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Relatives of two victims of the deadly Rhode Island nightclub fire sued the club owners and the rock band Great White among others on Tuesday in likely the first wrongful death suit related to the blaze, the plaintiffs’ lawyer said. The lawsuit was filed in Providence Superior Court in Rhode Island on behalf of the families of Donald Roderiques and Tina Ayer. Their lawyer, Brian Cunha, said he expected to file more suits on behalf of four other families later this week. He said he would ask the jury for at least $1 million per victim. The Feb. 20 fire… Read more »

Celebrities and artists from the country music and Latino community entertained President Bush and the first lady Sunday evening at the annual presidential gala benefit for Ford’s Theatre. Grammy Award winning country artist LeAnn Rimes, standup comedian George Lopez and the Texas group Lonestar were among those who performed for an audience of senators and corporate leaders in the historic theater. Standing on stage with the Naval Academy Glee Club, Bush praised the theater for having a “place in the history of our country and also a special place in the life of this city.” Bush also paid tribute to… Read more »

Bruce Springsteen’s homecoming has broken a record. Fans of the musician snapped up tickets to seven July shows in Giants Stadium, the first time in Ticketmaster history that a performer had sold tickets for seven stadium dates in a single day. Ticket demand for three announced shows on July 15, 17 and 18 was so extraordinary that two more dates were added on July 21 and 24. When the press for tickets continued, two more shows – July 26 and 27 – were tacked on, said officials at the Meadowlands Sports Complex. More than 300,000 tickets were expected to eventually… Read more »

Christina Aguilera swapped sexy for soft on her latest single but still topped the British pop charts on Sunday, ending the four-week reign of Russian “lesbian” duo Tatu. The American pop star, who recently unveiled a raunchy new image, topped the British singles charts for the second time in three months with the gentle ballad “Beautiful,” the latest release from her million-selling album “Stripped.” Aguilera hit No. 1 in Britain last November with “Dirrty.” Spanish DJ and producer DJ Sammy slid in at No. 2 with his re-dub of Don Henley’s 1980s classic “The Boys of Summer,” a current dance… Read more »

America Online on Tuesday said it would offer MusicNet to its 27 million U.S. subscribers, the broadest appeal yet to a mainstream audience by an online commercial music service. America Online’s entry into the music subscription race is viewed by analysts and even competitors as a positive development for online music services, which have struggled to gain a foothold in an area dominated by file-swapping. MusicNet is owned by EMI Group Plc, Bertelsmann AG and Warner Music, which, like America Online, is owned by AOL Time Warner, three of the world’s largest music companies. By sending out an invitation to… Read more »

In a year fraught with political turmoil, turbulence and insecurity, music fans turned to their favorite songs to take them away from many of their problems and help them come to terms with others that were impossible to escape. Whether it was Eminem rapping, “Lose yourself in the music,” or Bruce Springsteen singing, “Come on up for the rising/ Come on up, lay your hands in mine,” the messages of unity were universal. At the 45th annual Grammy Awards, held Sunday (February 23) at New York’s Madison Square Garden, apolitical hedonists and social activists alike rallied together to celebrate the… Read more »

The music of pop-jazz chanteuse Norah Jones garnered seven Grammy awards Sunday night, catapulting her past crowd favorite Bruce Springsteen and his three awards for the Sept. 11-inspired “The Rising.” As unknown as Springsteen was acclaimed before the last year, Jones won four individual Grammys while her producer, engineers and the writer of her hit “Don’t Know Why” were honored as well. “I never ever thought that the music I made would become popular music, so this is amazing,” Jones said as she picked up an award for best pop vocal album. She also won for best female pop vocal,… Read more »

Great White, the heavy metal band whose pyrotechnic display set off a blaze that killed at least 95 people in Rhode Island, used similar special effects without authorization just last week, a New Jersey nightclub owner said on Friday. As authorities seek clues in what may become a criminal investigation of Thursday night’s inferno, attention is already focused on the shower of sparks that the band used to kick off their fatal gig at the Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Great White played on Feb. 14 at the Stone Pony, a club in Asbury Park, New Jersey made… Read more »

The Grammy Awards return to New York for the first time in five years on Sunday, with songs influenced by the Sept. 11 hijacked plane attacks on the city in the running for the music industry’s top annual prizes. Veteran rocker Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising” and country singer Alan Jackson’s emotional “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” are both nominated for Song of the Year. Young singer and pianist Norah Jones with her mellow mix of jazz, blues and country song and album “Come Away With Me,” is among eight stars most frequently mentioned by music critics as… Read more »

Singer Robbie Williams, R&B artist Ms. Dynamite and the alternative band Coldplay won honors as Britain’s top musicians at the Brit Awards Thursday. Two Americans – rapper Eminem and singer Pink – were named best international male and female solo artists in the British version of the U.S. Grammy Awards. Ms. Dynamite, who emerged recently and has become one of the country’s top music stars, also won best British urban act, and Coldplay got best British album for “A Rush Of Blood To The Head.” Eminem won best international album for “The Eminem Show.” Ms. Dynamite performed a retooled version… Read more »