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Shirley Bassey, the Welsh singer best known for recording three James Bond theme songs, including “Goldfinger,” is once again being recognized in the U.K. for her service to music.
Bassey was already appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1994 and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2000. Now she’s been included on King Charles’ 2024 New Year’s Honours List, being appointed the 64th living member of the Order of the Companions of Honour.
“Receiving the Order of the Companions of Honour is just one of the most wonderful feelings,” Bassey shared. “Music has been a constant companion in my life,” adding, “I live to sing and love to perform. Entertaining audiences for over 70 years has been a privilege. My heart is full of emotion and I am truly humbled.”
After helping induct guitarist Link Wray into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Musical Influence category in November, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page opened up about his admiration for Wray in a post on Instagram.
Page shared that he’s admired Wray from the moment he heard “Rumble,” which he performed during the induction.
“I first heard it when I was 14, roaring from a jukebox in my hometown of Epsom,” Page shares. “As a guitar instrumental the attitude of it was totally unique in its mystery, imagination and execution — it had a profound effect on me.”
He adds, “Link Wray and Rumble stand alone at the pinnacle in the world of instrumentals and I was thrilled to stand on stage in New York with drummer Anton Fig and bassist Tim Givens at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame to induct one of my heroes.”
The post promoted a comment from Wray’s daughter Charlotte, who wrote, “Thank you for playing my dad’s song at the Rock Hall.” She added, “me and my siblings that were there cried, cheered and loved every moment!!!!”
Highlights from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony recently aired on ABC, but fans can still catch the full show streaming on Disney+.
The late Elvis Presley’s Billboard album chart record has been broken.
Up until this week, Presley held the record for the most weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart for a solo artist, with 67 weeks at #1 from 1956 to 2002. Well, he now has to settle for #2, thanks to Taylor Swift.
Swift’s latest release, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), spends its fifth nonconsecutive week atop the Billboard 200 album chart this week, bringing her total weeks at #1 on that chart to 68.
But neither artist claims the title for the most overall weeks at #1 on the album chart. That goes to The Beatles, who’ve spent 132 weeks on top.
Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi is teasing some new projects for 2024. The rocker shared a New Year’s message with fans on Instagram, where he looked back on all that happened in 2023 and shared some news on what to expect in the coming year.
One of those projects is one he actually discussed in his New Year’s message last year: a Black Sabbath box set featuring all five of their studio albums with vocalist Tony Martin.
“Well, now I’ve been informed that it’ll be out in May, it’s been held up with paperwork and legal stuff,” he said. “But anyway, it’s coming out in May now, if you’re interested, and I hope you are.”
Iommi also talked about the Black Sabbath ballet by the Birmingham Royal Ballet, which opened in 2023, noting it may be coming to other cities in 2024.
“We had a lot of Sabbath fans come in, who really enjoyed it,” he said. “So, hopefully next year – or this year, of course, by the time you get this message – they’re talking of taking it to America and Europe. So hopefully that’ll happen, and everybody can get to see it.”
And he teased possible new music. “I am writing and doing plenty of stuff and it’s sounding really good. I’m very happy with it,” he shared, adding, “I might use some orchestration, I might not. So we’ll see how it goes.”
Finally, he offered, “Anyway, have a great new year and all the best to you all.”
Elton John and Brandi Carlile; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Elton John told attendees at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in November that he’d made a new album with his longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, and in his end-of-year message to fans, he said it would be coming out in 2024. Now, it seems there might be another artist involved in the project.
In an interview that was published in Clashmusic magazine last month, The Who‘s Pete Townshend, a good pal of Elton’s, seemingly revealed an interesting detail about the new album. “Elton is so fraught with loss at not knowing what to do next,” said Townshend, referring to the fact that Elton will no longer be touring.
“He’s just gone over to LA to make an album with Brandi Carlile,” Townshend continued. “They made an album together in two weeks. He says it’s one of the best things they’ve ever done.”
If this is the same album that Elton’s been talking about, having Brandi Carlile involved isn’t a surprise: He and the singer/songwriter are close friends. A huge fan of Elton’s, Brandi appeared on his Lockdown Sessions album and also sang with him at his final U.S. concert at LA’s Dodger Stadium.
As for what her involvement entails, it’s possible that Carlile actually produced Elton’s album. She’s won multiple Grammys for producing an album by country star Tanya Tucker and also produced Joni Mitchell‘s recent live album and the latest album by Brandy Clark, who co-wrote the hit Broadway musical Shucked.
We’ll have to see if more details become available.
The Beatles began rehearsals for what would wind up being their final studio album together, Let It Be.
Rehearsals took place at Twickenham Film Studios and were marred by tension within the band, which was captured on film as cameras were recording the sessions for a documentary.
Let It Be was released in May 1970 along with the documentary of the same name, which featured The Beatles’ unannounced rooftop concert, their last public performance together. The album, which featured such classic Beatles songs as the title track, “Get Back” and “Across the Universe,” went to #1 in the U.S., the U.K. and several other countries.
The footage from the Let It Be documentary was later used by director Peter Jackson for the Emmy Award-winning docuseries The Beatles: Get Back, which was released in 2021.
Carlos Santana is set to return to the Las Vegas stage in January, but fans don’t have to worry about this being their last chance to see him. While he may be 76 years old, the guitar great has no plans to retire anytime soon.
“I don’t think like that because it’s like this: people are flowers, music is water and I’m a hose,” he tells ABC Audio. “Why would I stop?”
And Santana has some strong opinions about artists who make big announcements about retiring from the road, like Elton John, KISS and Aerosmith,to name a few.
“Usually when people say that they’re already done anyway mentally, and so they’ve been retiring for the last 50 years,” he says. “I wish they would just, you know, either do it or shut up or stop saying it.”
But even though Santana’s not hanging things up for good, he knows he can’t keep going at the pace he once did.
“I promised my daughter Stella that I would balance it more,” he says, although he adds, “I feel really strong, really clear and very passionate about living life to the fullest.”
Carlos’ Las Vegas residency, An Intimate Evening with Santana: Greatest Hits Live, returns to the House of Blues at the Mandalay Bay on January 24, with dates booked through May. A complete list of shows can be found at santana.com.
Billy Joel rang in 2024, not at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, but at the UBS Arena in his home of Long Island, New York. And he took the opportunity to assure hometown fans that he’s not leaving the area, even though he’s put one of his Long Island mansions on sale for $49 million.
“Just because I’m selling that house doesn’t mean I’m leaving Long Island. I still have a house on Long Island,” Billy said, referring to his home in the upscale village of Sag Harbor.
He added, “I’m just gonna spend a little more time in Florida, like old Jewish guys from Long Island do.”
Besides, Billy joked, his mansion, which he’s been renovating for five years, is so expensive that nobody will be able to afford the 26-acre waterfront property.
Billy’s New Year’s Eve show was attended by his daughter Alexa Ray Joel, as well as his friend, legendary songwriter Jimmy Webb, who he saluted by performing a brief instrumental version of one of Webb’s iconic songs: “Wichita Lineman.”
In addition to well-known hits like “My Life,” “Big Shot,” “You May Be Right,” “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” “Allentown” and “River of Dreams,” the show — Billy’s first at the UBS Arena — also featured some deeper cuts. Among them: “Big Man on Mulberry Street,” “Everybody Loves You Now,” “Half a Mile Away” and “Souvenir.”
When the clock struck midnight, Billy and the band launched into the traditional New Year’s song “Auld Lang Syne,” followed by The Beatles‘ “All You Need Is Love.”
Billy’s first show of the New Year will be January 11 at Madison Square Garden. He’ll end his record-breaking residency at the legendary venue in July 2024.
Life of a touring musician isn’t easy, which is why it isn’t surprising that after years of touring, several artists either gave up, or cut back, on the road in 2023.
– While Elton John announced he was retiring from the road back in 2018, his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour didn’t come to an end until July 8 in Stockholm, Sweden. The final leg featured a historic headlining set at England’s Glastonbury Festival. By the time the tour was over, it had grossed almost $940 million from 328 shows, making it the highest grossing tour of all time — until Taylor Swift broke his record a few months later.
– Although their goodbye to the road has been three years in the making, KISS finally played their last two shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden on December 1 and 2. But the band isn’t going away completely: They wrapped the final night by introducing fans to their KISS avatars, suggesting an ABBA-like hologram tour in the future.
– In May, Aerosmith announced they, too, were ready to hang it up, revealing dates for their Peace Out tour. The tour kicked off September 2 in Philadelphia, but after playing only a handful of dates, it was put on hold after frontman Steven Tyler fractured his larynx. The tour is supposed to resume in 2024.
– In 2022, Dead & Company revealed their 2023 summer tour would be their final trek, with the tour kicking off May 19 and 20 at the Kia Forum near Los Angeles. The trek featured an appearance at New Orleans’ Jazzfest and wrapped with a triumphant two-night stand at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California.
– Another veteran rock act plotting its final touring days are the Eagles, who in July announced dates for The Long Goodbye farewell tour. They initially announced a run of 13 shows, but have gone on to expand the trek into 2024. All shows were scheduled to have Steely Dan as opener, but they were replaced on several dates due to frontman Donald Fagen’s health.
– Although he’s not saying goodbye to the road completely, Billy Joel decided to end his New York residency at Madison Square Garden, which launched in January 2014. The rocker revealed in June he would end the residency on what will be his 150th lifetime show at MSG. The final concert is set to happen July 25.
– Another rocker who’s wrapping up a residency is Rod Stewart, who after 13 years announced the final dates for his Las Vegas show, Rod Stewart – The Hits, at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The final show is set for August 7 and will be the 200th Rod has played at the venue.
– One band that isn’t saying goodbye to the road, despite losing their last original member, is Lynyrd Skynyrd. Following guitarist Gary Rossington’s March death, the rockers decided they would go on, insisting that is what Gary would have wanted. They went on tour with ZZ Top over the summer, with another leg of the co-headlining tour scheduled for next year.
Freddie Mercury‘s birthday will once again be celebrated with a big bash this fall.
The Queen frontman would have turned 78 on September 5, and the band just announced that the Official Freddie Mercury Birthday Party 2024 will take place Saturday, September 7, at the Casino Barriere in Montreux, about two hours outside of Zurich, Switzerland.
“We will be celebrating The 1980s and 40 years of ‘The Works’ album,” Queen drummer Roger Taylorshares on Instagram. “The dress code for party guests will be anything in an 80s style! – so start thinking, crimped hair and mullets, bright colours, shoulder pads, mini skirts, bleached denim, sweatbands, sunglasses and very bright heavy makeup!”
The party will feature a performance by the Italian tribute band Galileo, along with Icelander DJ Thor.
More information on the party, along with ticket info, will be announced at a later date. Proceeds from the event will go to The Mercury Phoenix Trust, which raises funds for the fight against HIV/AIDs. It was founded by Taylor, Brian May and their manager Jim Beach in memory of Freddie, who died from the disease in 1991.
