Search Results for: aerosmith

Reggae artist Shaggy’s “Hotshot” album was the hottest-selling record in 2001, totaling 5.5 million units sold since January, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) said on Thursday. Certified six times Platinum for sales of one million units, Shaggy was among three very diverse artists jockeying for best-selling record of the year. “Hotshot” was followed closely behind by Irish new age artist Enya’s “A Day Without Rain” and ‘N Sync’s “Celebrity,” which each sold five million copies this year, tying them for second. Shaggy’s album, released in late 2000, had sold about 500,000 copies prior to January 2001, the RIAA… Read more »

Versatile soul icon Rufus Thomas, a pioneering radio DJ and a singer/songwriter famed for the R&B standard “Walking The Dog,” has died in Memphis at age 84, his family said Sunday. Over a 70-year career, which took off in a segregated minstrel show, Thomas was a key player in the rise of rock ‘n’ roll and soul. He recorded for the two greatest record labels to come out of Memphis, Sun and Stax, and performed into his 80s. Thomas died Saturday at St. Francis Hospital of apparent heart failure, his family said. He had been receiving treatment at the hospital… Read more »

A few punks, a scruffy “Refugee” and the most sex-crazed chef on television are crashing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Punk rock pioneers the Ramones and Talking Heads, Southern rockers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and soul singer Isaac Hayes will lead the class of 2002 when they are inducted into the rock hall on March 18, organizers announced Thursday (December 13). Other artists recognized include ’60s icons Brenda Lee and Gene Pitney, guitar great Chet Atkins, and Stax Records co-founder Jim Stewart. Atkins, who crafted the sound of country music before moving on to record with Elvis… Read more »

Halftime at this season’s Super Bowl will find one group of players 30 football minutes closer to becoming NFL champions and another on display before more eyes than ever before. Ireland’s favorite sons, U2, will perform at Super Bowl XXXVI in front of an estimated 130 million U.S. viewers and 800 million more around the world, according to an NFL spokesperson. The big game takes place February 3 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans and will be televised on Fox. U2 completed their eight-month-long Elevation Tour in support of their latest album, All That You Can’t Leave Behind, Sunday… Read more »

Fatboy Slim and Gorillaz took home top honors with three wins each, including best pop clip and the Maximum Vision Award, respectively, during Billboard’s 23rd annual 2001 Music Video Awards. Gorillaz’s “Clint Eastwood” garnered the distinguished award for a video that advances an artist’s career, as well as new rap/hip-hop artist and new modern rock artist clip honors. Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” also claimed prizes for dance clip and modern rock clip. Craig David scored two wins, including new R&B artist clip for “Fill Me In,” which tied with Motown singer India.Arie’s “Video.” The director of the year honor… Read more »

More than 25 artists – from boys (of the Backstreet, ‘NSYNC and O-Town variety) to men (elder statesmen such as Aerosmith, James Brown and Rod Stewart), from vocal queens (Destiny’s Child, Mariah Carey, Carole King) to the King of Pop – took the stage Sunday at RFK Stadium for the all-day United We Stand – What More Can I Give benefit concert for victims of September’s terrorist attacks. Themes of unity and perseverance permeated every performance, with artists often thanking the sold-out crowd for the message they were sending to the rest of the country – that no matter the… Read more »

Less than 24 hours after a marathon gig in New York, music stars including Michael Jackson, the Backstreet Boys, and Mariah Carey kicked off a concert in Washington to help lift the spirits of a nation’s capital rattled by the Sept. 11 attacks and anthrax. The Backstreet Boys, the chart-topping boy band, opened the eight-hour fund-raiser before a 46,000 capacity crowd at RFK stadium with their rendition of the national anthem followed by a string of their hit songs. One of the numbers was dedicated to a member of their tour crew who was aboard one of the hijacked airplanes… Read more »

Paul McCartney, Billy Joel and Elton John led music stars honoring the victims and rescue workers of the World Trade Center attack in a concert that celebrated the energy and pride of New York. Joel tapped into the city’s emotion singing “New York State of Mind,” stirring a crowd at Madison Square Garden that included rows of uniformed police, firefighters and their families dancing, singing and screaming at the more than five-hour gala. Movie stars, including Harrison Ford, Jim Carrey and Meg Ryan, also joined politicians such as former President Clinton and New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to launch what… Read more »

God gave Mick Jagger everything, and in return, the Rolling Stones singer is giving a song with that title to radio and video outlets. “God Gave Me Everything,” co-written and produced by Jagger and Lenny Kravitz, is the first single from Jagger’s Goddess in the Doorway, which has been pushed back two weeks to November 20, Virgin Records announced on Thursday (October 18). “You’re talking about a guy who wrote some of the best songs ever in the world, and whose music helped define an era,” Kravitz, who worked with Jagger in Miami, said on Thursday. “He’s royalty… And he’s… Read more »

Fans have been getting their first taste of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger’s upcoming solo album recently via “God Gave Me Everything,” a track he co-wrote and performs with Lenny Kravitz. Kravitz, who also collaborated on Jagger’s 1993 effort Wandering Spirit, tells LAUNCH that his idea was to give Jagger a chance to rock out on the album. “It’s a rockin’ tune, and I wanted to hear him really upbeat again,” Kravitz says. “It was great working with him-he’s a genius. We work together well. It keeps me on my toes, ’cause it’s, like, ‘Hey, it’s Mick Jagger.’ I don’t… Read more »