Classic Hits

It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since Whitney Houston‘s shocking and tragic death on February 11, 2012. But we will always love her: Her life story, and her music, are still captivating and entertaining fans around the world.

Ironically, Whitney died on the weekend of the Grammy Awards — a show which had honored her six times in her career — and on the exact day of her mentor Clive Davis‘ legendary pre-Grammy party.  Unbelievably, the party went on as scheduled — at the Beverly Hilton, just downstairs from the hotel suite where Whitney was found dead in her bathtub.

That night, Davis told guests that Whitney would have wanted the party to go on, and that her family told him not to cancel, but he faced harsh criticism from others, including Sharon Osbourne and Chaka Khan.

At the Grammy Awards the following night, host LL Cool J opened the ceremony with a moving prayer, while Jennifer Hudson brought the audience to tears with a rendition of “I Will Always Love You.”

Three years later, Whitney’s family was once again touched by grief: In 2015, her only child, Bobbi Kristina Brown, was found unconscious in a bathtub, and after spending six months in a coma, she died at the age of 22. 

Whitney’s and her daughter’s lives have since inspired a number of movies and documentaries, both authorized and unauthorized. including Whitney: Can I Be Me, Whitney and Whitney Houston & Bobbi Kristina: Didn’t We Almost Have It All.

An authorized biopic, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, co-produced by Clive Davis and Whitney Houston Estate president Pat Houston, is expected to hit theaters on December 23, 2022. Meanwhile, an authorized concert production starring a hologram of Whitney is currently running at Harrah’s Las Vegas.

And Whitney’s music is still being discovered by new generations through a series of remixes, such as Kygo‘s 2019 chart-topping reworking of Whitney’s “Higher Love,” Clean Bandit‘s 2021 remix of “How Will I Know,” and the 2019 “duet” “Do You Hear What I Hear,” featuring Whitney and Pentatonix.

Whitney was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020 by Alicia Keys, who said, “Whitney Houston is one of one. There is no one like her, and there never will be.”

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Daryl Hall and John Oates will release their 1997 album Marigold Sky on vinyl for the first time on March 25 in honor of the record’s 25th anniversary.

In addition the vinyl version, which will be a two-LP set, an expanded version of the album with three bonus tracks will be released as a two-CD collection and on digital platforms. This also will mark the first time that Marigold Sky will be available as a digital download and via streaming services.

Marigold Sky, the duo’s 15th studio effort, was originally released in September 1997. It only reached #95 on the Billboard 200, although the singles “Promise Ain’t Enough” and “The Sky Is Falling” peaked at #6 and #26, respectively, on Billboard‘s Adult Contemporary chart.

The reissue’s bonus tracks are a radio edit of “Romeo Is Bleeding,” a remix of “Hold On to Yourself,” and what’s described as a “hot mix” of “The Sky Is Falling.”

Coinciding with the announcement of the reissue, a restored version of the “Promise Ain’t Enough” music video has premiered at Hall & Oates’ YouTube channel, and the track is available now via digital formats.

“I look at Marigold Sky as the lost Hall and Oates album,” says Hall. “The fans have been asking me for years about it. I’m really proud of these songs and happy to see that it’s getting a global re-release.”

Adds Oates, “I am really pleased that Marigold Sky is finally becoming available around the world. It’s a very unique and cool album, and I hope old and new fans really enjoy it.”

You can pre-order the Marigold Sky reissue now. Here’s the expanded version’s track list:

“Romeo Is Bleeding”
“Marigold Sky”
“The Sky Is Falling”
“Out of the Blue”
“Want To”
“Love Out Loud”
“Throw the Roses Away”
“I Don’t Think So”
“Promise Ain’t Enough”
“Time Won’t Pass Me By”
“Hold On to Yourself”
“War of Words”
“Romeo Is Bleeding” (Radio Edit)*
“Hold On to Yourself” (Remix)*
“The Sky Is Falling” (Hot Mix)*

* = on CD and digital versions only.

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Last summer, Jon Anderson teamed up with the students of the Paul Green Rock Academy for an 11-date U.S. tour, and the now former Yes frontman is set to join forces again with the talented young musicians for a lengthier North American trek this year.

So far five concerts have been confirmed, starting with an April 6 show in Atlanta, and followed by stops in four Florida cities — on April 10 in Clearwater, April 12 in Melbourne, April 14 in Orlando, and April 16 in Sarasota.

A post on PaulGreenRock.com reports that the 2022 tour will eventually feature more than 30 dates.

Like last year’s tour, the new shows will feature Anderson performing with 25 Paul Green Rock Academy members. The concerts will feature renditions of Yes classics and deep cuts, songs from Anderson’s solo catalog, mash-ups and more, with lush arrangements including choral vocals, horns and other musical elements.

Anderson commented about the upcoming shows in a recent Facebook post.

“[G]etting ready to tour this April with the teenagers of Academy of Rock,” he wrote. “Ready to perform ‘Close to the Edge’…and many more Yes classics like ‘Heart of the Sunrise’, and some fun mash ups…like [Led Zeppelin‘s] ‘Kashmir’…[David Bowie‘s] ‘Let’s Dance’…[Eminem]’s first hit…things like that…I call the show Wonderful Chaos!!….so if by chance you see us advertised near you, please come along and have fun.”

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Want to watch the Oscar-nominated documentary Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), but don’t have Hulu or Disney+? You’re in luck.

The acclaimed film, which documents the six-week-long, star-studded 1969 New York City event The Harlem Cultural Festival, will have its broadcast television premiere on Sunday, February 20, at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

The festival, the tapes of which sat on a shelf for decades, featured a huge lineup of soul, blues, Latin, jazz, gospel and R&B stars. Among the artists you’ll see performing in the film are Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Sly and the Family Stone, The 5th Dimension, The Staple Singers, B.B. King and The Temptations‘ David Ruffin and more.

In related news, while a digital and CD version of the movie’s soundtrack is out now, an expanded two-LP version of the album will be released on June 17. It includes 17 songs selected by the documentary’s director, drummer Questlove of The Roots. Target will offer a single-LP version pressed on red vinyl. You can pre-order both now.

The album’s track listing gives you an idea of how varied the lineup was at the festival, an event that was all but forgotten because it was overshadowed by Woodstock, which took place around the same time:

The Chambers Brothers — “Uptown”
B.B. King — “Why I Sing the Blues”
The 5th Dimension — “Don’t Cha Hear Me Callin’ to Ya”
The 5th Dimension — “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)”
David Ruffin — “My Girl”
The Edwin Hawkins Singers — “Oh Happy Day”
The Staple Singers — “It’s Been a Change”
The Operation Breadbasket Orchestra & Choir featuring Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples — “Precious Lord Take My Hand”
Gladys Knight & The Pips — “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”
Mongo Santamaria — “Watermelon Man”
Ray Barretto — “Together”
Herbie Mann — “Hold On, I’m Comin'”
Sly & The Family Stone — “Sing a Simple Song”
Sly & The Family Stone — “Everyday People”
Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach — “Africa”
Nina Simone — “Backlash Blues”
Nina Simone — “Are You Ready”

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The lineup for the 2022 edition of the Allman Brothers Band-founded Peach Music Festival has been unveiled, and The Black Crowes and Phish singer/guitarist Trey Anastasio‘s solo band are among the acts that have been confirmed as headliners.

The 10th anniversary event will take place over four days, June 30-July 3, at its usual location, Montage Mountain in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

More than 50 artists will be performing at this year’s festival, with the bill also including founding Allman Brothers Band drummer Jaimoe, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening, reggae legends The Wailers and Steel Pulse, G. Love, and Duane Betts — son of original Allman Brothers singer/guitarist Dickey Betts.

Jaimoe will be playing with a collective dubbed Jaimoe and Friends, while The Wailers will perform the late Bob Marley‘s classic hits compilation Legend in its entirety. In addition, a group called Trouble No More will celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Allman Brothers’ 1972 album Eat a Peach. Trouble No More’s lead singer is Lamar Williams Jr., whose late father played bass with the Allmans from 1972 to 1976.

With the festival scheduled just before July 4, the four-day bash will conclude with a spectacular fireworks display on Sunday, July 3.

To purchase tickets and packages, and to check out the latest information about the fest, visit ThePeachMusicFestival.com.

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In case you missed it, U.S. figure skater Nathan Chen won the gold medal Wednesday night at the Winter Olympics in Beijing in the men’s singles competition, delivering a thrilling free skate program set to a medley of cover versions of Elton John songs, including “Rocket Man” and “Bennie and the Jets.”

Now, the “Rocket Man” himself has extended congratulations to the 22-year-old athlete via his social media pages.

“Congratulations Nathan Chen for winning Gold skating to ‘Rocket Man’ in the free skate finals in Beijing,” Elton writes.

The British pop-rock legend also points out that Chen is featured in new episodes of the Olympic Channel series From the Top, which Elton executive-produced for his Rocket Sports production company.

Nathan appears with singer/actress Hayley Kiyoko in three segments of the program, which pairs Olympic athletes and music artists together and features them discussing their journeys to success. You can check out the episodes at Olympics.com.

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Sting is the latest rock legend to cash in by selling the rights to his music.

MusicWeek reports that Sting has sold his entire songwriting catalog to Universal Music Publishing Group in a deal that’s worth a reported $250 million.  The deal is for Sting’s solo songs, as well as songs by The Police, and includes hits like “Roxanne,” “Every Breath You Take,” “Fields of Gold,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You,” “Desert Rose,” “Message In a Bottle” and many more.

MusicWeek reports that the deal is similar to the one Bob Dylan made, in that it includes the rights to the publisher and the writer shares of the songs.  It means Sting’s songs are now in the same place as his entire recorded music catalog: Universal Music Group.

In a statement, quoted by MusicWeek, Sting says, “It is absolutely essential to me that my career’s body of work have a home where it is valued and respected — not only to connect with longtime fans in new ways but also to introduce my songs to new audiences, musicians and generations.”

He adds, “Throughout my career, I have enjoyed a long and successful relationship with UMG as my label partner…so it felt natural to unite everything in one trusted home, as I return to the studio, ready for the next chapter.”

The estates of David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen and Paul Simon recently made similar deals regarding their catalogs.

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Fleetwood Mac‘s Rumours was released 45 years ago this past week, and in conjunction with the anniversary, drummer Mick Fleetwood reflected on landmark 1977 album with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe.

Part of the interview focused on the volatile dynamic between the band mates during the making of Rumours.

While working on the album, all five members were dealing with romantic conflicts, as Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were breaking up, Christine McVie and John McVie had just divorced, and Mick had broken up with his wife.

“[The] five of us were in a state of flux…a lot of pain. And this creature known as Fleetwood Mac and what we were doing became the safe harbor in a way, I believe,” Mick noted. “Was it a complete healing? No, but it has those elements to it, certainly in the complete chaos.”

Having said that, Fleetwood suggested that before the band members had the opportunity to work out their conflicts, the success of Rumours — described by Mick as “the wave of what this body of work created” — drew away their attention.

Fleetwood maintained that the fallout of those conflicts, particularly between Nicks and Buckingham, continues to the present day. Of course, tensions between the two led to Lindsey being fired in 2018.

“[E]specially for Stevie and Lindsey, I don’t think [things] certainly are…resolved fully,” Mick said, “and I wish they were and I visualize those moments as the years trickle by somehow, but I truly, somewhat sadly think…that will go into the rainbow somewhere and never really change.”

Rumours spent 31 weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200, featured four top-10 hits — “Go Your Own Way,” “Dreams,” “Don’t Stop” and “You Make Loving Fun” — and has sold over 20 million copies in the U.S.

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Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson‘s new band Envy of None has launched a contest offering a fan the chance to win one of Lifeson’s new Epiphone Les Paul Axcess Standard signature guitars.

Fans can enter the giveaway by using a QR code that’s printed on a ticket located on the inside of one of the CDs from in the Deluxe Edition of Envy of None’s self-titled debut album, which is due out on April 8. In addition, fans outside of the U.K. can enter by simply sending their full name, postal address and email address to “EON Giveaway, Snapper Music, 52 Lisson Street, London, NW1” by July 11, 2022 — the contest’s closing date. Visit KScopeMusic.com/EONGiveaway for more details.

The Alex Lifeson Epiphone Les Paul Standard Axcess guitar, which was released in June 2021, was based on a similar model on which Lifeson collaborated with Gibson in 2015. The instrument features special modifications requested by Lifeson, including alterations to the pickups and a vibrato setup.

Lifeson’s Epiphone Les Paul Standard Axcess guitar is available for a list price of $899.

As for Envy of None, Lifeson is joined in the band by bassist Andy Curran of the veteran Canadian rock group Coney Hatch, guitarist/keyboardist Alfio Annibalini and singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne.

The album is an 11-track collection that offers up a wide sonic palette, with influences including alternative rock, synth rock and experimental rock mixed with melodic pop. It includes a song titled “Western Sunset,” which Alex wrote as a tribute to late Rush drummer Neil Peart.

Envy of None can be pre-ordered now, and will be issued in multiple formats, including digitally, on CD, on LP and as a deluxe limited-edition collection featuring a blue-vinyl LP, a two-CD set and a booklet.

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Billie Joe Armstrong‘s stolen car has been found.

Over the weekend, the Green Day frontman posted an Instagram message asking for information about his missing vehicle, a 1962 Chevy II that he called “near and dear to all our hearts” and a piece of the band’s “family for over 30 years.” In a follow-up post Wednesday, Armstrong revealed that the car has been safely recovered and “all in one piece.”

“FOUND MY CAR!!” Armstrong wrote. “False alarm…turns out I forgot where I parked it…KIDDING! Truth is the person that stole it left it parked. Joy ride? Maybe…who knows. We live in desperate times.”

The punk rocker and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee added, “Thank god it’s all in one piece. No damage.”

Armstrong also thanked everyone who helped with the search.

“Love you all,” he wrote, alongside a trio of prayer-hands emojis.

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