Rosa Lee Hawkins, an original member of the New Orleans R&B vocal trio The Dixie Cups, died Tuesday at a hospital in Tampa, Florida, NOLA.com reports. She was 76.
Rosa’s older sister and fellow original Dixie Cups singer Barbara Hawkins revealed that she died from internal bleeding and other complications after undergoing a surgical procedure last week.
The Dixie Cups are best known for their chart-topping 1964 smash “Chapel of Love,” as well as for their hit 1965 rendition of “Iko Iko,” which was based on a traditional Mardi Gras Indian chant.
The group also had top-40 hits in 1964 with “People Say” and “You Should Have Seen The Way He Looked at Me.”
The Dixie Cups’ third original member, Joan Marie Johnson — a cousin of the Hawkins sisters — left the group in 1966 and passed away in 2016.
Rosa Lee and Barbara Hawkins continued to perform as The Dixie Cups with various third members. The most recent lineup also featured their childhood friend Athelgra Neville, a sister of the famed New Orleans sibling group The Neville Brothers.
“The most important thing to Rosa, after her son and me and her grandchildren and nieces and nephews, was singing,” Barbara told NOLA.com. “She was very happy when she was onstage. Her whole attitude and demeanor were different because she was doing something she loved.”
The Dixie Cups hadn’t performed live since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but they had been scheduled to take part in the 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Barbara says she and Athelgra still plan to perform in her honor.
“[Rosa] had said, ‘I’ll probably go before you, but please don’t stop singing,'” noted Barbara. “I love her like I still love my mom…I will always love her.”
(WASHINGTON) — As President Joe Biden headed to Capitol Hill on Thursday in an attempt to persuade Democratic lawmakers to back a major change to the Senate’s rules that would allow voting rights legislation to move forward, two key Democratic senators again rejected the idea.
Making the trip risked his political capital, after delivering an impassioned speech Tuesday in which he said there was “no option” except for senators to do away with the filibuster — a rule that requires 60 votes, rather than a simple majority of 50, to advance most legislation — if the bills could not be advanced another way.
“I’ve been having these quiet conversations with members of Congress for the last two months,” he said Tuesday. “I’m tired of being quiet!”
The president entered the Democratic caucus room to applause shortly after 1 p.m.
But Biden quickly faced a losing battle in transforming his rhetoric into action as a pair of Democratic senators — Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona — repeated their steadfast opposition to changing the filibuster.
Even as he headed to Capitol Hill Thursday, Sinema made a Senate floor speech saying she would not support changing the rule.
“There’s no need for me to restate my longstanding support for the 60-vote threshold to pass legislation. There’s no need for me to restate its role in protecting our country from wild reversals of federal policy,” Sinema said. “This week’s harried discussions about Senate rules are but a poor substitute for what I believe could have and should have been a thoughtful public debate at any time over the past year.”
“Demands to eliminate this threshold from whichever party holds the fleeting majority amount to a group of people separated on two sides of a canyon, shouting that solution to their colleagues,” she added.
And soon after, Manchin told reporters he thought Sinema did a “great job” in her floor speech and said that the Senate needs “rules changes” but “not getting rid of the filibuster” — a blow to Biden before he even arrived on the Hill for the Democratic caucus lunch.
After emerging from the closed-door meeting with Senate Democrats, Biden said, “The honest to God answer is, I don’t know whether we can get this done.” He added, “I hope we can get this done, but I’m not sure. But one thing for certain, one thing for certain. Like every other major civil rights bill that came along, if we miss the first time, we can come back and try it a second time. We missed this time.”
He referred to efforts in Republican-led states to pass more restrictive voting laws. “The state legislative bodies continue to change the law, not as to who can vote, but who gets to count the vote. Count the vote. Count the vote. It’s about election subversion, not just whether or not people get to vote: who counts the vote. That’s what it’s about. That’s what makes this so different than anything else we’ve ever done.”
Biden has made clear this week who he thinks would be to blame if he’s unsuccessful: Republicans, who he said Tuesday were choosing the side of standing in the way of advancing civil rights if they block the bills.
And all 50 Republican senators oppose the bills, which Democrats say are needed to create national standards for making voting more accessible and to put a check on new state laws that make it more difficult for members of minority groups and others to cast their ballots.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared visibly angry Wednesday as he blasted Biden’s speech, calling it “profoundly, profoundly unpresidential.” He deemed the remarks a “rant” that “was incoherent, incorrect and beneath his office.”
When asked by ABC News about McConnell’s rebuke, Biden said: “I like Mitch McConnell. He’s a friend.”
Despite Biden’s support for a carveout to the filibuster, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Wednesday that Democrats planned to use existing rules to prevent Republicans from using the filibuster to block debate from starting.
House Democrats are expected to replace an existing piece of legislation — one that would not require a vote for debate to begin — with both the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, allowing them to bypass Republicans’ attempts to block the legislation from debate.
“The Senate will finally debate voting rights legislation, and then every Senator will be faced with a choice of whether or not to pass the legislation to protect our democracy,” Schumer wrote in a memo to the Democratic Caucus Wednesday.
Still, Republicans will have another opportunity to block the bill from passing by filibustering before debate ends. Without changing the rules around the filibuster, the legislation will still require 60 votes to pass.
Biden, a veteran of the Senate and a self-described “institutionalist,” has undergone an evolution in his view of the filibuster during the first year as president.
In an interview in March, Biden told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that he supports bringing back the “talking filibuster,” a version of the rule that would require a senator to “stand up and command the floor” and “keep talking” in order to hold up legislation.
Biden went further during a CNN town hall in October, noting that he would be open to “fundamentally altering” the filibuster on issues of particular consequence like voting rights.
But Biden’s most definitive comments came in December while speaking with ABC News’ David Muir, saying he would support a carveout to the filibuster in order to pass the voting rights legislation if that was the “only thing” standing in the way.
“If the only thing standing between getting voting rights legislation passed and not getting passed is the filibuster, I support making the exception of voting rights for the filibuster,” Biden told Muir.
ABC News’ Trish Turner and Allison Pecorin contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Embassy and other parts of the Green Zone in Baghdad were attacked by “terrorist groups” Thursday, according to the embassy.
“The U.S. Embassy compound was attacked this evening by terrorist groups attempting to undermine Iraq’s security, sovereignty and international relations,” the embassy said in a tweet. “We have long said that these sorts of reprehensible attacks are an assault not just on diplomatic facilities, but on the sovereignty of Iraq itself.”
This is the latest rocket or drone attack on the U.S. presence in Iraq and neighboring Syria in recent weeks, though so far none have caused any American casualties.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Iran-backed militias have conducted previous attacks, including last Thursday, calling them retribution for the U.S. strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani two years ago this month.
Security sources told ABC News that three rockets were fired from the Dora area, south of Baghdad. Two were intercepted, and one landed inside a school in the Green Zone, causing damage and injuring a woman and a girl.
“In a cowardly terrorist act, the innocent residents of the Green Zone in Baghdad and the headquarters of the diplomatic missions that the Iraqi security forces bear the responsibility of protecting were attacked by a number of missiles launched from the Dora area south of the capital, which led to the injury of a girl and a woman,” the Iraqi government said.
The Green Zone is a heavily fortified area of Iraq that is home to various governmental buildings as well as several foreign embassies.
“We’re still assessing the damage,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday. “We’re still assessing the health and safety of our people.”
ABC News’ Luis Martinez contributed to this report.
After two men were arrested earlier this week in connection with the murder of Young Dolph, a third suspect was taken into custody Wednesday.
Shundale Barnett, 27, has been charged with being an after-the-fact accessory to first-degree murder, according to HipHopDX.com.
U.S. Marshall Tyreece Miller said that after a $15,000 reward was offered for information leading to an arrest, over 500 tips were received, taking the investigation to Indianapolis, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Hampton, Virginia.
As previously reported, Justin Johnson, 23, was captured on Tuesday afternoon, nearly a week after law enforcement announced that he was wanted by police in connection with a number of alleged charges, including first-degree murder, criminal attempted first-degree murder and property theft.
A second suspect, Cornelius Smith, 32, was indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday on first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of the Memphis rapper, said Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich.
Smith was also indicted on additional charges of attempted first-degree murder, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony and property theft. Young Dolph’s brother, who was with the rapper when he was killed, is the victim in the attempted murder count.
Young Dolph, whose given name was Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., was shot and killed in Memphis on November 17 while visiting Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies, a bakery in South Memphis that the rapper was known to frequent. He was 36.
Luke Bryan premiered the music video for his current single, “Up,” today, giving his mid-tempo ode to small-town life an equally sentimental visual treatment.
The clip — which premiered exclusively on Facebook — starts with Luke sitting in a barn after sundown, watching old home movies on a projector.
As memories flood the barn, a collection of people watching along with Luke begins to grow. We see families smiling together and folks of all ages following along with the videos, ultimately heading outside to release lit-up paper lanterns into the night sky.
There’s a bittersweet real-life story behind the shoot: The home movies Luke’s watching are personal ones, and director Shaun Silva captured the singer’s reaction to seeing them for the first time. Among the videos are Luke holding his kids, fishing with his dad and hunting with his sons. One snippet is a closeup shot of Luke’s brother, Chris, who died in a car accident at age 26.
“When I saw the footage of my boys with both their grandfathers, and then the close-up clip of my brother basically looking at me, it was so overwhelming,” says Luke. “I could not be prouder, not only of the message of this song, but also how this video turned out.”
“Up” is the sixth single off Luke’s latest album, Born Here Live Here Die Here.
A variety of famous music stars, including The Rolling Stones‘ Keith Richards, The Beach Boys‘ Brian Wilson and Billy Joel, have paid homage to legendary Ronettes singer Ronnie Spector, who died Wednesday of cancer at age 78.
Richards, who was a longtime friend of Ronnie’s and had a brief romance with her during the 1960s, wrote on his social media pages, “This is so sad. Ronnie was a very dear friend and she leaves a huge gap. How I’m going to miss that infectious laugh and that great voice! My deepest condolences to her family and loved ones.”
Wilson was a huge fan of The Ronettes’ 1963 hit “Be My Baby,” which inspired him to write “Don’t Worry Baby.” He presented “Don’t Worry Baby” to Ronettes producer Phil Spector for the group to record, but Phil turned it down, and it went on to become a hit for The Beach Boys in 1964.
Paying homage to Ronnie, Brian wrote on Twitter, “I loved her voice so much and she was a very special person and a dear friend. This just breaks my heart. Ronnie’s music and spirit will live forever.”
Accompanying the post is a YouTube video featuring footage of Ronnie visiting Brian backstage at a 2002 New York City concert. In the clip, she gushes at how much she loved “Don’t Worry Baby” and serenades a swooning Wilson.
Joel, whose classic song “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” was covered by Ronnie and Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band in 1977, writes, “The great Ronnie Spector has died. So many faces in and out of my life…We mourn her passing.”
In addition, Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan posted a video of him performing an acoustic version of the Ronettes hit “Baby, I Love You.”
Here are some other tributes to Ronnie from various well-known artists:
Joan Jett: “Our dear friend Ronnie Spector, has passed. She was the sweetest person you could ever know. And her mark on rock and roll is indelible.”
The Beach Boys’ Al Jardine: “So sad to hear about Ronnie.”
“Little Steven” Van Zandt: “RIP Ronnie Spector. It was an honor to Produce her and encourage her to get back on stage where she remained for the next 45 years. Her record with the E Street Band helped sustain us at a very precarious time…Condolences to her husband and family.
Southside Johnny: “She was definitely one of the high points of my teenage years, one of the high points of my touring life. When she came on stage with The Jukes the crowd went crazy. And, I got to play castanets! Who could ask for more. Rest in a groove, Ronnie.”
The Bangles‘ Susanna Hoffs: “Peace and Love, Ronnie Spector.”
Darlene Love: “I’m in total shock! Did not see this one coming. Please give me time to process my thoughts to give Ronnie the proper tribute she deserves. She and I shared so much together.”
Go-Go’s bassist Kathy Valentine: “this totally blows. f*** cancer. RIP the legend Ronnie Spector. Thank you for the music, for being so freaking cool.”
The Pointer Sisters: “Condolences to family & friends of #RonnieSpector RIP”
Jimmy Webb: Sad to hear that #RonnieSpector left us today. #TheRonettes and Roni were a main part of the soundtrack of the early 60’s & ‘Be My Baby’ was certainly a signature song. Ronnie’s vocals rang out with her beautiful clear voice across the radio waves. Rest in power, Roni.”
Nominees are going to have to choose between which awards show to attend this March 13, as the COVID-delayed Critics Choice Awards (CCA) has rescheduled to the same date as the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) celebration.
The uptick in Omicron cases prompted the change.
In a statement, Berlin said, “We could have proceeded with our original January 9th date with limited attendance or switched to a virtual awards show like we did last year, but we decided to wait until we could safely gather in person and truly celebrate…”
CCA president Joey Berlin explained to The Hollywood Reporter of the conflict, “Our choice is to do a show on March 13 or not do a show.” Berlin noted several issues with broadcasting windows and available venues in Los Angeles led them to the new date.
Berlin explained to the trade that organizers of the BAFTAs, “were really gracious” about the situation, and explained that due to the timezone difference, the CCAs would stage a breakfast for L.A.-based BAFTA nominees so they can attend the UK-based awards show via satellite.
As previously reported, Taye Diggs and Nicole Byer will host the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards live from the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles starting at 8 p.m. on CW and TBS.
Belfast and West Side Story lead this year’s Critics Choice Awards film contenders with earned eleven nominations each; HBO’s Succession leads the pack on the TV side with eight.
Ronnie Spector in 1977, while promoting her single “Say Goodbye to Hollywood”; Tom Sheehan/Sony Music Archive via Getty Images
Billy Joel‘s 1976 song “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” was directly inspired by The Ronettes‘ “Be My Baby,” so it’s no wonder he’s paid tribute to the group’s iconic frontwoman Ronnie Spector, who died yesterday at the age of 78 after a brief battle with cancer.
“The great Ronnie Spector has died,” Billy wrote on his website. “So many faces in and out of my life…We mourn her passing.”
“So many faces in and out of my life” is a lyric from “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” but in addition to being fitting words, there’s another reason why Billy quoted it: In 1977, Ronnie, backed by Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band, recorded “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” herself.
Spector’s passing was also mourned by rock legends like Rolling Stone Keith Richards and The Beach Boys‘ Brian Wilson, as well as the E Street Band’s Little Steven Van Zandt and a number of famous female artists, including:
Cyndi Lauper, who tweeted a photo of herself with Spector and a broken heart emoji
Joan Jett: “Our dear friend Ronnie Spector, has passed. She was the sweetest person you could ever know. And her mark on rock and roll is indelible.”
The Bangles‘ Susanna Hoffs: “Peace and Love, Ronnie Spector.”
Darlene Love: “I’m in total shock! Did not see this one coming. Please give me time to process my thoughts to give Ronnie the proper tribute she deserves. She and I shared so much together.”
Go-Go’s bassist Kathy Valentine: “this totally blows. f*** cancer. RIP the legend Ronnie Spector. Thank you for the music, for being so freaking cool.”
Tai Verdes has released a new single called “LAst dAy oN EaRTH,” in which he imagines what he’d do if he only had 24 hours to live.
“I made this song for the purpose of reflection. I want everyone to listen to this song, you know…really listen to it,” he explains. “To stop, breathe in the air, feel, think about where they are, and realize that this isn’t gonna last forever, and by ‘this’ I mean life.”
“Sometimes, life’s journey can feel long, sometimes it feels short, but we all know it’s going to end,” he adds. “It’s kind of like jumping out of a plane. We’re all in the freefall, and sometimes we just get so caught we don’t realize it.”
Tai also says it’s “time for everyone to see the world in HD,” and on Instagram, he writes that the song is the “first episode of HDTV.” Since Tai’s debut album was called TV, and his upcoming tour is called the HDTV Tour, it’s possibly that HDTV is also the title of his next project.
The tour kicks off April 19 in Santa Ana, CA and is right now scheduled to wrap up in L.A. on May 22. He’s also planning to perform at a number of festivals, including Bonnaroo, Bottlerock, Lollapalooza Argentina and the U.K.’s Reading [PR: Redding] and Leeds festivals.
And if all this Tai Verdes news is making you hungry, you can order a custom Tai Verdes Bowl at Chipotle, which features the chain’s new plant-based chorizo.
After previously saying only that it’ll be out in spring 2022, Thomas now has an exact release date for fans: Where We Started will arrive April 1.
He also shared the cover art on social media, revealing a close-up shot of his face in sepia tones. The album’s title is written on the top right corner in bold, orange print.
Eager fans can look out for something special in mere hours, since Thomas also said he’s planning to drop not one but two songs off Where We Started on Friday at midnight. It’s still not clear what those songs might be, although TR has been sharing plenty of unreleased music on his socials over the past several months. It’s certainly possible that fans have already heard acoustic snippets of some of the songs on Where We Started.
The upcoming project is sandwiched between Country Again Side A and Side B. Thomas dropped Side A last year, and he’s planning to put out Side B in the fall.
When he first announced that Where We Started was coming out in addition to Side B, the singer told fans his wealth of new music was due to writing “so many songs” during the COVID-19 pandemic and first year back on the road.
“What we have decided to do is put out two albums next year,” he said at the time.
