Pioneering "swamp rock"-styled instrumentalist and legendary New Orleans musician Dr. John died of a heart attack on the morning of June 6, his family announced in a statement several hours later. He was 77. "The family thanks all whom have shared his unique musical journey, and requests privacy at this time," the statement said. Born Malcolm John ("Mac") Rebennack in New Orleans on Nov. 21, 1941, Dr. John's mother was a professional model, and as a baby Mac himself once appeared in soap company ads. But a stronger influence was his father, who owned a local record store. From an early age, Mac grew up listening to the likes of Big Bill Broonzy, and later played guitar and piano in school bands. As a teenager, he hung out around N.O. recording studios, befriendign and learning from the likes of local N.O. legends Professor Longhair, Huey Piano Smith and Fats Domino band members Walter Nelson and Roy Montrell. By 1956, on the strength of this unique grounding, Rebennack had graduated to backing Longhair, Frankie Ford (of "Sea Cruise" fame), Joe Tex, Leonard James, and the following year recorded an unreleased instrumental album. From 1963 to 1965, Rebennack spent time in federal prison for heroin possession after tough-on-crime N.O. District Attorney and JFK conspiracy theorist Jim Garrison conducted an underworld sweep of the city. Later in the '60s, Rebennack worked as a producer/session player with the Minit Records label in N.O. and Ace Records in Baton Rouge, and helped form and signed with the black artists co-operative label AFO (All For One) Records. The label's roster also boasted one Prince Lala, whose mystical voodoo trappings Rebennack would later re-work for his Dr. John persona. By the mid-'60s, Rebbenack was working as a sessionman in Los Angeles for the likes of Phil Spector, Sam Cooke and Sonny and Cher, and, through his growing interest in voodoo, gradually metamorphosed into "Dr. John The Night Tripper," the latter part of the name said to be an answer to the Beatles' "Day Tripper." Signed to Atco Records, Dr. John released his first album, Gris Gris, in 1968, which was comprised of a number of songs written during his pre-L.A. period, and the follow-up Babylon was released the following year. Both were startingly original recordings, combining traditional Creole chants and N.O. influences with the emergent psychedelic movement. 
Like The Band before him, Dr. John's reputation spread at first largely by word of mouth, with his name constantly appearing in interviews with major rock celebrities. Two of these, Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton, later appeared on his 1971 LP Sun, Moon and Herbs. By this time, Dr. John was firmly established as a cult attraction, appearing onstage in garish beaded robes and feathered head-dress with backed by similarly attired dancing girls and musicians. His voodoo obsession continued on 1972's Gumbo album, though it was 1973's In the Right Place that marked a shift toward more mainstream rock, and became one of his biggest sellers. From that album, standout cut "Right Place Wrong Time" became his sole 1970s US Top 40 hit, reaching No. 9 in May 1973, though he followed that a few months later with the No. 42 "Such a Night." That same year he also worked in Triumvirate, a short-lived trio with Mike Bloomfield and John Hammond Jr. His 1974 set, Desitively Bonnaroo, was also well received by critics and its title track recalled his hit "Right Place Wrong Time." Though the album only peaked at No. 105 on the charts, it would later be immortalized in rock history by being the namesake of the annual Bonnaroo rock festival in Tennessee. Dr. John appeared in The Band's farewell concert film The Last Waltz in 1978, and three years later released the first of several solo-piano LP's, Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack. In the late 1980's, he began reaching back to his N.O. roots, while also subtly mainstreaming his appeal.
Further reading on Super Seventies RockSite!: "Dr. John Binge-A-Thon" |
On June 5 The Who announced a new pop-up shop and fan experience in London ahead of their upcoming Tommy orchestral gig at Wembley Stadium on July 6. "The Who @ 52" shop in Soho will offer an exhibition of rare and archive memorabilia, pinball competition on a full-size, retro Tommy pinball machine, new Who merch, and a drawing for a ticket to the show. The temporary space at 52 Brewer Street in London's Soho and will be open between 10am and 6pm on June 14 and 15. The concert will mark the release of its new The Who's Tommy Orchestra CD with a live version of their seminal album performed by a full symphony orchestra. Opening acts include Kaiser Chiefs, Eddie Vedder, Imelda May and Connor Selby. Later in 2019, The Who will embark on a tour of the US. In April, guitarist Pete Townshend announced the band's long-shelved "Lifehouse" project will be made into a graphic novel instead of an ambitious rock novel as originally planned. - New Musical Express, 6/5/19...... 
During an event-filled Head of State visit with Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family in early June, Pres. Donald Trump found time to chastise one of his most vocal critics, Bette Midler, on Twitter on June 5. "Washed up psycho @BetteMidler was forced to apologize for a statement she attributed to me that turned out to be totally fabricated by her in order to make 'your great president' look really bad. She got caught, just like the Fake News Media gets caught. A sick scammer!," the president snarled on the popular social media outlet. The Trump quote in question was allegedly from a 1998 People magazine interview, in which he (allegedly) said: "If I were to run, I'd run as a Republican. They're the dumbest group of voters in the country. They believe anything on Fox News. I could lie and they'd still eat it up. I bet my numbers would be terrific." Though the quote was found to be fake back in 2015, Midler tweeted an apology on June 3: "I apologize; this quote turns out to be a fake from way back in '15-16. Don't know how I missed it, but it sounds SO much like him that I believed it was true! Fact Check: Did Trump say in '98 Republicans are dumb?" But her apology apparently wasn't good enough for the president, who must have only seen the tweet after a full day spent being booed by thousands of protesters in London. Midler responded to the president's indignant post with a series of her own tweets, and this time there was no apology. "Because there are SO MANY LIES, most of them generated by Trump himself, that the task of separating the truth from the lies is impossible. Which is just how he likes it," the diva posted on June 3. She also fired off a series of tweets mocking his ill-fitting tuxedo, accused him of lying about the size of the protests in London, and even suggested "he slam his dick in a door": "Trump said he was greeted by thousands in the UK, but they were actually thousands of protesters. How does he always hear the opposite of the truth? Donald, if you're reading this you SHOULD NOT slam your dick in a door!" - Splinternews.com, 6/5/19...... 
A new multi-media art exhibit by Elton John's longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin will open at L.A.'s Galerie Michael on June 7. The exhibit will feature 20 unseen, life-size sculptures and artwork made from barbed wire, shattered guitars and various American flags. "This is inspired by things that inspire me," said Taupin, who has been creating visual art since the age of 17 and whose work has previously appeared in museums and exhibits throughout the U.S. Taupin, 69, says his "Bernie Taupin: The Artist, The Raconteur & His Blowtorch" exhibit is a comprehensive overview of his work. "It's certainly one of the largest that I've ever presented. This is very much me in the moment," he noted. Taupin said veterans and family members of veterans who were killed in action donated the flags to him. The flags include images of Captain America and Johnny Cash along with chicken wire. Taupin said using the US flag was an obvious choice, calling it an "iconic" artifact. The British-born songwriter said he is fascinated with the American flag because it is a "thrilling representation of the drama that this country is built upon. The good and the bad." The exhibit runs until June 30. - AP, 6/6/19...... In other Elton-related news, the superstar and his Rocketman doppelgänger Taron Egerton have responded to Russia's decision to censor the film in the country by cutting out around five minutes of the film that involve kissing, sex and oral sex between men in an attempt to downplay the sexuality of one of the world s most famous gay celebrities for a conservative Russian audience. "We reject in the strongest possible terms the decision to pander to local laws and censor Rocketman for the Russian market, a move we were unaware of until today," the May 31 statement issued by John and movie studio Paramount read. "Paramount Pictures have been brave and bold partners in allowing us to create a film which is a true representation of Elton s extraordinary life, warts and all," the statement continued. Posting on Instagram on May 31, Taron Egerton said he was "crestfallen that the decision was made to censor our movie for the Russian market." "I in no way condone this decision and feel disappointed I wasn't made aware and given the chance to fight this move. Love is love. No compromises," he wrote. Meanwhile, Elton's half-brother Geoff Dwight has slammed the biopic for its portrayal of their mutual father, Stanley Dwight (played by Steven Mackintosh in the movie). Speaking to the DailyMailOnline, Geoff said their father wasn't at all homophobic, as portrayed in the film. "Dad didn't have a homophobic bone in his body. When Elton came out, dad didn't care. He didn't even mention it, because it wasn't important to him," Geoff said. "This coldness is a million miles away from what dad was like. He was a product of a time when men didn't go around hugging each other and showing their feelings every minute of the day, but he had plenty of love in him for all of us," he added. Stanley Dwight died in 1991. Elton -- whose real name is Reginald Dwight -- and Geoff have only spoken once since then. But Dwight denied there was a feud, saying: "There's no ill feeling from me toward Elton, far from it. I love him, but our paths have gone in different directions." - New Musical Express, 6/3/19...... 
The Eagles announced on June 5 they are adding a third date to their upcoming Hotel California Las Vegas residency at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sept. 27 and 28. The band's final show will now be on Oct. 5, and the three appearances will be the first time the Eagles have played the iconic Grammy-winning 1976 album in its entirety live. The Vegas shows, which will be the Eagles' only North American performances in 2019, will also include an additional set of the band's greatest hits. The Eagles current lineup consists of Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit with recent additions Vince Gill and founding member Glenn Frey's son Deacon Frey. - Billboard, 6/5/19...... Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Joan Jett joined the recently reunited "grrrl group" Bikini Kill at their Brooklyn's Kings Theatre show on June 4 for a rendition of "Rebel Girl." Jett, who collaborated with Bikini Kill on the studio recording of "Rebel Girl" and two other tracks from their 1998 compilation album The Singles, played guitar on the song during the performance. Jett produced the tracks on The Singles as well as playing guitar on them and contributing vocals. - New Musical Express, 6/5/19...... Kool & The Gang have been tapped to receive Philadelphia's Marian Anderson Award during a gala in November. The award, named after the pioneering African-American opera singer, is given in Philly to "critically acclaimed artists who have impacted society in a positive way." Kool & The Gang, who recorded several albums in Philadelphia, said in a statement they're "truly honored" to receive the award and that "Funky Philly" played an integral part in their career. Past winners of the award include Dionne Warwick, Jon Bon Jovi, Maya Angelou and Quincy Jones. Kool & The Gang's previous honors include two Grammy Awards and seven American Music Awards. - AP, 6/5/19...... 
Bob Dylan will release The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Performances, featuring five concerts from his legendary '75 tour, on June 7. The set contains a wealth of music over 14 discs, with a whopping 148 tracks, 113 previously unreleased, recorded during the wildly unorthodox tour, which was less a traditional tour than a rambling, ragtag caravan featuring at various times Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Roger McGuinn and Ramblin' Jack Elliott, among others. With its release, every official recording from the 1975 leg of the tour finally out to the public, with some of the performances previously released on the 1976 live album Hard Rain, then on 2002's double-disc The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975. The Rolling Thunder Revue tour is also featured in an upcoming Martin Scorsese documentary, and the trailer for the film was released on June 3. "The tour was a catastrophe," Dylan explains in the clip, which features interviews with the legend and other members of the tour. "It wasn't a success. Not if you measure success in terms of profit. We didn't have enough masks on that tour," he continued, as scenes of the circus-themed tour flashed on the screen. "Life isn't about finding yourself or finding anything, life is about creating yourself." The documentary is out June 12. Meanwhile on May 10, the Bob Dylan Archive Collection in Tulsa, Okla., opened a new Dylan exhibit that showcases 12 pastel portraits painted by the musician. "Bob Dylan: Face Value and Beyond" will run through Sept. 15 at the museum, which has more than 100,000 items from Dylan's 60-year career. - Billboard, 6/5/19...... The Rolling Stones have announced an eclectic lineup of opening artists on their forthcoming 2019 No Filter tour of North America. The recently rescheduled tour will kick off with openers St. Paul & The Broken Bones in Chicago on June 21 and wrap on Aug. 31 in Miami with Juanes. The Glorious Sons and The Beaches will playing the only Canadian date, in Ontario on June 29, to celebrate Canada Day Weekend. Other openers on the 17-date tour include Guy Clark Jr., The Revivalists, Bishop Gunn, The Wombats, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Vista Kicks and KALEO. Meanwhile, birthday tributes to Charlie Watts poured in on June 2 when the Stones drummer turned 78. Mick Jagger wrote: "Happy birthday dearest Charlie, love Mick, as well as sharing a vintage picture of the pair, with Ronnie Wood tweeting "Happy Birthday Charlie," and sharing a more recent pic of them together. Watts is a member of the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame and was ranked number 12 on Rolling Stone's 2016 "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time" list. - Billboard/NME, 6/5/19...... 
Roky Erickson, the hugely influential former lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter for the '60s psychedelic band The 13th Floor Elevators, died on May 31 in Austin, Tex. He was 71. Born in Austin on July 15, 1947, Erickson first rose to regional prominence as a member of Austin-based band The Spades, with whom he recorded an early version of "You're Gonna Miss Me" -- the song that eventually became the Elevators' debut single. Released in 1966, the latter version reached No. 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was seen as seminal in the development of psychedelic and garage rock. That same year, the group performed the single on an episode of Dick Clark's American Bandstand in front of a cluster of cardboard palm trees. Despite that early (albeit minor) chart success, The 13th Floor Elevators' forward-looking brand of rock (they are widely considered the first truly psychedelic band) never gained a foothold in the mainstream. Nonetheless, the group -- whose core lineup consisted of electric jug player Tommy Hall and lead guitarist Stacy Sutherland -- went on to develop a rabid cult following with their unique, reverb-drenched sound, which centered around Erickson's impassioned vocals and surreal lyrics. The band dissolved following the release of their last studio album Bull of the Woods thanks in part to Erickson's increasing volatility brought on by his drug use and bouts of schizophrenia, and the singer would cycle in and out of psychiatric hospitals for the remainder of his life. Erickson's struggles with mental illness would eventually be chronicled in the Independent Spirit Award-nominated documentary You're Gonna Miss Me in 2007. Following the news of Erickson's death, those he inspired have been coming out to pay tribute. "It's almost unfathomable to contemplate a world without Roky Erickson," ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons said in a statement. "He created his own musical galaxy and early on was a true inspiration." "His musical legacy speaks for itself," added Erickson's agent Dave Kaplan. "He's an incredibly influential artists and 'You're Gonna Miss Me' is one of the 10 or 20 greatest rock and roll songs of all time." - Billboard, 5/31/19...... John Gary Williams, the lead singer for the R&B vocal group The Mad Lads who sung "I Want Someone" and "Don't Have to Shop Around," died at his home in Memphis in late May. He was 73. Williams formed The Mad Lads with William Brown, Julius Green and Robert Phillips in Memphis and recorded on Stax Record's Volt label. With Williams' high tenor voice and the group's soft soul harmonies, The Mad Lads had several songs on the Billboard R&B chart in the 1960s, including "I Want a Girl" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix." In the middle of his recording career, Williams was drafted into military service and served in the Vietnam War. He also recorded as a solo artist in the 1970s. - AP, 5/30/19.
The celebrity gossip site TMZ.com is reporting a sex tape made by the late "King of Late Night" Johnny Carson in the 1970s is being shopped around to private collectors. The tape's owner had approached the estate of Carson, who died in 2005, back in September offering up the footage for a price. The estate declined and threatened to sue if the footage was ever sold. The recording reportedly begins with Carson masturbating naked by a pool. And, apparently, the then-Tonight Show host was quite well-endowed. He is then in the recording by a woman with a bouffant hairdo. This first clip runs for about five minutes, then it cuts to a 20-minute sex scene in Carson's bedroom with a woman who is believed to be one of his four wives, but it is not clear which one. Carson divorced his second wife Joanne Copeland in 1972 and married his third Joanna Holland in the same year. - QMI Agency
Paul McCartney called in to L.A. radio station KCSN on March 6 to personally thank its program director, Sky Daniels, for airplay of his latest album, New. "Paul's call was so thoughtful, I found myself fighting back tears," Daniels says. "He told us of how his friends all loved the station, and [that] they told him that KCSN was playing a number of songs from New and he simply wanted to say thanks." In the call-turned-extensive interview, McCartney discussed the emotional wave that the recent 50th anniversary of the Beatles' U.S. arrival had created in him; his appreciation for the multiple Grammy Awards that he recently won; and, how happy he is to have developed a "real band" with his longtime touring group of Brian Ray, Rusty Anderson, Wix Wickens and Abe Laboriel, Jr. KCSN is a listener-supported public radio station and a service of California State University. McCartney was in Los Angeles shooting a video for his next single from New, "Early Days." He also disclosed that he was excited to begin work on a new project: creating the music for a forthcoming animated film. - Billboard
Queen and its latest frontman Adam Lambert have announced a 19-date North American summer tour starting June 19 in Chicago. Queen and Lambert will also hit towns across Canada and the United States at arenas in Toronto, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Detroit and New York, before wrapping up July 20 in Washington, DC. The tour is presented by Live Nation. Queen and Lambert first performed together in May 2009 on an episode of American Idol (Lambert was runner-up on the show's eight season). They also rocked the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards along with several dates in Russia, Ukraine, Poland and London. Queen guitarist Brian May has hinted this could be the last time North America will see Queen live on this scale, saying "Let's rock those beautiful arenas JUST ONE MORE TIME!" in a press release announcing the tour. - Billboard
New Orleans legend Dr. John will be getting an all-star tribute in his hometown on May 3 with a lineup featuring Gregg Allman, Lucinda Williams, Widespread Panic, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Ryan Bingham, and Jimmie Vaughan, among others. "The Musical Mojo of Dr. John: A Celebration of Mac & His Music" takes place May 3 at the Saenger Theatre, located in the city's French Quarter. Other notable artists include Allen Toussaint, who produced John's seminal In the Right Place album, and soul legend Mavis Staples. Dr. John, whose real name is Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr., will take the stage with several of the special guests throughout the event, which is being filmed and recorded for future release. - Billboard
David Bowie has revealed he will release two limited edition picture discs on Record Store Day on Apr. 19. A 7" picture disc of "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" will be available in the UK, while North American fans will be able to purchase the single "1984" on 7" picture disc. First released as a single in 1974, "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2014 with the new release set to come backed with "Farewell Speech," the live Ziggy Stardust - The Motion Picture Version, recorded at the final Ziggy Stardust concert at the Hammersmith Odeon in July 1973. Meanwhile, Bowie has also reportedly offered to write new music with Claudia Lennear, a former backing singer and star of Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet From Stardom. Lennear revealed that Bowie, with whom she was romantically linked in the 1970s, called her "out of the blue" to offer his services and that she intends to take him up on the proposal. - New Musical Express
John Travolta issued an apology on March 4 for mangling the pronunciation of Broadway actor Idina Menzel's name during the 86th Academy Awards show in Los Angeles on March 2. "I've been beating myself up all day. Then I thought... what would Idina Menzel say?," the 
Elton John hosted his annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 2. Steven Tyler, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Heidi Klum, Quincy Jones, Whoopi Goldberg and Kim Kardashian were among the celebs taking part in Sir Elton's 22nd annual event, which raises funds for those afflicted with HIV and AIDS. "If Pharrell Williams doesn't win best song, then I'm (expletive) going home early," John bellowed to the crowd after Williams performed his nominated song "Happy." Williams didn't win, but thankfully for the crowd, the award was handed out late in the ceremony, making John's threat moot. Steven Tyler told a few bawdy jokes as he helped to auction off five nights in his Hawaiian getaway, which raised $100,000. Elton also got in on the auction act himself, taking crowd requests and playing a few of his hits on a piano that was auctioned off for $220,000. The evening raised $5.1 million for the foundation, according to organizers. - Billboard
Classic rock veterans the Doobie Brothers are collaborating with Zac Brown, Toby Keith, Chris Young and Love and Theft and more country acts for a new country tribute album. The Doobies' Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons and John McFee gave a surprise performance of the new project for country radio programmers, media and industry VIPs in late February in Nashville onboard the General Jackson showboat. At the end of a four-song set that featured "Long Train Runnin,'" "China Grove," "Black Water" and "Listen to the Music," Sony Music Nashville chairman/CEO Gary Overton announced the album would be released later this year. In the past few years, the Doobie Brothers have developed increasingly strong ties to Nashville, and have even performed on the Grand Ole Opry. - Billboard
Cher has offered to take beleaguered pop star Britney Spears on a tropical island vacation after Spears name-checked the legendary diva in a lengthy 
After 15 years of legal wrangling, the family of James Brown appears to have finally settled a feud over his estate, which has been valued at anywhere from $5 million to $100 per year. Six years before his death on Christmas Day 2006 at age 73, Brown had specified in a will that he would bequeath little to his heirs, other than a $2 million scholarship fund for his grandchildren. But his daughters Deanna Brown-Thomas and Yamma Brown, among others, found a way to inherit potentially millions of dollars. Although details of the July 9 settlement have not been mad public, several of the late Godfather of Soul's are likely to split up termination rights on the copyrights to Brown's 900 compositions, which according to U.S. law cannot be bequeathed as part of a will. The rights are potentially incredibly valuable -- the publisher portion of Brown's songs, including classics like "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" -- are due to "terminate" and revert to Brown's control under U.S. copyright law starting in the next few years. That allows the Brown heirs to license them to commercials, TV shows, movies and video games or sell them outright. Marc Toberoff, a lawyer for nine of Brown's heirs, says that "all matters" had been settled between the parties and that his clients were "very happy." The deal also paves way for Brown's dying wish to fund scholarships for disadvantaged children to finally be realized. It comes one year after a judge ruled Brown's longtime girlfriend Tommie Rae Hynie was not his legal wife so has no right to Brown's fortune. - Billboard, 7/22/21...... The Boss and a former POTUS are teaming up to release a new book entitled Renegades: Born in the U.S.A. Bruce Springsteen and former Pres. Barack Obama teamed up in February for an 8-part Spotify.com podcast conversation back in February, and now the two are coming together again to tell tales on a literary counterpart. Spanning 320 pages, Renegades: Born in the U.S.A. captures those conversations between the rock legend and the 44th U.S president, and features more than 350 color photos, illustrations, and never-before-seen archival content, according to a press release. "There were serious conversations about the fate of the country, the fortune of its citizens, and the destructive, ugly, corrupt forces at play that would like to take it all down," writes Springsteen in his introduction for the forthcoming book. "This is a time of vigilance when who we are is being seriously tested. Hard conversations about who we are and who we want to become can perhaps serve as a small guiding map for some of our fellow citizens," he continues. "This is a time for serious consideration of who we want to be and what kind of country we will leave our children." Springsteen and Obama first met back in 2008, and went on to form a deep friendship. Renegades: Born in The U.S.A. will arrive Oct. 26 via Penguin Random House in partnership with Higher Ground, the production company established by Barack and Michelle Obama. A trailer for the new book has been shared on 
On July 21 Eric Clapton was quoted as saying he will not play any live shows that require attendees to show proof that they've received the Covid-19 vaccine. The 76-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, who feared he would "never play again" after receiving both doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, made his statement after U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a press conference on July 19 stating, "We're planning to make full vaccination the condition of entry to nightclubs and other venues where large crowds gather" by the end of September in England, where 35% of 18- to 30-year-olds have not had their first shot. Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said that nightclubs can be classified as "potential super spreading events" because of attendees being in close contact. Italian architect and film producer Robin Monotti Graziadei shared Clapton's announcement on Instagram's 
Dolly Parton has recreated her 1978 Playboy magazine cover in honor of her husband Carl Dean's 79th birthday. "Today is July 20th," Parton said in a 
The estate of Dr. John issued a statement on July 22 saying a forthcoming Dr. John documentary directed by The Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach is unauthorized. Auerbach and Dr. John, who died in 2019, collaborated multiple times in the last decade of the latter's life, with Auerbach producing and playing guitar on John's Grammy Award-winning 2012 album Locked Down. Earlier in July, Auerbach announced he would make his directorial debut with a documentary about the singer-songwriter, in partnership with Radical Media and Impact Artist Productions. But in a new statement, Dr. John's estate announced the project does not have its blessing. "The Official Estate of Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr., p/k/a Dr. John, clarifies that the Estate has not authorized the recently announced documentary on the life of Dr. John purportedly to be produced by Impact Artist Productions (and Management) and Radical Media," the statement reads. "For clarity, Impact Artist Productions (and Management) does not manage or speak for the Estate, which has its own team with, as Mac would say, a gang and a half of legalizers. The Estate thanks Mac's fans for their support and assures that the Estate will 'Walk On Guilded Splinters' to deliver new music and an officially authorized documentary, to be announced In The Right Place at the right time," it continued. When announcing the project, Auerbach said he was honoured to be directing the film, describing it as "a tale of true Americana." "[Dr. John] was such a unique individual and a shining example of the great melting pot of American music," he said. - NME, 7/22/21...... On July 21 Columbia/Legacy Records announced that the next edition of Bob Dylan's ongoing bootleg series, 
The famously politically-incorrect comedy legend Jackie Mason died on July 24 at the age of 93. Mr. Mason (real name Yacov Moshe Maza) began his career in the mid-1950s, appearing at New York City nightclubs. He also worked resorts in the Catskills region of New York state, known as the "Borscht Belt," that fostered such comics as Rodney Dangerfield, Jerry Lewis, Don Rickles and Phyllis Diller. In 1987, he received a special Tony Award for his solo show, "Jackie Mason's The World According to Me!," which ran for 573 performances. The self-titled show also netted him an Emmy award when it aired on television in 1988. Mr. Mason won a second Emmy for voicing Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky, the father of Krusty the Clown, on The Simpsons in 1992. His film roles included 1979's The Jerk with Steve Martin, Mel Brooks' 1981 comedy, The History of the World: Part I, and 1988's Caddyshack II. The comedian's 1992 series, The Jackie Mason Show, featured a panel discussion format about the topics of the day, very much along the lines of Bill Maher's show Politically Incorrect, which premiered the following year and ran through 2002. When the comedian launched a one-man show in 1994, called Jackie Mason: Politically Incorrect, the cable network Comedy Central, which hosted the Maher show, unsuccessfully sued the veteran comic over the name. Mr. Mason retired from show business in 2012 and is survived by his wife, Jyll Rosenfeld, who he married in 1991, and a daughter. - Variety, 7/24/21.
Digital art made by the late Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia in his final days are being put up for sale on the NFT (non-fungible tokens) cryptocurrency marketplace YellowHeart. Garcia, when he wasn't busy penning jams for the Dead as its principal songwriter, lead guitarist and vocalist, was an early adapter of digital artwork. Now a partnership between Garcia's family and YellowHeart is selling a three-part collection titled "An Odd Little Place: The Digital Works of Jerry Garcia (1992-1995)." It includes 20 digital art pieces as well as tickets to a corresponding art exhibit of the same title at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The first drop kicked off on July 19 and included NFT tickets for an exclusive preview event with the Garcia family at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Aug. 5, the day before the exhibit opens to the public. On Aug. 1 -- what would have been Garcia's 79th birthday -- the first 17 pieces of limited-edition art will go on sale, priced between $400 and $2,500, and collectors will also have the option to acquire a physical, framed digital screen displaying their purchase. On Aug. 5, the three works created in Garcia's final hours will go up for auction as one-of-ones, with a physical, framed screen of the work included with each purchase. More info can be found on the 
The 5th Dimension veterans Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. have found themselves back in the limelight with their inclusion in the new concert film Summer of Soul, which includes never-released concert footage from the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. "What's so beautiful is that the timing is so perfect," says McCoo of Summer of Soul. "Fifty years ago, the film might not have had the tremendous impact that it's having today. People are being blown away by all the iconic talent featured in the film," she added. McCoo and Davis are also working on Blackbird, their first album in 30 years, and are also among the 38 new Hollywood Walk of Fame honorees announced in June. "Now, all of a sudden, we're being noticed like we were years ago," says Davis of the Grammy-winning husband-and-wife duo. "It's a blessing." In tandem with the social justice and equality movement that reached a boiling point in the summer of 2020, McCoo and Davis weaved those themes into their latest project, Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons. Using the famous Beatles tune and album title track as a catalyst, the duo recorded nine more Lennon/McCartney compositions threaded in the same vein, among them "Help!," "The Long and Winding Road" and "The Fool on the Hill." Their cover of "Blackbird" has since been chosen by the Social Justice Learning Institute (sjli.org) as its "Summer of Equity" anthem. - Billboard, 7/15/21...... Elvis Costello has announced he is re-releasing his classic 1978 album This Year's Model, but as a new Spanish version that erases his vocals and replaces him with Spanish-language singers. Producer Sebastian Krys kept, and remixed, the original instrumental tracks recorded by Costello and his backing band, the Attractions. In a press release, Costello said he was inspired by television producer David Simon's request that he record his song "This Year's Girl" as a duet with singer Natalie Bergman for his show The Deuce. He said he had a dream where he heard This Year's Model sung in Spanish, and wanted to rerecord the album with hispanic singer Juanes. A video of Costello and the Attractions playing "Pump It Up" with Juanes has been shared on 
The surviving members of The Faces -- singer Rod Stewart, guitarist Ronnie Wood and drummer Kenney Jones -- are reportedly recording their first new music in four decades. In a new interview with the London Times, Wood said he met up with Stewart and Jones recently, in addition to catching up with his Rolling Stones bandmate Mick Jagger for a separate project. "I saw Mick [Jagger] here last week and Rod [Stewart] and Kenney [Jones] were here yesterday," Wood told the paper. "Me and Mick have done nine new tracks for the [40th anniversary] re-release of Tattoo You, and me, Rod and Kenney have been recording some new Faces music. I've had a front-row seat on some amazing rock'n'roll projects these past couple of weeks," Wood revealed. The Faces, who formed in 1969 from the ashes of The Small Faces, formally disbanded in 1975 after Stewart left the group. Around the same time, Wood began playing with the Rolling Stones. The Faces recorded four studio albums in their time, the last being 1973's Ooh La La. The band's last reunion performance was at the 2020 BRIT Awards, where Stewart, Wood and Jones closed the ceremony with a live rendition of "Stay With Me." Faces' founding keyboardist Ian McLagan died of a stroke in 2014, and bassist Ronnie Lane passed award more than a decade earlier in 1997. Wood, 74, is also involved in yet another new project -- a tribute to blues legend Jimmy Reed with former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor. - NME, 7/19/21...... In the latest episode of Queen's retrospective series Queen: The Greatest, surviving Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor revealed that late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury wrote "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" in the bath in 10 minutes as a rockabilly tribute to Elvis Presley. After May noted that Queen "got into this rather indulgent way of just bowling into the studio with no ideas, or very few ideas, and just doing it from scratch" and were trying to find a new tact after recording seven albums, May added that "The first thing we did was 'Crazy Little Thing...', and Fred did write the song in the bath in about 10 minutes." Speaking about Mercury's love of Presley, May said: "He was very fond of Elvis, and of Cliff [Richard], I have to say. Yeah, Freddie wrote it very quickly and rushed in and put it down with the boys. By the time I got there, it was almost done." "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" went onto be Queen's first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979, and reached No. 2 on the Official UK Singles Chart. - NME, 7/17/21...... AC/DC has authorized two new craft beers that are set to be released on the fourth weekend of July. A joint venture between KnuckleBonz, Inc. and Calicraft Brewing Co., the beer is set to be launched at a series of events in California on July 23-25. "We are excited to announce this is the first in a series of AC/DC branded beers to be featured in this unique collaboration to bring quality beverages to the music superfan," KnuckleBonz and Calicraft said in a statement, with KnuckleBonz also announcing the beer on its 
Robert E. "Robby" Steinhardt, a violinist and co-lead vocalist with the American prog-rock band Kansas, died on July 19 due to complications from pancreatitis. He was 71. Steinhardt's wife Cindy posted on 
With very little fanfare, Bruce Springsteen has made his latest album Western Stars available for free streaming on 
Rush's loyal legion of fans have been in a kind of Rush-withdrawal since their heroes went on hiatus in 2015, but on Aug. 21 they'll get a fix with the cinematic screening of a new Rush rock-doc called Rush: Cinema Strangiato 2019. The film will feature a hodge-podge of song performances, including "Tom Sawyer," "Closer to the Heart" and "Subdivisions," unreleased soundcheck and backstage footage from Rush's 2015 R40 40th anniversary tour, and new interviews with producer Nick Raskulinecz and Rush fans and fellow famous musicians Billy Corgan, Tom Morello and Taylor Hawkins, who inducted the Canadian trio into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with his fellow Foo Fighters bandmate Dave Grohl in 2013. Beginning on June 20, theater locations and ticket details can be found at the website 
A "lost" Miles Davis album entitled Rubberband is set to be released on Sept. 6, almost 30 years after the legendary jazz musician's death. The 12-track album was recorded in 1985 and marked his first record on Warner Bros after moving from Columbia Records. It marked a stylistic change for the jazz icon, who incorporated funk and soul vibes on the record for the first time in his career. But Rubberband ultimately failed to see the light of day when Davis' talents became increasingly in demand. While he had planned to record with vocalists including Chaka Khan and Al Jarreau, the early sessions were ultimately put on the back burner so he could focus on his Tutu album, which arrived in Sept. 1986. Rubberband will see vocals being provided by Lalah Hathaway (the daughter of Donny Hathaway) and Grammy-nominated Ledisi. It will also feature cover art personally designed by Davis too -- which sees him channelling a Pablo Picasso-esque spirit. - New Musical Express, 6/14/19...... It has been revealed that Dr. John recorded an unreleased album a year before his passing on June 6, and that he understood "this was his final record." Consisting of originals, twangy covers and reworked classics, the LP features the likes of Willie Nelson, Aaron Neville and Rickie Lee Jones. It was completed in December 2018 with the help of guitarist Shane Theriot, who told Rolling Stone that listening to the final project was emotional. "We sat and listened to everything twice," Theriot said. "He was singing along and had a big grin on his face. Then he walked me out to my car, stared at me and said, 'I'm glad. I made the right choice.' And then he hugged and kissed me on the cheek." Theriot added that the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was able to preview the entire album for he died. "Mac got to hear it and live with it and make suggestions," he said. "This was one of his creations." While the LP is completely finished, a title and release date are still being planned. - Rolling Stone, 6/11/19...... During a Q&A session at a The Who pop-up shop at 52 Brewer Street in London's Soho on June 13, frontman Roger Daltrey said he thinks The Who "have made their "best album since Quadrophenia." The band has been busy working on their first album since 2006's Endless Wire after guitarist Pete Townshend revealed in 2018 that the untitled album at the time consisted of 15 demos. He described the new album as a mixture of "dark ballads, heavy rock stuff, experimental electronica, sampled stuff and cliched Who-ish tunes that began with a guitar that goes yanga-dang." While Daltrey said he was initially skeptical about the new LP, he says he's now changed his mind and is "incredibly optimistic" about their 12th studio album. "When I first heard the songs I was very skeptical as I didn't think I could do it," Daltrey explained. "I thought Pete had written a really great solo album and I said to him, 'Pete, what do you need to do this for? Release it as a solo album, it's great.' But he said he wanted it to be a Who album. So I took the songs away and I listened to them, and listened to them some more, and I had some ideas. [Pete] let me have a bit of freedom with changing a few things, changing the tenses of songs and other little things. And he gave me complete melodic freedom. And I gotta tell you that after being very skeptical I'm now incredibly optimistic. I think we've made our best album since Quadrophenia." Daltrey added: "Pete hasn't lost it, he's still a fabulous songwriter and he's still got that cutting edge, man." The Who will be a huge show at London's Wembley Stadium on July 6 with support from Kaiser Chiefs and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. The Who kicked off their "Moving On! Tour" at New York City's Madison Square Garden on May 13. - New Musical Express, 6/13/19...... 
The Beatles' first contract with their manager Brian Epstein is expected to fetch around £300,000 when it is auctioned by Sotheby's in July. The contract, which is from the collection of Epstein's publisher Ernest Hecht, was signed by Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and original drummer Pete Best, and is thought to have been signed in the living room at Best's mother's house and is the first of two contracts between the group and Epstein. A second one was signed on Oct. 1, 1962, after Best was replaced by Ringo Starr. Interestingly, Epstein did not sign the document because he "wanted to free the Beatles of their obligations if I felt they would be better off." "Even though I knew I would keep the contract in every clause, I had not 100 percent faith in myself to help the Beatles," he is quoted as saying. Epstein's fee was spelled out as 10 percent of the band's earnings, which would rise to 15 percent if those earnings went over £120 a week. It also agreed that the manager would be responsible for finding work for the Beatles, managing their schedule and publicity, and "all matters concerning clothes, make-up and the presentation and construction of the artists' acts and also on all music to be performed." "[Epstein] stopped them eating on stage. He made sure they played the songs properly and coherently, and he got them bowing at the end of a set... They had the stage energy but he instilled a sense of professionalism in them," said Gabriel Heaton of Sotheby's. - New Musical Express, 6/14/19...... A week after announcing he was delaying his upcoming tour to work on some mental health issues, Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson posted on Twitter thanking his fans for their continued support. "Brian, Melinda and the Wilson family would like to thank all of you for your wonderful notes and good wishes," his post on June 10 reads. "Brian looks forward to feeling better and seeing you again this Fall. Love & Mercy." Wilson originally posted on his official website that he was "not feeling like myself." "Mentally insecure is how I'd describe it. We're not sure what is causing it but i do know that it's not good for me to be on the road right now," he wrote. - Billboard, 6/10/19...... Veteran singer/actor Steve Lawrence revealed on June 11 that he has been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease. In a press release set by his spokesperson Howard Bragman, Lawrence confirmed the diagnosis, saying that he felt he needed to speak out in light of recent rumors and media inquiries. "I'm living my life, going out in public and trying to spend as much time as possible with my family and friends while I am still able to engage and enjoy," he wrote. Lawrence said he doesn't want pity or sympathy in response to his diagnosis. "I have lived and am living a wonderful, joyous life filled with love, support and amazing moments," he said. Lawrence, 83, is known for solo hits including the No. 1 ballad "Go Away Little Girl" and as one half of the 1960s pop duo Steve and Eydie alongside his wife, Eydie Gorme, who died in 2013. The couple were known for their frequent appearances on TV variety and talk shows, in night clubs, and on the stages of Las Vegas. - People.com/AP, 6/11/19...... Iggy Pop has released a new video for his song "Run Like a Villain" on 
Country/pop crossover legend Kenny Rogers is dismissing "wild misinformation and speculation" about his health and says he plans on "sticking around" for years to come. A statement released on Rogers' behalf on June 14 was published after a U.S. tabloid report claimed the 80-year-old "Lucille" singer had been diagnosed with bladder cancer and was dying. The statement said Rogers, who hasn't been seen in public since April 2018, was recently admitted to a hospital in Georgia and treated for dehydration. "He will remain there to complete some physical therapy to get his strength back prior to discharge and can assure everyone he plans on sticking around through the years to come," it added. Rogers embarked on a world farewell tour in 2016 but in April 2018 he canceled the last few shows citing "a series of health challenges." Meanwhile, a woman who has accused the singer of sex assault is demanding an apology from the superstar "before he dies." "I'm sad he's sick and I don't want anybody to die, but it's time to cleanse his soul for his actions," Lisa Applewhite Kimbell, who claimed Rogers ruined her life when he allegedly sexually attacked her during a supposed "movie audition" nearly 30 years ago, told the website RadarOnline.com. Kimbell, 53, says she was a nursing student and part-time actress when she met the star in 1990 through a family friend. She alleges Rogers started calling her and begging her to come to New York City to read for a role. Kimbell went -- and that's when she said things went horribly wrong. We talked for a while, then he grabbed me, touched me inappropriately and tried to kiss me," said Kimbell. "The last thing he said as I left was he had power in Hollywood, and if I told anybody, I'd never become an actress." Kimbell -- who's currently recovering from grueling facial reconstruction surgery after developing skin cancer -- claimed Rogers even called her at home to try to indulge his sick sexual fantasies. She kept quiet until 1992, when two other women claimed he made obscene phone calls to them -- and Kimbell joined them in filing a lawsuit against Kenny. "I was shocked to find the Kenny Rogers so many people know and love is nothing but a dirty old man," she said at the time. Rogers denied their allegations, and she says she eventually felt pressured to drop her lawsuit. - Reuters/American Media, Inc., 6/14/19...... Actress Sylvia Miles, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her brief appearance in the movie Midnight Cowboy, died in New York City on June 12. She was 94. The NYC native began her career in the theatre in the late 1940s, and soon moved into TV and film, landing the role of Sally Rogers in the pilot episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show, although the part was eventually given to actress Rose Marie. Ms. Miles received her second Oscar nod in 1975 for another brief performance in Farewell, My Lovely. Her other film credits included Wall Street in 1987 and its 2010 sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, as well as Andy Warhol's Heat, Critical Condition, Crossing Delancey, and She-Devil, in which she portrayed Meryl Streep's movie mother. She was also a regular on TV, featuring in Sex and the City, NYPD, One Life to Live and All My Children, among many other shows. - WENN/Canoe.com, 6/13/19.
The Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson announced on June 6 that he's postponing his "Pet Sounds and Greatest Hits Live" tour as he struggles with his well publicized mental health issues. "It is no secret that I have been living with mental illness for many decades," Wilson posted on his Facebook page and website. "There were times when it was unbearable but with doctors and medications I have been able to live a wonderful, healthy and productive life with support from my family, friends and fans who have helped me through this journey," the 76-year-old musician said. He added that he had three successful operations on his back in the past year and had been recording and rehearsing with the intentions of touring but the latest surgery made him feel "strange" and turned "pretty scary" as he began to struggle with "stuff in my head and saying things I don't mean and I don't know why." Wilson said he plans to work with his doctors, rest and recover, and that he's "looking forward to seeing everyone later in the year." "The music and my fans keep me going and I know this will be something I can AGAIN overcome," he concluded. The tour -- celebrating the Beach Boys' classic 1966 album Pet Sounds with The Zombies as openers -- had already been postponed in 2018, when Wilson had the first of his back surgeries. Wilson was officially diagnosed as a schizoaffective disorder with mild manic depression, and has regularly experienced auditory hallucinations. - The Daily Mail UK, 6/6/19...... The Pacific island nation of Samoa has become the latest nation to ban the Elton John biopic Rocketman because of its depictions of homosexuality. Leiataua Niuapu Faaui, Samoa's principal censor, told a local newspaper on June 11 that Rocketman's homosexual activity violated laws and didn't sit well with the country's cultural and Christian beliefs, however he conceded that "it's a good story, in that it's about an individual trying to move on in life." In a Facebook post, Apollo Cinemas Samoa posted that "due to censoring issues we have had to cancel Rocketman (which) examines John's sexuality and relationship with then-manager John Reid. It stars Taron Egerton who does his own singing as John in the musical fantasy that aims to capture the essence of the musician's life." About 97% of people in Samoa identify as Christian, and the society is generally considered conservative and traditional. Under Samoa's 2013 Crimes Act, sodomy is deemed an offense that is punishable by up to seven years in prison, even if both parties consent. In May, a Russian movie distributor censored scenes from the film that featured gay sex and drug use. Elton John and Paramount Pictures issued a joint statement condemning the action and said it was a "sad reflection of the divided world we still live in and how it can still be so cruelly unaccepting of the love between two people." Meanwhile, John and Egerton recently performed a rendition of Elton's first big hit, "Your Song," as John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour hit the open-air venue of Hove County Ground in the UK. A snippet can be viewed on 
Even though he once sniffed "I wouldn't do anything with the Royal family. They're scum. Why do we subsidize this family of buffoons?" in the punk rock heyday of the late 1970s, Elvis Costello says he's "happy to accept this very surprising honour" after he was awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) during Queen Elizabeth II's annual Birthday Honours List on June 7. In his blog post, Costello added, "To be honest, I'm pretty tickled to receive this acknowledgement for my 'Services To Music', as it confirms my long held suspicion nobody really listens to the words in songs or the outcome might have been somewhat different." Costello went on to reveal how he called his mother after receiving the news, asking her for advice about whether to accept the award or not. "I thought for a while, then folded the document and slept on the news until the morning when I could place a call to England and speak to my mother, Lillian MacManus," he wrote. But Costello, who has often been critical of British imperialism and politics (particularly on tracks like "Oliver's Army" or "Tramp the Dirt Down") added that he had mixed feelings about receiving the distinction. "It is hard to receive anything named for the 'British Empire', and all that term embodies, without a pause for reflection," he noted. "It would be a lie to pretend that I was brought up to have a great sense of loyalty to the Crown, let alone notions of Empire." Costello's latest album, 
As Yusuf/Cat Stevens prepares to be inducted into the 50th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards on June 13 during a ceremony on June 13, the singer/songwriter gave an extensive interview with Billboard which included the stories behing some of his biggest hits, including "The First Cut Is the Deepest." "It was partly telling the story of a breakup between me and one of my first loves, really, and that was a very strong sentiment," Yusuf says. "What I wanted to do there was I loved R&B. As well as listening to musicals I was also going down to clubs and listening to the latest R&B records coming over from across the Atlantic. I loved Otis Redding and I tried to write a song for Otis Redding and that is how 'First Cut Is the Deepest' came about. It's very much a soulful tune. My guitar playing wasn't that clever in those days, so you hear those three little notes, which is pretty basic, but it begins the whole song and it's a signature tune." Yusuf added that Rod Stewart's cover version of the song is one of his favorite covers of his material. "I think he did the best job there, and he made it his own as well." Yusuf added that his next album "has been more or less recorded and we're in the mixing stage" and that his memoir is "being finalized and published" and should be released in 2020. - Billboard, 6/7/19...... In an interview with Toronto radio station Q107 that was his first since undergoing heart surgery in March, Mick Jagger said he was "feeling pretty good" and has "been rehearsing a lot lately in the last few weeks." "This morning [I did] a bit of gym. Nothing crazy. Then I go into rehearsal with the rest of the band," the Rolling Stones frontman added. Jagger says that the band rehearsed the 1976 rarity "Memory Motel" from Black and Blue, however he added the band's upcoming tour reboot, set to begin on June 21, will be filled with plenty of well known Stones classics. "The favorite ones people like to hear are, you know, 'Paint it Black, 'Honky Tonk [Women]' and 'Satisfaction' and things like that," said Jagger. "We don't always necessarily do all of them. We sometimes drop one or two, but there's maybe ten favorites. I don't know how people would feel if you didn't do any of them. I think people would say, 'Oh, that's a bit unfortunate, I came to hear this.'" At the same time, he says "We usually have a [fan] vote song. We usually throw a couple different things in. There might be a few." Meanwhile, the Stones have shared a clip of a live performance of "You Can't Always Get What You Want" from their recently reissued film 
On the opening night of a six-show run at the DTE Energy Music Theatre in his hometown of Detroit on June 6, Bob Seger and his Silver Bullet Band treated the audience to a rarely played track from his 1978 Stranger in Town album, "The Famous Final Scene." "I wanted to do another extra song for this encore 'cause I'm home, dammit," Seger told the sold-out crowd at the amphitheater. "And," he added, "it seems appropros" for this stop on his "Roll Me Away" farewell tour. "The Famous Final Scene" was one of several localized touches offered by the Detroit rocker during his hit-filled, 130-minute show -- from 1976's "Mainstreet," about Seger's native Ann Arbor, to the first encore, "In Your Time," a new track he composed for his 1994 Greatest Hits album, inspired by his then two-year-old son Cole. Seger also dedicated the group's rendition of Bob Dylan's "Forever Young" to the late Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey, a fellow Michigan native and close friend -- and backing vocalist on Seger's 1968 hit "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man." The show came a day after the DTE Energy Music Theatre venue renamed its address to "33 Bob Seger Drive," commemorating what will be 33 sell-outs at the venue by the time this stand ends on June 21. During a short ceremony on Wednesday, Seger, who was accompanied by his family, called the honor "overwhelming. I'm really happy about this. Great honor, and thank you so much." In a statement, he also said that, "I have a great affection for this historic venue and now to be a part of it forever is truly overwhelming." Seger and his band will take the summer off before resuming the farewell tour on Sept. 12 in Rapid City, S.D. So far 10 dates have been announced for the fall leg, though more are reportedly coming. - Billboard, 6/7/19...... In February, Duncan Jones, the son of David Bowie, said he wouldn't be giving a Bowie biopic titled Stardust that is currently in production his seal of approval. Instead Jones, who has helmed such film projects as Moon, Source Code and the upcoming Rogue Trooper, said he would only approve of a film about his dad if American Gods author Neil Gaiman and Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse director Peter Ramsey were involved. Now Gaiman and Ramsey have expressed an interest in making a Bowie film. Gaiman and Ramsey replied to Jones in a series of tweets on June 7 saying they would "be in" on a Bowie movie. But Jones since clarified that he will not be involved in the movie if it goes ahead. Responding to a fan he said, "I will be making Rogue Trooper. If it happens, Neil & Peter don t need my interference on this grand endeavour." - NME, 6/7/19...... Mavis Staples will be among the lineup for the 2019 concert series at The Surf Lodge in Montauk, N.Y. The hotel/restaurant/vacation spot will host the pop/gospel legend on June 16, and the series will run through Sept. 2 when it wraps with a performance from Lukas Nelson. - Billboard, 6/7/19...... In a new interview with Canada's Edmonton Journal newspaper, Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford opened up about the he experienced when he came out as gay in the late nineties. "I was surrounded by homophobia, which still exists today. There are places I can't go back to because I'll be stoned to death," Halford said. "As far as that whole business, I discovered when I did come out that I was in this trap gay people find themselves living in that you're living your life for everyone else, but not yourself. During the '70s and '80s it was incredibly difficult." But Halford added that he "loves Priest more than, so while always in my mind -- I have to be careful how I say this -- it's not important to the music. Though I will say, a straight man can't do my job [laughs]. That's the way I view it." Halford also says that "Queen "would've been a totally different band" if Freddie Mercury hadn't been gay, and revealed that he'd do a duet with Elton John "in a heartbeat!" Judas Priest is currently in the midst of a summer tour of North America. - NME, 6/8/19...... 
Genesis' Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford performed together for the first time in 12 years when Rutherford jammed with Collins during his June 7 concert in Berlin on the band's 1978 hit "Follow You Follow Me."