was a legendary artist and a beloved member of the MusiCares family, always showing deep compassion for those in the music community," said the organization's executive director, Laura Segura, in a statement. "The proceeds from this auction will continue her legacy of giving back, ensuring that musicians receive the support they need. Her love for music and for those who create it will continue to inspire us all." A Julien's video of the auction items can be viewed on 
Actor James Darren, who went from teen idol status acting in youth-oriented movies like Gidget to become an actor in TV shows such as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and T.J. Hooker and a singer and director, died on Sept. 2 at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. He was 88. Born in Philadelphia, Mr. Darren studied acting with Stella Adler in New York and was signed to Columbia Pictures, where his first role was in Rumble on the Docks. He went on to appear in films including Operation Madball and Gunmen's Walk before being cast in the 1959 teen movie Gidget, starring Sandra Dee and Cliff Robertson. Darren also sang the title track for the hit movie, which was based on the experiences of a teenaged surfer girl in Malibu and later became a popular TV series. The Gidget theme song launched a successful singer career for Mr. Darren, who had a gold record with "Goodbye Cruel World" in 1961 and released at least 14 albums. He continued to appear in feature films including The Guns of Navarone, The Gene Krupa Story, All the Young Men and Because They're Young. He reprised his role as Moondoggie in Gidget Goes Hawaiian and again in Gidget Goes to Rome, though he was tired of the typecasting by then. Moving into television, he starred in the series "The Time Tunnel and after a brief sojourn in Italy appearing in Jess Franco's Venus in Furs, he went on to guest-star on numerous series including Love, American Style, Fantasy Island and The Love Boat. Mr. Darren was a regular on T.J. Hooker from 1983 to 1986 and also moved into TV directing, working on series including Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place. In 1998, he found a new generation of fans in 1998 as Vic Fontaine, the holographic lounge singer on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. His son, broadcaster Jim Moret, said that Mr. Darren had been able to express his love for his family while being treated in the cardiac unit. "He was a good man. He was very talented," Moret said. "He was forever young." Mr. Darren is survived by his wife Evy, sons Jim Moret, Christian Darren and Tony Darren and five grandchildren. - Variety, 9/3/24.
Bryan Ferry has shared a new single called "Star" -- his first new music in over a decade -- ahead of his upcoming compilation 
Previously unseen footage of David Bowie performing "Starman" during his Ziggy Stardust tour has been uncovered. In 2019, footage of Bowie's first TV appearance as Ziggy was unearthed after it was presumed lost for 47 years. The clip saw the late singer make his debut as his new and most legendary incarnation on UK ITV's Lift Off with Ayshea -- a month before his now iconic Top Of The Pops appearance. It was feared that the footage would never be seen again, as it was not stored by the station. However, the performance was recorded by one viewer and was found on an old computer tape in 2019, before later being included in the BBC documentary David Bowie: The First Five Years -- Finding Fame. The newly-shared video comes from the Bowie's Ziggy Stardust UK tour that took place between 1972 and 1973 and was filmed by late Bowie collaborator and photographer Mick Rock. Parlophone Records is releasing a new compilation of tour clips in celebration of the first-ever Dolby Atmos spatial audio version of Bowie's seminal 1972 album 
The never-ending legal war between the Ramones frontman Joey Ramone's brother and Johnny Ramone's widow over control of the iconic punk band heated up once again on Aug. 23 when Joey's brother Mitchel Hyman (better known as Mickey Leigh) filed a new lawsuit in Manhattan federal court accusding Johnny's wife, Linda Cummings-Ramone, of violating federal trademark law by carrying out an "unrelenting quest" to associate herself with the Ramones. As is typical of the nasty dispute between the two heirs (who each control exactly half of the band's holding company), the lawsuit pulled no punches -- calling Cummings-Ramone a former "groupie" with an "insatiable personal desire to shine a spotlight on herself." "Ms. Cummings-Ramone has made and continues to make blatant attempts to exploit and personally capitalize on and benefit from the name, goodwill and legacy of the Ramones -- that is, to try to push the false narrative that she is the heiress to & the Ramones' legacy," Leigh's lawyers write. "She most certainly is not. She is nothing more than a blatant self-promoter and an infringer." Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Ross Hyman) and Johnny Ramone (John William Cummings) were not actually brothers, and they had a notoriously chilly relationship during their decades as bandmates. In the years since the two died in the 2000s, that feud has seemingly continued between Leigh and Cummings-Ramone. As the executors of Joey's and Johnny's respective estates, Leigh and Cummings-Ramone each own half of Ramones Productions, the entity that controls the band's music and other assets. But that partnership has not gone smoothly, featuring multiple lawsuits and arbitrations over the past decade. The latest scuffle began in January, when Cummings-Ramone sued Leigh in New York state court over allegations that he had "covertly" developed an "unauthorized" biopic (believed to be Netflix's announced Ramones movie starring Pete Davidson as Joey). In the lawsuit, Cummings-Ramone said that any "authoritative story of the Ramones" would require her sign-off: "To permit defendants alone to tell the authoritative story of the Ramones would be an injustice to the band and its legacy." Eight months later, with the earlier case still pending, Leigh is now on offense -- claiming that Cummings-Ramone has infringed the band's trademarks held by Ramones Productions by using them herself. His new case repeatedly takes aim at her use of the name "Linda Ramone" despite the fact that "Ramone" was not the legal surname of her late husband nor any other band member. - Billboard, 8/26/24...... The English hard rock band Status Quo played what is likely their final show in Taunton, Somerset on Aug. 23. Status Quo, which formed back in 1962, concluded their most recent tour of Europe and the UK at the Taunton venue. In June, lead singer Francis Rossi had stated that this would be the band's final tour. "I don't think we will go again," he told the Daily Mirror. "And as far as the rest of the band are concerned it's the last tour too. I just can't see us doing it one more time." n 2023, Rossi also told Classic Rock magazine that their 2019 album Backbone, their 33rd album overall, would be their final one. Rossi blamed the band's decision not to make new music on royalty payouts by streaming platforms like Spotify: "It's even worse than it was when we were all getting ripped off in the sixties," he said. "It makes you sound mercenary saying it, but it's something we've sweated over and they're giving you a quarter of a penny per stream? F--k you. So do I think there'll be another Status Quo album? No, I don't," he said. While the band went on hiatus in 1984, they reconvened with a new line-up for 1985's Live Aid event. Status Quo shared a picture from their likely final gig on 
The last song that Alex and Eddie Van Halen ever wrote together will be included in the audiobook version of Alex's new memoir 
Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton has spoken out about how the future may look for the band after the band confirmed that their days of touring have come to an immediate end, following frontman Steven Tyler seriously injuring his voice at a gig on Sept. 9, 2023, in Elmont, N.Y. "First let me start by clearing up some information on Steven's injury," Hamilton said during a recent appearance on the podcast Charlie Kendall's Metalshop (available on 
The owner of two reel-to-reel audio tapes containing a one-of-a-kind, superior-quality Beatles concert, recorded directly from the soundboard at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens on Aug. 17, 1965, says he's looking to sell the historic recording. Only seven people have purportedly heard the reels, from the show nearly 60 years ago at the height of Beatlemania. The question now is who will buy it, how much it could be worth -- and whether it will ever be released for the public at large to hear it. "I have never offered it for sale before," Piers Hemmingsen, a Toronto-based Beatles historian and author of The Beatles in Canada series, says. "This is the best recording of any Beatles concert in Canada, if not North America, other than what was professionally recorded for The Beatles themselves." For a band as legendary as the Beatles, any rare artifact is likely to draw a horde of prospective buyers, but a singular recording of a concert held at the band's apex is a rarity among rarities. Hemmingsen, who has a copy on three cassette tapes for listening purposes only, says the reels contain The Beatles' entire afternoon set, the opening acts, venue announcements about upcoming events (The Beach Boys, wrestling), and a press conference with The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein, their PR person Tony Barrow and the BBC's Brian Matthew, held at the long-shuttered Maple Leaf Gardens' Hot Stove Lounge. One appraiser estimated that the reels could be valued at between $60,000 and $80,000, and could go at auction for as much as $100,000 or more. But the only potential buyer with the ability to release the recording to the public would be The Beatles' Apple Corps -- and so far, there has been no offer. The Beatles played just nine concerts in Canada, six of which were at Maple Leaf Gardens: two on Sept. 7, 1964; two on Aug. 17, 1965; and two on Aug. 17, 1966. Hemmingsen also owns the only other known Toronto recording from one of the 1966 concerts, which he obtained on eBay in 2008 from a U.S. seller and donated to the University of Toronto in 2017. In related news, The Beatles' 1964 North American Tour contract archive is currently up for auction at Gottahaverockandroll.com and is estimated to sell for over $400,000. Included in this historic collection are 24 performance contracts signed by Beatles' manager Brian Epstein or NEMS employee Bernard Lee for every city The Beatles performed in during their historic North American tour from Aug. 19 to Sept. 18, 1964. Each contract also comes with the rider signed by either Brian Epstein or Bernard Lee. Missing is Kansas City, MO on Sept. 17, 1964 due to it being an "add-on" concert after the tour was set. While some performance contracts have surfaced for both the 1965 and 1966 tours, none have ever surfaced in a public auction for the 1964 tour making this archive a historic Smithsonian-type collection. All of the riders contain the infamous "Desegregation Clause." - Billboard/Music-News.com, 8/23/24...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, Paul McCartney made a surprise appearance at an intimate show by producer Andrew Watt and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith on Aug. 20 at the Stephen Talkhouse venue at the Hamptons, an affluent seaside area in New York. McCartney took to the stage midway through their set -- which saw Watt and Smith accompanied by guitarist G.E. Smith and a horn section -- where he performed covers of The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" and Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World." During the cover of the latter song, McCartney was joined on vocals by Watt's model girlfriend Charlotte Lawrence. The performance can be viewed on 
As Vice-President Kamala Harris was officially nominated to become the first Black woman and first Indian-American to accept a major party presidential nomination during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 19-22, a slew of entertainers including '70s artists Stevie Wonder and Pattie LaBelle. Appearing on the third night of the convention on Aug. 21, Wonder said, "We must keep on keeping on until we are truly a united people of these United States and then we will reach a higher ground" before launching into a spirited rendition of his beloved 1972 classic "Higher Ground." Night two (Aug. 20) saw Patti LaBelle belt her way through "You Are My Friend" to soundtrack the in memoriam segment. The emotional performance marked a notable return to the DNC for the icon, who previously covered Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" at the 2004 convention, when John Kerry was voted the party's presidential nominee. The soul legend has also thrown her music support behind the Joe Biden administration, performing on the White House South Lawn for the President's Juneteenth concert on June 10. Neil Young gave permission for vice-presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz to cap his emotional acceptance speech on Aug. 21 with a recording of "Rockin' in the Free World." In 2020, Young sued Republican nominee Donald Trump for copyright infringement for playing "Rockin'" and "Devil's Sidewalk" at rallies, with Young saying that in "good conscience" he could not allow his music to be used by the divisive former reality TV star. Unfortunately for fans of James Taylor, a planned performance by the folk-rock icon was cut for time amid a lengthier-than-planned lineup of speakers on the first night of the convention -- something Taylor addressed in a statement posted to 
Don McLean says he does not want a slice of his smash Seventies hit 
Nearly 18 years after the death of James Brown, the privately held music publishing and talent management company Primary Wave is planning to reinvigorate the "Godfather of Soul"'s legacy starting with Brown's home in Brown's Beech Island, S.C. The estate sits on 62.8 acres on James Brown Boulevard, behind wrought-iron gates and down a sloping drive that passes through a lake and several other outbuildings. The house is built around an Asian garden in the center, where Brown liked to sit. Primary Wave, founded by veteran label executive Larry Mestel in 2006, purchased the assets of Brown's estate in Dec. 2021 for a reported $90 million, and the company has a long history of reinvigorating the intellectual property of music's giants, both living and departed, whether through new remixes, samples or interpolations of their work, partnerships with brands. But the Brown deal marked the first time the company acquired an actual house, and is hoping it could become the "next Graceland." The compound, which sits just across the Savannah River from Augusta, Ga., was a home almost entirely preserved as it was on the day Brown died on Christmas day 2006, down to the Christmas tree that still stands in the foyer, with unopened presents underneath. If things go to plan, Augusta, Ga. will soon be even more widely known as the home of James Brown -- the City of Soul, perhaps, or of Funk -- where his legacy and influence are on full display. "In order to create an overall immersive experience, we need the city of Augusta to help tell those stories," says Primary Wave's Songhay Taylor, who runs point on all things Brown house-related. "Where he shoeshined, where he buck-danced, where he would do shows, where he went to church -- all of those things that are part of the overall story." - Billboard, 8/22/24...... AC/DC played their final gig of their 2024 comeback tour on Aug. 17 at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland. The Aussie rock legends' 21-song setlist saw them perform the likes of "Thunderstruck," "Hell's Bells," "High Way To Hell," "Dirty Deeds Done Dirty Cheap" and "You Shook Me All Night Long" and more from their five-decade-long career. The show closed out their comeback tour and saw the group kick off the celebratory night with their hits "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" and "Back To Black." The set also featured "Demon Fire" and "Shot In The Dark"' from their latest album, 2020's Power Up. The band also dusted off some deep cuts such as "Riff Raff," "Stiff Upper Lip," "Shot Down in the Flames" and "Rock 'n' Roll Train'." The show marked the final extended set of dates with vocalist Brian Johnson since 2016. That year, Johnson had to step away from the band's '"Rock or Bust Tour" due to hearing issues, with Axl Rose stepping in and joining the band for two dozen gigs. Their Dublin performance of "Back in Black" has been shared on 
Phil Collins may be working on new music for the first time in over two decades according to record producer and journalist Simon Napier-Bell, who has interviewed Collins at his home in Switzerland for a new documentary about the UK's iconic Marquee Club, which closed its doors in 2008 after 50 years. Posting on Facebook on Aug. 19, Napier-Bell wrote that Collins was "in top form, full of wicked stories," and "hugely fun," before revealing that the former Genesis singer/drummer had recently had his studio revamped. "For sure, before too long we're going to hear some new music," Napier-Bell continued. Collins hasn't released an album of original music since Disney's Brother Bear soundtrack in 2003. One year prior to that, he released his last solo studio album Testify. In June, Collins announced a 30th anniversary box set of his 1993 album Both Sides, due for release on Sept. 20 via Rhino Records. The lavish 
A Missouri woman has been federally charged with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft following an alleged attempt to fraudulently sell Elvis Presley's Graceland earlier in 2024. Lisa Jeanine Findley, 53, was arrested for allegedly orchestrating a scheme to conduct a fraudulent sale of Graceland, Presley's mansion located in Memphis, Tenn. The fate of Graceland was thrown into question in May, when a deed of trust emerged, which was allegedly signed by Presley's daughter Lisa Marie Presley in 2018 to secure a $3.8 million loan from Naussany Investments and Private Lending LLC in Missouri. The company claimed that Graceland was used as collateral in the loan, which was never paid back. On Aug. 16, the US Justice Department alleged that Findley falsely claimed Lisa Marie, who died unexpectedly in Jan. 2023, took out the loan from Naussany Investments -- a bogus private lender -- pledged Graceland as collateral for the loan and failed to repay the debt. The DOJ alleged that Findley was seeking $2.85 million from Presley's family to settle the alleged debt, and published a fraudulent foreclosure notice in a Memphis newspaper announcing that Graceland would be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Prosecutors also claimed that Findley used a variety of aliases associated with a fictitious private lender called Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC (Naussany Investments). This includes allegedly posing as a Nigerian scammer to take credit for the plan earlier this year. If convicted, Findley could face up to 20 years in prison. In May, it was reported that actress Riley Keough -- who is also the granddaughter of the late music icon and the current owner of Graceland -- was taking legal action to halt the court-approved sale of the estate. After taking the matter to court, it was confirmed just days before the auction that Keough had been successful in her plea, and a Tennessee judge had blocked the planned sale of Graceland. Later in May, a self-described scammer based in Nigeria came forward to take credit for the plan to send the iconic property to auction -- saying that he was working as part of an identity theft ring. The DOJ is now alleging that Findley was posing as the scammer. Elvis first purchased the mansion back in 1957, and lived there until his death in 1977. In the years since, it has been a popular destination for fans who want to pay their respects to the musician. Elvis is buried there, as are his parents, his daughter Lisa Marie, and her son Benjamin Keough. - New Musical Express, 8/17/24...... In other Elvis-related news, superfans of the King of Rock 'n' Roll will soon be able to take a $6K for a day insider tour of Graceland. A group of up to four people, and up to only eight guests per day, will be given access to some of the Presley family's favorite places on the Graceland grounds for the first time since it opened to the public in 1982. On the seven-hour tour, guests will have the opportunity to enjoy access to the family's favorite activities with golf cart rides around the grounds, a horse photo op and guided walk through the home's front pasture, and a "high-end dinner" at the newly renovated Moriah's House, which is said to offer stunning views of Graceland's landscape from the back pasture. (Moriah's House was named after Lisa Marie Presley's pony, which was once housed there.) The new "Presley for a Day Tour" launches on Sept. 6, and tours are now available to book through Jan. 2025 at the Graceland.com website. - Billboard, 8/15/24...... Seventies R&B singers Candi Staton and William Bell will be among 10 artists inducted into the 2024 class of inductees of the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. Staton topped Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in 1976 with "Young Hearts Run Free," while Bell hit No. 1 on the same chart with "Tryin' to Love Two" in 1977. Other performers inducted include legendary drummer/vocalist Buddy Miles, Jeffrey Osbourne, Regina Belle, Terry Stewart, Kenny Lattimore, Rose Marie McCoy, Ginuwine and Ken Hawkins. The 13th annual National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Oct. 6 at the Marriott Cleveland East in Warrensville Heights, Ohio. More than 300 R&B artists inducted since its National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame's inception in 2013. The roster includes legends such as James Brown, Prince, B.B. King, New Edition, The O'Jays, The Temptations, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Jackie Wilson and Whitney Houston. - Billboard, 8/16/24...... Barbra Streisand was the marquee star participating in a virtual "Jewish Women For Kamala" rally on Aug. 15 in support of Democratic presidential contender Vice-President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. "It's been said that Jewish women are known to speak out and tell you what they think and I'm one of them," said Streisand, seated in a bespoke library. "I'm so tired of hearing [former Pres. Donald] Trump put down America, saying 'Make America Great Again' because America has been great since 1776. And it's still great in 2024." The "Evergreen" singer said she's supporting Harris/Walz because she wants a president who believes we can "do anything if we work together." She praised the replacement Democratic ticket for bringing a new sense of "optimism, energy and excitement" to the campaign since Harris stepped in for Pres. Joe Biden more than two weeks ago in an unprecedented switch at the top of the ticket with less than 100 days to go in the neck-and-neck race. The full 90-min. "Jewish Women for Kamala" call can be viewed on 
Willie Nelson's son Micah Nelson says his 91-year-old dad is "facing death with grace" on Willie's upcoming studio album Last Leaf on the Tree. "There are little side-quests, but that became the through-line - facing death with grace," says Micah, who also produced the LP. The album's first single, released on Aug. 15, is a cover of Tom Waits' "Last Leaf" which Willie previously recorded as a collaboration with Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards back in 2011. Last Leaf on the Tree also features another Waits song -- "House Where Nobody Lives" -- as well as covers of tracks by the Flaming Lips, Beck and Neil Young. The album also features "Wheels" which was written by Micah and "Color of Sound," a collaboration by Willie and Micah. Micah previously worked with his dad on the Nelson family albums Willie and the Boys in 2017 and 2021's The Willie Nelson Family but this is the first time he has produced one of his dad's records. Last Leaf on the Tree, Willie's 153rd album and 76th studio album, will land on Nov. 1 via Legacy Recordings. - Music-News.com, 8/16/24...... The Hipgnosis Song Fund, a six-year-old, London-listed investment trust that has amassed a huge catalog of 65,000 copyrights including songs by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Journey, Shakira, Blondie and Neil Young among others, is suing Barry Manilow over bonus payments relating to its acquisition of the singer's catalog four years ago. The lawsuit was filed at the High Court in London on Aug. 12 and the case is listed as breach of contract, but details of the claim are not publicly available. Three defendants are listed on the court filing: Manilow; Manilow Productions; and the artist's management company -- Hastings, Clayton & Tucker Inc trading as Stiletto Entertainment. News of the court case was first reported by the Financial Times, and the claim is understood to be for a low sum in the single digit millions. A spokesperson for Hipgnosis described the dispute as a "routine commercial matter concerning the interpretation of certain clauses in a contract regarding bonus payments, which the court is ideally placed to address." "While we regret that this couldn't be resolved directly between the parties, we continue to hold Barry and his music in the highest possible regard and we are confident that this can be resolved in a fair and reasonable way," the spokesperson went on to say. The court action comes almost exactly four years after Hipgnosis announced that it had acquired 100% of Manilow's worldwide recording royalties (excluding SoundExchange royalties) in his catalog, comprising 917 songs, for an undisclosed figure. The deal included some of the 81-year-old singer's biggest hits, including "Mandy," "I Write the Songs," "Looks Like We Made It," "Can't Smile Without You" and "Copacabana (At the Copa)." In July, the private equity group Blackstone completed a $1.6-billion acquisition of Hipgnosis following a tumultuous year in which the publicly traded fund faced a shareholder revolt following a series of missteps and accounting scandals, culminating in bitter infighting between the fund's board and its investment manager, Hipgnosis Song Management. - Billboard, 8/14/24...... Those not fortunate enough to attend the Sept. 2023 all-star tribute to Bruce Springsteen's beloved 1982 solo album Nebraska in Nashville will get a chance to view the event when Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska: A Celebration in Words and Music start airing on most PBS stations across the country on Aug. 31 (some stations will begin showing as early as mid-August, check your local listings). The 
Sting recently teamed up with legendary French highwire stuntman Philippe Petit as the latter recreated his iconic Twin Towers highwire stunt -- an unauthorized walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City done on Aug. 7, 1974 -- for the 50th anniversary of the amazing stunt. Petit, 74, took the opportunity to recreate the stunt at Manhattan's Cathedral of St. John the Divine as Sting sat down below and performed his tracks "Fragile" and "Fields Of Gold'" while accompanied by a live orchestra. Sting closed out the night with a song titled "Let the Great World Spin" from his upcoming musical about Petit. The stunt can be viewed on 
Beloved power pop musician Greg Kihn, best known for his Top 40 hits "Jeopardy" and "The Breakup Song," died on Aug. 13 after a battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 75. Born on July 10, 1949, in Baltimore, Md., Kihn moved to San Francisco in the mid 1970s, where he became one of the first artists signed to Matthew King Kaufman's Beserkley Records. He formed the Greg Kihn Band, featuring guitarist Robbie Dunbar, bassist Steve Wright, and drummer Larry Lynch, and the group released a self-titled album in 1976. Through the 1970s, Kihn released an album each year. In 1981, Kihn scored his first major hit with "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)," from the Rockihnroll album. The track hit No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop songs chart. Two years later, he unveiled the dance-ready hit, "Jeopardy," which climbed to No. 2 on the Hot 100 in May 1983. Beyond his success as a musician, Kihn was also an accomplished author. He wrote four horror fiction novels, including 1996's Horror Show and 1998's Shade of Pale. 1998's Big Rock Beat and 1999's Mojo Hand were written as sequels to Horror Show. He also wrote Carved in Rock: Short Stories by Musicians, which compiled stories from him and other rock musicians including Pete Townshend, Joan Jett and more. His 2013 novel, Rubber Soul, was a Beatles-themed murder mystery story. Kihn is survived by Jay Arafiles-Kihn, his wife; his son, Ryan Kihn, and daughter, Alexis Harrington-Kihn; as well as his grandchildren. - Billboard, 8/15/24...... Maurice Williams, a rhythm and blues singer and composer who with his backing group The Zodiacs became one of music's great one-shot acts with the classic ballad 
Pioneering daytime talk show host Phil Donahue, who launched an indelible television genre that made household names of Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres, Kelly Clarkson and many others, died on Aug. 18 after a long illness. He was 88. Dubbed "the king of daytime talk," Mr. Donahue was the first to incorporate audience participation in a talk show, typically during a full hour with a single guest. "Just one guest per show? No band?" he remembered being routinely asked in his 1979 memoir, Donahue, My Own Story. The format set The Phil Donahue Show apart from other interview shows of the 1960s and made it a trendsetter in daytime television, where it was particularly popular with female audiences. Later renamed Donahue, the program launched in Dayton, Ohio, in 1967. Mr. Donahue's willingness to explore the hot-button social issues of the day emerged immediately, when he featured atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair as his first guest. He would later air shows on feminism, homosexuality, consumer protection and civil rights, among hundreds of other topics. The show was syndicated in 1970 and ran on national television for the next 26 years, racking up 20 Emmy Awards for the show and for Mr. Donahue as host, as well as a Peabody for Donahue in 1980. It included radio-style call-ins, which Mr. Donahue greeted with his signature, "Is the caller there?" The show's last episode aired in 1996 in New York, where Mr. Donahue was living with his wife, actress Marlo Thomas. He met Thomas, the That Girl star of the 1960s who was a household name at the time and would later become a regular on Friends, when she appeared on his show in 1977. He was born Phillip John Donahue on Dec. 21, 1935, part of a middle-class Irish Catholic family in Cleveland. After a series of early jobs in radio and TV, Mr. Donahue was invited to move an earlier radio talk show to Dayton's WLWD television station in 1967. It moved in 1974 to Chicago, where it stayed for years, then ended its run in New York. Mr. Donahue returned briefly to television in 2002, hosting another Donahue show on MSNBC. The station canceled it after six months, citing low ratings. Mr. Donahue also co-directed the 2006 documentary Body of War, which was nominated for an Oscar. - AP, 8/19/24...... Peter Marshall, who hosted the popular game show The Hollywood Squares for more than 15 years and had a long career as an actor, singer and comic, died on Aug. 15 of kidney failure at his Encino, Calif. home. He was 98. Mr. Marshall won four Daytime Emmys for hosting the syndicated Hollywood Squares from 1966-81. The tic-tac-toe game featured two contestants agreeing or disagreeing with celebrities who provided answers to Mr. Marshall's questions -- which ranged from silly to ribald. The format has been revived a few times over the years, with a new 2024 edition hosted by Nate Burleson with Drew Barrymore in the famed center square is to premiere in midseason. Among the scores of stars who appeared on Hollywood Squares were Walter Matthau, Gloria Swanson, Glenn Ford and Milton Berle, as well as regulars Paul Lynde -- who often killed as the center square -- Rose Marie, Nipsey Russell, Cliff Arquette and Wally Cox. Born Ralph Pierre LaCock on March 30, 1926, in Huntington, W.V., Mr. Marshall had a long career in showbiz before his Hollywood Squares gig. Boasting a memorable voice, he worked as a DJ for Armed Forces Radio after being drafted into the Army stint during World War II and as an NBC page and a theater usher. Mr. Marshall teamed with Tommy Noonan in 1949 for a comedy act that sold out nightclubs and did The Ed Sullivan Show twice. They appeared together in movies including The Rookie (1959) and Swingin' Along (1961). He had bit parts in some early 1950s movies and became an contract player at Twentieth Century Fox, appearing in such films as Ensign Pulver, The Cavern and Annie, in which he played radio crooner Bert Healy. He got his TV start guesting on '50s variety shows as part of a comedy team with Tommy Farrell. Later that decade, he appeared in episodes of series including Men of Annapolis and The Millionaire. He also appeared in Manhattan Tower, the first color special NBC aired. Mr. Marshall authored the 2002 memoir Backstage with the Original Hollywood Square. He is survived by his Laurie, his wife of 35 years, two daughters, one son and 12 grandchildren. Another son, David LaCock, died of Covid complications in 2021. - Deadline.com, 8/15/24...... 
Revered actress Gena Rowlands, hailed as one of the greatest actors to ever practice the craft and a guiding light in independent cinema as a star in groundbreaking movies by her director husband, John Cassavetes, and who later charmed audiences in her son's tear-jerker The Notebook, died on Aug. 14 at her home in Indian Wells, Calif. She was 94. Her passing was confirmed on Aug. 14 by representatives for her son, filmmaker Nick Cassavetes, who revealed earlier in 2024 that his mother had Alzheimer's disease. Operating outside the studio system, the husband-and-wife team of John Cassavetes and Ms. Rowlands created indelible portraits of working-class strivers and small-timers in such films as A Woman Under the Influence, Gloria and Faces. Ms. Rowlands made 10 films across four decades with Cassavetes, including Minnie and Moskowitz in 1971, Opening Night in 1977 and Love Streams in 1984. She earned two Oscar nods for two of them: 1974's A Woman Under the Influence, in which she played a wife and mother cracking under the burden of domestic harmony, and Gloria in 1980, about a woman who helps a young boy escape the mob. In addition to the Oscar nominations, Ms. Rowlands earned three Primetime Emmy Awards, one Daytime Emmy and two Golden Globes. She was awarded an honorary Academy Award in 2015 in recognition of her work and legacy in Hollywood. "You know what's wonderful about being an actress? You don't just live one life," she said at the podium. "You live many lives." A new generation was introduced to Ms. Rowlands in her son's blockbuster romantic drama The Notebook, in which she played a woman whose memory is ravaged, looking back on a romance for the ages. Her younger self was portrayed by Rachel McAdams. (She also appeared in Nick Cassavetes' Unhook the Stars in 1996.) In her later years, Ms. Rowlands made several appearances in films and TV, including in The Skeleton Key and the detective series Monk. Her last appearance in a movie was in 2014, playing a retiree who befriends her gay dance instructor in Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks. Her other notable movies included Lonely Are the Brave with Kirk Douglas, Two Minute Warning (Charlton Heston), Tempest (co-starring with Cassavetes and Molly Ringwald, in her screen debut) and the mother who wants to do right by her children in Paul Schrader's 1987 study of a blue-collar family Light of Day. When no film scripts attracted her, she appeared in TV series such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Bonanza, Dr. Kildare and The Virginian. One of her career delights was co-starring with her icon Bette Davis on the TV movie