Year In Review - November & December

Audio By Carbonatix

NOVEMBER

• The Rolling Stones shared a cool new video for their 1981 hit “Start Me Up.” The band teamed with Boston Dynamics for the clip, which saw robots mimicking all of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ronnie Wood’s moves.
• Paul McCartney released “The Lyrics,” a song book featuring 154 tunes from his discography, including an unearthed set of lyrics of a never-before-heard Beatles song, “Tell Me Who He Is.”
• Madonna appeared in a new photo spread for “V” magazine, in which she recreated Marilyn Monroe’s last photoshoot, Bert Stern’s "The Last Sitting (1962)," which took place six weeks before her death.
• U2 joined TikTok, making their catalog available to users who want to add their tunes to soundtrack their clips.
• Elton John launched his own signature eyewear line, Elton John Eyewear, which will be sold at Walmart and Sam’s Club.
• Barry Gibb was honored with his very own set of stamps by the Isle Of Man Post Office. The Bee Gees co-founder, who was born in the Isle of Man before moving to Australia when he was nine, was celebrated for his career and charitable work.
• Ronnie Wilson, founding member of the 70s/80s R&B group The Gap Band, died at his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was 73.
• After a two-year hiatus, Bob Dylan resumed his “Never Ending” tour, which first launched in 1988.
• Paul McCartney and Third Man Records teamed up for a mini-documentary, “McCartney/333.” The doc dove into the vinyl pressing process for the limited “333 Edition” of Paul’s acclaimed 2020 solo album “McCartney III.”
• Lionel Richie signed a new global publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group, which included all the songs he wrote during his solo career, including hits like “Lady,” “All Night Long,” “Hello,” “We Are The World,” and more.
• Billy Joel returned return to the stage at Madison Square Garden in New York, his 120^th lifetime performance at the legendary arena. It marked the return of Billy’s residency, with the last show taking place February 20, 2020, before concerts shut down due to the pandemic.
• Dionne Warwick made a surprise appearance on “Saturday Night Live”, where she was interviewed…by herself. The cameo came during the recurring "The Dionne Warwick Talk Show" segment, with Ego Nwodim playing Dionne.
• UB40 founding member Astro passed away at the age of 64 following a short illness.
• Music prodigy Nandi Bushell went head-to-head with Queen’s Roger Taylor in a drum off.
• Van Morrison was sued for defamation after criticizing North Ireland’s response to COVID. Specifically, was hit with a defamation suit for his comments about North Ireland’s Health Minister Robin Swann.
• Diana Ross was confirmed for the legend’s spot at next year's Glastonbury Festival. She was initially booked to play the fest in 2020 but the fest was canceled due to COVID.
• Elton John was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour, a special award given to those who have “made a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine or government lasting over a period of time.” It is one of the highest honors bestowed to British citizens by Queen Elizabeth.
• “Radhe Shaam,” a previously unreleased single featuring Beatles legends George Harrison and Ringo Starr, was released.
• Graeme Edge, cofounding drummer of The Moody Blues, passed at 80 years old.
• After Paul McCartney called the Rolling Stones a blues cover band, The Who’s Roger Daltrey piled on the insults calling them “a mediocre pub band!’”
• ABBA new album “Voyage,” debuted at two on the “Billboard” 200 Album chart.
• U2 celebrated 30^th anniversary of their classic album “Achtung Baby” with a new digital box set and more.
• Genesis kicked off the North American leg of their “The Last Domino?” tour and performed the 1980 track “Misunderstanding,” from the album “Duke.” It was reportedly the first time they played it in entirety since 1984’s “Mama” tour.
• Paul McCartney career-spanning book “The Lyrics” was named Barnes & Noble's Book of the Year for 2021.
• Philip Margo, who as a member of The Tokens is best known for singing the 1960s cover of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” died at the age of 79 after suffering a stroke.
• Screenwriter Anthony McCarten sued the producers of the Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” over the 2018 biopic’s profits.
• ABBA’s greatest hits album, “Gold,” which was released in 1992, was BRIT Certified 20x Platinum status in the UK, which represents six million copies sold.
• Eric Clapton shared his anti-vax stance during an appearance on The Defender, a podcast hosted by vocal anti-vaccine campaigner Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and JFK’s nephew.
• Mick Rock, the photographer of David Bowie, Andy Warhol, Queen, Madonna, and Blondie, passed away at the age of 72.
• Tiffany lashed out at the audience of her in Lake Park, Florida show, after she struggled through her biggest hit “I Think We’re Alone Now.”
• Longtime Beach Boys collaborator Billy Hinsche passed away of cancer at the age of 70.
• Ringo Starr launched a MasterClass on drumming, where members got a peek into the former Beatle’s creative process, as well as the basics of drumming, songwriting and more.
• Nominees for the 64^th Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced with Sir Paul McCartney earning two rock nods, Best Rock Album for “McCartney III,” and Best Rock Song for “Finding My Way.”
• ABBA earned their first-ever GRAMMY nomination when “I Still Have Faith In You,” the first single from their recently released album “Voyages,” received a GRAMMY nomination for Record of the Year,
• Peter Jackson’s three-part, six-hour Beatles documentary “Get Back” debuted on Disney +.
• Madonna received some backlash after posting a series of photos, one of which showed her with photographer Steven Klein pointing a knife at her neck. The photo was part of a recent “V” photoshoot, with Madonna taking to Instagram to praising all those involved who she says donated her time to the project.
• Stephen Sondheim, Broadway songwriting titan, died at his home in Roxbury, CT at 91 years old.
• Madonna blasted Instagram for taking down a photo she posted that showed a small part of her nipple.
• Dionne Warwick and Chance The Rapper released the collaboration "Nothing's Impossible."
• Bryan Adams tested positive for COVID for the second time this month (he previously tested positive ahead of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction). He was hospitalized after his latest positive test.

DECEMBER

• Dolly Parton was named one of People magazine’s "People of the Year,” which honored trailblazers in their fields who have tried to help make the world a little bit better.
• Elton John dropped a surprise three-part documentary accompanying his collaborative album “The Lockdown Sessions.”
• Elton John and Ed Sheeran released their holiday collaboration, "Merry Christmas,” with proceeds going to the Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation & [the Elton John Aids Foundation]."
• Following the recovery from an unscheduled heart procedure, Carlos Santana announced that all of his December shows at "the House of Blues Las Vegas" had been canceled.
• Former Led Zeppelin touring manager Richard Cole passed away at 75 after a long illness. Robert Plant paid tribute to Richard on Twitter, sharing a blurry photo with him and writing, “Farewell Ricardo… sadly no more tall tales… brave to the end.”
• The University of Florida honored Tom Petty with a posthumous doctorate in honor of his Floridian roots.
• Joni Mitchell and Bette Midler were among the stars in Washington DC to accept a Kennedy Center Honors award.
• Charlie Watts was honored by his friends, family, fellow musicians, and fellow Rolling Stones at a private celebration of his life in London. The event took place at the late drummer’s favorite jazz club, Ronnie Scott’s in Soho.
• Jame's Brown's drummer, Melvin Parker, passed away in Baltimore, Maryland. He was 77 years old.
• Michael Nesmith, guitarist and singer of the 60s group The Monkees, passed away at the age of 78. According to his family he died “peacefully and of natural causes.”
• Nominees for the 79^th Annual Golden Globe Awards were announced, with Van Morrison and Carole King among this year’s nominees.
• Rolling Stones topped Pollstar’s year-end touring numbers with the “No Filter” bringing in the most dough, $115.5 million.
• After the 15-year long battle over James Brown’s estate was finally settled his heirs sold his estate to Primary Wave Music.
• Les Emmerson, frontman of the Canadian rock group Five Man Electrical Band and writer of the classic “Signs,” passed away at the age of 77.
• An official music video for George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" was released featuring 40 different actors, comedians, directors, musicians, artists, and other creatives.
• The Knicks’ Dave Davies announced he was releasing the autobiography "Living On A Thin Line” in July.
• Remains found four decades ago in Ohio were identified as The O'Jays' songwriter and guitarist Frank "Frankie" Little Jr.
• Eric Clapton successfully sued a woman over an $11 bootleg of a concert.
• Wanda Young, a member of the 1960s group The Marvelettes, died at the age of 78.
• ZZ Top sold their music catalog to BMG and KKR for the whopping sum of $50 million. This not only includes a buyout of their publishing catalog, but also income from both recorded and performance royalties
• Rod Stewart and his son Sean pled guilty "in absentia" in their 2019 arrest for battering a security guard in during a New Year's Eve bash. They were fined $675.
• Mick Jagger and brother Chris Jagger announced they will team for a podcast series through "Hot Pie Media," which Chris is a partner in.
• Bruce Springsteen sold his music catalog to Sony for a reported $500 million. Sony Music Group confirmed they acquired The Boss’ entire recorded music and songwriting catalogs in two separate agreements including publishing rights to his tunes.
• Queen guitarist Brian May announced on social that he tested positive for COVID.
• An unheard early David Bowie record sold for just over $16,000 at auction. The vinyl was recorded while Bowie was fronting Davy Jones and the Lower Third, and features his 1965 recording of "I Want Your Love."
• Elton John extended his record for the most AC number ones to 17 when “Merry Christmas,” his collab with Ed Sheeran topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary radio airplay chart