Singer/songwriter Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis Presley, died in the early evening of Jan. 12 in a Los Angeles hospital after suffering full cardiac arrest earlier in the day. She was 54. Lisa Marie's mother, Priscilla Presley asked fans to "keep her and our family in your prayers" in a social media message on Jan. 12 before confirming she had passed away in a subsequent message: "It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us. She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known." A spokesperson for the LAPD said police were called to Presley's home in Calabasas, Calif., about 50 kilometres northwest of downtown Los Angeles, in the morning of Jan. 12 and found paramedics working on Presley who was experiencing cardiac arrest. The spokesperson confirmed that paramedics performed CPR on Presley and were able to help her regain a pulse before she was taken to a nearby hospital, where she flatlined several times and was eventually pronounced dead. Lisa Marie's health emergency came just two days after she attended the Golden Globe Awards to watch Austin Butler win the award for Best Performance in a Motion Picture (Drama) for his role in director Baz Luhrmann's ELVIS biopic, and appeared "unsteady" during interviews on the red carpet. Just days before that, she was in Memphis, Tenn., at Graceland -- the mansion where Elvis lived -- to celebrate what would have been her father's 88th birthday on Jan. 8. Presley released three rock albums in the 2000s and appeared on stage with artists like Pat Benatar and Richard Hawley during her musical career. She also formed direct musical ties with her father, joining her voice to such Elvis recordings as "Don't Cry Daddy," a mournful ballad which had reminded him of the early death of his mother -- and Lisa Marie's grandmother -- Gladys Presley. 
Born on Feb. 1, 1968, Lisa Marie was nine years old when Elvis died at the age of 42 in August 1977, and she became the sole heir of the Elvis Presley Trust. Along with Elvis Presley Enterprises, the trust managed Graceland and other assets until she sold her majority interest in 2005. She retained ownership of Graceland Mansion itself, the 13 acres around it and the Elvis memorabilia items inside the home. Her son is buried there, along with her father and other members of the Presley family. Lisa Marie and Priscilla would often make regular trips to Graceland during huge fan celebrations on the anniversaries of Elvis's death and birthday. One of the two airplanes at Graceland is also named Lisa Marie. She would later make headlines of her own through struggles with drugs and some very public marriages. Her four husbands included pop superstar Michael Jackson and actor Nicolas Cage. She also became involved in numerous humanitarian causes, from anti-poverty programs administered through the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation to relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina. She would receive formal citations from New Orleans and Memphis for her work. Presley had recently penned an essay published in People magazine about "the horrific reality" of her grief following her son Benjamin Keough's death by suicide in 2020. "I've dealt with death, grief and loss since the age of 9 years old. I've had more than anyone's fair share of it in my lifetime and somehow, I've made it this far," she wrote in August. Presley is also the mother of actress Riley Keough, 33, and twin 14-year-old daughters Harper and Finley, whose father is Lisa Marie's fourth husband, Michael Lockwood. A spokesman for the Presley family said Lisa Marie will be buried at the Graceland mansion alongside her father, son, and other members of the Presley family. - AP, 1/13/22.
Jeff Beck, a former member of the Yardbirds and founder of the Jeff Beck Group who is hailed as one of the most influential guitarists of all time, died on Jan. 10 after contracting bacterial meningitis. He was 78 years old. The news of his death was confirmed in a statement released by his family the following day. "It is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck's passing," the statement reads. "After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss," the statement added. One of the most influential lead guitarists in rock, Beck helped shape several genres including blues rock, psychedelia and heavy metal, and only the likes of Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix can truly be said to have surpassed him for imagination, excitement, technique and sheer power. Born in Surrey, England on June 24, 1944, Beck attended Wimbledon Art College in London and backed Lord Sutch before replacing Eric Clapton in the Yardbirds. He established himself with a two-year stint with that band, but left in late 1966. The next year he had a U.K. solo hit single with the out-of-character "Hi Ho Silver Lining" (reissued and a hit the second time around in 1972). He followed that with the even more bizarre "Love Is Blue," played deliberately out of tune because he hated the song. Later in 1967 he formed the Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart on vocals, Ronnie Wood on bass, Mickey Waller on drums, and later Nicky Hopkins on piano. The Jeff Beck Group's reworkings of blues-based material laid the groundwork for Seventies heavy metal, and they enhanced their already considerable reputation with a series of rowdy, outrageous gigs -- mostly in the U.S. -- and two patchily excellent albums, Truth (1968) and Beck-Ola (1969). The teaming of Beck and Stewart was like nothing heard in rock before -- even if privately the two were frequently at each others' throats -- until Jimmy Page squared off to Robert Plant in Led Zeppelin. 
Clashing temperaments broke up the JBG in 1969, with Wood and Stewart joining the Faces. Beck made attempts to form a new band with Vanilla Fudge members Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice, but the project fell through when he was injured in a car crash which fractured his skull and kept him sidelined for 18 months. In 1971, he assembled a new Jeff Beck Group and released two albums of Memphis funk laced with heavy metal. In late 1972, Beck and Bogert and Appice -- the latter two who had been playing with Cactus -- formed Beck, Bogert and Appice, but weak vocals hampered the band, and it broke up in 1974. Beck went into another period of hibernation but reemerged in 1975 in an all-instrumental format, playing jazzy tunes, on such successful albums as Blow By Blow and Wired. During the late '70s he reportedly spent most of his time on his 70-acre estate outside London, and worked wih former Mahavishnu Orchestra keyboardist Jan Hammer on the 1980 album There and Back. In 1981, he appeared at Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball, and in 1985 toured Japan, but his live performances became less and less frequent. In 1985 he released Flash, which included his sole charting single, a cover of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready" (#48), with Stewart on vocals, and the Grammy-winning "Escape" written by Hammer, peaked at #39. 
Through the Eighties he turned up on recordings by such artists as Mick Jagger, Malcolm McLaren and Roger Waters. Over the course of his career, Beck won eight Grammys out of 17 total nominations and was inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice -- as a member of the Yardbirds in 1992 and as a solo performer in 2009. His last and most recent of his 11 solo LPs was 18, a collaborative full-length set with actor/musician Johnny Depp in July 2022. Posting on Instagram, Rod Stewart remembered Beck as "the greatest, my man" who was "on another planet." Posting a picture of the pair together, Stewart writes that Beck "took me and Ronnie Wood to the USA in the late 60s in his band the Jeff Beck Group and we haven't looked back since. He was one of the few guitarists that when playing live would actually listen to me sing and respond. Jeff, you were the greatest, my man. Thank you for everything. RIP." Others who flocked to social media to remember the guitar great include Ronnie Wood, Gene Simmons, Jimmy Page, Dave Davies, Paul Stanley, Toni Iommi, Mick Jagger, Stevie Van Zant, David Gilmour, Donny Osmond, Joe Perry, Billy Gibbons, Brian Wilson, Sammy Hagar, Ozzy Osbourne, and Experience Hendrix. - Billboard/The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock, 1/12/23.
A spokesperson for Disney Music Group is denying reports that the corporation is considering selling Queen's music catalog for $1 billion, which would easily surpass the current record of $500 million paid for the purchase of Bruce Springsteen's catalogue in 2021. Earlier, an industry source familiar with the alleged music acquisition told CNN that discussions are "well underway" for Universal Music Group to acquire the legendary band's entire back catalog from DMG. CNN reported that Queen's sale figure would be so high because the band received a resurgence in popularity following the release of the 2018 biopic 
Eric Clapton, Aerosmith's Joe Perry, Metallica's Kirk Hammett, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Rod Stewart and Johnny Depp were among the musicians who came together to pay tribute to the late Jeff Beck at two special concerts held at London's Royal Albert Hall on May 22 and 23. The musicians performed material and covers that Beck himself played throughout his lifetime. Among the highlights were a cover of John Lennon's "Isolation" performed by Hammett, Depp and Gibbons, in tribute to Beck and Depp's take on the song that was released in 2022. In addition, Stewart played a four-song medley with Clapton, and Gibbons and Depp took on ZZ Top's "Rough Boy," a song Beck and Gibbons used to play together. Clapton also played an extended set on both nights which featured some of Beck's originals like "Beck's Bolero," as well as songs from their time in the Yardbirds and blues standards by Buddy Guy and Muddy Waters. Other notable performers across the two nights included Ronnie Wood, John McLaughlin, Derek Trucks and members of the Jeff Beck Band: Rhonda Smith, Anika Nillesand Robert Stevenson. Fan-filmed footage of the shows has been shared on 
Rod Stewart has backed out of a potential catalog sale to Hipgnosis after two years worth of negotiations with the company after he reportedly decided that it "was not the right company." On May 29, Stewart released a statement saying he wanted to retain ownership of his catalog, which "represents my life's work." "And it's become abundantly clear after much time and due diligence that this was not the right company to manage my song catalog, career or legacy." Further details about the potential catalog sale are not known, including whether Stewart intended to sell his full catalog or just a smaller piece or royalty stream. Neither Hipgnosis nor Stewart's team would comment further when asked for specifics. Two music asset buyers independently noted to Billboard that Stewart's public statement might be a "great way to drum up business for the catalog" and "to generate calls from potential suitors," but another source noted it seems that a star of this magnitude would not need to speak out publicly in order to gain the attention of other buyers. The Hipgnosis Songs Fund, which has amassed a catalog of over 65,000 songs and records, has struggled since last summer, with its share price declining by 27% from a year ago to 81.85 pence. - Billboard, 5/30/23...... As is normal when an artist of the stature of Tina Turner dies, the legendary performer is on the verge of landing four album titles in the U.K.'s national albums chart, led by her The Platinum Collection hits LP. Turner's career retrospective could crack the top 10 for the first time, reentering at No. 8 on the midweek chart, the Official Charts Company reports. The Platinum Collection originally peaked at No. 14 following its release in 2009. Another hits compilation, 1994's The Collected Recordings, is poised for a No. 12 return, while the singer's Private Dancer set from 1984, one of the greatest comebacks of the 20th century, could vault to No. 31, having originally peaked at No. 2. All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published on June 2. During her lifetime, Turner landed nine top 10 albums in the U.K., including two No. 1's (Foreign Affair and the soundtrack to What's Love Got To Do With It). Turner died "of natural causes" according to her rep on May 24 after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland. - Billboard, 5/30/23...... A local musicians' union in New York City is objecting to the lack of a live band in former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne's upcoming Broadway show "Here Lies Love," calling it an "existential threat" to the art form. "Here Lies Love," originally conceived by Byrne 17 years ago, has played an Off-Broadway run, in addition other engagements. It has previously been performed to a pre-recorded track, since it was inspired by the karaoke genre and the use of "track acts" in a club, which allow audience members to keep dancing, according to a representative for the production. The disco-pop musical is based on a concept album by Byrne and Fatboy Slim and follows the story of Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines. The Alex Timbers-directed musical is scheduled to begin previews at the Broadway Theatre on June 17. The theater has been completely remodeled to accommodate a dance floor and other immersive levels for audience members. The production has requested a "special situation" stipulation, which would allow the show to proceed with less than the required number of musicians. The union notes that while the show is almost entirely performed to a pre-recorded soundtrack, there is a moment where a handful of actors play instruments. "A show with no live music and just pre-recorded tracks is absolutely an existential threat to Broadway- and is a cultural threat to musical theater worldwide," said Local 802 president and Executive Director Tino Gagliardi. - Billboard, 5/30/23...... 
Tom Waits is reportedly "writing again" according to a new memoir by his longtime Irish music agent, Paul Charles. In his book, Adventures in Wonderland, Charles discusses his transition into being one of the most important agents in the music industry, as well as his time working with artists including Van Morrison, Dire Straits, The Kinks, U2 and more. In one section of the book Charles discusses his longtime relationship with Waits and includes a discussion of the last performance the troubadour did back in 2008 -- in a tent venue in Dublin named the Rat Cellar. "We all hope he will tour again," Charles writes. "After he did the three nights in the Rat Cellar, he went home. He enjoyed the tour a lot, and the idea was to start writing. He did a bit of recording, and then he basically got distracted by the movie world for a while. The news is that he's started writing again. We've all got our fingers crossed for another return visit." Waits released his last studio album, Bad As Me, in 2011 and, more recently, his 1973 debut album, Closing Time, celebrated its 50th anniversary with a new vinyl reissue. - NME, 5/24/23...... Several Jewish groups, politicians and an alliance of civil society groups gathered for a memorial ceremony and a protest rally against a concert by Roger Waters in Frankfurt, Germany on May 28. They accuse the Pink Floyd co-founder of antisemitism -- an allegation he denies. Waters has also drawn their ire for his support of the BDS movement, which calls for boycotts and sanctions against Israel. Frankfurt authorities had initially tried to prevent the concert taking place, but Waters successfully challenged the move in a local court. The concert is taking place in the city's Festhalle, where in Nov. 1938 more than 3,000 Jews were rounded up by the Nazis, beaten and abused, and later deported to concentration camps. "[Waters'] words and imagery spread Jew-hatred and are part of a trend: to normalize Israel-hatred under the protection of freedom of speech or art," Elio Adler, the head of the Jewish group WerteInitiative which supports the protest, said. Earlier in May, police in Berlin said they had opened an investigation of Waters on suspicion of incitement over a costume the musician wore when he performed in the German capital in May. - Billboard, 5/28/23...... 
Roger Waters has shared a statement on social media in which he calls the recent controversy over his concert in Berlin, Germany a "smear" aiming to "silence" him. On May 26, police in the German capital announced they had opened an investigation of Waters on suspicion of incitement over a costume the Pink Floyd co-founder wore when he performed in the German capital earlier in May. Images on social media showed the musician firing an imitation machine gun while dressed in a long black coat with a red armband. The Berlin gig came after Waters provoked a backlash after he made reference to Anne Frank at one of his earlier concerts in Germany, in which he wore an outfit that some deemed as having connotations to the Second World War. This particular segment of the show revolved around a character from Pink Floyd's 
Stevie Nicks is paying tribute to the young victims whose lives were taken in the Robb Elementary School shooting, which took place exactly one year ago on May 24, 2022 in her home state of Texas. The Fleetwood Mac singer/songwriter marked the Uvalde massacre's one-year anniversary with a heartfelt letter on 
The Studio City, Calif. home made famous by 
Rolf Harris, a disgraced Australian entertainer who, prior to his downfall, enjoyed hits in the U.K., the U.S. (
Veteran show business actor and singer Ed Ames, perhaps best known as Cherokee Indian Mingo on the Fess Parker 1960s NBC-TV vehicle, Daniel Boone, died on May 21 in Los Angeles. He was 95, and no cause of death was given. Mr. Ames began his career in the 1950s as part of the singing The Ames Brothers quartet, joining with his brothers Vic, Joe and Gene. The group had a hit with "Rag Mop" in 1950, and totaled 49 chart hits before ending their association in 1963. The group also had a syndicated TV program, The Ames Brothers Show. Mr. Ames also branched off into a solo career, hitting the charts with "My Cup Runneth Over," "Who Will Answer?" and "Try to Remember." He then switched gears and did stage tours in the off-Broadway shows "The Crucible" and "The Fantasticks," and then scored a starring role on Broadway in "Carnival!" He later starred with Kirk Douglas, Gene Wilder and William Daniels in the Broadway production of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Then television came calling, and Mr. Ames -- though of Russian-Jewish heritage -- was tabbed to play a regular supporting role in Daniel Boone. During his TV career, he accidentally became a The Tonight Show legend when he demonstrated how to throw a tomahawk for host Johnny Carson. Aiming at a wood panel outline of a cowboy, Ames's throw landed squarely in the groin of the drawing. Carson quipped, "I didn't even know you were Jewish!" and then, "Welcome to Frontier Bris." The audience roared for a reported four minutes. Mr. Ames later made guest appearances in such shows as The Rifleman, McCloud, It's Garry Shandling's Show, Jake and the Fatman and Murder She Wrote. Mr. Ames was born in Massachusetts as the youngest of nine children, and received a B.A. in theater and cinema arts from UCLA in 1975. He is survived by his wife, Jeanne; two children, Ronald and Sonya; seven grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and stepson Stephen Saviano. Another daughter, Marcella, predeceased him. - Deadline.com, 5/26/23.
Jeff Beck is the subject of an upcoming documentary of his life called Still on the Run: The Jeff Beck Story which covers the guitar legend's life from his days in The Yardbirds through his solo career, with rock legends including his rival Eric Clapton paying tribute. Beck has told Rolling Stone magazine that he was surprised Clapton agreed to take part in the doc. "I must admit there was a tear -- especially with Eric," Beck says. "I never expected him to bother to be in it. I studied his face over and over, just to make sure there wasn't something else going on [laughs]. But no, it was just overwhelming." Beck added that he learned from Clapton's former wife, Patti Boyd, that "there definitely was [rivalry]" between the two, "especially with the Stevie Wonder stuff. He was not too amused about me doing something successful with Stevie. I think that maybe got under his skin a bit." - New Musical Express, 5/17/18...... Speaking of Stevie Wonder, the Motown legend has announced he will play five shows in Las Vegas this summer at the Park Theater starting Aug. 3. The 5,300-seat venue is located at the Park MGM casino-resort, formerly known as the Monte Carlo. It previously hosted the residencies of Cher and Ricky Martin. - AP, 5/16/18...... A two day Julien's auction featuring memorabilia from the likes of Prince, Bob Dylan and George Harrison will be held at the Hard Rock Cafe New York and online during the third weekend in May. The first auction day, on May 18, is dedicated to Prince, the musical legend who died in April 2016. The items include a guitar the artist had commissioned, as well as a number of outfits he wore at different performances, and handwritten lyrics. The second day's items on May 19 include guitars played by Dylan and Harrison, as well as costumes and jewelry. - AP, 5/15/18...... Iggy Pop will be among the headliners at the 2018 Cal Jam festival, set for Oct. 6 at Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino, Calif. In 2017, alternative band Foo Fighters helped revive the long-forgotten festival that took place in the '70. Its 1974 concert boasted such rock giants as Deep Purple, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and the Eagles. In addition to Pop, the Foo Fighters will also be headlining the upcoming Cal Jam, along with Tenacious D, Garbage, Silversun Pickups and Manchester Orchestra. Pop will be reuniting with his former backing band Post Pop Depression during his performance. - Billboard, 5/14/18...... Bob Dylan has announced he will kick off his 2018 summer tour in Asia at the Fuji Rock Festival on July 29, 40 years since his first tour of Japan. The festival, held at Naeba Ski Resort, marks Dylan's 101st performance in Japan. After Japan, his tour travels to Hong Kong on Aug. 4 and Singapore on Aug. 6. - Billboard, 5/15/18...... 
Power pop artist Nick Lowe will release a new EP with Los Straightjackets entitled 
The first trailer for the long-awaited Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody was released on May 15. It opens with Freddie Mercury, played by actor Rami Malek, wearing a fluttering white cape, engaging in the familiar call-and-response with an audience that was one of Queen's signature live concert staple moves, before cutting to snippets of Malek as Mercury in a gold lame jumpsuit, a black leather outfit and shirtless while wielding the late singer's iconic half microphone stand as the instantly recognizable strains of "Another One Bites the Dust" kick in. The trailer then depicts Mercury's first meeting with guitarist Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and drummer Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy), and then to a scene in which Brian May plays the central "Rhapsody" riff in the studio and Mercury informs him from the mixing board "this is where the operatic section comes in." The trailer peaks with a glimpse of the massive crowd at Wembley Stadium in 1985 when Queen leaped into history with their unforgettable set at Live Aid. Bohemian Rhapsody will hit theaters on Nov. 2. - Billboard, 5/15/18...... Def Leppard has announced it is teaming up with Seattle's Elysian Brewing Company to craft "Def Leppard Pale," a brand new brew that will make its debut on May 23, the second date of Def Leppard's upcoming coheadlining summer tour with Journey. The potent 6% ABV beer will be available at most stops on their tour, as well as select bars and restaurants. "The best of British beer is the malt body and that beautiful malt balance. And the best thing about American beer is the citrus, piney hops," says Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott. "So we've taken those two aspects, put them together and come up with a beer you can actually drink a few of -- 6% ABV you can drink all night long." The Def Leppard/Journey tour kicks off May 21 and runs through Oct. 7. - Billboard, 5/14/18...... Metallica performed a funky cover of ABBA's "Dancing Queen" when their current world tour hit Stockholm, Sweden, in early May. Metallica are currently covering tunes relevant to the city they're playing in each night, and when in Norway they offered up a version of A-Ha's "Take On Me." - New Musical Express, 5/9/18...... In a new post on his official Facebook page, Neil Young says he's leaving the popular social media site to focus on expanding his NeilYoungArchives.com site, which he describes as "a giant time machine cabinet filled with "albums and tracks, bits and pieces, manuscripts and art, film and video." "Each song is being backed up with the archival material that relates to it and to the creation of it, from song writing, to band jams, the history of this music is there," Young continues. "It's never finished, it is huge and growing. We work night and day expanding the window you can see this archival stuff through. The musician added that as of June 1, he plans to charge $1.99 a month, or $19.99 a year for access to NeilYoungArchives.com. "If you want to hear my music and would like to have the option to listen to it with all the depth and glory of high resolution, it will be there," he says. "All my new records can be heard there first, before they get released anywhere else. New unreleased albums from the archives, old unreleased albums from the archives. Will always be heard there first." Young will kick off a 2018 summer tour on June 28 in St. Louis, also visiting Chicago (6/30, 7/1), Detroit (7/3) and Detroit (7/11, 7/12). - Spin.com, 5/14/18...... 
During a show in Los Feliz, Calif., on May 11, former Fleetwood Mac member Lindsey Buckingham addressed his departure from the iconic rock band. "I have sadly taken leave of my band of 43 years, Fleetwood Mac. This was not something that was really my doing or my choice," Buckingham said. "I think what you would say is that there were factions within the band that had lost their perspective. It harmed the 43-year legacy that we had worked so hard to build," he said of the group's decision, "and that legacy was really about rising above difficulties in order to fulfill one's higher truth and one's higher destiny." Buckingham refrained from commenting when one audience member yelled "F--- Stevie Nicks." Buckingham was performing at a campaign fundraiser for Mike Levin, a California Democratic congressional candidate. On Apr. 9, Fleetwood Mac issued a statement saying that Buckingham "will not be performing with the band" on its upcoming tour, and "wishes Lindsey the best."I t was also revealed that he would be replaced by former Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell and Crowded House's Neil Finn on tour. - Billboard, 5/12/18...... A Prince symphony concert series was announced on May 16, with the funk/rock icon's hits performed by a full symphony orchestra. "4U: A Symphonic Celebration of Prince" will be co-curated by Questlove of The Roots and feature guest vocalists as well as videos and photos provided by Prince's estate. The 32 concert run will get underway on Sept. 6 in New Brunswick, N.J., and wrap on Oct. 19 in San Antonio, Tex. - New Musical Express, 5/16/18...... A new Robin Williams autobiography dubbed 
Actress Margot Kidder, perhaps best known for her role as Lois Lane on 1978's 
A new career-spanning box set from late Eagles member Glenn Frey, 
Iconic pop singer/songwriter Paul Anka has revealed that he and current singing sensation Drake will be teaming up for a new project that will drop in June 2018. "I'm working with a brilliant young artist who is as hot as you can get right now, a fellow young Canadian and his name is Drake," Anka said on May 10 during the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards, where he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from his friend Michael Bublé. "We recorded something that will be released, out in June. That's all I can tell you," he added. Anka, 76, wrote his first No. 1 hit "Diana" at age 15 and went on to pen such classics as "My Way," "Puppy Love," Lonely Boy," "Put Your Head On My Shoulder," "She's a Lady" and "(You're) Having My Baby," as well as the theme to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. - Billboard, 5/11/18...... Michael Jackson will appear on a new Pepsi can as part of the soft drink company's #PepsiGenerations campaign this summer, it was announced on May 11. Jackson will appear alongside similar retro designs featuring Pepsi-affiliated artists including Ray Charles and Britney Spears. #PepsiGenerations highlights Pepsi's biggest pop culture moments over the years, starting with February's "This is the Pepsi" Super Bowl commercial narrated by Jimmy Fallon. Jackson began appearing in Pepsi spots in 1984, when his hair famously caught fire during one shoot. He also appeared posthumously in a series of 2012 Pepsi ads to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his album Bad. The Jackson Pepsi can will also be available in select other countries around the world. - Billboard, 5/11/18...... The Beach Boys have announced they'll make their own foray into orchestral music with a new LP dubbed 
Stevie Wonder hinted that his next project could be a collaboration with Donald Glover and Childish Gambino during an intimate two-hour set at the Peppermint Club in Los Angeles on May 9. Billed as "The Stevie Wonder Song Party: A Celebration of Life, Love and Music," the show was attended by such celebrities as Motown founder Berry Gordy, actress Angela Bassett, actor/comedian Craig Robinson, T.I., Nick Cannon and actor/activist Jesse Williams. During the evening, Wonder also referenced his forthcoming album, Through the Eyes of Wonder, telling the audience that he wanted to play some of the new material, "but unfortunately, the players don't know it." Wonder, who turns 68 on May 13, also revealed he intends to mount a new national tour behind his new album, although he did not mention a specific start date or itinerary. - Billboard, 5/10/18...... Neil Young has announced he's planning to produce and release a 35-minute film he conceived to go along with his 1982 album Trans some 16 years after it was first conceived. Young says the film was never actually created because his then record company Geffen "pulled the funding for the videos because they didn't like the record," which featured him singing through a vocoder over stiff synth grooves and earned him a lawsuit from the record company. Young says the backstory of Trans is poignant: he created it as a statement about the difficulty of communicating with his son Ben, who was born with cerebral palsy and unable to speak. (Hence the chilly, difficult-to-understand vocals.) The planned film would elucidate this concept more explicitly, featuring "electronic-voice people who were working in a hospital, and the one thing they were trying to do is teach this little baby to push a button," according to the Neil Young bio Shakey. Young also says he plans on releasing "four or five" previously unheard collaborations with his band Crazy Horse via his Neil Young Archives digital library project. - Spin.com/Yahoo News, 5/8/18...... Country music icon Dolly Parton was on hand at a senior center dedication ceremony in her hometown of Sevierville, Tenn., on May 7 to give the facility a new name: the My People Senior Activity Center, in honor of her parents, Robert and Avie Lee Parton. The 72-year-old Parton joked that she's a senior, too, and made fun of her plastic surgery, shouting "girl power" when she saw more women doing woodworking at the center than men. At the event, Parton gave her own secret to staying young: "Be busy, stay active and get involved." - AP, 5/8/18...... 
Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at the 2018 New Jersey Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Asbury Park Convention Center om Asbury Park, NJ, on May 6 to introduce his longtime friend and guitarist Steven Van Zandt into the hall. The two joined forces onstage and played "I Don't Want To Go Home," trading vocals and eventually welcoming the entire class of inductees -- and many of their family members -- onstage to close the show. "We did the impossible: We made New Jersey hip," said Van Zandt, who is from Middletown, NJ. Other performers getting the nod included Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry, of Hawthorne, NJ. Disco queen Gloria Gaynor, who is from Newark, turned the hall into a giant dance party as audience members leapt from their seats and boogied to her hit 
Phil Collins announced on May 7 that he'll mount his first major North American tour in 12 years beginning on Oct. 5 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Entitled the "Phil Collins Not Dead Yet, Live!" tour after his recent autobiography Not Dead Yet: The Memoir, the trek will be a limited engagement of 15 shows also visiting Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, Toronto, Newark, NJ, Brooklyn, NY, Montreal, Cleveland, Oh., Columbus, Oh., Minneapolis, Chicago, Oakland, Calif., and Las Vegas before wrapping in Los Angeles on Oct. 28. Collins will be accompanied by musicians including his longtime guitarist Daryl Stuermer and his 16-year-old son Nicolas Collins on drums. - Billboard, 5/7/18...... Redmond O'Neal, the troubled 33-year-old son of Ryan O'Neal and the late Farrah Fawcett, was arrested on May 8 at 3:00 a.m. by the Los Angeles Police Department Pacific Division for robbing a convenient store with a knife. According to an LAPD spokesperson, Redmond "entered the store with a knife and approached the clerk and demanded money from the register. The clerk, who was in fear for his life, gave him the money." Though he fled on foot, O'Neal was caught by officers after matching the description of the suspect. "O'Neal was detained and identified as suspect from the robbery," the spokesperson continued. "Officers found the knife and cash in his possession." O'Neal was taken to jail, and is currently being held with a $50,000 bail. In recent years O'Neal has had multiple arrests, and spent a year in prison after being found guilty of drug charges. He had originally been sentenced to three years in prison for violating his probation in an ongoing drug possession case. He struggled for years with his sobriety, and was released from prison in 2016. - RadarOnline.com, 5/10/18...... German-Israeli singer Abi Ofarim, who had hits including "Cinderella Rockefella" in the '60s with his wife in the musical duo Esther & Abi Ofarim, has died in Munich after a long illness. He was 80. Born Abraham Reichstadt in what is today Israel, Ofarim started performing there with Esther Zaled in 1959, and the two married in 1961. After hits in Germany, their greatest success came with "Cinderella Rockefella," which reached No. 1 in Britain in 1968 and led to appearances in London and New York. After the pair separated in 1970, Ofarim worked as a producer and manager but had little success with a solo career. In recent years he'd been working with a Munich organization to help seniors. - 5/4/18.
Neil Young has kicked off 2026 with a scorching editorial of his longtime nemesis, Pres. Donald Trump. Posting on his 
Fifty-five years after The Doors released their 1971 classic "Riders on the Storm," surviving Doors John Densmore and Robby Krieger have reunited to re-create the song with musicians from across the globe as part of Playing for Change's annual Songs Around the World project. Contributing musicians include Don Was, Rami Jaffee, Sierra Ferrell, Aaron White, Micah Nelson, and Micah's brother Lukas Nelson. "Vocally, Lukas Nelson filled Jim Morrison's leather pants quite well!" Densmore says in a statement. "Ray would be proud of the way Rami Jaffee 'channeled' the piano solo. Mark Johnson masterminded a beautiful video." Adds Krieger: "Seeing musicians from different cultures come together around this song means a lot. Playing for Change is doing important work to unite people across the globe." Over the past two decades, Playing for Change has teamed up such rock icons as Keith Richards, Robbie Robertson, Bono, Buddy Guy, David Crosby, Steve Miller, Tom Morello, Ringo Starr, Bunny Wailer, and many others, racking up over 2 billion YouTube views. Songs to get the Playing for Change treatment have included "Fly Like an Eagle," "The Weight," "No Woman No Cry," "Peace Train," and "When the Levee Breaks." The Doors, meanwhile, spent the past year celebrating the group's 60th anniversary. Densmore is largely retired from the road, but Krieger continues to keep the band's music alive on concert stages, and has announced a special 80th birthday gig at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles on Mar. 28. The new "Riders on the Storm" video has been shared on 
ZZ Top, famed for their elaborate facial hair over the years (ironically barring clean shaven drummer Frank Beard), have been rumored for many years to have turned down a hefty sum of money to shave off their distinctive beards. Now in a new interview, ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons has confirmed that it's true. Speaking during a recent appearance on the 
Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones has announced he is auctioning off a range of studio equipment, and it includes an amp that was blown after being left at Dave Grohl's house. The auction is being organized by a UK company called Soundgas, which specializes in the sale of vintage and rare recording equipment and instruments. According to a description, the Zeppelin legend is wanting to sell much of his gear because, while he "is still very active musically -- writing, recording and performing," he "but no longer requires so much studio equipment." It goes on to state that Jones has owned most of the items going to sale since they were brand new, and is letting go of them as "he feels it should be in the hands of people who will put it to good use." "It is offered here without formal provenance, with the intention that it continues to be used as intended," the description reads. Among the items up for grabs is a a rare Simmons SDS V electronic drum kit, a pair of AKAI digital samplers, a pair of Yamaha NS-10M speakers, and a sought-after Arbiter Soundimension mechanical echo unit that dates back to the '60s. One eye-catching item listed is also a Guild Thunderbass amplifier, which was used by the iconic bassist during his time with the supergroup, Them Crooked Vultures. The band comprised Jones, Foo Fighters' frontman Grohl and Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme, and a description for the amp says it was left at Grohl's house where it went out on a loan, and returned to Jones with the speakers blown. Despite it being worse for wear, the amp -- which is currently untested -- is predicted to sell for roughly £1,300. Soundgas has clarified that the items going to auction are from the artist's own private studio and were not used with Led Zeppelin. Meanwhile, Jones has written a 20-minute composition for mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly, which was performed for the first time on Jan. 7 at London's Wigmore Hall. - NME, 1/6/26..... Former KISS drummer Peter Criss has said him beating cancer was a "miracle." Speaking to the 
Ted Nugent has kicked off the new year slamming his fellow Detroit musicians Tom Morello and Jack White. The comments came during one of Nugent 
Co-founding Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen has revealed that he is working on a new album with Toto guitarist Steve Lukather. "I'm getting ready to do this record with Lukather and a couple of other people," Alex said on the Metal Sticks podcast hosted by Iron Maiden's Nick McBrain. "It should be exciting." Van Halen did not elaborate whether the new project will be a VH album proper or a side project. VH's last studio effort was 2012's A Different Kind of Truth, and have been inactive since Eddie Van Halen's death from complications from throat cancer in 2020 at the age of 65. Reports of a potential Van Halen/Lukather collaboration first surfaced in 2025, with Alex saying: "[Eddie] and Steve Lukather were very good friends and they often worked together. There is no one who can do this process with me as well as he can." Alex has said in the past that there are "three or four" more VH records to be made from the music that is saved in the band's vault: "There was some good stuff in there. And you have to remember, when in the thick of it, sometimes the really great stuff kind of passes you by. And it's not until you revisit it going, 'Whoa, I forgot about that. This kicks ass.' But that takes time. And you wanna do it right. I wanna do it right." Alex's most recent projects include the release of the full six-minute version of "Unfinished," the final song he wrote with Eddie, in 2024 as part of the release of the audiobook of his memoir Brothers. - New Musical Express, 1/4/26...... Barry Manilow's legion of fans received some good news on Jan. 2 when the "Copacabana" hitmaker shared a positive update of his recent health struggle on 
Billy Joel surprised fans in Florida on Jan. 2 by delivering his first performance since revealing in May 2025 that he has normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a type of brain disorder. Joel, 76, joined the Billy Joel tribute band Turnstiles at a village amphitheater in Wellington, Fla., which was celebrating its 30th anniversary, and teased throughout the show that a "special guest" would appear. The Piano Man joined Turnstiles onstage accompanied by his wife, Alexis Roderick, and their two daughters, Della and Remy. After asking for permission to use the microphone, Joel performed "We Didn't Start the Fire" and "Big Shot," while his daughters danced beside him. Following his NPH announcement, Joel canceled all scheduled concerts to begin physical therapy to manage his symptoms, performing his last full concert in Feb. 2025. NPH occurs when cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the skull and puts pressure on the brain, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The condition can affect thinking, memory, balance and movement, and is often treated with a surgically implanted shunt to drain excess fluid. In July 2025, Billy appeared on Bill Maher's Club Random podcast, telling the comedian he was feeling okay but noted that his condition was ongoing. "It's not fixed... it's still being worked on," he said. "My balance sucks. It's like being on a boat. [My condition] used to be called 'water on the brain.' Now it's called normal pressure hydrocephalus." Fan-captured footage of Joel's performance can be streamed on 
Streams of the Prince hits "Purple Rain" and "When Doves Cry" have more than doubled on Spotify.com following the finale of hit Netflix show Stranger Things. The fifth and final season of Stranger Things was broadcast on New Year's Day and saw the heroic group of Hawkins residents come together one last time, on the anniversary of Will Byers' disappearance, to battle Venca and destroy The Upside Down for good. Alongside the star-studded cast, including Finn Wolfhard, Winona Ryder, David Harbour and Millie Bobby Brown, the series also came with an impressive soundtrack featuring '80s hits from the likes of Prince, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, ABBA, Kate Bush and more. According to Variety, since the last episode debuted, "Purple Rain" has seen a 243% increase in global streams and a 577% surge in global "Generation Z" streams specifically. "When Doves Cry" also saw a 200% boost in global streams, as well as a 128% increase in Gen Z streams, while overall streams of Prince's catalogue have climbed 190%, with an 88% increase in solely Gen Z streams. Other big musical moments spurned by the finale included the classic David Bowie single 'Heroes' playing out as the final song of the entire series. - NME, 1/3/26...... The end of an era for music videos ended on Dec. 31 when cable TV's MTV channel closed down their remaining dedicated music video channels, ending with the Buggles "Video Killed The Radio Star." The network closed its final 24-hour music video stations across the UK, with MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live all being removed from platforms like Sky and Virgin Media. The flagship MTV channel will remain active in the UK, and it is expected to continue to primarily broadcast reality series. The flagship MTV channel will remain active in the UK, and it is expected to continue to primarily broadcast reality series. As a sign-off, they played the video for 1979 new wave classic by the Buggles, a symbolic choice at it was also the first video that MTV ever aired when it launched in the US in 1981. MTV's parent company, Paramount Skydance, has also shuttered the same channels in Ireland, Germany, Austria, Poland, France, Hungry, Australia and Brazil. After the launch of MTV in 1981, its counterpart channel MTV Europe followed in 1987 -- opening with Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" -- and MTV UK arrived in 1997. That channel stopped showing music videos in 2011. MTV quickly became a staple of pop culture after its launch, and was tied to countless historic moments in music, including the world premiere of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video and the 16-hour broadcast of the Live Aid concerts in 1985. There has been a marked shift in viewing habits since the channels' heyday, with music videos now more commonly consumed on YouTube and social media rather than television. When Paramount Global merged with Skydance Media in an $8 billion deal in Aug. 2025, CEO David Ellison was said to be eager to cut costs, but was considering ways to revitalize MTV, and there has been speculation that there have been discussions about turning it into an online streaming service to rival YouTube and Spotify. - NME, 1/1/26...... 
Stevie Wonder's 1972 hit