Search Results for: The Maine

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 »

Six months after returning to store shelves, Weezer are ready to make their follow-up. The band will soon enter a Hollywood studio to record its fourth album, according to an Interscope Records spokesperson. The LP’s scheduled April 30 release date may seem optimistic, but it’s not like the diligent group is starting from scratch. Just two weeks after the release of Weezer, the band’s second self-titled effort (known as the Green Album), frontman Rivers Cuomo and company hit a Washington, D.C., recording studio to lay down demos for 12 new songs, including the instrumental “Burnt Jamb,” “Keep Fishin’,” “Not in… Read more »

Tom Hanks is in negotiations with DreamWorks to topline and produce the studio’s project “Comrade Rockstar,” based on the life of the late rocker Dean Reed. Born in Denver in 1938, Reed moved to Hollywood at a young age and landed a recording contract with Capitol Records by the time he was 20. However, he never rose to the kind of fame in the United States that he found in other countries, prompting him to move to South America, where he became known as “the Red Elvis.” After several albums, movies and television appearances, Reed moved on to Rome and… Read more »

The story of The Jacksons, the most successful musical family in history, is the stuff of which dreams are made. In 1992, the four-hour ABC miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream chronicled the rags-to-riches tale of that Gary, Indiana family who conquered the music world. Now this Emmy Award-winning production starring Oscar- nominated Angela Bassett, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Vanessa Williams and Billy Dee Williams premieres on DVD. The Jacksons: An American Dream (Motown/UME), released December 11, 2001, is presented in a two-disc DVD package. With Michael Jackson’s Invincible album debuting at #1 in early November, the broadcast of this fall’s Madison… Read more »

Would you trust an 11-year-old rapper when big money is on the line? A game show contestant faced that predicament recently when rapper Lil’ Romeo participated in “Young Stars Week” on “Hollywood Squares.” Luckily, the contestant didn’t trust him. “I bluffed,” Romeo said in a “Hollywood Squares” press release. “They didn’t believe me, but even if they did, it’s a game so it’s cool.” Lil’ Romeo fans can see the young rhyme slinger’s bluffing skills when the segments air December 24-28. Country music star Billy Gilman and opera singer Charlotte Church also took part in “Young Stars Week,” along with… Read more »

Dave Matthews Band proved nearest and dearest to the hearts of fans, as their votes gave the Virginia group the bulk of the glory at the My VH1 Music Awards Sunday. Matthews and violinist Boyd Tinsley, accepting on behalf of their bandmates, left Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium with three awards – My Favorite Group, Must Have Album for Everyday and Damn I Wish I Wrote That! (Song of the Year) for “The Space Between.” The group was also honored via a win for their fan site nancies.org in the Coolest Fan Website category. DMB and U2 had a pack-leading six… Read more »

Jermaine Dupri says fame has not gone to his protégé Lil’ Bow Wow’s head. On the contrary, in a couple of weeks the rhyming teen titan will be letting everyone know just how grateful he is for his success when he releases “Thank You,” the first single off his Doggy Bag album. “It’s a song directed to the fans,” Dupri said Wednesday from his Atlanta studio. “The song is thanking everybody, not just the fans. [He’s thanking the] mom-and-pop retail stores, just everybody who had a hand in helping Bow sell 3 million records.” The producer said he’s been working… 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 »

The Dixie Chicks have earned their spot in the 2002 edition of Guinness World Records for having the all-time best-selling country album by a group with their debut effort, Wide Open Spaces. “When I read all the outrageous things people have done to make it into the book, I feel guilty that we did it by selling records,” says lead singer Natalie Maines. “No one else had 11 million people help them like we did.” The trio’s combined sales of their two albums, Wide Open Spaces and Fly, total more than 20 million copies worldwide. Published since 1955, Guinness World… Read more »

Pop / R&B superstar Usher has just announced his plans to headline his own U.S. Tour to kick-off in November 2001 in support of his explosive album, 8701. Usher fans worldwide have been anxiously anticipating a concert tour from the talented superstar. At last, they’ll get a chance to see Usher perform in major cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC and Miami, among others. The tour will kick-off in Baltimore, MD on November 29. Opening acts and venues will be announced shortly. Usher is set to play theatre-sized venues and will roll-out the second leg of the… Read more »