In an interview with BBC Radio 2's Zoe Ball on July 14, Bruce Springsteen revealed he's hoping to restart touring in 2022. "We'll be touring next year if everything goes well," he told Ball. "The E Street Band will be back on the road -- you know, depending, of course, on the virus and what's opening up." Springsteen, who is currently continuing his solo Broadway residency at the St. James Theatre in New York although has ruled out any touring in 2021, also took time during the interview to praise his fans in the UK, saying: "I'd like to take one moment to thank my UK fans, particularly for the support they've continued to give to my new music." Springsteen and the E Street Band's last live performance was an appearance on NBC's Saturday Night Live in Dec. 2020, marking their first live performance together since 2017. He's also set to co-headline a "homecoming" concert at New York City's Central Park this summer alongside the likes of Paul Simon and Jennifer Hudson. - New Musical Express, 7/14/21...... 
On July 13 Jethro Tull announced they'll be releasing their first studio album in 20 years soon. Dubbed The Zealot Gene, the LP will mark the prog-rock legends' first release as part of a new record deal with InsideOutMusic/Sony Music. "After 54 years in the world of music recording, it is with great pleasure that I now sign Jethro Tull to a record company which reminds me, in many ways, of the old Chrysalis label -- both as an independent and in its later years in partnership with EMI," frontman Ian Anderson said of the new signing. "Here are real music guys with a passion for the best and most creative in rock music. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship and more releases to come," he added. While a release date for The Zealot Gene has not been announced, the album has been completed, according to a press release. News of a new Tull album comes after Anderson revealed in 2020 that he is suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), blaming his exposure to smoke machines during live performances of Jethro Tull in the 1970s. The current Jethro Tull line-up consists of Anderson, guitarist Joe Parrish-James, drummer Scott Hammond, pianist John O'Hara, and bassist David Goodier. Guitarist Florian Opahle also contributed The Zealot Gene, but is not a part of the core line-up. - NME, 7/13/21...... Paul McCartney has told the British music mag Uncut that he still has unreleased "story songs" that were written in the style of the Beatles' 1966 track "Eleanor Rigby," although they're unlikely to see the light of day. "I've still got a few that I haven't released," Sir Paul said. "Because I don't think they're that good. It's quite a fun thing to do, to just dream up a name of a character and try and write the story of that character and then make it fit with another character. 'Eleanor Rigby', I did it with just the few. Father McKenzie and Eleanor." He went on to say that the darker tone of "Eleanor Rigby" is the reason it is more popular than some of the more lighthearted "story songs" in his collection. "With my story songs, a lot of them, besides 'Eleanor Rigby', tend to be comedy," he said. "It's me doing the tongue-in-cheek thing, whereas 'Eleanor Rigby' was more serious. I think that's why it was more successful." Meanwhile, Macca will break down his music career in-depth with acclaimed producer Rick Rubin for a new documentary series called McCartney 3,2,1. The show premieres on July 16 on the streaming platform Hulu. - NME, 7/14/21...... In other Beatles-related news, a rare demo the Fab Four recorded at Abbey Road Studios is being put on the auction block. The unheard collection -- which contains early versions of "I am the Walrus," "Fool on the Hill" and "I Me Mine" -- was left behind by the Beatles after a session in he 1960s. The tape went on sale on July 14 at Sworders Auctioneers, and it's expected to fetch up to £700. The listing reads: "Gifted to the vendor, a bass player in a rock band that has sold over 20 million albums. Presented in 1971 while recording their first LP at Abbey Road Studios by a sound technician, the demo itself recorded in the 1960s." It's said the four Beatles left the tape behind after a recording session. - Music-News.com, 7/14/21...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, director Peter Jackson has explained why Beatles fans are likely to be surprised by his new docuseries Get Back. Discussing the format of the documentary, which focuses more on conversations than music, Jackson told GQ magazine taht the series will be very "intimate." "I think people will be surprised by the series for two reasons," Jackson said. "One, it'll be far more intimate than they imagined it to be, because everyone is used to seeing music documentaries being a bit kind of MTV-ish, sort of together in a poppy kind of way and it's just the music, music, music, you know? The music isn't at the forefront of this film: weirdly, it's what goes on behind the music at the forefront." He continued: "I mean, even in the rooftop concert, we have the concept that we're inter-cutting all the time to the street and to the policeman and everything else. And that's really true of the whole series -- it's not a sequence of MTV video clips of them doing songs. There's probably more conversations with The Beatles in the films than there is actual singing." The Beatles: Get Back will air on Disney+ between Nov. 25-27. - NME, 7/12/21...... 
Surviving The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger has announced his first-ever memoir, Set The Night On Fire: Living, Dying, And Playing Guitar With The Doors, will be released on Oct. 12 via publisher Little, Brown & Co. Set the Night On Fire, which will also be released in Kindle and Audio CD versions, promises to reveal new aspects about the band's mythological career, and a description of the 300+ page book says readers can expect to learn about "never-before-told stories from The Doors' vital years" as well as new perspectives on the band's iconic moments. "Through a series of vignettes, Krieger takes readers back to where it all happened: the pawnshop where he bought his first guitar; the jail cell he was tossed into after a teenage drug bust; his parents' living room, where his first songwriting sessions with Jim Morrison took place; the empty bars and backyard parties where The Doors played their first awkward gigs; the studios where their iconic songs were recorded; and the many venues where concerts erupted into historic riots," reads part of the memoir's description. In other Doors-related news, a new documentary detailing Jim Morrison's multi-disciplined career, from being the frontman of The Doors to stints in poetry and filmmaking, is being developed by the Morrison estate and Jampol Artist Management (JAM Inc.), who oversees the legacies of The Doors and Janis Joplin. - NME, 7/12/21...... An apartment in a Manhattan high-rise that once belonged to David Bowie has sold for $16.8 million after less than a month on the market, approximately four times the cost of what Bowie himself bought it for in the late 90s. The apartment, which was reportedly put on sale by real estate group Corcoran in mid-June, sold on July 11 and was one of several apartments that Bowie owned and lived between with his wife, model Iman, whom he married in 1992. The couple also resided in Bowie's native London, in Sydney and on a private island in the Grenadines. Bowie and Iman moved to New York circa 1999, shortly before the birth of their only daughter Lexi. The selling of the apartment comes just weeks after one of the singer's original paintings sold at an auction in Canada for $108,120. The collector, Rob Cowley, originally bought the painting for a paltry $5. - NME, 7/13/21...... Queen guitarist Brian May has reportedly been left "heartbroken" after sewage flooded his London home and destroyed many of his treasured possessions on July 12. May took to Instagram to document the damage from the sewage overflow, which he blamed on members of the local council, who he alleged approved basements with "ineffective" drainage in the west London area. According to May, he returned from a day at London's Royal Holloway College to find the devastation, which had destroyed photo albums, carpets, rugs, and furniture belonging to himself and wife Anita Dobson. "The whole bottom floor had been inundated with a sewage overflow -- which has covered our carpets, rugs and all kinds of precious things in a stinking sludge," he wrote alongside a video. "It's disgusting, and actually quite heartbreaking. It feels like we have been invaded, desecrated (sic). Anita had a lifetime of memorabilia on the floor of our basement - and most of it is sodden and ruined." Brian went on to explain that he had moved many of his treasured photo albums to the property from another house because it was "threatened with a forest fire." May also questioned why Kensington has never before been flooded due to rainwater, at least in the past 150 years. "Why did this happen? It's almost certainly the result of all the basement building that has been plaguing this area for the past 10 years. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council was warned years ago that sinking so many deep basement extensions would obstruct the aquifers underneath our living space and render the drainage system ineffective," he said. - Music-News.com, 7/14/21...... 
James Taylor has announced details of a 2022 tour of the United Kingdom, which will get underway in Leeds on Jan. 27, 2022. With his All Star Band in tow, Taylor will also visit Manchester (1/29), Glasgow (1/30), Brighton (2/1), and Birmingham (2/2), before wrapping with two nights at the London Hammersmith Apollo on Feb. 4 and 5. Taylor released his 20th studio album American Standard in Feb. 2020, with the album going on to win Best Tradition Pop Vocal Album at the Grammys. Live music with no restrictions is set to return to the UK on July 19 as the country prepares to drop all Coved-19 rules. Despite this, over half of the UK's festivals set for this summer have already been cancelled. - NME, 7/12/21...... Elton John has responded to the Korean teen pop group BTS making reference to him on their latest track "Permission To Dance," which was released on July 9. In the first verse of "Permission To Dance," leader and rapper RM sings: "When it all feels like it's wrong/ Just sing along to Elton John/ And to that feeling, we're just getting started." Responding on Twitter the next day, the Rocket Man put his own spin on the lyrics. "When it all seems like it's right, I sing along to @bts_bighit," he tweeted, adding the song's title in the form of a hashtag. BTS performed "Permission To Dance" live for the first time yesterday during a special broadcast called A Butterful Getaway. They will also appear on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon in the third week of July for a "two-day takeover event," where they will perform the new track and their No. 1 hit "Butter." - NME, 7/10/21...... Gene Simmons has spoken out about some of his former KISS bandmates and he says that "they continue to make really bad choices." In a new interview, Simmons discussed the lack of involvement of Peter Criss and Ace Frehley in KISS' new A&E documentary Biography: KISStory. "God love 'em, both Ace and Peter, in the beginning of the band, were just the best thing that ever happened to us," Simmons said on Talking Wax With Adika Live! "But they made such horrible choices in their life. And they continue to do that -- they continue to make really bad choices, not just in terms of their health and what you ingest, but career choices." The bassist/vocalist went on to say, "We just had this documentary that came out that's a headlining thing at the Tribeca Film Festival, and, of course, without even thinking twice about it, we reached out to both Ace and Peter, 'Hey, come and be part of this thing. You helped create the band. No question about it.' And they refused." Simmons claimed that Frehley had a number of demands in order to participate in the documentary including editing rights. "God love him, that wasn't gonna happen," Simmons said. "I didn't get those rights and didn't want them; I just wanted to throw caution to the wind and get the thing done. So they barely appear in it." Simmons' full interview can be viewed on YouTube. Meanwhile, KISS's Paul Stanley has revealed that the band are likely to release some NFTs (non-fungible tokens) "in the foreseeable future." Speaking in a new interview, Stanley discussed the prospect of KISS getting into world of NFTs and cryptocurrency. "Well, we certainly are on the edge of the diving board into NFTs," he told SiriusXM's Jim Norton and Sam Roberts. "That's obviously a natural, and we're flexing our muscles just before we dive in. But that's in the foreseeable future." You can watch Stanley's interview with SiriusXM on YouTube. - NME, 7/10/21...... 
Punk rock icon Iggy Pop may not be the first thing that pops to mind when one thinks of the discovery and exhibition of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, but Pop will lend his voice to a new documentary focused on King Tut. The documentary, Tutankhamun: The Last Exhibition, was produced by Nexo Digital and Italian cultural agency Laboratoriorosso. It follows the tomb's discovery in 1922 and the subsequent touring exhibition, "King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh," which launched in Los Angeles in 2019. The film was expected to be released in 2020, but the pandemic has delayed its arrival to 2022. The tour contained more than 150 artefacts from King Tut's grave, and was expected to run until 2023 before the pandemic cut it short. The Egyptian government has since declared that the artefacts will never leave the country again. Speaking to Variety, Nexus Digital's Rosella Gioffr said they were looking for "somebody that could give a different appeal to the narration of the movie." "And we thought of [Pop] and he accepted." Meanwhile, earlier in 2021 it was announced Pop had accepted a role in director Jeremy LaLonde's upcoming comedy fllm Blue Iguana, which will also star Bob Saget and Joel David Moore. - NME, 7/12/21...... Actor William Smith, best known for starring as Texas Ranger Joe Riley in both seasons of the NBC Western Laredo from 1965 to 1967, has died at age 88. Mr. Smith's wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, said the actor with over 300 roles to his credite in the 1960s, '70s and '80s died on July 5 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles. She declined to give the cause of death. With his chiseled, mustachioed face and bulging biceps, Mr. Smith was a constant, rugged presence on screen, also playing bareknuckle boxer Jack Wilson, who grappled with Clint Eastwood in an epic brawl in Any Which Way You Can, one of the top-grossing movies of 1980. The Columbia, Mo.-born Mr. Smith also played Anthony Falconetti, the menacing nemesis of the central family in the 1976 ABC miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man, and returned for its sequel. And he played Detective James "Kimo" Carew in the final season of the original Hawaii Five-O series on CBS in 1979 and 1980. He would also play Arnold Schwarzenegger's father in 1982's Conan the Barbarian, after being considered for the title role, and a Soviet general in 1984's Red Dawn. In addition to his wife of 31 years, he is survived by a son, William E. Smith III, and a daughter, Sherri Anne Cervelli. - Fox News, 7/10/21...... TV and film actor Charlie Robinson, known for playing Mac the court clerk in the 1980s and '90s sitcom Night Court, died on July 11 in Los Angeles due to cardiac arrest and cancer. He was 75. Throughout his 50-year career, Robinson also appeared in movies such as Secret Santa, The River, Set It Off, Antwone Fisher, Jackson, Even Money and Miss Lettie and Me, and TV series including Buffalo Bill, Home Improvement, Mom, Hart of Dixie, NCIS and The Guestbook. The Houston-born actor also won awards for his theatrical work, including the Image Theatre Award and FRED Award for portraying Simon in "The Whipping Man" and Best Actor Ovation Award for playing Troy in "Fences." His last performance was as 82-year-old Donald Jones in James Tyler's "Some Old Black Man." Throughout his career, he guest starred in television shows including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Key and Peele, This Is Us, Malcolm & Eddie and In The House. Robinson is survived by his wife Dolorita; his children Luca, Charlie, Christian and Byron; and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. - Variety, 7/13/21.
Under the Volcano, the untold story about the studio that changed the world from an isolated island paradise in Montserrat, will be available on DVD and Blu-ray and digital release on July 26. Directed by Gracie Otto (The Last Impresario), Under the Volcano charts the rise and fall of AIR Studios Montserrat, the recording studio at the center of the pop universe in the 1980s which was built by Beatles' producer Sir George Martin in 1979. In the shadow of an active volcano, the studio not only attracted the biggest musical talent on the planet, including Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Elton John and The Police, but was the birthplace of mega-hits such as The Police's "Every Breath You Take" and Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing." - Music-News.com, 7/8/21...... If, as the Rod Stewart song says, "Every picture tells a story," then the shots captured in PBS' new documentary series Icon: Music Through the Lens spin unbelievable yarns. Each hour of the six-episode tour of rock photography focuses on a different aspect of the job, from shooting concert and backstage footage, record art and magazine covers to the collectible value of the form and the place of these images in social media. Icon: Music Through the Lens premieres on many PBS stations on July 16 at 9:00 p.m. EDT/8:00 CDT (check local listings at pbs.org). - TV Guide, 7/5/21...... 
Director Todd Haynes' new documentary about the '70s art-rock band The Velvet Underground debuted at the Cannes Film Festival on July 8. The two-hour film plumbs little-seen footage and features a host of rare interviews, including founding member John Cale (who describes the band as striving for "how to be elegant and how to be brutal"), Jonathan Richman of the Modern Lovers and an early disciple, and Jonas Mekas, the late pioneering filmmaker who filmed the VU's first ever live performance in 1964 and to whom the film is dedicated. Laurie Anderson, the widow of late VU frontman Lou Reed, endorsed Haynes directing the film, and other estates, like Andy Warhol's (who famously designed the cover art for the band's debut album), were supportive. The Velvet Underground, which also resurrects the 1960s downtown New York art scene that birthed and fermented the group, will be released by Apple in theaters and on its streaming platform on Oct. 15. - AP, 7/9/21...... In related news, a new feature-length documentary focusing on the totality of the artistry of legendary late The Doors frontman Jim Morrison has been announced by the Morrison estate and JAM, Inc. "Jim Morrison has been known as the leather trousers-clad Dionysian rock star, the Greek god handsome, amazing singer, shaman and performer," says JAM, Inc. CEO Jeff Jampol. "But Jim was a polymath. Jim was a poet and a writer and a filmmaker long before he ever thought about music. All these decades everybody talked about Jim Morrison the rock star, which he certainly was. But we really felt it was time to even the playing field and talk about these other aspects of Jim, which were either not as known or celebrated or discussed," he added. In addition to the Doors, JAM, Inc. oversees the legacies of such acts as Janis Joplin and John Lee Hooker. While there have been documentaries on Morrison and the Doors before, and, of course, Oliver Stone's 1991 biopic on the band, the new film is the first documentary devoted solely to Morrison sanctioned by the estate -- with full access to all Morrison's music, poetry and art. - Billboard, 7/9/21...... Ringo Starr celebrated his 81st birthday on July 7 in Beverly Hills, Calif., with his annual "Peace and Love" event just off Santa Monica Boulevard. Ringo was surrounded by friends, collaborators like Joe Walsh, and family including wife Barbara Bach to celebrate his birthday. "Peace and love. Peace and love," proclaimed Starr, clad in black Adidas track pants and sneakers paired with a denim jacket and a black T-shirt emblazoned with a rainbow-colored hand flashing the peace sign. "Even Joe Walsh got out of bed for it," he quipped. Ringo shared his enthusiasm for being able to attend such an event after an extended period of Covid-19 lockdowns, which forced him to cancel several tours. But the famous drummer still managed to release a five-track EP in March, Zoom In, and has another one ready to debut in September. - The Hollywood Reporter, 7/7/21...... In other Beatles-related news, an unreleased acoustic George Harrison demo called "Cosmic Empire" was released on July 9 and has been shared on YouTube. "Cosmic Empire" will appear on Harrison's recently announced 50th anniversary box set of his classic 1971 album All Things Must Pass, which is due out Aug. 6. As part of the new release, demos of 30 tracks from the All Things Must Pass sessions, including a handful of songs that didn't make the album, are set to be released for the first time. The album has been completely remixed from the original tapes, with Harrison's son Dhani Harrison serving as executive producer and remixing by engineer Paul Hicks, who has done recent re-workings of the Rolling Stones and John Lennon reissues. "The new mix transforms the album by sonically upgrading it -- making it sound brighter, fuller and better than ever before," a press release for the new version reads. The reissue will also be released as an eight LP or five CD plus one Blu-ray set, as well as in triple vinyl and double CD versions. - New Musical Express, 7/9/21...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, an official trailer for the new in-depth Paul McCartney series McCartney 3, 2, 1 has been shared on YouTube. The upcoming six-episode Hulu documentary series will see the legendary musician break down his music career in depth with acclaimed producer Rick Rubin. McCartney and Rubin are seen dissecting such Beatles tunes as "Come Together," "All My Loving," "With a Little Help From My Friends" and "In My Life" in the trailer. - NME, 7/8/21...... 
The Who's Pete Townshend has said he's reluctant to make a new album with the band, because of the "old fashioned way that [the band] work." Speaking to Guitar Player, Townshend said: "As far as a new record, it does take quite a lot of time to put together the 20 or 30 songs that are needed for both Roger and I and any producer that we might be working with to cherry-pick the ones that fit the times. Because you write the songs, and then two years later you're putting them all out, and you just hope that you're going to hit the mood of the moment. A lot of artists now are writing songs at home, recording them at home and putting them out within weeks. But our process is the old-fashioned way, and it does take a lot of time. So I don't know, but I am optimistic. And I'm certainly full of ideas." In February, Townshend said he had "pages and pages of draft lyrics" for a potential new Who album to be released post-lockdown. "If the moment comes, I'll go in and start," he said. Townshend's comments come after frontman Roger Daltrey recently said he's reluctant to make another Who album because "there's no record market any more." The band, who released their last album WHO in 2019, recently cancelled their upcoming UK and Ireland tour due to ongoing coronavirus concerns. - NME, 7/10/21...... In a new interview with Simon Mayo on his podcast Greatest Hits Radio, Queen guitarist Brian May said he believes late frontman Freddie Mercury would still be playing with the legendary English art-rockers if he was still alive today. In the interview which has been shared on YouTube, May insisted that Mercury, who died of bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS in 1991, would still be a part of the Queen family had he not passed away. "He would still be saying 'Oh I need to do my solo stuff', but he would be coming back to the family to do what we do," May said, before adding: "The funny thing is I feel more and more that he is kind of with us in a way, maybe I'm getting to be an old romantic, but Freddie is in my day every day." He continued: "He's always in my thoughts and I can always feel what he'd say in a certain situation, oh what would Freddie think, ah he'd like this, he'd laugh at this or whatever. He's so much part of the legacy we created, that will always be the case." Meanwhile, Queen's Greatest Hits album is on track to return to the UK Number One spot on the Official Albums Chart for the second week of July for the first time in 40 years. A special 40th anniversary edition of the compilation album released in early June is the reason for the original 1981 record's current surge to the top, with 86% of the new special edition record's sales so far coming from physical formats. - NME, 7/8/21...... ABBA's iconic greatest hits compilation album ABBA Gold has made history in the UK, becoming the first album to spend 1,000 weeks on the UK charts. To date, the album has sold 5.61million copies in the UK, per Official Charts, making it the second highest-selling album of all time in the country, behind Queen's Greatest Hits. As reported by the BBC, this means the album has been on the charts for 19 years and 12 weeks, having not dropped out of the charts since its debut release in Sept. 1992. "Not bad for four old turnips," ABBA's Benny Andersson said in a press statement upon hearing the news. - NME, 7/6/21...... Cliff Richard is inviting fans to celebrate his 80th birthday by attending a screening of his The Great 80 Tour performance. Sir Cliff celebrated the milestone birthday last year and the tour was scheduled for 2020, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the run had to be postponed. However, on Oct.27, fans can enjoy the music legend's special performance of his greatest hits live from London's legendary Royal Albert Hall at cinemas nationwide. The broadcast Presented by CinemaLive will include "exclusive footage of Sir Cliff, recorded especially for cinema audiences." The screenings are for fans who didn't get a ticket to the four sold-out shows at the Albert Hall. For more information and to find UK cinema locations visit cliffincinemas.com. - Music-News.com, 7/8/21...... Jessica Springsteen, the daughter of Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, has been selected to participate in the US Olympic equestrian team in Tokyo for the 2020 games. Jessica, who is ranked 27th in the world, began riding at the age of four at her parent's farm in Colts Neck, N.J. She was named as an alternate rider for the 2012 Olympics, but failed to make the cut in 2016. "Been dreaming of this since I can remember!" Jessica wrote on Instagram. "Endless gratitude for my team, friends and family for helping me make this a reality. We are Tokyo bound!!" she added. - NME, 7/7/21...... 
The family of late AC/DC singer Bon Scott are remembering the musician on what would have been his 75th birthday on July 9 with the launch of a new fan-focused website. Fans can contribute testimonials about seeing or meeting the rocker who fronted the Australian band between 1974-1980, with tributes to Scott from renowned rock stars as well as a store with newly available merchandise also included. "On the occasion of what would have been his 75th birthday, the Bon Scott Estate (Ron's two brothers and his nephew) are proud to launch the new website and take this important step toward elevating Bon's legend and tending to his legacy. Bon was a unique singer, songwriter and character that the world should never forget," a press release reads. Scott sang on the band's first six albums: High Voltage (1975), T.N.T., Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976), Let There Be Rock (1977), Powerage (1978) and Highway to Hell (1979). He died in February 1980 at the age of 33 from acute alcohol poisoning. - NME, 7/8/21...... Elton John is vowing to help new artists tour Europe despite the UK government's "disastrous" Brexit trade agreement. Sir Elton has been very vocal recently about the government jeopardising the future of touring for UK artists, after its Brexit deal with the EU failed to negotiate visa-free travel and Europe-wide work permits for musicians and crew, even calling the UK government "philistines" and accused them of "crucifying" the careers of young artists. On July 6, John and his husband David Furnish took part in a virtual meeting with Michael Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, and a number of others, to discuss free movement and visa-free arrangements for artists. "Very happy to meet & discuss today with @eltonofficial, who despite #Brexit, is fighting for free movement and visa-free arrangements for artists," Barnier tweeted, sharing a screenshot from the meeting. "Citizens, artists, students are the first to lose out from #Brexit. It didn't have to be this way." John then shared Barnier's tweet on his Twitter page, writing: "David & I will continue to fight for all artists, especially those at the start of their career, who are losing out because of the gaping holes in the UK Government's disastrous trade agreement with Europe." - NME, 7/6/21...... Rick Laird, best known as a founding member of the jazz fusion band Mahavishnu Orchestra, has reportedly passed away at the age of 80. News of the bassist's death has been confirmed by multiple former bandmates, including Mahavishu Orchestra guitarist John McLaughlin and drummer Billy Cobham, who eulogised Laird in a post on his Facebook page on July 5. "To all who were close to the M.O. you knew that the most dependable person in that band was the bass player. He played what was necessary to keep the rest of us from going off our musical rails. He was my rock and allowed me to play and explore musical regions that I would not have been able to navigate without him having my back," Cobham wrote. Mr. Laird performed on the MO's 1971 debut album The Inner Mounting Flame along with its 1973 follow-up, Birds of Fire. He also appears on the band's 1973 live album Between Nothingness & Eternity. The original lineup played their final gig in December of 1973, and Mr. Laird never returned to the group. After leaving Mahavishnu Orchestra, Laird released one album as a bandleader, 1979's Soft Focus. He also performed with the likes of Stan Getz, Buddy Rich, Sonny Rollins and Chick Corea. Mr. Laird retired from performing music in 1982, going on to become a photographer and bass guitar instructor. - NME, 7/6/21...... 
John Lawton, a former frontman of the English rock band Uriah Heep, died unexpectedly on June 29. He was 74. Lawton's death was confirmed by Uriah Heep, who shared a statement on social media revealing that Lawton passed away. "It is with deep regret that we share the devastating and tragic news of the sudden and totally unexpected passing of John Lawton on 29. June 2021," the band wrote on Facebook. "Contrary to reports, there was no illness involved, which makes his passing incomprehensible. He went peacefully with his wife at his side. John will be greatly missed." They added that a "private funeral service to celebrate John's life will be held following his wishes, with only family and close friends attending." Lawton was Uriah Heep's singer from 1976 to 1979, appearing on three of the band's studio albums Firefly (1977), Innocent Victim (1977) and Fallen Angel (1978). In 2013, he rejoined the group for some European tour dates to cover for current UH vocalist Bernie Shaw, who required some time off for a routine medical procedure. Aside from Uriah Heep in 1976, Lawton sang with legendary German cult rock band Lucifer's Friend (1969-1976, 1979-1995) and recorded nine studio albums during his time with the band. - NME, 7/6/21...... Director-producer Richard Donner, best known for helming the Lethal Weapon film series, The Goonies and the original 1978 Superman film, died on July 5. He was 91. Born Richard Donald Schwartzberg in the Bronx, he attended Parker Junior College and then NYU, where he majored in business and theater. Mr. Donner, who began his career as on the other side of the camera as an actor, soon graduated to television directing, honing his craft through work on such series as Wanted: Dead or Alive, The Twilight Zone, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Fugitive. Though not his first bigscreen effort, his big feature break came with 1976's The Omen, starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. Thereafter, he brought his craftsmanship to the first Superman.He also branched out into producing (Free Willy, The Lost Boys), usually with his wife Lauren Shuler Donner -- he executive produced the huge 2000 success X-Men and later the prequel X-Men Origins: Wolverine. But his career was highlighted by the Lethal Weapon series, starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, which elevated him to the ranks of directors generating more than a billion dollars in box office. He is survived by Shuler Donner, whom he married in 1986. - Variety, 7/5/21.
Graham Nash announced on Feb. 22 that he'll release his first studio album in seven years, titled 
Concurrent with the recent re-release of the 1973 concert documentary 
BMG and Dark Horse Records have reached an agreement to bring George Harrison's solo recorded works to BMG. It marks the first time that Harrison's recorded and publishing works are under the same roof, and comes just in time for what would have been the late Beatle's 80th birthday on Feb. 25. BMG entered into a global deal last year with the George Harrison Estate to administer the 200-song plus Harrisongs catalog, which includes all of Harrison's work written with the Beatles, the Traveling Wilburys and his solo career. Harrison died in 2001. "This is a banner day for BMG, bringing together for the first time the song and recorded rights of one of the greatest musicians in popular music history under one roof," said BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch in a statement. "Only BMG can do this. We look forward to working with the George Harrison Estate and Dark Horse Records to promote George's peerless music to generations old and new." To commemorate his Feb. 25 birthday, Dark Horse and BMG have released Harrison's entire catalog in Dolby Atmos surround sound exclusively on Apple Music. The catalog partnership is the latest move in the relationship between BMG and Dark Horse, which began in 2020 to revive the label Harrison launched in 1974. George's son Dhani Harrison runs Dark Horse with David Zonshine. In 2022, Dark Horse signed a new licensing agreement with the Leon Russell estate for 16 albums by the late singer/songwriter and Harrison friend, as well as with Joe Strummer's estate to administer The Clash co-founder's music publishing. BMG has been working with Dhani since 2014. - Billboard, 2/21/23...... Britain's Victoria & Albert Museum announced on Feb. 23 that it has acquired David Bowie's archive of more than 80,000 items as a gift from the late musician's estate. The trove of costumes, musical instruments, letters, lyrics, photos and more will be opened to the public at a new arts center dedicated to the chameleonlike pop icon. The David Bowie Center for the Study of Performing Arts is due to open in 2025 as part of V&A East Storehouse, an offshoot of the U.K.'s national museum of art, design and performance that is being built in east London's Olympic Park. The V&A said the center will let fans and researchers gain insights into the creative process of Bowie, who died in 2016 at the age of 69. Some of the items in the archive formed part of "David Bowie Is," a multimedia exhibition that toured the world after a sold-out run at the V&A in London in 2013. Some items are iconic, such as a multicolored quilted jumpsuit designed by Freddie Burretti for Bowie's alien rock star creation Ziggy Stardust, Kansai Yamamoto's futuristic creations for the Aladdin Sane tour in 1973 or the Union Jack coat designed by Bowie and Alexander McQueen for the cover of 1997's Earthling album. Others are more personal, including letters, handwritten lyrics for songs including the anthem "Heroes," and notebooks that Bowie kept throughout his life. The archives also contain more than 70,000 photographs, slides and images. Bowie's official reps shared the announcement in a post on 
Barbra Striesand -- an 8-time Grammy, 5-time Emmy, and 2-time Oscar winner -- will add another honor to her awards shelf in April when she receives an honor named for one of ther heroes: late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Ginsberg. "I am deeply honored to receive this award named after one of the iconic and pathbreaking Justices ever to serve on the Supreme Court," Streisand wrote in a tweet announcing that she will be the recipient of the 2023 Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award at the Library of Congress on Apr. 22. According to the Washington Post, Ginsburg was huge fan of Streisand's and that late in her life when she invited her friend philanthropist Julie Opperman to her chambers to discuss establishing an award in her name for women striving to change society in positive ways, Babs's name quickly came up. "She wanted to honor women of great passion and achievement," Opperman told the paper about the Mar. 2019 conversation that came 18 months before Ginsburg's death. "She wanted it to be women in the RBG tradition. I'm pleased to say Barbra Streisand was among them." In a statement to the Post, Streisand, 80, said that "women everywhere have benefited from the brilliance and courage of the Hon. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg... She is an inspiration to us all. She devoted her life to advancing equality and justice, and the world is a better place for it." In a 
Beloved New Orleans session man Huey "Piano" Smith, who backed Little Richard, Lloyd Price and other early rock stars and with his own group made the party favorites "Don't You Just Know It" and "Rockin' Pneumonia and Boogie Woogie Flu," died in his sleep Feb. 13 at his home in Baton Rouge, La. He was 89. A New Orleans native who performed nationwide but always returned to Louisiana, Mr. Smith was one of the last survivors of an extraordinary scene of musicians and songwriters who helped make New Orleans a fundamental influence on rock 'n' roll. He was just 15 when he began playing professionally and in his 20s helped out on numerous '50s hits, including Price's "Where You At?," Earl King's "Those Lonely Lonely Nights" and Smiley Lewis' "I Hear You Knocking." Little Richard, Fats Domino and David Bartholomew were among the many other artists he worked with. In 1957, he formed Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns and reached the top 10 with "Rockin' Pneumonia," a mid-tempo stomp which featured the vocals of John Marchin and Mr. Smith's buoyant keyboard playing, and the equally rowdy and good-natured "Don't You Just Know It." The Clowns also were known for "We Like Birdland," "Well I'll Be John Brown" and "High Blood Pressure." One Mr. Smith production became a major hit and rock standard, for another performer. Mr. Smith and his group wrote, arranged and recorded "Sea Cruise," but Ace Records thought the song would have more success with a white singer -- as Mr. Smith learned bluntly from local record distributor Joe Caronna -- and replaced the Clowns' vocals with those of Frankie Ford, whose version became a million seller. Artists covering "Sea Cruise" and other Mr. Smith songs included John Fogerty, the Beach Boys, Aerosmith and Jerry Garcia. In 2005, Ford would deny "stealing" the song, alleging that he had written the words. "Huey sorta went through a period and 'forgot' a lot of things," Ford told Offbeat Magazine. Mr. Smith's popularity faded after the Beatles arrived and by 1980 he had quit the business, settled in Baton Rouge with his wife, Margrette, and become a Jehovah's Witness. Like many rock musicians from the '50s, he fought to be paid and credited for "Sea Cruise" and other hits and spent decades in legal battles and financial trouble. Local musicians, meanwhile, continued to cite him as an inspiration. In 2000, Mr. Smith received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and he was honored a year later by the Louisiana Blues Hall of Fame. Admirers would cite him as one of the most vital performers not to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is survived by his wife, 10 children, 18 grandchildren and 47 great grandchildren. - AP, 2/20/23.
On '70s cuts like "Wild Horses," "Dead Flowers" and "Far Away Eyes," the Rolling Stones showed their affinity for American country music. Now some of country music's top artists are returning the love with a 14-track set titled 
As she reached her milestone 90th birthday on Feb. 18, Yoko Ono has launched a "wish tree" website -- WishTreeForYokoOno.com -- where people all over the world can post their wishes online and (in association with One Tree Planted) plant real trees in Yoko's honor. Yoko first came up with the idea of "Wish Trees" in 1996 and since its inception, Yoko has collected nearly two million wishes from more than 200 physical installations of the Wish Tree in over 35 countries. Meanwhile, a new documentary is set to revisit the one week in 1972 when Yoko and John Lennon co-hosted The Mike Douglas Show. Titled Daytime Revolution, the doc was authorized by Ono's son Sean Ono Lennon, and will include archival footage from each of the five episodes co-hosted by the famous couple in 1972. Directed by Erik Nelson, the film features interviews with surviving guests who were interviewed by John and Yoko on the show, as well as behind-the-scenes stories of the pair's week-long stint. Across their five-episode run on the show, Lennon and Ono discussed then-controversial topics like environmental conservation and police brutality, and interviewed activists like Black Panther chairman Bobby Seale, lecturer and attorney Ralph Nader, and pioneering rock & roller Chuck Berry. A release date for Daytime Revolution has not yet been announced. It will follow a string of Lennon-focussed documentaries to be released in recent years, including Lennon's Last Weekend in 2020 and the re-release of 24 Hours: The World Of John And Yoko in 2021. In still more Lennon-related news, the Beatles legend's former home inspired Judas Priest's 1980 classic "Living After Midnight," according to Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton. Speaking to Guitar Player magazine, Tipton recalled how the song came about while the band were working on their iconic LP British Steel at Tittenhurst Park, where the old residence of Lennon is situated in Berkshire, England. "We'd been out at the pub, and when we got back quite late, I started working on some ideas in the living room, but the noise woke Rob [Halford]. His bedroom was right above. He came down and said he couldn't get the riff out of his head, so I asked him to sing some lyrics right there on the spot and he came up with, 'Living after midnight, loving till the dawn.' That was how we used to live our life back in those days." He continued: "I should mention that it was very surreal sitting in the living room with John Lennon's white piano there -- the one he played 'Imagine' on in the video for that song." - NME/Music-News.com, 2/16/23...... Also recently interviewed by Guitar Player is Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, who when asked if he's as much of a perfectionist about the music business side as he is with the music itself, he replied: "God, no! But that perfectionism applied to everything, to be honest." When asked if his bandmates -- including Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and the late John Bonham -- ever found him difficult to work with, the 79-year-old rocker admitted he never got that impression from them. "I don't know if anyone thought I was," Page said. "You're always trying to strive to be better and better and better. That's all there is to it. And sometimes, whatever you've done isn't good enough. Do better, do better. But, you know, that's my own thing. And I haven't changed. That's how I am." Meanwhile, Jimmy previously admitted he doesn't think Led Zeppelin would exist today because of the immediacy of the online world: "We used to throw songs into the live set that we hadn't recorded yet, just for fun. We did that with 'Immigrant Song' at Bath Festival in 1970, and nobody had heard anything like it. You don't have that freedom now because it would be posted online immediately. It was a fun time as a creative musician, a fun time to be in a band." Led Zeppelin disbanded in 1980 when drummer Bonham passed away but they have reunited for special one-off performances, most recently in 2007. - Music-News.com, 2/11/23...... 
After The Kinks announced the upcoming release of a 60th anniversary Kinks compilation with a with a two-part anthology called The Journey, Twitter apparently flagged the band's name as "sensitive content." That sent Kinks guitarist Dave Davies down a Twitterhole, unleashing a flurry of tweets in which he told "chief Twit, Elon Musk", that he's "tired of waiting" for him to get it right. "Dear @elonmusk would @twiiter please stop putting warnings on everything from 'the Kinks'. We are just trying to promote our Kinks music," Davies tweeted on Feb. 15. The tweet linked to a previous one in which Davies invited fans to check out the band's TikTok promo for the set, which featured a message at the bottom that read, "We put a warning on this Tweet because it might have sensitive content." A short time later, Davies gave Musk a bit of a lesson on his group's background, 
Former The Police frontman Sting will become an Academy Fellow, the highest honor The Ivors Academy bestows, at the 2023 Ivors, which will be presented at Grosvenor House in London on May 18. Sting is the 23rd Fellow that the Academy has inducted in its 79-year history. He follows such songwriting greats as Sir Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Joan Armatrading and the 2022 winner, Peter Gabriel. "Of all the awards in the world of music, The Ivors are for me, the most prestigious," Sting said in a statement. "Songwriting is a skilled craft and The Ivors Academy are its guild. So, I am delighted and honoured to be offered this Fellowship of the Academy, joining and acknowledging this extraordinary group of fellow songwriters, and all of those who went before us." - Billboard, 2/15/23...... It was disclosed by The Carter Cener on Feb. 18 that former Pres. Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the US, will begin receiving hospice care at his home in Georgia. "After a series of short hospital stays, former US President Jimmy Carter today decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention. He has the full support of his family and his medical team," the statement said. Jason Carter, a onetime Democratic state senator in Georgia and the former president's grandson, said he visited with his grandparents on Feb. 17 and that "they are at peace and -- as always -- their home is full of love." Pres. Carter, who turned 98 last year, became the oldest living US president in history after the passing of former Pres. George H.W. Bush, who died in late 2018 at 94. Pres. Carter has kept a low public profile in recent years due to the coronavirus pandemic but has continued to speak out about risks to democracy around the world, a longtime cause of his. Pres. Carter beat brain cancer in 2015 but faced a series of health scares in 2019, and consequentially underwent surgery to remove pressure on his brain. His health woes forced him to give up his decadeslong tradition of teaching Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains, Ga. - CNN, 2/18/23...... Gerald Fried, the Oscar-nominated, oboe-playing composer who created iconic gladiatorial fight music for the original Star Trek series and collaborated with Quincy Jones to win an Emmy for their theme to the landmark miniseries Roots, died on Feb. 17 of pneumonia at St. Vincent's Hospital in Bridgeport, Conn., his wife said. He was 95. After meeting director Stanley Kubrick on a baseball field in the Bronx in the early 1950s, Mr. Fried wound up scoring the acclaimed filmmaker's first four features: Fear and Desire (1953), Killer's Kiss (1955), The Killing (1956) and Paths of Glory (1957). Mr. Fried also supplied the music for several cult Roger Corman classics from 1958 through 1971, and his work can be heard in such classic TV series as Gilligan's Island, Lost in Space, Mission: Impossible, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Emergency!, Flamingo Road and Dynasty. Mr. Fried first worked on NBC's Star Trek midway through the first season on the Dec. 1966 episode "Shore Leave," but he really made his mark on the second-season opener, "Amok Time." His relentless "The Ritual/Ancient Battle/2nd Kroykah" score dramatizes a memorable "fight to the death" on the planet Vulcan between Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy). More recently, Mr. Fried taught at UCLA and played the oboe with the Santa Fe Great Big Jazz Band and Santa Fe Community Orchestra. He is survived by his wife, Anita Hall, four children and six grandchildren. - The Hollywood Reporter, 2/18/23...... Beloved comedian Richard Belzer, a stand-up legend and actor who played Det. John Munch on Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order: SVU and eight other shows, died on Feb. 19 at his home in Bozouls in southwest France. He was 78. Belzer made his film debut in the hilarious 
Actress Stella Stevens, a top starlet of the 1960s who brought sweet sexiness to such films as The Nutty Professor, Too Late Blues and The Ballad of Cable Hogue, died on Feb. 17 in Los Angeles, according to her son, actor-producer-director Andrew Stevens. She was 84. Shining brightest in light comedies, the blond, blue-eyed bombshell appeared as a shy beauty contestant from Montana in Vincente Minnelli's The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963), portrayed a headstrong nun in Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows! (1968) opposite Rosalind Russell and frolicked with the fun-loving Dean Martin in two films: the Matt Helm spy spoof The Silencers (1966) and How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life (1968). She also starred opposite Elvis Presley in Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962), a movie she said she detested. Her signature role, however, came in The Nutty Professor (1963), produced, directed, co-written and starring Jerry Lewis as the nice but nerdy Julius F. Kelp, a college chemistry professor who invents a potent cocktail that transforms him into swinging ladies' man Buddy Love. Her character, the coed Stella Purdy, finds herself attracted to Love but also sees something in Kelp. "I am basically a comedienne, I always have been," Ms. Stevens said in a 1992 interview. A lot of the serious dramatic roles I've played, I've thought to myself, 'Oh God, they were dreary.' I like the pacing of comedy, the excitement of it." Stevens, though, did stand out in dramas. She convinced jazzman Bobby Darin to abandon his idealistic dreams in director John Cassavetes' Too Late Blues (1961) and played prostitutes with hearts of gold in Rage (1966) and Sam Peckinpah's The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970), respectively. In the classic disaster film 
Leon Russell, the longhaired and long bearded pianist/guitarist/songwriter/bandleader who moved from playing countless recording sessions to making hits on his own, died on Nov. 12 in Nashville, Tenn. He was 74. The death of Russell, who had suffered significant health difficulties over the past five years, was announced on his website, which said that he had died in his sleep but gave no specific cause. One of the first of the supersessionmen, Russell played on recordings from whole host of artists from Jerry Lee Lewis through to The Crystals, Herb Alpert, The Byrds, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, Delaney & Bonnie and the Rolling Stones. Born Claude Russell Bridges in Lawton, Oklahoma on Apr. 2, 1941, Russell grew up in Tulsa and studied classical piano from the age of three for 10 years, but then grew tired of the disciplines of formal music. At 14 he learned to play trumpet and put together his own band, lying about his age so that he could work in a Tulsa nightclub, where he played with Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, which later evolved into The Band. Later, Jerry Lee Lewis took Russell's band on the road with him. In 1958 he moved to Los Angeles, and began to hustle gigs as a sideman on recording sessions -- something his instrumental versatility enabled him to do with relative ease. He met Ricky Nelson's guitarist James Burton, who taught him guitar, and worked in the studio with Dorsey Burnette, Glen Campbell, and others. 
Russell worked on nearly all the Phil Spector hit productions -- from The Crystals' "He's a Rebel" to the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," as well as on isolated hits like The Byrds' "Mr. Tamborine Man," Herb Alpert's "A Taste of Honey" and Bob Lind's "Elusive Butterfly." After spending some time as an executive with a small record company named Viva, he quit the music business for two years in 1967 in order to build his own sophisticated home studio, and occasionally appeared with friends Delaney & Bonnie on the ABC TV dance show Shindig, and sometimes played sessions. In 1968, he and Marc Benno were signed by Mercury for the Smash label, and made the Asylum Choir album, which sold disappointingly. Russell then toured with Delaney & Bonnie, and teamed with English producer Denny Cordell to form Shelter Records, which signed J. J. Cale, and went to London where they laid down the tracks for Russell's debut solo album, 
Russell's considerable stature in the rock world was also fortified when he was invited to work with and produce Dylan, although the resulting tracks, which include "Watching the River Flow" and "When I Paint My Masterpiece," were recorded when Dylan seemed to be creatively at a low ebb. Russell's solo career, however, continued apace, and throughout 1972 and 1973, he was enormously popular in the U.S. He developed a strong onstage personality with his long beard, wispy hair and beard, and familiar stove-pipe hat. His own albums usually employed superstar lineups, and were of variable quality, though after 1972's 
As Joni Mitchell continues to recover from a brain aneurysm that left her unconscious in her L.A. home in March 2015, the legendary Canadian singer/songwriter made another public appearance on Nov. 7, her 73rd birthday, to celebrate the occasion with friends. Wearing red for her special day, a 
Bruce Springsteen and Diana Ross will be among 21 people to be recognized by Pres. Barack Obama with a Presidental Medal of Freedom at the White House on Nov. 22. America's highest civilian honor, the medal will also be awarded to Ellen DeGeneres, Robert De Niro, Cicely Tyson, Tom Hanks, Robert Redford, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill and Melinda Gates, Lorne Michaels and sports broadcaster Vin Scully. - AP, 11/16/16...... In other Bruce Springsteen news, a group of good Samaritan bikers rescued The Boss on his own motorcycle after the bike broke down as he was travelling through Allaire State Park in New Jersey on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Members of the Freehold, N.J. American Legion Post 54 Legion Riders -- who represented Post 54 at the Veterans Day Ceremony in Holmdel for Veterans Day -- noticed a lonely rider on the side of the road calling out for help. After they pulled over, they recognized it was the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, and gave him a ride to Mulligan's, a restaurant in Farmingdale, N.J., where the 67-year old rocker made a call for a pickup. After the guys went inside, sat down and had a few drinks, a grateful Springsteen threw in $100, told them to keep the change, posed for a few pictures and took their phone numbers, presumably for future rides, or a thank-you note with free concert tickets. - Billboard, 11/12/16...... Reacting to the surprise election of Donald Trump as the next president of the U.S., Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger told the Associated Press in a new interview that "Everyone outside the U.S. is kind of mystified... I'd say, that's the polite word." Also weighing in during the interview were Rolling Stones Ronnie Wood, who aid "There will be some changes made. Hopefully they're going to be good ones," Charlie Watts, who commented that "I don't think he's gonna be as radical as he was coming into it, so I think a lot of what he says is going to be tempered down. Because if it isn't, it's gonna be a hell of bloody ride for four years." Keith Richards, however, offered no opinion. "It's a blank spot to me, I'm telling you... I ain't going there," he said. The Stones are promoting their new exhibit that debuted at Industria in New York City on Nov. 12 after launching in London earlier in 2015. It includes colorful tour outfits, Jagger's lyric book, Keith Richards' 1963 diary, Watts' toy drum kit and various photographs, from posters to magazine covers. The group's first London apartment that the band mates shared in 1962, complete with dirty dishes, beer bottles and blues records placed throughout the flat, has also been recreated. The band is also preparing to release a new album of blues cover songs called 
Aerosmith has announced that it will launch what it is calling a "farewell" tour in Europe in the spring of 2017. The Hall of Famers, who recently completed a tour of South America, are calling the tour the Aero-Vederici Baby! Tour and will kick it off on May 17 in Tel Aviv, Israel and include 17 dates before wrapping up July 5 in Zurich, Switzerland. The tour includes headlining spots at the Sweden Rock Festival on June 8 and the U.K.'s Download Festival on June 11. Tickets go on sale Nov. 18, and the full itinerary is posted at the band's official web site. Aerosmith's members have been talking about a farewell tour for a year, and guitarist Joe Perry says "that's a little tough for me to wrap my head around." "I mean, we all know our age is creeping up on us, but, man, we've tried to follow the lead of the original blues guys and the early rockers and just keep playing 'til we drop, y'know?," he added. "We all have different feelings about it. I do have a feeling that there'll be a tour that we'll call the final tour -- but when will it end? That I can't say." No North American dates have been announced yet for next year. Aerosmith has announced no plans to release new music, but Perry says "Maybe once we start doing some shows again we'll get inspired and get everyone on the page to do that. We'll see." - Billboard, 11/14/16...... Veteran ska band The Specials have just played two shows in London in November, and have announced they'll play extra dates in Birmingham, Leeds and Hatfield in Hertfordshire in May 2017. In December 2015, The Specials' drummer John "Brad" Bradbury died at the age of 62. After joining the band in 1979, Bradbury had a top 10 hit with The Specials in 1984 -- "Free Nelson Mandela." The Coventry band then split, but reunited for a 2009 tour to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Bradbury had remained part of the group since then. - Billboard, 11/12/16...... A letter from John Lennon and Yoko Ono to Paul McCartney and wife Linda McCartney has been put up for auction to the highest bidder, with bidding expected to reach $20,000 (£16,000). The undated letter sees Lennon responding to prior correspondence from Linda which he says left him "wondering what middle aged cranky Beatle fan wrote it." Lennon writes in his letter: "I hope you realise what shit you and the rest of my 'kind and unselfish' friends laid on Yoko and me, since we've been together." Later in the letter, John goes on to say that doesn't "resent" his former Beatles bandmate but that he feels "sorry for him." He also wrongly predicts that the McCartneys' marriage would be over within two years. "It was likely written shortly before Lennon and Ono's departure for America," says RR Auction representative Robert Livingston. "The draft captures the intense rivalry between the two men in the months, and even years, surrounding the breakup of the Beatles." - New Musical Express, 11/14/16...... A gig by Kraftwerk in Buenos Aires that appeared to be a victim of the Argentinian capital's ban on electronic music events after six people died at the Time Warp festival will go ahead after all, the promoter announced on Nov. 14. Kraftwerk are scheduled to play at Buenos Aires' Luna Park Stadium on Nov. 23. Kraftwerk are also set to tour the UK in 2017. - NME, 11/14/16...... 
Former The Police frontman Sting reopened the Bataclan venue in Paris on Nov. 12, a day shy of the anniversary of the Paris terror attacks that killed 90 music fans during an Eagles of Death Metal concert in 2015. "We've got two important things to do tonight," Sting said in French. "First, to remember and honor those who lost their lives in the attacks a year ago and to celebrate the life and the music of this historic venue." He then called for a minute of silence in their honor, and said "We shall not forget them, before launching into his 1988 song "Fragile," whose lyrics read: "Nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could." Sting then paid tribute to a list of musicians who have passed within the past year, including David Bowie, Prince, Glenn Frey, Lemmy Kilmister and Leonard Cohen. - Billboard, 11/12/16...... Actress Carrie Fisher, who co-starred in the iconic 1977 Star Wars film with Harrison Ford, has purportedly detailed that she had a three-month extramarital affair with Ford in her upcoming book,