Year In Review - July - October

Audio By Carbonatix

JULY

• Sting marked the 35th anniversary of his live album “Bring On The Night,” by releasing a new video for the title track on YouTube.
• Jim Morrison was honored with a ceremony at Paris’ Pere-Lachaise cemetery. Fans from around the world gathered for the 50th anniversary of The Doors frontman’s death.
• UB40 has named a new singer after frontman Duncan Campbell announced he was retiring after suffering a seizure. The band announced that Matt Doyle, from the reggae band KIOKO, was taking his place.
• Ringo Starr’s annual “peace and love” birthday celebration took place, with the Beatles drummer, who turned 81, making an appearance in front of his peace-sign statue in the park at the corner of Santa Monica and Canon in Beverly Hills.
• A previously unreleased George Harrison demo, “Cosmic Empire,” dropped ahead of the 50th anniversary reissue of his album “All Things Must Pass.”
• The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach announced he was directing a feature documentary on the late Dr. John – AKA Mac Rebannack, who died in 2019. 
• Documentaries about the Bee Gees and Tina Turner were nominated for Emmys.
• A new Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers video for the song “Angel Dream: No 2,” from the album “Angel Dream” was released. It was from a re-imagined record of songs from the soundtrack to the 1996 Ed Burns-directed movie “She’s The One.”
• After an online debate, Bruce Springsteen’s longtime manager John Landau settled an age-old debate about the lyrics of the song “Thunder Road, confirming that Mary’s dress “sways,” not “waves.
• Journey’s album “Escape” was certified Diamond, their second to be certified Diamond by the RIAA.
• Kansas vocalist and violinist Robby Steinhardt died from complications from acute pancreatitis. He was 71.
• The Who’s longtime roadie Dave “Cy” Langston passed away after a short illness.
• Bob Dylan returned to the stage for the first time since the pandemic when he performed his virtual concert on the platform Veeps.
• In honor of her husband Carl Dean’s birthday, Dolly Parton shared on Instagram that she had a photoshoot where she recreated her 1978 "Playboy" cover, bunny suit and all, for his gift.
• Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell and Motown founder Berry Gordy were announced as the latest artists to receive Kennedy Center Honors.
• Eric Clapton announced that he would no longer play any venue that required proof of vaccination to attend.
• A 15-year long battle over James Brown’s Estate was finally settled. Since Brown’s Christmas 2006 death, several heirs, including children, grandchildren, and even a his so-called ex-wife, had been fighting over his estate, which is estimated to be anywhere between $5 million to $100 million
• Mick Jagger’s son Gabriel, whose mom is model Jerry Hall, married Swiss socialite Anouk Winzenried in London
• Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington underwent emergency heart surgery.
• John “Hutch” Hutchinson, early David Bowie collaborator who played guitar on “Space Oddity,” died at 73 after a long illness.
• ZZ Top’s longtime bassist and vocalist Dusty Hill passed away at the age of 72. No cause of death was given. About a week later the band returned to the stage with their longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis filling Dusty’s role, and, Billy Gibbons paying tribute to Dusty on stage.
• Rick Astley’s classic single “Never Gonna Give You Up” officially reached over one billion views on YouTube.
• Drummer Charles Connor, an influential drummer who played with Little Richard, died at the age of 86.

AUGUST

• Paul Cotton, singer and guitarist of the 70s country-rock band Poco, “passed away unexpectedly, peacefully.” He was 78.
• Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett hit the stage together, headlining “One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga,” at New York’s Radio City Music Hall as part of Tony’s 95^th birthday celebration. It was billed as Bennett’s final New York concerts.
• The Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts dropped out of the band’s “No Filter” tour after undergoing an unspecified medical procedure.
• Kool & the Gang co-founder Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, died in his sleep at the age of 70.
• Van Morrison dropped his legal challenge against the Northern Irish government over the local ban on live music due to COVID.
• Bob Dylan won a lawsuit brought by the estate of his former collaborator, Jacques Levy. Levy’s wife claimed he was owed money from the sale of Dylan’s catalog, but a judge agreed with Dylan and UMG’s lawyers’ argument that Levy didn’t own the material, and he would only get a share of songwriting royalties. 
• Members of Prince’s Estate sold off the rights to his catalog to New York independent music publisher Primary Wave, which already owned the catalogs of Ray Charles and Nirvana.
• The 2021 New Orleans Jazzfest was cancelled for a second year in a row due to COVID concerns. It was supposed to happen in October.
• Bruce Springsteen’s daughter Jessica Springsteen won a silver medal at the Olympics as part of the U.S. Equestrian team.
• Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie sold her15 song-catalog to the music company Hipgnosis, which acquired copyright, ownership and financial interest to the songs, and more.
• The Bonnaroo Music Festival and Milwaukee Summerfest both announced they would require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test to attend. Other festivals followed including Music Midtown, Louder Than Life and more.
• Stevie Nicks announced on social media that she was canceling her scheduled concerts due to the ongoing COVID crisis.
• Dolly Parton revealed she’s teamed with well-known author James Patterson to write the book “Run, Rose, Run” due out in 2022.
• Tony Bennett, who earlier this year announced he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, canceled 2021 tour dates “on doctors’ orders.”
• Concert promoters AEG & Live Nation announced they would be requiring proof of vaccination to attend their venues. Those who weren’t vaccinated would need a negative COVID tests in order to attend a show.
• Madonna signed a new global deal with Warner Music Group, which will bring her entire catalog to the company, and result in more music for fans.
• Bob Dylan was sued for allegedly grooming and sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl back in 1965. Court documents identified the accuser as only as “J.C." and claimed she was sexually abused by the now-80-year-old Dylan over a six-week period in New York City. A spokesperson for Dylan denied the claims, insisting, “the 56-year-old claim is untrue and will be vigorously defended."
• George Harrison’s son Dhani Harrison and his mom Olivia teamed with floral artist Ruth Davis of All for Love London to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of 1971's “All Things Must Pass,” with a very special re-do of the album’s cover as a living floral art installation
• The 50^th anniversary reissue of George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” debuted at number one on the “Billboard” Top Rock Albums chart making it the late Beatles first-ever solo number one on the Rock Albums chart.
• Neil Young pulled out of Farm Aid due to the rise in COVID cases. He said he didn’t want to play an event like that until it feels “safe for everyone.”
• The big “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert” in Central Park was called early due to severe thunderstorms in the area. Performers including Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, The Killers, Patti Smith, Elvis Costello did not get to play, although Journey, Santana and Rob Thomas, Jennifer Hudson, Earth Wind & Fire did.
• Don Everly, who along with his brother Phil made up the legendary rock and roll duo the Everly Brothers, died at his Nashville home at the age of 84.
• Aerosmith signed a new global partnership with Universal Music Group, which included their entire discography, merchandise and audio-video projects. UMG will also be Aerosmith’s home for any future projects, including new film, television and audio-visual content celebrating the band’s upcoming 50^th anniversary.
• UB40 founding member Brian Travers passed away at his home in the UK after a “long and heroic battle” with brain cancer. The saxophonist was 62.
• Legendary Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts passed away at the age of 80. Charlie had bowed out of the Stones' No Filter tour to have a procedure. No cause of death was revealed. The band said in a statement taht he "passed away peacefully in a London hospital...surrounded by his family." The band later shared a tribute video Charlie soundtracked by their song “If You Can’t Rock Me.” The video featured archival footage of Watts onstage, in the studio, and on the set of music video shoots with the Stones.
• Joni Mitchell was named the 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year.
• Michael Jackson’s classic album “Thriller” was certified 34-times Platinum by the RIAA, meaning the 1982 hit has now sold 34 million copies.
• Through their All Within My Hands charity Metallica donated $50,000 to relief efforts to help those affected by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that devastated Haiti earlier in the month.
• Revolutionary Jamaican producer, songwriter, and performer, Lee "Scratch" Perry, died at a hospital in Lucea, Jamaica at the age of 85.
• ABBA made their TikTOk debut, uploading a video of a piano version of "Dancing Queen." The video showed just a set of hands playing the catchy refrain.

SEPTEMBER

• The Bonnaroo Music Festival was canceled because heavy rains in Tennessee wreaked havoc in the area, causing flooded campgrounds.
• The Doobie Brothers hit pause on their 50th-anniversary reunion tour with Michael McDonald. The band postponed four shows after a member of their touring crew tested positive for COVID-19.
• ABBA announced a new album “Voyages” dropping in November, as well as a virtual concert, dubbed “ABBA Voyage,” debuting next year.
• The 50th-anniversary celebrations of John Lennon’s “Imagine” continued, with the song’s lyrics projected on landmarks around the world in honor of the milestone.
• Phil Collins discussed his ongoing health issues, and revealed that he could no longer play the drums.
• Lindsey Buckingham blamed his Fleetwood Mac firing on Stevie Nicks and the band’s manager Irving Azoff, but they both fired back, with Stevie calling it “revisionist history.”
• Bruce Springsteen helped pay tribute to the lives lost at the World Trade Center during the September 11^th attacks 20 years ago, performing “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” at the memorial service in downtown Manhattan.
• Don McLean revealed that he disinherited his daughter, singer Jackie McLean, after she opened up about her life with her famous father, describing him to "Rolling Stone" as both mentally and emotionally abusive (but not physically).
• Mick Brigden, who managed acts like the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Peter Frampton, and more, died in a freak accident at his home. He was trying to dig a grave for his family’s dog when the hole collapsed in on him, killing him instantly.
• Dolly Parton won her first-ever Emmy when her Netflix holiday film “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square” was voted Outstanding Television Movie, with Dolly picking up a trophy as executive producer.
• Elton John postponed his UK and European dates of his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” so he could get hip surgery.
• David Byrne’s “American Utopia” returned to Broadway at the St. James Theatre. It also received a special Tony Award.
• The iHeartRadio Music Festival went down in Las Vegas featuring two days of great music and great performances from artists like Cheap Trick and Journey.
• Genesis’ Phil Collins announced that the band’s new “The Last Domino? Tour” will be fans’ last chance to see them live.  The band kicked off the tour, their first tour since 2007, in Birmingham, England.
• The Rolling Stones returned to the stage for their first show since drummer Charlie Watts’ death. The band headlined a private concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts hosted by Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
• Global Citizen Live took place in eight cities, including New York, Paris, London, Los Angeles and more, and featured a lineup of truly stellar performances and even featured a surprise appearance by Paul Simon at New York's Central Park.
• Jazz saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis, best known for his work leading bands for James Brown and Van Morrison, passed away at 80 after “complications with his heart.”
• The Rolling Stones kicked off the latest leg of their “No Filter” tour in St. Louis, Missouri. On stage, the band paid tribute to late drummer Charlie Watts.
• John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen teamed up on a new single, “Wasted Days.” John wrote and produced the track with The Boss joining him on guitar and vocals. 

OCTOBER

• Former President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen brought their podcast to the page, releasing the book “Renegades: Born in the USA.”
• Billy Joel’s 1977 opus “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant” was brought to life in a new animated visual for the song.
• Tony Bennett and his wife Susan Benedetto talked to Anderson Cooper on “60 Minutes,” where they talked about the singer’s Alzheimer’s disease.
• Ringo Starr got back behind a drum kit for a good cause leading over 100 drummers for WhyHunger’s “Drum Together,” with all the musicians joining together to perform The Beatles' classic “Come Together.”
• Elton John, Ringo Starr and more were among the big names mentioned in the leaked Pandora Papers, exposing offshore dealings and assets of the world’s most powerful people.
• Aretha Franklin was honored by her hometown of Detroit, which named the Fox Creek post office after her. The building is now known as "Aretha Franklin Post Office Building.”
• A newly unearthed tape from The Beatles’ “Let It Be” sessions reportedly revealed John Lennon suggested replacing George Harrison with Eric Clapton.
• Tina Turner sold the rights to her music catalog to BMG, with a deal that included her share of her solo recordings and publishing assets, and rights to her name and image.
• While for years many people believed that Paul McCartney was to blame for The Beatles breaking up over 50 years ago, McCartney revealed in an interview it was John Lennon who was to blame for the split.
• Genesis cut their UK reunion tour short after an unidentified member of the band tested positive for coronavirus.
• Madonna celebrated the release of her concert doc “Madame X” with an intimate show in the basement of Marcus Samuelsson’s Harlem, New York restaurant Red Rooster, which spilled out on to the street.
• An article in “Rolling Stone” reported that Eric Clapton not only donated $1,300 to the UK anti-vaccine rock group Jam for Freedom, but also lent them his touring van, and gave them an undisclosed amount of money to buy a new van.
•  Deon Estus, who was the bassist for both Wham! and George Michael, passed away at the age of 65.
• Steven Van Zandt lauched the cannabis line, Little Steven’s Underground Apothecary, although it was only available in Lee and Holyoke, Massachusetts.
• Elton John’s single, "Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)," with Dua Lipa, jumped to 32 on the “Billboard” Hot 100, giving him the longest span of Top 40 appearances (excluding holiday songs), with a span of 50 years and 10 months. He first landed in the Top 40 with “Your Song,” December 19^th, 1970.
• Paul McCartney seemed to diss the Rolling Stones in an interview, calling them, “a blues cover band,” adding, “I think our net was cast a bit wider than theirs.” During the Stones’ “No Filter” show a SoFi Stadium outside of Los Angeles, Mick Jagger responded, joking that McCartney was in the crowd, adding, “he’s going to help us — he’s going to join us in a blues cover later.”
• Smokey Robinson revealed in an interview that he caught COVID before Christmas last year and it was so bad he described his condition as “touch and go.”
• Keith Richards revealed The Rolling Stones retired their 1971 hit “Brown Sugar” on their ongoing “No Filter” tour, since the blues classic references slavery in the lyrics.
• Elton John landed a new chart milestone in the UK. The singer’s single “Cold Heart,” with Dua Lipa and remixed by Pnau, landed at two on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, making it his 33^rd Top 10 single. Elton became first artist in history to score a U.K. top 10 single in six different decades.
• Ronnie Tutt, best known for being the original drummer of Elvis Presley’s TCB Band, passed away at the age of 83. No cause of death was announced.
• Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga album “Love For Sale” earned Tony a new Guinness Record. At 95, Tony he earned the record for being the oldest musician to release a collection of new material. 
• Barbra Streisand opened her wallet to help UCLA open a research institute that will focus on social issues. The institute will bear the singer’s name, and will be housed in UCLA’s division of Social Sciences
• One person died and two were injured at Phish’s concert in San Francisco after separate falls from an upper level of the Chase Center.
• Tony Bennett was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Jazz FM Awards, at Under the Bridge in West London.
• An old Grateful Dead T-shirt once owned by the band’s longtime soundman Dan Healy sold to the highest bidder for $17,640 during a Sotheby’s auction. That was more than double the original estimates of up to $8,000.
• Brian May made a surprise appearance during Roger Taylor’s show in London hitting the stage of the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, where Roger concluded a 14-date UK headlining tour in support of his solo album “Outsider.”
• Jay Black, who fronted the hit 60s group Jay and the Americans, died at 82.
• Paul McCartney revealed that he would no longer be signing an autograph or taking selfies with fans, saying it “struck me as a bit strange.”
• Paulina Porizkova’s reached a settlement in her legal battle with her late husband Ric Ocasek’s estate.
• The estate of R&B legend Luther Vandross sold the rights to his music to Primary Wave Music. The deal was reportedly worth in the $40 million range.
• Minnesota’s Congressional delegation introduced a resolution seeking to award Prince with the Congressional Gold Medal.
• The Estate of the late singer Gregg Allman signed a new deal with Sony Music Publishing, and they'll now be in control of Gregg's catalog of songs, including his solo material, and work with the Allman Brothers Band.
• The 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place in Cleveland inducting Tina Turner, Foo Fighters, Carole King, The Go-Go's, Jay-Z and Todd Rundgren. In addition, LL Cool J, Billy Preston and Randy Rhoads were honored with the Musical Excellence Award, and Kraftwerk, Gil Scott Heron and Charley Patton received the Early Influence Award.
• Jon Bon Jovi was forced to cancel a show in Miami Bach last minute after testing positive for COVID.