Fans hoping to see ABBA reunite next year are apparently out of luck.
There’s been a lot of speculation that the group would get back together to perform at the 2024 Eurovision Song contest because, not only is it happening in their native Sweden, it’s also the 50th anniversary of when ABBA won Eurovision with their song “Waterloo.”
While that does sound like it would be the perfect time for a reunion, ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson have already shut the speculation down.
“I don’t want to,” Andersson tells BBCNewsnight, “and if I don’t want to, the others won’t. It’s the same for all four of us — someone says, ‘no’ — it’s a no.”
Ulvaeus adds, “We can celebrate 50 years of Abba without us being onstage.”
ABBA won Eurovision with their classic song in 1974. Sweden then went on to win the contest an additional six times, with the most recent win coming just this year.
Tina Turner will be the focus of an exclusive BET special that will delve into her life and yearslong career. BET & ET Present Tina Turner: Life and Legacy will air May 25, featuring archival footage from ET, which includes over 30 Tina interviews throughout the course of her career. It will see her discussing her acting aspirations, never giving up on true love, her hit “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” and other definitive moments of her journey.
“Tina Turner was a global powerhouse, humanitarian, and undisputable Queen of Rock & Roll. We are deeply saddened by the news of her passing,” said Scott Mills, president and CEO of BET Media Group. “Tina Turner’s gritty vocals, high-octane performances and award-winning platinum hits are unforgettable. Her rise from humble beginnings to overcoming professional and personal adversity led her to become one of the most successful recording artists of all time. We join so many in celebration of her life, legacy, and immeasurable contributions to the arts. She was simply the best.”
BET & ET Present Tina Turner: Life and Legacy will air on BET at 9 p.m. ET/PT. On May 26, BET HER will air an encore at 10 a.m. ET/PT; VH1 will replay the special at 6 p.m. ET/PT.
Tina died on Wednesday, May 24, according to a statement on her social media pages. She was 83 years old.
Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
The Doobie Brothers have added another gig to their touring schedule. The band is set to headline the BeachLife Ranch Festival, taking place September 22-24 at the Seaside Lagoon in Redondo Beach, California.
The festival features a mixture of country and Americana acts, with The Doobie Brothers headlining the bill on Saturday, September 23. Other headliners include Jack Johnson and Brad Paisley, with the lineup also featuring The Avett Brothers, Shakey Graves, Wynonna, Chris Isaak and more.
Tickets for the festival are on sale now. More info and a full lineup can be found at beachliferanch.com.
The festival is one of many shows The Doobie Brothers have planned for 2023. They kick off their 50th anniversary tour on Thursday, May 25, in Hollywood, Florida. A complete list of tour dates can be found at thedoobiebrothers.com.
Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Aerosmith’s Peace Out tour doesn’t start until September, but guitarist Brad Whitford isn’t sitting at home waiting to take the stage.
The rocker made a surprise appearance at Godsmack’s show at the Firstbank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tennessee, on Wednesday, joining the band for a rendition of the Aerosmith classic “Dream On.” A snippet of the performance can be seen on Aerosmith’s Instagram account.
“Such an incredible honor to have shared the stage with the one and only Mr. Brad Whitford of @aerosmith,” Godsmack frontman Sully Erna shared on Facebook. “We are still living out our childhood dreams and humbled every day! Thank you Brad!”
The appearance comes just a few weeks after Aerosmith announced their final tour. It’s set to kick off September 2 in Philadelphia, with dates confirmed through January 26, 2024, in Montreal. A complete list of dates can be found at aerosmith.com.
Simon & Garfunkel landed at number one on the Billboard 200 Album chart with Bookends.
The album spent seven weeks on top of the chart and included the number one song “Mrs. Robinson,” which was featured in the movie The Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross and Anne Bancroft.
Other singles from the record included “A Hazy Shade of Winter,” which was later covered by The Bangles, “At the Zoo” and “Fakin’ It.” Also featured on the album was the future classic “America.”
The Who’s Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey are the latest artists to pay tribute to Tina Turner, who passed away Wednesday at 83.
Tina appeared in the 1975 film adaptation of the band’s rock opera Tommy, and in a post on Instagram Townshend called Tina, “An astonishing performer, and astounding singer, she was also an R&B groundbreaker.”
Townshend called Tina’s music with abusive ex-husband Ike Turner “simply out of this world,” but noted, “When she was finally free of him her work ascended to new, even higher heights. It didn’t seem possible.”
Regarding her role as Acid Queen in Tommy, Townshend shares his amazement at her performance. “The song is about abuse at the hands of an evil woman,” he writes. “How she turned that song on its head! All the anger of her years as a victim exploded into fire and bluster and a magnificent and crazy cameo role that will always stay with me.”
Finally, Townshend offers, “She has been in my mind for the last ten years, I kept meaning to track her down, and see how she was. I truly thought she would live forever.”
Daltrey also added a short tribute to Turner, writing, “What a singer! What a performer! What a life! A true original artist and simply the best.”
Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale has certainly had an interesting life and career, but fans shouldn’t expect to read about it anytime soon. The singer recently appeared on the Paltrocast podcast, where he put an end to any thought of him telling his life story in a memoir.
Coverdale had previously suggested on Twitter that he was thinking about working on a memoir, jokingly calling it How White Was My Snake? But when asked about it, he denied it was going to happen.
“The problem is I can’t do it, because I can’t not be honest about this, that and the other, who’s the inspiration (for) this song, who was that,” he said. “It would be a spilling of the beans, which I’m not interested in hurting anybody, and particularly my family.”
He also said his wife was totally against his suggested title, noting she thought it was “too diminishing to my legacy.”
But even if there’s no book, Coverdale does have something in store that fans may love. He notes, “I’ve been working now with my head of video on another concept which I think could be significantly more interesting and not as f****** boring as a biography.”
He went on to explain that they are going to start a “QT with DC” in which he’ll answer questions from fans, although he says he won’t talk about his ex Tawny Kitaen, who he calls “an amazing memory.” “I think it’s just respectful to people I’ve worked with,” he says. “Some of the aspects were unsavory. That’s for me to know, really, and to clear it from my space.”
For a guy who’s as proud of his Scottish heritage as Rod Stewart is, it’s amazing that he hasn’t thought of this before: He’s officially launching his own brand of Scotch whisky.
Rod’s announced that “after almost two years of development and dozens of whisky tastings,” he ready to unviel what he calls his “latest venture” — Wolfie’s Whisky.
Starting June 6, fans who signed up for Rod’s mailing list will get special access to purchase the spirits 72 hours before anyone else. Wolfie’s is going on sale first in the U.K. and select European countries, and it’ll launch in the U.S. in July.
“The rest of the world…..we’re working on it!” he adds.
In other Rod news, he’s paid tribute to the late Tina Turner, with whom he performed and recorded over the years. In fact, he invited her to perform with him on Saturday NightLive in 1981, when her career was at a low point. In 1990, they had a hit with their duet “It Takes Two.”
“I’m devastated, what a women!” he wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of himself, Tina and his former Faces band mate, Ron Wood. “‘It takes two’ – but there was only one Tina Turner.”
Gary Gershoff/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame
Tom Petty’s family is suing a Boston-area auction house that they claim is selling Petty items they believe to be stolen.
RR Auction recently announced an auction of Petty’s personal property, but the family is asking fans and collectors not to shell out any money until the legal dispute is resolved. The family believes the auction items, which include jackets, hats, vests, autographed memorabilia and other exclusive items, were taken from a secure storage archive.
“We believe RR Auction, headquartered in Boston, is offering stolen Tom Petty memorabilia with a completely false provenance inaccurate to fact and in complete denial of clear evidence they have been presented,” reads a statement from the family. “They will not disclose the cosigner who has provided these items or how they were acquired. But they are clearly stolen, there is no other word for it.”
They add, “These items have irreplaceable sentimental and educational value for the family and legacy of Tom Petty and we look forward to their safe return.”
The RR Auction site still lists several Petty items, with the sale running through June 22.
Queen of Rock & Roll Tina Turner passed away Wednesday at age 83, and upon hearing the news, artists such as Mick Jagger, Bryan Adams and more paid tribute to the singing legend.
Jagger, who infamously performed with Tina at Live Aid, shared that he was “saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend.” Tina and The Rolling Stones had a long history together, with Tina having opened for the band in the past.
“She was truly an enormously talented performer and singer,” Mick added. “She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her.”
Ron Woodalso shared, “God bless you Tina, the Queen Of Rock And Soul and a dear friend to our family. Love and prayers to all of Tina’s family, friends and loved ones.”
Bryan Adams, who recorded the 1985 hit song “It’s Only Love” with Turner, also paid tribute, writing, “The world just lost one hell of a powerhouse woman. I’ll be forever grateful for the time we spent together on tour, in the studio and as friends.”
And John Fogerty, who wrote the song “Proud Mary,” which Tina turned into a hit, shared that he was, “so deeply sad to hear about Tina Turner’s passing,” writing, “I loved her version of Proud Mary! It was different and fantastic. I was also so happy because she chose my song and it was her breakthrough record.”
Among the other tributes:
Elton John: “We have lost one of the word’s most exciting and electric performers. A total legend on record and on stage. She was untouchable….The saddest news.”
Diana Ross: “Shocked. Saddened. Sending condolences to Tina Turner’s family and loved ones.”
Garbage: “My darling Tina Turner. I’ve been loving you so long. So much to thank you for. Love you eternally. Can’t believe this awful news. Can’t believe you are gone.”
Diane Warren: “A Survivor and a Bad***. Every note she sang shook the room and shook your soul. There will never be another like her. Shake the roof off of Heaven Tina Turner.”
Blondie’s Debbie Harry: “I was a benefactor of the energy, creativity and talents of Tina Turner. A woman who started in rural Nutbush, TN cotton fields and worked her way to the very top. Tina was a great inspiration to me when I was starting out and remains so to this day.”
Steve Van Zant: “RIP Tina Turner. One of our greatest RocknSoul voices, performers, and stories.”
Gloria Gaynorcalled Tina an “iconic, legend who paved the way for so many women in rock music, black and white,” adding, “She did with great dignity and success what very few would even have dared to do in her time and in that genre of music. I mourn her passing along with her innumerable fans around the country and around the world.”
Heart‘s Ann Wilson said in a statement to ABC Audio: “Miss Tina lived an amazing life, full of drama and pain and in later years anchored by Buddhism. She showed what courage was and danced through her life on those mighty legs as an inspiration to us all. Rock on Angel!!”
