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Brian Wilson, founder and chief inspiration of The Beach Boys, was honored at the Kennedy Center on December 2, 2007, in the company of pianist Leon Fleisher, actor/comedian/writer Steve Martin, singer/actress Diana Ross, and director Martin Scorsese.
The ceremonies will be broadcast on CBS-TV on Wednesday, December 26, 2007, at 9PM EST.
More information at Brian's official site.
Dan Fogelberg, 56, lost his three-year battle with prostate cancer, dying at his home in Maine on Sunday, December 16. A message posted yesterday on his official site
says Fogelberg died with his wife at his side and says, “His strength,
dignity, and grace in the face of the daunting challenges of this
disease were an inspiration to all who knew him.”
Fogelberg began performing in rock bands around his hometown of Peoria, Illinois, changing to solo performances in college. He became popular in the 70s and 80s with songs like “Longer,” “The Power of Gold,” “Leader of the Band” and “Same Old Lang Syne.”
He released his last album, Full Circle, in 2003.
UK's Cardiff Millennium Arena may present an appearance by Led Zeppelin next year, according to Roger Lewis, chief executive officer of the Welsh Rugby Union, who has confirmed that he is discussing the possibilities with Harvey Goldsmith, the promoter of the recent O2 concert by the veteran band. More here. There are also rumors of a possible appearance in Belfast. The steady drumbeat of tour rumors continues despite Robert Plant's commitment to a tour with Alison Krauss, whose duet album with Mr. Plant, Raising Sand, has been pleasing both critics and fans alike.
Ike Turner, one of the founders of rock 'n' roll, has died at age 76, at his home in San Diego, California. Cause of death is not yet known.
Turner, who was demonized for domestic abuse involving his former wife and musical partner, Tina Turner, is credited with the first ever rock 'n' roll record, "Rocket 88," released in 1951, and recorded at Sam Phillips' legendary studio in Memphis.
In later years, Ike recovered his reputation and went on to win a Grammy in 2007 for Risin' With The Blues, in the Traditional Blues category.
More here from the BBC.
The first reviews are in. NME.com. MSNBC. Times On Line. BBC. Rolling Stone. There are links to watch some of the concert as well.
YouTube clips up at Earcandy. Stairway, Kashmir, Good Times ... check them out before WMG gets them on outta there! They're probably going to let them run for a couple days, just so people can get an idea of what to expect.
A DVD will be forthcoming, no release date announced as yet. And, as an industry insider remarked in Billboard, "As far as I'm concerned, the tour's already booked."
(Photo credit: Getty Images)
According to the Associated Press, the Clark County coroner's office has announced, after receiving the toxicology reports on Monday, that Kevin Dubrow died as a result of an accidental cocaine overdose. Kevin was the lead singer of Quiet Riot, best known for their 80s hit, a cover of Slade's "Cum On Feel The Noize."
Kevin died on November 25 at his home in Las Vegas. He was 52.
London: Although more than one million people took part in the ballot, there are just 9,000 pairs of tickets to the Led Zeppelin tribute concert for Ahmet Ertegun at the O2 arena on Monday, December 10. The concert was rescheduled to accommodate Jimmy Page's recovery from a fractured finger.
The lucky winners are picking up wristband tickets at the O2 on Sunday and Monday. In an attempt to beat scalpers and touts, fans are required to
bring their photo ID, and also the credit card they used to
book their tickets and the confirmation code they received at the time. They were required to arrive in person to collect their passes, which must not be
removed before the concert. Unfortunately, that has not stopped some eBay sellers claiming to have tickets, with some selling for up to £1,800 (approximately $4,000) each.
Ballot winners have arrived in London from 70 countries. Some who picked up their wristbands on Sunday queued for more than five
hours.
Promoter Harvey Goldsmith, who staged Live Aid and Live 8, said the reunion had probably generated more interest than "any show I've done," adding in his interview with the BBC on Sunday, "I'm really pleased because a lot of people are picking their tickets up today." He further noted, "They're given a wristband, which won't come off until the show. It's locked on, just to make sure they don't sell them off. Unfortunately there is an unscrupulous element about, who are constantly getting tickets and selling them on places like eBay."
Rumors of a Led Zeppelin tour next year continue unabated, and unconfirmed.
Although the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen, and Norah Jones were rumored to be high on the list for the coveted Superbowl half-time slot, the gig goes to Tom Petty for reasons that might have to do with a corporate sponsorship by Japan's Bridgestone Tires. Interesting, inasmuch as Petty is known to be fiercely against such sponsorships in rock music. His last album with the Heartbreakers, 2002's "The Last DJ," was a
pointed assault on corporate greed. However, perhaps the size of the check won out. Everyone has their price.
Petty announced his retirement from touring earlier this year.
This year, nearly 140 million Americans watched Prince play at the football extravaganza. Other recent acts have included the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney
and U2, and the infamous Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake pairing, which resulted in the infamous 'wardrobe malfunction' at the 2004 show, raising a national kerfuffel about televised smut. Presumably, Mr. Petty will keep his clothing in place.
The National Football League's annual championship game will be held at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, near Phoenix. The game will be televised world-wide and airs on February 3, 2008.
For the first time in 10 years, Queen has recorded a new song to benefit Nelson Mandela's AIDS awareness campaign. "Say It's Not True" was written by Roger Taylor especially for 46664, named after Nelson Mandela's prison number. Freddie Mercury, Queen's charismatic and influential frontman, died of an AIDS-related condition in 1991.
"It's been a magical experience, fantastic," Taylor said of Queen's return to the studio on the BBC's Breakfast program, and commented on the ongoing worldwide fight against AIDS. ""We are inextricably linked with that after losing Freddie."
The track can be downloaded from the 46664 and Queen websites from Saturday, which is World AIDS Day, as well as on Paul Rodgers' website.
Rodgers, seen here with Brian May of Queen, is a founder member and former lead vocalist of Free, and stepped in as
lead singer for Queen in 2004. He also continues with a successful solo career.
For the Queen website click here and then on the QueenOnLine site. For Paul's site click here and then on PaulRodgers.com.
