The Moody Blues have added nine support acts to their cruise next March. They'll be taking along The Zombies, Greg Lake, The Little River Band, Ambrosia, Stephen Bishop, Toto and former Yes members Billy Sherwood and Tony Kaye. The cruise departs Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on March 20th with stops in Grand Cayman and Jamaica before returning on March 25th.
Art Garfunkel is hinting that he cancelled those Swedish shows due to more than throat issues. On BBC TV this week, Art said though his throat is "mending" and that he sounds like himself, he needs "to deal with the adrenaline and stage nerves, which has brought me back to age 12." Asked when he might perform again, Garfunkel replied, "There's the pressure. Let it be. I would say in the next few months I'll be back there."
After the success of the summer's Dukes of September shows with Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs, Donald Fagen says its next stop could be PBS. He says instead of releasing a CD or DVD right away, the trio are talking to public TV stations about airing it as a Great Performances special during pledge drive time.
Happy birthday to rock 'n roll pioneer Chuck Berry who turns 86 this week. Berry hit the charts in the 50s and 60s with hits like Johnny B. Good, Sweet Little Sixteen and No Particular Place To Go. Strangely it wasn't until 1972 that Berry charted with his only #1 hit, the novelty song My Ding-A-Ling.
It wasn't quite Monkee-mania, but Micky Dolenz drew well over a hundred fans to J&R Music in New York this week for a signing of his just released album, Remember. Micky offered the crowd autographs, handshakes, took pictures and accepted a gift from one fan. The Monkees reunion with Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork will begin in Escondido, California. Fans and the trio will take time to honor and remember the late Davy Jones.
Neil Diamond won't get a chance to see The Monkees reunion tour with Michael Nesmith because he'll be in New York on November 8th to receive the Legend of Live Award from Billboard magazine. Neil is already a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Grammy winner and Kennedy Center Honors recipient. Diamond told Billboard, "There's no musical expression that quite compares with that of presenting your work to a live audience."
Happy birthday this week to Gary Puckett. The 60s superstar celebrates his 70th birthday. Gary shot to fame in the 60s with his group The Union Gap on hits like Lady Willpower, Young Girl, This Girl Is A Woman Now and many others. We had a chance to meet Gary backstage prior to a show at the Heart O' Texas Fair & Rodeo some time back. He continues to tour. - Dewayne
This week marks the 45th anniversay of the debut of Hair the musical. It premiered on October 17, 1967 at New York Public Theatre. It would run many years off Broadway and inspire a movie with an impressive rock 'n roll soundtrack featuring The 5th Dimension's 1969 hit Age of Aquarius among others.
Eric Burdon of The Animals and later War will release a 4-song EP on November 23rd on which he's backed by the Cincinnati garage band The Greenhornes. Burdon has continued to record, tour and record "oldies" TV specials since the 70s.
Happy birthday to Jim Seals. Jim turns 71 today. He was half of the 70s duo Seals & Crofts, along with Dash Crofts. Jim Seals is also the cousin of the late England Dan Seals. Seals & Crofts hit it big in the 70s with Summer Breeze, Diamond Girl, We May Never Pass This Way Again and many other soft rock hits.
Lisa Marie Presley has created another music video that lets her duet with her late father. Five years after joining Elvis Presley electronically on In The Ghetto, Lisa Marie offers I Love You Because, which Elvis originally recorded in 1954 at Sun Studios in Memphis. The new video will go on sale October 25th via iTunes.
Almost 40 years after his death, Jim Croce's widow, Ingrid Croce, has penned a book, I Got A Name--The Jim Croce Story. Ingrid Croce has also a one-time singing partner with her husband. Far from an overnight success, Jim spent a decade performing and writing folk music before his 1972 breakthrough. Jim Croce died in a plane crash near Natchitoches, Louisiana in 1973.
Richard Carpenter celebrates his 66th birthday this week. Richard and his sister Karen Carpenter were the most successful family act of the 1970s, along with The Jacksons and The Osmonds. Karen and Richard were raised in Downey, California and signed with Herb Alpert's A&M Records. What followed were a series of huge hits in the 70s including Close To You, Superstar, Yesterday Once More and many more. Karen died of heart failure after a battle with anorexia in 1983.
In what looks like an attempt to smooth ruffled feathers, Elton John's significant other said some nice things about Madonna last week. TMZ posted a video of David Furnish's comments as he left the L.A. club The Abbey. Asked if he thought Madonna was "past her prime," Furnish replied, "Not at all. She's a great artist and I wish her all the best." He also added, "I think she works very hard--she is an inspiration to all of us."
Dionne Warwick is marking the 50th anniversary of her recording career in 2012. But the big number this year for Dionne is 2.6 million. That's how much she owes the state of California for back taxes on her home. Warwick's publicist tells the Associated Press that she's worked out a re-payment plan with California to pay down her debt.
More than 4 decades after his shocking death, Jimi Hendrix remains among the most revered rock 'n roll guitarists. Now, Steven Roby, a noted Hendrix historian focuses on Hendrix's own words in a newly published book Hendrix on Hendrix. Roby claims this is as close as fans will ever get to a Hendrix autobiography.
