Sting participated in one of Jimmy Fallon's "classroom instrument concerts" on the Apr. 9 Tonight Show by playing guitar and shaker with Fallon, and members of Fallon's house band The Roots on a rendition of the Police's 1980 hit "Don't Stand So Close To Me." Sting took the center square in the virtual concert which also featured the sounds of hair picks, sneakers, wooden spoons and pot lids, along with some actual instruments (melodica, ukulele, bass and tuba) for the lively, totally unique version of the strangely prescient song. The "at home" version of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" has been shared on YouTube. - Billboard, 4/10/20...... 
Neil Young has reworked the video for his song "Shut It Down" from his latest album Colorado due to its poignancy during the coronavirus pandemic. "Shut It Down 2020" features clips from the original promo of Young and his backing band Crazy Horse performing the track at Colorado's Studio in the Clouds, interspersed with footage of people around the world in the midst of the health crisis. Among the scenes shown include hospital staff hard at work, people wearing face masks while venturing out in public, boxes of medical supplies being delivered in England, and empty New York City subway stations and streets -- cut together with footage of packed beaches in Florida. On the song, Young warns: "People tryin' to save this earth/from an ugly death/Have to shut the whole system down/all around the planet." In a statement accompanying the video, Young expressed his gratitude for those on the frontlines of the pandemic: "These are uncertain times. I wish you all the best as you care for our sick, the young and old who we love so much." Young says he was inspired by fans' messages requesting an updated video for the track, and was helped by actress wife Daryl Hannah. Young has been keeping busy while in self-isolation, serving up acoustic renditions of rare songs from his archives in his Fireside Sessions online series, shot by Hannah at their Telluride home. - WENN/Canoe.com, 4/10/20...... Songs by late revered singer/songwriter John Prine have been streamed more than 20 million times since his death due to coronavirus complications on Apr. 7, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. On Apr. 7-8, songs performed by Prine earned 20.8 million on-demand streams (audio and video) in the U.S., a surge of 1,297% compared to the previous two days. Prine's most-streamed song was "Angel From Montgomery," and on Apr. 8 his songs garnered more streams in one single day than they had in any other week previously. Interest in Prine's music had been on the rise since news of his hospitalization reached the masses on Mar. 29, when his streams began to log more than a million a day. Prine's songs and album sales have also surged with 57,000 copies, up 1,423% compared to the 4,000 sold April 4-6. Meanwhile, the entertainment website Consequence of Sound has announced a livestream tribute to Prine on Easter Sunday (Apr. 11). "Angel from Maywood: A Livestream Tribute to John Prine" will feature cover performances of Prine's catalogue from "friends, collaborators" including Norah Jones, Kevin Morby, Grace Potter and others. The tribute stream will begin at 6:00 pm GMT/2pm EDT on Consequence of Sound's Instagram page. On Apr. 8, Bruce Springsteen took over his SiriusXM E Street Radio show for one morning hour during which he played some of his favorite songs about hope, loneliness and solitude while sharing a few words of wisdom during our nationwide lockdown, also paying homage to the loss of Prine. "Over here on E Street we're devastated by the loss of John Prine," Springsteen said. "He was not only one of our country's greatest songwriters, a real national treasure, but a sweet and lovely man and I was proud to count him as my friend." His set also included some Jersey shore classics, including Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer," as well as Huey "Piano" Smith & the Clowns' "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu." The show ended with a song of remembrance and loss in honor of those who've passed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers' "The Last Mile of the Way." During the coronavirus lockdown Sirius is offering free streaming of Springsteen's and other channels through May 15. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 4/10/20...... During a virtual auction of Beatles memorabilia on Apr. 10 conducted by Julien's Auctions, Paul McCartney's handwritten lyrics for the Beatles classic "Hey Jude" sold for a whopping $910,000, well over its $160,000 estimate. The lyrics were used in studio for the recording of the No. 1 hit at London's Trident Studios in July 1968. In addition, the Beatles' Cow Palace concert drumhead sold for $200,000, a "BAGISM" drawing by John Lennon and Yoko Ono sold for $93,750, a "Hello Goodbye" music video shoot script page sold for $83,200, Ringo Starr's Abbey Road ashtray sold for $32,500, and the stage of the group's first performance sold for $25,600. Julien's staff accepted digital real-time bids via phone and online from remote locations. Meanwhile, Paul McCartney will be among the performers at an "One World: Together at Home" coronavirus benefit concert curated by Lady Gaga and hosted by US talk show hosts Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert on Apr. 18. The concert will be broadcast live across US television networks ABC, CBS and NBC, as well as being streamed online. Also performing will be Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Eddie Vedder, Billy Joe Armstrong, Keith Urban, John Legend, Lizzo and Alanis Morissette, among others. An adapted version of the concert will be broadcast on BBC One the following day featuring exclusive performances from UK artists and interviews with workers on the frontline. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 4/10/20...... 
Bob Dylan has scored his first-ever No. 1 song on a Billboard chart with his new hit "Murder Most Foul," a nearly 17-minute chronicle of the 1963 assassination of Pres. John F. Kennedy. "Murder Most Foul," released on Mar. 27, debuted at No. 1 on the Rock Digital Song Sales survey dated Apr. 11, selling 10,000 downloads in its first tracking week ending Apr. 2. Previously, Dylan had reached as high as No. 2 on the Hot 100 pop chart with "Like a Rolling Stone" (Sept. 4, 1965) and "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35" (May 21, 1966), along with a No. 2 best on the Adult Alternative Songs airplay chart with "Things Have Changed" (May 13, 2000). He also hit No. 2 on the Mainstream Rock Songs airplay list three times as part of supergroup Traveling Wilburys in the late '80s and early '90s ("Handle With Care," "End of the Line" and "She's My Baby"). In announcing the release of the piano ballad, Dylan said it was an "unreleased song we recorded a while back." It's the rock icon's first music released since his 2017 covers album Triplicate and his first original material since 2012's Tempest. Radio stations around the country say they have no qualms about playing the song, despite its 16 minutes and 54 seconds length. "It's an instant Dylan epic. We had no concerns about playing it at all," says WXPN program director Bruce Warren. "We play a lot of Dylan, and if a song is great, in our opinions, we'll play it no matter how long it is." - Billboard, 4/8/20...... In a lengthy Facebook post on Apr. 3, '80s hitmaker Christopher Cross revealed has been diagnosed with the coronavirus. "I'm sorry to report that I am among the growing number of Americans who tested positive for the COVID-19 virus," the five-time Grammy winner wrote. "Although I am fortunate enough to be cared for at home, this is possibly the worst illness I've ever had," he added. Cross pleaded with his fans to take the virus seriously and urged them to "make every attempt to stall the spread of the virus." "Wherever you are in the world, let's all be kind to one another," the "Sailing" singer/songwriter wrote. "Only if we work together can we defeat COVID-19." - Billboard, 4/3/20...... Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has revealed that he's been in touch with his longtime bandmate Ozzy Osbourne on a daily basis during the coronavirus-enforced lockdown. Speaking to the Birmingham Mail, the 72-year-old musician discussed his personal experience in dealing with the current crisis. "Neighbours have dropped a note through the door asking if I want any shopping," Iommi said of being stuck indoors at his home in Worcestershire. "They're looking out for the poor old sod!" Iommi added that he believes the social restrictions implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19 have in fact brought us all closer together. "I m even in touch with Ozzy every day as he gets over his own health problems in LA," Iommi said. - New Musical Express, 4/11/20...... Original Creedence Clearwater Revival drummer Doug "Cosmo" Clifford is releasing a new -- albeit 35-year-old -- solo album called Magic Window he says he recorded with friends while living in Lake Tahoe in the 1980s. Clifford says he got busy with other projects, including the "Neighbors For Defensible Space" initiative to deal with a drought about the same time, and the tapes were put away and moved to his current residence in Reno -- where he unearthed them last year in his garage. "I found all these two-track masters, about 10 of them, probably 100 songs with different artists," Clifford says. "I'm using myself as the first guy out of the shoot 'cause (Magic Window) was my best performance as a singer and a songwriter. It was a complete project for me; I wasn't just the drummer in the band. I was the artist and producer and all those other things." Magic Window will drop Apr. 24 and will be the follow-up to his 1972 solo effort Cosmo (his nickname), which he says he considers "an album for the sake of art... an experiment." Clifford, whose voice has been impacted by cancer treatments, says he has no plans to play live in support of Magic Window, but he does plan to dip into his stash of other recordings he found for eventual release, including some with Bobby Whitlock from Derek and the Dominos on vocals. - Billboard, 4/9/20...... 
The new Netflix series Ozark has helped send four classic hits by REO Speedwagon back to Billboard's rock charts for the week ending Apr. 11. The songs include "Keep on Loving You" (No. 10); "Can't Fight this Feeling" (No. 13); "Time for Me to Fly" (No. 15); and "Take It on the Run" (No. 16). "We are big fans of Ozark here in the Cronin house, and have been waiting patiently for Season 3," REO frontman Kevin Cronin wrote in a post on REO Speedwagon's official website. "The family will be snuggling up and going on a major Ozark binge this weekend. Be safe and take care." Meanwhile, REO's 1988 collection The Hits, which includes all four songs, has entered the Top Rock Albums chart at No. 49, up 85% to 4,000 equivalent album units. - Billboard, 4/8/20...... Blondie's Debbie Harry and Chris Stein have announced details of their rescheduled "In Conversation" UK tour, after it was postponed due to coronavirus. Harry and Stein say they will now tour in November 2020 instead of April as originally planned. Harry and Stein's tour includes discussions chaired by artist Rob Roth about the five decades of Blondie and their lives as artists and creative partners promised. "Each presentation has its own surprises with new stories," Roth said of the tour. "Plus special guests and previously unseen visuals." - New Musical Express, 4/8/20...... Iggy Pop has shared a previously unreleased version of "China Girl" from his upcoming The Bowie Years deluxe box set. Iggy's version of "China Girl" was originally the second single from his LP The Idiot before it was taken on by Bowie for 1983's Let's Dance. To mark the announcement, an alternate mix of Pop's "China Girl" has been shared on YouTube. The song was originally the second single from The Idiot before it was taken on by Bowie for 1983's Let's Dance. The Idiot and Lust For Life will also be released as standalone 2-CD deluxe editions, which come with bonus live CDs. These performance discs are Live at The Rainbow Theatre and TV Eye Live respectively. - New Musical Express, 4/11/20...... Paul Stanley of KISS has paid tribute to his "awesome" dad who turned 100 years old recently. In identical Twitter and Instagram posts, Stanley wrote alongside a photo of the two of them together: "MY DAD IS ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD TODAY! He Is An AWESOME Man And I Am So Proud To Be His Son. We Can't Be Together Since It's Not Safe. I Love Him Dearly And Am Asking EVERYONE PLEASE WISH HIM HAPPY BIRTHDAY ON THIS MILESTONE. Thank You. (sic)" Stanley, 68, also recently promised to share his songwriting process with fans as he was going "a little bit crazy" self-isolating at home. "My plan tomorrow is to sit here, get a guitar, maybe tell you some stories, maybe show you how I wrote a song -- show you how I wrote 'Love Gun.' That could be interesting 'cause I need to connect with you 'cause I'm going a little bit crazy," he posted. - Music-News.com, 4/9/20...... Randy Newman has shared a performance video of himself playing "Stay Away," a new song he s written about self-isolating during the coronavirus crisis, on YouTube. Newman introduces his performance video by speaking about social distancing, saying "apparently there s some disease that's going around before telling people to wash their hands, not touch their faces and practice safe distancing techniques." Newman is then seen in the clip performing the jaunty "Stay Away" on his piano in his home studio, with lyrics including "stay away from me/ keep your distance, please and I'm gonna be with you 24 hours a day/ What a lucky man I am." In January, Newman cancelled the Australian and New Zealand legs of his "An Evening With Randy Newman" tour, citing a longer than expected recovery period from a recent hip operation. - NME, 4/9/20...... 
Willie Nelson will co-host the first ever online version of Farm Aid during the second weekend in April, featuring live-streamed performances by the likes of Nelson, Neil Young and Dave Matthews. "At Home With Farm Aid" will be streamed on Apr. 11 and hosted by Nelson and his sons, Lukas and Micah. Nelson, Young, Matthews and John Mellencamp will all perform remotely during the event, which is being staged as "a virtual show of support and solidarity for family farmers and ranchers." "Farm Aid is working hard to support farmers and ranchers in this difficult time," Nelson said in a statement. "We're making emergency grants to help with household and medical expenses. We're answering calls on our hotline. We're creating lists of resources and working with our partners to advocate for policies that build a more resilient food system for the future." The event will be available to watch as a free webcast stream on both the Farm Aid website and AXS. Meanwhile, Nelson is preparing to release his 70th solo album, First Rose of Spring, on July 3. - New Musical Express, 4/9/20...... British actress Honor Blackman, best known for playing the James Bond girl Pussy Galore in 1964's Goldfinger, has died at the age of 94, her family announced on Apr. 6. Ms. Blackman died of natural causes at her home in Sussex, southern England the family said in a statement to The Guardian newspaper. "As well as being a much-adored mother and grandmother, Honor was an actor of hugely prolific creative talent; with an extraordinary combination of beauty, brains and physical prowess, along with her unique voice and a dedicated work ethic," the statement said. "She achieved an unparalleled iconic status in the world of film and entertainment and with absolute commitment to her craft and total professionalism in all her endeavours she contributed to some of the great films and theater productions of our times," it added. In addition to her famous Goldfinger role, Ms. Blackman also appeared as Cathy Gale in The Avengers, a 1961 spy drama television series. Following news of her death, Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said Ms. Blackman was a "film icon." "Today we mark the passing of a film icon, Honor Blackman who shall forever be remembered as Pussy Galore in Goldfinger. She was an extraordinary talent and a beloved member of the Bond family. Our thoughts are with her family at this time," they said in a joint statement. - Reuters, 4/6/20...... Film and TV music producer Hal Willner, who worked many years on Saturday Night Live, has died apparently due to coronavirus complications, according to multiple reports. He was 64. Wilner worked on SNL as a music sketch music producer since 1981, and at the time of his death, he was working on a tribute album and documentary project on Marc Bolan and T. Rex, for which he enlisted contributions from U2, Elton John, Joan Jett and Foo Fighters, among others. - The Hollywood Reporter, 4/7/20...... Veteran actor Allen Garfield died on Apr. 7 due to coronavirus complications. He was 80. The New Jersey-born star appeared such famous '70s films as The Conversation, The Candidate, The Stunt Man and Nashville. "RIP Allen Garfield, the great actor who played my husband in Nashville, has died today of Covid; I hang my head in tears; condolences to family and friends; I will post more later; cast and crew, sending love," Mr. Garfield's Nashville co-star Ronee Blakley wrote on Facebook. Known for playing nervy characters, his most famous role came as Bernie Moran in Francis Ford Coppola's paranoid 1974 thriller The Conversation about a surveillance expert, played by Gene Hackman, who finds himself in the middle of a murderous conspiracy. Mr. Garfield suffered a stroke while preparing to appear in Roman Polanski's 1999 thriller The Ninth Gate, and suffered another one in 2004 that confined him to residing in the Motion Picture Country Home and Hospital in Woodland Hills, Calif. - WENN/Canoe.com, 4/8/20...... Willie Wilkerson, who was briefly engaged to Aretha Franklin during 2012 and was an integral part of her touring entourage, died on Apr. 8 in a suburban Detroit hospital from complications of COVID-19. He was 72. With Franklin, Wilkerson was a devoted companion who, in addition to their personal time, organized the sheet music for her orchestras, took care of side-stage and backstage operations such as outfit changes, and serving as a de facto backup bodyguard. He also made a cameo appearance in Franklin's video for "Jimmy Lee," a single from her 1986 album Aretha. - Billboard, 4/10/20.
Critically acclaimed singer/songwriter John Prine, a legend in the Americana music scene and two-time Grammy winner, died on Apr. 7 in Nashville due to complications from coronavirus. He was 73. Prine's family first revealed his coronavirus diagnosis on Mar. 29, posting to social media that he had been hospitalized for several days and his condition was "critical." His wife, Fiona, gave an update April 2, stating that he was still "very ill," yet she remained "hopeful." Born on Oct. 10, 1946 in Maywood, Ill., Prine learned guitar from his father at an early age and played the Chicago coffeehouse circuit while employed at the post office. He graduated from the Chicago folk scene with the help of his friend and production cohort Steve Goodman (who penned Arlo Guthrie's hit "The City of New Orleans"), and Paul Anka helped him secure a recording contract after liking some of Prine's Hank Williams-influenced songs. Prine traveled to Memphis in 1971 to cut his self-titled debut LP which featured a memorable track called "Sam Stone," a bleak drug-addicted Vietnam vet's saga that aptly demonstrated the singer's laconic, drawling delivery. Though commercial success eluded him, other artists began recording his songs, including the Everly Brothers ("Paradise"), and Joan Baez and Bette Midler, who both covered "Hello in There." A 1975 album, Common Sense, shocked his folk-oriented fans with hard-rock rhythms and a gutteral singing style. The Goodman-produced Bruised Orange in 1978 returned him to a more acoustic style, and the 1979 album Pink Cadillac saw him experimenting with electric rockabilly and was produced by Memphis legend Sam Phillips and his son at Sun Studios. 
German Afternoons, Prine's second album for the Oh Boy Records label he formed in 1983, was more countryish and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Recording. Prine released a live album, John Prine Live, in 1988 and won a Best Contemporary Folk Grammy for his 1991 effort The Missing Years, which was produced by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers bassist Howie Epstein and featured contributions from Petty, Bruce Springsteen, and Bonnie Raitt, who had been covering Prine's "Angel from Montgomery" in concert for years. He made his movie acting debut in 1992 with a small role in John Mellencamp's Falling from Grace. In 1998, doctors removed a cancerous tumor from his throat, taking some of his neck which left him permanently slumped. Prine was honored by the Recording Academy as their 2020 lifetime achievement award recipient and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019, where he and Raitt performed "Angel From Montgomery." Highly regarded within the Americana scene, he was named artist of the year by the Americana Music Association in 2017. His last release was 2018's The Tree of Forgiveness, his first set of new music since 2005’s Grammy-winning Fair & Square. Prine is survived by his wife, Fiona Whelan Prine, and three sons, Jack, Tommy and Jody. Among those offering tributes to Prine was Bruce Springsteen, who posted to Twitter: "Over here on E Street, we are crushed by the loss of John Prine. John and I were 'New Dylans' together in the early 70s and he was never anything but the lovliest guy in the world. A true national treasure and a songwriter for the ages. We send our love and prayers to his family." - Billboard/Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock, 4/8/20.
The cable sports network ESPN has announced it will air the Eagles' "Live From The Forum MMXVIII" concert on July 5 at 8:00 p.m. EDT. Joined by special guest artists Vince Gill and late Eagles member Glenn Frey's son Deacon Frey, the L.A.-based rockers performed 26 songs at The Forum on Sept. 12, 14 and 15, 2018. Each of those nights that have now been compiled into a 
In related news, Peter Frampton has launched a new coronavirus-themed T-shirt on his merch store which plays on the title of his classic 1976 live double-album 
Ringo Starr has big plans to celebrate his milestone 80th birthday on July 7 with an "all-Starr" broadcast benefit called "Ringo's Big Birthday Show." This year Starr, who traditionally spreads peace and love outside of Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood, Calif. for his birthday, has recruited his fellow surviving Beatles member Paul McCartney along with his All-Starr Band guitarist Joe Walsh, Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Sheila E. and Ben Harper for at-home livestream performances, as well as never-before-seen concert footage. Proceeds raised during "Ringo's Big Birthday Show" will benefit the Black Lives Matter Global Network, the David Lynch Foundation, MusiCares and WaterAid. "As everyone knows I love gathering with fans for peace and love on my birthday," Ringo said in a press release. "But this year, I want everyone to be safe at home -- so I called up a few friends and we put this Big Birthday Show together so we could still celebrate my birthday with you all, with some great music for some great charities. I hope you will all join me! Peace and Love, Ringo." The bash will also premiere a guest star version of Starr's "Give More Love" featuring Willie Nelson, Jeff Bridges, Jackson Browne, T Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello, Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, Peter Frampton, Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald. "Ringo's Big Birthday Show" will air on his YouTube channel at 8:00 p.m. EDT on July 7. An update on the event has been shared on 
Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour released "Yes, I Have Ghosts," his first new song in five years, on 
Veteran Emmy-winning TV personality Hugh Downs, whose career stretched back to the birth of television, died at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona, on July 1. He was 99. Mr. Downs' long TV run encompassed both news and entertainment. He hosted NBC's Today show from 1962 to 1971, was late-night host Jack Paar's longtime announcer/sidekick on The Tonight Show, appeared in dozens of commercials and even hosted the daytime quiz show Concentration for over a decade. Mr. Downs was perhaps best known as the co-host of ABCs newsmagazine 20/20, teaming with Barbara Walters, with whom he'd worked at Today. They also co-hosted the short-lived syndicated daytime show Not for Women Only. Mr. Downs began his TV career in 1950 as an announcer for the NBC soap Hawkins Falls and never seemed to stop until he retired in 1999. In 1985, Mr. Downs was certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as holding the record for the most hours on network commercial television (over 15,000) -- a record that stood until it was broken by Regis Philbin in 2004. His wife, Ruth Shaheen Downs, died in 2017 at the age of 95. They were married for 73 years. Mr. Downs is survived by his daughter, Deirdre; his son, Hugh R. "H.R." Downs; two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. - The New York Post, 7/2/20.
Elton John's ex-wife Renate Blauel has announced she is seeking an injunction against her former husband after he mentioned her during several sections of his 2018 autobiography Me. It is thought that Blauel and John had agreed on what would be detailed in Me after she reminded him of a non-disclosure agreement signed by the pair after their split in 1988 and their lawyers had reportedly came to an agreement, but now Blauel is now seeking a High Court ruling against the singer in the UK. In Me, Elton wrote that "I'd broken the heart of someone I loved and who loved me unconditionally, someone I couldn't fault in any way. Despite all the pain, there was no acrimony involved at all.... For years afterwards, whenever something happened to me, the press would turn up on her doorstep, looking for her to dish the dirt, and she never, ever has." Blauel's lawyer says his client hopes her current legal action against the pop star can be resolved "amicably." Meanwhile, John has recently participated in a "Project Angel Food" COVID-19 fundraiser in Los Angeles with the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Annie Lennox, CeeLo Green, Billy Idol and others which raised more than $700,000 for the charity. Elton and his husband David Furnish also provided a fundraising message in which they said, "We have always worked to make sure the most vulnerable people in the world are protected and cared for with love and compassion... We have supported Project Angel Food through the (Elton John AIDS) foundation before, and we are proud to support Lead With Love. For those watching from home, Project Angel Food needs your help urgently to keep doing what they do: serve others." Project Angel Food was first launched in 1989 in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and is continuing to serve medically-tailored meals to those with life-threatening illnesses who are shielding during the COVID-19 pandemic. - New Musical Express/Music-News.com, 6/26/20...... The family of Tom Petty shared a previously unreleased home recording of Petty's song "You Don't Know How it Feels" from his 1994 solo album Wildflowers 
Dion Dimucci, a rock & roll pioneer known for such classics as "The Wanderer" and "Runaround Sue," dropped a new solo album, 
On June 26, Sammy Hagar took to Facebook to clarify what he meant by the controversial "we all gotta die" coronavirus comments he made in a recent Rolling Stone interview. Hagar, 72, made headlines after speaking to the publication about how he'd feel touring during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which he said: "I'd rather personally get sick and even die, if that's what it takes... There may be a time where we have to sacrifice. I mean, how many people die on the Earth every day? I have no idea. I'm sorry to say it, but we all gotta die, man." Now, "the Red Rocker" has set the record straight on his Facebook page: "I did that interview May 8th when we were already several weeks into the stay-at-home, which my family and I took very seriously, and things were starting to look up, the curve was beginning flattening. So when I was asked if I'd be comfortable enough to get back on stage before a vaccine was out, I was cautiously optimistic. I said, 'Yeah, not too soon. I want to make sure it's not escalating. When it's declining and seems to be going away. Big picture, it's about getting back to work in a safe and responsible way and getting this economy rolling again. I will do my part. I stand by that. I employ 200 people directly and when we tour even more. Like everything today, it's a watch and see over the next few months but we remain cautiously optimistic that with the right improvements and safety measures in place, we might be able to play shows this year. That said, as things change, for the better or worse, we will appropriately adjust our plans." - WENN/Canoe.com, 6/26/20...... On June 26, it was announced that a new live album recorded by David Bowie in 1995 in Dallas, Tex., Ouvrez Le Chien (Live Dallas 95), will be released in July. "Ouvrez Le Chien" -- French for "open the dog" -- was recorded during a performance at the Starplex Amphitheatre in Dallas, Tex., on Oct. 13, 1995. The show was part of Bowie's Outside tour with Nine Inch Nails in support. Ahead of the album's release, "Teenage Wildlife (Live Dallas 95)" from the album has been made available for streaming on 
Rock and soul singer/songwriter Benny Mardones, best known for the 1980s hit 
Milton Glaser, the groundbreaking graphic designer famous for designing the "I Love NY" logo, the "psychedelic hair" poster of Bob Dylan included in one of Dylan's greatest hits albums, and numerous other posters, logos, advertisements and book covers, died on June 26, his 91st birthday, of a stroke and renal failure. The bold "I (HEART) NY" logo -- cleverly using typewriter-style letters as the typeface -- was dreamed up as part of an ad campaign begun in 1977 to boost the state's image when crime and budget troubles dominated the headlines. Mr. Glaser did the design free of charge. Nearly a quarter-century later, just days after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, he revised it, adding a dark scar to the red heart and "more than ever" to the message. His 1966 illustration of Bob Dylan, his face a simple black silhouette but his hair sprouting in a riot of colors in curvilinear fashion, put in graphic form the 1960s philosophy that letting your hair fly free was a way to free your mind. (For him, though, it wasn't a drug-inspired image: He said he borrowed from Marcel Duchamp and Islamic art.) The poster was inserted in Dylan's Greatest Hits album, and made its way into the hands of millions of fans. "It was a new use of the poster -- a giveaway that was supposed to encourage people to buy the album," Mr. Glaser told The New York Times in 2001. "Then it took on a life of its own, showing up in films, magazines, whatever. It did not die, as such forms of ephemera usually do." Mr. Glaser was born in 1929 in the Bronx and studied at New York's Cooper Union art school and in Italy. In 1954, he co-founded the innovative graphic design firm Push Pin Studios with Seymour Chwast and others. He stayed with it 20 years before founding his own firm. The Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum awarded Mr. Glaser a lifetime achievement award in 2004. In 2009, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. Mr. Glaser's pictorial sense was so profound, and his designs so influential, that his works in later years were preserved by collectors and studied as fine art. "I just like to do everything, and I was always interested in seeing how far I could go in stretching the boundaries," he once said. He is survived by his wife, Shirley Glaser. - AP, 6/28/20...... 
Carl Reiner an American comedy legend who came on the scene as a writer for television pioneer Sid Caesar, partner of Mel Brooks, and creator and co-star of the classic sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, died at age 98 of natural causes on June 29 at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. Mr. Reiner's career spanned seven decades and every medium from theater and recordings to television and movies, including directing Oh, God!, three collaborations with Steve Martin and a role as an elderly con man in the revived Ocean's Eleven series. Mr. Reiner was still taking voice roles in his 90s and had a key role in If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast, a documentary about people who keep busy into their 90s. Encouraged by his wife to develop a TV show as his own, Mr. Reiner began work on a sitcom pilot loosely based on his experiences with the Caesar shows, titled Head of the Family, casting himself as a TV writer with a wife and two kids. After network executives were unhappy with Reiner as the lead character, CBS ultimately picked up the series in 1961, after it was recast with Dick Van Dyke and retitled for its new star, The Dick Van Dyke Show. Mr. Reiner, who earned several Emmys writing and producing the hit series, played the recurring role of Petrie's boss, the temperamental variety show host Alan Brady. Besides helping transform its creator and star into household names, The Dick Van Dyke Show launched the career of Mary Tyler Moore, who played Rob Petrie's wife. The series, considered a TV sitcom classic, ended its run in 1966. A reprisal of his Alan Brady role three decades later, for a guest spot on the 1990s sitcom Mad About You, earned Reiner yet another Emmy. Starting in 2001, Mr. Reiner made a big-screen comeback playing elder con artist Saul Bloom in the Oceans Eleven movie series. Mr. Reiner continued to make guest appearances on various shows such as Two and a Half Men and Hot in Cleveland well into his 90s, as well as keeping up a busy Twitter account. A 9-time Emmy winner, he was also the author of four volumes of memoirs, including I Just Remembered, in 2014, as well as children's books. Mr. Reiner is survived by three children, including Rob Reiner, director of several hit movies and known for playing Archie Bunker's son-in-law "Meathead" in the hit TV comedy All in the Family. Mr. Reiner's wife of 64 years, Estelle, died in 2008. - Reuters, 6/30/20.
Elton John thanked his legion of fans for a landmark year with a touching Christmas video posted on 
Additionally, Olivia Newton-John received her damehood for "her services to charity, cancer research and entertainment." The 71-year-old Grease star is currently battling breast cancer for the third time in her life and started the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne, Australia back in 2008. "I am extremely excited, honoured and grateful beyond words to be included with such an esteemed group of women who have received this distinguished award before me," said the British-born Australian singer-actress. "As a girl born in Cambridge, I am very proud of my British ancestry and so appreciative to be recognised in this way by the United Kingdom," she added. Olivia's new full name is Dame Olivia Newton-John, AC, DBE, but the post-nominal letters "AC" stem from the Companion of the Order of Australia, which she was awarded in June 2019. Others recognized for their musical efforts by the New Year Honours list include Queen drummer Roger Taylor and singers Billy Ocean (OBE) and Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody (OBE). Taylor, 70, has campaigned for the awareness of AIDs, launched a musical featuring Queen's greatest hits and is one of the few living people to appear on a Royal Mail stamp when he was pictured behind the late Freddie Mercury playing drums, which caused controversy in 1999. - Billboard/Deadline.com/New Musical Express, 12/27/19....... Ozzy Osbourne posted a Christmas 2019 playlist on 
In a recent chat on the Fox News channel, Marie Osmond reflected on the horrific abuse she suffered as a teen when she was told to "keep food out of her fat face" by studio executives. Osmond, 60, revealed that while she was a 15-year-old filming her show Donny & Marie with her brother Donny Osmond herself after a member of staff at the studio took her out into the parking lot to tell her they would cancel the show unless she went on an extreme diet. "I was 103 lbs. -- I'd kill to be 103 lbs. So I got down to 93 lbs. I never realized the mental abuse behind that," she said. Marie has since found it difficult to keep her diet consistent, and lost 50 pounds ahead of her Dancing With the Stars appearance in 2007. Osmond, a mother of eight, also ecently opened up to People magazine about the 2020 suicide of her son Michael Blosil at 18 years old. "You can't breathe, when you're contemplating something that devastating in your life, you can barely function," she said of her son's loss. However she said it was her strong faith that helped her to get through the ordeal: "You have to find a way to breathe again. Mine was my faith. I have great faith, and I know I will see him again." - DailyMail.co.uk, 12/27/19...... In a new interview with the Toronto Sun, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend claims The Who "invented heavy metal" in 1970 with their acclaimed concert album 
Six-time Emmy-winning TV producer Lee Mendelson, who produced more than 60 specials featuring Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the Peanuts gang, died on Christmas Day at his home in Hillsborough, Calif., after a long battle with cancer. He was 86. Working often with the late Bill Melendez -- the only animator permitted by Charles M. Schulz to work with the Peanuts characters -- Mendelson collected his first Emmy in 1966 for A Charlie Brown Christmas -- writing the lyrics to its famous theme song "Christmastime Is Here" -- and his last in 2016 for It's Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown. He also wrote and directed for the franchise. He amassed 29 Emmy noms during his career, 26 for his work with Peanuts characters, and earned a pair of Grammy nominations as well. His landmarks included 1966's It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, 1967's You're in Love, Charlie Brown, the Oscar-nominated A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1971), 1973's A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, 1975's You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown, 1976's It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown and 1980's She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown. The San Francisco native and Stanford graduate also won Emmys in 1984 and 1987 for producing programs featuring the cartoon characters Garfield and Cathy, respectively. "It wasn't great for us, but to have him pass on Christmas really ties into his history and legacy," one of his sons, Jason Mendelson, told the Palo Alto Daily Post newspaper. He is also survived by his wife, Ploenta, two other sons, a daughter, and eight grandchildren. - The Hollywood Reporter, 12/27/19...... Tony Award-winning composer Jerry Herman, who wrote the cheerful, good-natured music and lyrics for such classic shows as "Mame," "Hello, Dolly!" and "La Cage aux Folles," died on Dec. 26 at age 88. The creator of 10 Broadway shows and contributor to several more, Mr. Herman won two Tony Awards for best musical: "Hello, Dolly!" in 1964 and "La Cage aux Folles" in 1983. He also won two Grammys for the "Mame" cast album and "Hello, Dolly!" as song of the year, and was a Kennedy Center honoree. He had three original Broadway productions playing at the same time from February 1969 to May 1969. "We lost one of the greats," Broadway actor Harvey Fierstein tweeted. "A collaborator and friend for almost 40 years. I cannot thank him enough for his love, trust, encouragement, support and laughter." - AP, 12/27/19...... Veteran radio personality Don Imus whose insult humor and savage comedy catapulted him to a long-lasting and controversial radio career, died of as yet undisclosed causes on Dec. 27 at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in College Station, Tex., after being hospitalized on Christmas Eve. He was 79. Outspoken in an age of political correctness, Imus's often coarse satire offended sensibilities. Yet, his listeners included those whom he often ridiculed. He sparked national outcry in 2007 when he made derogatory, racist remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team. Both CBS Radio and MSNBC dropped his show. Imus rebounded by signing a multi year contract with the Fox Business Network in 2009 to simulcast his radio program Imus in the Morning from 6 a.m. - 9 a.m., with Fox anchors appearing during the program. Imus battled a lifelong addiction to drugs and alcohol and in 2009, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He is survived by his wife Deirdre, two sons and four daughters. - The Hollywood Reporter, 12/27/19...... 
American spiritual teacher, former academic and clinical psychologist Baba Ram Dass, who embodied the 1960s psychedelic youth movement by authoring such books as 1971's Be Here Now, died on Dec. 22 at his home on Maui, Hawaii. He was 88. Born Richard Alpert, he returned from a trip to India in 1968 as a bushy-bearded, barefoot, white-robed guru, and became a lecturer on New Age possibilities and a popular author of more than a dozen inspirational books. His lecture presentation was a mix of pithy wisdom and humor, often expressed in the same sentence. "Treat everyone you meet like God in drag," he said in one talk. Ram Dass also started a foundation to combat blindness in India and Nepal, supported reforestation in Latin America, and developed health education programs for American Indians in South Dakota. He was particularly interested in the dying, and started a foundation to help people use death as a journey of spiritual awakening and spoke of establishing a self-help line, "Dial-a-Death," for this purpose. His book Be Here Now, originally published in 1971, has had more than three dozen printings and sold more than two million copies. Wavy Gravy, the eccentric poet and peace activist, once said, "Ram Dass was the master of the one-liner, the two-liner, the ocean liner." By the 1980s, Ram Dass had a change of mind and image. He shaved off the beard but left a neatly trimmed mustache. He tried to drop his Indian name -- he no longer wanted to be a cult figure -- but his publisher vetoed the idea. Ram Dass said that he had never intended to be a guru, and continued to turn out books and recordings, making sure his books and tapes were reasonably priced. Ram Dass's death was announced on his official Instagram account. - The New York Times, 12/23/19.
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebeck, who hosts his annual Christmas party at Vitello's restaurant in Los Angeles, was serenaded by Don McLean on Dec. 18 after Trebeck requested the "American Pie" singer perform at the event. "I sent an email to Don's people on his website and here we are tonight," Trebek told the audience. "I can officially take this off of my bucket list. This was a real treat for me," he added. "I had never met Alex and normally I just come in and do my thing," McLean told People magazine. "When I arrived, Alex handed me a piece of paper with a list of songs he wanted me to perform and in the order he wanted them performed in. Then when I looked next to each song, he had timed them out." "I looked at Alex and said, 'Well, tonight is your night and I will do exactly what you want,'" McLean continued. "And that is what I did. Except I did toss in one Christmas song in the spirit of the event! Alex is a wonderful man and is loved by the world." Trebek, 79, was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in March. - Billboard/People, 12/20/19...... In a new interview with Haute Living, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler said he spent "many years" feeling angry at being forced into rehab by his bandmates as they went on vacation. "There were no such things as rehabs; there were mental institutions.... I went away in '84 and '86, and I didn't really get it," Tyler said, referring to some of the times he failed to detox. "The early 80s were terrible, and drugs took us down. I was the first one to get treatment." Tyler added his breakthrough moment came in 1988 when his management and the rest of Aerosmith stepped in and "pulled an intervention" on him. "They thought, 'Get the lead singer sober, and all our problems would be over. So, I got sober, and you know it took me many years to get over the anger of them sending me to rehab while they went on vacation." But Tyler says he feels nothing but gratitude toward the band now: "But today because of that moment I am grateful and owe a thanks to them for my sobriety. I stayed in this band because I know the power that Joe [Perry] and I have from all the songs that we've written, or Brad [Whitford] and Tom [Hamilton] and Joey [Kramer]," he said. "Joey has been here through thick and thin. My whole life is dreams coming true. I am so beyond grateful for it all." - New Musical Express, 12/23/19...... In a new interview with the BBC's Reel Stories, Rod Stewart revealed he mainly joined the 1960s Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in the U.K. to "get shagged." "We used to all go on the CND marches. "I used to do it to get shagged. I didn't care about the war actually," said Stewart, who joined the anti-nuke Aldermaston Marches on Easter weekends in England and was once arrested at a sit-in. Reflecting on his early years, the "Maggie May" singer said he's shocked he was so successful with women, because his personal hygiene wasn't great. "It was just rebellion, that's all it was," he said. "You had to be smelly, though. You had to wear corduroy trousers for months and it really smelled. Don't change your underpants. It was disgusting." But the 74-year-old rocker, who is now married to third wife Penny Lancaster, 48, added that despite being rough around the edges, his hair was always on point. "On the Tube (London Underground), all us were going down there holding on to our bouffant haircuts, because when you go down the escalator the train comes in and there's an awful wind that comes up," he mused. "So (there would be) six or seven of us all going down holding our hair. Even then I used to have it back-combed." - WENN/Canoe.com, 12/22/19...... Country great Willie Nelson and his musician sons Micha and Lukas Nelson have paid tribute to late rock legend Tom Petty by recording a version of Petty's song "For Real." Bob Dylan's son Jakob Dylan, George Harrison's son Dhani Harrison, and Amos Lee also appear on the Petty and the Heartbreakers track that was previously unreleased until it appeared on the TP greatest hits collection The Best of Everything earlier in 2019. - New Musical Express, 12/22/19...... 
Two of Pres. Donald Trump's biggest archenemies from the '70s music world -- Cher and Bette Midler -- have reacted to Pres. Trump's impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 18 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, only the third time in history a president was charged with committing high crimes and misdemeanors. Midler simply posted "Impeached" on her Twitter feed after the vote to impeach, while Cher posted: "'IMPEACHED PRESIDENT' donald j.trump, Makes RICH RICHER, poor poorer, & Will PURGE MILLIONS Of DEMOCRATS Off VOTING ROLLS. RUSSIA, RUDI, RESTRICTIONS, That's trumps game plan. For What Does It Profit a Man To Gain The Whole (Earth emoji), Yet Lose His Own Soul(?)." Pres. Trump now faces removal from office by the Senate in a trial set for January. - Billboard, 12/18/19...... '70s artists Chicago, Roberta Flack, John Prine, Iggy Pop and the late Isaac Hayes will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy during the 2020 Grammy Awards on Apr. 18 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif. Chicago and Prine were previously both nominated for Best New Artist Grammys, but came up short, while Iggy Pop has never won a Grammy Award in competition. Also honored with LAA's will be the late Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who also never won a Grammy in competition. Composer/pianist Philip Glass, who likewise never won a Grammy, has been selected to receive a Trustees Award, along with Ken Ehrlich, who has produced or executive produced the annual Grammy Awards telecast for 40 years, and the late A&R executive Frank Walker. Meanwhile, Elvis Costello & the Imposters' 2019 album Look Now and Barbra Streisand's 2019 set Walls were nominated for Grammys in the Traditional Pop Category. Also, the 2019 Woodstock retrospective box set Woodstock: Back to the Garden The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive was among the nominees for Best Historical Album Grammy, which also include releases by Bobbie Gentry, Pete Seeger and Vladimir Horowitz. - Billboard, 12/19/19...... Turning to the Oscars, Randy Newman and Elton John are on the shortlist for two Oscars each for the 92nd annual Academy Awards in 2020. Newman is shortlisted for Best Original Score for Marriage Story, and for Best Original Song for "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away" from Toy Story 4. Newman has been nominated in the latter category with a song from each of the first three Toy Story films. John is in the running for Best Original Song with both "Never Too Late" from The Lion King (which he co-wrote with Tim Rice) and "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from Rocketman (which he co-wrote with Bernie Taupin). Meanwhile, Elton John and husband David Furnish have announced details for their 28th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party, set for West Hollywood Park in Los Angeles on Feb. 9. Cast members of the Netflix series Queer Eye (Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, Karamo Brown and Bobby Berk) will be co-hosting the gala along with Sir Elton and Furnish, and British actor, singer-songwriter and Brits Critic Choice Award winner Sam Fender will be the headline performer. "I absolutely love Sam Fender. He's so talented," said Elton in a press release. "Each year we are blessed to have incredible artists do what they do best at our party and this year will be another special night not to miss. Given we have some of the wonderful hosts of Queer Eye at our party, we all wanted to use the event to raise funds for our work with LGBT communities around the world, many of whom are 20 times more vulnerable to the disease than their straight peers. AIDS isn't over until no one gets left behind." IMDb.com will broadcast its four-hour "IMDb Live" streaming show during the party with co-hosts actress and comedian Aisha Tyler and IMDb special correspondent Dave Karger. The Academy Awards Viewing party benefits the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which was founded in 1992 and has funded local experts in 23 countries "to spread awareness, prevent infections and provide care and treatment for the most marginalized groups," according to the release. - Billboard, 12/18/19...... In other Elton news, John has topped the monthly Billboard Boxscore tours list with a gross of $24 million from 11 shows in November during his final North American dates of 2019, as well as the opening show of his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour's Australian leg. The November earnings bring his tour to a so-far total of $268.6 million and sends John's career-total to $1.309 billion. That places him about $30 million behind from Madonna, currently the second-highest grossing solo artist and top-grossing female artist in the history of Billboard Boxscore. After dipping to No. 6 in October, John returns to the peak position, having topped the chart in September and February. November marks his eighth month on the Top Tours chart, and seventh in the top 10. - Billboard, 12/19/19...... 
Folk-rock icon Judy Collins has earned her first career No. 1 on any Billboard music chart, more than 55 years after she first reached a ranking. Collins's new holiday LP, 
Ozzy Osbourne has topped Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart with his latest song, "Under the Graveyard," the first single from his forthcoming studio album Ordinary Man. On Dec. 19, Osbourne unveiled the 