Music

Billy Joel has donated $250,000 to Hurricane Ian relief via his charity, The Joel Foundation.

Ian was the fifth strongest hurricane ever to hit the continental U.S. Residents of Fort Myers and Southwest Florida will benefit from the donation to the Lee County Strong Hurricane Ian Relief Fund. The money will go toward rebuilding efforts, as well as to the local maritime community and school music programs.

In a statement, the Piano Man and his wife, Alexis, note that Florida is their “winter home” and that living through their own experience with Superstorm Sandy a decade ago has motivated them to “help those less fortunate.”

Over the years, The Joel Foundation has pledged and made over $7 million in charitable donations.

Billy has a scheduled show in Florida in early 2023: He’ll play at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, on January 27.

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Over his storied career, Bob Dylan has been inspired by many things — but who knew two of those things were coffee and Munchkins?

On the dedication page of the legendary singer/songwriter’s new book, The Philosophy of Modern Song, Dylan offers a “special thanks” to “all the crew at Dunkin’ Donuts.” The Boston Globe reports that Dylan’s publisher, Simon & Schuster, has confirmed images of the page that have been circulating are legit, telling the paper, “The line ‘all the crew at Dunkin’ Donuts’ appears on the dedication page. We can offer no further insight.”

According to The Globe, the book has been in the works since 2010. The paper speculates that’s why the 81-year-old artist referred to the chain as Dunkin’ Donuts and not as its current name, Dunkin’, which it adopted in 2018.

The Globe also notes that Dylan primarily lives in Malibu, California, when he’s not on the road, and there are a number of Dunkin’ locations nearby. And, The Globe notes, “Dylan spends much of the year on tour, where he has presumably sampled Dunkin’ brews around the globe (of which there are many).”

But like so many other facts about Bob Dylan, the details of his Dunkin’ order — black coffee? A dozen Munchkins? Pumpkin Spice cold brew? — will remain a mystery for now.

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It’s only country music, but they like it … and rock ‘n’ roll, too.

A tribute to The Rolling Stones will be part of this year’s Country Music Association Awards, airing on ABC November 9. During the three-hour show, award-winning country duo Brothers Osborne will team up with Americana husband-and-wife duo The War & Treaty to sing “It’s Only Rock & Roll (But I Like It).”

The performance is in recognition of a new album called Stoned Cold Country, which features some of country’s biggest artists performing classic Stones songs, including “Wild Horses,” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and “Dead Flowers.” 

The Brothers Osborne/War & Treaty duet is being released as a single November 4, with the album to follow next year. Other participating artists include Zac Brown Band, Elle King, Steve Earle, Eric Church, Maren Morris and Brooks & Dunn.

Other Rock & Roll Hall of Famers who’ll be saluted at the CMA Awards include the late Jerry Lee Lewis: King will perform “Great Balls of Fire” with The Black Keys in his memory.  

And finally, Linda Ronstadt will be honored as country stars Ashley McBryde, Caylee Hammack and Brandy Clark, joined by Joan Osborne, take the stage to sing the version of The Everly Brothers‘ “When Will I Be Loved” that was made famous by Ronstadt in 1975.

The CMA Awards air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena November 9 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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Micky Dolenz plans to celebrate the 55th anniversary of The Monkees‘ third album, Headquarters, on his upcoming tour. But ahead of that, the album will get the super deluxe treatment this month.

Due out November 18, Headquarters: Super Deluxe Edition features four CDs, plus a 7″ vinyl single featuring “All of Your Toys” b/w “The Girl I Knew Somewhere.” Only 4,000 copies will be available worldwide; you can pre-order the package now at Monkees.com.

Headquarters, released in 1967, was the first album The Monkees made after finally securing artistic control over their own music. It was the group’s third straight number-one album; all were released in less than a year.

The expansive set contains 69 previously unreleased recordings, including backing tracks created for a version of the album spearheaded by Don Kirshner, which was ultimately abandoned. Early demos, as well as recordings which were ultimately completed for the band’s 2016 album Good Times!, round out the package.

“Headquarters will always hold a special place in my heart,” says Dolenz in a statement. “I remember the camaraderie, the collaboration, the enthusiasm and the occasional creative angst. And I particularly remember lying on the floor behind my drumkit between takes eating sunflower seeds.”

The Monkees Celebrated by Micky Dolenz tour starts April 1 in Orlando, Florida and will feature Dolenz, the sole surviving member of the group, performing the Headquarters album each night plus all the group’s biggest hits. Tickets for the trek, which wraps up April 27 in Ontario, go on sale this Friday, also at Monkees.com.

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This month will officially mark 40 years since Michael Jackson released his groundbreaking sixth studio album, Thriller. To celebrate the milestone, the late singer’s estate has teamed with Sony Music to launch a global anniversary campaign.

This worldwide initiative will allow fans across the globe to celebrate the late singer’s legacy. Two immersive fan experiences have been announced for Dusseldorf, Germany and New York City. Both events will offer photo ops, track-focused experiences, interactive elements and elements for social media engagement.

Germany’s event will run November 10 through November 13, while New York City’s will be held November 18 to November 20. Registration for both events is now open on the Michael Jackson website. 

That’s not all: There will also be Thriller-themed parties held across the world that will allow fans to learn the story behind Michael’s groundbreaking album by giving them an exclusive peek at the Thriller 40 documentary.  Tickets for these parties — which will be held in major cities such as London, Toronto, Madrid, Amsterdam and Seoul — will be sold on Michael’s official website.

Aside from the one-time-only screenings, there will also be fan events held worldwide that’ll feature DJs, short film screenings, giveaways and more. Details on how to register are forthcoming.

Michael released Thriller on November 30, 1982. It is hailed as 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.

On November 18, Sony Music 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.

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