The Super Seventies Blog

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

2026-05-30T08:58:24.639-04:00

Posted by Administrator on June 9th, 2026

In 2024, Disney World in Orlando announced that it would be rebranding its Aerosmith-themed roller coaster with a new ride centered around the Disney-owned The Muppets children's brand, and officially closed the ride in Dec. 2025. Now, the new Muppets-themed era has officially opened, and it features Muppets characters Dr. Teeth And The Electric Mayhem covering a 1997 hit from the English group Blur, "Song 2." Other songs featured on the soundtrack include Def Leppard's "Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)," Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild" featuring Camilla the Chicken, Katrina And The Waves' "Walking On Sunshine" featuring Kelly Clarkson, and Ohio Players' "Love Rollercoaster" featuring Jennifer Hudson and Questlove. The premise of the new ride is that the band, which features Animal on the drums, are on their way to a live show, but need to track down some of the members of The Electric Mayhem who have gone missing. The Aerosmith Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, which had been in operation for over two decades until its closing, was centered around an intense limousine ride to make it to a concert in time. The announcement of the new Disney ride can be viewed on Instagram. - New Musical Express, 6/8/26...... Paul McCartney's new studio effort The Boys of Dungeon Lane has debuted at No. 1 on three Billboard album charts, including Top Album Sales, Vinyl Albums and Indie Store Album Sales. The LP, which dropped on May 29, also launched at No. 2 on Top Rock Albums, No. 2 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums and No. 5 on the overall Billboard Hot 200 for the week dated June 13. Dungeon Lane is Macca's 22nd top 10 album on the Billboard 200, inclusive of his solo top 10s and his albums with Wings. Dungeon Lane earned 63,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its debut frame (week ending June 4), according to Luminate. The album's sales (59,500) were bolstered by its availability across 18 physical variants, including more than 10 vinyl editions. Vinyl purchases accounted for 32,000 of the album's opening-week sales. Meanwhile in the U.K., Dungeon Lane has extended Sir Paul's streak as the most successful albums artist on the U.K.'s Official Albums Chart, dated June 5. The album, produced by Andrew Watt and featuring Ringo Starr, is Macca's 24th chart-topping LP in the country, including his work with The Beatles, Wings and as a solo act. Elsewhere, McCartney has opened up to podcast host Zane Lowe about the strategies he uses to stay relatable while living under a lifelong global spotlight, as well as how modern technology has fundamentally changed his creative songwriting process. Reflecting on the realities of global fame, the artist admitted that he now enforces a strict boundary when fans approach him in public, explicitly refusing requests for casual photographs. "The thing nowadays though of course is photographs," he explained. "I'll meet someone and say, 'Oh, I know what they're reaching for'. They got the camera and it's coming out. But I've got a thing now and I say, 'I'm sorry I don't do pictures. So now I hope you understand, but I'm having a private evening.'" - Billboard/Music-News.com, 6/9/26...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, The Beatles and Apple Corps Ltd have come together to officially recognize Global Beatles Day, which will be celebrated on June 25 -- the same date back in 1967 when the legendary quartet walked into Studio One at London's Abbey Road Studios, and did the first international satellite television broadcast of their song, "All You Need Is Love." That now-iconic track was broadcast live as part of BBC's Our World, and reached an estimated 400 million people around the globe. It was the idea of lifelong Beatles fan Faith Cohen to commemorate the date in 2009, and it has been an unofficial way for fans to celebrate the band in the years since. Celebrations have included singalongs in Buenos Aires, and fan gatherings in Liverpool, tribute concerts in Tokyo and Beatles-themed exhibitions in New York City. Now, The Beatles and Apple Corps Ltd are formally acknowledging the day, and launching online and in-person events around the world that celebrate the band on June 25, 2026. More details about those events will be unveiled soon, and to mark the occasion, The Beatles will also release a colourized version of their aforementioned BBC Our World performance of "All You Need Is Love" for free. Available on YouTube from June 25, the release marks the first time the iconic performance has been made available online, and will give fans worldwide the chance to relive that moment from 1967 and share their reaction in the live chat. Writing to Cohen recently, Apple Corps CEO Tom Greene praised the fan-led initiative, and explained why they wanted to officially recognize the occasion. "More than ever, the message of The Beatles, and of 'All You Need Is Love' speaks to something vital for community, connection, and the power of bringing people together," he wrote. "That is what makes Global Beatles Day so special. It asks nothing more than for people, wherever they are, to stop, listen, and share a little joy." Meanwhile, Ringo Starr has announced he's teaming up with the charity WaterAid, which advocates clean water and sanitation for impoverished countries in Africa, Asia and Central America, to launch limited-edition merchandise to mark World Ocean Day on 8 June. A pop-art portrait of Starr, featuring his signature moustache and glasses, adorns a range of clothes and accessories including T shirts, hoodies and tote bags that will be available for purchase. The global water crisis is an issue close to Ringo's heart, and one he has championed for many years. "Clean water is a human right and everyone, everywhere should have it," the "Octopus's Garden" singer/songwriter explained. "That's why I support WaterAid and this exclusive design, available on a range of merchandise for a limited time only. The money raised will go towards their clean water projects around the world. Real change starts with water, together we can make a difference. Peace, love and water." - NME/Music-News.com, 6/4/26...... In other charity event news, Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews have announced that the 2026 edition of the long-running concert series will be held in Virginia this year for the first time. The latest fundraiser for American family farmers will touch down at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater on Sept. 26, with sets from the above-mentioned four acts, as well as Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff, Turnpike Troubadours, Lukas Nelson, Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, Jesse Welles, and more. "Family farmers grow our food and strengthen our communities. And when farmers struggle like they are now, communities feel it too," said Farm Aid Nelson in a statement. "The challenges farmers face threaten their livelihoods and put all of us at risk. We're bringing Farm Aid to Virginia to stand with the farmers and fishers who feed Hampton Roads and beyond -- and to grow a food system that works for everyone." Since its founding in 1985, Farm Aid has raised more than $90 million for programs that help support family farmers and expand the Good Food Movement, which prioritizes locally grown, organic, humanely raised food. According to a press release, attendees of this year's festival will get to see farmers' contributions firsthand via Homegrown Concessions, which will offer a fresh menu with ingredients grown and raised by farmers using ecological practices, as well as hands-on activities in exhibits about soil, water, energy and farming. More info can be found on the Farm Aid website. - Billboard, 6/9/26...... The Guess Who's 2026 North American reunion tour rolled into Calgary, Alberta on June 8, opening the set with a spirited run through "Runnin' Back to Saskatoon," a track from their 1972 concert LP Live at the Paramount. Band principals Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings, who are touring under the Guess Who banner for the first time in 25 years, did not offer a detailed history of the song about the Saskatchewan city, but the concert was full of history lessons -- well, given the vintage of most of the audience members, perhaps they were more reminders than lessons. Cummings announced to the Scotiabank Saddledome crowd that he has known Bachman for more than 60 years, having met him as a teenager In Winnipeg. A remarkable run, of course, and one that seems quintessentially Canadian despite the act's success in the U.S. Along the way, there were numerous breakups and reunions and a triumphant court win that finally allowed them to tour under the Guess Who name. But, 60 years later, they are back in filling stadiums rather than casinos. Although there was the odd stately ballad -- the slightly prog-ish "A Wednesday in Your Garden" and Cummings' melodic "hippie" tune "Share The Land" -- the band was best when serving up straight rock 'n' roll, which was usually preceded by Cummings' asking some variation on whether Alberta liked to rock 'n' roll. Bachman's mid-'70s spinoff group Bachman-Turner Overdrive were represented by three of their classic-rock staples, including the concert-closing "Takin' Care of Business" and "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet." And there was something endearing about Cummings gamely taken on the role of a tambourine-wielding sidekick/backup singer as Bachman howled through BTO's "Let it Ride." Former Eagles guitarist Don Felder and his backing band of session pros opened the show with offering a reasonable facsimile of the Eagles' easy harmonies on "One of These Nights," "Peaceful Easy Felling," "Heartache Tonight" and "Hotel California." - Canoe.com, 6/9/26...... Speaking of Canadian bands, a newly configured Rush launched its "Fifty Something Tour" at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on June 7, the first time the group's remaining members, singer/bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist/vocalist Alex Lifeson, have toured without their late beloved drummer Neil Peart in more than 50 years, since the trio rocket-launched out of Toronto in the mid-70s. As such it was only right to put Peart at the center of the affair, with the tour billed as a celebration of his legacy and of the band's half-century of music. Lee himself said that "Alex and I have done some serious soul searching and come to the decision that we f--king miss it So [we're] going to hit the road once again to pay tribute to our past and to Neil by performing a vast selection of Rush songs in a handful of cities. No small task, because as we all know Neil was irreplaceable." The show opened with a six-minute intro video that found a trio of young people entering a gothic castle while searching for Rush, encountering characters from the Rush universe, including the sausage-maker introduced during the band's 2010 "Time Machine Tour," the owl from the cover of Fly By Night and actors Jason Segel and Paul Rudd, who reprised their Rush-loving characters from the 2009 comedy I Love You, Man. Five standout elements from the evening included Peart's replacement Anika Nilles making her tour debut with an incredible performance behind the kit, playing mightily and with tremendous strength and stamina as she powered through the 22-song setlist. Forty percent of the setlist -- which unfolded over two sets broken up by a short intermission -- focused on Rush's hugely influential work from the early '80s. The band played three songs from 1980's Permanent Waves, four from 1981's Moving Pictures and two from 1984's Grace Under Pressure. But the rest of the setlist acknowledged that Rush also did important work in four other decades, taking from 1975's Fly By Night, 1991's Roll The Bones, 2007's Snakes & Arrows and more. They also created a sort of full circle by incorporating two songs from the band's final studio LP, Clockwork Angels, with the show closing with "Working Man" from Rush's 1974 self-titled debut. While Lee advised that the tour would "pay tribute to our past and to Neil," "tribute" seems too small a word for how Peart was thoughtfully and frequently woven into the show. There were two separate instances when his voice came through the speakers, as he first talked about getting into drumming as a kid who was, "smashing pots and pans and my parents got the idea that I liked to hit things with sticks, so for my 13th birthday they gave me drum lessons, this changed everything." The band then played "Bravado" while a photo montage of the later drummer flashed onscreen. - Billboard, 6/8/26...... Sharon Osbourne has responded to accusations of a "cash grab" over an new avatar of her late husband Ozzy Osbourne. News of an AI avatar of the Prince Of Darkness was confirmed by his widow and former manager Sharon in May, as well as by their son Jack Osbourne, during a discussion about the future of Ozzy's brand at Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. Speaking on a recent The Osbournes podcast, Sharon defended the decision to create an Ozzy AI avatar, and rejected claims that she and the family are simply doing it as a way to make money off the late rock legend. "The thing is, it's like when there were propellers and then there were jet planes. [People would question] 'Why go on a jet when there's a propeller? It's a cash grab'." "Well, you know what, technology moves on," she continued. "And I'm sorry for those people. I'm not asking you to come. I don't want your f--king money. I don't need your f--king money. I'm doing very well." She also said that she sees the endeavour as something that "will pass on through our family" and help their grandchildren remember Ozzy, while Jack said that it was only a matter of time before someone else took the idea. "Either we do it or someone else is gonna do it," he said, "And for me, it's not about pretending he's still alive. It's making sure he's never forgotten." - NME, 6/8/26...... Bob Dylan revisited a deep cut from his catalog at his June 6 show at the Chateau Ste Michelle Winery in Woodinville, Washington, performing The Basement Tapes track "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" for the first time in 14 years. The rock bard opened the show with the 1967 song, last played live in 2012, with guitarists Doug Lancio and Bob Britt providing light backing vocals. While the cut itself has long enjoyed a second life through cover versions -- most notably by The Byrds, who took their 1968 rendition to No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers -- Dylan himself has rarely returned to it onstage. The performances are the latest signs of Dylan continuing to mine his vast back catalog on the "Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour," which has now stretched on for more than five years since its launch in late 2021. Dylan also recently contributed a co-written song to Willie Nelson's new album Dream Chaser, released in May 2026, and was reported last year to be working on new music with members of his touring band in Albany, N.Y. - Billboard, 6/8/26...... Elvis Costello has told people who accused him of being "woke" for removing the N-word from his 1979 single "Oliver's Army" to "go f--k yourself." In 2022, the legendary British New Wave artist called on radio stations to stop playing the 1979 single, due to its controversial inclusion of the lyric, "Only takes one itchy trigger / One more widow, one less white n-----." Costello's anti-imperialist song was meant as a satirical take on how governments and militaries use working class young people as soldiers in their battles, and Elvis has long argued that the use of the N-word was a reference to how Catholics were historically referred to in Northern Ireland. However, he said in 2022 that he had decided to stop playing it live and called on radio stations to stop giving it airtime. "[Bleeping the word out] is a mistake," he said at the time. "They're making it worse by bleeping it for sure. Because they're highlighting it then. Just don't play the record!" Costello did decide to start playing the song again in 2025, switching the line to "one more widow, another pallbearer," and in a new interview with The London Times, the "Watching the Detectives" singer has once again explained why he has chosen not to use the original lyrics. "I no longer use words that go off like alarm clocks, because indignation about that word stops people hearing what the song is about," he said. "That is my position. People went, 'that's woke'. Well, go f--k yourself." He added further context to his decision to include the N-word in the first place, explaining: "That's what my grandfather was called in the British army -- it's historically a fact -- but people hear that word go off like a bell and accuse me of something that I didn't intend." ostello is currently touring the UK with The Imposters and Charlie Sexton, with dates in Birmingham, London, Portsmouth and Newcastle to come at the end of June and the start of July. They are also set to support Neil Young And The Chrome Hearts during a run of UK and European dates. Those dates kick off on June 19 in Manchester, and continue later in the month with stops in France and Scotland, before heading over to Ireland and Wales the following month. - NME, 6/8/26...... Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Public Enemy, Little Steven Van Zandt, Sheryl Crow, Jackson Browne, David Sancious, and more performed across two nights of the "Music America: The Songs That Shaped Us" concerts at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, this week, with the second night on June 5 featuring a particularly notable return -- Bon Jovi's first public performance in his native New Jersey since 2018. The two-night concert series serves as the cornerstone event for the opening of the new Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, N.J., which officially opens to the public June 13. Springsteen opened Friday's show with a roaring rendition of Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock," followed by Presley's "Burning Love," backed by the Disciples of Soul under music director Marc Ribler. Bon Jovi then took the stage for Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" -- his first public vocal performance in his home state since 2018, when he stepped back from touring due to vocal cord issues. The performance came as Bon Jovi's full band prepares for a nine-show residency at Madison Square Garden in July. Other highlights including Jackson Browne representing the 1970s singer-songwriter era with his own "For America," while 86-year-old singer/songwriting legend Dion delivering "The Wanderer" alongside a stirring "Abraham, Martin and John." Mavis Staples performed The Band's "The Weight" to represent the activist sounds of the 1960s while younger generations were treated to Public Enemy and "Fight the Power." The night closed with group performances of "Further On Down the Road," "Raise Your Hand" and "I Don't Want to Go Home," before Springsteen ended with a solo rendition of "Land of Hope and Dreams." The 30,000-square-foot Springsteen Center for American Music at Monmouth University is scheduled to open June 13, featuring multiple exhibit spaces, state-of-the-art archives, a 250-seat Dolby soundstage and over a dozen interactive experiences. - Billboard, 6/7/26...... Deep Purple have shared the latest taste of their upcoming new album SPLAT! with the pummelling track "Diablo." "It is all about taking chances," says DP frontman Ian Gillan. "Just for once in your life, do something exciting, step out of the mould, take that curious bend in the road instead of sticking to the highway and do something that will, for the rest of your life, either guide or warn you." SPLAT! sees Deep Purple reuniting with the celebrated producer Bob Ezrin (KISS, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed), and it has been described as one of the group's heaviest albums in several years, with the tracks having been laid down live in the studio. According to Gillan, "where we are now with this incarnation of Deep Purple feels very much like a very 'now' version of Deep Purple as it was in the seventies." "Diablo" is available on Spotify.com and other streaming services now, and the video premiered on June 7. - NME, 6/6/26...... In a new interview with the celebrity outlet Page Six, Peter Frampton says he's been staying positive amid his fight against the rare and progressive muscle disease Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM). Frampton, 76, said he feels like the "luckiest guy alive" despite announcing in 2019 that he was fighting the disease that causes a "slow, painless muscle weakening and inflammation," typically affecting the wrists, fingers and quadriceps, according to the Cleveland Clinic. While there is currently no cure for the disease, Frampton said he's a "very positive person. I know the endgame, but it doesn't bother me," describing how he's learned how to change his life by using a cane and a grabber tool at home, as well as switching up his signature guitar style. "It's a challenge, and I'm always up for a challenge," the guitarist/singer said about learning new ways to strum due to the disease, whose symptoms can be delayed somewhat by physical therapy. "My outlook on it is, 'That's life,'" said Frampton, who released his 19th studio album as a solo artist and first one of all new song in 16 years in May, Carry the Light. In addition, a new documentary, Frampton, was screened on June 4 at the Tribeca Festival in New York. "I've been so lucky. I've had an up-and-down career, but in the long run, I look at everything. Look at the last 60 years. Wow, I'm the luckiest guy alive!," he told Page Six. - Billboard, 6/5/26...... The Beach Boys are celebrating the 60th anniversary of their iconic, experimental album Pet Sounds with a new line of Pet Sounds merch and apparel that are available online, including a Pet Sounds T-shirt, nylon coaches jacket, giraffe tote bag, Rhino stainless steel insulated tumbler, and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" jersey. The items, along with a new Pet Sounds Sessions Highlights 2-CD set, will be available on Amazon.com on June 15. - Billboard, 6/4/26...... Timeless, an album of rare and unreleased tracks from the vault of late funk/rock icon Prince, will be released on Aug. 28 via Legacy Recordings. The 10-track LP spans across the iconic musician's four-decade career, all carefully curated by the Prince estate and never before released. Released in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of Prince's death from an accidental fentanyl overdose at the age of 57, it includes recordings created between 1977 and 2016, and it includes "With This Tear," the song shared in April on the exact anniversary of his passing. On June 1-7, Prince's hometown of Minneapolis celebrated "Prince Week," and the city's skyline was illuminated in purple on June 6, with listening sessions, archival presentations and other events taking place all week at Paisley Park and downtown Minneapolis. - NME, 6/4/26...... Jackson 5 member Jermaine Jackson has, for the first time, filed court papers denying that he raped a session musician coordinator in 1988 -- and he wants to axe a $6.5 million judgment in her lawsuit. Jackson was found liable by default in May after failing to respond to Rita Butler Barrett's sexual assault and battery claims for more than two years. But on June 2, Jackson said he didn't ignore the claims on purpose. "I did not know this lawsuit was pending in time to respond," wrote Jackson in a court declaration, obtained by Billboard. "I did not rape plaintiff. I did not sexually assault plaintiff. I deny the material allegations of the complaint, deny liability and dispute damages. I request the opportunity to defend this case on the merits." Barrett, a music contractor who worked with Jackson in the late 1980s, sued the singer in 2023 under a one-year legislative window that allowed rape victims to bring claims that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations. She alleged that in the spring of 1988, Jackson showed up at her Los Angeles-area home unannounced, forced his way through the door and violently raped her. Barrett's attorneys obtained a $6.5 million default judgment after trying and failing to serve Jackson at an Encino address and then publishing multiple notices in the Los Angeles Times. Yet Jackson maintains that all this was ineffectual because he lives abroad in Bahrain, and the newspaper notices used his "obsolete former legal name." Jackson changed his name in 2013 to "Jermaine LaJuane Jacksun." His attorney, Bret Lewis, argued in a motion that notices using the old name "Jermaine Jackson" were not enough to alert the singer to Barrett's claims. Jackson's June 2 motion urged Judge Elaine W. Mandel to vacate the $6.5 million default judgment and allow him to fully defend himself against Barrett's allegations. The judge is set to consider this request at a June 30 hearing in Los Angeles. In other Jackson family news, it's been revealed that Michael Jackson spent time working on his own dark fantasy game with an original soundtrack. In a new blog post on his site dperry.com, Shiny Entertainment founder David Perry revealed that Jackson contacted him to find out if he could play their upcoming game Enter The Matrix early. Afterwards, Jackson invited Perry to help him think about a Michael Jackson video game. "We began taking meetings at Neverland and exploring what the game could be. The important thing is that we were not trying to make a vanity project," Perry wrote. "The concept we explored was a serious, cinematic, third-person action-adventure game. Michael would not be the main character. Instead, he would bring something more powerful: original music, imagination, access to the worlds of film and celebrity, and his unique sense of wonder." The project was never completed because "life took its turn", says Perry. Seven months after Enter The Matrix launched, Jackson was charged with seven counts of child molestation, before being acquitted two years later. He died in June 2009. "We had never signed an actual contract to publish the game, and I will not be releasing the materials," Perry added. "But the conversations were real, and the idea still feels meaningful to me." - Billboard/NME, 6/4/26..... Motörhead have announced the seventh "Lemmy Forever" ceremony taking place at the UK's Download Festival 2026 taking place Donington Park in Leicestershire from June 10 to 14, and will house some of frontman Lemmy Kilmister's ashes permanently in Manchester after the festival. The iconic singer and bassist, who is considered to be one of the most influential figures in metal history, died in Dec. 2015 at age 70, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. For years now, there has been a tribute to him at Download Festival, following from the heavy metal icon playing there in 2005, 2008, 2010, and 2013, and also joining Slash on stage in 2013. Set to take place on June 12 at 3:00 pm GMT, the tribute comes as part of the ongoing "Lemmy Forever" initiative and will be held at the onsite Lemmy's Lounge. There, a miniature of Lemmy's custom urn containing a portion of some of his ashes will be enshrined in a classic fruit machine -- something those closest to him say he took on the road with him. After the festival wraps on June 14, those same ashes will be transported to Manchester Apollo, where a further "Lemmy Forever" ceremony will take place and those ashes will remain there permanently. At the Manchester ceremony, fans and friends are encouraged to come together and share stories about the Motörhead icon and remember the huge impact he had with his music. - NME, 6/9/26...... Legendary 94-year-old music executive Clive Davis was released from a New York hospital on June 4 after being admitted on May 29 for an upper respiratory issue. A representative for Davis told TMZ.com that he was admitted to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. The hospitalization came just days after Davis attended the Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction in New York City. A four-time Grammy winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Davis is widely regarded as one of the most influential executives in modern music history. - Billboard, 6/4/26.

On June 3 the team behind ABBA's virtual concert experience Voyage announced the launching of a new education program at east London's custom-built ABBA Arena, aimed at helping young people pursue careers in music and the creative industries. To help celebrate the launch, ABBA members Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad made a rare public appearance at ABBA Arena, situated in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, joining nearly 3,000 children for a one-off event that included a Q&A hosted by U.K. broadcaster Vernon Kay. "Music has an incredible ability to stimulate creativity and confidence in young people," ABBA said in a press release. "We hope this program helps inspire young people to be curious about the world of performing arts and what they can achieve in the future. We feel privileged that ABBA Voyage can play a part in that journey." Developed in partnership with the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), the initiative builds on a series of education and community projects that ABBA Voyage has run over the past four years which to date have te engaged more than 8,500 young people through concerts, careers workshops, employment opportunities and more. ABBA Voyage opened in London in May 2022, bringing the Swedish pop icons back to the stage as digital 'ABBAtars' alongside a live 10-piece band. The production has since welcomed millions of visitors and become one of the most successful live music attractions in the U.K. - Billboard, 6/3/26...... Meanwhile, Alice Cooper has issued a stark warning over his fears of an AI "rock star." Interviewed by Eddie Trunk on the SiriusXM channel Trunk Nation, Cooper explained how he could create a "rock star" on his own. "Well, here's the deal, I could right now create a rock star," said Alice, 78. "I could create a Yungblud, a guy that's really appealing, rock, tough, cool looking. I could create a guy named -- I don't care -- Starboy or whatever, and make him look great. He doesn't actually exist." The legendary shock-rocker went on to describe the kind of AI-generated rock star he could invent. "I could tell the AI, 'I want him to sound like Tom Petty and Freddie Mercury. And here's what the album's about. Write the songs,'" he said. "Okay, now you've got a rock star that doesn't exist, and you've got an album that doesn't exist except in this world." However, Alice -- who was born Vincent Damon Furnier but legally changed his name in 1975 -- pointed out there would be no original artist to claim authorship of the music. "What happens if it sells? Who gets the money? AI wrote the songs!" he said. "That's gonna happen. You watch that happen, because the guy that just suggested what it should be did not write the songs." The Coop also lamented the fact that AI "artists" had no lived experience of human emotion. "If I could tell it to write a song about Eddie Trunk joining The Rolling Stones, they would write you a great song - except for one thing," he declared. "The one thing it can't do - it's never been in love. It's never had its heart broken. It's never been angry. It's never been happy." This, he said, made it next to impossible for audiences to connect with AI-generated music. "It has no emotion," Alice said. "It has no heart, it has no feel, has no soul to it, and that's where it dies right there." - Music-News.com, 6/3/26...... As Taylor Swift prepares to release her own new music in early June, the contemporary pop sensation took to social media on June 2 for an Instagram Story post hyping up Paul McCartney's just-released new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane. Swift shared an Instagram post from Sir Paul promoting Dungeon Lane, and added her own message too (along with a bicep emoji): "Never not inspired by this eternally exceptional artist." The two pop superstars have previously crossed paths in 2015, sharing the stage to perform "Shake It Off" at a legendary Saturday Night Live 40th-anniversary afterparty. The pair also hooked up in 2020 for a Rolling Stone magazine feature in which McCartney revealed he had planned to ask Swift to join him onstage for his COVID-canceled Glastonbury set. "Were you going to invite me?" Swift asks. "I was hoping that you would," he said. "I was going to ask you." Not only was the Beatles legend going to extend his hand, he was planning to play "Shake It Off" with her again. "I know it, it's in C!" McCartney quipped. On June 5, Swift is set to release the song "I Knew It, I Knew You" from the Toy Story 5 soundtrack, and McCartney's Boys of Dungeon Lane dropped on May 29. Meanwhile, Macca has announced a special live event in London, where he'll discuss his new album. He'll appear in front of an audience at the Roundhouse in Camden Town on June 10 to speak about the journey behind the creation of his latest solo record, and reflect on the making of the LP from its earliest beginnings. The announcement post can be viewed on Instagram. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 6/2/26...... Amid continued buzz for the new Michael Jackson biopic Michael, the deep MJ cut "Chicago" has gone viral and debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 pop songs chart, among overall growth for his catalog as the late King of Pop's biopic Michael continues to dominate at the box office. The viral "Chicago" entered the Hot 100 for the week dated June 6 at No. 30, almost entirely from 10.7 million official chart-eligible streams (up 30% week over week) in the U.S. from May 22-28, according to data tracker Luminate. The song has drawn 388 million streams to date, with its latest frame up from 8.3 million (May 30-dated charts), 6.9 million (May 23), 5.4 million (May 16) and 3.8 million (May 9 -- reflecting the first week of tracking after Michael premiered on Apr. 24). Its May 9 chart sum was 83% higher than the week before. "Chicago" was released on Jackson's posthumous album Xscape in 2014, nearly five years after he died. The set produced two Hot 100 hits that year: "Love Never Felt So Good," with Justin Timberlake (No. 9 peak) and "Slave to the Rhythm" (No. 45). Jackson's iconic music has surged amid Michael's run, but "Chicago" stands out as not having been a major hit upon its original release -- and it's not featured in the film. On the May 23-dated Hot 100, six of his songs of charted simultaneously, with all having climbed to the top 10 and five having reached No. 1 in their original release schedules in the '70s-'80s: "Billie Jean," "Human Nature," "Beat It," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Dirty Diana" and "Rock With You." - Billboard, 6/1/26...... On June 1 a special concert event in New York City that supports "standing in unity against the authoritarian shifts threatening our democracy today" was announced for NYC's Town Hall on June 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Tickets can be purchased now at riseupsingout.com or on Ticketmaster.com. Viewers will also be able to livestream the concert event for free. "Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment" will feature performances by artists including Bette Midler, Patti Smith and Rufus Wainwright, with actresses Julia Roberts and Lily Gladstone also making appearances. Previously announced appearances include Jane Fonda -- who serves as founder of the Committee for the First Amendment -- plus Joy Reid, Sasha Allen and Broadway Inspirational Voices. "We can't sit idly by while our rights are at stake," Fonda said in a statement about the event. "History shows us that when democracy is threatened, song becomes one of our most powerful weapons. Right now, we are at a critical crossroads. It's time for us to rise up, raise our voices, and stand up against a government that refuses to put its people first. We are fighting back the best way we know how to: with our community and in solidarity." To coincide with the event, the No Kings Coalition is launching a nationwide organizing day on June 14 to bring people together at public and private watch parties in support of our First Amendment rights. - Billboard, 6/1/26...... Speaking on BBC Radio 2's Tracks of My Years on June 1, Mick Jagger said he "can't wait" to take The Rolling Stones back on the road, though fans shouldn't expect an imminent announcement. "I'd love to go on tour, I can't wait," the 82-year-old rock star said, before tempering expectations. "I don't think it's going to be this year. But hopefully it's going to be as soon as possible." Jagger's comments come after the band scrapped plans for a U.K. and European stadium tour in 2026 in late 2025, with reports that Keith Richards was unable to "commit" to the run. However Richards, also 82, has since hinted at a potential return to the road in 2027, and Jagger's latest remarks add weight to that possibility. Jagger's interview, with Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood also participating, comes ahead of the band's 25th studio album Foreign Tongues, due July 10 via Polydor/Universal Music. Meanwhile, Keith Richards has become a great-grandfather for the first time after his granddaughter, model Ella Richards announced the birth of her first child. Ella, who recently turned 30, revealed the happy news on Instagram, sharing a sweet photo of herself lying beside her newborn daughter, Luna, on a blanket. "30! Best birthday yet with our baby girl Luna," she captioned the image. Ella confirmed her pregnancy back in March with a black-and-white photograph showing her growing baby bump. Ella is the daughter of Marlon Richards, Keith's eldest son from his long relationship with the late model and actor Anita Pallenberg, who died in 2017 aged 75. Her mother is former model and stylist Lucie de la Falaise. Keith, who is a father of five and grandfather of eight, had been counting down to the birth ever since his granddaughter shared her pregnancy news in the spring. Reacting to her announcement on social media, the rocker commented, "Sending love and looking forward to welcoming my first great grandchild!" - Billboard/Music-News.com, 6/1/26...... Rod Stewart has addressed a recent health scare that forced him to cancel two Las Vegas shows at the last minute at the end of May. Stewart, 81, told fans at his concert on June 3 why he had to pull the plug on the shows. "I had this awful f---ing sinus infection. I should've gone to the hospital, but I didn't," he said in an Instagram video shared by user @jpasc24. Appearing relatively upbeat, the "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" singer assured fans that he's almost fully recovered. "When you've got your ears blocked up, it ruins your equilibrium," he explained, adding, "So I might stumble a bit tonight." On May 28, Stewart announced he had to cancel the weekend shows following advice from his doctor. "My apologies to my family of fans," he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I am on vocal rest as I recover from a sinus infection. I look forward to seeing you at a future show at Caesars Palace or on tour this summer. Sir Rod has had a lengthy series of concerts at Caesars Palace since 2011, beginning with the launch of his "The Hits" residency at the Colosseum, which wrapped up in 2024. In 2025, the venue welcomed him back for his new series, "The Encore Shows," which has concerts scheduled until the end of August. - The Toronto Sun, 6/3/26...... Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons have announced they will be touring this year due to frontman Valli's health. The singer, who turned 92 in May, canceled all remaining tour dates for 2026 in an Instagram announcement that went out on May 29. "I'm so sorry to disappoint the folks who have purchased tickets to my shows, but I have decided to take the rest of the year off from touring to focus on my health," Valli wrote. "I'm looking forward to getting healthy and seeing you all again soon," he added in his statement. "Thank you for all your good wishes." He did not provide further details about the unspecified health concerns. Valli has kept busy performing throughout the past few years on "The Last Encores Tour," the group's farewell run that started in 2023 and had most recently been extended through late 2026. He was expected to appear in select U.S. markets in June and July, followed by a string of dates in September through November. In 2025, Valli was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Recording Academy's Special Merit Awards, though he'd never won a Grammy -- and despite charting five No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 with The Four Seasons, dating back to 1962 with "Sherry," which launched at the top after Dick Clark introduced it on American Bandstand, and two as a solo performer, including the 1978 title track for Grease. "This has been an incredible evening," he said at the ceremony, quipping, "I don't know what took so long, but that's the way it goes." - Billboard, 5/30/26...... Appearing on ABC's Good Morning America on June 1, Barry Manilow said he has no idea if his voice is "coming back." But the "Mandy" hitmaker, who will release his latest studio effort What a Time on June 5, said he's raring to get back onstage and is in "great shape" physically, but his vocals have been impacted since undergoing a lobectomy to treat lung cancer. "My voice -- I don't know whether it's coming back," he told GMA. "I did my first sound check about a month ago and I didn't sound like me at all. I just couldn't believe that it's over," he added. Manilow, 82, is next due onstage on June 25. He also has a Las Vegas residency in July. In Dec. 2025, he announced he had been diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer after the disease was detected during an MRI after hearing about recent bouts of bronchitis. The singer postponed his farewell tour in December after doctors discovered the cancerous spot on his left lung. He later rescheduled additional shows, explaining that although he is getting "stronger," he has struggled with the slow pace of recovery. - Music-News.com, 6/3/26...... Art Garfunkel was among the special surprise guests during singer Charlie Puth's May 29 concert at Madison Square Garden. The first surprise was an appearance from Garfunkel for a heartfelt duet with Puth on Simon & Garfunkel's "The Boxer," a Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit in 1969 that was a track on the duo's final studio album, Bridge Over Troubled Water. "He learned how to make his records from me and Paul [Simon]," Garfunkel told the Big Apple audience. "You're my student." Puth agreed: "I am your student. I'm not just saying that because all these wonderful people are here. The reason that I'm here right now is because of the music you've written with Paul. It's amazing." Other surprise guests included The Tonight Show's Jimmy Fallon and rapper Busta Rhymes. Puth headlined the famed NYC venue as part of his "Whatever's Clever World Tour," which kicked off in late April in support of his 2026 Whatever's Clever! album. Video from the show can be viewed on Instagram. - Billboard, 5/30/26...... Speaking of New York City, officials have announced they will co-name a street to honor late guitar god Jimi Hendrix. West 8th Street will be co-named "Jimi Hendrix Way" during a ceremony on June 10 at 11 a.m., honoring the legendary guitarist and cultural icon. Led by NYC Council Member Harvey Epstein, the Greenwich Village ceremony takes place at the corner of Sixth Avenue and West 8th Street, situated just one block from the historic Electric Lady Studios which Hendrix famously founded. The public celebration was originally scheduled for Feb. 24 but had to be postponed due to severe winter weather delays. The ceremony -- open to the public -- will feature a star-studded lineup of guest speakers, including TeachRock founder Stevie Van Zandt and Janie Hendrix, the President and CEO of Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. They will be joined by a host of musical luminaries, including Grammy-winning Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, legendary songwriter Valerie Simpson, longtime David Letterman orchestra guitarist Felicia Collins, and acclaimed audio engineer Eddie Kramer, who worked intimately with Hendrix to build Electric Lady Studios. Local students and educators will also attend to mark the connection between the historic neighborhood and modern classrooms. - Music-News.com, 6/3/26...... Legendary music mogul Clive Davis was hospitalized at a New York City hospital on May 29. A representative for the 94-year-old Davis told TMZ.com that he is being treated for an upper respiratory infection and was admitted to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. The hospitalization comes just days after Davis attended the Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction in New York City, Page Six reports. The iconic Columbia and Arista Records label boss, who helped shape the careers of artists including Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana and Alicia Keys, has faced health challenges in the past. In Feb. 2021, Davis postponed his annual pre-Grammy gala after being diagnosed with Bell's palsy, a temporary condition that causes weakness or paralysis in facial muscles. "He's being treated with antibiotics and steroids and will make a full recovery within six to eight weeks, at which point he plans to host the second installment of the virtual pre-Grammy gala," his rep said at the time. Davis' star-studded pre-Grammy gala has been held on the eve of the Grammy Awards each year since 1976. A four-time Grammy winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Davis is widely regarded as one of the most influential executives in modern music history. - Billboard, 5/30/26...... Ronald LaPread, a co-founder and former bassist of The Commodores, died on May 30. He was 75. "It is with very heavy heart that I must announce that my Father Ronald LaPread has passed," his daughter, music producer Soraya LaPread wrote on her Instagram Stories. According to the NZ Herald, LaPread died following a "sudden medical event" in Auckland. The musician had lived in New Zealand for the past 40 years. The Commodores formed in the late 1960s after its members met as students at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Originally made up of seven members, the lineup eventually included Thomas McClary, Lionel Richie, Walter "Clyde" Orange, William King and LaPread. After touring as the opening act for the Jackson 5, the R&B/funk group signed with Motown subsidiary MoWest in 1972. The Commodores scored their first hit in 1974 with the synthesizer-driven instrumental "Machine Gun," written by Milan Williams. The group would go on to earn seven No. 1 R&B hits, including "Slippery When Wet," "Just To Be Close to You," "Easy," "Nightshift," "Three Times a Lady" and "Still." The latter two songs also topped the pop chart. Richie left the group in 1982 to pursue a solo career, while the Commodores later signed with Polydor in the late 1980s. LaPread performed with the Commodores from 1970 to 1986, appearing on 11 of the group's albums and contributing to hits including "Brick House," "Three Times a Lady" and "Easy." After relocating to New Zealand in the late 1980s, the bassist continued performing with the Commodores during various concerts in the country. His death comes after the Commodores recently dropped out of Pres. Donald Trump's Freedom 250 Great American State Fair scheduled to take place at the National Mall in Washington DC between June 25 and July 10, though he was not part of the group's current lineup. - Billboard, 5/31/26...... Dexter Wansel, a forefather of alternative R&B and the gifted songwriter/producer of hits such as Patti LaBelle's "If Only You Knew," died on May 30 in Philadelphia of undisclosed causes. He was 75. A Philadelphia native born Aug. 22, 1950, keyboardist Wansel was an errand boy for the local Uptown Theater while growing up. Following a stint in the Army, he began working at the city's famed Sigma Sound Studios, where he gained the attention of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, the Grammy-winning co-founders of pioneering soul label Philadelphia International Records. As a recording artist for the label -- beginning with his influential 1976 debut album Life on Mars in addition to wearing multiple hats in-house as a writer, arranger, composer, conductor, producer and A&R director into the '80s -- Wansel earned a reputation as one of the vital craftsmen in developing the inimitable "Sound of Philadelphia." In a joint statement, Gamble & Huff commented, "Dexter Wansel brought a new age sound to our record label in the 1970s and '80s, arranging and producing hits for many of our artists such as The Jacksons, The Jones Girls, Jean Carne and MFSB Orchestra, and including hits for himself. Dexter's synthesizer and symphonic keyboard sounds were iconic." A statement from the Wansel family states, "We wish to express our gratitude for the outpouring of condolences we are receiving for our loved one, Grammy winner and one of the architects of the Sound of Philadelphia, Dexter Wansel. He's at peace now." Memorial details will be announced at a later date. - Billboard, 6/2/26...... Marcia Lucas, the Oscar-winning film editor behind Star Wars and the ex-wife of director George Lucas, died in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on May 26 after a battle with cancer. She was 80. A California native, Ms. Lucas (né Griffin) got her start in editing via the Motion Picture Editors Guild apprenticeship program and eventually became the assistant to lauded female film editor Verna Fields (Jaws, Paper Moon). It was while working with Fields that she met future husband Lucas, then a student in the film school at the University of Southern California, who had also been hired to assist Fields. Ms. Lucas, who married George in 1969, was an assistant editor on his feature directorial debut, THX 1138. With Fields, she edited his next film, American Graffiti, earning her first Oscar nomination for best film editing in 1974. William Reynolds took home the trophy that year for his work on The Sting, but Ms. Lucas would go on to earn the Oscar for one of Hollywood's most beloved films and her husband's biggest hit: Star Wars. The award was one of six Oscars that Star Wars won, including best art direction, sound, score, costume design and visual effects. Outside of her then-husband, Ms. Lucas worked with acclaimed filmmaker Martin Scorsese in the mid-70s. She edited Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, and supervised the edit on both Taxi Driver and New York, New York. She went on to edit another Star Wars movie, Return of the Jedi, which was released in 1983, the year she and George divorced. "I love film editing," she said in 1983 to Time magazine. "I have an innate ability to take good material and make it better, and to take bad material and make it fair." "Marcia will be remembered as a brilliant storyteller, a trailblazer for women in film, a loving mother and grandmother, a generous host and a loyal friend whose humor and sparkle filled every room she entered," her family said in a statement. "Her influence on film is indelible, but those who knew her best will remember the way she made life feel more vivid, more beautiful, more fun and more full of love." She is survived by daughters Amanda Lucas and Amy Soper, as well as her grandchildren. - The Hollywood Reporter, 5/29/26...... Peabo Bryson, the Grammy-winning and hitmaking R&B singer/producer of legendary love songs, died on June 2 after suffering a stroke the previous weekend and being placed under medical care. He was 75. "With broken hearts and profound sadness, the family of two-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and balladeer, Peabo Bryson, announces his passing," a statement from Bryson's family reads, adding: "He transitioned peacefully at 5:00 p.m. ET on the evening of Tuesday, June 2, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family and those closest to him." Over his decades-long career, Bryson placed 12 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, starting with "Lovers After All," his 1981 duet with Melissa Manchester, and including three top 10 hits. He topped the chart in 1993 thanks to his recording of Disney's "A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)" with Regina Belle. Bryson had previously found success with another Disney classic, recording "Beauty and the Beast" with a then-23-year-old Celine Dion and reaching No. 9 on the Hot 100 in 1992. Those two Disney success stories also brought Bryson his two Grammy wins out of eight nominations, with both duets taking home best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal in back-to-back years (1993 and 1994). On the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Bryson placed 41 hits spanning 1976-1993, including 10 top 10s -- two of which hit No. 1: "Show & Tell" and "Can You Stop the Rain." He also had 21 entries on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, spanning 1976-2007, seven of which hit the top 10 and one of them, Can You Stop the Rain, hit No. 1. Robert Peapo Bryson -- the nickname "Peabo" came from an early musical mentor, Moses Dillard, who had trouble pronouncing his given middle name -- first entered the Billboard charts in 1976 with "Do It With Feeling," which reached No. 25 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and became his first Billboard Hot 100 placement, with a No. 94 peak. Over the next decade-plus, the Greenville, S.C. native emerged into a constant R&B hitmaker, building a rsum of top 10 appearances. Successes included his own solo material, such as the No. 1 singles "Show & Tell" (1989) and "Can You Stop the Rain" (1991), while "Reaching for the Sky" (No. 6, 1978), "I'm So Into You" (No. 2, 1979) and "If You're Ever in My Arms Again" (No. 6, 1984) earned high positions. In addition, the powerhouse vocalist also teamed with R&B legends for stirring duets. He and Natalie Cole took "Gimme Some Time" to No. 8 in 1980, and he performed multiple hits with Roberta Flack, including their highest charting collaboration, "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love," a No. 5 hit in 1983. - Billboard, 6/2/26.

For the past decade, Sting has been mounting versions of his Tony-nominated musical, "The Last Ship," all around the world, even stepping in to play the titular role of Jackie White in several productions and tours. Announcing that the show will return to London's West End this fall in a new interview with The Guardian, the former The Police frontman suggested that the loss of physically demanding jobs in which men use their hands has helped drive up the prevalence of "toxic masculinity" in our modern society. "I work with my hands every day as a musician, and I'm lucky. It's a rare thing for modern men to actually use their hands and use their strengths to do anything. We've lost something there," said the 74-year-old musician, who earlier in May praised his adult children's "extraordinary work ethic" in confirming that he doesn't plan to hand over his considerable fortune to them. "I don't have any answers, but maybe the toxicity in society at the moment is [a result of the fact] that we've lost that direction for our energy, that male strength. It's rare we have to use it." The Last Ship debuted in Chicago in 2014 before moving on to Broadway, the U.K./Ireland, Toronto and then North American and world tours. It tells the story of the men who toil at a shipyard similar to the Swan Hunter's yard at Wallsend, near where Sting grew up, before deindustrialization in the 1970s and 80s led to their closure. The show, kicks off a run at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London in September, features a mostly original score written by Sting, along with four previously released songs from his solo catalog, "Island of Souls," "All This Time," "When We Dance" and "Ghost Story." Sting is currently on the road with his "3.0 Tour" solo band, who will begin a run of nine shows at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York on June 9. - Billboard, 5/29/26...... Speaking to Rolling Stone, Roger Daltrey claims that The Who "were the first heavy metal band" and paved the way for the genre in the 1960s. "We were just different than everybody else," the singer said, noting that the British quartet demonstrated multiple sounds, live performance tricks and more that would go on to be synonymous with heavy metal. "[Americans] generally "don't really know The Who from the early '60s, if they were to look back, they'd see that their style back then had elements reminiscent of what would later be considered metal. As the drummer of Deep Purple [Ian Paice] said recently: 'The Who started it all.' We were the first heavy metal band," Daltrey said. "Jim Marshall invented the 412 [speaker cabinet], 100-watt stack for [Who guitarist] Pete Townshend... All the guitar smashing that Jimi Hendrix became famous for, in his style, was basically copied from Pete Townshend," Daltrey continued. And the first rock opera, of course, we elevated rock to be maybe up its own ass in a way, you could say it," he added. "We were doing it before anyone, but it's not important in the long run." The rock icon's comments come as he recently announced a solo tour across the US later in 2026. The Who played their final-ever live shows in 2025, however, earlier this year Townshend hinted that there could be more to come from the band. "We are always trying to come up with something special, and God willing will continue to do that, hoping one day we can astound you the way we used to," the guitarist said. It isn't clear what exactly The Who may have planned, although the hopes of more Who news has been circulating since Townshend told fans at the final show of the farewell tour that he was "sure we'll get up to all kinds of mischief" and continue to "do stuff together." - New Musical Express, 5/29/26...... Barry Manilow has given an update on his lung cancer battle in a new interview with Good Morning America, telling interviewer Chris Connelly that he also fought life-threatening pneumonia for a week. "It took longer than I thought it was going to take to get past this lung cancer thing," Manilow said. "I didn't know about pneumonia. I was in [the] ICU for seven days because they couldn't grasp this pneumonia that was just about killing me," he added. Manilow, 82, subsequently pushed back his planned February Las Vegas residency dates, then his February, March and April arena shows on doctor's advice that he needed more time to recover. His Vegas residency at Westgate is scheduled to run through Dec. 2026, and his farewell arena tour -- dubbed "The Last Concerts" -- has rescheduled a number of dates in the wake of his illness. The star also confirmed that he plans to be ready for his June arena shows in the U.K. In March, the singer's new single, "Once Before I Go," became a top 10 hit on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, making himthe only artist in history to score an A/C hit in six consecutive decades during a run that has stretched from the 1970s through the 2020s. His first new album in 15 years, What a Time, will be his first collection of nearly all-original material in almost 15 years and will drop June 5. Meanwhile, Barry recently revealed to the Los Angeles Times that he's only ever had one facelift, and "after that it's just been a little here, a little there," slamming rumours of constant Botox procedures. "I look fantastic, but I'm a hundred years old, right?" he quipped in the interview published May 27. "I don't know how that happened, by the way -- I don't get Botox or anything." - Billboard, 5/29/26...... Barry Gibb is alive and well, despite a recent viral social media post claiming that The Bee Gees legend had passed away. Rumours of the "How Deep Is Your Love" singer's death gained traction on May 24 when a Facebook page titled "R.I.P. Barry Gibb" racked up nearly one million likes. The page, which now appears to have been taken down, featured a detailed false account claiming that the 79-year-old British hitmaker had died earlier that day. Although the page was deleted, the rumours had already spread across social media and online message boards, with multiple Facebook posts reporting the false news alongside AI-created images of Gibb. However, family sources have confirmed to TMZ.com that Barry "is healthy, happy, and living life at his Miami-area home" despite the false death reports. He is the last surviving member of the iconic singing trio, with Maurice Gibb dying in 2003 at the age of 53 and Robin Gibb passing away in 2012 at the age of 62. Gibb is the latest celebrity to be subjected to an online viral death hoax, following in the footsteps of stars including Justin Bieber, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks and Michael J. Fox. - Music-News.com, 5/28/26...... Bruce Springsteen is continuing to call out his longtime nemesis Pres. Donald J. Trump on stage, this time declaring Trump's recently announced "anti-weaponization fund" an "American outrage." Performing at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on May 27, the Boss tore into the Trump DOJ's new plan to set aside nearly $1.8 billion for those who have "suffered weaponization and lawfare," language that detractors have speculated refers to people who faced legal repercussions for their involvement in the riots that followed shortly after Trump's loss in the 2020 election. "We have a president who wants to create a $1.8 billion fund to compensate and reward people who attacked our nation's capitol," Springsteen lamented between songs. "Attacked our democracy. Assaulted our police officers on Jan. 6. This is an American outrage, and this is happening now. This American tragedy can only be stopped by the American people. There is no one coming to save us. We've got to do it ourselves. Let them hear you at the f-king White House!," he added. The DOJ first published its intention to establish a $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization fund" on May 18. It comes as part of the settlement agreement in Trump's now-dismissed lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department over the leak of his tax returns in 2019, and it will offer monetary relief to applicants who feel they've been mistreated by law enforcement, potentially including those convicted of assaulting Capitol Police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot. Springsteen's "Land of Hope & Dreams Tour" is scheduled to wrap on May 30 in Philadelphia. Elsewhere, Springsteen's current tour partner Tom Morello has announced plans to rage against the machine later in 2026 with a special, all-star festival. On May 28, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and activist announced that a "Power to the People Festival" will be a one-day event featuring Springsteen and Foo Fighters, among many others. Set for Oct. 3 at Merriweather Post Pavilion In Columbia, MD, Power to the People is conceived as "a celebration of peace, justice, solidarity, music, and community action." Other artists confirmed include Dave Matthews, Joan Baez, Brittany Howard, Dropkick Murphys and a band fronted by Jack Black featuring Roman Morello, Revel Ian, Yoyoka Soma and Hugo Weiss. Additional special guests will be announced in the weeks ahead. A poster for the show can be viewed on Instagram. - Billboard, 5/28/26...... Carlos Santana and rising singer Becky G have released a new collaboration, "Mi Gran Amor," to benefit families impacted by the US Dept. of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement program (ICE). The pan-Latin rock track -- written and produced by Edgar Barrera -- was released on May 28 and pairs an urgent narrative with Santana's searing guitar work and Becky's emotionally grounded vocal. The song brings together three Mexican and Mexican-American artists from different generations and corners of Latin music. It also marks Santana's third single tied to his forthcoming album, following recent team-ups with Grupo Frontera ("Me Retiro") and Carn Len ("Velas"). For Santana, "Mi Gran Amor" was an opportunity to make his playing communicate something bigger than the lyrics alone. "As always, I want my guitar, the melodies, to sound and feel like a universal hug," the guitarist told Billboard in Detroit before heading on stage. "Now more than ever in this planet, we need unity, harmony and oneness. That's a universal hug." On the track, Becky sings, "Migra, mi gran amor se fue por culpa de la migra" ("Migra, my great love is gone because of la migra") using the colloquial Spanish term often used to refer to U.S. immigration authorities such as ICE. "As someone who was born here in the States, I will never truly understand what it is to walk those steps," Becky added. Instead, she says, she approached the song by "allowing myself to be just a vessel for those voices that can't speak up right now." Santana, who is set to carry that same spirit onto the road with his ongoing "Oneness Tour" with the Doobie Brothers, returns to the message he hears inside the song itself: connection over division. Later this year, he'll also bring it to Las Vegas for his An Intimate Evening With Santana: Greatest Hits Live run. "Anybody who comes to a concert, they're going to be validated and celebrated," says the legendary guitarist. "Santana is a force that speaks way beyond politics or religion. It's a unifying frequency." A teaser of "Mi Gran Amor" can be heard on TikTok. - Billboard, 5/28/26...... Legal experts are saying that Billy Joel's fight against a recently announced unauthorized biopic about the "Uptown Girl" singer could be an uphill battle. Joel's spokesperson, Claire Mercuri, recently told Billboard that "any attempt to move forward without it would be both legally and professionally misguided," and though Joel could theoretically sue the filmmakers of Billy & Me in New York or California under state-level laws that protect that right of publicity, right of publicity laws have been invoked in many previous celebrity biopic lawsuits -- including Frank Sinatra and Olivia de Havilland -- and have ended typically without success. "The legal rule is no one has a monopoly on historical facts," says Elizabeth Seidlin-Bernstein, a media lawyer at the firm Ballard Spahr. "No one has veto power over the making of a biopic about them. The First Amendment protects that kind of expression." While a right of publicity lawsuit would thus face long odds for Joel, there is another type of legal action that could also be available to him after the movie comes out: a defamation lawsuit. "If there are significant mischaracterizations or untruths that potentially harm the reputation of a subject of a film, there could potentially be defamation claims," says Tal Dickstein, an entertainment litigator at Loeb & Loeb. In a statement to Billboard, Joel spokesperson Mercuri said, "At no time has Billy Joel even suggested that he would seek to enjoin this proposed film. Instead, he has made clear that his music will not be licensed and he has not authorized those associated with the proposed film to depict him visually or vocally and he reserves his rights to protect his valuable state law rights." - Billboard, 5/28/26...... Former Sex Pistols member Glen Matlock has responded to the band's former frontman John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) describing the current iteration of Sex Pistols as a "tribute act." Lydon has criticized the recent Pistols reunion multiple times in the past, describing it as "karaoke" and "almost malicious in its intent," and Matlock has said if Lydon ever wanted to rejoin the band, "it's just not gonna happen." The discussion from the bassist comes as he is the subject of a new documentary called I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol. Directed by Andre Relis (Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon) and Nick Mead (Who Do I Think I Am?), the film is out now on Apple TV and Prime Video, and is based on his 1996 memoir of the same title. Featuring guest appearances from Matlock alongside his close friends and peers -- including Billy Idol and members of Blondie -- the film explores Matlock's place in the punk scene and the impact he had on Sex Pistols. The bassist co-wrote 10 of the 12 songs on their 1977 album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, before leaving the group later that year. His time and contributions to the band have also been somewhat overlooked over the years too, with the infamous image and reputation of Sid Vicious, who replaced Matlock in the band, often taking the spotlight. Matlock has always insisted that he chose to leave the group, while other band members have said that he was fired, and after departing the line-up Matlock formed Rich Kids with Midge Ure, and also worked with Blondie, The Damned, Iggy Pop and Faces. The Sex Pistols and vocalist Frank Carter will be going on tour later in 2026 to celebrate their 50th anniversary -- shows include multiple festival appearances and US dates kick off in September, before heading to the UK in December. - NME, 5/27/26...... An appeals court has ruled that George Clinton must face a trial to determine whether a portion of the Parliament-Funkadelic catalog is co-owned by the heirs of late keyboardist Bernie Worrell. In September, a federal judge in Detroit threw out the lawsuit brought by Worrell's widow after determining that the statute of limitations had long expired. But the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that dismissal on May 27, holding that it's up to a jury to decide whether the claims are timely or not. "The estate has successfully pointed to facts potentially rendering this the rare case in which a copyright-ownership claim may be brought a half-century after-the-fact," wrote a panel of three appellate judges in the ruling, obtained by Billboard. The dispute stems from a 1976 contract between Worrell and Clinton, in which the keyboardist released his ownership stake in the P-Funk masters in exchange for recorded royalties. This led to numerous court battles over the years about how to properly split these royalties, both during Worrell's life and after his death from lung cancer in 2016. Clinton is separately suing Universal Music Group (UMG) for freezing his royalties amid the Worrell litigation. That case remains pending. - Billboard, 5/27/26...... As he promotes his newly released LP The Boys of Dungeon Lane across multiple media outlets, Paul McCartney has finally admitted that The Beatles are probably "the greatest band ever," after years of dismissing the title. Speaking on a livestream Q&A with fans on TikTok, McCartney said: "I think The Beatles were the greatest band ever and I'm a fan." He also explained that neither he nor his bandmates ever expected their legacy to stick around as long as it has -- revealing that he thought their fame would only last a couple of years. "When we started out, we were just kids and rock 'n' roll was just really coming in," he said. "We thought, 'If we're lucky, we've got a couple of years. That's how long people normally lasted. We expected maybe five years max, and then that became 10, and we were kind of still going, and the scene's still there," he continued. "Then it became 20, then 30, and now it's right up there. It's great; it is a lovely feeling. People will come to me and say, 'My kids love your music' and that's something, because you can't indoctrinate kids. They just either like it or they don't." Sir Paul also recalled the "pinch yourself" moment he experienced after he and the other three Beatles met Elvis Presley ("He wasn't a disappointment at all"), and that fellow music legend Bob Dylan is the one artist he's "nervous to approach" (I was wowed when we met last at the 2016 Desert Trip festival"). Macca has also participated in a conversation with actor Paul Mescal, who is set to portray the "cute Beatle" in the upcoming The Beatles: A Four-Film Cinematic Event series of films, which can be viewed on Amazon.com. - NME, 5/29/26...... Speaking with podcaster Rick Beato on YouTube, Rush's Geddy Lee has said he did not want "Tom Sawyer" to be included on the 1981 Moving Pictures album as he was so "sick" of it. "It was a very difficult song to make [and] difficult song to mix," Lee said. "Every step of the recording was beset with problems. And at the end, I was so sick of that fucking song, I didn't want to put it on the record. "So, can you imagine how dumb that was?" he added. "Like, let's not put our most popular song on the record." "Tom Sawyer" went on to become one of the defining songs of the band's career, receiving heavy radio and MTV airplay, and eventually being inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Rush played their first show together since 2015 this past March, alongside their new drummer Anika Nilles. She has since been recruited to replace the legendary Neil Peart, who died from brain cancer in early 2020. The band played vintage footage from Peart on big screens behind them during the show at the Juno Awards in their native Canada. Rush have also announced that they will be touring across the UK, Europe and South America in 2027. 24 shows in 13 countries have been confirmed, marking the first time they will have played in Europe since 2013, and their first visit to South America in 17 years. - NME, 5/25/26...... Jack Osbourne is pushing back at criticism over the return of his father, Ozzy Osbourne, as an AI-powered avatar. Jack and his mother, Sharon Osbourne, made the announcement during a discussion about the future of Ozzy's brand at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas on May 20, partnering with digital human tech company Hyperreal to create an Ozzy avatar with the ability to "have conversations with fans and move, speak, and respond as Ozzy would." The announcement has sparked a backlash online, with some fans criticizing the concept as disrespectful or overly commercial. The iconic Black Sabbath frontman passed away in July 2025 at the age of 76. "Poor dude's soul was literally floating away but was quickly lassoed by Sharon and then yanked back down to earth, where he'll be on digital life support and forced to continue dancing for every sad soul who wants to ask him a questionexcept it's not even him," one user wrote on X. Another added, "Wow! A year hasn't even passed since Ozzy's passing and they are already trying to commercialize and profit from his memory." "Can't just let his legacy speak for itself, this would be f--kin disgraceful," a third skeptic commented. But Jack pushed back against the criticism during a YouTube livestream. "Here's the thing, it's gonna be so tasteful what we're doing. It's not gonna be f--king lame," he said. "It's really complex what we're doing. This isn't just like hooking up an image of my dad to ChatGPT. This is some high-level technology that we're gonna be working with, and it's gonna feel very real, and it's kind of wild how it will be utilized." Jack also said the idea had been discussed with his father before his death. "It's really cool, and it's something that I think my dad would be into," he said. "We actually talked about it before he passed, about doing something like this. So, yeah. I know he would be into this." Jack's full livestream has been shared on YouTube. - Billboard, 5/25/26...... David Gilmour has paid tribute to his longtime friend and Pink Floyd collaborator Dick Parry in the wake of the saxophonist's passing on May 22 at age 83. "My dear friend Dick Parry died," Gilmour began his post on social media, accompanied by a series of pictures of Mr. Parry playing the saxophone. "Since I was seventeen, I have played in bands with Dick on saxophone, including Pink Floyd. His feel and tone make his saxophone playing unmistakable, a signature of enormous beauty that is known to millions and is such a big part of songs such as Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Us and Them and Money." Gilmour continued, "He played in the last band I had that included Rick Wright for the On An Island Tour and at Live 8 with Pink Floyd." Mr. Parry played sax on several of Gilmour's solo albums, and toured with the band in the 1970s, returning for their 1994 world tour in support of their album The Division Bell. - Music-News.com, 5/25/26...... Speaking of great saxophonists, legendary tenor sax player Sonny Rollins, whose combination of technical mastery, melodic invention and raw improvisational power made him one of the most consequential figures in jazz history, died on May 25 at his home in Woodstock, N.Y., after a battle with pulmonary fibrosis. He was 95. Mr. Rollins' passing marks the end of a direct line to jazz's post-war golden age, with him coming of age alongside Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker -- and outlived them all, spending the decades after their deaths as a living link to that era's creative revolution. Born in New York City on Sept. 7, 1930, to parents who had emigrated from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mr. Rollins grew up in Harlem and came to the saxophone in his early teens -- first the alto, then the tenor, which he adopted in his mid-teens and never abandoned. By the time he finished high school at Benjamin Franklin, he was already recording. His earliest sessions in 1949 included work alongside singer Babs Gonzalez and pianist Bud Powell, and he was performing with Monk before the age of 20. The decade that followed established him as one of the instrument's pre-eminent voices. His 1956 album Saxophone Colossus -- recorded for Prestige in a single session -- is considered one of the essential documents in all of jazz, and the track "St. Thomas," a calypso-inflected original, became one of the music's most enduring standards. In 1959, feeling he had reached a plateau, Mr. Rollins stepped away from performing -- seeking a place to practice alone, he found one on New York's Williamsburg Bridge, where he played through the night without fear of disturbing anyone. His 1962 return was marked by the album The Bridge, which announced not just a comeback but an artist who had been quietly, privately working to push further. In 1995, New York City Hall named a day in his honour. In 2011, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2017, he donated his personal archives to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. His wife Lucille, his partner of nearly 40 years, died in 2004. - Billboard, 5/25/26...... John McClain, co-executor of Michael Jackson's estate and a longtime music executive, died on May 27 at the age of 71. Jackson co-executor John Branca confirmed the death of McClain, who had helped lead the King of Pop's estate since the star's death in 2009, to Billboard, saying he was "profoundly grieved at the loss of my partner and 'brother.'" "He brought a passion and sense of conviction to all that he did and was the most generous of friends," Branca said. "It is difficult to imagine a world without him." McClain was a longtime executive at A&M Records, where he helped launch Janet Jackson's career and executive produced her breakthrough 1986 album Control. He later did stints at Interscope Records and DreamWorks Records. When Michael died in 2009, McClain and Branca, a veteran music attorney, were named in his will as co-executors of his estate. Though the estate was reported to be nearly $500 million in debt at the time of his death and dogged by abuse allegations, it has since become a multi-billion business, including a $600 million deal to sell half his catalog to Sony Music and a smash hit biopic Michael earlier this year. A cause of death has not been given publicly for McClain. But TMZ, which first reported the news of his passing, reported that he had been "sick for several years" before his death. - Billboard, 5/27/26.

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

2026-05-20T00:00:07.005-04:00

Posted by Administrator on May 25th, 2026

Elton John was honored at the 2026 Ivor Novello Awards at Grosvenor House in London on May 21 during a ceremony that saw 16 songwriters and composed recognized across 14 categories. The Rocketman artist presented with the Ivors Academy Honour in recognition of his work in championing songwriters, composers and creativity across the music industry. It was also announced that Sir Elton, 79, would become The Ivors Academy's first-ever President -- a newly-created role that will see the music legend represent the Academy's global community of songwriters and composers. The special position is reserved for those who have reached the pinnacle of the songwriting profession and are committed to supporting and advancing the Academy's mission to preserve the future of music. - Music-News.com, 5/21/26...... Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's "Land of Hope and Dreams" spring American tour rolled into Cleveland on May 22, with the Boss reminding the Rocket Arena crowd that "the E Street Band was built for hard times." Those times have inarguably become harder during the seven-and-a-half weeks since the 20-date trek began in Minneapolis on Mar. 31, and it was evident that it's only made the group, 20 strong on this outing, harder and Springsteen even more focused and resolute in his mission. The setlist of the two-hour-and-50-minute show remained unchanged since Springsteen and company added The Clash's "Clampdown" to the set during the third show in Inglewood, Calif. The Boss did, however, reference the city's Agora, site of revered live radio broadcasts during the '70s, and emotionally thanked the city "for a lifetime" of devotion. Primarily, Springsteen continued to present as ferocious and committed, pulling no punches as he slammed "reckless, racist, incompetent, treasonous" U.S. Pres. Donald Trump's policies and "super fools administration." Spotted in the crowd was daughter Pam Springsteen, shooting photos from the audience, as well as former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie -- a longtime fan -- along with his daughter. Cleveland marked the 17th date of the tour -- and the start of its final week -- which is likely to culminate in an even more pointed and poignant reckoning on at Nationals Park in the nation's capital. The tour wraps May 30 in Philadelphia after that date was postponed because of an NBA scheduling conflict. - Billboard, 5/23/26...... Paul McCartney helped The Late Show host Stephen Colbert bid farewell on the final episode of his CBS late-night gabfest on May 16, playing "Days We Left Behind," from his upcoming album The Boys of Dungeon Lane, duetting with Colbert on the Beatles classic "Hello, Goodbye," and closing out the show with his bouncy 1980 track "Coming Up." During the bittersweet goodbye for a canceled show that ended its 33-year-run, Colbert pretended that Pope Leo XIV, the first US-born pope, was his final guest, but the pontiff refused to come out of his dressing room because he hadn't been supplied the correct kind of snacks, especially hot dogs. McCartney then offered himself as a replacement, striding across the stage as the audience screamed. "I think you'd be a perfect last guest," Colbert said. Sir Paul allowed that he happened to be in the area, doing errands, then offered a framed photo of the Beatles at the Ed Sullivan Theater in 1964, the final home of The Late Show. The two chatted about when the Fab Four first came to America, creativity, and McCartney's childhood. Standing next to Colbert, Paul also poignantly turned off the lights for the final time at the Ed Sullivan Theatre. Once the live show had finished, Macca hung around for a couple of exclusive performances for the cast and crew, and now the videos have been shared on YouTube. Joined by Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith on drums and Will Ferrell on his trademark cowbell (Ferrell famously played the cowbell in a 2000 SNL parody of Blue Öyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper"), he ran through versions of two 1965 Beatles classics, "Help" and "Drive My Car." Meanwhile, the iconic Liverpool venue The Jacaranda has teamed up with McCartney to temporarily change its name to "The Maccaranda." The band played there regularly as The Silver Beetles and used it to audition budding drummers, including Pete Best, and it was there that they became acquainted with both Ringo Starr and Brian Epstein. The renowned music venue was opened by the Beatles' first manager Allan Williams in 1958 and played a key role in the early days of the band. They used it as a rehearsal studio and it was where some of their earliest songs, including "One After 909," were written. It continues to operate as a music venue to this day, and this week it announced on X/Twitter that it had teamed up with McCartney to rename itself The Maccaranda. "Yes, this is real," they wrote. "In celebration of our former performer and customer's new album The Boys Of Dungeon Lane out 29 May, we've temporarily changed our name. Pop by The Maccaranda and try Paul's own cocktail, the Maccarita." Elsewhere, Sir Paul has been told to plant a new tree in his London garden following a council dispute with a "suspicious" neighbor. McCartney had submitted an application in late 2025 to remove two sycamores at his £10 million townhouse in St John's Wood. McCartney's legal reps reportedly claimed that the two trees were "in decline," reasoning that their removal would free up "more space for an adjacent hornbeam tree to grow into." However his neighbor, conservative activist/investor Reinhold Meinen, expressed doubt over whether the trees were in bad shape. In an objection to the council over Macca's plans, he said he was "suspicious if those trees are fatally ill." McCartney has since amended the plans for his garden in the capital, showing that one sycamore would be cut back by 1.5 metres and the other would be felled. - Associated Press/New Musical Express, 5/24/26...... Neil Young performed solo versions of "After The Gold Rush" and "Heart Of Gold" at his first live appearance of 2026, a benefit show in Vancouver to mark the 90th birthday of Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki. The native Canadian folk/rock icon made the unusual move of cancelling all of his 2026 tour dates earlier this year, including an entire UK and European tour, saying it was "not the time" to be playing shows. He later clarified to a worried fan that "all is good" and that he "just needed a break" and was "listening to my body", and on May 22 made a surprise appearance during a benefit concert for his friend Suzuki in Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Young stood along in front of the crowd to strum a passionate version of "Heart Of Gold," before taking a seat at the piano for a heart-wrenchingly beautiful rendition of "After The Gold Rush," with added harmonica. Footage of both performances, "Heart of Gold" and "After the Goldrush," can be watched on Instagram. In other news, Young recently revealed his new album with The Chrome Hearts is now finished, and it reportedly includes three finished versions of songs that he wrote 63 years ago. - NME, 5/23/26...... Phil Collins and Rod Stewart partied with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace on May 14, celebrating the 50th anniversary of The King's Trust with His Majesty. Former Genesis member and '80s solo star Collins, 75, who has notably suffered an array of health complaints in recent years, made a rare appearance on crutches. He was accompanied by his ex-wife Jill Collins, 70, who noted the occasion with a lengthy Instagram post describing their experience at the elite, but soggy, garden party. "Despite the downpours of torrential rain which did not seem to dampen the festivities @officialphilcollins and I were very proud and honored to be there and have a few private moments with King Charles," she wrote in a caption accompanying a gallery of event pics. She added the King "seemed genuinely pleased to see Phil" and explained her ex-husband had been the Trust's first official ambassador four decades prior, as well as a longtime trustee. Jill went on to mention they had been able to catch up with fellow musician Sir Rod Stewart, 81, and his wife, Penny Lancaster, 55. "We ran into @sirrodstewart and @penny.lancaster among other old (in the nicest sense of the word) friends," Jill wrote. In January, Collins gave a health update to explain his various chronic ailments, many of which stemmed from longtime alcohol abuse as well as a series of falls that left him needing at least five knee surgeries. "It's an ongoing thing," he told interviewer Zoe Ball as part of BBC 2 TV's special Phil Collins Eras: In Conversation. "I have a 24 hour live-in nurse, um, to make sure I take my medication as I should do. Uh, I've had challenges with my knee -- I had everything that could go wrong with me did go wrong with me. You know, I mean, I got COVID in hospital, my kidneys started to back up... You know, everything that start, that could all seemed to sort of converge at the same time." Collins recently ruled out a performance at his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction later this year. "I can't really see it happening, but I'm healthier now than I have been for quite a while," he told BBC Breakfast. Meanwhile, Stewart is prepping to kick off a run of 18 US concerts on May 28 with a 6-night run at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, followed by shows including the Hollywood Bowl on June 11, two nights at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Col., on June 16 and 17, and wrapping in Riverside, California's Morton Amphitheater on Aug. 16. - Music-News.com, 5/20/26...... Speaking at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas on May 20, Ozzy Osbourne's son Jack Osbourne revealed that his late dad will return as an AI-powered digital avatar. "It's kind of scary how it's really very accurate," said Jack at the event, according to a recap from Licensing Expo organizer License Global. "He will exist digitally as himself for as long as we have computers. Technology has come such a long way to where it's almost drag and drop. You could shoot a template for a commercial literally prompt what you want Digital Ozzy to do in that commercial and you just drop it in. It's that simple now." The Ozzy avatar is the result of a partnership between Hyperreal -- which describes itself as a "digital human technology company" that uses patented "Digital DNA" technology to create digital avatars -- and Proto Hologram, described as a "hologram and AI spatial compute platform in entertainment, healthcare, education, finance, retail and more." According to Hyperreal, its Digital DNA technology will allow Ozzy's avatar to "have conversations with fans and move, speak, and respond as Ozzy would." The company says the Ozzy avatar will begin appearing in Proto Luma units -- essentially life-sized, interactive touchscreens -- in the U.S. and U.K. beginning late summer of 2026. Hyperreal has previously created a digital avatars for the likes of The Notorious B.I.G., soccer star Lionel Messi and Marvel Comics creator Stan Lee. - Billboard, 5/21/26...... Seven years after his last movie role, The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger is prepping his return to the big screen in Italian director Alice Rohrwacher's adaptation of U.S. author Audrey Niffenegger's 2005 gothic drama novel Three Incestuous Sisters. According to Variety, Jagger will costar in the film alongside Dakota Johnson, Josh O'Connor, Saoirse Ronan, Oscar-winner Jessie Buckley and Isabella Rossellini. The magazine reported that the rocker flew to the island of Stromboli off the coast of Sicily this week where the film is shooting. The movie will be two-time Cannes Film Festival winner Rohrwacher's first English-language feature. While details about the film's plot have not yet been revealed, unconfirmed Italian press reports claim that Jagger will plays the doomed lighthouse keeper, whose son is played by O'Connor (The Crown). Jagger's previous film roles date back over 50 years, beginning with his starring role in the 1970 drama Ned Kelly, followed by 1970's Performance, Freejack (1992), Bent (1997), Enigma (2001), The Man From Elysian Fields (2001), The Bank Clerk (2008), and The Burnt Orange Heresy (2019). Meanwhile the Stones' latest studio LP, Foreign Tongues, will drop on July 10. BBC 2 Radio host Vernon Kay has also just announced that Jagger and his bandmate Ronnie Wood have recorded a special edition of the station's beloved segment, Tracks of My Years, choosing ten defining songs that shaped their musical identities. The full, feature-length special will broadcast on Radio 2 on May 31 at 5 AM GMT, becoming available on BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer at 6 AM the same day. Additionally, daily bite-sized episodes will be featured during Vernon's regular mid-morning weekday show from June 1-5. - Billboard/Music-News.com, 5/21/26...... Billy Joel's legal team has lashed out at an upcoming attempt to chronicle the Piano Man's early years in a new unauthorized movie project Billy & Me. According to Variety, the film is in development with editor/director John Ottman (Michael) attached to direct the project that Joel has reportedly been fighting to halt for five years. "Since 2021, the parties involved have been officially notified that they do not possess Billy Joel's life rights and will not be able to secure the music rights required for this project," Joel's rep told the magazine. "Billy Joel has not authorized or supported this project in any capacity, and any attempt to move forward without it would be both legally and professionally misguided." The film will reportedly look at Joel's career before the 1973 album Piano Man catapulted the singer to fame, as told through the eyes of Joe's first manager, Irwin Mazur, who discovered the singer in 1966 and then signed him in 1970 and guided his career until his signing to Columbia Records in 1972. Despite the pushback from Joel's camp and the tussle over life and music rights, casting for the film is reportedly underway, with production slated to begin this fall in New York and Winnipeg. In 2025, HBO aired the two-part career retrospective two-part documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes. Joel's longtime friend, drummer and video director Jon Small, who is also a consultant, co-executive producer and second unit director on the project, maintains the script is "the most honest, heartfelt, and authentic portrayal of Billy's early life and rise to becoming one of the greatest musical voices of our time." "Billy & Me is grounded in truth, shaped with care, and built with the insight of people who genuinely know and love Billy. As someone who was there from the very beginning, I can say this script captures not just the music, but the friendships, struggles, humor, and creative spark that defined those years," he says. - Billboard, 5/20/26...... In other rock biopic news, the studio head behind Michael has said a sequel to the smash Michael Jackson movie is moving forward, and that the new film may not follow chronologically from where the last one ended. "We are really excited about the progress we're making with respect to a second Michael film," Lionsgate Motion Picture Chair Adam Fogelson told Variety on May 22. "All the conversations that we've been having with all of the appropriate parties continue to go exceptionally well." The first film covered the "Billie Jean" singer's life from childhood to the peak of his fame in the late 1980s. A legal settlement prevented the production from portraying the court cases that occurred later in his life, with the film requiring reshoots. Regarding the timeline for the second film, Fogelson said: "Much of the biggest and most popular parts of his music catalogue were not touched upon in the first film. There are so many other events that happened, even in the time frame of the original movie that weren't touched upon, so we're very, very confident that we've got an incredibly entertaining movie that will appeal once again to a global audience as the pieces come together." He then emphasised that the story may not be strictly chronological "We can go forwards and backwards in telling this story," he said. The story of the life of Michael Jackson (played by Jaafar Jackson) broke records upon its release and has so far earned $715 million worldwide at the box office. The film ended with the caption "His Story Continues," implying a sequel may be on the way. - NME, 5/22/26...... The alleged stalker and attacker of Fleetwood Mac guitarist-singer Lindsey Buckingham appeared in court on May 19 after pleading not guilty to seven criminal charges. Michelle Dick, 55, was led into a Los Angeles court wearing a blue-and-yellow jail uniform and a waist shackle. Her lawyer then said she needed more time to review the evidence and asked that the case be delayed until June 23. Judge Lucy Armendariz then turned to Dick and asked whether she understood she had a right to a more immediate evidentiary hearing, to which she replied she did. The woman then said she agreed to the delay and was led out of the courtroom, still in custody. Dick was arrested in Santa Monica on Mar. 25 after allegedly throwing an unknown substance at Buckingham as he entered a building to go to an appointment. Police said at the time that they believed she had discovered the time and location of his appointment, and had been there waiting for his arrival. They also confirmed that Buckingham had not been injured. Dick quietly entered her not guilty plea to seven charges on May 6 after authorities transported her back to the county, according to a recent minute order that surfaced. The charges include one felony count of making criminal threats, one of assault with a deadly weapon involving a motor vehicle on Mar. 19, and one of vandalising Buckingham's vehicle that same day. The other charges include a separate felony count of criminal threat against Buckingham on Mar. 25, as well as a misdemeanour battery charge for allegedly using force. She is also charged with stalking another victim named in the documents as "Stephanie N". Buckingham reportedly sought a retraining order against the same woman in 2024 -- alleging that she had stalked him for years, and was responsible for phone calls to the police that led to officers being called out to his house on multiple occasions. A judge granted the restraining order in December 2024, requiring Dick to stay away from Buckingham, his wife, and his son for five years. She also was ordered to keep her distance from their homes and vehicles. - NME, 5/20/26...... Legendary Eagles guitarist Don Felder has spoken about his band's participation as opening act in the current The Guess Who North American tour that's set to kick off on May 26 date in Moncton, N.B. The Guess Who's "The Takin' it Back" tour is a nod to Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings regaining full ownership of the Guess Who name following a settlement in 2024 with former bandmates Gary Peterson and Jim Cale that ended a protracted dispute over its use. Felder says he joined the tour in large part thanks to his manager's longtime association with Cummings, Bachman and their management teams. "Charlie [Brusco] has known each of those guys in the Guess Who for years. So, as we were looking at putting together a 2026 tour, as we do pretty much every year, and their tour came up and I said, 'That sounds like a lot of fun,'" said Felder. "Between all the songs they have from the Guess Who, Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Burton's solo career, the whole catalogue they have, plus the catalogue in my show, I knew we could put together a really great tour." A Felder set usually includes a generous sampling of Eagles' classics such as "Victim of Love," "Already Gone," "Peaceful Easy Feeling," "Life in the Fast Lane," "Seven Bridges Road," and, of course, "Hotel California." He also plays his top 40-hit "Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)," his contribution to the Heavy Metal movie soundtrack, and a tune or two from his fourth solo album, The Vault. "The guys in my band are not your typical musicians," Felder says. "They are the creme de la creme. These guys make these songs of mine sound fantastic. People come out of our shows saying, 'That was amazing.' So, it's just going to be a wonderful experience. Great musicians, great fans, and I know every crowd in Canada is going to go wild for the Guess Who." - PostMedia News/Canoe.com, 5/22/26...... Dick Parry, the saxophonist who played on some of Pink Floyd's most iconic songs including "Money" and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," died on May 22 of as yet undisclosed causes. He was 83. Mr. Parry's passing was announced by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour in an emotional tribute on Instagram to his longtime friend and collaborator. "My dear friend Dick Parry died this morning," Gilmour, 80, captioned a series of photos on the social media platform. "Since I was seventeen, I have played in bands with Dick on saxophone, including Pink Floyd," Gilmour posted. "His feel and tone make his saxophone playing unmistakable, a signature of enormous beauty that is known to millions and is such a big part of songs such as 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond,' 'Wish You Were Here,' 'Us and Them' and 'Money,'" Gilmour added. During a lengthy career spanning rock, blues and jazz, Mr. Parry was best known for his unforgettable saxophone solos on 1973's The Dark Side of the Moon and 1975's Wish You Were Here, with his work appearing on signature songs "Money" and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond." "Money" reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in 1973, while The Dark Side of the Moon spent one week atop the Billboard Hot 200 album chart that same year. Wish You Were Here spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 1975. Born in Kentford, Suffolk, in 1942, Parry and Gilmour met as teenagers, and the two played in local groups together around Cambridge. Gilmour joined Pink Floyd in the late 1960s after Syd Barrett's departure. After Pink Floyd, Mr. Parry continued to appear on albums and tours undertaken by Gilmour as a solo artist and as the band's frontman. Those projects included his performance on "Wearing the Inside Out" from Pink Floyd's The Division Bell (1994), recorded after the split between Gilmour and Roger Waters. He also toured with the reconfigured group that year and had previously gone on the road with the act in the mid-1970s. Outside of Pink Floyd, Mr. Parry collaborated with artists including Rory Gallagher, John Entwistle and Lightnin' Slim. - Billboard, 5/23/26...... WKRP is back! Forty-four years after the end of the beloved 1978-1982 CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, the city is getting a station with the show's call letters. Richard Sanders, 85, who played anchorman Less Nessman on the show, told the AP of the news, "We can all hope that WKRP will return to the airwaves with more music and Les Nessman." Says station owner Jeff Ziesmann: "listeners are stoked." - People, 6/1/26.

In a new interview with the U.K. football chat show TalkSport on May 18, Rod Stewart hinted that he'll retire from live performing after completing as-yet-unannounced dates on his running "One Last Time" farewell tour, which he began in 2024. "I've got 40-odd shows this year and that's not really a lot," the 81-year-old singer told hosts Jeff Stelling and Ray Parlour. "And I'm touring the U.K. next year and doing the O2 and that will probably be it, I think. I'll have to do something new... come on your show more often." Sir Rod has a run of residency shows booked at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in May and June, followed by seven shows in the Western U.S. in June and eight more in July and August before returning to Vegas in August for his "The Encore Shows" residency at the Colosseum. The last scheduled show is currently a Sept. 5 gig at the Ravinia Festival in Illinois with special guest Richard Marx; at press time he has not officially announced any 2027 dates. Stewart's TalkSport interview can be viewed on YouTube. - Billboard, 5/19/26...... KISS' Gene Simmons announced on X/Twitter on May 7 he will host a "Legends of Rock Expo 2026" with members of Black Sabbath, Rainbow, The Kinks, The Police, RATT and more this September in Las Vegas. Taking place at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino from Sept. 25 through 27, the event will give fans the opportunity to meet, take photos with, and get autographs from huge names across rock and metal. Joining Simmons will be Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler, Rainbow's Graham Bonnet, The Kinks' Dave Davies, The Police's Stewart Copeland and RATT's Stephen Pearcy. Also in attendance will be Dio's Vinne Appice, Disturbed's John Moyer, former Megadeth member David Ellefson, The Runaways' Lita Ford and more. Other KISS members in attendance alongside Simmons will be Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer, and former member Bruce Kulick. "This will be an unforgettable weekend with once-in-a-lifetime moments; it's set to be action-packed with concerts, autograph sessions, photo ops, parties, and panels," according to a press release, which also confirms that Simmons will take to the stage during the event with his group, The Gene Simmons Band. Meanwhile, the debut KISS' Las Vegas avatar shows, similar to ABBA's Voyage, has been tentatively scheduled for 2028 and is reportedly set to feature "new songs." - New Musical Express, 5/18/26...... Riding a wave of resurgence in posthumous popularity from the success of the new biopic Michael, Michael Jackson is once again the biggest artist in the United States by topping the Billboard Artist 100 chart for the first time. Launched by Billboard in 2014, the Artist 100 ranks the top artists in the U.S. based on artists' activity across streaming, radio airplay, album sales and track sales. The chart combines those metrics into a weekly multidimensional ranking of artist popularity. The solo song catalog of Jackson, who died in 2009, generated 161.2 million on-demand U.S. streams during the May 8-14 tracking week, according to Luminate (up 6% week to week), behind only Drake and Morgan Wallen. On radio, Jackson's music continues to thrive with a ombined 93.4 million radio airplay audience impressions in the U.S. during the tracking week (up 2%), and good for eighth place among all artists. In album sales, Jackson's solo catalog sold a combined 46,000 albums in the U.S. during the week (up 8%) -- the second-highest total among all acts behind CORTIS. In digital song sales, Jackson's tunes sold 20,000 digital downloads combined during the tracking week, placing him narrowly behind Langley (also roughly 20,000) for the second highest total among all acts. Jackson is also No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart, began in 2020, for the first time. "Billie Jean" is the biggest song in the world, rising two spots to No. 1, and shattering the record for the longest rise to the top, reigning in its 144th week. Together, those metrics make MJ the biggest artist in the U.S. for the third week in May, a feat sparked by the major cultural and commercial impact of Michael, which has sent many of his songs and albums back onto Billboard's charts. The film has become second-highest grossing film of the year, returning to the No. 1 spot in North American box office sales after two weeks trailing The Devil Wears Prada 2, earning $26.1 million in ticket sales in its third week of release, according to studio estimates. In other Jackson-family news, Jermaine Jackson has been ordered to pay $6.5 million for allegedly raping a session musician coordinator in her Los Angeles-area home in 1988. - Billboard, 5/18/26...... Funk legend George Clinton filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group on May 15, claiming the music giant is "financially crippling" him by freezing more than $1 million in his royalty accounts amid a long-simmering dispute over ownership of his catalog. Clinton claims UMG has unfairly withheld all royalties merely because of a separate case filed years ago by the estate of late Parliament-Funkadelic member Bernie Worrell seeking a cut from hundreds of P-Funk tracks. But Worrell's lawsuit was dismissed last year, Clinton says -- and yet, UMG is still refusing to pay him his royalties. "UMG continues to withhold 100% of royalties from plaintiff across every royalty account, including accounts for sound recordings that have no [connection] whatsoever to the Worrell litigation," his lawyers contend. "These funds have been frozen for more than three years, with no legal justification, financially crippling plaintiff." Worrell's estate sued Clinton in 2022, claiming the keyboardist had been a co-creator of 264 songs in the P-Funk catalog, including Billboard Hot 100 hits "Flash Light" and "One Nation Under a Groove." The case sought a court ruling that the estate was the co-owner of those tracks. While the lawsuit was pending, UMG started withholding royalties from Clinton, a common industry practice during litigation. The company was initially named in the Worrell lawsuit, and Clinton's record deal allows the label to freeze royalties when "reasonably necessary" to protect itself from liability if the music is involved in litigation. In his new lawsuit, Clinton says UMG is still unfairly withholding all of his royalties, even though the Worrell lawsuit only ever dealt with a 50% cut and there's no longer any legal risk to the company to justify the freeze. Clinton previouisly fought battles with Worrell and his estate, as well as numerous cases with his former agent, Armen Boladian, whose company, Bridgeport Music, owns 90% of his publishing. - Billboard, 5/18/26...... Appearing as musical guest on NBC's Saturday Night Live on May 16, Paul McCartney performed three songs (rather than the standard two), in addition to getting monologue and sketch screen time, on the Will Ferrell-hosted season finale episode. Sir Paul's return to the SNL stage came more than 13 years after his last performance slot on the show, being previously booked as musical guest for episodes in 1980, 1993, 2010 and 2012. For his fifth appearance, the former Beatle performed "Days We Left Behind," the poignant lead single from his upcoming album The Boys of Dungeon Lane (out May 29). For his second number, he and his band performed a lively "Band on the Run," the 1974 McCartney and Wings classic that hit the top of the pop chart that year. The music legend got extra time on camera Saturday night -- in host Ferrell's monologue, for which he took over a bit that had him confusing Ferrell with doppelgänger Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and in a sketch later in the episode that had him co-starring with Ferrell and Marcello Hernndez as mechanics swindling clueless car owners. Finally as the credits rolled, the closing moments of the show were extended for a musical encore by Paul and his band with a rendition of his 1980 No. 1 solo hit "Coming Up." His SNL performances of "Days We Left Behind" and "Band on the Run" can be streamed on YouTube. - Billboard, 5/17/26...... In other McCartney news, the star recently made this year's London Sunday Times Rich List once again, with the former Beatle and his wife, the former Nancy Shevell, listed with a combined fortune of £1.055 billion. Their wealth continues to rise through touring, publishing, catalogue reissues and the enduring commercial power of the Beatles' legacy, which remains one of the most valuable cultural brands in the world, and has turned Macca the only musician in UK history to reach billionaire status. Other '70s musicians making the list were Sir Elton John (No. 6, £480 million), Sir Mick Jagger (No. 7, £450 million), and Keith Richards (No. 8, £450 million). - Music-News.com, 5/15/26...... Speaking of the Rolling Stones, the band has been transported back to the 1970s by deepfake technology in the video for their new single "In The Stars." In a video shared on YouTube, band members have been transported back to their '70s selves, as they play the track alongside musicians and dancers from across the eras, all united by the band's timeless hedonistic energy. The video, created by Deep Voodoo using deepfake technology and directed by Francois Rousselet, stars Marty Supreme actress Odessa A'zion, who has said: "Are you kidding me? It's my dream. The first record that I ever got that I listened to from start to finish was 'Tattoo You'. I'm obsessed with The Rolling Stones. This is in my bucket list for sure." The video can be viewed on YouTube. The Stones' new album, Foreign Tongues, will drop on July 10 via Polydor/Universal Music and it is set to feature guest appearances from Paul McCartney, Robert Smith, Steve Winwood and the band's late drummer Charlie Watts. - NME, 5/15/26...... Elton John is teaming with iHeartMedia and Procter & Gamble to launch a new awards show, the Elton John Impact Awards, which will honor LGBTQ+ icons and trailblazers. The inaugural Elton John Impact Awards will launch on June 1 as a podcast series and honor Jonathan Bailey, Chappell Roan, Laverne Cox, Melissa Etheridge, Billie Jean King and Orville Peck. Hosted by Billy Porter and Elvis Duran, the special will also feature a performance of John's "Your Song" by Dove Cameron, along with candid, personal conversations with Sir Elton, his husband, David Furnish, who is chair of the Elton John AIDS Foundation; and this year's honorees. Organizers said the program will also help boost awareness and funding for several organisations supporting the LGBTQ+ community, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation. "I've always believed in the power of storytelling to connect us and challenge us," Elton said in a statement. "These conversations bring together the people who have shaped LGBTQ+ culture and fought for dignity at a time when the world too often looked away." - Music-News.com, 5/18/26...... Barbra Streisand revealed on May 17 that she will be unable to attend the Cannes Film Festival closing ceremony to accept her honorary Palme d'Or after suffering a knee injury. "On the advice of my doctors, as I continue recovering from a knee injury, I am sadly unable to attend the Festival de Cannes this year," the "The Way We Were" singer said in a statement. "My heartfelt thanks to the Festival, and to everyone who continues to support and champion the art of cinema," she added. The festival will pay tribute to the singer, actor and filmmaker during its closing ceremony on May 23." Festival organizers issued a statement giving Streisand their "warmest wishes for a prompt recovery." Streisand is the third recipient of a Cannes honorary Palme d'Or this year, alongside Lord of the Rings filmmaker Peter Jackson and John Travolta, who premiered his directorial debut Propeller One-Way Night Coach at the festival. Travolta was surprised with the award before the screening, prompting an emotional reaction. "This is beyond the Oscar," he said through tears. "I can't believe this. This is the last thing I expected." - Music-News.com, 5/17/26...... The American Music Awards announced on May 15 that Billy Idol will receive the 2026 Lifetime Achievement AMA award at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 25. The '80s music star, 70, who began his music career in the late 1970s as frontman with the punk band Generation X, will receive the prestigious prize and deliver a medley of some of his biggest hits during the 2026 AMA ceremony. The performance will mark Idol's (real name William Broad) first time on the AMAs stage since presenting in 2004 and his first AMAs performance ever. Previous recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award include Diana Ross and Rod Stewart. - Music-News.com, 5/15/26...... Singer/guitarist Ike Willis, who played in late rock iconoclast Frank Zappa's band for a decade from 1978-1998, died on May 16 in Las Vegas after a battle with prostate cancer. He was 70. Willis was best known as the voice of the 1979 three-part rock opera Joe's Garage, the sprawling album telling the story of average L.A. teen Joe, who over the course of the LP -- which was later released as a double, and triple album -- forms a band, has sex with household appliance and strikes out with women and is then jailed and released into a world where music is outlawed. As with many of Zappa's eclectic albums, Joe's Garage hopped from rock to jazz, country and pop and hit on a number of the musician s favorite topics: sex, religion, government overreach and authoritarianism. It included Willis crooning, as Joe, on the church-baiting "Catholic Girls," "Crew Slut," "Wet T-Shirt Nite" and his pained caterwauling on the STD-themed jazz rocker "Why Does it Hurt When I Pee?" Isaac "Ike" Willis was born on Nov. 12, 1955 in St. Louis and started playing guitar at age eight and fell under the spell of prog rock and jazz in high school, specifically having his mind blown at a 1974 Zappa concert on the "Roxy and Elsewhere" tour. Then, while studying political science at Washington University in St. Louis in 1977 and also working on the school s concert committee, he scored a backstage pass he used to meet Zappa during a show at Wash U. Willis impressed Zappa with his singing skills backstage, prompting the band leader to ask Willis to audition to be a guitarist in his band. After graduating from the university the next year, Willis finally got his official audition in California and became a regular member of Zappa's expansive touring and studio crew for the next decade. According to his family's statement, Willis continued to inspire new generations of musicians outside of his work with Zappa, including mentoring young artists during a stint teaching at the School of Rock. "His years of collaboration with Frank Zappa made him a cherished figure within the Zappa community, where fans embraced him not only for his talent, but for his generosity, wit, and the joy he brought to every stage," the statement said. - Billboard, 5/19/26...... Dennis Locorriere, a founding member of the '70s country rock band Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, died on May 16 following a "long and courageous battle with kidney disease," his reps shared in a statement. He was 76. "Dennis faced his illness with remarkable strength, dignity, and resilience throughout, and remained deeply cherished by all who knew him. He will be remembered for his warmth, love, and the lasting impact he had on those around him," the statement read. "We would like to thank everyone who supported Dennis during his journey and ask for privacy for his loved ones as they grieve this profound loss." The New Jersey-born singer and guitarist co-founded Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show in 1969, serving as the band's bassist and lead singer, and having chart success with songs including "Sylvia's Mother" (No. 5, 1972), "The Cover of Rolling Stone" (No. 6, 1973). After shortening their band name to Dr. Hook in the mid-'70s, Locorriere and the band scored more hits with "Only Sixteen" (No. 6, 1976), "Sharing the Night Together" (No. 6, 1978), "When You're In Love With a Beautiful Woman" (No. 6, 1979), "Sexy Eyes" (No. 5, 1980), and "Baby Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk" (No. 25, 1982). Co-fronted by Ray Sawyer ("Dr. Hook" because he wore an eye patch), Dr. Hook also appeared in and performed music for the film Who Is Harry Kellerman And Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? starring Dustin Hoffman. Following the band's farewell tour in 1985, Locorriere retained the rights to the group's moniker and continued touring as Dr. Hook. He announced in Nov. 2025 that he would retire from touring. - Music-News.com, 5/17/26...... Actress Ann Robinson, who starred in the original The War of the Worlds sci-fi classic, passed away on Sept. 26, 2025 at her home in L.A., but her family only recently confirmed her death. She was 96. The actress began her movie career as a stuntwoman before going on to become a star in the 1953 classic, The War of the Worlds. Based on H.G. Wells' 1898 novel, the Oscar-winning film centered on Ms. Robinson's library science teacher character, Sylvia Van Buren, who teams up with Gene Barry's Pacific Tech professor character, Clayton Forrester, trying to figure out how to defeat Martians. The movie won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects as the Martians wielded a deadly heat ray that killed everything in its path. In 2011, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry for its cultural significance and aesthetic appeal, and in 2005, Steven Spielberg tackled his own version with Tom Cruise in the lead and Ms. Robinson and Barry making memorable cameos as the grandmother and grandfather of Cruise's children in the film. The actress also had a long list of film and TV credits including guest roles on famous TV series like Dragnet, Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and even Gilligan's Island. She is survived by her son, Jaime Bravo Jr., and two grandchildren. - Canoe.com, 5/18/26.

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

2026-05-10T02:48:00.003-04:00

Posted by Administrator on May 15th, 2026

An L.A.-based fashion brand called Chrome Hearts has dropped a lawsuit against Neil Young over his use of his latest backing band which he created in 2024 and has played with ever since, The Chrome Hearts. First filed in 2025, the case claims that the name infringed on the name the company had used since 1988 for apparel, jewelry and accessories. However in a court filing on May 14, Chrome Hearts said it would voluntarily dismiss the case against Young and the other members of the band. The filing did not indicate whether the case had ended in a settlement agreement or had simply been dropped. Neither side has yet commented on the suit being dropped. For decades, Young toured and recorded off and on with the band Crazy Horse, often under the name Neil Young and Crazy Horse. In Sept. 2024, Young debuted The Chrome Hearts at FarmAid. The group released its debut album, Talkin to the Trees, in June 2025 and later went on a world tour. Young and The Chrome Hearts are set to release a live album later in May, and recently finished recording the band's second studio album -- both under the full "Chrome Hearts" name. - Billboard, 5/14/26...... The Beatles are getting back to where they once belonged with the world's first official Beatles fan experience is set to open at London's Savile Row, home to the band's famous 1969 rooftop concert, in 2027. On May 11, Apple Corps Ltd announced that they will be returning to 3 Savile Row in the heart of London's Mayfair district for a new fan experience and museum. The seven floors of the Georgian townhouse will include "never-seen-before material from Apple Corps' extensive archives, rotating exhibitions, fan store, and the recreation of the original studio where Let it Be (1970) was recorded," according to a press release. While a number of unofficial experiences exist in London, Liverpool and other key locations around the globe (including Hamburg, Germany), this is the first official experience managed by the band. The experience will open in 2027, with fans able to register for upcoming announcements at the museum's website. Since its inception in 1968, Apple Corps Ltd. has managed the group's business affairs and was originally based on Savile Row. In 1969, the group played their final-ever concert on the rooftop of the building, as captured in the Let It Be film and revisited in Peter Jackson's epic Get Back documentary. Apple Corps Ltd. is currently headquartered out of South Kensington, London. - Billboard, 5/11/26...... The estate of late Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick and music giant Universal Music Group are engaged in a legal battle in a Los Angeles court over a long-lost Beatles demo tape that was found in Emerick's house after his 2018 death. In June 1962 Emerick, just a teenager then, was employed as an apprentice sound engineer at EMI Studios (later renamed Abbey Road), when a then-little-known English rock band recorded a demo in the studio. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and drummer Pete Best laid down four tracks that day -- "Bsame Mucho," "Love Me Do," "PS, I Love You," and "Ask Me Why" -- on a magnetic recording tape, which was then shuttled over to record producer George Martin at EMI's headquarters on Manchester Square. After ditching Best for Ringo Starr, The Beatles broke out with "Love Me Do," launched Beatlemania, and became the most famous band of all time. Emerick rose with them, serving as chief engineer on iconic records like Abbey Road and becoming what Variety once called the "behind-the-scenes brains that helped shape the Beatles sound." Emerick held onto the demo tape, which had been sent to a nearby squash court where "tapes went to die." He kept it in his possession for decades, all the way until his 2018 death, when it was discovered among his possessions in his Laurel Canyon home. Now, six decades after it was first recorded, UMG say they want it back. Lawyers for Emerick's estate claim that they are the rightful owner of the tape and that was essentially thrown away, and that only Emerick saved it from destruction. UMG's attorneys contend it was always company property -- and that it wasn't his to save. "At issue in this action," the company's lawyers wrote in recent court filings, "is a highly valuable artifact of rock and roll history that was stolen." After a key court hearing earlier in May, the two sides are now finally headed for a showdown after a series of legal complications involving statute of limitations and paperwork. First, they'll submit briefs to the judge on key issues in the case, then head to trial in early 2027 if the dispute is still not resolved. Emerick passed away suddenly of a heart attack in 2018 at the age of 72, with Martin's son Giles Martin calling him one of the "finest and most innovative engineers to have graced a recording studio." McCartney himself eulogized him as someone who had been "always open to the many new ideas that we threw at him" during the later Beatles albums: "I'll always remember him with great fondness, and I know his work will be long remembered by connoisseurs of sound." While the 1962 Beatles demo tape is a rare and sought after item, another piece of Beatles history is apparently set to be sold off for scrap after there was "no interest" to re-home it. The mast of the ship the Salvor, used on the Mersey docks in the UK for decades, was used as the backdrop to the first ever official photograph of the Fab Four after Ringo Starr joined in 1962. The mast stayed at a central spot in Liverpool city centre for several decades after the photo, near the iconic Liver Buildings, but in 2020, it was moved due to roadworks and now faces the threat of being broken up and sold off as spare metal after Liverpool City Council said it had not been able to find any new home for it. The Council had previously said it had been open to offers for the mast, and some local campaigners, including former Liverpool Echo reporter Peter Elson, are working to find it a new home, but as it stands no suitable option has come forward. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 5/14/26...... In a new interview with the The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, Paul McCartney revealed that he is still baffled by "a lot of this influencer stuff" he sees online and doesn't "get" the appeal of it. Asked about his thoughts on modern-day trends and the rise of influencer culture that dominates social media, the 83-year-old rock icon revealed that it is something he doesn't get the hype around. "I think a lot of this influencer stuff I just don't really get it because I'm not that generation," he said. "But you can't help seeing it. My wife will be looking at Instagram and showing me something, and then one of those will come on. I think it's funny -- and I suppose it always happened -- but people who don't seem to be particularly talented are incredibly famous. Billions of hits and views." Sir Paul then quipped that he feels like he has "got to be careful about saying that" because he knows it makes him "sound very old-fashioned...Which I am." Macca's full interview can be viewed on YouTube. He'll release his new studio album The Boys of Dungeon Lane on May 29. - New Musical Express, 5/14/26...... John Lennon's eldest son Julian Lennon took to social media on May 10 to reveal that he has been diagnosed with coronary heart disease and told he is a pre-diabetic, and urged people to get checked for the disease "sooner rather than later." Julian, 63, posted a carousel of images on Instagram, and shared his hopes to raise awareness for the illness and wrote: "I urge you all to get checked out sooner rather than later. You never know what hidden health issues you may have, even after exercising and eating as much 'good/healthy' food as possible." The health update comes around six years after Lennon revealed that he underwent emergency surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his head, following a dermatologist noticing it and urging him to book a biopsy. The "Too Late For Goodbyes" was then given the all-clear and revealed that the incident came after a "very trying year" for him, and just five years after his mother died in 2015. In 2024, he announced another cancer scare, revealing that he underwent emergency surgery after being diagnosed with skin cancer. "The operation was a success," he told fans. "First of all, I'm very thankful to Dr Tess and Dr Tim for being able to coordinate this surgery at such short notice, but for once again, 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 finger's crossed for now. He went in for the operation after it was discovered to be "cancerous", and later told his fans: "Hopefully we managed to remove all that was cancerous, but the mole is being sent off again, for a further/deeper analysis, and I'll have those results next week." - NME, 5/14/26...... Accepting the prestigious Glenn Gould Prize at the Great Canadian Casino Resort in Toronto on May 13, Elton John revealed that he has just finished recording a new album which is "so different" to all of his previous albums and, "so happy." John, 80, described the new LP as completely different to his more-than-30 previous albums, and said he began working on the record after retiring from touring in 2023 -- having played over 300 shows on the 'Farewell Yellow Brick Road' tour -- and dropping the collaborative album with Brandi Carlile Who Believes In Angels? in 2025. Work on the new material also followed on from the music icon contracting a serious eye infection in 2024 and revealing that he has "only limited vision in one eye." Sir Elton acknowledged how his recent struggles helped fuel the new album and discover a new approach to songwriting: "I've had eye trouble recently and I always make records by looking at lyrics and writing to lyrics, and so I'm kind of f---ed at the moment. "What my eye has given me is a chance of, at 80 years of age, completely reversing how I write. I'm writing melodies first, and lyrics coming second. I've never done that. And I've just done it. And I've just done an album, which is so different to anything I've ever done before, but it's so happy." He continued: "I'm so thrilled with it because it's given me another chance to make music. If don't listen to music, I'm dead. Music is my soul, my driving force. It is everything and has been everything to me all my life." The Glenn Gould Prize honours people who have made "a unique lifetime contribution that has enriched the human condition through the arts." Recipients are awarded $100,000, and the "Tiny Dancer" singer donated the sum back to the Glenn Gould Foundation. Meanwhile, John has just been named as one of the famous charitable individuals included in Time magazine's new Top 100 Philanthropists list. The magazine recognized Sir Elton and his husband, David Furnish, for their decades-long work fighting for a cure for HIV/AIDS via the Elton John AIDS Foundation, as well as Willie Nelson who made the list for cofounding the annual benefit concert Farm Aid and raising millions over the course of his career for disaster relief, veterans and those affected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. - NME/Billboard, 5/14/26...... Speaking of Willie Nelson, the veteran country/pop superstar has joined Dolly Parton with a song on Billboard's Hot Country chart in each decade since the 1960's. Nelson, now 93, reached the milestone through his collaborations with Kacey Musgraves on her new single "Uncertain, TX." Willie's latest chart acheivement comes 64 years and two months after he first reached the Hot Country Songs chart with "Willingly," which hit No. 10 in 1962. He tallied two top 10s that decade, along with 13 in the '70s, 24 in the '80s and one each in the '90s and 2000s. Of those, 21 hit No. 1. He most recently charted with a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," featuring Paula Nelson, his daughter (No. 36 peak, 2019). - Billboard, 5/12/26...... Michael Jackson's daughter Paris Jackson has won a major court ruling in a bitter legal battle with the executors of her late dad's estate. In a decision handed down in April, a Los Angeles judge sided with Paris and ruled that $625,000 in bonuses paid to three outside law firms by executors John Branca and John McClain were improper and must be "returned to the estate." The executors had argued that the payments, made in 2018, were fair compensation for "extraordinary success" and that they "incentivize hard work" by lawyers. But the judge said a more detailed explanation was necessary to support more than half a million dollars in bonuses. "On the evidence presented, the bonus amounts paid appear arbitrary -- what Mr. Branca determined was appropriate," Judge Mitchell Beckloff wrote in the ruling. However the judge praised Branca and McClain's success running the Jackson estate, saying they had "provided exceptional services" to Jackson's heirs: "There can be no dispute that under the expertise of the executors, this estate has transformed from teetering on the brink of bankruptcy to the financial powerhouse that it is today." In a statement to Billboard, the executors highlighted the judge's praise of their work and stressed that the judge "did not in any way say that the executors had made any inappropriate payments to themselves." "Ultimately, while we disagree with the decision, we fully respect it and plan to move forward accordingly," the executors wrote. A spokesperson for Paris, meanwhile, called the ruling a "massive win" for the Jackson family that would allow them to "finally get transparency and accountability measures Paris has fought for." Meanwhile, MJ now has a Billboard Hot 200 Top 10 album in each decade with his greatest hits album, Number Ones. One the Billboard 200 chart dated May 16, the album climbed seven spots to No. 6, becoming Jackson's 11th top 10 and his first new top 10 of the 2020s. Number Ones was first released in 2003 and jumped into the top 10 on the latest chart following the continued buzz generated by the Jackson biopic Michael. - Billboard, 5/13/26...... Journey have added 40 more dates to their 2026 "Final Frontier" North American tour. With the tour slated to ramp up again after a brief break on May 15 in Tampa, Fla., the veteran classic rockers announced the addition of 40 more shows on May 12, which will come on top of a previously announced run of 28 gigs. The new gigs will start with a Sept. 12 gig at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and are currently slated to wind down with a Nov. 28 show in the long-running group's hometown of San Francisco at the Chase Center. The news comes several days after a Rolling Stone magazine report on the band that featured quotes from current frontman Arnel Pineda -- who joined the group in 2007, replacing original lead singer Steve Perry -- saying he almost didn't join Journey on their farewell tour and that they didn't consult him before booking the 60-date outing. They appeared to settle things and have been on the road this spring, with the final go-round slated to keep the "Don't Stop Believin'" rockers touring through the end of the year. - Billboard, 5/13/26...... Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne's son Jack Osbourne has revealed that a biopic about his parents "will absolutely happen" and should be released sometime in 2028. An Ozzy/Sharon film was first announced in 2021, and is set to tell the story of the Prince Of Darkness and his wife/manager, Sharon. It is being written by Oscar-nominee Lee Hall (Rocketman, Billy Elliott), and developed by Sony Pictures and Polygram Entertainment. In Aug. 2025, it was reported that the project was still in the works after Ozzy died the previous month, aged 76. Jack then confirmed in January that a "phenomenal" lead actor was attached. Taking to his YouTube channel, Jack said: "I can tell you this: we are moving ahead. I was on calls today about it. The script is right there. We are good. This movie will absolutely happen." Regarding the release date, he added: "Realistically -- I mean, look, we're already halfway through '26 -- it probably won't come out until '28. But you never know. But, yeah, we're full steam ahead. We're about to start going out and getting a director attached. So, fingers crossed. I'm really excited. It's very much been a labour of love, of course. But, yeah, I'm excited -- I'm excited for everyone to see this film." The Ozzy and Sharon movie project comes in the wake of another music biopic, Michael, based on Michael Jackson, which has broken box office records upon its release, with a sequel already being planned. - NME, 5/14/26...... Blondie's Debbie Harry has signed on to play the mother of Pamela Anderson's character in a new movie comedy called Maitreya. The film follows a rising star (Anderson) in the New Age Healing community who is about to head off to a conference in India when she receives a call from her estranged sister, Monica: their father is dying. Rather than stay home with him, Maitreya decides to bring her entire family -- including her mother Barbara (Harry) -- to the conference and put her New Age healing theories to the test (all while surreptitiously gathering material for her next book)." The movie will be directed by Emmy-nominee and Portlandia co-creator Jonathan Krisel, with shooting scheduled to begin at the end of 2026. Although known primarily as the singer of one of New Wave/Punk's most famous bands, Harry is no stranger to the silver screen -- from her cameo in the iconic 1982 hip-hop film Wild Style, to a role in director David Cronenberg's sci-fi horror classic Videodrome (1983), as well as acting gigs in John Waters' Hairspray (1988), Cop Land (1997), Deuces Wild (2002) and Elegy (2008), among many others. She recently made a cameo on TV's Saturday Night Live, where she introduced host/musical guest Olivia Rodrigo's performance. - Billboard, 5/11/26...... Deep Purple released "Arrogant Boy," the first single from their upcoming album SPLAT!, on May 13. The chunky, supercharged track sees the band attempt to capture the speed and power of their early years. Frontman Ian Gillan has said: "This is the story of Billy who couldn't read or write. He is unhappy with things, so he speaks up, and finds a way of irritating, one way or another, the elite. And I can't think of anything more fun than irritating the elite. It would be a joyous exercise for me every morning after coffee." SPLAT! will drop on July 3, and "Arrogant Boy" can be previewed on YouTube. - NME, 5/13/26...... Keith Richards has confirmed The Rolling Stones will not tour in 2026 but hinted that the band could hit the road next year. When asked now about a potential tour this year as Richards and the other Stones promote their upcoming album Foreign Tongues, Richards told the Associated Press: "We can talk next year. At the moment, we're just sort of saying, we've finished the record [and we're] considering what to do after. Pretty soon, but not this year." In late 2025, the Stones scrapped plans for a UK and European stadium tour in 2026 because Richards was unable to "commit" to it. The Stones officially announced their new record Foreign Tongues earlier in May, which is set to feature guest appearances from Paul McCartney, Robert Smith, Steve Winwood and the band's late drummer Charlie Watts. The 14-track Foreign Tongues will include he lead single "In The Stars" and the raw, bluesy "Rough And Twisted," and it will be released on July 10 via Polydor/Universal Music. NME, 5/12/26...... Rod Stewart has told King Charles that he "put that little ratbag" Donald Trump "in his place." Speaking to the monarch at an event which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the King's Trust (formerly the Prince's Trust) on May 11, Sir Rod praised the King for his recent visit to the US and the summit with US president Trump. "You were superb. Absolutely superb. You put that little ratbag in his place," Stewart said, to which the King appeared to laugh. The comments from Stewart come just months after the "Maggie Mae" singer hit out at Trump over his false claims about British troops in Afghanistan, and urged for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to force the President to apologise. At the time, Trump questioned whether NATO allies would come to America's aid, and claimed some nations avoided serving on the front line in Afghanistan. "It hurts me badly, deeply, when I read that draft dodger Trump has criticised our troops in Afghanistan for not being on the front line," Stewart said in a video shared to social media afterwards, going on to highlight the scale of British deaths during the conflict, where 457 UK service personnel were killed. "We lost over 400 of our guys Think of their parents. Think about it. And Trump calls them almost like cowards. It's unbearable," he said. Before then, Stewart spoke about his relationship with Trump, who is his former neighbour, and said that while they used to be close, "since he became President, he became another guy. Somebody I didn't know." He added that Trump's role in Israel's war in Gaza made a potential reconnection difficult: "No, I can't anymore. As long as he's selling arms to the Israelis -- and he still is. How's that war ever gonna stop?" In Mar. 2025, Stewart also weighed in on a confrontational meeting between Trump and Ukranian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington, D.C., stressing that "we must keep supporting the Ukrainians." - NME, 5/12/26...... Van Morrison has announced he'll play a five-night residency at the brand new British Airways ARC venue at Olympia, London, on Sept. 23, 24, 27, 28 and 29. All the Van Morrison gigs will be fully seated, with tickets going on sale on May 15. The shows will mark the first residency at the venue after it opens its doors on June 16. "We are thrilled to welcome Van Morrison as the very first artist to have a residency at our brand-new venue," said Lucy Noble, SVP UK venues AEG Presents in a new statement. "The shows are set to be incredible." The London gigs come following the singer-songwriter recently dropping the new album Somebody Tried To Sell Me A Bridge, which sees him make a return to blues and cover tracks from huge names of the genre like B.B.King and Buddy Guy. In April, the "Moondance" singer took home the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Jazz FM Awards, and later this summer he is set to play at multiple festivals including the iconic Montreux Jazz Festival alongside Nick Cave, Lewis Capaldi and others. - NME, 5/11/26...... Blues and soul musician Clarence Carter, best known for the 1970's hits "Patches" and "Strokin'," died on May 14 of natural causes, according to a Bill Carpenter, a spokesman for his former wife and fellow singer, Candi Staton. He was 90. Mr. Carter, a self-taught guitarist who was born blind in Montgomery, Ala., and majored in music at Alabama State College, had his biggest hit in 1970 with "Patches," a plaintive tale about a poor country boy who must become a man and run his family's farm after his father dies that peaked at No. 4 on the hit parade. His 1970 Patches album was also his highest-charting on the Billboard Hot 200, peaking at No. 44. But he specialized in exuberantly raunchy songs like "Strokin'," a funky, talking ode to sex ("Have you ever made love just before breakfast?" he asks) that was too explicit for commercial radio but became a standard on nightclub jukeboxes and was featured in Eddie Murphy's 1996 remake of The Nutty Professor. Another favorite was "Making Love on the Dark End of the Street," in which Mr. Carter narrates a long, cheerful account of how humans and other creatures will go to extremes in the pursuit of passion. His other songs about illicit love included "Slip Away," a No. 6 Hot 100 hit in 1968, and "Back Door Santa." Mr. Carter recorded some of his biggest hits at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala., where Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin and other soul greats recorded. In later years, he recorded for the now-defunct Ichiban Records and his own Cee Gee Entertainment. Mr. Carter and Staton were married briefly the 1970s before they divorced. They had a son, Clarence Carter Jr. In a 2012 interview with The Montgomery Advertiser, the elder Mr. Carter said, "I don't know how much longer I'm going to be going, but I'm going to keep going until something tells me it's time to quit or Old Man Death comes to run me down." - Billboard, 5/14/26...... Jack Douglas, one of the hardest working rock producers of the 1970s and 1980s best known for working with the likes of John Lennon, Aerosmith, Cheap Trick and many others, died on May 11 from complications from lymphoma. He was 80. "As many of you who follow him know, he produced great music, and lived a colorful life," Mr. Douglas's family wrote in a Facebook post. "We know that he touched many of your lives; we would love to hear more about that in the comments. He will be missed," they added. Born in the Bronx on Nov. 6, 1945, Mr. Douglas began his music career as a folk musician in the early 1960s and spent time as a songwriter working on Robert F. Kennedy's 1964 senatorial campaign before pivoting to studio work at the then-new Record Plant in Manhattan. He quickly rose from janitor to working behind the boards and engineering albums by everyone from the New York Dolls to Alice Cooper, Miles Davis, Montrose, Mountain and the Who. Mr. Douglas became friendly with former Beatle John Lennon during the recording of his Imagine solo album in 1971, a relationship that would bear fruit a decade later in 1980 when Mr. Douglas produced Lennon and wife Yoko Ono's fifth album, Double Fantasy, the former Fab's final album before his murder in December of that year. Carving a wide, impressive swath through rock in his prime, he worked on a number of Aerosmith's most beloved, multi-platinum 1970s LPs, including 1974's Get Your Wings, 1975's Toys in the Attic (which featured signature hits "Sweet Emotion" and "Walk This Way") and 1976's Rocks. In addition to his long relationship with Aerosmith, Mr. Douglas also had a lengthy association with Cheap Trick, helming some of their most beloved albums, including their 1977 debut, their landmark 1978 Live At Budokan album (and Budokan II), as well as 1980's Found All the Parts, 1985's Standing on the Edge, 2003's Special One and 2006's Rockford. Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Mr. Douglas worked on albums by Cooper, Patti Smith, Blue Öyster Cult, Starz, the Joe Perry Project, The Knack, Graham Parker and, infamously, the Bee Gees/Peter Frampton soundtrack to the disastrous 1978 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie musical. Mr. Douglas kept working throughout the 80s and into the new millennium, helming projects by Zebra, Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash's side project, Snake Pit, as well as grunge bands Local H and Clutch. He also reunited with Aerosmith in 2004 for their blues covers album, Honkin' on Bobo, and then again on their most recent album of originals, 2012's Music From Another Dimension! - Billboard, 5/13/26...... Actress Jennifer Harmon, who had the lead role in the 1960s/70s NBC soap opera How to Survive a Marriage, and who also appeared on One Live to Live, died May 9 in New York City. She was 82. A native of Pasadena, Calif., Ms. Harmon originally began her career onstage with the Broadway production of "You Can't Take It With You" in 1965, and later landed the lead actress role in How to Survive a Marriage, which she maintained during its entire 335 episode run in 1974 and 1975. Next, the actress played the antagonist Cathy Craig in the ABC soap "One Life to Live," from 1976 to 1978. Ms. Harmon received a Daytime Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actress in a drama seriesfor her performance on the show in 1978. Her other soap opera roles included brief arcs on Guiding Light, Another World and Loving. A longtime New York resident, Ms. Harmon appeared in 21 Broadway productions during her career, with her last appearance taking place in 2011's "Other Desert Cities," in which she was an understudy for actress Stockard Channing, before later taking over as a replacement. - Variety, 5/12/26

Ringo Starr's new country-themed album Long Long Road has debuted in the top 10 of Billboard's Album Sales Chart dated May 9 after its Apr. 24 release. Long Long Road becomes the former Beatle's second top 10 on the Album Sales Chart, which launched in 1991, following last year's Look Up. Long Long Road debuted on a total of five Billboard charts, including Top Album Sales (No. 9), Indie Store Album Sales (No. 11), Americana/Folk Albums (No. 15), Vinyl Albums (No. 15) and Top Country Albums (No. 40). Starr's new album marks his 22nd solo album and his second co-written and produced by T Bone Burnett, following Look Up, with collaborations from the likes of Sheryl Crow, Sarah Jarosz, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle and St. Vincent. - Billboard, 5/8/26...... In related news, Ringo's first ever debut with Paul McCartney, "Home To Us," has been shared on YouTube. The track is the second to be shared from Macca's new album The Boys of Dungeon Lane, which arrives on May 29, following on from the powerful nostalgic lead single "Days We Left Behind." After that lead single dropped, reports started to emerge that Ringo would appear on the record as a guest drummer, and at a special fan album playback event at Abbey Road Studios on May 5, Sir Paul confirmed that rumours were true. He played the full album exclusively for the 50 lucky fans in attendance, and confirmed that the song with Starr was called "Home To Us" and set for release on May 8. "Home To Us" is the first music the two Beatles icons have made together as a duet, and also features Sharleen Spiteri and The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde on guest vocals. McCartney plays the majority of instruments on the song -- much like in his 1970 solo debut album, McCartney -- and it is produced by Andrew Watt. McCartney will take the stage on the season finale of NBC's Saturday Night Live on May 16 to perform selections from The Boys of Dungeon Lane, his fifth appearance as SNL's musical guest, with Emmy winner and former SNL player Will Ferrell hosting. - NME, 5/6/26...... Eric Clapton decided to end his gig early at Madrid's Movistar Arena on May 7 after a fan in one of the front rows hurled a vinyl LP at the veteran rocker which hit him in the chest. The guitarist, playing the Spanish capital as part of his current European tour, had just finished a rendition of his U.S. 1980 hit "Cocaine," and had been scheduled to return for an encore of the blues standard "Before You Accuse Me" in his 13-song set, but in the end he chose not to retake the stage. "Very sad indeed. What kind of idiot does that?," one fan posted on X/Twitter along with footage of Clapton's show. Clapton, who released his latest album Meanwhile in 2024, is set to play a huge one-off show in the UK this summer, at the Sandringham Estate on Aug. 23. He will be joined on the bill by Ronnie Wood and His Band, as well as Andy Fairweather Low and The Low Riders. More fan-shot footage of the Madrid show can be streamed on YouTube. - New Musical Express, 5/9/26...... Michael Jackson's classic 1982 LP Thriller has zoomed from 48-7 following the release of the Michael biopic in movie theaters on Apr. 24, with the Michael soundtrack debuting at No. 8 on Billboard's Album Sales Chart dated May 9. The King of Pop's solo song catalog registered a collective 137.5 million official on-demand streams for the week of Apr. 24-30 in the US, according to Luminate, up 146% and more than doubling his previous career high. Thriller's No. 7 debut marks the album's best showing since reaching the same position in Dec. 2022 after a 40th anniversary reissue. Excluding that celebration, Thriller last ranked higher on the chart dated June 2, 1984, at No. 6. Just weeks before, the blockbuster, wrapped 37 weeks at No. 1 across 1983-1984, still the most weeks at No. 1 by an album by a singular artist in the chart's history. It also charted a total of seven Top 40 singles from 1983-84. Prior to the Michael era, the late icon, who died in 2009, recorded a high of 53.7 million for the week of Oct. 25-31, 2019, spurred by the now-annual Halloween resurgence for "Thriller." Michael covers Jackson's life from 1966 to 1988, including time with both The Jackson 5 and The Jacksons groups with his brothers. As such, those acts' catalogs experience massive increases too, with the former's songs pulling 10.1 million streams in the tracking week, up 135% from the previous week's 4.3 million. The Jacksons, meanwhile, surge to 4.9 million clicks for their tracks, up 57% from 2.1 million last week. At the box office, Michael has also generated a huge commercial response. The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role, grossed $97 million in its first weekend in the U.S. and Canada and $218.8 million worldwide, both the highest ever opening figures for a biopic. - Billboard, 5/6/26...... Ronnie Wood has revealed that he has a tribute to Beach Boys' Brian Wilson on the new Rolling Stones album, Foreign Tongues. Speaking on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Wood revealed that he learned of Wilson's passing while in the studio working on Foreign Tongues, and wanted to play something from the heart that expressed how he felt after hearing the news. "I was so moved that day, and disappointed and sad, I had so much feeling because Brian Wilson died. I'll never forget," he said, going on to reveal that he wrote a nine-minute guitar solo which helped him channel his emotions. That solo was later cut down to around five-minutes, and now features in a song called "Back In Your Life." "That week Sly Stone died too, I thought, 'Oh, no. It's so sad'. It came out through my guitar, the feeling, in just one take. I didn't do that, the guitar played itself," he added. The 14-track Foreign Tongues is set for release on July 10 via Polydor/Universal Music. Wood's Tonight Show interview can be viewed on YouTube. - NME, 5/8/26...... Cher and her frequent songwriting collaborator Diane Warren have scored a number of chart hits over the years, including such classics as "If I Could Turn Back Time," "Just Like Jesse James" and "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me," and on May 8 Warren reposted an Instagram post which Cher made earlier: "You're annoying but U write great songs." The post included a seemingly recent smiling pic of the duo hanging out, along with Warren's reaction to the star's backhanded praise: "haha thnx Cher." The singer's Warren-penned and co-produced massive 1989 hit "If I Could Turn Back Time" rose to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and they've teamed up for more than a dozen other classics, including the Golden Globe-winning Burlesque soundtrack hit "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me," the country-leaning 1989 song "Just Like Jesse James," as well as 1991's "Save Up All Your Tears," 1987's "Perfection," "Does Anybody Really Fall in Love Anymore?," "Love and Understanding" and several others. Cher's last album of original material was 2013's dance-heavy Closer to the Truth, and her most recent project was her 2023 Christmas album, which debuted atop the Top Holiday Albums chart in 2023. Meanwhile, the family drama between Cher and her son, Elijah Blue Allman, continues as Allman filed a court document in the Superior Court of Los Angeles on May 5 asking a judge to slash the spousal support payments he makes to his estranged wife, Marieangela King. Elijah claims the reason is his mother stopped supporting him financially. Allman, 49, said he used to receive $10,000 a month from Cher, but that money allegedly stopped coming in Aug. 2021, according to PageSix.com. He told the court he now only receives $10,000 monthly from a trust tied to his late father, Gregg Allman. After taxes, he says his income works out to about $6,790 a month. Right now, Allman is required to pay King $6,500 a month in spousal support. His lawyers are asking the court to cut that amount down to $1,651 monthly. In the filing, Allman also accused King, 38, of making "no efforts to become self-supporting" since the couple split in 2021. The pair married in 2013. Allman first filed for divorce in 2021, but the case was later dismissed after the couple reconciled. King then filed for divorce herself in Apr. 2025. Their next court hearing is set for July 17. The latest legal battle comes as Cher continues trying to gain conservatorship over her son due to ongoing addiction and mental health struggles. - Billboard/Canoe.com, 5/8/26...... Barry Manilow shared a new version of his 1992 album track "Another Life" on YouTube on May 8. Co-written by Andrew Hill and Preston Sturges, "Another Life - 2026" explores the distance between former lovers, as one struggles to come to terms with the relationship's end. Arranged by Manilow and longtime collaborator Michael Lloyd, the new 2026 recording retains the song's wistful core while deepening its sense of nostalgia. Manilow was in his late 40s when he first recorded the song. He's now in his 80s and has had to confront a serious health challenge, giving the song added meaning. Manilow first recorded the song for his 1992 box set The Complete Collection and Then Some... The song wasn't officially released as a single, but as an album track, it reached No. 33 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. The new single follows Manilow's first public appearance since undergoing surgery for lung cancer. On Apr. 23, Manilow appeared at the American Advertising Federation's Hall of Fame gala in New York City to accept the President's Award, recognizing his iconic work in advertising, including writing famous jingles for McDonalds and other companies, before he launched his recording career in the early 1970s. "Another Life - 2026" is the final preview from Barry's forthcoming album What a Time, his first collection of nearly all-original material in almost 15 years. The album is due June 5. After his recovery is complete, the singer says he plans to tour throughout 2026. - Billboard, 5/8/26...... A new Ian Curtis exhibition will open in New York this summer and will feature rare archival material, including handwritten Joy Division lyrics. Held at the Voltz Clarke Gallery between June 25 and July 22, "Ian Curtis: Insight" will bring pieces from the late singer's archive to the United States for the first time and offer a new perspective on the UK's iconic Manchester artist. On display will be an "intimate and revealing" selection of handwritten lyrics, photographs, personal letters, ephemera and artefacts. They are being brought over from the The John Rylands Library at The University of Manchester, where they are housed as part of the British Pop Archive. Many of the pieces from the archive have never come to the US before, and organizers say that bringing them across the pond now, 46 years after Curtis' death, proves how his music continues to resonate with people across the globe. "This exhibition is part of The University of Manchester's remit to share our Special Collections globally," said Professor Christopher Pressler, University Librarian and Director of The John Rylands Library. Curtis and his bandmates first founded Joy Division in Salford, England back in 1976 under the name Warsaw. They changed their name to Joy Division in early 1978, and stayed together until the frontman took his own life in May 1980, after battling depression and epilepsy. Bandmates Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris went on to form New Order after his death, and have made numerous tributes to the late singer over the years. Both Joy Division and New Order will enter the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame as a single act during a ceremony in Los Angeles in November, following previous nominations in 2023 and 2025. - NME, 5/8/26...... During a recent interview on CBS Sunday Morning on May 3, Sting praised the "extraordinary work ethic" of his six children, and doubled-down on not passing his fortune down to them. Sting has two children with his first wife, son Joe Sumner and daughter Fuschia Sumner, as well as four kids with his second wife, Trudie Styler, Mickey, Jake, Eliot and Giacomo Sumner. "I think that's a form of abuse that I hope I'm never guilty of," Sting said, adding that all of his kids have been blessed with an "extraordinary work ethic," whether from their famous dad's DNA or from him simply being very frank about his financial planning. "Guys, you got to work," Sting says he told his kids. "I'm spending our money. I'm paying for your education. You've got shoes on your feet. Go to work. That's not cruel. I think there's a kindness there and a trust that they will make their own way. They're tough, my kids." Speaking about his stage musical," The Last Ship," in which he pays tribute to the hard-working shipbuilders fallen upon hard times in his home city of Newcastle, the 74-year-old musician said he took to heart the values of those working-class folks. "The working class works and wants to work. I'm one of those people, I love to work," he said. Sting's "3.0" US tour kicked off at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Fla. on May 6. His CBS Sunday Morning interview can be streamed on YouTube. - Billboard, 5/6/26...... Stanley Simmons, the group comprised of the sons of KISS' Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, have announced their debut album. Evan Stanley and Nick Simmons first revealed in early 2025 that they were working together on the project, saying at that time that they had written and recorded 10 songs together. Now, they have revealed that their album Dancing While The World Is Ending will be released on Aug. 28, and they have given a taste of it with the singles "Body Down" and the title track on YouTube. Stanley Simmons played their first ever live show on May 4 in San Diego, Calif., with followed by three further shows in the Golden State. As for KISS, the launch date for their Las Vegas avatar shows has been tentatively scheduled for 2028. Production will be overseen by Pophouse Entertainment, the founding investor behind ABBA's Voyage show. - NME, 5/4/26...... Deep Purple have confirmed their new studio album SPLAT! will arrive via EarMusic Records on July 3. Rather than leaning on their legacy, the group say the new material captures the same energy that defined their classic era. Frontman Ian Gillan said the current line-up feels like a modern reflection of the band's 1970s peak. He said: "Where we are now with this incarnation of Deep Purple feels very much like a very 'now' version of Deep Purple as it was in the seventies." For SPLAT!, he band once again worked with legendary producer Bob Ezrin -- known for his work with Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, KISS and Lou Reed -- crafting what they describe as "their heaviest album in years," recorded live together in the studio. Gillan says the new songs sit comfortably alongside some of their most iconic work. "I have to say, now we are very much back in with material that is compatible with 'Highway Star', 'Smoke on the Water', 'Lazy' -- the dynamics, the balance, and the fun of the music we made from '69 to '73," he said. At the center of SPLAT! is a concept developed by Gillan, exploring the end of humanity not as destruction but as transformation -- a shift beyond physical existence. SPLAT! marks the latest chapter in a career that has seen the band sell more than 120 million albums since forming in 1968. The band will support the album with an extensive 2026 touring schedule, including 86 shows across 28 countries on three continents. Gillan said the group are thriving as they enter this next phase, adding: "Deep Purple is in a great place right now." SPLAT! will be released in multiple formats, including CD, digital, standard 2LP, limited purple and limited transparent yellow vinyl editions, along with a Limited Vinyl Box Set with 2LP+CD+3x10inch and 7inch formats. Deep Purple will mount an 8-date UK tour behind the new record in November. - Music-News.com, 5/6/26...... Veteran rock drummer Carmine Appice has spoken out about the rumours that Led Zeppelin asked him to join after John Bonham's death in 1980. Speaking on the Talk Louder podcast, Appice confirmed that he was aware of the rumours at the time that he was aware of the speculation he would replace Bonham, but says he was never approached by the band in any formal capacity. Appice recalled that he had heard that it might come down to a choice between himself and Cozy Powell of The Jeff Beck Group, but that even if he had been asked, he would have been unable to accept, as he was on tour with Rod Stewart at the time. "I would've, but I was with Rod," Appice explained. "It's not like I was with nobody, we'd just finished doing six nights at the Forum [in Los Angeles]." "So, Rod said to me, 'Are you gonna join Led Zeppelin?' I said, 'Not that I know of.' I said, 'I know there's rumours, but I never got a call or nothing.' He said, 'Oh, that's good. Let's keep [the rumours] going. There's rumours that I'm gonna retire, so let's keep it going. We'll just sell more tickets.' I said, 'OK.' So that's what we did. But I was never asked." Bonham passed away on Sept. 25, 1980 at the age of 32 after aspirating vomit following heavy alcohol consumption. In the end, Zeppelin chose not to replace him, feeling he was irreplaceable, and they disbanded the group shortly afterward. Phil Collins filled in on drums for the metal icons' appearance at Live Aid in 1985, while Bonham's son Jason Bonham has played at the few subsequent Led Zep shows, including their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1995 and at the huge Ahmet Ertegun tribute concert in London's O2 in 2007. In addition to his time with Stewart, Appice has also sat behind the kit for Vanilla Fudge, Cactus and Beck, Bogert & Appice. Appice's full Talk Louder interview can be viewed on YouTube. - NME, 5/4/26...... Police were called to the Los Angeles home of The Four Seasons lead singer Franki Valli on the evening of May 3, according to TMZ.com. A report claimed that someone had violated a restraining order related to a domestic dispute, an LAPD spokesperson told People magazine. The "My Eyes Adored You" singer was granted a three-year restraining order against his son Francesco Valli in Apr. 2024. According to dispatch audio obtained by People, a 38-year-old man was "banging on the door demanding entry." L.A. police officers, including a police helicopter, responded to the home and found no evidence of a crime. The air unit then cleared the scene. Then less than a minute later, another call was generated from the address for a "family dispute - restraining order violation." "This is a private family matter, and it was resolved before the authorities arrived," a rep for Valli told People. The restraining order was granted after Francesco attempted to break into his father's property in 2024. Valli's younger son Emilio claimed that Francesco "repeatedly physically threatened to harm or kill" him and his father. In the filing, he noted that threats like this had been happening for "several months" but had escalated since Valli financially cut off Francesco. Francesco was ordered to have no contact with Emilio or Valli and to stay at least 100 yards away from their homes, cars and workplaces. The restraining order is set to expire on Apr. 29, 2027. Valli shares Francesco and twins Emilio and Brando with his third wife, Randy Clohessy. Valli had three daughters, Celia, Antonia and Francine, with his first wife, Mary Mandel. Celia and Francine died in separate incidents in 1980. - Music-News.com, 5/7/26...... Alex Ligertwood, the Scottish singer best known for his work with Santana, died at his Santa Monica, Calif. home on Apr. 30. He was 79. "It's with great sadness and heartache to announce the passing of my sweet dear Alex Ligertwood," his wife Shawn Brogan wrote in a statement. "Alex died peacefully in his sleep with his doggy Bobo by his side. [He] was loved by so many. If you knew him, you loved him. He touched so many with his extraordinary voice. He was all heart and soul." Ligertwood played with a wide range of artists, but is best remembered for his stints as lead vocalist with Santana between 1979 and 1994. His soulful voice helped to define that era of the Latin rock band, featuring on albums including Marathon (1979), Zebop! (1981) and Sacred Fire: Live In South America (1993). He sang on some of the band's most beloved tracks, including "Winning," "Hold On" and "You Know That I Love You," during a period when Santana pivoted to more of an AOR style. Born in Glasgow on Dec. 18, 1946, Ligertwood began playing skiffle in the 1950s and joined the band The Senate, and prior to joining Santana, he also worked alongside The Jeff Beck Group and Average White Band, building a reputation as a standout vocalist. In recent years, he continued to perform live and he released a solo album Outside The Box in 2019, and had performed his final show just a few weeks before his passing, capping a career that spanned six decades. - NME, 5/4/26...... Media mogul Ted Turner, who pioneered the modern 24-hour news culture when he launched the CNN channel in 1980, died on May 6. He was 87. Mr. Turner launched Cable News Network as the first dedicated rolling news channel, which soon became a central part of the media landscape. The network initially faced scepticism and struggles, being mocked as the "Chicken Noodle Network" in its early years by those who thought it would not succeed. But the channel proved its worth by providing speedy and continuous updates of stories like the assassination attempt on US Pres. Ronald Reagan in 1981, and the Challenger space shuttle disaster in 1986. Then it truly came of age with its live rolling coverage from Iraq during the 1990-1991 Gulf War. But CNN was far from Turner's only outlet. He began his career by taking over the successful family billboard company when his father took his own life, then bought a radio station in Atlanta, Ga. Within a decade, that station had become the foundation of the Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) and its boss was one of the biggest media moguls in the US. He was also known for his brash personality, which earned him the nicknames "the Mouth of the South" and "Captain Outrageous." He even lived in CNN's headquarters for a number of years, often walking around the newsroom in his bath robe, "eager to debate the day's news," according to current CNN CEO/chairman Mark Thompson. Born Robert Edward Turner III was in Cincinnati on Nov. 19, 1938, Mr. Turner grew up mostly in Savannah, Ga. The foundation of his broadcasting empire was a money-bleeding UHF station, then WTCG, in Atlanta, which he bought in 1970 for $2.5 million. Beyond the media, Mr. Turner was a world-class yachtsman, winning the America's Cup in 1977. In 1983, a Rupert Murdoch-sponsored yacht collided with Mr. Turner's boat in an Australian race, which led Mr. Turner to challenge Murdoch to a fist fight. Mr. Turner also owned sport properties including the Atlanta Braves baseball team, Atlanta Hawks basketball team and Atlanta Thrashers ice hockey team. Mr. Turner's television empire also included the TBS and TNT channels, Turner Classic Movies and Cartoon Network. He made a short-lived, ill-fated $1.5 billion acquisition of the MGM film studios in 1985. He went on to buy film and TV companies Castle Rock Entertainment and New Line Cinema in the 1990s, before his company merged with Time Warner. He eventually sold his company to Time Warner in a fateful deal that wiped out a lot of his fortune and was seen as something that took his power away in the media. He then became a major philanthropist, donating $1 billion to the United Nations and millions more to environmental causes, and promoted and invested in clean energy. He was married to actress Jane Fonda from 1991 until 2001. In 2018, Mr. Turner revealed he had Lewy body dementia, a degenerative nerve disease. In an Instagram post on May 7, Jane Fonda paid tribute to Mr. Turner: "He swept into my life, a gloriously handsome, deeply romantic, swashbuckling pirate and I've never been the same," the 88-year-old actress wrote. "He needed me. No one had ever let me know they needed me, and this wasn't your average human being that needed me, this was the creator of CNN, and Turner Classic Movies, who had won the America's Cup as the world's greatest sailor. He had a big life, a brilliant mind and a soaring sense of humor." Survivors include two children from his first marriage, Laura and Teddy; three children from his second marriage, Rhett, Beau and Jennie; 14 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. - BBC.com, 5/6/26.