Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on February 28th, 2015

The first trailer for the new Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy with Paul Dano starring the Beach Boys leader has hit the Internet. John Cusack plays Wilson later in life, with Elizabeth Banks playing Wilson's wife Melinda Ledbetter, and Paul Giamatti as Dr. Eugene Landy, a scheming psychologist who pulled Wilson into his orbit during the '80s. According to the trailer, Love & Mercy will hit the big screen in June. In real life, Wilson is also working on a new album, No Pier Pressure, which is due in April. - Billboard, 2/26/15...... Aretha Franklin will be joining American Idol's live Motown-themed episodes in Detroit in early March as a guest menter, it was announced on Feb. 26. The shows, which will air on Mar 4 and 5, will have the cast whittled down to the top 16, performing at the Fillmore theater. The Queen of Soul will also perform on the show, having previously appeared on it via satellite during its season 12 finale. - Billboard, 2/26/15...... Led Zeppelin are on track to top the UK's Offical Album chart with their latest release, a deluxe reissue of their 1975 double-LP Physical Graffiti. Hitting stores on Feb. 23 to celebrate its 40th anniversary, Physical Graffiti has been remastered by Jimmy Page and features a bonus disc of seven previously unreleased tracks, which include rough mixes of the songs "In My Time Of Dying" and "Houses Of The Holy." Meanwhile in the US, Stevie Wonder has returned to the Top 40 of Billboard's Hot 200 albums chart following his Feb. 16 televised Grammy salute, Songs In the Key Of Life - An All-Star Grammy Salute. The greatest hits set zoomed back onto the Hot 200 with 11,000 units (up 205 percent), and it sold nearly 7,000 copies for the week (up 260 percent). Wonder's last appearance on the Top 40 was in November 2005 with his last studio LP, A Time to Love. - New Musical Express/Billboard, 2/26/15...... In other Billboard chart action, it appears rapper Drake is on the verge of breaking a record set by the Beatles 51 years ago with the Fab Four placed 14 songs simultaniously on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. With his surprise album If You're Reading This It's Too Late, which debut at No. 1 for the week of Feb. 28, Drake has charted 14 songs simultaneously on the chart, equaling the 14 titles that the Beatles placed on the Hot 100 dated April 11, 1964. - Billboard, 2/27/15...... In other Beatles-related news, Paul McCartney will be headlining the 2015 Firefly Music Festival in its fourth consecutive year at Dover, Del.'s International Speedway on June 18-21. General Admission passes go on sale March 2 via Firefly's official site, fireflyfestival.com. Meanwhile, Sir Paul's childhood home in Liverpool has sold for £150,000 at auction in Liverpool. Paul moved to the three-bedroom terraced house on Western Avenue with his parents at age four in 1947, and the family lived there for six years. The house was purchased for £50,000 more than its guide price by an anonymous bidder during an auction at the historic Cavern Club, which played host to some early Beatles gigs. "We are delighted to have sold such an iconic piece of The Beatles' and Liverpool's history," Andrew Brown, manager of Countrywide Property Auctions, said. Paul Beesley, a Beatles guide, says the house is important in Beatle lore because "it's where Paul spent his formative schoolboy years... He was exposed to music from an early age and his dad had a jazz band... Paul's first instrument was the trumpet." - NME, 2/27/15...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, a George Harrison memorial tree has been planted in a Los Angeles park to replace one that was killed by a beetle infestation in 2014. A yew pine honoring the late Beatles guitarist was planted on Feb. 25 in Griffith Park on what would have been Harrison's 72nd birthday. It was placed near the Griffith Observatory and replaces a Canary Island pine that was planted in 2004. A plaque near the tree site says it honors "a great humanitarian who touched the world as an artist, a musician and gardener." Harrison died in 2001. - AP, 2/26/15...... Yoko Ono, who recently celebrated her 82nd birthday by releasing two 10-inch vinyl records called "Antony & Yoko" and "Yoko Ono & John Zorn," has posted a letter on her website imaginepeace.com asking critics to "let me be free" and "please don't create another old person." "At my age I should be in a certain way. Please don't stop me being the way I am," Ono wrote. "I don't want to be old and sick like many others of my age. Please don't create another old person... Go to a classical concert, if you want to hear a "trained" voice. What I escaped from when I was very, very young. I created my own niche. If I tried to present you classic music it won't be what I created," she added. Ono's birthday also saw the release of a new book by Bob Gruen and Judy Denberg called See Hear Yoko. It includes black and white photos of the singer, as well as 25 years' worth of interviews. - NME, 2/24/15...... A UK court sentenced '70s glam-rock singer Gary Glitter to 16 years in prison on Feb. 27 after he was convicted of sexually abusing three young girls in the 1970s. The 70-year-old Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, showed no response after the verdict was handed down. He had been found guilty earlier in February of one count of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13. Glitter was arrested in October 2012 under Operation Yewtree, the national investigation British police launched in the wake of a child abuse scandal surrounding the late BBC entertainer Jimmy Savile. Glitter is best known for the hit "Rock & Roll (Part 2)," but he fell into disgrace after being convicted on child abuse charges in Vietnam. - AP, 2/27/15...... In related news, an investigation of veteran English pop singer Cliff Richard relating to claims of sexual assault has "increased significantly in size," a British lawmaker said on Feb. 25. In Aug. 2014, police questioned the 74-year-old Richard and searched one of his homes after receiving what they called "an allegation of a sexual nature." Richard, a fixture on the British pop scene since the late 1950s, has not been arrested or charged. He recorded hit singles in the pre-Beatles era and has been popular ever since, receiving a knighthood in 1995. Richard issued a statement on Feb. 25 calling the allegations "absurd and untrue." "I have never, in my life, assaulted anyone and I remain confident that the truth will prevail," he said, adding that he had cooperated fully with police. - AP, 2/25/15...... Veteran country music singer Charley Pride will launch his first UK tour in three years on Apr. 29 at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall. Pride, one of the few African-American country musicians to experience massive-market commercial success in the country music industry and one of the few African-American singers to be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, will also perform in London (5/2), Southend Cliffs (5/3), Birmingham (5/4) and Glasgow (5/6). - Noble PR, 2/25/15...... Classic Rock icons Whitesnake have announced they'll release their 12th studio album, The Purple Album, on May 19 via Fronteirs Music SRL. The Purple Album is a re-imagination of classic songs from frontman David Coverdale's time as the lead singer for Deep Purple's "Mark 3" and "Mark 4" studio albums. "It's a tribute. A homage. It's a huge thank you from me to Deep Purple for the opportunity I was given over 40 years ago," says Coverdale. "As I said to Richie [Blackmore], you guys set me on an incredible journey that continues today and I couldn't have asked for better teachers. The University of Deep Purple is an extraordinary, amazing school to learn from. We can't wait to play these songs in concert." Whitesnake will tour the US behind The Purple Album beginning on May 28 at the Quest Casino in Airway Heights, Wash. The will play 18 more American dates before wrapping on July 18 at the Star Plaza in Merrillville, Indiana. - Noble PR, 2/25/15...... Country musician and songwriter Bobby Emmons, who wrote hits for Waylon Jennings and George Strait and played on more than 100 chart hits as a session musician, died on Feb. 23 in a Nashville hospital, while being treated for an undisclosed illness. He was 72. The Mississippi-native was a mostly self-taught organ player and keyboardist who became a staple of the Memphis music scene and played on about 120 of chart hits between 1962 and 1972. Emmons' band's hit records included Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds," Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man," Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline," Merrilee Rush's "Angel of the Morning," B.J. Thomas' "Hooked on a Feeling," Joe Tex's "I Gotcha," Bobby Womack's "Fly Me To The Moon," and many more. As a songwriter, he had a number of successful tunes to his credit as well, for acts including Waylon Jennings ("Luckenbach, Texas," "Women Do Know How to Carry On" and "Wurlitzer Prize") George Strait ("So Much Like My Dad"), Tanya Tucker ("Love Me Like You Used To") and B.J. Thomas ("Help Me Make It to My Rockin' Chair"). - Billboard, 2/27/15..... Actor Leonard Nimoy, best known for his role as Mr. Spock in the Star Trek franchise, died at his home in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles on Feb. 27. He was 83. Mr. Nimoy was a heavy smoker earlier in his life, and his wife said his death was due to end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The star had been open about his condition, and spoke publicly about it in 2014. "Just can't walk distances. Love my life, family, friends and followers," he wrote on Twitter a week after announcing his diagnosis. Mr. Nimoy portrayed Mr. Spock for 40 years, reprising the role in 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture, 2009's Star Trek and 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness. Aside from his work as Spock, Nimoy sat in the director's chair, helming 3 Men And A Baby and Star Trek films like The Search For Spock and The Voyage Home. He was also an accomplished voice actor, and can be heard in two episodes of The Simpsons, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Transformers: The Movie, The Pagemaster, and dozens of other projects, including video games. More recently, he had a recurring role on the series, Fringe, as William Bell. Mr. Nimoy also released five albums via Dot Records, one of which borrowed from his days as Spock: Leonard Nimoy Presents Mr. Spock's Music From Outer Space. Mr. Nimoy had been hospitalized a few days before his death, and many of his former Star Trek co-stars, including George Takei, sent public well wishes. He had become active on Twitter in recent years, and wrote his last message on Feb. 23: "A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP" He is survived by his wife, two children from his first marriage to actress Sandra Zober, his stepson and grandchildren. - The Huffington Post, 2/27/15.

Cable news channel CNN announced on Feb. 22 it had picked up domestic broadcast rights to the recent Glen Campbell documentary, Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me. CNN says it will premiere the film in June, with an encore in November. Directed by James Keach, I'll Be Me was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song for "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," which was performed during the Feb. 22 Oscars ceremony by Tim McGraw and won a Grammy earlier in February for best country song. "This partnership will guarantee that millions of people will have the opportunity to see our movie and understand just how important it is to both raise awareness -- and find an end -- to Alzheimer's disease," said I'll Be Me producer Trevor Albert. Campbell, 78, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's four years ago and recently admitted to a long-term care facility in Nashville, and now his wife Kim says his condition has declined. "He has lost most of his ability to communicate, but he can say short phrases like, 'I love you,'" Kim says. "He likes to strum on the guitar a bit, and he still prays -- He's got a heart of gratitude and a positive attitude... He's cheerful and content." - The Hollywood Reporter/Billboard, 2/22/15...... The heirs of '70s reggae legend Bob Marley have scored a victory in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in their lawsuit against merchandisers who they say are confusing consumers about who was endorsing Marley T-shirts. Marley's heirs are behind a company called Fifty-Six Hope Road Music, which controls Marley's likeness for licensing endeavors. In 2008, Fifty-Six sued A.V.E.L.A. and others for using Marley photographs in merchandise sold at Target, Walmart and other large retailers. The company was ordered to pay more than 750,000 in profits in 2011, and an additional $300,000 in damages for interfering with the official licensing of Marley merchandise as well as attorney's fees. - Billboard, 2/20/15...... Fleetwood Mac's On With the Show tour has topped the Billboard Hot Tours chart for the week of Feb. 11-17, with shows at three arenas in Michigan, Quebec and Connecticut bringing in $3.8 million in sales from the veteran rock band's 2015 winter trek. The tour will continue its North American schedule of more than 80 concerts through April 14, wrapping in the Los Angeles market at the Forum in Inglewood. Fleetwood Mac will follow that with a two-night stand at London's O2 Arena on May 27. - Billboard, 2/20/15...... Brian Wilson has unveiled a new video for a song called "The Right Time" from his forthcoming LP No Pier Pressure. The clip was filmed in-studio during the track's recording and includes the song's lyrics. Cofounding BB member Al Jardine handles lead vocals, and the song also features a guitar contribution from early band member David Marks. The 13-track album is due for release on Apr. 7. - New Musical Express, 2/22/15...... Hall & Oates will premiere a their new live DVD Recorded Live from Dublin on Feb. 19 with a one-night-only theatrical screening on Feb. 19, with a DVD and Blu-ray release following on Mar. 31. The show was recorded at Dublin's Olympia Theatre, and Hall says there was "something about the room that was at that time very magical to me and very special." Hall & Oates have six spread-out live dates on their calendar for 2015, starting Feb. 26 in Bethlehem, Pa. Theater locations and other details for the screening of Recorded Live from Dublin can be found at FathomEvents.com. - Billboard, 2/18/15...... Longtime jazz musician Clark Terry has died at the age of 94. A native of St. Louis, Mr. Terry rose to fame as a sideman for two legends of swing/big band music, first performing with Count Basie between 1948-1951 and then Duke Ellington from 1951-1959, holding the distinction of being one of few who played in both bands. He made an even bigger impact in the 1960s as the first-ever African-American staff musician at NBC, where he spent 12 years as a featured horn player in NBC's The Tonight Show band. He released more than 80 albums as a bandleader and hundreds more as a sideman to jazz greats including Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Clifford Brown, Milt Jackson and Quincy Jones. Mr. Terry, who was admitted into hospice care earlier in Febrary, also organized countless camps and clinics. "Teaching jazz allows me to play a part in making dreams come true for aspiring musicians," he posted on his website. - The Hollywood Reporter, 2/22/15.

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on May 11th, 2022

Elvis Costello, Patti Smith and Mavis Staples were among the artists christening the new Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Okla., on May 5-7. Staples presented an invite-only performance on May 5, while Costello and Smith played public concerts on May 6 and 7, respectively. Two of the most memorable exhibits at the 29,000-square-foot museum and archives are multimedia installations dedicated to Dylan's songs "Tangled Up in Blue" and "Jokerman." At the first, visitors can see the notebooks with Dylan's original lyrics, as well as how he has changed lines of the 1975 song as he's performed it over the years. The second lets viewers trace key lyrics through 10 drafts of the 1984 "Jokerman," plus see a video of the musician playing a furious version with a punk band that year on Late Night with David Letterman. Together, they offer a view of Dylan as both a meticulous pen-and-paper songwriter and an improvising performer who keeps finding new meaning in his compositions onstage. In the entryway of the Dylan Center is an iron gate made by the artist himself, who is said to be otherwise uninvolved in the project and didn't attend a preview weekend. "We always wanted this to be very interactive," says Steven Jenkins, the Dylan Center's director. "We don't want this to be a dusty archive, but to bring it to life." Meanwhile, Bob Dylan's share of the rights from his superstar 1980s group The Traveling Wilburys has been purchased by the talent management company Primary Wave, the company announced on May 11. Under the deal, Primary Wave now owns Dylan's share of the master and neighboring rights royalties from the group's two studio albums and 2007 box set. Comprised of Dylan and fellow superstars George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, the group was founded when they gathered to record a B-side single with Harrison in 1988. They went on to record two full-length LPs: the three-times platinum Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 and the platinum-selling Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3. The group earned an Album of the Year nomination at the 1990 Grammys for Vol. 1, won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for the same album and received vast critical acclaim, but by the late '90s, their records faded out of print, creating a scarcity that continued until the release of their 2007 box set The Traveling Wilburys Collection. The release created a massive Wilburys resurgence, with the set reaching No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart and being certified gold by the RIAA. This is Primary Wave's first investment in the catalog of Dylan, whose entire song catalog sold to Universal Music Publishing Group in Dec. 2020 for a price estimated at between $375-400 million. - Billboard, 5/9/22...... As LGBTQ+ Pride Month approaches in June, Elton John is ready to celebrate the season with a headlining performance at the "Can't Cancel Pride 2022: Proud AND Together" fundraising concert at the iHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles and remotely from around the US. Sir Elton, Sam Smith, Katy Perry, Lizzo, Anitta, Dove Cameron, Betty Who, Kim Petras and others are set to appear at the June 14 event, which will be hosted by social media star JoJo Siwa. Along with performing at the fundraiser, John will also be receiving the first-ever Impact Award from P&G and iHeartRadio, honoring the pop/rock legend's continued humanitarian work through the Elton John AIDS Foundation. "Can't Cancel Pride 2022" will stream live on iHeartRadio's TikTok, YouTube, Facebook pages, iHeartRadio's PrideRadio.com and Revry on June 14 at 8 p.m. ET. The one-hour event will later be available on-demand until June 30. Proceeds from the event are set to go to organizations with "a track record of positive impact and support for LGBTQ people, including groups such as GLAAD, SAGE, The Trevor Project, the National Black Justice Coalition, CenterLink, and OutRight Action International. - Billboard, 5/11/22...... A new David Bowie tribute show called "Bowie: Oddity To Mars" will be held soon in the UK's largest planetarium at the National Space Centre, with four shows slated to go down later in May. The show will feature a live performance from the five-piece tribute band David Live -- named for Bowie's 1974 live album -- alongside projections of footage provided by NASA, and an additional visual element developed by the Space Centre's own in-house team. The show itself will celebrate the same stretch of Bowie's career that the Apollo program ran for, beginning with his 1969 self-titled LP and ending with The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022. The show will take place in the Space Centre's Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium -- the largest of its ilk in the UK -- on May 20 and 21. Two shows will be held on each evening, with tickets on sale now from the Space Centre's website. - New Musical Express, 5/10/22...... Diana Ross leads a roster of artists appearing on the soundtrack of the new Jack Antonoff-produced movie Minions: The Rise of Gru. Ross, Tame Impala, St. Vincent, H.E.R., Bleachers, Phoebe Bridgers and others cover such '70s artists as Lipps, Inc., The Carpenters, John Lennon, Sly and the Family Stone and Simon & Garfunkel in the latest installment of the Minions film franchise. A poster of the all the artists and songs involved can be viewed on Instagram, and The Minions: The Rise of Gru soundtrack will be released on July 1, the same date of the movie's theater-only release. - Billboard, 5/10/22...... '70s artists Hall & Oates and John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival will be among the headliners of the inaugural edition of the All In Music & Arts Festival on Labor Day weekend (Sept. 3-4) in Indianapolis, Indiana. Also featuring Cage the Elephant and Portugal, the event will take place at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on what producers promised will be an "intimate capacity footprint" for a show that will also feature sets from The Four Tops, Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs and Trampled by Turtles. In addition to premium local food and beverages, a beer garden with local craft brews and signature cocktails, organizers boast that the State Fairgrounds will feature easy access and parking and ample, clean permanent restroom facilities for all attendees. The festival will also offer a limited number of camping spots with water, power and sewer available at the permanent camping facilities on the State Fairgrounds available on a first-come, first-serve basis. - Billboard, 5/10/22...... A new documentary on Australian TV about late AC/DC frontman Bon Scott has been released and can be streamed on YouTube. The latest episode of the ABC documentary series Australian Story sees Scott's family and friends "provide fresh insights into his vulnerabilities and state of mind" before his tragic death aged 33 in 1980. The episode features the first ever interview with Scott's younger brother Derek Scott, along with insights from Jimmy Barnes, John Brewster of The Angels and Johnny Young of Young Talent Time. Brian Johnson, Scott's successor as lead singer of AC/DC, also provides an introduction to the 37-minute documentary. "Tonight's programme is about one of rock music's most iconic figures, my predecessor in the band, the late great Bon Scott," Johnson said. "There's a lot been written about the colourful life and the tragic death of Bon, and tonight we're going to hear from Bon's family for the first time in 40 years and others who haven't spoken publicly in decades." In 2021, on what would have been Scott's 75th birthday, his family launched a website featuring stories and tributes from renowned rock stars.- NME, 5/9/22...... The Taco Bell fast food franchise has announced it will be bringing back a long-lost item to its menu -- Mexican Pizza -- and to promote it is sponsoring an entire musical about it with none other than country music queen Dolly Parton. Taco Bell shared the news on its official Instagram feed on May 9, posting a photo of the mock playbill with the caption, "The ultimate encore. #MexicanPizzaTheMusical premiering live on TikTok 5/2". At the same time, Parton confirmed her involvement by showing off the top-secret script for the TikTok musical in her own post. "I'm making #MexicanPizzaTheMusical with @TacoBell #tacobellpartner," she wrote, adding, "Based on the true story of the internet losing its mind on its front cover." "Mexican Pizza: The Musical" premieres on TikTok on May 26. Meanwhile, in March it was announced Parton is also set to star in and produce a big screen adaptation of Run, Rose, Run, the 2022 novel she co-wrote with James Patterson. - Billboard, 5/9/22...... Speaking of musicals, the Michael Jackson jukebox musical "MJ" has received 10 Tony nominations as the 2022 Tony nods were announced on May 9. Among the nominations "MJ" has received are for Best Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Myles Frost), Best Direction of a Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Choreography, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical and Best Sound Design of a Musical. "Girl from the North Country," which features a score of classic Bob Dylan songs, was also nominated in the Best Musical category, along with Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical (Jeannette Bayardelle), Best Direction of a Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Orchestrations and Best Sound Design of a Musical. The 75th Annual Tony Awards, hosted by recent Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, will broadcast live coast to coast from Radio City Music Hall in New York on June 12, from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. ET/5:00 to 8:00 p.m., PT on CBS, and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+. - Billboard, 5/9/22...... In a new interview with People magazine, The Who's Pete Townshend reflects on the 1978 death of original Who drummer Keith Moon, saying he "tried everything" to keep him alive until Moon eventually overdosed on Heminevrin, a drug used to treat and prevent symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. He was 32 years old. "I tried everything," Townshend said. "I tried giving him money, I tried starving him of money. I tried sending him into rehab. I tried sending him to a guru weirdo, voodoo doctors." He continued: "I was obsessed with trying to keep Keith alive. It was quite clear that he was on a downward slide, and there was very little I could do. He was a very complicated character." Earlier in 2022, it was reported that the long-awaited biopic about Moon is set to begin shooting this summer. The new film project, which is provisionally called The Real Me after the Quadrophenia song, will be executive produced by Townshend and Who frontman Roger Daltrey. - NME, 5/6/22...... In related news, Queen guitarist Brian May has said he found it "weird and traumatizing" after hearing the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury's vocals after Mercury's death from AIDS in Nov. 1991 at age 45. Speaking to Elis James and John Robins on BBC Radio 5 Live's How Do You Cope podcast, he shared: "It was very weird. It was traumatising in itself. I spent hours and days and weeks working on little bits of Freddie's vocals. Listening to Freddie the whole day and the whole night. I'd have moments thinking, 'This is great... this sounds great Fre... Oh, you're not here.'" May, 74, also said he had to step away from the band's 1995 Made in Heaven project every so often to "recover" from the grief he was hit with. He continued: "It was quite difficult. You'd have to go away from it sometimes and recover and come back. But I felt this immense pride and joy in squeezing the last drops out of what Freddie left us." Despite the emotional ordeal of finishing the record, Brian says it's actually his favourite of their 15 studio albums. He said: "I still love that album. I think it's my favourite Queen album." May also revealed that, unlike many Queen fans, he tends to hide away on the anniversary of Mercury's death: "People do a lot of, sort of celebrating on the day of Freddie's death, but I don't want to and I don't feel I can. I'll celebrate his birthday, or the day we first got together, but the day of losing him will never be something I can put straight in my head. There was just nothing good about it." - Music-News.com, 5/11/22...... As the classic 1972 Rolling Stones LP Exile on Main St. turns 50 years old on May 12, several musicians have weighed in on the importance of the album that has been hailed as "the Rolling Stones' sprawling masterpiece." "It was obviously produced by people who took a lot of illegal substances," says Martin Fry of the British pop band ABC. He added: "It's my favourite Stones album, such a bizarre and funky record with so much diversity, from 'Tumbling Dice' to the almost gospel of 'I Just Want to See His Face'. There's a carefree magic unburdened by their status as world's biggest rock band. It's not particularly commercial, but it's elegant and beautiful. Mick Jagger's lyrics are fantastic." Grammy-nominated singer Valerie June added in the piece published in the UK paper The Guardian that she feels Exile is still relevant in the context of today's drug abuse in America. She said: "As someone raised in the African American south, the gospel and blues influences are so rich for me. I love the slow build of 'Shine a Light' and the bass. The song's about Brian Jones but also about drug addiction. To me, 50 years later, it speaks to today's opioid crisis in America and shines a light for them." Jones died aged 27 in 1969 when he drowned in a swimming pool after years of drug abuse. - Music-News.com, 5/10/22...... Former Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert has released a new book, Back to the Prairie: A Home Remade, A Life Rediscovered, in which she opens up about her decision to trade the Hollywood spotlight for a tranquil life with her husband of nine years, actor Timothy Busfield, at their rustic cottage in New York's Catskill Mountains. "I was always trying too hard to fit the mold that someone else wanted," says Gilbert, now nearly 50 years after her first days as "Half Pint" to Michael Landon's TV "Pa." "I'm finally happy in my own skin. I'm so grateful and relieved and so much happier." - People, 5/16/22...... Dennis Waterman, a stage and screen actor best known for The Sweeney and Minder, and for the song "I Could Be So Good For You," died on May 7 in a hospital in Spain of as yet undisclosed causes. He was 74. Born in 1948 in London, Waterman began his screen career as a child in 1960 in the drama Night Train for Inverness. In 1962 at the age of 14, he took the role of William Brown in the BBC TV series William, which was based on the Just William books by Richmal Crompton. In 1974, he began playing the character of Deputy Sergeant George Carter in Ian Kennedy Martin's action crime series The Sweeney. He later took the role of former boxer and bodyguard Terry McCann in Leon Griffiths' Minder, and, also sung its theme song "I Could Be So Good For You," which reached No. 3 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart in 1980. Three years later, he teamed up with the late George Cole for "What Are We Gonna Get 'Er Indoors," a novelty song based on their characters in Minder. The single peaked at No. 21 in the U.K. Subsequent screen credits include BBC1 comedy series On the Up and Stay Lucky and The Knock for ITV. More recently, he starred as Gerry Standing in the police procedural New Tricks. Waterman released three albums during his career, including Downwind of Angels in 1976 and So Good For You in 1980. The actor is survived by his wife Pam and children Hannah, who is an actress; and Julia Waterman. - The Hollywood Reporter, 5/9/22...... The 1998-2006 Fox sitcom That '70s Show is getting a spinoff in the form of That '90s Show. Most of That '70s Show's actors, including Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Topher Grace, Laura Prepon and Wilmer Valderrama, will be putting in an appearance in the new Netflix series which takes place in 1995 and focuses on the daughter of Eric (Grace) and Donna (Prepon). The new series is executive-produced by The '70s Show's Red and Kitty (Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp), who will also star That '90s Show. - People, 5/16/22...... Debuting on the Paramount+ streaming channel on Apr. 28, The Offer is a behind-the-scenes saga of how the iconic 1972 movie The Godfather was made. The 10-part series takes a fairly nuts-and-bolts, men-in-suits approach to how the pulpy bestseller by Mario Puzo was transformed into a true epic by director Francis Ford Coppola. It's told mostly from the perspective of producer Albert S. Ruddy (played with swaggering confidence by Miles Teller), who would win the Oscar for Godfather but at that point was best known as the co-creator of Hogan's Heroes. - TV Guide, 5/9/22...... Country star Mickey Gilley, whose namesake Texas honky-tonk inspired the 1980 film Urban Cowboy and a nationwide wave of Western-themed nightspots, died on May 7 in Branson, Mo., after a recent bout of failing health. He was 86. He passed peacefully with his family and close friends by his side," according to a statement from Mickey Gilley Associates. Mr. Gilley -- cousin of rock 'n' roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis -- opened Gilley's, "the world's largest honky tonk," in Pasadena, Tex., in the early 1970s. By mid-decade, he was a successful club owner and had enjoyed his first commercial success with "Room Full of Roses." He began turning out country hits regularly, including "Window Up Above," "She's Pulling Me Back Again" and the honky-tonk anthem "Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time." Overall, he had 39 Top 10 country hits and 17 No. 1 songs. He received six Academy of Country Music Awards, and also worked on occasion as an actor, with appearances on Murder She Wrote, The Fall Guy, Fantasy Island and The Dukes of Hazzard. A Natchez, Miss., native, Mr. Gilley grew up poor, learning boogie-woogie piano in Ferriday, La., alongside Lewis and fellow cousin Jimmy Swaggart, the future evangelist. Like Lewis, he would sneak into the windows of Louisiana clubs to listen to rhythm and blues. He moved to Houston to work construction but played the local club scene at night and recorded and toured for years before catching on in the '70s. "I thank John Travolta every night before bed for keeping my career alive," Mr. Gilley told the AP in 2002. "It's impossible to tell you how grateful I am for my involvement with Urban Cowboy. That film had a huge impact on my career, and still does." The soundtrack included such hits as Johnny Lee's "Lookin' for Love," Boz Scaggs' "Look What You've Done for Me" and Mr. Gilley's version of "Stand by Me." The movie turned the Pasadena club into an overnight tourist draw and popularized pearl snap shirts, longneck beers, the steel guitar and mechanical bulls across the country. But the club shut down in 1989 after Mr. Gilley and his business partner Sherwood Cryer feuded over how to run the place. A fire destroyed it soon after. An upscale version of the old Gilley's nightclub opened in Dallas in 2003. In recent years, Mr. Gilley moved to Branson and had suffered health problems. He underwent brain surgery in Aug. 2008 after specialists diagnosed hydrocephalus, a condition characterized by an increase in fluid in the cranium. Mr. Gilley had been suffering from short-term memory loss, and credited the surgery with halting the onset of dementia. He underwent more surgery in 2009 after he fell off a step, forcing him to cancel scheduled performances in Branson. In 2018, he sustained a fractured ankle and fractured right shoulder in an automobile accident. "If I had one wish in life, I would wish for more time," Mr. Gilley told the AP in 2001 as he celebrated his 65th birthday. Not that he'd do anything differently. "I am doing exactly what I want to do. I play golf, fly my airplane and perform at my theater in Branson, Missouri. I love doing my show for the people," he said. Mr. Gilley was married three times, most recently to Cindy Loeb Gilley. He had four children, three with his first wife, Geraldine Garrett, and one with his second, Vivian McDonald. - The Associated Press, 5/7/22.

To celebrate the May 13 release of their live double CD set Live at the El Mocambo, the Rolling Stones have shared two more previously unheard songs off the album on YouTube. "Tumbling Dice" and "Hot Stuff" feature on the live album recorded in Mar. 1977 during the band's secret concerts at the 300-capacity Toronto club El Mocambo. The 23-track album will also be available on 4xLP Black Vinyl, 4xLP Neon Vinyl and digitally. The Stones are also celebrating their 60th anniversary in their native UK in 2022 with a special BBC docuseries and radio programme featuring exclusive interviews with the band members. The four-part series My Life As A Rolling Stone will air on on BBC Two and iPlayer this summer, with each one-hour episode dedicated to the legendary rock band's four members: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and the late Charlie Watts. Also featuring across the episodes will be the likes of Rod Stewart, Steven Tyler, Tina Turner and Chrissie Hynde. - New Musical Express, 5/6/22...... On May 4 the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced which of this this year's nominees will be inducted into their Class of 2022. Rock hitmakers Pat Benatar and her collaborator husband Neil Giraldo, new wave chart-toppers Duran Duran, hip-hop heavyweight Eminem, synth-pop duo Eurythmics, country legend Dolly Parton, R&B hitmaker Lionel Richie and pop singer-songwriter Carly Simon will be inducted at the 2022 ceremony set for Nov. 5 in Los Angeles. Additionally, heavy metal fixtures Judas Priest and songwriting/production powerhouse duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are also joining the Rock Hall with the "award for musical excellence" (which was originally titled the "sidemen" category when it debuted). Judas Priest is the second band to receive the award for musical excellence; the E Street Band was the first. Under the "early influence award" category, the "King of Calypso" Harry Belafonte and folk and blues legend Elizabeth Cotten are joining the RRHOF. Allen Grubman, Jimmy Iovine and Sylvia Robinson are the recipients of this year's Ahmet Ertegun Award. Parton's induction comes after she turned down her nomination for induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March. "Even though I'm extremely flattered and grateful to be nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I don't feel that I have earned that right," the country/pop superstar said on social media during the voting period. "I really do not want votes split because of me, so I must respectfully bow out." She later shared in an interview with NPR that she would "accept gracefully." Now that she's officially in, Dolly is doing just what she said she would. "I am honored and humbled by the fact that I have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Of course I will accept gracefully," she said in a statement shared to her social media accounts. "Thanks to everyone that voted for me and to everyone at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I will continue to work hard and try to live up to the honor. Love, Dolly." Artists are eligible for RRHOF nomination 25 years after their first commercial recording came out. Of the 2022 class, Eminem, Duran Duran, Richie, Simon and Parton see induction after appearing on the ballot just once. This is also Eminem's first year of eligibility; 2022 marked the second nomination for Eurythmics and Benatar. The 37th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place on Nov. 5 at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, with a radio simulcast on SiriusXM's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame radio channel. The event will also air a later date on HBO and stream on HBO Max. - Billboard, 5/4/22...... A federal appeals court ruled on May 4 that the heirs of songwriter Hugo Peretti, who penned the iconic 1961 Elvis Presley song "Can't Help Falling In Love," aren't allowed to win back control of the rights to the song from Authentic Brands Group, a major brand management company that also owns the rights to Elvis's name and likeness. In a complex decision that recounted decades of history, the appeals court ruled that a key 1983 agreement had, crucially, only sold away Peretti's heirs' future right to renew the copyright -- and not the songwriter's actual existing rights to the song. Since the termination right only applies to deals signed by creators themselves, the court said, the provision did not apply to the deal that sold away "Can't Help." "Congress made a deliberate choice not to provide for termination rights in the situation at hand," U.S. Circuit Judge Gerard Lynch wrote for the appeals court. "Perhaps the Peretti family could have negotiated a better deal in 1983. But the statute does not give the Perettis the right to do so now," he added. Presley's chart-topping 1961 recording was later covered by Bob Dylan and many others, including country singer Kacey Musgraves who is set to release a new cover of the track for the upcoming Baz Luhrmann-directed Elvis biopic due out in June. - Billboard, 5/5/22...... A museum honoring Bob Dylan will hold its grand opening in Tulsa, Okla., on May 7 with such celebrities as Elvis Costello, Patti Smith and Mavis Staples attending, but not the famous rock bard himself. The Bob Dylan Center will offer an immersive film experience, performance space, a studio where visitors can play producer and "mix" different elements of instrumentation in Dylan's songs. A curated tour is also being offered where people can take a musical journey through the stages of the Nobel laureate's career. The archive has more than 100,000 items, with many accessed only by scholars through an appointment. Museum creators said they wanted to build an experience both for casual visitors who might not know much of Dylan's work and for the truly fanatical. Dylan designed and built a 16-foot high metal sculpture that will be displayed at the entrance to the museum, but otherwise, he had nothing to do with the museum's design. While the center's subject and namesake has an open invitation to come anytime, his absence seems perfectly in character, said Steven Jenkins, the center's director. "I don't want to put words in his mouth," Jenkins said. "I can only guess at his reasoning. Maybe he would find it embarrassing." Oddly, Dylan was just in Tulsa three weeks ago for a date on his concert tour, sandwiched in between Oklahoma City and Little Rock. He didn't ask for a look around. Dylan, due to turn 81 on May 24, is still performing onstage in a show devoted primarily to his most recent material, which includes "Murder Most Foul," a nearly 17-minute rumination on the Kennedy assassination and celebrity. The Bob Dylan Center will be open to the public on May 10. - AP, 5/6/22...... In other Dylan-related news, a new music video for the singer/songwriter's classic 1965 track "Subterranean Homesick Blues" was released on May 6 to celebrate his 60 years as a Columbia Records recording artist. The arrival of the "Subterranean Homesick Blues 2022" video on YouTube is accompanied by the launch of a new Dylan60 microsite, which is housing the clip along with an interactive Augmented Reality (AR) lens filter. The new video pays homage to original iconic video for his 1965 track, which formed the opening sequence of director D.A. Pennebaker's Don't Look Back documentary. Inspired by the handwritten cue cards that Dylan reels off in the original clip, a host of famous names and creative figures have now contributed a set of new visuals for this updated remake. The likes of Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Noel Fielding, Jim Jarmusch, John Squire, Bobby Gillespie and Julian House, among others, have all visually reinterpreted or redesigned a cue card for "Subterranean Homesick Blues 2022." Dylan fans can also experience the aforementioned AR lens filter on Instagram and Snapchat, allowing users to try on a virtual pair of Dylan's Ray-Ban sunglasses while a select 10-second loop, "Subterranean Homesick Blues 2022," plays in the lenses. - New Musical Express, 5/6/22...... In a new interview with New Musical Express about her new first-ever acoustic album, Changeup, Joan Jett shrugged off Ted Nugent's potshot at her earlier in 2022 that she should not be included in Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Rock Guitarists. "Is that his implication? That he should be on the list instead of me?," Jett asked dryly. "Well, that's just typical -- it's what I've dealt with my whole life, being written off. Ted Nugent has to live with being Ted Nugent. He has to be in that body, so that's punishment enough." Jett, who has never been one to pull punches, then dug up the infamous story about Nugent allegedly dodging the Vietnam War draft by loading up on junk food so he would have a load in his pants in an attempt to fail the physical. "He's not a tough guy. He plays tough guy, but this is the guy who s-t his pants - literally - so he didn't have to go in the Army," Jett said of the infamous story Nugent told High Times magazine in 1977 about his attempt to get a "4-F" designation" to avoid serving his country. Nugent denied the story in a 2018 interview with Spotify's Joe Rogan, in which he claimed he made the whole story up to mess with the magazine. The myth-debunking site Snopes.com dug around and reportedly found out that Ted was, indeed given an "unfit for service" 4-F designation for unspecified reasons after obtaining two student deferments. "So this is the tough guy who's running around America, stirring things up against each other," Jett added about Nugent. - Billboard, 5/4/22...... Reliably liberal outspoken divas Cher and Bette Midler are among the many music artists reacting on social media on May 3 after a majority draft opinion to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court was leaked by Politico.com, indicating an end to women's rights to seek safe, legal abortions in the United States. "REPUBLICANS MAY HAVE FINALLY GOTTEN THEIR WISH AFTER 49 YEARS," Cher tweeted in all caps, later on adding "DEATH DUE 2 BACK ALLY ABORTION." "If they strike down this amendment, what is to stop them from striking down others that conservatives don't agree with?," Bette Midler asked in the first of her two tweets. "#SCOTUS has revealed itself to be just another political tool, as the three new unabashedly biased conservatives plus the old push the court to undermine women's rights. Shameful. They will never recover from this; it's right up there with #DredScott and #PlessyVFerguson," she added in a second tweet. E Street Band guitarist Stevie Van Zandt tweeted that "For 40 years I've been telling the progressive intelligencia to stop using the word abortion. Because it's never been the issue. The issue is FUNDAMENTAL WOMEN'S EQUAL RIGHTS! Using the word abortion creates and demands the equal passion of anti-abortion. And now it's too late." Lynda "Wonder Woman" Carter simply offered three words of encouragement: "Never give up." - Billboard, 5/3/22...... Stevie Wonder has received countless awards for both his music and his work in advancing social justice, but the one he is set to get from the Legal Defense Fund on May 10 is especially meaningful. The Motown icon is set to receive the inaugural Icon Award at the 34th National Equal Justice Awards Dinner on May 10 at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation's first civil and human rights law organization and was founded under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall, who in 1967 became the first Black associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. LDF's signature event is an opportunity to recognize and honor leaders in law, the arts, business, and philanthropy who have demonstrated a commitment to the promotion of racial justice and equality. The evening will also serve as an opportunity to celebrate the civil rights work that has been accomplished by LDF over the past year. This year's theme will be "Truth Is Power," and the evening will feature video messages from former first lady Michelle Obama and civil rights activist and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. In addition, the Dance Theater of Harlem will present two performances. Meanwhile in other Stevie Wonder-related news, Elton John has closed his music video for his new single "Finish Line" with a vintage clip of a much younger Elton performing for a cheering crowd alongside a much younger Stevie Wonder. More clips of John and Wonder laughing, talking and performing are interspersed in the video, which has been shared on YouTube, between feel-good snippets that look like they were taken straight from your dad's old video camera. "Finish Line" is a standout track from John's 2021 album The Lockdown Sessions, which in addition to Wonder also features contributions from Stevie Nicks, Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus, Brandi Carlile and Eddie Vedder, among others. - Billboard, 5/2/22...... In 1977 The Sex Pistols made their definitive statement during Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee celebrations with the incendiary single "God Save The Queen." Dropped by their record label A&M in the midst of controversy after just 6 days, the label destroyed 25,000 copies of "God Save The Queen," making the handful of copies remaining, ultra rare collectibles. Now, as the country prepares for another royal Jubilee, the single is back. Just 1,977 copies of the re-released A&M version, in honor of the original 1977 release date, will be available. The Sex Pistols then signed to Virgin and officially released the single, which was banned by the BBC and reached Number 1 on the UK's NME chart, but appeared at N. on the Official UK Singles chart, leading to accusations that the song was purposely kept off the top spot. For the only time in chart history, the track was listed as a blank, to avoid offence to the establishment. Virgin Records will celebrate this with 4,000 copies of their label's re-release made available for sale to fans. Both versions recreate original artwork, with the A&M edition featuring its generic company sleeve and pressed on silver/platinum vinyl. The Virgin single has the absolutely iconic Sex Pistols artwork designed by Jamie Reid. - Music-News.com, 5/3/22...... It has been revealed that Ozzy Osbourne's wife Sharon Osbourne and the couple's youngest daughter Kelly Osbourne have tested positive for Covid-19 days after Ozzy was diagnosed with the disease. Sharon appeared virtually on her brand-new U.K. show The Talk on May 2 and told host Jeremy Kyle that the virus has spread throughout her household as she gave an update on Ozzy's health. "He's doing much better thank you. His temperature is now back to normal, his coughing has stopped. He's doing much better," she said. "But I've got some news to share. My daughter Kelly has it, I have it, and the entire household has it now." When Jeremy asked if Ozzy will now look after her, she laughed and replied, "Maybe, we'll see. I feel OK actually." Sharon will remotely appear on The Talk, which airs every weekday night, until she is able to return to London. - Music-News.com, 5/3/22...... Van Morrison has released a new track titled "Dangerous" which appears to reference the Irish musician's ongoing feud with Robin Swann, the Northern Ireland Minister Of Health. In Nov. 2021, Swann filed a defamation lawsuit against Morrison over comments he had made regarding Covid-19 earlier in 2021. During a pre-show dinner event in Belfast in June, Morrison branded Swann "very dangerous" in a response to Swann criticizing him for his anti-lockdown stance in a 2020 op-ed, in which he said Morrison's words "will give great comfort to the conspiracy theorists." On Apr. 29 Morrison released "Dangerous," the third single from his upcoming 43rd studio album What's It Gonna Take?, which is due to arrive on May 20 via Exile Productions/Virgin. The almost 8-minute number includes the lines: "Somebody said I was dangerous/ I said something bad, it must have been good." Later, Morrison tells this listener that he "was just looking for the evidence" and asks for "proof." The single is available for streaming on YouTube. - NME, 5/2/22...... ABBA have previewed their upcoming "ABBA Voyage" shows by sharing a series of amazingly realistic official images of the pop quartet. After sharing a dazzling first trailer for the production late in 2021, the foursome have now revealed four new photos -- one for each "digital" member of the band: Agnetha Flatskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The upcoming "Voyage" gigs will see the so-called "ABBAtars" performing alongside a 10-piece live band at a new purpose-built 3,000-capacity venue called ABBA Arena. "ABBA Voyage" kicks off on May 27 at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. ABBA returned with their first album in 40 years, Voyage, in Nov. 21. The LP went platinum within the first month of its release, while ABBA also received their first-ever Grammy nomination; their single "I Still Have Faith In You" was up for the UK's "Record Of The Year" prize. Additionally, the long-awaited album reached Number One in the UK and became the fastest-selling vinyl of the century. Bjorn Ulvaeus recently told London's Sunday Times that he expected other musicians to be watching the "Voyage" show closely. "Lots of artists are going to be studying us, definitely," he said. "I won't name names, but I can think of a few." - NME, 5/4/22...... Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters joined forces with the contemporary female singing duo Lucius during the latter's gig at New York's Beacon Theatre on May 4 for a performance the Floyd classic "Mother" from The Wall. The duo, made up of Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, have previously toured with Waters, who was formerly the bassist/vocalist in Pink Floyd. The Lucius/Waters acoustic performance of "Mother" has been shared on YouTube. - NME, 5/6/22...... A new documentary about Brian Eno is in the works by director Gary Hustwit, who has previously worked on films about Mavis Staples (Mavis!) and Wilco (I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco). Hustwit's official website now features a page for a documentary called Eno, which is described as "the definitive career-spanning, multi-platform documentary about visionary musician and artist Brian Eno." Hustwit says he was given access to hundreds of hours of previously unseen footage and unreleased music from Eno's archive to make the doc, which will be released in multiple versions and "will employ groundbreaking generative technology in its creation and exhibition." The film will, according to the website, "offer a deep dive into subjects that Eno has been notably passionate about, such as sustainability, social equity, and the future of civilisation, while centring above all on the nature of creativity." - NME, 5/2/22...... Ric Parnell, the drummer best known for playing in the heavy metal parody band Spinal Tap, died on Apr. 30. He was 70 years old. While Parnell became well-known for playing Mick Shrimpton, the doomed drummer of the fictional hard-rock act who happens to, well, literally explode onstage during the film, he brought bona fide musicianship to the role as the drummer for prog-rock group Atomic Rooster from 1970 to 1973, followed by stints with Italian bands Tritons and Ibis, short-lived pop-rock group Stars, and Italian/British jazz fusion act Nova. At one point, Journey frontman Steve Perry purportedly offered Parnell a spot in the lineup of his platinum-selling hard rock band, but he turned down the opportunity to focus on working with his own studio band, Zoo Drive. Prior to his big break in the This Is Spinal Tap film, he was also credited on Toni Basil's 1981 debut album Word of Mouth. Though the LP peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart upon its release, Parcell's work behind the drum kit included the famous, cheerleader-ready boom-clap drumbeat of the Hot 100 Singles chart No. 1 hit "Mickey." Parnell played on Spinal Tap's 1984 self-titled debut as well as their 1992 sophomore effort Break Like the Wind. His other credits included 1985's 3 Ships by Jon Anderson of Yes. "Ric Parnell, our drummer in This is Spinal Tap, passed away today. No one ever rocked harder," Spinal Tap member Harry Shearer posted on Twitter. - Billboard, 5/2/22.

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on December 22nd, 2024

To paraphrase a lyric by Michael McDonald in "What a Fool Believes," the Yacht Rock genre "has a place in our lives." The smooth-sounding genre, a mix of pop rock with jazz and R&B melodies, mostly consists of songs popular in the late 1970s and early '80s (think McDonald, Christopher Cross and Kenny Loggins, for example). It's explored in Yacht Rock: A Documentary, a new Music Box doc which premiered on MAX on Dec. 11. Yes, the genre's name is silly -- but that's because it came from a low-budget 2005 comedy webseries that was also responsible for reigniting passion for the style. "I thought it was so unique that you have this 'genre' invented 25 years after this music was dominating the pop charts," says director Garret Price, who features interviews with McDonald and Cross, as well as newer musicians such as Questlove and Mac DeMarco, in his film. "While the name originated from comedy, the music itself was anything was a joke," he adds. A joke? That's what a fool believes. - TV Guide, 12/9/24...... Seventies artists Frankie Valli, The Clash and Prince are among the artists who were selected to receive lifetime achievement awards from the Grammy's Recording Academy in 2025. As a member of The Four Seasons, Valli was nominated for a best new artist Grammy in 1963, but lost to Broadway star Robert Goulet. Valli, 90, has been nominated for five competitive Grammys, for both Four Seasons and solo works, but has yet to win. His 1967 swoon-classic "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" was nominated for two Grammys. He received his most recent nod as a featured artist on the Grease soundtrack, which was nominated for album of the year, and his sleek and sexy recording of Barry Gibb's title song became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Formed in 1976 in the vanguard of British punk, The Clash were pioneers in integrating elements of militant reggae, dub, funk, jazz, and hip-hop into their music. The Clash won their sole Grammy in 2003 -- best long form music video for "Westway to the World." That same year, the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Their classic LP London Calling was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007. Frontman Joe Strummer, who died in 2002, is being honored with this lifetime achievement award along with fellow band members Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Nick "Topper" Headon, all of whom are now 69. Prince, who died in 2016 at age 57, won seven Grammys and an Oscar (best original song score for Purple Rain), and three of his albums -- 1999, Purple Rain and Sign o' the Times -- have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 in his first year of eligibility and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2024. Other lifetime achievement award recipients include Frankie Beverly, Dr. Bobby Jones, Taj Mahal and Roxanne Shante. Those honored with trustees awards include producer/engineer Glyn Johns, known for his work with The Who, The Faces and The Eagles and "Misty" songwriter Erroll Garner. The awards will be presented during Grammy Week at the Special Merit Awards Ceremony on Feb. 1 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles. - Billboard, 12/20/24...... In other awards news, Elton John is among the artists shortlisted for the 2025 Oscars for best original song by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Dec. 17. John and Brandi Carlile are shortlisted for co-writing "Never Too Late," the title song of Elton's new documentary Elton John: Never Too Late. Eno, documentary about legendary British musician Brian Eno, was also shortlisted for an Oscar for best documentary feature, however the Elton John: Never Too Late documentary failed to make the shortlist. Nominations will be announced Jan. 17, and the 97th Oscars will be held on Mar. 2, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide. The show will also stream live on Hulu for the first time. - Billboard, 12/17/24...... Speaking of Elton John, the Rocket Man revealed during his Dec. 18 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that "the juices have never dried up" and his creative drive remains as strong as ever. "They never want to dry up because I'm always looking to create things. It's just having the space now to do it at my own time. Of course there will be new Elton John music," he said to cheers from the crowd. His "Never Too Late" collaborator joined him during the interview. The two shared stories about their friendship and creative process, including how Brandi's heartfelt letter to Elton sparked their relationship. Elton described their bond, saying, "I was doing a residency in Vegas at the time, so I asked her to come to Vegas and I played and sang on the record and as soon as I saw her, I became friends with her. It was like I'd known her all my life." Elton and Carlile's full Late Show interview can be watched on YouTube. Meanwhile, a new waxwork of Sir Elton was unveiled by Madame Tussauds London on Dec. 20. The new figure depicts a moment from the musician's high-flying early days, when America came calling and the artist was at the peak of his powers -- out in space and at his gravity-defying best. The attraction, which can be viewed on the LondonLive X page, is styled from Elton's legendary 1975 Midsummer Music one-day festival at Wembley Stadium -- hands on the key, bejewelled jumpsuit, flamboyant glasses, and platform-shoed feet in the air. "Capturing Elton's phenomenal stage presence -- and that iconic keyboard handstand -- in figure form is quite the challenge, and the result is one of our most technically ambitious figures to date," Madame Tussauds London general manager Steve Blackburn said in a statement. In still more Elton news, the 78-year-old pop superstar unveiled a brand new video for his holiday classic, "Step Into Christmas," on Dec. 18. In the video, actress/model Cara Delevingne takes on the lead role as 1970s Elton. In the Dan French-directed clip, the 1973 yuletide song is given new life when Delevingne slips on a pair of John's signature flashy shades and colorful, quilted bell-bottom suit with high-heeled boots to lip synch along to the jaunty ditty that has long been an upbeat antidote to the melancholy, wistful sounds of other Christmas standards. The new (and old) "Step Into Christmas" videos can be streamed on YouTube. - Billboard, 12/18/24....... Over 30 minutes of rare Black Sabbath footage from their 1976 "Technical Ecstacy" tour has now emerged online available for fans to view. The newly unearthed live film was shot at the iconic metal band's show at the Selland Arena in Fresno, California on Nov. 9, 1976. The venue held a 10,000 capacity and saw the likes of Bob Segar & The Silver Bullet Band and Boston open for the group. The footage shows a young, fresh-faced Ozzy Osbourne dominating the stage while adorned in what appears to be a navy blue jacket with a long white fringe hanging down across its wingspan. Of the night's 14-song set, the newly released footage only shows Sabbath's performances of "Symptom Of The Universe," "Snowblind," "All Moving Parts (Stand Still)," "War Pigs," "Gypsy" and "Children Of The Grave" -- with the latter song previously available on YouTube for a few years now. The rare footage can be checked out on YouTube. - New Musical Express, 12/18/24...... A Dec. 20 press release from the Bruce Springsteen camp has revealed the 75-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend will be extending his global tour with the E Street Band, as well as celebrating some milestones and dusting off unheard gems from the archives. "Upcoming releases in 2025 will include a look back at Springsteen's storied recoding career, featuring never-before-heard material," read the release, which did not specify when the songs are from or what format they will be released in. In 1998, Springsteen dropped the hefty four-disc box set Tracks, which featured 66 songs, mostly never-before-released, as well as b-sides, demos and alternate versions of previously released material. It also noted that the New Jersey rocker will "continue his involvement" in the upcoming biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere, in which The Bear star Jeremy Allen White will portray a young Bruce. A celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Boss's landmark album Born To Run is also on tap for 2025, along with a 45th anniversary marking of 1980's The River and he 30th anniversary of the Grammy-winning acoustic folk rock album The Ghost of Tom Joad and the 20th of 2005's Devils & Dust. Bruce and the band will kick off a spring/summer run of European dates in the spring in Manchester, UK on May 14. The tour will include stops in France, Germany, the Czech Republic and Spain before winding down on July 3 in Milan, Italy at San Siro Stadium. - Billboard, 12/20/24...... Paul McCartney was joined by his Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood on the final night McCartney's global "Got Back"' tour at London's The O2 arena on Dec. 19. After honoring his late bandmate John Lennon during "I've Got A Feeling," McCartney said to a giddy crowd, "We've got another surprise for you. Bring to the stage the mighty, the one and only Mr Ringo Starr." The pair hugged on stage before McCartney quipped, "Should we rock? Get on your kit lad" to Ringo before the two jammed on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" and "Helter Skelter." Wood also appeared onstage during the show, playing guitar on "Got Back." McCartney introduced the song by talking about his old Höfner bass guitar that was stolen over 50 years ago, and was eventually returned after a public appeal. Holding the Höfner onstage, McCartney revealed that it was the bass' first stage appearance since it had gone missing: "I haven't played it in 50 years." There was also a festive surprise with a performance of his 1979 song "Wonderful Christmastime," accompanied by the Capital Choir who provided backing vocals on the song as snow confetti filled the venue. McCartney, who looked visibly emotional at the conclusion of "Now and Then," the 'final' Beatles song released in 2023 which was completed through the use of assistive AI, has no more shows lined up in the near future, but promised the crowd at the conclusion that "we'll see you again soon." His performance with Ringo has been shared on YouTube. - Billboard, 12/20/24...... In other Beatles news, whisky maker Ballantine's has launched limited-edition John Lennon and Elton John celebratory whiskies just in time for the holidays. The new duo of limited-edition bottle designs which have been crafted to capture the essence of Lennon and John are the latest addition to Ballantine's True Music Icons collection, which previously saw the whisky company pay tribute to the likes of AC/DC and Queen. The new editions not only honour Lennon and John for their contributions to music, but also celebrate their friendship which was highlighted by the former Beatle's single "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night" featuring pair's iconic performance together in New York City's Madison Square Garden back in 1974, 50 years ago. Lennon's edition of the Whisky sees his self-portrait sketch logo on the bottle's label, while John's edition features a blue label with a holographic 'E' star logo as well as a drawing of his legendary 1975 performance at Dodger Stadium. The whiskies can be purchased at the ballantines.com website. - NME, 12/17/24...... John Lennon's son Julian Lennon has undergone emergency following a skin cancer diagnosis. Julian recently took to Instagram to reveal his recent health scare, explaining that he had been on the way to New York for a Good Morning America appearance and press junket in support of his latest book, Life's Fragile Moments, when he received word from Dr. Tess Mauricio that melanoma had been discovered on his skin. "So instead of going home to put my Christmas tree up and happily finish the year off, relaxing at home, I flew directly back to Los Angeles, after all my work in New York was done, and went directly from LAX airport, to surgery, with a surgeon recommended by Dr Tess, [Dr. Tim Neavin] -- who spent several hours cleaning up and operating on me, with large margins, in the hope that we have, at the end of the day -- clear margins, which would mean being free from cancer," Lennon wrote. "The operation was a success, but we have yet to have the results of the biopsy, which we may not receive before Christmas." As he continued his post, he shared his gratitude for his medical team for their fast work at coordinating such rapid surgery and for "hopefully saving my life." "One can never be too confident in circumstances like this, but we all believe that Dr Tim has saved the day. So fingers crossed for now," he wrote, concluding with "this is also a timely reminder to all, to please get yourself checked out by your doctor... and you may just be saving your own life." Lennon's fittingly-titled latest book, Life's Fragile Moments, was released earlier in December as is his first photography collection, and features stills taken over two decades, including landscapes, urban scenes, and intimate portraits. - Billboard, 12/19/24...... Blondie have announced the release of a new album in 2025, with production helmed by Grammy-winning producer John Congleton. The news was shared on social media by guitarist and co-founder Chris Stein, who posted a black-and-white photo of lead singer Debbie Harry and Congleton in the studio on Bluesky, accompanied by the caption, "With John Congleton. New Blondie record next year." The new album will mark the band's first album since 2017's Pollinator, also produced by Congleton. That record earned critical acclaim and featured collaborations with artists like Joan Jett, Charli XCX and Johnny Marr. Known for his work with St. Vincent and Angel Olsen, Congleton's involvement hints at a modern, innovative approach for Blondie's upcoming release. - Billboard, 12/19/24...... To honor what would have been the 83rd birthday of Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White on Dec. 19, Maurice's younger brother Verdine White With its vibrant fusion of R&B, soul and pop, "Superman" is immediately reminiscent of EWF's legendary zeitgeist. As Verdine expresses in a pleasing tenor (the first time that the group's renowned bassist is singing solo) on the song's chorus, "More than any other/ He would always understand/ He called me his little brother / I called him Superman." "Would you believe this is my first time [singing solo]," White says. "I was nervous, but it turned out beautifully. Now that the pressure is off, I think I'll do more." Still going strong 55 years after it 1969 inception, EWF hit the road earlier in 2024 year for a string of solo shows in addition to joint shows with Lionel Richie and Chicago. In 2025, the group will play the Hollywood Bowl on July 2, 3 and 4. Also in the works is an EWF documentary directed by Questlove. Asked how Maurice would react to "Superman," White says, "I think he'd chuckle and say, 'Man, I didn't know you could sing like that.'" A video of "Superman," which features photos and clips of Maurice, can be streamed on YouTube. - Billboard, 12/19/24...... Unheard and unreleased music from Michael Jackson has been uncovered in an abandoned storage unit. According to The Hollywood Reporter, several cassette and DAT tapes containing unheard music from the late King of Pop were unearthed in an old storage unit in San Fernando Valley. The cache was discovered by former highway patrol officer Gregg Musgrove, who was "treasure hunting" at a friend's recently purchased abandoned storage unit in Van Nuys, which at one point belonged to singer and music producer Bryan Loren. A total of 12 tapes were uncovered, dating between 1989 and 1991. According to Musgrove's inventory list, at total of 15 unheard songs were found on the tapes, some of which had previously been teased, or have had snippets leaked. Some songs have been completely unheard of. Among those unreleased songs is a collaboration with LL Cool J titled "Truth On Youth." Earlier in 2024 the rapper confirmed they had recorded music together but that the songs weren't "good enough" to be released. However it appears that outside of Jackson's estate, it seems Musgrove would be the only one to hear the tapes. Musgrove and his attorney approached Jackson's estate with the tapes, but noted that the late "Billie Jean" singer's estate declined to purchase the tapes. Musgrove was later sent a letter by Jackson's estate, noting that while it doesn't claim ownership over the tapes, anyone who purchases the tapes in the future will not own the rights to the recordings or compositions -- which already belong to the estate. Jackson's estate has since confirmed that the tapes aren't master copies of the recordings -- the masters are currently housed in the estate's vault. "It should be clear to all that ownership and rights of exploitation to the recordings remain vested in MJJP Records and that nothing commercial or otherwise can be done with the DAT copies," the letter also stated. This essentially means that the tapes can never be released publicly, but can be heard privately by whoever is in possession of the recordings. Musgrove and his attorney have since made clear their intention to auction off the tapes to Michael Jackson enthusiasts, and have planned to bring them to four major auction houses soon. They estimate that the tapes will fetch a minimum of seven figures. - NME, 12/18/24...... A new documentary about former Genesis member and '80s/'90s solo star Phil Collins, premiered on Dec. 18 on the Drumeo YouTube channel. The doc, titled Phil Collins: Drummer First, captures the musician revisiting his drum kit for the first time in years, a moment that's both poignant and powerful. "It's still kind of sinking in," Phil says in the documentary. "I've spent all my life playing drums. To suddenly not be able to do that is a shock." Collins, now 73, has faced numerous health challenges stemming from a 2007 spinal injury that left him with limited mobility and complications such as drop foot. His drumming, once the heartbeat of Genesis and his solo career, has been sidelined in recent years. During Genesis' 2022 farewell tour, Collins passed the torch to his son Nic, who filled in on drums. Still, his connection to the instrument remains unshakable. "If I can't do what I did as well as I did it, I'd rather relax and not do anything," he reflects. "But if I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks, then I'll have a crack at it. But I just feel like I've used up my air miles." The film also sheds light on Collins' legendary career, including anecdotes that illustrate his profound impact on music. - Billboard,12/19/24...... The Temptations celebrated the 60th anniversary of their enduring hit "My Girl" on the recent NBC special A Motown Christmas, which aired Dec. 11. Surviving co-founding member Otis Williams and the other members of the group -- whose current lineup also features Ron Tyson, Terry Weeks, Tony Grant and Jawan M. Jackson -- performed a three-song set of hits that included "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," "Get Ready" and, of course, "My Girl." "When we finished putting the vocals down on the song [in 1964], I said to [producer] Smokey [Robinson] in the control room, 'Man, I don't know how big a record this is going to be. But this is going to be a record," Williams says. "I still can't believe that here we are, some 60 years later and we're still going strong. Most groups don't get that kind of break. It was God's timing for Motown to start when it did. And here we are a part of something that will outlive all of us." Written and produced by fellow Motown legends and The Miracles founding members Robinson and Ronnie White, "My Girl" was released through Motown subsidiary Gordy on Dec. 21, 1964. Three months later, in March 1965, the song had ascended to the top of Billboard's pop and R&B charts, giving The Tempts their first No. 1 hit. In the years since its release, "My Girl" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. Then the Library of Congress chose it for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2017, calling the song "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." The mega-hit has also crossed the 1 billion streams mark on Spotify. - Billboard, 12/17/24.

Barbra Streisand took to social media on Dec. 15 to give props to rising singer Gracie Abrams after Abrams performed two songs on Saturday Night Live on Dec. 14. "I just saw a wonderful new singer named GRACIE ABRAMS (@gracieabrams) on Saturday Night Live this weekend. And it turns out she's the daughter of my friend JJ Abrams!," the Funny Girl actress wrote, shouting out the Star Wars: The Force Awakens director, while sharing a photo of Abrams singing and playing guitar. The SNL performance of Abrams, who recently opened for Taylor Swift on the latter's record-breaking "Eras" tour, can be viewed on YouTube. Abrams and Streisand also have something else in common: Both are up for awards at the 2025 Grammys. The former is in the running for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance thanks to her "Us" duet with Swift, while Streisand earned nods for Best Song Written for Visual Media thanks to "Love Will Survive" (from the Peacock series The Tattooist of Auschwitz) and Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling recording for her memoir My Name Is Barbra. - Variety, 12/16/24...... After REO Speedwagon announced on Instagram on Sept. 16 that their upcoming U.S. dates will be their last, frontman Kevin Cronin says he wants to make it perfectly clear that ending REO was not his idea -- or desire. "Never in my wildest dreams did I ever see this coming," says Cronin, who will make his solo debut on Jan. 25 in Thackerville, Okla. and will be part of next summer's "Brotherhood of Rock" tour with Styx and former Eagles guitarist Don Felder. "I didn't want to end REO Speedwagon. This is sad, and I would do anything in my power to continue (as) REO Speedwagon. I never quit the band; I never will quit the band. I just got outvoted and... have to stop calling it REO Speedwagon at the end of this year." The vote Cronin refers to was a 2-1 decision with keyboardist Neal Doughty -- REO's sole remaining founding member from 1967, though he retired from touring during 2023 -- and Bruce Hall, bassist since 1977. Hall took a leave of absence during November of 2023 to have back surgery, with his spot filled by longtime Elton John and former David Lee Roth bassist Matt Bissonette. All three retained ownership interest in REO, however. In announcing its dissolution, the group said that Hall "had not recovered sufficiently to be able to perform at the level the fans have come to expect" and that "due to this complex situation, irreconcilable differences arose between Bruce and Kevin." It also noted that Hall "never had any intention of retiring or walking away from the band, fans and crew he has loved for almost 50 years" while Cronin "too has never had any intention of leaving the band, and the fans and crew mean the world to him, as well." The initial Cronin solo tour show in Thackerville, Okla. on Jan. 25 will be titled "The Songs of REO Speedwagon," and he vows to continue playing the hits and fan favorites from his more than 40 years in the band. "It's gonna be called Kevin Cronin, but if you want to see an REO Speedwagon show, that's what it's going to be," explains Cronin, who's also been writing a memoir. Cronin adds he's also "really excited" to still be riding the storm out, but under his own name. "What I'm trying to concentrate on now is the future, and how fortunate I am to be in the position I am right now, artistically and creatively and musically," he says. "What I get in return for not touring under the name REO Speedwagon is to be able to tour in a band that is just firing on all cylinders and makes me happy and makes me fulfilled." The final show under the REO Speedwagon moniker takes place Dec. 21 at the Venetian in Las Vegas. - Billboard, 12/16/24...... A New Jersey politician has been found to have shared a fake Spotify Wrapped in a bid to champion Bruce Springsteen. The Garden State's Democratic representative Josh Gottheimer took his eagerness to support Jersey legend Springsteen to the next level -- posting his results from Spotify Wrapped 2024 on X and showcasing his commitment to listening to The Boss. "No surprises here Fun fact: My first ever concert was at Meadowlands to see The Boss!" he shared, alongside an image which showed his top five songs of the past 12 months being the singer's hits "Thunder Road," Because the Night," "Glory Days," "Badlands" and "The Rising." Upon the results being shared, however, some viewers were quick to notice slight discrepancies between the politician's results and the Wrapped results shared online by other Spotify users. After outlets like the New Jersey Monitor weighed in and asked him for comment, Gottheimer went on to reveal he had doctored the results to avoid including his children's choice in music in the list in another X post. "This would be my Spotify Wrapped if I didn't share my account with my 12 and 15-year-old kids," Gottheimer said in a statement. "While it's Springsteen all day for me -- don't get me wrong, I still love listening to Taylor Swift!" Later, he went on to clarify his actual results for the Top Five songs and artists he had on Spotify for 2024 in yet another post. Springsteen still took first place on the artist list, and other names included Billy Joel, Drake, Travis Scott and Swift. The 2024 edition of Spotify Wrapped arrived earlier in December and, as ever, allowed users to reflect on their listening habits from the past 12 months in its "Celebration Of Your Year" experience. - NME, 12/12/24...... Lady Gaga has hooked up with AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson to sing the classic AC/DC number "Highway to Hell" for Apple TV's A Carpool Karaoke Christmas special, which the streaming service premiered on Dec. 15. During Gaga's segment, she was joined by special guest Johnson to whom she revealed she has been a decades-long AC/DC fan. The pair then clasp hands and start belting out the band's "Highway To Hell" together. In the segment, Gaga also revealed she was a "headbanging" extra in an AC/DC video as a teenager. When Johnson first entered the car to join Gaga and Zane Lowe, Gaga said: "You want to hear something funny? I was in [2000's] 'Stiff Upper Lip' video." "I was 17 and I was an extra in the back and I was headbanging," she continued, prompting fans to share screenshots of her brief appearance in the video on social media. And they were like, 'Don't headbang. We want it to be modern.' And I was like, 'No, I can't. Like, there's only one move that I can do.'" The full episode of A Carpool Karaoke Christmas can be viewed on Apple TV+, and the Gaga/Johnson collaboration can be streamed on X. - New Musical Express, 12/16/24...... As his ongoing "Get Back" tour stopped in Manchester, UK on Dec. 14, Paul McCartney treated fans to a rare live rendition of his festive yuletide tune "Wonderful Christmastime" -- a moment that hasn't been seen live in six years. Sir Paul, 82, was joined by children from the You Should Be Dancing Theatre Academy, transforming the Co-Op Live arena into a winter wonderland. This performance was particularly special, as McCartney has only played "Wonderful Christmastime" live about a dozen times throughout his extensive solo career. The last time fans were treated to a live version was back in 2018 during a series of December shows in England and before that, it was during a Dec. 2016 performance on The Tonight Show. Originally released in 1979 as a standalone single, "Wonderful Christmastime" has become a staple of holiday playlists worldwide. The song was later included as a bonus track on some editions of the Beatles legend's McCartney II album. Earlier in December, "Wonderful Christmastime" reappeared on Billboard's Rock Streaming Songs chart at No. 15. It has previously flown to the runner-up rung in the 47 weeks it's spent on the list of the most-streamed rock tunes in the US. During the Manchester performance, Macca also treated fans to a mix of deep cuts and iconic hits like "Hey Jude" and "Band on the Run," in a hit-filled three-hour set. The early Beatles tunes that peppered the first hour of the set included a souped-up "Drive My Car" and the Motown-inspired "Got to Get You into My Life." McCartney's Manchester "Wonderful Christmastime" performance has been shared on YouTube. Meanwhile, the longtime vegetarian has launched an anti-bullfighting appeal ahead of his concerts in Madrid, Spain. In a new PETA campaign in Spain, the music legend declares, "I am Paul McCartney, and I oppose bullfighting." It comes as animal rights advocates in the country gather signatures for the No Es Mi Cultura popular legislative initiative, which aims to repeal the law that designates bullfighting as "cultural heritage" and empower Spanish communities to prohibit the violent blood sport. "Bulls feel pain and fear just as humans do, yet in the bullring they're terrorised, mutilated, and barbarically slaughtered in front of jeering crowds," says PETA Vice President for Europe Mimi Bekhechi. "PETA urges compassionate people everywhere to join Sir Paul McCartney in taking a stand against these bloody, merciless spectacles." International condemnation of bullfighting has continued to grow, including in Spain, where 93% of young people say they don't support the cruel spectacles. More than 100,000 PETA supporters have urged Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to ban bullfighting. In more McCartney news, pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter has given Macca a shout-out during an appearance on CBS's The Late Show on Dec. 12. "When I was very, very young, my dad played me 'Rocky Raccoon' for the first time and I was so mesmerized by that song and the songwriting of it all that I fell in love with Paul McCartney," Carpenter told host Stephen Colbert. "I was convinced that was my husband, my future husband," she added of the now-82-year-old pop icon. "But he was quite old and I was so young I didn't understand that he was much older than me because I was looking at all these photos," she recalled thinking. "No, he's young, he's only like 10 years older than me. I didn't understand math I was a child." Colbert then asked Carpenter what it was like when she was finally able to meet the Beatles legend. "I just formed tears in my eyes and he was just so normal and casual and was so charming," she said. "It felt like I was entering an alternate universe like the Upside Down vibes? Like Stranger Things, but a lot happier than Stranger Things." What isn't strange, Carpenter noted, is that in every room McCartney enters he makes everyone feel "seen and heard," which was inspiring to see from someone she's "obsessed" with. Carpenter's Late Show interview can be viewed on YouTube. - Billboard/Music-News.com, 12/16/24...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, Ringo Starr participated in a playback of his new country music-themed album Look Up at Third Man Records in London on Dec. 13. "I love my voice on this. I love all the tracks actually, and you know, they're all in my key," the world famous drummer told the UK paper The Sun. Starr was joined at the event by famous faces including ex-Led Zeppelin frontman Jimmy Page, 80, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, 77, Eric Clapton, 79, Sir Bob Geldof, 73, and 66-year-old Jools Holland. Ringo's new album comes after he told Variety he suffered a near-fatal illness that forced him to cancel solo shows this year. He said he had a high white blood cell count of 12,000, which can mean an infection or inflammation, describing it as "a mad thing eating my body." Ringo, a father of three, added: "That's what saved your life -- they were fighting the attacker. And so with pills and medication, I got over it in two weeks." - Music-News, 12/14/24...... Timotheé Chalamet channeled Bob Dylan's early blonde-haired look at the New York premiere of the new Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown at New York's SVA Theater on Dec. 13. Chalamet, 28, paid tribute to the folk-rock icon by recreating Dylan's style from a 2003 Sundance Film Festival event. Dressed in a light blue beanie, black leather coat, gray patterned scarf, red flannel shirt and sporting dyed blonde bangs, Chalamet's ensemble closely mirrored a look Dylan wore to the Masked and Anonymous movie screening more than two decades ago. A Complete Unknown, which has its general release on Christmas Day, stars Chalamet as a younger version of Dylan. The film also features Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro and Edward Norton. After His Bobness himself gave his stamp of approval to Chalamet's performance in the film on X earlier in December, Chalamet tweeted in response that he was "Floored... I am so grateful. Thank you, Bob." - Billboard, 12/14/24...... The new Elton John documentary Never Too Late began streaming exclusively on Disney+ on Dec. 13. Celebrating the extraordinary 50-year career of one of the biggest names in pop and rock music, it gives fans a peek at the legendary singer's life behind his rhinestone-encrusted glasses, as he prepares for his farewell live concert at Dodger Stadium, the same venue of his iconic 1975 performance. Directed by R.J. Cutler and John's husband/manager David Furnish, the film is jam-packed with unseen footage, rare interviews and an array of Elton's greatest hits as he explores the inspiring full-circle journey of his career. In his own words, the Rocket Man recounts the many struggles he's faced early on in life, to his rise to fame and career-defining sold-out shows. The official trailer for Elton John: Never Too Late can be viewed on YouTube. - Billboard, 12/12/24...... In other Elton news, his longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin recently told Time magazine in an interview to mark John being named the magazine's "2024 Icon of the Year" that the work he and Sir Elton did when the singer was in the depths of drug addiction "not the best." "I was terrified for him. It was absolutely horrible a lot of the work that we did in the times when he was at his worst wasn't the best of both of us," Taupin said. He added about watching Elton battle addiction forcing him to reform his heavy drug use for the sake of his work: "I wasn't able to creatively invest any time in writing material that related to him until he actually found himself, and then it was easier for me to reflect upon it." John has said he was introduced to cocaine around 1974 at the peak of his productivity, and even though he initially enjoyed the powder freeing him from his crippling shyness, it "soon took over his life." Time reported Elton now "divides his life into pre- and post-sober periods." Its profile highlighted how he has helped a series of others kick drugs, which has seen him become rapper Eminem's sponsor and get late The Band member Robbie Williams into rehab for the first time. Elton said about trying to coach people into giving up addictions: "It's tough to tell someone that they're being an a--h---, and it's tough to hear. Eventually I made the choice to admit that I'm being an a--h---." - Music-News.com, 12/14/24...... Cher has been "required to evacuate" her home in the wake of the dangerous Malibu wildfire. Known as the Franklin Fire, the conflagration has destroyed nearly 4,000 acres since beginning on Dec. 9. Other celebrities who reside in Malibu, including legendary comedy actor Dick Van Dyke and actress Mira Sorvino, have revealed they've also evacuated since the start of the Southern California natural disaster. The wildfire has caused forced evacuation orders and warnings for over 20,000 residents due to the wind-driven fire, according to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone. - People, 12/11/24...... KISS bassist/singer Gene Simmons spent decades traveling the world as the fire-breathing bass player for KISS, taking with him the large road crews required for massive -- and expensive -- productions on some of music's biggest stages. Since KISS's final show in Dec. 2023, the former fire-breathing musician has been traveling considerably lighter as the frontman for the Gene Simmons Band, playing KISS favorites, some rarely heard Simmons solo tunes and familiar classics by the likes of Van Halen and Motörhead. Speaking with Billboard's "Behind the Setlist" podcast, Simmons says he has stripped down the tour to the essential elements -- the musicians -- and pockets more money from a Gene Simmons Band show than he netted as a member of KISS. "The local promoters provide the back line, and we just get up there and play," Simmons says. That's a sharp contrast to the complex -- and expensive -- production required to take KISS on the road. As a solo artist playing festivals and theaters, Simmons has "no managers, no private jets, no 20 tractor trailers, no 60-man crew, no huge shows -- and the pyro alone for every [KISS] show is ten grand, sometimes 50 [thousand dollars] if you go outdoors," he explains. "Enormous, enormous costs for doing that." Simmons adds he is "proud" to have performed those massive productions, but the Gene Simmons Band tour isn't trying to replicate the KISS stage show. "It's almost as if you decided to rent some amps in a garage and plug in," he says, "and then everybody from the neighborhood comes in It's very informal and a lot of fun." Simmons' entire interview can be heard on Spotify.com, as well as Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Amazon Music, Podbean or Everand. - Billboard, 12/12/24.