The Who Struggle to Capture Old Sound
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gossip, Upcoming Releases, Rock
The Who "feel the ghosts" of Keith Moon and John Entwistle. The group's guitarist Pete Townshend admits he and bandmate Roger Daltrey find it difficult to capture the essence of the band without the late members, and it has been particularly hard since bassist John died in 2002.
"We feel the ghosts of Keith and John. The second phase of the Who in a sense was really when we started to tour again around the year 2000, 2001. We were still able to evoke the sound, particularly with [drummer] Zak Starkey. Now it's much more difficult even though Zak's there.
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Nas Pays Tribute to Amy Winehouse
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gossip, Music Videos, Hip-Hop & Rap
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Nas pays tribute to the late Amy Winehouse in his new music video.
The tragic singer - who died last July aged 27 - appears from beyond the grave by singing in the rapper's latest song "Cherry Wine," with her image projected onto a brick wall. The tribute ends with a black and white image of Amy with the words, "In memory, Amy Winehouse (1983 - 2011)," and Nas believes the track came directly from "God and Amy."
"It was chilling. A feeling of bitter sweetness, wishing that she was here. The director was genius. My main concern was being able to put her in the video in a respectful way," Nas told The Daily Star.
Nas has hit back at critics who claim he was cashing in on Amy's death by using her image: "I'm gonna write for my sister, that's what we do. If what had happened to her happened to me I would have expected the same from my friends."
Whitney Houston Exhibit Opens
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, R&B / Soul
An exhibition paying homage to Whitney Houston was opened in Los Angeles yesterday. The event, entitled "Whitney! Celebrating The Musical Legacy of Whitney Houston," was launched at the Grammy Museum so fans can pay their respects to the late singer as well as seeing how talented she was.
Pat Houston - Whitney's manager and sister-in-law - attended the press preview yesterday as did her other sister-in-law Donna Houston and her brother Gary. "We have picked the things that people will find the most interesting and, in many cases, bring back fun memories. We are really very overjoyed that we are here today to represent and be a part of such a wonderful and splendid career of such a beautiful and talented woman," Pat said.
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Robin Gibb Dies
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Industry News, Dance, Pop
"The family of Robin Gibb, of the Bee Gees, announce with great sadness that Robin passed away following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery. The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time," said a statement released by relatives.
Robin had surgery on his bowel last year for an unrelated condition, but a tumor was discovered and he was diagnosed with cancer of the colon and then liver. He was recently thought to be in remission, but his condition worsened when he was diagnosed with pneumonia last month.
In February Robin told how he felt "fantastic" and had made spectacular progress in his cancer battle, and even returned to the stage, receiving a standing ovation when he appeared at a London Palladium charity concert supporting injured servicemen and women with The Soldiers, performing Bee Gees tracks "How Deep Is Your Love" and "I've Gotta Get A Message To You."
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Donna Summer Has Died
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Dance, Pop
Donna Summer has died at the age of 63. The "Last Dance" singer passed away this morning in Florida after a battle with cancer. According to gossip website TMZ, the Queen of Disco had attempted to keep the extent of her illness from fans and was recently trying to finish up her latest album.
Donna was a five-time Grammy Award winner and the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach number one on the Billboard chart. She also charted four number-one singles in the United States within a thirteen-month period.
Donna, who was born LaDonna Adrian Gaines in 1948, married actor Helmuth Sommer in 1973 before giving birth to the couple's daughter Mimi later that year. Although the marriage crumbled in 1975, she kept an altered version of her ex's surname to use as her stage name. She married Brooklyn Dreams musician Bruce Sudano in 1980 and the couple went on to have two daughters, Brooklyn, born in 1981 and Amanda the following year. In 1994, the family moved from Los Angeles to Nashville where Donna took time out from showbusiness to focus on painting but had recently returned to the recording studio.
Tom Jones Wanted to Work with Whitney
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Collaborations, Blues, Pop, R&B / Soul
Tom Jones wanted to work with Whitney Houston.
The "What's New P***y Cat" singer - who has worked with the likes of Elvis Presley and the Stereophonics in the past - thinks Amy Winehouse's death at 27 last July was particularly tragic as she hadn't left a substantial body of work, unlike the "I Will Always Love You" hitmaker, who passed away in February aged 48.
"Poor Amy Winehouse. At least someone like Whitney Houston left a legacy of great stuff but Amy, she was only just getting into gear. I would love to have worked with Whitney, but I never got to," he said.
Tom is disparaging about many modern day singers, believing they are too focused on "vocal acrobatics."
"Don't get me wrong, I think there are some great voices around. But record companies hear something and they want more of it. So now if you don't put a lot of runs in, a lot of vocal acrobatics, they think you're not being modern enough. Jackie Wilson did it years ago, but when he did it, it fitted to what it was. Nowadays, because they feel it is in fashion, they do it anyway."
Adam Horovitz Pays Tribute to Beastie Boys Bandmate Adam Yauch
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Hip-Hop & Rap
Beastie Boys musician Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz has paid tribute to his late bandmate Adam Yauch following his death.
The 45-year-old star praised the hip-hop group's fans, family and friends for all the "love and support" they have shown to the 47-year-old rapper, also known as MCA, since he passed away on Friday after battling cancer in his parotid gland and a lymph node since 2009.
"as you can imagine, s**t is just fkd up right now. but i wanna say thank you to all our friends and family (which are kinda one in the same) for all the love and support. i'm glad to know that all the love that Yauch has put out into the world is coming right back at him. thank you. (sic)" Ad-Rock wrote in a post on the band's blog last night.
A number of stars have paid tribute to MCA - who founded the group with Kate Schellenbach, John Berry, and Michael Diamond (Mike D) in 1979 with Berry leaving in 1983 to be replaced by Ad-Rock - including Madonna, who took to her Facebook page to express her sadness about his passing: "The Beastie Boys were one of a kind! And so was Adam! They were all an important part of my musical history and integral to the musical revolution that was happening at the time. I'm very sad to hear about Adam's passing. God bless him and his family."
Beastie Boys Co-founder Adam Yauch Has Died
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Hip-Hop & Rap
Beastie Boys co-founder Adam Yauch has died. The 47-year-old rapper - who was diagnosed with a cancerous parotid gland and a lymph node in 2009 for which he underwent surgery and radiation therapy -passed away this morning.
Adam - who was also known by his stage name MCA - founded the group with Kate Schellenbach, John Berry, and Michael Diamond (Mike D) in 1979 with Berry leaving in 1983 to be replaced by Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock). The Beastie Boys have not performed live since the summer of 2009, and the rapper's illness prevented the group from appearing in music videos for their album "Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2."
MCA didn't attend the Beastie Boys' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two weeks ago where Ad-Rock and Mike D accepted the accolade but they read out a letter he had written. "I'd like to dedicate this to my brothers Adam and Mike," he wrote. "They walked the globe with me. It's also for anyone who has ever been touched by our band. This induction is as much ours as it is yours."
Adam is survived by his wife, Dechen Wengdu, and their daughter, Losel.
Pete Doherty Inspired by Amy’s Death
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Rock
Pete Doherty found the wake of Amy Winehouse's death an "inspiring time." The singer and songwriter was living in squalor in London when his friend died of accidental alcohol poisoning last year, and found her death spurred him to write a number of songs lamenting her.
"When Amy died I was sat in a room, a matchbox room in Camden Town, not able to leave, basically wallowing in my own filth. Literally knee deep in s**t. Literally not able to move. I couldn't speak, I couldn't see anyone, I couldn't pick up the guitar, and when I did pick up the guitar it was to write woeful ballads about how Amy wouldn't be coming around tonight. It was an inspiring time," he said.
Pete also recalled one of the last times he saw the Back to Black singer, after a secret reunion show with his old band The Libertines in August 2010: "She came to The Libertines gig at the Forum. That was one of the last nights we spent together. We came back to the hotel and she stayed all night. At one point it was me, her and Carl [Barat, former bandmate] having a little sing song, and it was all good, you know? Although she was raging drunk she kept insisting she was in The Libertines. We could just step back and do lead and rhythm guitar and she could sing."
Nas Unsure About Winehouse Duet
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Collaborations, Blues, Hip-Hop & Rap, Pop
Nas says "part" of him "didn't want to" record a posthumous song with Amy Winehouse.
The rapper had planned to write a song with Amy before her death from accidental alcohol poisoning last July, and was apprehensive about whether he should contribute to the posthumously track "Like Smoke."
"Part of me didn't want to do the song. Amy and I share a birthday, so she was my sister. And she was just so much fun to be around. She would say things about well-known people in the industry that she didn't like and it would just crack me up. We were all hoping she would pull through and come back," he said.
Nas - full name Nasir Jones - was introduced to Amy via producer Salaam Remi, and she had referenced him in her track "Me and Mr. Jones," which they had planned to record a sequel to together. The rapper has also told how making "Like Smoke," featured on the Lioness: Hidden Treasures album was a "bittersweet" experience.
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