"My New Year's resolution is to appreciate each moment of life as the treasure it is, to have a more joyful heart each day, and to contribute to a more peaceful world," says Tina Turner, 81, who just released her book Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good. The legendary singer adds: "During this time when so many of us are facing adversity, let's choose hope over despair, help our human family grow wiser, and change our world by changing ourselves." - Entertainment Weekly, 1/21...... CNN will premiere a new Jimmy Carter documentary, Rock & Roll President, on Jan. 3 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern/7:00 p.m. Central. The documentary features intimate interviews that reveal how Pres. Carter's friendships with artists like The Allman Brothers Band, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin shaped and propelled the 39th president's life of service. - TV Guide, 12/21/20...... 
Patti Smith took over London's Piccadilly Circus billboards on New Year's Eve as part of a virtual performance that was streamed around the world on the YouTube channel of digital art platform Circa. The punk poetess paid tribute to Britain's NHS and healthcare workers who have died from COVID-19 in 2020. "It's just so sad when we lose people who work so hard to rebuild our world," Smith told the UK paper The Guardian. She also read a new poem dedicated to the environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg, who will turn 18 in January. Thunberg first came to global prominence in 2018, after her first United Nations address warning of the dangers of global warming. Smith also shared her feelings about outgoing U.S. president Donald Trump and how she felt relieved about the victory of former vice-president Joe Biden and his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris. "It's been a terrible atmosphere to live in," Smith said of Trump's tenure. "You try to do your work and not let [politics] permeate your consciousness daily but it does. It's very insidious." Going on to note that she's about the same age as 74-year-old Trump, Smith added: "I have encountered him in New York through the years and found him a horrible, narcissistic person and just a bad businessman. I've seen the debris of his deals." - NME, 12/29/20...... Appearing in a new documentary about Scottish soccer star Denis Law, Rod Stewart revealed he once conned his way out of massive hotel phone bills by convincing staff they must have made a mistake. Stewart recalled one phone bill he was handed as he checked out of a U.S. hotel in late 1973 during his tenure with the Faces. "To get to the 1974 World Cup in Germany, we had to beat Czechoslovakia," Stewart, 75, recalled. "This was another game I didn't see, because I was working with the Faces, but I remember it like it was yesterday... I used to phone up, and my dad would put the phone by the television and I would listen for the whole game," he went on, adding: "Then they would send me a bill for hundreds of quid (pounds)." He continued: "I would say, 'What person in his right mind would be on a phone call for 90-odd minutes?' and they would say, 'Oh, yes, I suppose it is a mistake, Mr. Stewart', and I would get a bill for 10 quid." Stewart proved to be the Scottish team's good luck charm in 1973 -- they beat Czechoslovakia and made it to the 1974 World Cup, but despite only giving up a goal in the first round in a 1-1 draw with Yugoslavia, they didn't move on. - Music-News.com, 12/31/20...... 
Elton John has made an appearance on the first episode of Prince Harry and Megan Markle's new podcast, Archewell Audio. The royal couple launched their streaming service in the final week of 2020, and their first episode sees them reflecting on the events of 2020 alongside "a few friends and a lot of other folks" that the pair "admire," aiming to "get their thoughts on what they learned from 2020." In his segment, Elton alled 2020 "the worst year I've ever known," while hoping that the pandemic means "that we have become better people" and shared a "hope for healing" in the following years. The first episode can be streamed on Spotify.com. Meanwhile, in an interview with Record Collector magazine, John complained that he'd "kill [himself]" if he ever has to play his No. 1 1973 hit "Crocodile Rock" again. "I'm lucky to have so many great songs to play every night. But there is a point in time where you think, 'I don't really want to play this anymore'," Sir Elton said. "There are things like 'Original Sin' or '(Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket' that I haven't really played before -- not enough anyway. But if I have to go back and play 'Crocodile Rock' again, it's like, 'I'm gonna kill myself. So, after I've finished this tour, I don't want to play some of these songs any more. I'd like to do something like Kate Bush, where I can do a show and play some of these songs that are deep cuts." John's "Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour" began the 2020 chart year with 10 shows in North America, however it was derailed in March by the coronavirus pandemic. In September, he announced the tour would go on hiatus until January 2022. - New Musical Express/Music-News.com, 12/30/20...... With his new release McCartney III debuting at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Album Sales Chart dated Jan. 2, Paul McCartney has scored his third chart-topping LP as a solo artist, and the vinyl edition of McCartney III has scored the third-largest sales week for a vinyl album since Nielsen Music/MRC Data began tracking music sales in 1991. McCartney III arrived with 107,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Dec. 24 following its Dec. 18 release, according to Nielsen Music. It follows his previous No. 1 albums Memory Almost Full (June 2007) and Egypt Station (Sept. 2018). Billboard's Top Album Sales chart, which was started in 1991, ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. - Billboard, 12/30/20...... In a new interview with Variety.com, Sammy Hagar opened up about his final phone call with Eddie Van Halen before the guitarist died at age 65 in October 2020 following a long battle with cancer. "Poor Eddie, broke my heart, but thank God we connected before [he died]," said the 73-year-old Hagar. "I heard he was in bad shape and I wanted to reach out; I finally said, 'I'm just calling him.'" Hagar said he called Eddie's brother, manager, and other friends in an attempt to "be his friend [and] bury the hatchet, but they never got it done." Hagar says he was eventually connected to Eddie through their mutual friend, comedian George Lopez. "George is a dear friend and he was Eddie's friend and he said, 'Sammy, Eddie's in bad shape, he loves you brother, you need to reach out.' I said, 'Give me his f---ing number and I'll make sure I call him,'" Hagar said. After finally connecting, the former bandmates instantly restored their bond and had a meaningful conversation. "I said, 'Why don't you respond? I've been reaching out,' and Ed said, 'Why didn't you call me? Don't f---ing call my brother, f---ing call me!'" Hagar recalled. "And I said, 'I love you man,' and it was like, boom, we were good. It was a beautiful thing." Hagar joined Van Halen in 1985, and the band enjoyed its most successful period with multiplatinum hit albums such as 5150, OU812, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and Balance. After band tension forced him out, he returned for a brief two-year stint from 2003-2005. - Variety/Billboard, 12/27/20...... 
Elton's former touring co-headliner Billy Joel took to Instagram on Dec. 29 to share a video clip of his 5-year-old daughter Della belting out "Happy Birthday" to her singer sister Alexa Ray Joel in honor of her 35th birthday, proving she, too, has the potential to follow in her family's showbiz footsteps. Joel captioned the video "Happy Birthday to our big sister @alexarayjoel. You have been singing us lullabies since we were born. We are so excited to finally get to sing to you on your birthday. We love you more than words can say!," and the message was signed from Della and her 3-year-old sister Remy, who Joel shares with his wife of five years, Alexis Roderick. Responding to the sweet surprise, the birthday girl replied, "Aww My Little Diva...! love you rosebud, thanks for serenading me." Joel shares Alexa Ray with his second wife, Christie Brinkley, with whom he was married from 1985 to 1994, and before tying the knot with the model, the music icon was wed to Elizabeth Weber from 1973 to 1982. The 71-year-old Piano Man also posted a clip of his young daughters sweetly dancing to Taylor Swift's hit "You Need to Calm Down." "Merry Christmas from the Joels. Billy, Alexis, Della and Remy," he wrote. "Rockin' Out to @taylorswift on Christmas morning." - Music-News.com, 12/31/20...... Alice Cooper and Guns 'N Roses guitarist Slash are among some of the biggest rock stars to appear in the trailer for forthcoming documentary film Rock Camp, which documents the famous "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp" which for more than two decades has given people the chance to jam with and learn from rock stars. Started by producer David Fishof in 1996, the camp sees the rockers teach and inspire campers over the course of four days, concluding with attendees and counsellors performing alongside one another in a huge concert. In the trailer for Rock Camp, former camp counsellor Cooper can be seen giving an interview in which he reflects on the people and the nature of the camp, saying, "You would have a 15-year-old kid playing drums, and a dentist on guitar. If this band were a real band it would be the weirdest band ever, but cool!" The film chronicles the experiences of four campers as they learn to perform from some of rock's greatest artists, and its trailer has been shared on YouTube. It will receive a virtual cinema release on Jan. 15, 2021, before being made available on demand on Feb. 16, 2021. - NME, 12/30/20...... The creators of the rock 'n' roll "mockumentary" This Is Spinal Tap have set up a licensing body to exclusively manage the cult film's rights. Rob Reiner, Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean have set up a wholly-owned entity to manage the licensing of the film and all rights related to it that will take effect on Jan. 1, 2021. It comes after the film's creators settled their rights dispute with French media group Vivendi and its StudioCanal division, in which Harry Shearer alleged in a 2016 suit that despite decades of cult success, the creators had received just $81 in merchandising income and $98 in musical sales income to show for their work on the iconic 1984 film. In 2019, the creators settled their legal dispute with Universal Music over the film's soundtrack recordings, and the cast of the film reunited for a special screening and live performance to celebrate its 35th anniversary, with Elvis Costello even making a surprise appearance. - NME, 12/29/20...... 
1960s hitmaker Petula Clark says she's not happy that the man responsible for the Christmas morning explosion in downtown Nashville, Tenn., played her No. 1 1964 hit "Downtown" ahead of the detonation, in which 63-year-old local resident Anthony Quinn Warner apparently perished in the blast. "I feel the need to express my shock and disbelief at the Christmas Day explosion in our beloved Music City. I love Nashville and its people. Why this violent act -- leaving behind it such devastation?," Clark said in a Facebook post. The English songstress continued: "A few hours later -- I was told that the music in the background of that strange announcement -- was me -- singing 'Downtown!' Of all the thousands of songs -- why this one?." She added that "millions of people all over the world have been uplifted by this joyful song," the original version of which can be heard on YouTube. The singer cited the opening line of the 1964 hit tune -- "When you're alone and life is making you lonely you can always go, downtown" -- before adding: "Perhaps you can read something else into these words -- depending on your state of mind. It's possible." Clark ended her post by saying, "I would like to wrap my arms around Nashville -- give you all a hug -- and wish you Love, a Happy and Health New Year. And, as we say sometimes in the U., steady the Buffs! (Look it up!)." Warner's motive in the bombing, which injured three people, is still unclear and officials have said it is too early for it to be discussed publicly. - NME, 12/30/20...... Kiss bassist Gene Simmons has shared a photo of his band wearing face masks on Twitter and a message urging Kiss fans to do the same. Simmons posted the picture of the band without their conventional face paint before they travelled to Dubai for their Dec. 31 "Kiss Off 2020" livestreamed concert spectacular. "Wear your masks. Even if it's only as a courtesy. If you yawn, or sneeze, you don't think twice about covering your mouth. Do the rest of us a favor! Mask Up!... Besides, it looks cool," he wrote. His post comes after he recently called on people to stop complaining about being in lockdown during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. "Right now, the pandemic is not fun," Simmons told Canada's K-97 radio station. "It is devastating for families who've lost loved ones." He also criticized those choosing not to wear a mask during the pandemic: "Be kind to each other... I know the nerves are up, 'cause we're all scared -- what's gonna happen and all that stuff. It's okay... It's all gonna get better. And just be kind to each other. That doesn't take much effort. And wear your goddamn masks. It ain't about you." Meanwhile, former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley shot down rumours that he might be rejoining his former bandmates for their New Year's Eve concert in Dubai. "Contrary to online statements, Ace Frehley was not asked to and will not be appearing with KISS at their New Year's Eve concert in Dubai," a statement posted on Frehley's Facebook page read. "Ace is currently in Nashville, TN recording his new studio album of all original material. Ace wishes all of his fans a happy and prosperous New Year!" Frehley has stated that he might be open to a reunion with Kiss at some point -- if the price was right. "....Everything is delayed at this juncture, so who knows...? Unless they come forward and the price is right, you're not gonna see me anywhere close by," he told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation" with Eddie Trunk. - NME/Music-News.com, 12/29/20...... It has been reported that sales of vinyl LP's had their biggest sales week in history in the US, with a pre-Christmas rush of vinyl albums seeing nearly 2 million LPs sold across the country. 1.842 million vinyl LPs were purchased in the US in the week leading up to Christmas, which ended on Dec. 24, according to Billboard. It broke the record set just one week before (Dec. 10-17), where 1.445 million were sold. The new record is the biggest weekly sales of vinyl in the country since records began in 1991. Meanwhile in the UK, sales of vinyl look set to hit a new three-decade high as fans appear to be using their time in lockdown to beef up their record collections. Sales of vinyl there have gone up almost 10% this year, which puts it on track to break the £100 million mark by the end of 2020, making for the best year since 1990. - NME, 12/29/20...... 
Alto Reed, the longtime saxophonist for Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, died on Dec. 30 after a long battle with colon cancer. He was 72. Born Thomas Neal Cartmell on May 16, 1948, the gifted Detroit musician began playing with Seger in 1971 before joining the Silver Bullet Band three years later. He's widely recognized for his saxophone solo in "Turn the Page" from the band's Back in '72 album, and "Old Time Rock and Roll" from Stranger in Town, the latter of which became a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979 and soundtracked an iconic scene in Tom Cruise's 1983 film Risky Business. As a member of the Silver Bullet Band, Reed won a 1980 Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for Against the Wind, the group's fourth studio album which topped the album charts for six weeks in the spring of 1980. It was their only No. 1 album. Aside from his work with the Silver Bullet Band, Reed performed alongside Grand Funk Railroad, Ted Nugent, Little Feat, Foghat, Dave Mason, Spencer Davis, the Blues Brothers, George Thorogood, Robin Gibb and the Motor City Horns. He also co-led the Reed & Dickinson Band with Steve Dickinson and the pair released an album together titled Tonight We Ride. "Whether it was 'Turn the Page,' 'Mainstreet,' or 'Old Time Rock and Roll,' audiences roared every time he played his part. In our band, Alto was the rock star," Bob Seger said upon learning of Reed's passing. - Billboard, 12/30/20...... Bluegrass guitarist Tony Rice, regarded as one of the all-time greats of the genre, died suddenly on Christmas day. He was 69. Rice was widely celebrated for his skill as a flatpicker, a fast-paced style of guitar playing, as well as his highly influential style which was itself indebted to jazz. Rice, who grew up in California before moving to Kentucky, released his first album Guitar in 1973, later writing and recording as a band with the Tony Rice Unit and the Bluegrass Album Band. His collaborations over the years ranged from the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia to guitarist Norman Blake and mandolin player David Grisman. Rice was diagnosed with dysphonia in 1994, which prevented him from singing for most of the rest of his life. The musician made his last ever public guitar performance at the 2013 International Bluegrass Music Association's Hall of Fame. - NME, 12/27/20...... Phyllis McGuire, the lead singer and last remaining member of the 1950s trio known as The McGuire Sisters, died in her Las Vegas home on Dec. 29 of as yet undisclosed causes. She was 89. Her path to fame began when she and her two sisters, Christine and Dorothy McGuire, appeared on Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts in 1952, winning the contest. Following their competition success, the three vocalists began to perform on variety shows and travel the country as their records rose in popularity. - MSN.com, 12/31/20...... 
Actress Dawn Wells, best known for parlaying her girl-next-door charm and wholesome beauty into enduring TV fame as the sweet-natured desert island castaway Mary Ann on the classic 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island, died on Dec. 30 after losing a battle with COVID-19. She was 82. Born in Reno, Nev. on Oct. 18, 1938, Wells studied theater at the University of Washington, and headed to Hollywood after her beauty pageant success. Wells beat out several actresses including 60s bombshell Raquel Welch for her role in Gilligan's Island, in which she played Kansas farm girl Mary Ann Summers, one of seven castaways stranded after their boat, the S.S. Minnow, became battered in a storm during what was supposed to be a three-hour tour from Hawaii. The series ran for three seasons from 1964-1967 and its 98 episodes invariably involved their efforts in vain to get off the island, even as a parade of guest stars dropped in and had no trouble getting out. The show, which also starred Bob Denver as the zany Gilligan, Alan Hale Jr. as "The Skipper," Jim Backus as millionaire Thurston Howell III, Natalie Schafer as his posh wife, Russell Johnson as "The Professor," and Tina Louise as movie star Ginger, drew the wrath of critics but its innocent fun caught on with viewers at a time of tumult in America after the assassination of a president and during the rise of the civil rights movement and the escalation of the Vietnam War. Wells, playing a cheerful brunette Midwestern farm girl, appeared in the series wearing short shorts, midriff tops and pigtails. Louise, playing a buxom red-headed sensation akin to Marilyn Monroe, wore slinky, form-fitting dresses. The two inspired what became an enduring pop culture question for men: "Ginger or Mary Ann?" In an interview with Forbes magazine, Wells said she was paid $750 for her work on the show and "didn't really get a dime" in residuals, adding, "Sherwood Schwartz, our producer, reportedly made $90 million on the reruns alone." Like some of her co-stars, she suffered from typecasting in Hollywood in the years after the series ended, appearing in TV guest spots and stage work before taking roles in B-movies. Wells also appeared in three made-for-TV movies based on the Gilligan's Island concept, and lent her voice to the animated Gilligan's Planet (1982) in which the castaways become stranded on a far-away planet. She also capitalized on her fame by writing, Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook, and later, for the 50th anniversary of the series in 2014, the book, What Would Mary Ann Do? A Guide to Life. Following her death, Tina Louise, who at age 86 is now the sole survivor of the cast members, said in a statement to CNN: "I was sad to learn of Dawn's passing, I will always remember her kindness to me. We shared in creating a cultural landmark that has continued to bring comfort and smiles to people during this difficult time. I hope that people will remember her the way that I do -- always with a smile on her face." - WENN/Canoe.com, 12/30/20.
Foreigner has announced they will be heading back to the stage in March to perform as part of the first socially-distanced music festival in America, The Frontyard Festival at the outdoor Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando, Fla. "We are so happy to be able to perform live again because we and our fans really miss the experience," current lead singer Kelly Hansen shared in a statement. "We saw how the team at Dr. Phillips Center cared about the health of their audiences and innovated socially-distant concerts, and that's why we chose it as our first show for 2021," he added. Kelly continued: "There's nothing like it anywhere else in the country. We are so excited to connect with our fans in a safe manner, and can't wait to play live again at the Frontyard Festival." Foreigner will play both nights of the festival, on Mar. 23 and 24. The specially-designed event is aimed at reigniting the live entertainment scene after the Covid shutdowns and will take place over six months at the spacious, purpose-built Dr Phillips Center. Attendees at the venue will be able to enjoy the shows in hundreds of private, elevated boxes, located six feet apart from one another. Guests will be required to undergo temperature checks to enter the arena and wear face masks whenever they step outside their boxes. - Music-News.com, 12/22/20...... 
A coffee company known as Dead Sled Coffee announced on Instagram on Dec. 24 that it is teaming up with Kiss for a unique Kiss coffee flavor that is set to arrive in 2021. Dead Sled Coffee, which describes itself as "an independent business born from a desire to bridge the gap between coffee elite," did not share much else about the new venture other than to say the coffee is "the Officially Licensed @kissonline coffee... coming in 2021." Dead Sled has previously teamed up with Pennsylvania hardcore band Wisdom In Chains, New York ska group The Toasters, and also a number of TV and film characters for custom coffee products. Meanwhile, Kiss are set to "Kiss 2020 Goodbye" with a special livestreamed gig on New Year's Eve at the Atlantis hotel and resort in Dubai. Promising "the biggest & baddest concert event and pyrotechnics show of the year," Kiss will take the stage at 5:00 p.m. BST on the last day of the year with tickets ranging from $40 (£30) for a standard ticket, all the way up to $1,000 (£750) for deluxe tickets which includes all manner of Kiss merchandise and memorabilia. "To send off 2020 in their larger-than-life style on New Year's Eve, the iconic Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, multi-platinum selling band is reigniting the FIRE and roaring back to life!...The massive stage production and FREE pre-show will be brought directly into your living room at 9 pm LIVE from Atlantis Dubai on December 31st!," a statement announcing the gig said. The statement added: "Filmed with more than 50 cameras and 360-degree views, this show produced by Landmarks Live can be seen globally with ticketing technology and livestream powered by TIXR and experienced like no other virtual concert before. You're invited to spend New Year's Eve with The Demon, The Starchild, The Spaceman, and The Catman as they rock out of 2020 and roll into 2021... all night!" In still more Kiss-related news, Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford revealed in a new interview that the best piece of advice he's ever received was from Kiss bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons. "Priest were out on this big tour -- we were invited to open up for Kiss -- and I was just talking to Gene about the music business, and he goes, 'Let me just say this: It doesn't matter what they say about you, as long as they've got your picture and they spell your name right'," Halford told Twisted Sister member Jay Jay French his "The French Connection" podcast. - NME, 12/24/20...... In an interview with Total Guitar magazine, Queen's Brian May has opened up about the time he worked on a sci-fi themed EP called "Star Fleet Project" with the late Eddie Van Halen in 1983. "A couple of days after I heard the news about Eddie, I went back to 'Star Fleet'," May said. "I started revisiting all the feelings I had when we were in the studio doing that, and it sort of healed my soul a bit. I thought, 'Yeah, this is what I should be doing at this time.'" The three-song project, which was released under the Brian May + Friends moniker, features a heavy blues rock sound, with REO Speedwagon drummer Alan Gratzer and session musicians Phil Chen and Fred Mandel. During the recording sessions for the "Star Fleet Project" EP, May and Van Halen switched guitars, but as May explained, "It's basically all in the fingers at the end of the day. No matter what guitar Eddie picked up, it sounded like him." The lead track was a rearranged cover of the theme song to the children's TV show Star Fleet, and the other two songs on the EP, which has been shared on YouTube, were the originals "Blues Breaker" and "Let Me Out." - NME, 12/22/20...... 
The famous and sometimes infamous Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, Calif., near Santa Barbara that once belonged to Michael Jackson has sold to a billionaire for $22 million (£16m), which is $78 million (£57m) less than its 2016 asking price. Ronald Burkle, a billionaire businessman specializing in the mergers and acquisitions of American supermarkets, paid $22 million for the 2,700-acre property according to the Wall Street Journal, a significantly less amount than previous asking prices for the ranch which was first put up for sale for $100 million (£73m) in 2016. A year later, its price had dropped to $67 million (£49m), then the following year, the asking price had fallen even further to $31 million (£22m). The buyer reportedly views Neverland as a "land banking opportunity, having chosen not to open up a new branch of the private members club Soho House, of which is is the majority shareholder, near an adjoining lake to the ranch. Jackson purchased the property in 1988 for $19.5 million (£15m), naming it "Neverland" after the magical kingdom in Peter Pan, and turning it into his own private amusement park, building three ailroads on the property, an electric train with 100 feet of track, and a ferris wheel. Other highlights included a pirate ship, a roller coaster, bumper cars and an arcade. When Jackson died in 2009, rides and many of the exotic animals that lived on the ranch were removed. - Independent.co.uk, 12/25/20...... Speaking in his new The Public Image Is Rotten documentary, John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) says during his Sex Pistols days he was terrified of falling asleep and then not being able to remember anything when he woke up the next day after losing his memory after a serious case of meningitis when he was just seven-years-old. "There was just too much temptation. There was a lot of that cocaine floating around which can screw up a lot of things. That was a hard one to walk away from," Lyon said. "For me, it's things that keep me awake which are the things I'm interested in. The longer I'm awake the less chance of waking up from a sleep not knowing who I am. I never, ever want to go through that period of being in the hospital and not knowing who I was again," he added. Lydon has previously shared how he is now a full-time caretaker for his wife who is afficted with dementia. "Nora has Alzheimer' ... I am her full-time carer and I won't let anyone mess up with her head. For me the real person is still there. That person I love is still there every minute of every day and that is my life. It's unfortunate that she forgets things, well, don't we all?," he said. - Music-News.com, 12/23/20...... Seventies New Wave pioneers Talking Heads are among the acts tapped to receive a special Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2021 Grammys. The Recording Academy announced its 2021 Special Merit Awards on Dec. 22, with other Lifetime Achievement honorees to include Salt-N-Pepa, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Lionel Hampton, Marilyn Horne and Selena. The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards takes place on Jan. 31, 2021, with details on exactly how it will be presented in the coronavirus era to be announced soon. - NME, 12/22/20...... 
In the fourth week of December Neil Diamond shared a new "global singalong" video for his beloved hit "Sweet Caroline" on YouTube. Compiled from footage of thousands of fans who submitted videos of themselves singing along to the karaoke classic, the new video follows Diamond's latest album with the London Symphony Orchestra, Classic Diamonds, which is in the running for the UK's Christmas number one album. In March, the award-winning musician and composer shared a comedic public service announcement to those in lockdown during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, using the lyrics for "Sweet Caroline" to urge people to wash their hands thoroughly. Performing in front of the fire at home along with his dog, Diamond began: "I know we're going through a rough time right now, but I love you, and I think maybe if we sing together we might feel a little bit better." He then sang a version of "Sweet Caroline," which featured the adapted lyrics: "Hands, washing hands, reaching out, don't touch me, I won't touch you." In 2018, Diamond announced "with great reluctance and disappointment" he was retiring from touring after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease although he would "continue his writing, recording and development of new projects." - NME, 12/22/20...... In an interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe to promote his new album McCartney III, Paul McCartney said one of his favorite Beatles track was the obscure B-side to "Let It Be," "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)." "[It's] a zany, zany little B-side that nobody knows, but we had so much fun making it," McCartney said. "But there's a lot of songs that I love of the Beatles. I think 'Strawberry Fields' is a great song, I think, 'Hey Jude' worked out great. I've got a lot of favorite songs. 'Blackbird' I love. 'Eleanor Rigby' I love," he added. Sir Paul says that "Let It Be" is probably the Beatles track he's listened to most throughout his life. "It's the most ubiquitous. It sort of got everywhere. Ubiquitous from the Latin, ubi quo, meaning 'everywhere.' Come on, give it up," he said in the interview, which can be viewed in full on YouTube. Meanwhile, a Cort-made acoustic guitar played by Macca and actor Idris Elba during a recent BBC special to mark the release of McCartney III has gone up for auction to benefit the S.T.O.R.M charity, which provides support and shelter to those suffering from domestic abuse especially during the tumultuous coronavirus-enforced lockdown. S.T.O.R.M will receive 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the guitar, which already has bids that well exceed its initial £500 - £1,000 estimate. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 12/22/20...... In other Beatles-related news, as Ringo Starr prepares for the release of a new EP called "Zoom In" on Mar. 19 featuring contributions from Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh, Ben Harper, Dave Grohl and Sheryl Crow among others, a French Ringo and Beatles fan has compiled a database of Starr's many decades of work with his All-Starr Band. Webmaster Victor Baissait's Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band website features info on each All-Starr Band concert from 1989 to present, the personnel on each tour and song, setlists, tour maps, and even bootlegs info. Baissait, who also runs the popular French Paul McCartney site Maccaclub.com, is asking Ringo fans to contribute any concert video, audio, setlist, review, etc. they might have to help complete his already impressive All-Starr Band database. - 12/23/20.
Organizers of the annual "A Capitol Fourth" Independence Day celebration announced on June 13 that Barry Manilow will headline the event. The famous '70s crooner will perform a patriotic medley he first performed nearly 30 years ago for the reopening of the Statue of Liberty. The concert at the U.S. Capitol, attended by thousands of visitors, leads up to a massive fireworks display on the National Mall and is simulcast on PBS and NPR stations across the country. Other performers have not yet been announced. - AP, 6/13/15...... The Rolling Stones' 
Van Morrison was knighted by Britain's Queen Elizabeth on June 12 for his services to music and tourism in Northern Ireland, the inspiration for many of his classics. Morrison was born in Belfast, and many of his wistful, mystical songs are set on the streets of the city. The acclaimed Celtic crooner is among more than 1,000 people recognized by the queen in her annual Birthday Honors list, and joins his fellow previously knighted countrymen Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Mick Jagger and several others in the British pantheon. Others knighted this year include actors Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Twelve Years a Slave), and Kevin Spacey (American Beauty). - AP, 6/12/15...... Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson has told a Niagara Falls newspaper that the Canadian power trio's current 40th anniversary tour of North America could be their last. "This tour is the first tour where we're really looking at it that way," Lifeson said. "It's a lot tougher at 61 than it was at 21. And we're all feeling the aches and pains of our advancing years. I have had arthritis for a long time and it's just a little more in the forefront, in terms of my hands. And you know [drummer] Neil's [Peart] had this chronic tendonitis in his arm and his shoulders are starting to feel it, you know he plays so hard, so it only stands to reason that you need to warm up, you need to get in shape." Lifeson added that the band members work out in a gym "four or five times a week" and don't just "sit around eating chips and smoking pot." But Lifeson says he doesn't see Rush disbanding anytime soon, and would consider multiple night residencies at such venues as Radio City and Massey Hall. - New Musical Express, 6/13/15...... As the ABBA musical "Mama Mia!" prepares to finally end its epic 14-year run on Broadway in September after grossing a mind-boggling $2 billion from more than 40 international stage adaptations, the Swedish quartet's Bjorn Ulvaeus said in a recent rare interview that you'll never see an ABBA reunion tour. "I don't know if ever those speculations will stop," said Ulvaeus. "But it's kind of good to be the only group that never came back. Because I think we're virtually the only group that could have a reunion that hasn't had one." Ulvaeus hasn't recorded a song under the ABBA banner since 1982, and he and his fellow bandmates have fiercely maintained in the 33 years since that they never intend to do that again. Ulvaeus also said there was "a huge resistance from me and the rest of us" for the new ABBA Museum in Stockholm which opened in 2013, "but the City of Stockholm wanted it, and it seemed to be a good thing for Stockholm, and anything that's good for Stockholm I'm for it." He also teased that "There might be another musical in us, you never know." - Billboard, 6/11/15...... Speaking of Sweden, Emmylou Harris was among the honorees of Sweden's Polar Music Prize on June 9 in Stockholm. Harris gave an emotional acceptance speech that moved the assemblage to tears as she concluded, "I have only one regret on this magical evening, that my beloved parents, Walter and Eugenia, did not live to share this with me. It didn't matter to them if I was successful or not, they only cared for my happiness. Their unconditional love carried me through good times and bad and will abide with me whatever the future holds, 'til my journey ends." - Billboard, 6/9/15...... 
Former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty, who has embarked on a 41-city summer tour of the U.S., says he has no plans to reunite with remaining members of the band. "Through the years I have left that question open. I think it's safe to say the longer time you spend on the earth the more you realize you don't know everything that's gonna happen, but the other fellas recently made it difficult for me to do it," the 70-year-old musician told the Associated Press on June 11. Fogerty is also prepping the release of his memoir named after one of CCR's most famous songs, 
Peter Frampton has teamed up with AxCent Tuning Systems LLC to promote a crowdfunding campaign on Crowdfunder.com to raise $1 million to manufacture and market an affordable, mass-consumer edition of its Performer computer-controlled guitar tuning system. The device resides inside the guitar and makes use of an external app, allowing players to change tuning in seconds and without having to switch instruments. In addition the Frampton, the tuner has been used by such guitarists as Jimmy Page, Graham Nash, Tom Keifer and Mark Slaughter. "I've been a gadget freak and therefore an engineer for my own records for many, many years," Frampton says. "It's very interesting to me." Meanwhile, Frampton is on the road this summer with Cheap Trick and his own headlining shows, and says he has recorded nine songs so far for a new album he hopes to have ready for release later this year or in early 2016. - Billboard, 6/10/15...... Fleetwood Mac was forced to cancel a gig in Manchester, UK, on June 12 on their current European tour due to illness. The group posted on the Manchester Arena website announced the cancellation, and said that the "July 1 show will go ahead as planned." The band are also due to headline gigs in London, Glasgow and Leeds later this summer. - NME, 6/12/15...... AC/DC tour manager Garry Van Egmond has confirmed that estranged band drummer Phil Rudd will not be joining AC/DC for their upcoming gigs in New Zealand. In April, Rudd pleaded guilty to charges of threatening to kill and possession of methamphetamine and cannabis. Rudd has been unable to play live with AC/DC on their current world tour as he awaits trial. However, he could theoretically play with the band in New Zealand this December as he lives in the country. Van Egmond added that there was "no confirmation that Phil has left the band permanently" but added: "All I can say is that Phil will not be playing in the New Zealand concerts." Rudd was due to be sentenced on the recent charges on June 26, but the verdict was recently pushed back to July 9. - NME, 6/11/15...... The Tubes have announced a 40th anniversary tour of the UK with a 9-date trek that kicks off in Bristol on Aug. 3. The San Francisco-based rock band, who are best rememberd for their 1983 single "She's a Beauty," will also visit Brighton (8/4), Southampton (8/6), London (8/7), Manchester (8/8), Glasgow (8/9), Leeds (8/11), Edinburch (8/12) and Wolverhampton (8/13). In 1977 the Tubes toured the UK, but many of their shows were banned due to British censorship (their 1975 debut album included the controversial rock anthem "White Punks on Dope"). - Noble PR, 6/10/15...... Former The Little House on the Praire star Melissa Gilbert has been charged by the Internal Revenue Service for failing to pay more than $360,000 in federal income taxes. The IRS reportedly filed a tax lien against Gilbert in February and details emerged after she recently announced that her family was moving from a rented home in Howell, Michigan, to another area home. Gilbert blames the 2011-2013 tax debt on a stalled acting career, the economy and divorce. In a statement to the Detroit News, she says that "like so many people across the nation, the recession hit me hard" and there was a "perfect storm of financial difficulty for me." She added that she's negotiated a payment plan with the IRS. - AP, 6/12/15...... 
Jim Ed Brown, a member of the country music trio The Browns and a star of the Grand Ole Opry for more than a half-century, died on June 11 after a battle with lung cancer in a Franklin, Tenn., hospital near Nashville. He was 81. Mr. Brown was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in March with his sisters Maxine and Bonnie, and The Browns' 1959 crossover smash 
Christopher Lee, the mystical British actor whose haunting, intimidating performances as Count Dracula, the Frankenstein monster and Fu Manchu made him an icon of horror films and the cinematic embodiment of villainy, died on June 7 at Westminster Hospital in London of respiratory problems and heart failure. He was 93. Mr. Lee, who as bad guy Scaramanga battled Roger Moore's James Bond in 1974's 
A modern-style Oregon house once owned by Steve Miller Band principal Steve Miller has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. Architectural historian Diana Painter of Oregon's Historic Preservation Office says the house, which was designed by architect and UC Berkley faculty member Winifred Scott Wellington and built in 1951 just outside Williams, is admired as "one of the finest examples of post-World War II modern-style architectural design in southern Oregon and a rare example in Josephine County," according to architectural historian Diana Painter. Miller owned the house from 1976 to 1986. It is now owned by a nonprofit foundation founded by William J. and Sarah Wagner that operates the 400-acre property as a nature center, botanical garden, school and community center. - AP, 6/8/15...... Aretha Franklin performed at a memorial service for her late father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin, at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit on June 7. The Sunday service featuring gospel music and a free soul food buffet, with several people sharing their memories of Franklin's father and her brother, the Rev. Cecil Franklin. The "Queen of Soul" appeared nearly two hours into the service to perform the gospel tune "The Old Ship of Zion," with some in the audience crying. C.L. Franklin would have turned 100 this year, according to the Detroit News. - AP, 6/8/15...... The iconic '60s girl group The Supremes will be the focus of a new exhibit at The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles on June 25. Legends of Motown: Celebrating the Supremes will chronicle the trio's legendary reign through rare artifacts from the private collection of founding member Mary Wilson. On June 24, Wilson will take center stage for the museum's interview/Q&A series, "A Conversation With." Founded as the Primettes in Detroit by Wilson, Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, The Supremes became the most popular female group of the '60s thanks to a string of No. 1 R&B and pop hits including "Where Did Our Love Go?," "Baby Love" and "Stop! In the Name of Love." The exhibit will run through spring 2016. - Billboard, 6/5/15...... Legendary Queen of Funk Chaka Khan was the featured performer on the opening night (June 3) of Celebrate Brooklyn's 37th season. Khan, 62, heated up the unseasonably chilly park with an 18-song set that spanned her greatest hits, while showcasing her still-vibrant voice on tunes such as "I Feel For You," "I'm Every Woman," "Tell Me Something Good" and "Everlasting Love." - Billboard, 6/4/15...... Carlos Santana and his wife and band member Cindy Blackman performed the National Anthem before game 2 of the NBA Finals on June 7 at the Golden State Warriors ' Oracle Arena. The Santanas belted out a Jimi Hendrix-esque version of the "Star-Spangled Banner" on drums and electric guitar, and there wasn't a lyric to be heard. The pair also posed with the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. - Billboard, 6/7/15...... 
Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson is in the midst of a press tour to promote his new biopic Love & Mercy, which premiered in US theaters on June 5. Wilson, 72, has been rushing to screenings, giving interviews and posing for photos at a Los Angeles hotel and says the new movie is "a trip." "The first time I watched it, it was like a real test for my emotions," Wilson said in his typical clipped diction. "It portrays me so well that I felt like I was being pushed into the movie. Ten years in the making, Love & Mercy stars Paul Dano and John Cusak at different periods in his life and takes an unflinching look at the musician's powerful creative energy and debilitating mental illness. Wilson, who released his latest studio LP 
Pink Floyd's David Gilmour has announced his new solo album, Rattle That Lock, will be released in September 2015 and feature collaborations with Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera, Jools Holland and Gilmour's own wife, Polly Sampson. During an event at the 2015 Borris House Festival of Writing and Ideas in Carlow, Ireland on June 5, Gilmour performed two new songs from the upcoming LP, "Girl With A Yellow Dress" and "Boots On The Ground." Gilmour will tour the UK and Europe behind the new LP for the first time in nine years beginning in Croatia on Sept. 12 and visiting various cities in Europe before heading to the UK for three consecutive nights at London's Royal Albert Hall on Sept. 23-25. Gilmour and Pink Floyd topped the UK album charts in 2014 with the release of Pink Floyd's final album, The Endless River, which was the band's first release in 20 years. Meanwhile in other Pink Floyd news, former member Roger Waters has announced that he will be releasing a concert film, titled Roger Waters - The Wall. The film, which follows Waters' 2010-2013 "The Wall Live" tour, was first shown at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and will now be released in theatres worldwide for one day only on Sept. 29. It was the largest worldwide tour ever undertaken by a solo artist and was the first time any Pink Floyd member had played their 1979 concept album The Wall in two decades. - New Musical Express, 6/9/15...... Elton John has apologized for remarks he made during his concert at Kingsholm Stadium in Gloucester, UK, on June 7. Irritated by female security guards who were manning the crowd, Sir Elton said, "Lighten up you lot, it's not f---ing China so piss off! You get a f---ing uniform on and you think you're Hitler... we're not having it, piss off!" Following the outburst, John reconsidered his words and uttered a lengthy apology to the staff. "I do apologize, whoever told the stewards to be restricting that, that's their f---ing fault and not hers," he said. "So I apologize to her and I would be willing to apologize to her face. So if she comes up now I'll give her a big hug, come on. You're doing your job. But it's so frustrating, if people want to wave their hands don't tell them to stop. It's a musical event." - NME, 6/8/15...... A previously unreleased Led Zeppelin song called "Sugar Mama" which will be included in a 
Patti Smith paid tribute to several of her lost idols, including Lou Reed, Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones, during her Field Day 2015 performance on the Main Stage in London on June 7. Before "Elegie," the final song from her seminal 1975 LP 
Mr. Bugliosi, meanwhile, died of cancer in L.A. on June 6 at age 80. After securing death sentences for Manson and the others in 1972 -- sentences commuted to life in prison when California's death sentence was abolished -- he retired from the DA's office, after winning 105 of his 106 felony trials, including 21 murder convictions. According to his publisher, Simon & Schuster, his Helter Skelter was "the biggest selling true crime book in publishing history." Manson, 80, remains incarcerated at Corcoran State Prison in California. He has been denied parole 12 times. - New Musical Express/CNN, 6/9/15...... Thoroughbred horse racing's elusive 
Elton John thanked his legion of fans for a landmark year with a touching Christmas video posted on 
Additionally, Olivia Newton-John received her damehood for "her services to charity, cancer research and entertainment." The 71-year-old Grease star is currently battling breast cancer for the third time in her life and started the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne, Australia back in 2008. "I am extremely excited, honoured and grateful beyond words to be included with such an esteemed group of women who have received this distinguished award before me," said the British-born Australian singer-actress. "As a girl born in Cambridge, I am very proud of my British ancestry and so appreciative to be recognised in this way by the United Kingdom," she added. Olivia's new full name is Dame Olivia Newton-John, AC, DBE, but the post-nominal letters "AC" stem from the Companion of the Order of Australia, which she was awarded in June 2019. Others recognized for their musical efforts by the New Year Honours list include Queen drummer Roger Taylor and singers Billy Ocean (OBE) and Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody (OBE). Taylor, 70, has campaigned for the awareness of AIDs, launched a musical featuring Queen's greatest hits and is one of the few living people to appear on a Royal Mail stamp when he was pictured behind the late Freddie Mercury playing drums, which caused controversy in 1999. - Billboard/Deadline.com/New Musical Express, 12/27/19....... Ozzy Osbourne posted a Christmas 2019 playlist on 
In a recent chat on the Fox News channel, Marie Osmond reflected on the horrific abuse she suffered as a teen when she was told to "keep food out of her fat face" by studio executives. Osmond, 60, revealed that while she was a 15-year-old filming her show Donny & Marie with her brother Donny Osmond herself after a member of staff at the studio took her out into the parking lot to tell her they would cancel the show unless she went on an extreme diet. "I was 103 lbs. -- I'd kill to be 103 lbs. So I got down to 93 lbs. I never realized the mental abuse behind that," she said. Marie has since found it difficult to keep her diet consistent, and lost 50 pounds ahead of her Dancing With the Stars appearance in 2007. Osmond, a mother of eight, also ecently opened up to People magazine about the 2020 suicide of her son Michael Blosil at 18 years old. "You can't breathe, when you're contemplating something that devastating in your life, you can barely function," she said of her son's loss. However she said it was her strong faith that helped her to get through the ordeal: "You have to find a way to breathe again. Mine was my faith. I have great faith, and I know I will see him again." - DailyMail.co.uk, 12/27/19...... In a new interview with the Toronto Sun, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend claims The Who "invented heavy metal" in 1970 with their acclaimed concert album 
Six-time Emmy-winning TV producer Lee Mendelson, who produced more than 60 specials featuring Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the Peanuts gang, died on Christmas Day at his home in Hillsborough, Calif., after a long battle with cancer. He was 86. Working often with the late Bill Melendez -- the only animator permitted by Charles M. Schulz to work with the Peanuts characters -- Mendelson collected his first Emmy in 1966 for A Charlie Brown Christmas -- writing the lyrics to its famous theme song "Christmastime Is Here" -- and his last in 2016 for It's Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown. He also wrote and directed for the franchise. He amassed 29 Emmy noms during his career, 26 for his work with Peanuts characters, and earned a pair of Grammy nominations as well. His landmarks included 1966's It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, 1967's You're in Love, Charlie Brown, the Oscar-nominated A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1971), 1973's A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, 1975's You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown, 1976's It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown and 1980's She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown. The San Francisco native and Stanford graduate also won Emmys in 1984 and 1987 for producing programs featuring the cartoon characters Garfield and Cathy, respectively. "It wasn't great for us, but to have him pass on Christmas really ties into his history and legacy," one of his sons, Jason Mendelson, told the Palo Alto Daily Post newspaper. He is also survived by his wife, Ploenta, two other sons, a daughter, and eight grandchildren. - The Hollywood Reporter, 12/27/19...... Tony Award-winning composer Jerry Herman, who wrote the cheerful, good-natured music and lyrics for such classic shows as "Mame," "Hello, Dolly!" and "La Cage aux Folles," died on Dec. 26 at age 88. The creator of 10 Broadway shows and contributor to several more, Mr. Herman won two Tony Awards for best musical: "Hello, Dolly!" in 1964 and "La Cage aux Folles" in 1983. He also won two Grammys for the "Mame" cast album and "Hello, Dolly!" as song of the year, and was a Kennedy Center honoree. He had three original Broadway productions playing at the same time from February 1969 to May 1969. "We lost one of the greats," Broadway actor Harvey Fierstein tweeted. "A collaborator and friend for almost 40 years. I cannot thank him enough for his love, trust, encouragement, support and laughter." - AP, 12/27/19...... Veteran radio personality Don Imus whose insult humor and savage comedy catapulted him to a long-lasting and controversial radio career, died of as yet undisclosed causes on Dec. 27 at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in College Station, Tex., after being hospitalized on Christmas Eve. He was 79. Outspoken in an age of political correctness, Imus's often coarse satire offended sensibilities. Yet, his listeners included those whom he often ridiculed. He sparked national outcry in 2007 when he made derogatory, racist remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team. Both CBS Radio and MSNBC dropped his show. Imus rebounded by signing a multi year contract with the Fox Business Network in 2009 to simulcast his radio program Imus in the Morning from 6 a.m. - 9 a.m., with Fox anchors appearing during the program. Imus battled a lifelong addiction to drugs and alcohol and in 2009, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He is survived by his wife Deirdre, two sons and four daughters. - The Hollywood Reporter, 12/27/19...... 
American spiritual teacher, former academic and clinical psychologist Baba Ram Dass, who embodied the 1960s psychedelic youth movement by authoring such books as 1971's Be Here Now, died on Dec. 22 at his home on Maui, Hawaii. He was 88. Born Richard Alpert, he returned from a trip to India in 1968 as a bushy-bearded, barefoot, white-robed guru, and became a lecturer on New Age possibilities and a popular author of more than a dozen inspirational books. His lecture presentation was a mix of pithy wisdom and humor, often expressed in the same sentence. "Treat everyone you meet like God in drag," he said in one talk. Ram Dass also started a foundation to combat blindness in India and Nepal, supported reforestation in Latin America, and developed health education programs for American Indians in South Dakota. He was particularly interested in the dying, and started a foundation to help people use death as a journey of spiritual awakening and spoke of establishing a self-help line, "Dial-a-Death," for this purpose. His book Be Here Now, originally published in 1971, has had more than three dozen printings and sold more than two million copies. Wavy Gravy, the eccentric poet and peace activist, once said, "Ram Dass was the master of the one-liner, the two-liner, the ocean liner." By the 1980s, Ram Dass had a change of mind and image. He shaved off the beard but left a neatly trimmed mustache. He tried to drop his Indian name -- he no longer wanted to be a cult figure -- but his publisher vetoed the idea. Ram Dass said that he had never intended to be a guru, and continued to turn out books and recordings, making sure his books and tapes were reasonably priced. Ram Dass's death was announced on his official Instagram account. - The New York Times, 12/23/19.
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebeck, who hosts his annual Christmas party at Vitello's restaurant in Los Angeles, was serenaded by Don McLean on Dec. 18 after Trebeck requested the "American Pie" singer perform at the event. "I sent an email to Don's people on his website and here we are tonight," Trebek told the audience. "I can officially take this off of my bucket list. This was a real treat for me," he added. "I had never met Alex and normally I just come in and do my thing," McLean told People magazine. "When I arrived, Alex handed me a piece of paper with a list of songs he wanted me to perform and in the order he wanted them performed in. Then when I looked next to each song, he had timed them out." "I looked at Alex and said, 'Well, tonight is your night and I will do exactly what you want,'" McLean continued. "And that is what I did. Except I did toss in one Christmas song in the spirit of the event! Alex is a wonderful man and is loved by the world." Trebek, 79, was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in March. - Billboard/People, 12/20/19...... In a new interview with Haute Living, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler said he spent "many years" feeling angry at being forced into rehab by his bandmates as they went on vacation. "There were no such things as rehabs; there were mental institutions.... I went away in '84 and '86, and I didn't really get it," Tyler said, referring to some of the times he failed to detox. "The early 80s were terrible, and drugs took us down. I was the first one to get treatment." Tyler added his breakthrough moment came in 1988 when his management and the rest of Aerosmith stepped in and "pulled an intervention" on him. "They thought, 'Get the lead singer sober, and all our problems would be over. So, I got sober, and you know it took me many years to get over the anger of them sending me to rehab while they went on vacation." But Tyler says he feels nothing but gratitude toward the band now: "But today because of that moment I am grateful and owe a thanks to them for my sobriety. I stayed in this band because I know the power that Joe [Perry] and I have from all the songs that we've written, or Brad [Whitford] and Tom [Hamilton] and Joey [Kramer]," he said. "Joey has been here through thick and thin. My whole life is dreams coming true. I am so beyond grateful for it all." - New Musical Express, 12/23/19...... In a new interview with the BBC's Reel Stories, Rod Stewart revealed he mainly joined the 1960s Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in the U.K. to "get shagged." "We used to all go on the CND marches. "I used to do it to get shagged. I didn't care about the war actually," said Stewart, who joined the anti-nuke Aldermaston Marches on Easter weekends in England and was once arrested at a sit-in. Reflecting on his early years, the "Maggie May" singer said he's shocked he was so successful with women, because his personal hygiene wasn't great. "It was just rebellion, that's all it was," he said. "You had to be smelly, though. You had to wear corduroy trousers for months and it really smelled. Don't change your underpants. It was disgusting." But the 74-year-old rocker, who is now married to third wife Penny Lancaster, 48, added that despite being rough around the edges, his hair was always on point. "On the Tube (London Underground), all us were going down there holding on to our bouffant haircuts, because when you go down the escalator the train comes in and there's an awful wind that comes up," he mused. "So (there would be) six or seven of us all going down holding our hair. Even then I used to have it back-combed." - WENN/Canoe.com, 12/22/19...... Country great Willie Nelson and his musician sons Micha and Lukas Nelson have paid tribute to late rock legend Tom Petty by recording a version of Petty's song "For Real." Bob Dylan's son Jakob Dylan, George Harrison's son Dhani Harrison, and Amos Lee also appear on the Petty and the Heartbreakers track that was previously unreleased until it appeared on the TP greatest hits collection The Best of Everything earlier in 2019. - New Musical Express, 12/22/19...... 
Two of Pres. Donald Trump's biggest archenemies from the '70s music world -- Cher and Bette Midler -- have reacted to Pres. Trump's impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 18 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, only the third time in history a president was charged with committing high crimes and misdemeanors. Midler simply posted "Impeached" on her Twitter feed after the vote to impeach, while Cher posted: "'IMPEACHED PRESIDENT' donald j.trump, Makes RICH RICHER, poor poorer, & Will PURGE MILLIONS Of DEMOCRATS Off VOTING ROLLS. RUSSIA, RUDI, RESTRICTIONS, That's trumps game plan. For What Does It Profit a Man To Gain The Whole (Earth emoji), Yet Lose His Own Soul(?)." Pres. Trump now faces removal from office by the Senate in a trial set for January. - Billboard, 12/18/19...... '70s artists Chicago, Roberta Flack, John Prine, Iggy Pop and the late Isaac Hayes will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy during the 2020 Grammy Awards on Apr. 18 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif. Chicago and Prine were previously both nominated for Best New Artist Grammys, but came up short, while Iggy Pop has never won a Grammy Award in competition. Also honored with LAA's will be the late Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who also never won a Grammy in competition. Composer/pianist Philip Glass, who likewise never won a Grammy, has been selected to receive a Trustees Award, along with Ken Ehrlich, who has produced or executive produced the annual Grammy Awards telecast for 40 years, and the late A&R executive Frank Walker. Meanwhile, Elvis Costello & the Imposters' 2019 album Look Now and Barbra Streisand's 2019 set Walls were nominated for Grammys in the Traditional Pop Category. Also, the 2019 Woodstock retrospective box set Woodstock: Back to the Garden The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive was among the nominees for Best Historical Album Grammy, which also include releases by Bobbie Gentry, Pete Seeger and Vladimir Horowitz. - Billboard, 12/19/19...... Turning to the Oscars, Randy Newman and Elton John are on the shortlist for two Oscars each for the 92nd annual Academy Awards in 2020. Newman is shortlisted for Best Original Score for Marriage Story, and for Best Original Song for "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away" from Toy Story 4. Newman has been nominated in the latter category with a song from each of the first three Toy Story films. John is in the running for Best Original Song with both "Never Too Late" from The Lion King (which he co-wrote with Tim Rice) and "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from Rocketman (which he co-wrote with Bernie Taupin). Meanwhile, Elton John and husband David Furnish have announced details for their 28th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party, set for West Hollywood Park in Los Angeles on Feb. 9. Cast members of the Netflix series Queer Eye (Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, Karamo Brown and Bobby Berk) will be co-hosting the gala along with Sir Elton and Furnish, and British actor, singer-songwriter and Brits Critic Choice Award winner Sam Fender will be the headline performer. "I absolutely love Sam Fender. He's so talented," said Elton in a press release. "Each year we are blessed to have incredible artists do what they do best at our party and this year will be another special night not to miss. Given we have some of the wonderful hosts of Queer Eye at our party, we all wanted to use the event to raise funds for our work with LGBT communities around the world, many of whom are 20 times more vulnerable to the disease than their straight peers. AIDS isn't over until no one gets left behind." IMDb.com will broadcast its four-hour "IMDb Live" streaming show during the party with co-hosts actress and comedian Aisha Tyler and IMDb special correspondent Dave Karger. The Academy Awards Viewing party benefits the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which was founded in 1992 and has funded local experts in 23 countries "to spread awareness, prevent infections and provide care and treatment for the most marginalized groups," according to the release. - Billboard, 12/18/19...... In other Elton news, John has topped the monthly Billboard Boxscore tours list with a gross of $24 million from 11 shows in November during his final North American dates of 2019, as well as the opening show of his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour's Australian leg. The November earnings bring his tour to a so-far total of $268.6 million and sends John's career-total to $1.309 billion. That places him about $30 million behind from Madonna, currently the second-highest grossing solo artist and top-grossing female artist in the history of Billboard Boxscore. After dipping to No. 6 in October, John returns to the peak position, having topped the chart in September and February. November marks his eighth month on the Top Tours chart, and seventh in the top 10. - Billboard, 12/19/19...... 
Folk-rock icon Judy Collins has earned her first career No. 1 on any Billboard music chart, more than 55 years after she first reached a ranking. Collins's new holiday LP, 
Ozzy Osbourne has topped Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart with his latest song, "Under the Graveyard," the first single from his forthcoming studio album Ordinary Man. On Dec. 19, Osbourne unveiled the 