Madonna’s father Silvio Ciccone at the vineyard; Bob Fila/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
It’s the ultimate Madonna souvenir: The vineyard that the Queen of Pop’s father, Silvio Ciccone, founded in Northern Michigan in 1995 with his wife Joan is now up for sale.
While Ciccone, 93, is still a consultant, the operation of the property is now being handled by two of Madonna’s siblings: Her sister Paula is the winemaker, while her brother Mario is the manager. Her sister Jennifer is also part of the business. It’s not clear why they’re selling the property, but it can be yours for $4.925 million.
What do you get for that price? A 78-acre property that produces award-winning wines that are bottled on-site and available in 45 states. Also included is a five-bedroom house, a 7,750-square-foot tasting room, and a historic barn and event space, which is frequently booked for events. In fact, Wine Enthusiast named it among the Top 10 Best Winery/Vineyard Venues to Host Your Wedding in the U.S.
In 2021, Madonna took five of her kids to the winery to celebrate Silvo’s 90th birthday. “He taught me the importance of hard work and earning one’s way in life,” Madonna captioned her post about the family gathering.
A new book may just be the perfect gift for any Beatles fan who also loves to travel.
Beatles Blackouts: Trips Around the World in Search of Beatles Monuments is written by Jack Marriott, a Beatles fan who embarks on a two-year journey through 23 countries to find tributes and monuments to the legendary band all over the world.
Described as “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas meets a drunken Eat, Pray, Love,” Marriott set off on his quest after dealing with some personal problems, including alcohol issues and a girlfriend who left him. The trip leads him to discoveries of Beatles monuments in Kazakhstan, Brazil, Mongolia, Peru, Japan and more.
Beatles Blackouts: Trips Around the World in Search of Beatles Monuments is available to order now and will be in stores September 26.
Mick Fleetwood’s business has been affected by the wildfires raging in Hawaii. He shared on social media that his restaurant in Maui, Fleetwoods on Front Street, has been destroyed.
“MAUl and The Lahaina community have been my home for several decades. This is a devastating moment for MAUl and many are suffering unimaginable loss,” the Fleetwood Mac rocker writes. “Fleetwoods on front Street has been lost and while we are heartbroken our main priority is the safety of our dear staff and team members.”
He adds, “On behalf of myself and my family I share my heartfelt thoughts and prayers for the people of MAUI. We are committed to supporting the community and those affected by this disaster in the days month and years to come.”
An earlier post on the restaurant’s Facebook page indicated that their area had “taken the brunt” of the fires, yet they “didn’t have enough information” about the status of the restaurant. The post continued, “Mahalo for your continued thoughts and prayers for our community and our first responders.”
Duran Duran just dropped a live performance of their Rio track “Last Chance on the Stairway” in honor of Duran Duran Appreciation Day, which is celebrated yearly on August 10.
The new live performance was recorded at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, on May 7 of this year.
“Thank you for your continuing support of Duran Duran,” the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers share. “Happy DDAD23 to every one of you.”
The new release comes as Duran Duran is set to kick off the next leg of their Future Past Tour on August 20 in Highland, California. The night before, they’ll headline a charity concert at The Guild Theatre in Menlo Park, California, to benefit their former bandmate Andy Taylor and his fight against cancer.
A complete list of Duran Duran dates can be found at duranduran.com.
Fleetwood Mac is sharing another track off their upcoming Rumours Live double album, set for release September 8.
The latest is the live version of the classic “Say You Love Me,” which the late Christine McVie wrote for the band’s 1975 self-titled release. This is the second track they’ve released from the record. They previously shared the live version of “Dreams.”
Rumours Live features performances from the band’s August 29, 1977, concert at the Forum in Los Angeles. The 90-minute concert, the opening night of a three-night stand, features live versions of most of the songs on the album, including “You Make Loving Fun,” “Songbird” and “The Chain,” as well as “Landslide,” “Rhiannon” and others from 1975’s Fleetwood Mac.
Rumors Live is being released digitally and as a two-CD or two-LP set. It is available for preorder now. There will also be a crystal clear-vinyl edition sold exclusively through Walmart.
Cream hit #1 with their double album, Wheels of Fire. The album was made up of an LP of studio recordings and another LP of live tracks, recorded at the Fillmore in San Francisco.
The album, the band’s third studio release, also went to #1 in Australia and Canada; it only made it to #3 in the U.K.
Wheels of Fire featured such tracks as “White Room,” “Spoonful” and “Crossroads. It went on to become Cream’s best-selling album, and was their first Platinum certified double album.
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band kicked off the second leg of their North American tour on Wednesday, August 9, at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. During the show, The Boss took a moment to remember the late Robbie Robertson, who passed away earlier in the day at the age of 80.
According to the Asbury Park Press, Bruce dedicated the last song of the night, “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” to The Band guitarist and chief songwriter, letting the crowd know he was singing the song for “my good friend Robbie Robertson.”
“I’ll See You In My Dreams,” from The Boss’ 2020 album, Letter To You, is a reflection on mortality and death that features the closing lyric, “For death is not the end. And I’ll see you in my dreams.”
Bruce and The E Street Band return to Chicago for a second show on August 11. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.
Robertson was also remembered on social media by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who wrote, “Guitarist. Songwriter. Storyteller. Robbie Robertson was a big part of Canada’s outsized contributions to the arts,” adding, “I’m thinking of his family, friends, and fans who are mourning his loss. Thank you for the music and the memories, Robbie.”
While Billy Joel has been touring stadiums and doing his Madison Square Garden residency for years now, he hasn’t released a new pop/rock album in three decades. It was August 10, 1993 — 30 years ago — that that final album, River of Dreams, arrived.
River of Dreams featured more serious songs than usual Billy, covering topics like the overdevelopment of suburbia, depression, pessimism and a lack of trust in one’s fellow man. The gospel-influenced title track, however, was a major hit and Billy’s last top 10 to date, while “Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)” was a touching tribute to his daughter, Alexa Ray. Billy’s then-wife, Christie Brinkley, painted the album’s cover.
While it wasn’t clear at the time, the album’s final track, “Famous Last Words,” was a deliberate statement by Billy indicating that he was done with working in the pop/rock idiom.
As he explained in an interview about the album on his website, “I felt like I had reached a point where I wasn’t going to write songs anymore. It was sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy… it just seemed like ‘This is the time to write that song and I can close the book.'”
Since then, Billy has released a few live albums, as well as Fantasies & Delusions, an 2001 album of classical music composed by him, but played by pianist Richard Joo.
Singles-wise, he released the Bob Dylan cover “To Make You Feel My Love” and the Freddie Scott cover “Hey Girl,” both in 1997. But since River of Dreams, he’s only put out two new original pop/rock songs with lyrics both in 2007: “All My Life,” dedicated to his then-wife Katie Lee, and “Christmas In Fallujah,” which was written by him but performed by Cass Dillon.
The Police’s classic album Synchronicity celebrated its 40th anniversary back in June and now the occasion is being celebrated by the Royal Mint.
The Mint is marking the milestone with new limited-edition coins. They come in both gold and silver in a variety of sizes, each featuring silhouette etchings of Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland. Depending on their size, they range in price from $245 to over $6,700 for a 2-ounce gold proof coin, which is limited to only 150 copies.
There are also uncirculated silver coins and colored coins featuring the album’s iconic red, blue and yellow stripes. They both come in “bespoke packaging,” featuring images from the band’s career. They range in price from about $18 to $137.
All these coins are part of the Royal Mint’s Music Legends series. Other rock stars who’ve been commemorated with coins include Queen, The Who, David Bowie, Elton John and The Rolling Stones.
Tributes to The Band’s guitarist and main songwriter Robbie Robertson have poured in following the news of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s passing Wednesday, August 9, at the age of 80.
Neil Diamond, whose 1976 album Beautiful Noise was produced by Robertson, shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, “The music world lost a great one with the passing of Robbie Robertson,” adding, “Keep making that Beautiful Noise in the sky, Robbie. I’ll miss you.”
Diamond appeared in The Band’s iconic documentary The Last Waltz, as did The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood, who shared, “Such sad news about Robbie Robertson – he was a lovely man, a great friend and will be dearly missed.”
And former President Bill Clintonremembered Robertson as “a brilliant songwriter, guitarist, and composer whose gifts changed music forever.” He added, “I’m grateful for all the good memories he gave me—going back to his time in the Hawks when I was a teenager—and for his kindness through the years. I’ll miss him.”
Among the other tributes:
Joni Mitchell – “Rest in peace Robbie Robertson, legendary lead guitarist of The Band, fellow Canadian, and cherished collaborator of Joni’s. May his legacy and musical harmony resonate for generations to come.”
E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandtcalled Robertson “a good friend and a genius,” adding, “The Band’s music shocked the excess out of the Renaissance and were an essential part of the final back-to-the-roots trend of ‘60s. He was an underrated brilliant guitar player adding greatly to Bob Dylan’s best tour & best album.”
Stephen Stills – “Always kind and generous. Rest in peace, Robbie Robertson.”
Bryan Adams – “RIP Robbie Robertson. Thanks for the amazing music and the great hangs, especially photographing you in LA not so long ago. We’ll keep Anna Lee company for you…”
Rod Stewart– “So sad to hear of dear Robbie Robinson (sic) passing. I’ll be dedicating #brokenarrow to this legendary guitarist at my show in Vancouver on Friday.”
Jason Isbell – “My heart breaks for the family of @r0bbier0berts0n, and I think it’s safe to say that without his influence the music we love and the music we make would be very different from what it is.”
Kiefer Sutherland – “The loss of Robbie Robertson is heartbreaking. Canada has lost an icon, and music has lost a poet and a scholar.”
Kings of Leon’s Nathan Followiill – “RIP Robbie Robertson. The Band will forever be one of my biggest influences.”
Rob Reiner – “So sorry to hear about Robbie Robertson’s passing. His music felt timeless when he wrote it and remains timeless. Thoughts and love to his family.”
