If, by chance, you happen to read something Thursday about Led Zeppelin reuniting or Jim Morrison coming out of hiding, don’t believe it.
Former Wilco band member Jay Bennett has died at age 45. The multi-instrumentalist died in his Illinois home on Saturday night. The cause of death has not been revealed. A message on the Web site of his record label Undertow Music explained that he died “in his sleep.” Bennett played with Wilco from 1994 to 2001, leaving the Americana band because of a fall out with band leader Jeff Tweedy. Earlier this month he sued the band for $50,000, claiming he was owed royalties for albums he worked on while in the band. In addition to his work with Wilco,… Read more »
It’s early January, and occasional downpours drench thousands of fans as they file into Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium for Sound & Speed, an annual event featuring country stars and NASCAR drivers. Camo-clad devotees and their children, some dressed in miniature racing suits, line up for an autograph and a picture. The event is the perfect mix for those who consider autographs from Dierks Bentley and Dale Earnhardt Jr to be treasured booty. NASCAR fans and country music fans are eager to rub elbows with drivers and artists alike, something both circuits are eager to take advantage of. The 2009 race season… Read more »
On Sunday, dozens of the world’s best-known entertainers gathered on the site where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream Speech” 45 years ago to offer an exuberant welcome to President-elect Barack Obama. U2 provided one of several emotional highs of the day, performing their tribute to King, “Pride (In the Name of Love),” during which Bono declared, “On Tuesday that dream comes to pass!” Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Beyoncé and Garth Brooks were among the A-list performers who helped set the joyful, optimistic tone at the concert, officially called “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural… Read more »
The Jonas Brothers will perform during halftime of the Dallas Cowboys’ nationally televised Thanksgiving Day game against the Seattle Seahawks. The band will officially kick off the 2008 Salvation Army Red Kettle Christmas campaign at the November 27 contest. The fundraising drive continues through Christmas Eve. Since its partnership with the Cowboys, which began in 1997, the annual Red Kettle campaign has raised more than $1 billion, helping the Salvation Army serve 30 million people each year nationwide. Last year, the campaign raised a record $118 million. Previous halftime performers include Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Sheryl Crow, Destiny’s Child, Toby… Read more »
In a slow week for new releases, mellow crooner Jack Johnson remained No. 1 on the U.S. pop album charts Wednesday, while newly minted Grammy winners Amy Winehouse and Herbie Hancock surged into the top five. Johnson’s “Sleep Through the Static” sold 179,545 copies in the week ended February 17, according to Nielsen SoundScan, enough to lead the field for a second week. Canadian rock band Simple Plan’s self-titled album started at No. 14 with 39,000 copies — 100,000 copies short of the No. 3 debut for its previous release, 2004’s “Still Not Getting Any…” Overall sales were down 11.6… Read more »
More than ever, it pays to be pregnant in Hollywood. Jennifer Lopez, about to give birth to twins, is reportedly the latest A-lister to strike a deal worth millions for exclusive photos of her children. And the incentive might not be purely financial: Such pacts can also protect celebs’ privacy by thwarting the paparazzi. Those involved in negotiations for Lopez and her husband, Marc Anthony, confirmed that U.S. and Latin American rights were sold to People magazine and other international rights to OK! magazine. Advertising Age reported on its Web site Monday that Lopez and Anthony were negotiating with People… Read more »
By A few shows into his Rock and Roll Revival tour, Kid Rock is proud of — and a little surprised by — what he’s wrought on the road. “After the first show, we were all like, ‘I can’t believe this thing worked!”‘ said Rock, who’s incorporating guests such as Run-DMC’s Rev. Run (Joseph Simmons), J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf and former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickie Betts with his expanded Twisted Brown Trucker Band into long, revue-style presentations. “There’s something going on here I don’t think any of us realize yet,” he told Billboard.com. Rock said the concept… Read more »
Madonna is the richest woman in music. The 49-year-old entertainer leads Forbes.com’s list of the top 20 “Cash Queens of Music,” earning $72 million between June 2006 and June 2007. The pop star’s “Confessions” world tour pulled in $260 million, Forbes said. She also made money from album sales, her fashion line with H&M and a deal with NBC to broadcast her concert performance at London’s Wembley Stadium. Forbes.com said it compiled the list by examining concert grosses, merchandising revenue, album sales and other revenue from clothing lines, fragrance deals and endorsements. Barbra Streisand is No. 2 with $60 million,… Read more »
Stevie Wonder has not performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 35 years, and has never headlined the event. Organizers want to change that this year. Wonder was scheduled to headline the second weekend of the 2008 Jazz Fest along with Billy Joel, Sheryl Crow and Louisiana native and country music star Tim McGraw, festival promoter Quint Davis said Thursday in announcing the lineup. Joel, Crow and McGraw are all festival first-timers. The last time Wonder took the stage at Jazz Fest was in 1973, when he participated in an impromptu jam session with The Meters, the… Read more »
