Classic Hits

R&B legend Bobby Brown and his wife, Alicia Etheredge–Brown, have announced the return of the Celebration of Serenity Gala and golf tournament in support of the fight against domestic violence during October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 

After a two-year hiatus, the celebration returns to shed light on staggering domestic violence statistics and to honor leaders who use their professional and personal work to advocate for social change. 

“Pre-pandemic statistics show that nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner,” Bobby Brown said in a statement. “That’s more than 10 million women and men a year. These numbers have heightened more behind closed in the midst of the pandemic.”

He added, “Our foundation is committed to doing our part through the BKSH to give a voice to the voiceless.”

Emmy-winning journalist and talk show host Tamron Hall will be honored with the Courage of Voice award for her humanitarian work with creating The Tamron Renate Fund for women, children and families who experience abuse. Singer-songwriter Angela Winbush will receive the Thrivers Award, which honors those who persevere and achieve their goals despite life-altering circumstances. 

The event will be hosted by actress Tisha Campbell with entertainment provided by DJ Cassidy.

The Bobbi Kristina Serenity House is a nonprofit organization founded in 2015 with a goal to provide crisis intervention, emergency shelter, access to resources and advocacy for social change. BKSH was formed by Brown, whose daughter Bobbi Kristina was a victim of domestic violence. 

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We will finally learn the complete story of Michael Jackson‘s groundbreaking album, Thriller, in a forthcoming documentary.

Billboard reports the doc is helmed by Sony Music Entertainment and will further celebrate the album’s 40th anniversary. Music historian Nelson George has been tapped to direct the film, which has already started production.

“The release of Thriller redefined Michael Jackson, taking him from teen star to adult superstar, who composed memorable songs, sang beautifully and reached the highest level of on-stage performance,” said George in a statement. He continued, “The album, and the short films they inspired, created a new template for marrying music and image. It’s been a privilege to explore this extraordinary album and revisit its magic.”

The upcoming tell-all will look into the album’s origins and the effect it had on the music industry, including its influence on the music video format. The documentary will bring to light some never-before-seen interviews and other video content to further demonstrate how Thriller transformed Michael’s legacy.

Sony is teaming with Optimum Productions for the work. A release date is forthcoming.

This isn’t the only celebration Sony Music has in store for Thriller. On November 18, the company will release Michael Jackson Thriller 40, a double CD set with a bonus record filled with rare audio recordings and demos that Jackson worked on during the 1982 album’s sessions.

Sony Music will also host pop-up events and other Michael Jackson-centered celebrations across the globe.

Thriller was released on November 30, 1982 and is hailed one of the best-selling albums of all time. The album, which won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1984, is RIAA-certified triple Diamond in the U.S.

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David Crosby has unveiled plans to release a new concert album and video that captures a 2018 performance with his group The Lighthouse Band at the historic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York.

The aptly titled David Crosby & The Lighthouse Band Live at the Capitol Theatre is due out on November 25 and will be available as a CD/DVD set and via digital formats. The show was recorded on December 8, 2018 during Crosby’s tour in support of Here If I Listen, a collaborative album featuring fellow Light House Band members — singer/guitarist Becca Stevens, singer/keyboardist Michelle Willis and Snarky Puppy guitarist/bassist Michael League.

David previously recorded a solo album, 2016’s Lighthouse, with Stevens, Willis and League, and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, had been touring on and off with with them regularly.

The show features 16 songs, including live renditions of five tunes from Here If I Listen and Lighthouse, as well as versions of Crosby, Stills & Nash‘s “Guinnevere,” Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young‘s “Déjà Vu” and Joni Mitchell‘s “Woodstock,” which was famously covered by CSNY.

Live at the Capitol Theatre also features a few other songs from Crosby’s back catalog.

Crosby and The Lighthouse Band’s live version of “1974,” a song from Here If I Listen, has been made available as an advance digital track, and a video of the performance has debuted at David’s official YouTube channel. The tune was based on an old demo that Crosby had recorded in 1974.

You can preorder Live at the Capitol Theatre now.

Here’s the complete track list:

“The Us Below”
“Things We Do for Love”
“1974”
“Vagrants of Venice”
“Regina”
“Laughing”
“What Are Their Names”
“By the Light of Common Day”
“Glory”
“The City”
“Look in Their Eyes”
“Guinnevere”
“Janet”
“Carry Me”
“Déjà Vu”
“Woodstock”

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Depeche Mode has announced their first new album and tour since the passing of member Andy “Fletch” Fletcher in May.

The record, the follow-up to 2017’s Spirit, is titled Memento Mori and will arrive spring 2023. The worldwide tour will launch with a U.S. leg running from March 23 in Sacramento, California, to April 14 in New York City, followed by a trip to Europe through May, June, July and August.

“We started work on this project early in the pandemic, and its themes were directly inspired by that time,” says Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore. “After Fletch’s passing, we decided to continue as we’re sure this is what he would have wanted, and that has really given the project an extra level of meaning.”

“Fletch would have loved this album,” adds frontman Dave Gahan. “We’re really looking forward to sharing it with you soon, and we can’t wait to present it to you live at the shows next year.”

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit DepecheMode.com.

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Historic collectibles associated with The Beatles, David Bowie, Elvis Presley and many other stars will be part of an entertainment memorabilia auction hosted by Propstore taking place November 3-6 in London.

The music-related portion of the sale is scheduled for November 4, and bidding will be accepted in person at the BAFTA 195 Piccadilly venue, as well as online and via the phone.

Among the sale’s many highlights are a pair of Altec 605A studio monitors from London’s famous Abbey Road Studios that were used by The Beatles and many other artists. They’re estimated to bring in up to 100,000 pounds, or about $116,000.

Also up for bid is a spacesuit costume that Bowie wore in his 1980 “Ashes to Ashes” video, which is expected to fetch as much as 80,000 pounds, or about $93,000.

The auction also a gun license application signed by Elvis, which is estimated to sell for up to 60,000 pounds, or about $69,000.

The potentially priciest music-related item being auctioned by Propstore is a Custom Silver Sparkle Gibson Les Paul Florentine guitar that belonged to Oasis‘ Noel Gallagher, which is estimated to fetch from 300,000 to 500,000 pounds, or about $347,000 to $578,000.

Other collectibles going on the block include a “Queen of the Night” outfit worn by Whitney Houston in the 1996 film The Bodyguard, a studded leather bracer that belonged to Michael Jackson, a striped blazer worn by Paul McCartney, a leather jacket that Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash wore in the “Paradise City” video and a booklet autographed by all four Beatles members.

You can check out the full list of items being auctioned atPropstoreAuction.com.

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Wednesday marks the 60th anniversary of the release of The Beatles’ debut single, “Love Me Do.” But the Beatles-themed Liverpool attraction The Beatles Story has just posted newly discovered photos of the band playing at Liverpool’s The Cavern Club more than a year before that single came out.

The two photographs were taken in July 1961, when George Harrison, Paul McCartney and John Lennon were 18, 19 and 20, respectively. Their drummer at the time was Pete Best, who was also 19.

Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn says the photos show the band right after they’d returned from performing for 90 days in Hamburg, Germany. He notes that they all look very thin, likely due to an insane schedule that saw them spend 500 hours onstage over those three months. They’re also wearing leather trousers and cotton shirts, a combo Lewisohn says never showed up in previous photos.

Four months after the photo was taken, Brian Epstein saw the Beatles for the first time at The Cavern Club and soon after offered to manage them.

In honor of the single’s 60th birthday, fans are invited to bring their Beatles or Beatles-era memorabilia to The Beatles Story attraction Wednesday, where it’ll be appraised for free, Antiques Roadshow-style, by a specialist Beatles auction house.

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John Waite‘s smash “Missing You” is going to pop up in an unexpected place this week.

The track, which hit #1 in 1984, is the featured song on Wednesday night’s episode of ABC’s The Goldbergs.  The sitcom, set in the ’80s, features one hit from that decade in each episode. In a statement, Waite says the inclusion of “Missing You” is “rad.”

Waite, who also had success as a member of The Babys and Bad English, and has been part of Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band in the past, will kick off a tour October 28 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. He’s set to be on the road through November 20, when he’ll wrap things up in Cincinnati.

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Since streaming seems to have made DVDs and Blu-rays all but extinct, former Yes keyboard whiz Rick Wakeman has come up with a unique way to share his visual history with his fans.

Wakeman has launched Wakeman Web TV, a one-stop shop for onstage and TV appearances. From episodes of Gastank, the early ’80s British TV show he hosted, to his appearances on various British and European programs, to live concerts and performances, this online portal has it all.

And in a unique twist, you don’t have to pay a subscription fee to access the material: It’s set up as a Pay-Per-View model, where you can just pay for the things you want to see. Live performances are around 10 bucks to stream for a week, or $20 to download anytime.

Wakeman says in a statement that he wants to “give fans old and new the best way to view and listen to the music,” and feels that Wakeman Web TV is “a very sensible alternative to those platforms that already exist.”

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New music from the legendary Janet Jackson is on the way. 

In honor of the 25th anniversary of Jackson’s sixth studio album, The Velvet Rope, the five-time Grammy winner will release a deluxe version on October 7, the same day it was released in 1997.

The two-part deluxe version will be comprised of an A side — the album’s 23 original tracks, along with two bonus tracks — and a B side of 13 remixes. Ten of the tracks will be new to streaming services.

In tandem with the release, remastered HD videos of tracks from The Velvet Rope, including “Go Deep,” “I Get Lonely,” “You,” “Got ‘Til It’s Gone” and “Together Again [Deeper Remix],” will be available on Jackson’s official YouTube page.  

Originally produced by Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Jackson, The Velvet Rope debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and turned out multiple #1 hits, as well as a Grammy Award for “Got ’Til It’s Gone” ft. Q-Tip & Joni Mitchell.

The Velvet Rope: Deluxe Edition arrives October 7 and is available for presave on major streaming services. 

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Tom Petty was a proud son of Gainesville, Florida, and the city’s university plans to honor the late rocker with Tom Petty Day.

The University of Florida has announced that this year’s UF/Louisiana State University game on October 15 will be the inaugural Tom Petty Day, with plans to continue celebrating it well into the future. The Tom Petty Estate is collaborating with UF on a capsule collection, with proceeds going to two local Gainesville charities: Kids Count and Family Promise. The collection is for sale on Petty’s online merch store.

Since his death in 2017, it’s been a tradition at UF games to sing Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” at the end of the third quarter. 

While Petty didn’t attend UF, he did work on the school’s grounds crew. In fact, there’s a lime tree on campus called the Tom Petty tree, in honor of the fact that he supposedly planted it during his stint on the crew — although in 2011, Petty said he didn’t remember doing so.

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