Music – Page 21 – 105.7 WDNY

Simon Cowell remembers Liam Payne: ‘I wish I could turn back the clock’

November 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

One Direction member Liam Payne died in October 2024 after falling from the balcony of his hotel in Argentina; toxicology reports revealed he had a number of substances in his system at the time of his death. Simon Cowell, who helped launch One Direction to stardom on the U.K. version of The X Factor, tells the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast that the news “really hit me.” Simon says the last time he saw Liam, he thought he was “in a really good place.”

“I saw him a year before this happened. He came over to my house. We talked about his son and being a dad. I remember saying, ‘Music is not everything. Don’t let it run your life anymore. Find something else that you are passionate about,’” Simon recalls.

“You ask yourself that question: ‘Could I have done anything more? What would’ve happened to Liam if he hadn’t been in the band?’” Simon continued. “Having spoken to his mom and dad recently, all they kept telling me was he was so proud of what he had achieved.”

“I wish I could turn back the clock, of course. When I spoke to him that day, I felt really good about him. I thought, ‘Wow, you seem in a really good place.’”

Asked about the blame he received in the media after Liam’s death, Simon says, “The idea that you are essentially responsible for somebody’s life, 10 years after you’ve signed someone? You can’t do that.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Simon says that he wished the finale of the first season of America Idol had been a choice between Kelly Clarkson and Tamyra Grey, not Justin Guarini. He claimed Justin “would be the first to admit [to] himself” that he wasn’t good enough to go up against Kelly.

Celebrate Thanksgiving with Riley Green’s Duck Club bourbon

November 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Riley Green has just been announced as a co-founder of Duck Club bourbon, and it might be the perfect thing for you to drink if your Thanksgiving weekend plans include hunting.

As Southern Living reports, Riley says the bourbon is “made for the people who feel at home in the wild—and for anyone who appreciates quality built on authenticity, tradition, and respect for the land.” That’s not just lip service: The brand is actively supporting the conservation of North America’s wetlands.

“I spend as much time as I can outdoors; the sport and the lifestyle around it are a big part of who I am,” Riley said in his statement to Southern Living. He added, “I’m proud to be a part of a brand that honors the lifestyle I love.”

You can purchase the bourbon in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, though not in Riley’s home state of Alabama. You can also buy it in online in 42 states via Duck Club’s website.

Ciara performs flash mob in New York City’s Time Square

November 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Ciara got “Low” in the New York City streets for her very own flash mob. In a newly released video, she joins a group of 40 dancers, who kick off the clip showing off their moves to her song “BRB” right in the middle of Times Square. She dances with them to “Low” featuring Diamond Platnumz and “Nice n’ Sweet” before posing for pictures and hopping into her ride.

“I just knew being in the streets of New York dancing to ‘Low’ and ‘Nice n’ Sweet,’ which are very New York-ish, there’s an Afro-Caribbean influence in it — we know New York breeds that kind of energy throughout the streets,” Ciara told Billboard’s Delisa Shannon. “So it just felt like the perfect place to have this moment and another ‘this place feels like home’ moment for me, which I loved.”

Though she’s from Atlanta, she says she has a second home in New York, where her family moved after husband Russell Wilson was drafted to the New York Giants.

“New York is showing our family tremendous love,” Ciara says. “And as an artist, I feel like New York has put their arms around me too. And so this is another place that I call home.”

“There’s just something so magical about being in the streets of New York,” she continues, noting this is the first time she had a flash mob where she just went “out in the middle of the streets and start dancing.”

You can watch Ciara’s New York City flash mob on YouTube.

Warren Haynes to reissue debut solo album, ‘Tales of Ordinary Madness’

November 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Warren Haynes is revisiting his 1993 debut solo album, Tales of Ordinary Madness.

The Gov’t Mule frontman is releasing a remixed and remastered version of the album on Jan. 30, featuring one bonus track, “Tear Me Down,” which didn’t appear on the original album.

And Haynes is previewing the release with the remixed version of the album’s opening track, “Fire in the Kitchen,” which is now available via digital outlets.

Tales of Ordinary Madness is available for preorder now.

The album, co-produced by Haynes and Allman Brothers Band‘s Chuck Leavell, was originally released in March 1993. Since then Haynes has released several solo records, his most recent being 2024’s Million Voices Whisper.

Haynes is set to hit the road on an 11-date intimate solo tour starting Feb. 12 in Grass Valley, California, and wrapping Feb. 26 in Pelham, Tennessee. He’ll also be going on tour with the Warren Haynes Band starting March 1 in Birmingham, Alabama, and wrapping March 7 in Ithaca, New York.

Next up, Haynes will headline his annual Christmas Jam on Dec. 13 in his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. The lineup includes Stone Temple Pilots and MJ Lenderman & The Wind, along with a special Christmas Jam tribute to Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, featuring Haynes, Lesh’s son Grahame Lesh, Widespread Panic‘s Jimmy Herring and more.

A complete list of dates can be found at WarrenHaynes.net.

As Taylor-loving turkey hopes for adoption, The Chainsmokers remix ‘The Fate of Ophelia’

November 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

You don’t know the life of a turkey, babe — and you’re never gonna wanna. That’s why one particular turkey is looking to be adopted this Thanksgiving.

Serena is a formerly abused turkey who now lives at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, New York. The sanctuary posted a video of Serena listening to “Wi$h Li$t,” from Taylor Swift‘s new album, The Life of a Showgirl. The caption reads, “Our care team discovered Serena loves music, especially Taylor Swift! If you want to support Serena, speak now and make a difference in her life today!”

Since 1986, Farm Sanctuary has been running an Adopt a Turkey project, where donors can symbolically “adopt” a bird by donating $35 toward its care. The video says that Serena’s own holiday wish list includes “love & kindness,” “for you to skip the turkey dinner” and “sanctuary for all.”

In other Taylor news, “The Fate of Ophelia,” which has been #1 on the Hot 100 for seven weeks, has now been remixed by The Chainsmokers. You can download it now. Taylor co-signed it by posting a link to her Instagram Story.

Dave Mason, Steve Hackett taking part in Sweet Relief Musicians Fund holiday auction

November 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Artists including Dave Mason and Steve Hackett are taking part in the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund holiday auction.

Mason, former guitarist for Traffic, has donated a signed Fender Player II Stratocaster in red, while former Genesis guitarist Hackett has also signed a guitar for the auction.

Also up for bid are instruments signed by George Thorogood & The Destroyers, The Black Keys, Hozier, Dream Theater and more, as well as a signed Pearl Jam poster, and tickets to shows by bands like Bring Me The Horizon, Three Days Grace, Third Eye Blind and Dropkick Murphys.

The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides “financial assistance to musicians and music industry workers who are facing illness, disability, or age-related challenges,” according to a press release.

“Wow, another year of incredible generosity from our music industry supporters!” says Sweet Relief Executive Director Aric Steinberg. “All of the proceeds will help us to continue to provide a safety net for musicians and music industry professionals in need of physical or mental health care.”

The auction will be hosted by the site Fandiem. Visit Fandiem.com for more info.

Tasha Cobbs Leonard and John Legend top ‘Billboard”s Gospel Airplay chart with ‘Church’

November 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Tasha Cobbs Leonard and John Legend‘s praises have scored them a #1 hit. Their song “Church” now tops Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart dated Nov. 29.

“The sound, the lyrics and the heart behind it seemed to resonate across audiences,” Cobbs Leonard tells Billboard when reacting to the news. “I’m so grateful to the stations who gave it a chance and to the listeners who kept showing up for it.”

While “Church” marks Tasha’s 10th Gospel Airplay leader, it’s the first time Legend has had a #1 on the chart. The song also recently became his first to be nominated for a best gospel performance/song Grammy. “I grew up singing and playing in the church,” he says in his own statement to Billboard. “So, I have a profound respect for the tradition of gospel music and gospel radio. To have ‘Church’ reach No. 1 on the Gospel Airplay chart and to get my first ever Grammy nomination in the Gospel category is a blessing.”

Tasha now joins James Fortune and FIYA as the second-most gospel airplay leaders, following closely behind Kirk Franklin and Tamela Mann, who both have 12 number ones. She also has the second-most leaders among women in the chart’s history.

Her album Tasha, which debuted at #1 on Top Gospel Albums in August, is nominated for best gospel album at the 2026 Grammys.

Watch Megan Moroney swim with sharks — and pigs?

November 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Megan Moroney recently told People that she was going on vacation with pop star Tate McRae. Now on her Instagram Story, she’s sharing some videos of what appears to be that trip.

In a video we see Megan sitting on a pier in a bikini, then standing on the pier with several women, one of whom looks a lot like Tate. They also sunbathe and fish on a boat, and go swimming with a school of nurse sharks. In addition, you can see some adorable pigs swimming in the ocean.

The sharks and the pigs would seem to indicate that Megan is vacationing in Compass Cay in the Bahamas.

Megan certainly deserves some R&R after her busy year of touring, winning awards and scoring hits. Her next era will start in February 2026 with the release of her new album, Cloud 9.

Selena Gomez’s mother-in-law victim of burglary in LA

November 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Selena Gomez‘s mother-in-law was the victim of a burglary in Los Angeles Monday night.

The Los Angeles Police Department received a call around 9:15 p.m. Monday of a burglary in progress; a resident was home at the time. The caller stated that three men broke a sliding glass door, ransacked the home and took property. The suspects had left by the time officers arrived.

ABC News has learned that the resident, which property records show is Sandra Levin, the mother of Selena’s husband, Benny Blanco, hid in the upstairs bathroom while she called the police. It’s not know what was taken; there were no injuries. Neighbors told KABC-TV that the home had previously been targeted and there had been burglaries in the area recently.

ABC Audio has reached out to Benny’s rep.

ZZ Top’s Billy F Gibbons announces dates for annual Birthday Jam

November 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

ZZ Top frontman Billy F Gibbons will once again be celebrating his birthday in Los Angeles.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has announced dates for his annual Birthday Jam, with the shows taking place Dec. 18, 19 and 20 at the Troubadour. Gibbons will be joined at the shows by a trio of guests, including guitarist Orianthi on Dec. 18, The Doors’ Robby Krieger on Dec. 19 and guitarist Joe Bonamassa on Dec. 20.

Tickets for all shows are on sale now.

This isn’t the first time Gibbons has held his Birthday Jam in Los Angeles. In fact, in the announcement he shared photos of last year’s concerts, giving fans an idea of what to expect. Those photos included guests like Guns N’ Roses’ guitarist Slash, Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell, Orianthi and others.

In addition to the birthday concerts, Gibbons is set to headline his annual The Jungle Show blues concerts on Dec. 26 and 27 at Antone’s in Austin, Texas. Gibbons will be joined at the shows by fellow musicians Jimmie Vaughan, Mike “The Drifter” Flanigin and Chris “Whipper” Layton.

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