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SONGWRITER NEW BOOK
Songwriter Cynthia Weil's new book debuted in stores Tuesday (May 3). No, it's not the autobiography of Cynthia, who wrote such hits as "On Broadway" and "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" with then-husband Barry Mann. It's a children's book called "Rockin' Babies," described as re-imaging the rock 'n' roll lifestyle in child-friendly fashion. The 20-page book retails for $7.95.
McCARTNEY TO MARRY
People magazine is reported Friday (May 6) that Paul McCartney and his girlfriend for the last four years, Nancy Shevell, are engaged to be married. It would be 68 year-old Paul's third marriage, 51 year-old Nancy's second.
PROMOTER & PRODUCER DIES
John Carter, known professionally as just "Carter," died of cancer Tuesday (May 10) at his home in Palm Springs, California. He was 65. Though he worked as a promotion man for Atlantic Records and at Capitol produced hits by Bob Seger, Steve Miller, Tina Turner and Bob Welch, Carter will always be remembered as the writer of "Incense And Peppermints" and the man who named Strawberry Alarm Clock. His "artist & repertoire" work also included stints with A&M, Chrysalis and Island Records.
Rock and Roll (often written as Rock & Roll or Rock 'N' Roll) is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of the blues, country music, jazz,and gospel music. Though elements of rock and roll can be heard in country records of the 1930s,and in blues records from the 1920s, rock and roll did not acquire its name until the 1950s. An early form of rock and roll was rockabilly, which combined country and jazz with influences from traditional Appalachian folk music and gospel.
The term "rock and roll" now has at least two different meanings, both in common usage. The American Heritage Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary both define rock and roll as synonymous with rock music. Encyclopaedia Britannica, on the other hand, regards it as the music that originated in the mid-1950s and later evolved "into the more encompassing international style known as rock music." For the purpose of differentiation, this article uses the latter definition, while the broader musical genre is discussed in the rock music article.
In the earliest rock and roll styles of the late 1940s and early 1950s, either the piano or saxophone was often the lead instrument, but these were generally replaced or supplemented by guitar in the middle to late 1950s. The beat is essentially a blues rhythm with an accentuated backbeat, the latter almost always provided by a snare drum. Classic rock and roll is usually played with one or two electric guitars (one lead, one rhythm), a string bass or (after the mid-1950s) an electric bass guitar, and a drum kit.
Rock and roll began achieving wide popularity in the 1960s. The massive popularity and eventual worldwide view of rock and roll gave it a widespread social impact. Bobby Gillespie writes that "When Chuck Berry sang 'Hail, hail, rock and roll, deliver me from the days of old,' that's exactly what the music was doing. Chuck Berry started the global psychic jailbreak that is rock'n'roll."
Far beyond simply a musical style, rock and roll, as seen in movies and on television, influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language. It went on to spawn various sub-genres, often without the initially characteristic backbeat, that are now more commonly called simply "rock music" or "rock."
JIMI HENDRIX DAY
September 13 has been declared "Jimi Hendrix - Winterland Day" in the city and county of San Francisco, in honor of the release of the 4 CD boxed set featuring his concerts from the Winterland ballroom there in 1968.
STEWART IS GRANDFATHER
Congratulations to Rod Stewart. His daughter, Kimberly made him a grandfather for the first time Sunday (August 21) in Los Angeles when she gave birth to an 8 lb., 9 oz. baby girl named Delilah. The father has been confirmed as Benico del Toro (though the couple are no longer together). Both Rod and grandmother Alana (Rod's first wife) were present at the hospital.
KISS MEMBER
DADDY AGAIN
Congratulations to Kiss guitarist Paul Stanley, whose wife, Erin gave birth to their third child-- daughter Emily-- Tuesday (August 9).
GROUP FOUNDER HAS CANCER
Deep Purple Founder and former keyboardist John Lord has told fans on his blog that he is suffering from an undisclosed form of cancer. The 70 year-old wrote, "...I am fighting cancer and therefore will be taking a break from performing while getting the treatment and cure. I shall of course be continuing to write music- in my world it just has to be part of the therapy."
ALLMAN CANCELS TOUR DATES
Gregg Allman has cancelled dates from August 26 to September 15 to battle a respiratory illness. The 63 year-old plans to make up some of the concerts later.
MEATLOAF FALLS ILL
Meat Loaf was unable to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Cincinnati Reds game Friday (July 29). He had been scheduled to represent a local cancer patient and the charity she founded. Mr. Loaf had ann asthma attack the night before while onstage in Pittsburgh the night before and passed out, recovering enough to continue the show ten minutes later but not enough to appear at the ballpark.Meat's asthma continued to bother him as he reportedly fainted )which Meat denies) after his performance at the New Jersey Balloon Festival Sunday (July 31) and had to be administered oxygen (which he confirms).
DOOBIE BROTHERS PERFORM
The Doobie Brothers performed on the front lawn of Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital Wednesday (July 27) as part of the closing ceremonies for the facility. The concert was sponsored by the USO.
GEORGE HARRISON MOVIE
That Martin Scorsese documentary film on the life of George Harrison-- "Living In The Material World"-- will now debut on HBO. The cable channel will show the film initially in two parts on October 5 and 6.
ELTON WAKES ASTRONAUTS
A pre-recorded message woke up the astronauts aboard the space shuttle Atlantis Wednesday (July 13). First, Elton Johns recording of "Rocket Man: aired, followed by Elton himself saying, "Good morning, Atlantis, this is Elton John. We wish you much success on your mission. A huge thank you to all the men and women at NASA who worked on the shuttle for the last three decades." The song has been used four other times to wake shuttle astronauts but never before with Elton's voice.
JACKSON BROWNE SON INJURED
Ethan Browne, Jackson Browne' 37 year-old son, is in a California hospital with a broken vertebrae suffered in a July 4 auto crash in which his Mercedes flipped over three times. He is expected to remain there for several weeks.
BEACH BOY MOVIE
River Road Entertainment announced Thursday that they have secured the rights to Brian Wilson's life and will be filming a movie about Brian. Oren Moverman is writing the screenplay for the film, described as, "an unconventional look at Wilson's unique musical process as well as his struggles with mental illness, and how he managed to persevere as an artist with the love and support of his wife Melinda."
FRAMPTION FILES DIVORCE
Peter Frampton filed for divorce from his wife of 15 years Tuesday (June 21) in Los Angeles. The couple have been separated since New Years Eve. Peter is asking that physical custody of their 15 year-old daughter be given to his wife but that he be granted visitation rights. It was his third marriage.
E-STREET MEMBER HONORED
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie ordered flags in the state flown at half-staff on Thursday (June 23) in honor of saxophonist Clarence Clemons, a member of Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band. Clarence, who also recorded "You're A Friend Of Mine" (#18) with Jackson Browne in 1985, died Saturday (June 18) from complications of a stroke at his home on Singer Island off Florida's east coast June 12. "The Big Man," as he was known, was 69. While initially described as "seriously ill," two brain surgeries at a Palm Beach County hospital on Monday were said to have improved his prognosis. Clarence first met Bruce at a club in Asbury Park, New Jersey in 1971, sat in with the "Boss" and was asked to join what became the E-Street Band. The two played together for the next 40 years on such hits as "Born To Run," "Dancing In The Dark" and "Born In The U.S.A." Clarence was also an actor, appearing on television on "Diff'rent Strokes," "Nash Bridges" and "The Wire" and in the movie, "Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure." He played sax on Aretha Franklin's "Freeway Of Love" and-- most recently-- on two cuts off Lady Gaga's album. His autobiography, "Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales," was published in 2009.
SIMMONS GIVEN
KEY TO CITY
Gene Simmons was given the key to the city of Winnipeg Wednesday (June 15) in a ceremony with the mayor. Gene humbly said, "I don't deserve anything. I'm the luckiest son of a bitch who ever walked the planet... I haven't killed anybody yet. That's a good beginning. By the way, if all of us practiced that on the planet Earth, it would be a much better place, don't you think?"
HITMAKER DIES
Andrew Gold, the Burbank, California native who recorded the hits "Lonely Boy" (#7-1977) and "Thank You For Being A Friend" (#25-1978) died of an apparent heart attack Friday (June 3) at the age of 59. Born into a musical family, his father was Ernest Gold, Academy-Award winning composer for the movie "Exodus." His mother was Marni Nixon, who provided the singing voices for Natalie Wood in "West Side Story" and Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady." Originally a member of the Los Angeles group Bryndle (along with Karla Bonoff), he gained famed arranging and playing on five Linda Ronstadt albums, including the haunting guitar work on "You're No Good" in 1975. He released his first solo album that year, though he continued playing in Linda's band for two more years. He also played with such diverse artists as Cher, John Lennon, 10cc, Eric Carmen, Stephen Bishop and produced Karla's 1982 #19 hit, "Personally." In 1983 he joined Graham Gouldman of 10cc in Wax (AKA Wax UK), who charted with "Right Between The Eyes" (#43-1986). Wax broke up in 1989 and Andrew re-formed Bryndle. "Thank You For Being A Friend" was used as the theme for the TV show, "Golden Girls" and Andrew also sang the theme from TV's "Mad About You" entitled "The Final Frontier."
ALLMAN BROTHERS
DRUMMER DIES
David "Frankie" Toler, drummer on the Allman Brothers Band's "Brothers Of The Road" album, who also performed on two of Gregg Allman's solo albums and with the Marshall Tucker Band for three years, died Saturday (June 4) in a hospice in Bradenton, Florida after a long illness. He was 59. Frankie had received a liver transplant two years ago. His brother, Dan Toler, was a guitarist with the Allmans and in Gregg's band.
CCR FILES LAWSUIT
Creedence Clearwater Revival members Doug Clifford and Stu Cook, along with the widow of Tom Fogerty, filed a lawsuit May 24 in Oakland, California against Concord Music Group, which owns their recordings, for licensing tunes without paying the proper royalties. The three are asking for a jury trial. John Fogerty is not aparty to this lawsuit.
ALICE COOPER FALLS ILL
Alice Cooper fell ill ("too ill to leave the hotel") in Santiago, Chile and was forced to cancel his first concert in 30 years Thursday (May 26). He was later diagnosed with food poisoning.
JAGGER RECORDS ALBUM
He's not leaving the Rolling Stones, but Mick Jagger is recording with a "supergroup" (called Super Heavy) composed of Joss Stone, Damian Marley, Dave Stewart and movie music composer A.R. Rahman. An album is expected in September.
TOWNSEND WRITING BOOK
Pete Townshend of the Who announced on Tuesday (May 17) that he is writing an autobiography. The as-yet untitled tome will be published in the fall of 2012 by HarperCollins.
ZZ TOP SINGER
CHOSEN TEXAS STATE MUSICIAN
Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top was chosen as the official Texas State Musician for 2012 by the legislature there. The announcement was made by the Texas Commission on the Arts Tuesday (May 18). Billy's one-year term begins when Lyle Lovett's ends at the end of the year
Salute To The Troops
MusicWire Magazine - Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums. She has been noted for her ethereal visual style and symbolic lyrics. Stevie Nicks is known for her mystical image, her billowing chiffon skirts, shawls, layers of lace and long blonde hair. Margi Kent, a designer from California, has worked with Nicks since the 1970s to perfect her style. Perhaps the most famous part of Nicks's wardrobe is her platform boots. Nicks has worn suede platform boots in various colors, usually black, cream, tan or maroon in almost all of her performances since 1975.
10.02.11-MusicWire Magazine - Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American Rock Band. Their musical style consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock. The band consists of founding members Anthony Kiedis (vocals) and Michael "Flea" Balzary (bass), alongside longtime drummer Chad Smith and recently added guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.
They have won 7 Grammy Awards. The band has sold over 65 million albums worldwide, charting nine singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 (including three in the Top 10), six number one singles on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and they currently hold the record for most number one singles on the Alternative Songs chart at 12.
The Peppers' musical style is a mix of funk, alternative rock, hard rock and punk rock. The band's influences include, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Gang of Four, Bob Marley, Sly and the Family Stone, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, Marvin Gaye, Santana, Elvis Costello, The Clash, Devo, and Miles Davis.
"Lady Madonna," the lone tune featured an impregnated slew of new and improved stereophonic infused sweet and delectable sound patterns choreographed in perfect muse.
"Revolution" as well as "Back in the U.S.S.R." captured the original political tones of the song, yet course, is vastly different
Lastly the sing-along, happy-feel-good ring of "Hey Jude," along with the reprise of "Sgt. Pepper" and "All You Need Is Love.”, delivers the goods in the manner of the what I feel is the best Beatle album of all time. So head over to Amazon or ITunes and proceed to overload your senses with the Beatles “Love”.
“Because” Begins literally in total darkness as the four-beatlesque spirits envelop you within your headphones taking you for the wild ride of your life. The music ascends higher along the cloud line then descends without warning.
"What You're Doing" Drive My Car,""The Word" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand," that chronicle the heyday of Beatle mania where the screams of lucid teenagers prevail to frolic.
"Octopus's Garden" "Here Comes the Sun" and “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" are played strict yet interpreted as a new feel for something old.
COVERING A WIDE SPECTRUM OF THE MUSIC SCENE ACROSS AMERICA & AROUND THE GLOBE...
MusicWire Magazine -The Answer are a Northern Irish Hard Rock and Blues-Rock Band from Newcastle and Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland. They have achieved success with their debut album Rise selling in excess of 30,000 copies in the UK & Europe, 10,000 on day one in Japan and 100,000 worldwide.
Formed in 2000 by guitarist Paul Mahonwhose father was a jazz trumpeter and member of seminal Irish showband The Freshmen, who released three albums on CBS and toured with the likes of the Beach Boys. Aged 18, Paul knew he wanted to put together a rock band and mentioned it to bassist Micky Waters, an old school friend who had been in numerous cover bands around Belfast.
The Cars are an American Rock Band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson. The band originated in Boston, Massachusetts, and were signed to Elektra Records by George Daly, then A&R head, in 1977.
The Cars were at the forefront in merging 1970s guitar-oriented rock with the new synth-oriented pop that was then becoming popular and which would flower in the early 1980s. The Cars started fresh with their debut album The Cars which went on to platinum in late 1978. The Cars' debut album was called a "genuine rock masterpiece" by Allmusic. Probably the most successful and well known song from the album, "Just What I Needed", started as a demo in 1977. The song was sent as a mix tape to a local DJ in the Boston area, who played the song in heavy rotation. This soon caught the attention of other DJs, which led to the signing of the band by Elektra Records in 1977.
The band broke up in 1988, and Ocasek had always discouraged talk of a reunion since then, telling one interviewer in 1997 "I'm saying never and you can count on that." Bassist Benjamin Orr died in 2000 from pancreatic cancer. The surviving original members reunited in 2010 to record a new album, titled Move Like This, which was released May 10, 2011, and a tour to start on the same day.
MusicWire Magazine - Steven H. "Steve" Miller is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter who began his career in blues and blues rock and evolved to a more popular-oriented sound which, from the mid 1970s through the early 1980s, resulted in a series of successful singles and albums.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, young Steve received his first exposure to music from his mother, Bertha, whom he described as a remarkable non-professional jazz-influenced singer, and his physician father, George, known as "Sonny" who, in addition to his profession as a pathologist, was a jazz enthusiast and accomplished amateur recording engineer. Moreover, guitar virtuoso Les Paul and his musical partner Mary Ford were regular visitors at the Miller house.In 1967, he formed the Steve Miller Band (at first called The Steve Miller Blues Band), with Miller also handling vocals. Billed as The Miller Band, they backed Chuck Berry on his Live at Fillmore Auditorium album released that year. In 1968, they released an album, Children of the Future, the first in a series of discs rooted solidly in the psychedelic blues style that then dominated the San Francisco scene. Writing in Crawdaddy!, Peter Knobler called the album "a triple moment of experience, knowledge, inspiration".
MusicWire Magaine - Great White is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1978. The band gained popularity during the 1980s and early 1990s. The band released several albums in the late 1980s and gained airplay on MTV with music videos for songs like "Once Bitten, Twice Shy". The band reached their peak popularity with the album ...Twice Shy in 1989.
The band continued to release new material into the 1990s, although none of their material charted in the United States. In 2003, the band made headlines when The Station nightclub fire led to the deaths of 100 people in West Warwick, Rhode Island, including the band's guitarist Ty Longley, who had been a member of the band for three years. Great White made a comeback in 2007 with the release of a new album and an accompanying tour.
The band returned to the national spotlight on 20 February 2003. At the beginning of a Great White performance at The Station night club in Rhode Island, pyrotechnics used by the band's crew created a spray of sparks that ignited the foam soundproofing material in the ceiling around the stage. One hundred people including the band's guitarist Ty Longley, died in the fire that followed.
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ROCK N' ROLL MUSIC VIDEO FEATURES
Hoobastank is an American rock band, best known for their 2004 hit "The Reason" and other hits "Crawling in the Dark" and "Running Away". They formed in 1994 in Agoura Hills, California, with singer Doug Robb, guitarist Dan Estrin, drummer Chris Hesse, and original bassist Markku Lappalainen. They are signed to Island Records and have released four albums and one extended play to date. Their fourth and most recent studio album, For(N)ever, was released in January 2009. They have sold 10 million albums worldwide.
In October 2007, Robb posted on the official Hoobastank message boards and said that they have "Set the bar very very high for this next CD" and that they have "More ideas going into this CD than ever before".
On June 2, 2008, Robb posted an update on their temporary website, announcing that the recording process of their upcoming album was almost done and to expect a release date within a couple of weeks.
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is commonly known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".
Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Presley moved to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family at the age of 13. He began his career there in 1954, working with Sun Records owner Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was the most important popularizer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country and rhythm and blues. RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage the singer for over two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", released in January 1956, was a number one hit. He became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll with a series of network television appearances and chart-topping records. His energized interpretations of songs, many from African American sources, and his uninhibited performance style made him enormously popular—and controversial. In November 1956, he made his film debut in Love Me Tender.
Presley is regarded as one of the most important figures of 20th-century popular culture. He had a versatile voice and unusually wide success encompassing many genres, including country, pop ballads, gospel, and blues. He is the best-selling solo artist in the history of popular music. Nominated for 14 competitive Grammys, he won three, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36. He has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame.
Drug use was heavily implicated" in Presley's death, writes Guralnick. No one ruled out the possibility of anaphylactic shock brought on by the codeine pills to which he was known to have had a mild allergy. A pair of lab reports suggested that polypharmacy was the primary cause of death; one reported "fourteen drugs in Elvis' system, ten in significant quantity. Forensic historian and pathologist Michael Baden views the situation as complicated: "Elvis had had an enlarged heart for a long time. That, together with his drug habit, caused his death.
