Classic Hits

Two of Eddie Money‘s musical kids, son Dez and daughter Jesse Money, are celebrating the holiday season and paying tribute to their late dad by releasing a new version of his 1997 yuletide tune “Everybody Loves Christmas.”

The updated track, which has been renamed “Everybody Loves Christmas: A Song for Dad,” was recorded by Dez and Jesse, and also features some vocals by Eddie added from the original version of the tune. Dez produced the song.

According to a post on Money’s Facebook page, Eddie wrote “Everybody Loves Christmas” for Dez, Jesse and their brothers Zach, Joe and Julian when they all were children. The original studio version featured guest vocals by Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes, with whom Eddie famously duetted on his 1986 hit “Take Me Home Tonight.”

“Everybody Loves Christmas: A Song for Dad” is available now via digital-music sellers and steaming services. You also can purchase the track at EddieMoney.com. A t-shirt featuring the single’s cover art also is being sold at the website. Proceeds from sales of the shirt and other merch items on the website will benefit the Eddie Money USC Cancer Research Fund.

Money died in September 2019 from complications of esophageal cancer. He was 70.

Throughout December, Eddie’s family has been paying homage to the singer on his Facebook page by posting various archival photos taken of him with his wife, Laurie, and kids during the holidays.

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Former Yes frontman Jon Anderson has partnered with the Patreon membership platform to offer fans access to brand-new songs, unreleased music and videos he’s created, livestreamed events, artwork and more.

“I am thrilled to embark on this journey with you as I create the next chapter of my life’s work,” Anderson explains. “After years of dealing with the runaround of big record labels, I have decided to partner with you, as those of you who enjoy my work have always been my greatest support and inspiration.”

He continues, “There are many great projects I have been working on including lots of new music, paintings, a book, and short stories. Your patronage will allow me to continue my work and will offer you priceless access.”

Three membership levels for Jon’s Patreon platform will be available — Silver, Gold and Platinum, costing $10, $50 and $100 a month, respectively.

A Silver membership offers early access to new songs and projects, livestreams of rehearsals and events, behind-the-scenes videos of Anderson working on various projects, early access to tickets for select concerts, and access to Jon’s general archives.

A Gold membership offers everything available to Silver members, as well as access to Anderson’s “Select Archives,” a monthly live interactive Q&A with Jon, and surprise gifts that you’ll receive throughout your first year of patronage.

The Platinum offers all the benefits available to Gold and Silver members, as well as access to Anderson’s “Gold Vault Archives,” pre-release previews of Jon’s work, access to participate in something called “Jon’s Opus Puzzle,” a private livestreamed concert with Anderson and more.

Jon shared more details about his Patreon pertnership in a recent Facebook post. Visit Patreon.com for more info or to sign up for a membership.

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Billie Joe Armstrong will be ringing in 2022 alongside Miley Cyrus.

The Green Day frontman is set to perform on Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party, hosted by the pop star and Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson. The lineup also includes 24kGoldn, Brandi Carlile, Saweetie and others.

Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party airs December 31 at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

In addition to celebrating a new year, Armstrong also appears to be working on new music. In an Instagram post over the weekend, Green Day shared a video of the punk trio recording at he RAK Studios in London.

Green Day released three new singles in 2021: “Here Comes the Shock,” “Pollyanna” and “Holy Toledo!” The band’s most recent album is 2020’s Father of All…

 

 

 

 

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Former Fleetwood Mac singer/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham is among the artists who are confirmed to play the 2022 Beale Street Music Festival, which will be held April 29 to May 1 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Other artists on the bill include Foo Fighters, The Smashing Pumpkins, Toad the Wet Sprocket, rap star Lil Wayne, blues guitarist Sue Foley and more. Additional acts will be announced at a later date.

For ticket info, visit MemphisinMay.org.

Buckingham was on the 2020 Beale Street fest lineup before the event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 festival was scrapped as well.

The Beale Street performance is Buckingham’s first U.S. show to be scheduled for next year. He currently has one more concert left on his 2021 itinerary, taking place tonight in Boulder, Colorado. Lindsey also has tour dates in Ireland, the U.K. and mainland Europe lined up in May and early June of 2022.

In September, Buckingham released a new self-titled solo album.

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Today marks the 50th anniversary of the release of The Concert for Bangladesh, the three-LP set that featured highlights from two star-studded benefit shows headlined by George Harrison at New York’s Madison Square Garden on August 1, 1971.

The show and album also included performances by Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Leon Russell, Ravi Shakar and many other musicians.

The shows were organized by Harrison and his friend and musical mentor Shankar to raise awareness about, and funds for, refugees from the Pakistani region of East Pakistan during the brutal war that led to the creation of the nation of Bangladesh.

The concerts marked the first time Harrison had performed a full concert since The Beatles stopped touring in 1966.

The shows began with classical Indian music performance by Shankar and his group. Harrison then took the stage with a huge collective of musicians that included Clapton, Russell, Preston, Starr, drummer Jim Keltner, bassist Klauss Voormann, the members of Badfinger, a horn section and various backing singers.

Harrison played select songs from his 1970 album All Things Must Pass and several Beatles tunes, including a version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” that featured a guitar duel with Clapton.

Russell sang a medley of The Rolling Stones‘ “Jumping Jack Flash” and The Coasters‘ “Youngblood,” while Ringo performed his solo hit “It Don’t Come Easy.”

Dylan played a short set showcasing several of his classic songs.

The concerts ended with a performance of the new Harrison song “Bangla Desh,” which he’d released as a charity single in July 1971.

The album reached #2 on the Billboard 200, and topped the U.K. chart. Between the shows, the album and a 1972 concert film, millions of dollars were raised.

Here’s the full track list for The Concert for Bangladesh:

Side One
“George Harrison/Ravi Shankar Introduction”
“Bangla Dhun” — Ravi Shankar

Side Two
“Wah-Wah” — George Harrison
“My Sweet Lord” — George Harrison
“Awaiting on You All” — George Harrison
“That’s the Way God Planned It” — Billy Preston

Side Three
“It Don’t Come Easy” — Ringo Starr
“Beware of Darkness” — George Harrison, Leon Russell
“Band Introduction” — George Harrison
“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” — George Harrison

Side Four
“Medley: Jumpin’ Jack Flash/Young Blood” — Leon Russell
“Here Comes the Sun” — George Harrison

Side Five
“A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” — Bob Dylan
“It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry” — Bob Dylan
“Blowin’ in the Wind” — Bob Dylan
“Mr. Tambourine Man” — Bob Dylan
“Just Like a Woman” — Bob Dylan

Side Six
“Something” — George Harrison
“Bangla Desh” — George Harrison

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Stevie Wonder’s House Full of Toys benefit concert returned Saturday night in Los Angeles, featuring surprise performances by Johnny Gill and Ledisi.

“A lot has happened in the world, my world and your own worlds,” the 25-time Grammy winner told the crowd at the Microsoft Theater, according to Billboard. “The blessing is that we are all here to give to those less fortunate,” 

The 23rd annual concert benefited Wonder’s nonprofit We Are You Foundation, which assists children, people with disabilities, and families in need.

Ledisi performed “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” then segued into the song that earned her first Grammy earlier this year, “Anything for You.” “Wow!,” she commented on Instagram. “What a way to end an amazing year of song and for a great cause.”

Gill, who sang his 1990 number-one hit, “My, My, My,” was full of praise for the Motown icon. “The higher power put Steve Wonder here to be a messenger and leader. We should celebrate him. So get up on your feet and give him the respect he deserves,” the New Edition member told the crowd

During the two-and-a-half hour concert, Stevie performed many of his classics, including “Master Blaster (Jammin’),” “Higher Ground,” and “Don’t You Worry ’bout a Thing.” The show became a family affair as he brought his two youngest children onstage — daughters Nia, 7, and Zaiah, 8 — who sang “What Christmas Means to Me” with their father.

The emotional highlight of the evening occurred as Wonder remembered Jacqueline Avant, the late wife of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Clarence Avant, who was killed on December 1. Halfway through “My Cheri Amour,” he said, “As I think about their 54 years married, I dedicate this song to Jacqueline and anyone who loses their life to violence.”

 

 

 

 

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Five years after his death on Christmas Day 2016 at age 53, George Michael‘s grave is now officially marked.

The British tabloid The Sun reports that the superstar’s headstone has finally been unveiled in London’s Highgate Ceremony. It’s inscribed with his birth name, Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, and reads “Beloved Son, Brother, Friend.”

George lies next to his mother Lesley, who died in 1997 and his sister Melanie, who died at age 59 in 2019, three years to the day after George died.

As for why it took five years for the grave to be marked, a source tells The Sun there were “fears it would become a morbid tourist attraction.”

In other George Michael news, during his lifetime, the singer anonymously funded the annual Christmas lights display in the Highgate neighborhood of London, and it’s now been revealed that his estate still contributes to the annual display, according to the local paper.

“George Michael was our secret benefactor form many years and he loved the Christmas Lights,” a local realtor told the paper. “Luckily, his estate also know how much he loved the lights and continue to support us even after his death.”

Finally, a tribute show called The Life and Music of George Michael is scheduled to begin a U.S. tour on January 19 in California.

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Elton John and ABBA are among the artists who received nominations for the 2022 BRIT Awards, the U.K. equivalent of the Grammys.

Elton’s collaborative hit with British pop star Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart,” which appears on his new album The Lockdown Sessions, received a nod for Song of the Year.

ABBA, which released its first new studio album in 40 years, Voyage, in November, is among the nominees for the International Group of the Year prize.

Receiving the most 2022 BRIT nominations are Adele and Ed Sheeran who both scored four, including nods for Artist of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year.

Notably, gender-based categories have been removed.

Check out all the nominees at BRITS.co.uk.

The 2022 BRIT Awards will be handed out February 8, 2022, at London’s O2 Arena and livestreamed globally on YouTube.

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The Who‘s Pete Townshend has produced and plays guitar on a new single by the contemporary British rock band The Wild Things called “Only Attraction” that was released on Friday.

The song is available now as via streaming services. According to a post on The Wild Things’ official website, the band has been working with Townshend on a number of tracks for its forthcoming second studio album. The group is led by actress/singer Sydney Rae White, who has appeared in the BBC comedy series Uncle and the 2017 action film American Assassin.

In other Who-related news, Townshend recent posted a series of video clips on his Instagram page in which he discusses plans for a 50th anniversary reissue focusing on his band’s classic 1971 album Who’s Next and on the expansive abandoned Lifehouse sci-fi rock opera for which the songs from Who’s Next originally had been intended.

In one of the videos, which were shot at his studio, Townshend reveals that he’d been checking out some old demos for the “Who’s Next/Lifehouse reissue,” which will be released in 2022.

Pete also says he’s trying to recover a rare outtake from the project titled “Ambition.”

In the final clip, Townshend explains, “So you see, it’s not just Who’s Next were talking about here, but Lifehouse,” then notes that the 50th anniversary reissue should have been released this year because Who’s Next came out in 1971.

He adds, “We missed the boat, and you can blame COVID.”

 

 

 

 

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Queen‘s Brian May is the latest musician to test positive for COVID-19.

Displaying a positive result on a home COVID test, the 74-year-old guitarist wrote on Instagram, “Yep. The shocking day finally came for me. The dreaded double red line. And yes – definitely NO sympathy please – it has been a truly horrible few days, but I’m OK. And I will tell the tale.”

“PLEASE take extra care out there, good folks,” he added. “This thing is incredibly transmissible. You really do NOT want it messing up YOUR Christmas.”

Over the past few weeks, various pop and rock musicians, from Bryan Adams to singer/rapper Lil Nas X, have revealed positive COVID tests.  May’s test comes as the omicron variant sweeps through his native U.K.: In London alone, there have been 65,525 new confirmed cases in the past week, and more than 26,000 in the past 24 hours alone.

Earlier in the year, May spoke out against anti-vaxxers, saying, “There’s plenty of evidence to show that vaccination helps. On the whole they’ve been very safe. There’s always going to be some side effect in any drug you take, but to go around saying vaccines are a plot to kill you, I’m sorry, that goes in the fruitcake jar for me.”

 

 

 

 

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