A concert venue in Birmingham, Ala., has canceled a Ted Nugent show after a backlash regarding the singer's controversial political views. Nugent -- a high profile supporter of conservative policies and former president Donald Trump - had been scheduled to play the Avondale Brewing Co. venue in Birmingham on July 18 as part of his "Adios Mofo" tour. However after being flooded with thousands of comments protesting the show, Avondale Brewing Co. cancelled the show and wrote: "We have heard the concerns of the Avondale community, which is so important to us, and in conjunction with our partners, have taken the necessary steps to to cancel the Ted Nugent concert scheduled for July 18." Some of Nugent's most recent controversial comments include calling Bruce Springsteen "a dirtbag [who supports] communists" and calling Neil Young "a complete punk" over his decision to pull his music from Spotify. - New Musical Express, 5/5/23...... 
Speaking of Bruce Springsteen, the Boss got to know some local Irish as he and his E Street Band hit the Emerald Isle for three sold-out shows at Dublin's RDS Arena on May 5, 7 and 9. Springsteen visited The Burrow pub in Rathangan, Co. Kildare, on May 4 and had a pint with with some townspeople, even treating them to an a cappella first verse of his 1985 Born in the U.S.A. single "My Hometown." He then looked at the fans gathered in his family's ancestral home and led them in the chorus of, "this is your hometown," telling them afterwards, "you guys, I'm firing the E Street Band and I'm hiring you." Fan shot footage has been shared on Instagram. Springsteen made another stop as well, visiting former Pogues singer Shane MacGowan's home in Dublin, captured in a sweet pic posted by the beloved singer's wife, Victoria Mary Clarke, on Instagram. - Billboard, 5/5/23...... Former Sex Pistols member Glen Matlock has announced he'll play an intimate London gig on King Charles III's Coronation night on May 6. The bassist, who co-wrote the punk rock band's infamous anti-royalist song "God Save The Queen," will perform at London's 100 Club to support the release of his newly released album, Consequences Coming. "I wonder what kind of warrant I'll get?! Come on down to the 100 Club this Saturday and find out," Matlock joked on Twitter. Matlock says he won't be changing the words of Sex Pistols' controversial song to "God Save The King" because it "apparently wouldn't rhyme well." - NME, 5/5/23...... Lawmakers in Minnesota have decreed that a seven-mile stretch of State Highway 5 in the Minneapolis suburbs of Chanhassen and Eden Prairie will be renamed in honor of late pop superstar Prince. On May 4 the Minnesota Senate voted 55-5 to rename the highway that runs past Prince's Paisley Park museum and studios the Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway. Among those watching the bill being passed was Prince's oldest sister, Sharon Nelson. The bill passed the House unanimously in April on the seventh anniversary of Prince's death, and now goes to Gov. Tim Walz, who is expected to sign. Prince's friends and fans are footing the bill for the new signs and labor, said the lead sponsor, Republican Sen. Julia Coleman, of Waconia. "Prince was a true genius, a visionary artist who pushed the boundaries of music and cultures in ways that will never be forgotten," Coleman told her fellow senators. "His influence can be heard in the work of countless musicians who came after him, and his legacy continues to inspire new generations of artists to this day." Paisley Park, where Prince lived and recorded, now draws visitors from around the world. It is also the location where Prince died on Apr. 21, 2016, of an accidental fentanyl overdose at age 57. The 65,000-square-foot complex in Chanhassen is now a museum run by his estate as well as an event venue and recording studio. - Billboard, 5/5/23...... In related news, Tom Petty has been honored with a posthumous doctorate of music degree from the University of Florida. In a May 4 Instagram post, the estate for the "Runnin' Down a Dream" singer announced that UF had awarded him a posthumous, honorary Doctor Of Music degree. "I don't think anyone in our family, including him, thought that he would be linked with the University of Florida this way," Tom's brother Bruce Petty shared in a statement. "It's such a powerful thing, it was his life-long dream, and I know he would just be over-the-top, crazy happy about it." Petty, who died in 2017, was previously awarded the university's Distinguished Achievement Award in 2006. UF School of Music director Kevin Orr shared in his own statement that the institution was "privileged to honor Tom Petty with an honorary doctorate degree in Music, celebrating not only his extraordinary achievements as an artist, but the ways in which his music has and continues to unite us as a community." Petty's estate has partnered with the university to form the Tom Petty Endowment for Guitars & Innovation, donating $100,000 (79,000) to the music school's guitar and music business programs. - Music-News.com, 5/5/23...... In a new interview in Metal Hammer magazine conducted by two of Ozzy Osbourne's biggest fans -- Jack Black and Kyle Glass of Tenacious D -- Ozzy said even though he's retired from the road he's determined to rock on, even if he has to "get someone to wheel me out there." "I mean, doing a live show is what I live for," Osbourne explained. "I've had to cancel my [2023] European tour but I'm determined. I've gotta do more gigs if I have to get someone to wheel me out there. I mean, you can't retire from this game. It's not a job, it's a f---ing passion. I don't know how to do anything else. The thought of sitting in my house all day... I'm a road dog, you know? I've been doing it f---ing 55 years. It's the best thing to have ever happened to me." In February, Osbourne posted a note to fans on social media announcing that his touring days have come to an end and that his rescheduled European/UK tour dates have been canceled. - Billboard, 5/4/23...... Contemporary pop star Ed Sheeran won a plagiarism case on May 4 after the Manhattan Federal Court ruled that he did not copy Marvin Gaye's song "Let's Get It On" for his 2014 hit "Thinking Out Loud." The case was brought against the pop star in 2016 by Ed Townsend -- one of the co-writers on Gaye's classic 1973 track -- who accused Sheeran of copying the song on his 2014 hit. The accusations alleged that Sheeran and co-writer Amy Wadge copied the rhythm of "Let's Get It On," as well as an ascending four-chord sequence. The case also referenced "striking similarities" between the two tracks that violate the copyright. Sheeran denied claims he copied Gaye's song, and earlier in the week took to the witness stand to insist he would be "done" with music if found guilty. However the jury ruled that he "independently" created the song. Sheeran hugged his lawyer after the verdict, while Wadge and his wife Cheery Seaborn were reportedly in tears. After the ruling was handed down, Sheeran told reporters outside the court: "I am obviously very happy with the outcome of the case and it looks like I am not having to retire from my day job after all. But at the same time I'm unbelievably frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all." Earlier in the week, Sheeran played songs by Van Morrison and various other artists including Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers and Nina Simone before the jury to contest musicologist Alexander Stewart's claims about his melodies and intentions. - NME, 5/4/23...... 
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame revealed the inductees for its Class of 2023. Art rock cult fave Kate Bush, rootsy yet polished hitmaker Sheryl Crow, hip-hop mastermind Missy Elliott, blue-eyed pop/soul king George Michael, outlaw country legend Willie Nelson, rap-rock firebrands Rage Against the Machine, and long-running '70s vocal group The Spinners were all inducted into the performer category. The "Musical Influence Award" was given to Bronx-based DJ DJ Kool Herc and distortion guitar rock rebel Link Wray, while the "Musical Excellence Award" was given to frequent RRHOF nominee and funk queen Chaka Khan, veteran rock player/producer Al Kooper, and Elton John's longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin. Finally, Don Cornelius -- who hosted the R&B and Black culture bedrock Soul Train on TV from 1970-1993 -- is inducted with the Ahmet Ertegun Award. Crow, Elliott, Michael and Nelson gained entrance on their first nomination. Among those nominated but passed over for 2023 are Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Cyndi Lauper, Soundgarden, A Tribe Called Quest, The White Stripes and Warren Zevon. To be eligible for the Rock Hall, an artist's first commercial release must have come out at least 25 years prior to the nomination year. The RRHOF induction ceremony will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Nov. 3. - Billboard, 5/3/23...... Reacting to his RRHOF induction, Bernie Taupin says a magnanimous gesture from his songwriting partner Elton John could have been the reason why he wasn't inducted into the Cleveland-based hall and museum until now. "That's the big thorn in the paw because in a lot of people's minds, that's the reason I was not inducted before now, because certain elements of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame didn't like the fact Elton brought me up on stage... and gave me his award," says Taupin of John's RRHOF induction way back in 1994. Taupin adds he had the trophy "for years" before returning it to John. "So they just assumed that I already had the award so I didn't need to be inducted myself, which is pretty puerile, if you think about it, and pretty childish and churlish at the same time. But, hey, that's all in the past. What's gone is gone and it's all forgotten now and God's in his heaven and all is good." Taupin's induction will come after the September publication of his memoir Scattershot. He spent two years working on it -- including editing it from an 800-page draft to "just under" 400 pages -- and he's recently received the initial galleys for it. "I think people will be surprised by it," he says. "It's not a conventional rock slog biography It's not an A-to-Z life story. It's non-linear. It's more vignettes of my life... I'm not comparing it to Dylan's Chronicles, but it has the same sort of free-form feel to it. I couldn't be tethered to any restrictive autobiographical code. I just had to write it as I felt it. It's pretty exciting, I have to say. I never pat myself on the back about things. I'm my own worst critic. But I'm absolutely thrilled with it. It's probably the best thing I've ever done in my life. It's incredibly satisfying, and... I'm looking forward to having it out." - Billboard, 5/4/23...... On May 4 KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley walked back his recent comments about gender-affirming care for minors. In his original statement on Twitter on May 1, Stanley forwarded misinformation about gender-affirming care for youths, saying that "irreversible" procedures shouldn't be performed on children (despite the facts saying that the vast majority of this kind of care is reversible and often medically necessary for trans kids). "There is a BIG difference between teaching acceptance and normalizing and even encouraging participation in a lifestyle that confuses young children into questioning their sexual identification," he wrote. But in his latest statement, he focused on those currently undergoing the transition process, expressing his admiration for their bravery in being themselves. "Most importantly and above all else, I support those struggling with their sexual identity while enduring constant hostility and those whose path leads them to reassignment surgery," he said. "It's hard to fathom the kind of conviction that one must feel to take those steps." As he closed, Stanley said social media may not be the best place for genuine discourse. "A paragraph or two will remain far too short to fully convey my thoughts or point of view, so I will leave that for another time and place," he wrote. - Billboard, 5/5/23...... 
Beatles legend Paul McCartney famously once said that the Beach Boys' 1966 track "God Only Knows" was his favorite song of all time. Now a new AI-generated mashup of the Beatles covering the iconic Pet Sounds album track has appeared online, and shared on YouTube. While the creator of the video doesn't offer much explanation into what inspired the project or what tools he used to develop the track, McCartney has previously described the song as "one of the few songs that reduces me to tears every time I hear it." "It's really just a love song, but it's brilliantly done. It shows the genius of Brian [Wilson]," he said. While AI-generated mashups can often be conceived as controversial by fans, the Beatles/Beach Boys collaboration has received mostly positive reactions online. The video has over 1,100 likes on YouTube, versus just 10 "thumbs-down" reactions. "Paul and John [Lennon] are finally reconciled in the chorus, it's the most beautiful thing I've heard. Thank you," wrote one fan in the comments, while another added: "This is incredible. I have dreamed of hearing Paul sing this for my whole life. Amazing." Over recent months, music lovers have been using AI methods to create "new music" and collaborations featuring several of their favorite artists, including The Weeknd, Drake and Kanye West. In April, an AI-generated "lost" album by alternative faves Oasis also emerged online and also received a wave of praise from fans online. - NME, 5/4/23...... Kool & the Gang have announced plans to celebrate their upcoming 60th anniversary next year by hitting the road this summer on the Kool and the Gang "Rock the World Tour." Sponsored by group founder Robert "Kool" Bell's own Le Kool Champagne, the tour kicks off May 5-6 in Las Vegas, and wraps in Saratoga, Calif., on Sept. 24. Stops along the way include London (6/1), Cambridge, Great Britain (6/11), Plovdiv, Bulgaria (6/12) and Los Angeles (7/14-15). More tour information is available on the group's website. In April, Kool & the Gang performed on Good Morning America and released its latest single, "Let's Party," and will release its 34th studio album, People Just Wanna Have Fun, in July. Keyboardist and drummer George "Funky" Brown produced People Just Wanna Have Fun, recorded at his Alley Cat Studio in Woodland Hills, Calif. He also has a book set for release on July 11, Too Hot: Kool & The Gang & Me, in which he shares "my memoirs and cautionary tales." Founded in 1964, the band is behind a string of timeless hits that include "Celebration," "Ladies Night," "Get Down on It," "Summer Madness" and "Hollywood Swinging." Their music has also been featured on various film soundtracks including Rocky, Saturday Night Fever, Pulp Fiction and Wreck-It Ralph. Their "Let's Party" single can be viewed on YouTube. - Billboard, 5/3/23...... Neil Young has paid tribute to his fellow Canadian singer/songwriter legend Gordon Lightfoot, who died on May 1 at age 84. "I just spoke to Gordon a few weeks back and he sounded happy, although he had cancelled some shows and was re-organizing his touring. I was saddened when I learned today of his passing," Young wrote of Lightfoot on his Neil Young Archives site. "Gordon was a great Canadian artist. A songwriter without parallel," Young continued. "His melodies and words were an inspiration to all writers who listened to his music, as they will continue to be through the ages," said Young, 77, who was born in Toronto. "There is a unique and wonderful feeling to Gordon's music. Lightfoot is a Canadian legend." Young covered Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain" and "If You Could Read My Mind" on his 2014 lo-fi covers album A Letter Home. Young joined a number of other artists and admirers singing Lightfoot's praises, including Billy Joel, who covered the folk singer's 1971 Billboard No. 5 hit "If You Could Read My Mind" in a home recording and posted it on Facebook with the caption, "Sad morning over here. Rest easy Gordon Lightfoot. So sad to hear of the death of Gordon Lightfoot. He was a lifelong musical hero of mine..." Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted on Twitter that "[Canada has] lost one of our greatest singer-songwriters....[Lightfoot] captured our country's spirit in his music -- and in doing so, he helped shape Canada's soundscape. May his music continue to inspire future generations, and may his legacy live on forever. To his family, friends, and many fans across the country and around the world: I'm keeping you in my thoughts at this difficult time." Lightfoot also received online tributes from the likes of Bryan Adams, Brian Wilson, Stephen King, Jake Tapper and Belinda Carlisle. - Billboard, 5/3/23...... 
As Paul McCartney and Wings' classic 1973 set Band on the Run turns 50 years old this year, former Wings guitarist Denny Laine has reflected on the tumultous "gamble" taken by McCartney and the band that would become was has been hailed by many as McCartney's top post-Beatles triumph. To record his fifth post-Beatles album and third LP with new band Wings, McCartney decided to relocate to Lagos, Nigeria for a change of scenery and musical inspiration. It was exactly the sort of bold gambit that his three former Beatle bandmates, just before the split, probably would have shot down without blinking. "In order to move forward, you have to try new things," Laine tells Billboard in a phone interview from his home in Florida while describing how he thinks about the landmark album now. "It's like being a gambler. You gamble with things because it's more exciting. It's more appealing. It's not the normal, everyday 9-to-5 job, it's more of a "Let's try something new." Following two defections from Wings just before they were all due to fly out to Nigeria, shrinking McCartney's existing quintet down to a trio, Laine was now the only remaining member of the group with a surname other than McCartney. He remembers the finished album that emerged from the Lagos sessions as largely a grand adventure. "I know why it was appreciated so much," Laine says. "Because it had a certain feel. It was basically just me and Paul doing the backing tracks. And it was more of a relaxed approach to doing an album than if you're going in with a band and there are all these parts. We were thrown into that as a last resort because two of the guys didn't come to Lagos." The critical and commercial acclaim that followed Band on the Run (it was nominated for the prestigious Album of the Year Grammy) prefaced the success of Venus and Mars two years later, which was the Wings album McCartney used to reestablish himself as a major touring artist. And there were still other benefits of his African sojourn, including a bit of unstinting praise from the most improbable voice of all: John Lennon. In 1975, Lennon told Rolling Stone that Band on the Run was "a great album," adding, "It's good Paul music." - Billboard, 5/2/23...... Def Leppard have announced details of an intimate gig in their Sheffield hometown later this month, in collaboration with the Music Venue Trust. The British rock veterans will be hitting the stage at The Leadmill for the most intimate show they have played in the city in over four decades, all in a bid to support grassroots venues in England. Announced on Instagram on May 3, the venue confirmed the show will be presented with a percentage of ticket sales going to MVT, and will mark "one of the most historic nights in Shefflield's grassroots music history." Tickets go on sale on May 12. The future of the historic venue was first thrown into question in March 2022, when the operators announced to fans the "devastating news" that they were facing eviction. As well as announcing the gig, the update also shared footage of founding member and bassist Rick Savage, in which he explained the The Leadmill's legacy and how the city would be impacted if it were to close down. "It has come to my attention, along with many others, that our great institutional club in Sheffield, The Leadmill, is in danger of extinction," he said. "We really really need to keep buildings like this and we need to keep venues like this. It's important to recognise how influential and iconic The Leadmill was, and still is, in the music scene in Sheffield." In other Def Leppard news, later this summer the band are set to play a series of live UK dates with Motley Crüe -- which will see them perform in cities including London and Glasgow. Among these stadium appearances is another performance in Sheffield, taking place at Bramall Lane on May 22. In other Def Leppard news, later this summer the band are set to play a series of live UK dates with Motley Crüe -- which will see them perform in cities including London and Glasgow. Among these stadium appearances is another performance in Sheffield, taking place at Bramall Lane on May 22. Allen also recently shared a health update following being attacked outside a hotel in Florida in April. "I am still recovering and getting my mind and body ready for the upcoming tour... Just wanted to say hi and let you know, There Will Be Rock!," he posted on Instagram. - NME, 5/3/23...... The Grateful Dead announced on May 3 that they're set to share a series of previously unreleased concerts from 1973 in a new limited-edition boxset. Titled Here Comes Sunshine 1973, the boxset will be comprised of 17 CDs, and feature audio from the group's shows in San Francisco, Santa Barbara and two shows in Washington D.C. The concerts took place between May 13 and June 10 fifty years ago, and remained unreleased up until now. The release also features live performances of songs taken from Wake Of The Flood, which would be officially released the following year. The boxset, which will cost $190 (151), will be limited to 10,000 copies. This, as well as digital versions of the release will be available on The Grateful Dead's website. Each of the physical copious will feature vibrant, graphic artwork designed by Masaki Koike, liner notes contributed by Ray Robertson and an illustration poster created by Mary Ann Mayer. Additionally, each of the five live shows included will come in their own custom-designed segments. In addition to Here Comes Sunshine 1973, the band are also set to release a 4 CD, 8 LP set of their performance at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. -- the performance of "Ramble On Rose," taken from the show, will also be released as a digital single. - NME, 5/3/23...... 
British singer Linda Lewis, who enjoyed hits in the 1970s with "It's In His Kiss" and others, and was the envy of fellow singers due to her five-octave range, died on May 3. She was 72. "It is with the greatest sadness and regret we share the news that our beloved beautiful sister Linda Lewis passed away today peacefully at her home," her sister, Dee Lewis Clay, posted on social media. "The family asks that you respect our privacy and allow us to grieve at this heartbreaking time." Born Linda Ann Fredericks in West Ham, London, Lewis attended stage school, and landed film roles, including a part as a screaming fan in the Beatles film, A Hard Day's Night. Later, fans would scream for Lewis, as she reeled off U.K. hits through the 1970s with "Rock-A-Doodle-Doo," "It's In His Kiss," "Baby I'm Yours" and "I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You." Written and composed by Rudy Clark, "It's In His Kiss" would give Lewis a U.K. top 10 appearance, peaking at No. 6 in 1975, and a spot on the Billboard Hot 100, at No. 96. Her extraordinary vocal range, and her gifts across folk, soul, pop and reggae, would catch the attention of rock music's superstars, including David Bowie and Rod Stewart, both of whom recruited her for backing vocals. She would also work with the likes Joan Armatrading, Basement Jaxx, Turin Brakes and Jamiroquai. Across her career, Lewis cut ten studio albums, including Say No More, her 1971 debut, which was inspired by living with fellow artists in a commune in Hampstead, north London, a place where Cat Stevens, Marc Bolan and Elton John would drop by. In 2002, Warner Music released a collection of her '70s music, Reach for the Truth. The following year, BMG issued a career retrospective The Best of Linda Lewis, and later, the 3-CD boxed set Legends, including hits and rarities. In 2017, to celebrate her 50th anniversary in the music business, Lewis released Funky Bubbles, a 5-CD box set including rarities and live versions. She was mourned on social media by Armatrading, Ultravox frontman Midge Ure, Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock, and The Waterboys frontman Mike Scott. - Billboard, 5/4/23.
Legendary Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, the composer and performer of such enduring songs as "If You Could Read My Mind," "Sundown," "Carefree Highway," "Early Morning Rain," and "Rainy Day People," died on May 1, the CBC has confirmed. He was 84. News of his death comes after his rep announced on Apr. 11 that Mr. Lightfoot had been forced to cancel his U.S. and Canadian concert schedule for 2023 "due to health issues." Born Nov. 17, 1938 in Orillia, Ontario, Mr. Lightfoot's parents recognized his singing ability at a young age and placed him in Orillia's St. Paul's United Church. He eventually taught himself piano and guitar, playing in large-ensemble pop-folk groups across Canada. After a stint at the Westlake College of Music in Los Angeles, he began playing in folk clubs around Canada. He released two singles in 1962 ("It's Too Late, He Wins" and "[Remember Me] I'm the One") that charted regionally, and his profile grew considerably when such mainstream folk acts as Ian and Sylvia, the Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul and Mary and Judy Collins turned his songs -- most notably "Earning Morning Rain" -- into hits. After signing a management contract with famed manager Albert Grossman in 1965, Mr. Lightfoot landed spots on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and gigs at the Newport Folk Festival. He played an acoustic set at the Newport Festival shortly before Bob Dylan made history by playing his first electric set. Dylan later said, "I can't think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don't like. Every time I hear a song of his, it's like I wish it would last forever." In 1966, he released his debut LP Lightfoot!, which he followed up the next year with The Way I Feel, featuring notable session men, guitarist/bassist/harmonica player Charlie McCoy and drummer Kenny Buttrey. Dylan would soon use those musicians on his John Wesley Harding album. 
The success of his 1970 hit "If You Could Read My Mind" from the album of the same name (originally titled Sit Down Young Stranger) was the start of a stunning run of hits, including "Sundown," "Carefree Highway," and "Rainy Day People." The biggest came in 1976 after he read an article in Newsweek about the the sinking of the bulk carrier SS Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975. He called the epic maritime disaster song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." "It was quite an undertaking to do that," Mr. Lightfoot said in a 2014 Reddit conversation. "I went and bought all of the old newspapers, got everything in chronological order, and went ahead and did it because I already had a melody in my mind and it was from an old Irish dirge that I heard when I was about three and a half years old... I think it was one of the first pieces of music that registered to me as being a piece of music." Despite his huge success as a recording artist, many of his songs are best known by their cover versions, with Dylan covering "Early Morning Rain" on his 1970 Self Portrait LP, and Elvis Presley covering the song two years later. "I was really impressed with the recording," Lightfoot said in 2015. "It was probably the most important recording that I have by another artist." Other artists covering his material include Neil Young, Johnny Cash, the Grateful Dead, Barbra Streisand, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Buffett and The Replacements, to name a few. In the late Seventies, Mr. Lightfoot developed a severe drinking problem that took a tremendous toll on his personal life and career. "I was either writing, recording, touring, or doing television," he once said in an interview. "I drank way too much. But I gave that up in 1982 thanks to the help of my sister and a bad breakup. I knew I had to quit to keep myself sharp and stay in the game." By the time he sobered up in the early 1980s, MTV was ascendent and his album sales took a major shift downward. But he continued to tour and record heavily, and his popularity never waned in his native Canada. 
He was back in the news in 1986 when he noticed that Whitney Houston's "The Greatest Love of All" was melodically very similar to "If You Could Read My Mind." He initiated a plagiarism lawsuit against Houston's producer, but dropped it three weeks later after he saw how it was negatively affecting Houston. In 2002, Mr. Lightfoot suffered an abdominal aortic aneurysm and spent six weeks in a coma. He eventually recovered after four surgeries. "I was ashamed at the amount of blood they went through," he told Rolling Stone. "It would have been better off if I had died. I think it was 28 units." Doctors performed a tracheotomy on him during his hospital stay, causing vocal cord damage that greatly weakened his singing voice, but he was back onstage by 2004. "I wanted to recover, I wanted to sing again," he later told the Springfield, Ill. State Journal-Register. "I wasn't sure -- they had to take a lot of muscles out of my stomach and I wasn't sure if I would have the kind of breathing control that I would need. But gradually it worked back and I started practicing." In 2019, Mr. Lightfoot was the subject of the documentary Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind. Around that time, he celebrated his 80th birthday with an extensive tour that wrapped up in Oct. 2022 at the Club Regent Casino in Winnipeg. He was due to return to the road in April, but canceled at the last minute due to unspecified health problems. "We thank you for respecting his privacy," his team wrote in a statement. "He continues to focus on his recovery." - Rolling Stone, 5/1/23.
After more than 50 years in the music business, Linda Ronstadt has released her first live album ever -- 
Veteran rocker Suzi Quatro, who is preparing for the Mar. 29 release of her new album, 
Legendary funk/rock artist George Clinton has announced he'll be launching his final tour with his group Parliament-Funkadelic before retiring from the road after touring and recording for over 50 years. The 77-year-old musician's North American "One Nation Under a Groove" tour will feature Clinton and his funk/soul/rock troupe performing alongside some of the funkiest younger artists of today: Galactic, Dumpstaphunk, Fishbone and Miss Velvet & The Blue Wolf. Clinton will kick off the tour on May 30 at the Miller High Life Theatre in Milwuakee, Wis., and hit Chicago, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Portland, Denver and Phoenix before wrapping up at Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas on Aug. 18. Even after he retires from the road, Clinton promises the P-Funk tours will continue with a band that includes younger members of his family. "It's always been about the music and the band," Clinton said in a statement. "That's the real P-Funk legacy. They'll still be funkin' long after I stop." - Billboard, 2/5/19...... George Klein, the deep-voiced radio personality who became friends with Elvis Presley in high school and stayed close to the King of Rock 'n' Roll throughout his career, died on Feb. 5 at hospice in Memphis, Tenn. He was 83. Elvis's ex-wife Priscilla Presley said Mr. Klein had been suffering from illness, including pneumonia, for about two weeks prior to his death. Mr. Klein met Elvis in 1948 at Humes High School in Memphis and they were close friends until the rock 'n' roll icon died in 1977. Mr. Klein was part of Presley's entourage, known as the "Memphis Mafia," and enjoyed telling stories about the times he and Presley spent together. Priscilla said her former husband liked Mr. Klein's outgoing personality, his loyalty, and his sense of humor. She called their friendship a "guy's thing," with their own inside jokes and "their own language." Elvis used to affectionately call Mr. Klein "GK." "Their friendship was golden, truly golden," Priscilla said. "I don't think I've ever heard George say anything bad about anybody." Presley served as Mr. Klein's best man, and Mr. Klein was a pallbearer at Presley's funeral. Mr. Klein also appeared in his friend's 1957 film, Jailhouse Rock. When Presley was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, Mr. Klein made the acceptance speech. Mr. Klein hosted a radio show featuring Presley's music on Sirius XM. He had also hosted radio and television shows in Memphis dating to the 1960s. Mr. Klein was known throughout the city, speaking at charity events for no pay, Priscilla said. - AP, 2/6/19.
As the Beatles mark the 50th anniversary of their iconic final concert on the rooftop of their Apple Corps headquarters in London on Jan. 30, 1969, the band announced on Twitter on Jan. 30 that The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson will collaborate with them on a new as-yet-untitled film using 55 hours of previously unreleased footage of the group recording what would become its Grammy Award-winning album 
Former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley is claiming his former bandmate, Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, once "groped" his wife in a scathing social media post that also accuses his former band members of control freakery, untrustworthiness and much, much worse. In the 330-word screed, Frehley claims Simmons "groped" his wife and "propositioned" her some time ago, and blasts Simmons and Paul Stanley for undermining his career through the years. "Your slanderous remarks about my bad habits over the years has cost me millions of dollars and now that I'm over 12-years sober you're still saying I can't be trusted to play a whole nights show," Frehley writes. "Well that's exactly what I've been doing for the last 12-years with different configurations of 'The Ace Frehley Band' to you and Paul's dismay." Frehley, who split twice from Kiss twice (1982, 2001), also states the pair "tried to derail my solo career multiple times over the years unsuccessfully," and reckons newly-published comments by Simmons "have made me realize you're just an asshole and a sex addict who's being sued by multiple women, and you're just trying to sweep it all under the carpet." Although some Kiss fans had hoped Frehley and the band had buried the hatchet when they performed together for the first time in 16 years at a Hurricane Harvey benefit show in St. Paul, Minn., it is unlikely they will appear together anytime soon. Paul Stanley says that Kiss' "End of the Road World Tour," which kicked off on Jan. 31 in Vancouver, is going to last a few years but "is in no way a reunion tour." "It's been 45 years," Stanley says, "and we want to be able to do this with the fortitude and with the respect for our legacy that it deserves. We felt it was time to make a conscious decision that this is the last tour and go out in a blaze of glory and take a victory lap and spend a very special evening with fans around that world." Kiss has currently has dates booked through Dec. 3, including a Kiss Kruise setting sail on Oct. 30. - Billboard, 1/30/19...... According to the American rock band Terrorizer, AC/DC will be releasing a new album in 2019 featuring vocalist Brian Johnson. "We ran into Brian Johnson from AC/DC at the airport today after the flight home," the band posted on Facebook. "We asked him about the rumours of him being on the new AC/DC album and he said 'yes' and that he is 'sick of denying it.' So that was a cool surprise ending to the tour." In 2018, it was reported that AC/DC were working on a new album that will feature the work of their late rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young on "every track," according to "a reliable source inside the AC/DC camp." Malcolm died in November 2017 after retiring from the band due to early onset dementia. Johnson meanwhile was forced to quit the band in 2016 after suffering hearing loss and was replaced on the band's tour by Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose. Johnson was then rumoured to be reuniting with the rock legends for a new record after being spotted with the band's former drummer Phil Rudd in Vancouver. - New Musical Express, 1/30/19...... Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters is urging Maroon 5 to show solidarity with NFL player Colin Kaepernick and "take a knee" during Maroon 5's halftime show at Super Bowl 53 in Atlanta on Feb. 3. In a statement, Waters said: "My colleagues Maroon 5, Travis Scott, and Big Boi are performing during the halftime show at the Super Bowl this coming Sunday, I call upon them to 'take a knee' on stage in full sight. I call upon them to do it in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, to do it for every child shot to death on these mean streets, to do it for every bereaved mother and father and brother and sister." There is also a petition on Change.org/takeaknee aimed at persuading the three music acts to take a knee during their performances. - New Musical Express, 1/31/19...... In other Pink Floyd-related news, David Gilmour has announced he is auctioning several of his iconic guitars for charity, including his cherished black Stratocaster. "These guitars have been very good to me," Gilmour said in a statement. "They're my friends. They have given me lots of music. I just think it's time that they went off and served someone else. I have had my time with them. And of course the money that they will raise will do an enormous amount of good in the world, and that is my intention." Among the approximately 120 guitars that will go on auction at Christie's in New York this June include his signature black Fender Stratocaster "The Black Strat" -- a guitar that he played on "Comfortably Numb," "Money," and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond." Also included in the sale is his 12-string Stratocaster that he wrote "Wish You Were Here"' as well as the Ovation six-string that he's played for nearly every live performance of "Comfortably Numb." Gilmour says he's also selling the guitars to declutter his house. "I didn't want to get too ancient and have a whole stash of guitars sitting around doing nothing," he said. "And frankly, too many of them are guitars I just don't have time to play often enough. They will give joy to other people." - NME, 1/30/19...... 
Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards has told Rolling Stone magazine that the Stones are now set to head back into the studio for a week before embarking out on their first US tour in five years. Richards said that he had spent the holiday period assessing the material they'd already written. "Sometimes it's not as much writing as listening to what's been written and figuring it out, and honing and all kinds of stuff," he said. "It's very boring. It's like a carpentry shop." Asked about the band's upcoming tour and the feeling of playing live after so many years doing so, Richards said that he was "not at all" tired of life on the road. "I mean, hey, how bad can it be?" he said. "You get up there and do what you love to do, and fortunately so do millions of others. It's not something to turn your nose up at, you know." Meanwhile, Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood's horse is said to have a good chance of winning the British Grand National Run, the world's most grueling steeplechase competition. Organizers say Wood's horse, Sandymount Duke, is among 112 entries that will be whittled down to 40 runners for the race on Apr. 6. Sandymount Duke has won 10 of 30 races and runs in the 71-year-old Wood's red and white silks. Wood bred the 10-year-old gelding, which is trained by Jessica Harrington in Ireland. Race organizers hope Wood can attend the 4 1/2-mile (6,400-meter) race near Liverpool in northwest England because the band doesn't begin their tour of the U.S. until Apr. 20. - New Musical Express/AP, 1/28/19...... The Who announced on Jan. 28 that they'll play a huge show at London's Wembley Stadium on July 6 with openers Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and English indie rockers Kaiser Chiefs. In a cryptic video shared on Twitter teasing the concert, a line from their hit "My Generation" flashes up on a venue banner screen and the Who's iconic target bullseyes are displayed either side. Some fans have speculated that the announcement could be linked to the 40th anniversary of Quadrophenia, their 1979 seminal film which chronicled the '60s clashes between Mods and Rockers on Brighton Beach. The news of the concert comes on the heels of the band recently announcing their 2019 North American "Moving On!" tour, which kicks off on May 7 in Grand Rapids, Mich. - Billboard/NME, 1/28/19...... Olivia-Newton John is among the native Australian performers who have been recognized in the Australia Day Honours. In a statement, Newton-John said she was "excited and delighted and honored" after she was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), the highest award in the awards system, for her service to community health. "I am so proud to be an Aussie and this couldn't have come at a better time," says the artist, who is currently battling cancer for a third time. Newton-John previously received an OBE from Queen Elizabeth II in 1979. - Billboard, 1/30/19...... Wayne Newton is marking the 60th anniversary of his first Las Vegas hotel appearance with a return to the Caesars Palace casino-resort. His Caesars residency started Jan. 28 with dates scheduled through May. "It's hard for me to articulate, much less think about it," Newton told the AP, referring to the anniversary. "I was here when Caesars (Palace) was built. This hotel for me has always represented the flagship of the Strip." The "Danke Schoen" crooner will be backed by a live band during his "Wayne Newton: Up Close and Personal" shows. He will perform some of his favorite tunes and share personal career highlights through songs, film clips, anecdotes and questions from the audience. Newton, 76, asked the casino operator to lift the venue's age restriction to allow young people to attend. "I promised myself when I left the lounges that I would never be in a room again that had those kinds of restrictions. There's nothing in our show that would offend anyone, even the youngsters," Newton said. "That doesn't mean that the show is geared to particularly that group, but it is geared not to exclude that group demographically." Newton's show was previously at a showroom at Bally's casino-resort, but it ended in December as the venue shifted toward magic acts. - AP, 1/27/19...... 
John Travolta is sporting a new look these days -- the Saturday Night Fever star debuted a completely shaved head to ring in 2019 -- and he says his new look is here to stay for a while. "[It] feels great," Travolta told People magazine at the G'Day USA Black Tie Gala sponsored by Qantas airlines on Jan. 26. "Listen, my new look came on a whim. It was a New Year's Eve idea. Because everyone liked it so much, I decided to keep it for a while. So, we'll see." Travolta, 64, debuted his new look on Jan. 6 in an Instagram selfie with his 18-year-old daughter Ella Travolta and wife Kelly Preston, then thanked fans for their supportive comments in a video with his 8-year-old son, Benjamin. "Hey there, Ben Travolta, John Travolta here. We're dirt biking today and we just got the great news that it's hit over a million followers on Instagram," the actor said while wearing a cap on his head. "We love you and we thank you and also, thanks for liking the new hairdo," he added, momentarily lifting his hat up to show off his new look. "Yeah." Travolta previously had lock longs throughout the month of December. - People.com, 1/28/19...... Once thought to be erased and lost forever, the first ever TV performance of David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust has been unearthed for a new documentary. In June 1972, Bowie made his TV debut as his new and most legendary incarnation on ITV's Lift Off with Ayshea -- a month before his now iconic Top Of The Pops appearance. It was feared that the footage would never been saved again, as it was not stored by the station. However, it has now emerged that the performance was recorded by one viewer and has been found on old computer tape. It will be televised as part of the BBC's new documentary David Bowie: The First Five Years - Finding Fame. Speaking to the Radio Times, director Francis Whately said that the tape was in very bad condition after slowly being "baked" in high temperatures and degrading over decades. "For fans, it is something of a Holy Grail," said Whately. "It would fall apart if we played it, so it's had to be very carefully restored. It will be a real coup if it comes off." - New Musical Express, 1/29/19...... In other Bowie-related news, Bowie's movie director son Duncan Jones is hitting out at plans for a new Bowie biopic starring Johnny Flynn. It was confirmed on Jan. 31 that Flynn will portray Bowie in Stardust, which traces the star's 1971 trip to America that inspired the creation of Ziggy Stardust. However, Jones has now confirmed that the film is going ahead without the approval of Bowie's family -- and there has been no approval to feature his music in it. "Pretty certain nobody has been granted music rights for ANY biopic & I would know," Jones posted on Twitter. He added: "I'm not saying this movie is not happening. I honestly wouldn t know. I'm saying that as it stands, this movie won't have any of dads music in it, & I can't imagine that changing." - NME, 2/1/19...... Character actor Dick Miller, who starred in Roger Corman's A Bucket of Blood and whose six-decade career included all of Joe Dante's movies, died on Jan. 30 in Toluca Lake, Calif. He was 90. His resume includes more than 150 film and TV credits ranging from 1950s westerns to 2000s features including Dante's Looney Tunes: Back in Action and Burying the Ex. Along the way he appeared in films by such acclaimed directors as Martin Scorsese (New York, New York), James Cameron (The Terminator) and Jonathan Demme. On the small screen, he guested in such memorable series as Dragnet, The Untouchables, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, The Virginian, Mannix, McCloud, Police Woman, Police Story, Soap, Alice, Taxi, Police Squad!, NYPD Blue, ER and Star Trek: The Next Generation. - Deadline.com, 1/30/19...... 
R&B singer James Ingram, who scored two No. 1 hits and earned two Grammy Awards during his decades-long career, died on Jan. 29 of as yet undisclosed causes. He was 66. "I have lost my dearest friend and creative partner James Ingram to the Celestial Choir. He will always be cherished, loved and remembered for his genius, his love of family and his humanity," Ingram's friend and creative partner Debbie Allen posted on Twitter. "I am blessed to have been so close. We will forever speak his name," she added. Ingram collected two Grammys during his career, for his song "One Hundred Ways" which won best male R&B performance in 1981 and for his duet with Michael McDonald, "Yah Mo B There," which won best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals in 1984. Ingram charted nine hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including a pair of No. 1s: "Baby Come to Me," with Patti Austin, in 1983, and "I Don't Have the Heart" in 1990. Other top 20-charting Hot 100 hits included "Just Once" (No. 17 in 1981, Quincy Jones featuring Ingram), "Yah Mo Be There" (No. 19 in 1984, with McDonald) and "Somewhere Out There" (No. 2 in 1987, with Linda Ronstadt). The Akron, Oh., native also logged 19 hits on the Adult Contemporary airplay chart and 18 entries on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. He also tallied hits as a songwriter, co-penning Michael Jackson's top 10 Hot 100 hit "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)," from the Thriller album, as well as songs recorded by The Pointer Sisters, George Benson, Ray Charles, Shalamar and others. - Billboard, 1/29/19...... Former ABC News and Good Morning America anchor Steve Bell died on Jan. 25 in Muncie, Ind. He was 83. Mr. Bell was the first anchor for ABC News' Good Morning America in 1975 and covered a slew of historical events over the years. During his time as a reporter in the early '70s, Mr. Bell covered the Vietnam War, where he was once captured by the Viet Cong and held at gunpoint, the Watergate scandal, and the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Sen. Robert Kennedy. Following his tenure in the field, Mr. Bell went on to teach journalism at Ball State University's College of Communication Information and Media in Muncie, where he taught telecommunications from 1992 until his retirement in 2007. Mr. Bell, who graduated from Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, is survived by wife Joyce, and daughters Allison and Hillary. - PopCulture.com, 1/27/19.
A young English ABBA fan named Josie Felix became the one millionth visitor to see ABBA's Voyage live show at the purpose-built ABBA Arena in London on Apr. 17. Felix had been selected from scores of competition entries for writing her own song about how her dad would play ABBA as he drove her to school when she was a child. ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus says Voyage is "amazing... it has surpassed any dream I could have ever had." "We've somehow reached new generations by some miracle. I don't know how, but there you are. [The 2008 musical movie] Mamma Mia, I suppose played a role in that. There are new generations coming along." Voyage sees CGI reincarnations (or "ABBA-tars") based on the movements and performance of the living Swedish pop legends. These are then painstakingly presented to appear to be playing live with the appearance of the band in their '70s prime, backed by a full live band present in the room. Ulvaeus continued: "We don't know exactly what it is that we've done, which makes it hard to replicate. I don't know it's just for another band to do the same thing and expect the same kind of emotional effect that this has had. Not automatically -- it's not that easy." That's why Bjorn says a Voyage presentation at the UK's legendary Glastonbury Festival isn't likely. "I don't think that's possible, yet," he says. "It might be in the future. As it is, it's too complicated because the lighting, the sound, the visuals, everything is integrated and it's so complicated." Voyage currently has dates listed at the ABBA Arena until Jan. 2024. - New Musical Express, 4/18/23...... As he recently toured Australia and New Zealand, Jackson Browne became ill and was forced to cancel shows in Melbourne and Sydney. In the third week of April Browne's tour producer Frontier Touring announced his dates at Melbourne's Margaret Court Arena and Sydney's Aware Super Theatre would be postponed "due to illness," however Browne has since recovered and continued his tour Down Under the next week in Auckland and Wellington, the New Zealand capital. "I'm sorry to have to tell you that I'm still very sick, and have to postpone my concert at the Aware Super Theatre in Sydney," he explained in an 
Judy Collins was among the honorees at the 2023 She Rocks Awards on Apr. 13 at The Ranch in Anaheim, Calif. The event, now in its 11th year, is sponsored by The Women's International Music Network (the WiMN) and honors the accomplishments of a diverse group of women representing all facets of the music industry. Accepting her Legend Award, Collins quoted favorite Mae West lines ("Too much of a good thing can be wonderful," "Restraint is fine if it doesn't go too far"). She capped her speech by leading the audience in an a capella rendition of her 1971 hit "Amazing Grace." The folk/pop singer has a 59-year span of Grammy nominations. She was nominated for best folk recording in 1964 for her third studio album, Judy Collins #3, and was nominated again in 2022 for Best Folk Album for Spellbound, her 55th album. She won a 1968 Grammy for her hit rendition of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now." The night culminated with a performance from guitarist Gretchen Menn, She Rocks Inspire Award recipient, who led her band in an original song followed by a rendition of Led Zeppelin's 1972 classic "Rock and Roll." - Billboard, 4/17/23...... Roger Waters is apparently vowing to play Frankfurt, Germany's publicly owned Festhalle on May 28, despite the planned performance there being cancelled over claims of anti-Semitism. In March, Frankfurt's City Council called off the performance over the musician's views on Israel, later describing him as "one of the world's most widely-known anti-Semites." According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the cancellation notice cited Waters' boycott of Israel -- also known as the BDS campaign -- as well as his talks with Hamas-affiliated media, comparisons of Israel to apartheid South Africa, and what many see as anti-Semitic imagery at his concerts. Now, however, Waters has suggested he's "coming anyway" despite the cancellation. He posted an update to 
On Apr. 17 Eric Clapton announced the star-studded lineup for the 2023 edition of his Crossroads Guitar Festival. This year's event will take place over two nights (Sept. 23-24) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, where Clapton will again gather some of the best guitar players in the world for headlining sets and impromptu collabs. Though not everyone on the roster will repeat over the weekend, Clapton will perform both nights, joined by Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Santana, Jakob Dylan, Albert Lee, Los Lobos, Stephen Stills, Taj Mahal, ZZ Top, the John Mayer Trio, Robert Randolph, H.E.R., Marcus King and many more. Tickets for the fest go on sale on April 21 via Ticketmaster. There are no two-day passes, only single-day tickets. In addition to some multi-million-dollar historical guitars on display at the arena's Legends Collection area, there will also be an unveiling of the 25th anniversary Crossroads Guitar Collection, a rare series of limited-edition guitars based on some of Clapton's vintage gear. A significant portion of profits from the sale of the guitars will go to aid Clapton's Crossroads Centre at Antigua treatment and education facility. - Billboard, 4/17/23...... The Coco Palms Resort in Hawaii, famous for being featured in the 1961 Elvis Presley movie Blue Hawaii, will soon be demolished and rebuilt into a new 350-room hotel, according to a local Honolulu paper. The Coco Palms on the island of Kauai is best known in movie lore as the location where Presley and Joan Blackman's characters married in Blue Hawaii, and it's also the site of other key scenes in the movie, including the last where Presley sings the "Hawaiian Wedding Song" and holds Blackman's hand while they board a raft to cross a lagoon. In its heyday, it was famed for being frequented by other Hollywood stars like Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth and Bing Crosby. The 46-acre grounds were also once home to Kauai's last queen, Deborah Kapule, who died in 1853. Several attempts to restore the property have failed over the years, and developers say the $250 million project will take three years to complete. - Billboard, 4/15/23...... Influential jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal died on Apr. 16 at his home in Ashley Falls, Mass., due to prostate cancer. He was 92. A beloved piano player and composer, Mr. Jamal's unique sound influenced fellow jazz greats Miles Davis and McCoy Tyner, as well as a generation of crate-digging hip-hop lyricists and producers who sampled his music, including J Dilla (who snagged Jamal's 1974 tune "Swahililand" for De La Soul's "Stakes Is High"), Nas ("The World is Yours") and DJ Premiere (for Gang Starr's "Soliloquy of Chaos") among many others. After scoring a hit with 1958 album Ahmad Jamal at the Pershing: But Not for Me, the jazz great opened the short-lived Chicago club the Alhambra. Mr. Jamal continued to perform and record well into his 80s, releasing his final album, the mostly solo piano collection Ballades, in 2019. - Billboard, 4/17/23...... 
British musician Cliff Fish, best known as the bass guitarist in 1970s rock band Paper Lace which scored a U.S. No. 1 hit in July 1974 with 
KISS were forced to pause a show in Manaus, Brazil on Apr. 12 when bassist/singer Gene Simmons fell ill. Simmons, 73, had to take a seat on the stage and the band temporarily halted the while crew members looked after him. The show was only paused for around five minutes before he returned to the stage again and continued performing for the remainder of the set. "We're gonna have to stop," frontman Paul Stanley said to the crowd when he noticed Simmons was seated. "You know how much we love Gene, and he's obviously sick. And we're gonna have to stop to take care of him, 'cause we love him, right?" Stanley then asked the crowd to chant "Gene" as the bassist was being tended to by the crew. While seated, Simmons plated some of the bass parts to KISS' 2010 track, "Say Yeah" before returning to the front of the stage. Fan-captured footage from the moment can be viewed on 
Paul Simon has announced he'll follow up his 2018 rarities collection In the Blue Light with a continuous seven-song musical suite entitled 
Rocker and conservative firebrand Ted Nugent has weighed in on the recent uproar on the right over Bud Light beer teaming p with a trans social influencer named Dylan Mulvaney. Appearing on a recent episode of the right-wing channel Newsmax's program Eric Bolling the Balance, Nugent said: "The beauty of my life is that I've never spent one red cent on alcohol. But I made sure that my entire crew and my family will never allow any Anheuser-Busch products anywhere near my world." After referencing a similar Pride-related campaign coming from Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey as well, Nugent called out these campaigns for being "disrespectful" to the brands' "core consumer demographic," appearing to refer to conservatives. "How can they possibly have a meeting around the table and come to the conclusion that they're going to piss in the face of the people who pay their salaries?" he said. "This is the epitome of cultural deprivation in an ongoing tsunami of cultural deprivation." Nugent is just one in a series of artists to share their displeasure with Anheuser-Busch's recent work with Mulvaney. Country singer Travis Tritt declared that he would no longer include any of the company's products on his tour rider, while Kid Rock declared "f--k Anheuser-Busch" in a recent social media video after shooting three cases of Bud Light with an assault rifle. Nugent applauded Kid Rock in his interview, saying, "I think I might've trained Kid Rock appropriately, because nothing says 'I love you' like a fully automatic MP5 and nine-millimeter blasting about 600 rounds per minute." The partnership in question came when Mulvaney posted a video to her social media accounts promoting a March Madness-themed campaign for Bud Light, wherein she received a commemorative can of the drink with her face emblazoned on the side. Anheuser-Busch stood by its campaign in a recent statement to Billboard, saying it was one of "hundreds" meant to help the brand "authentically connect with audiences across various demographics." The spokesperson also added that Bud Light cans with Mulvaney's face were not for sale, since the piece was "a gift to celebrate a personal milestone." A spokesperson for Jack Daniel's also offered a statement to Billboard, standing by their values of "individuality and living life boldly on your own terms," and adding that their products are made "with everyone in mind, including the LGBTQ+ community." The backlash has also reportedly sparked concern from beer distributors that the controversy could hurt beer sales. Squabbles have broken out at bars and distributors are canceling events featuring the iconic Budweiser Clydesdale horses. The 26-year-old Mulvaney is also a pitchwoman for the Kate Spade fashion brand, which has also been criticized by conservatives. The influencer is reported to have earned more than $1 million promoting products such as Ulta Beauty, Haus Labs, Crest, InstaCart, and CeraVe. - Billboard, 4/11/2023...... 
A rep for Gordon Lightfoot announced on Apr. 11 that the iconic Canadian singer/songwriter has been forced to cancel his U.S. and Canadian concert schedule for 2023 "due to health issues." Lightfoot, 84, had numerous U.S. shows scheduled in April, June and September, and one Canadian show -- Oct. 14 at Kitchener's Centre in The Square -- on the books but "is unable to confirm rescheduled dates at this time." The statement continued: "We thank you for respecting his privacy as he continues to focus on his recovery." The "Sundown" hitmaker has been a rigorous health nut (aside from smoking) with daily workouts since recovering from a Sept. 2002 stomach aneurysm in his hometown of Orillia, Ont., while preparing for the second show of a two-night stand there. He was airlifted to Hamilton's McMaster Medical Centre and underwent emergency vascular surgery, followed by a six-week coma, a tracheotomy, and four more operations. Lightfoot had follow-up surgery in 2003 and in Sept. 2006 had a minor stroke that temporarily left him without the use of the middle and ring fingers on his right hand but by 2007 he had full use again. Speaking with The Sun newspaper in Dec. 2022, Lightfoot spoke about the recent death of fellow Canadian singer/songwriter Ian Tyson of "Four Strong Winds" fame and how instrumental Tyson had been to his career after covering "Early Mornin' Rain." "He was the first person to record a Gordon Lightfoot song," said Lightfoot. "The next thing I knew I was getting launched into the music business. I've always been eternally grateful to (then folk duo) Ian & Sylvia for getting me started in this business." Lightfoot has also long covered Tyson's song "Red Velvet" in his own concerts. "That was about a guy trying to find his way back to his girl," said Lightfoot. "Four Strong Winds, that's the same as Red Velvet. They're love songs." - Canoe.com, 4/11/23....... Piano-playing political satirist Mark Russell, who starred in PBS comedy specials and playfully gibed every President since Eisenhower, died of prostate cancer on Mar. 30 in Washington, D.C. He was 90. - People, 4/17/23.