Category: Oldies News

Motown/UMeIn the aftermath of the sudden passing of The Supremes‘ Mary Wilson on February 8, comes word that an expanded version of Wilson’s 1979 self-titled debut solo album will be released on April 16. Mary Wilson: Expanded Edition will feature the original album’s seven songs, plus eight bonus tracks, including a brand-new tune titled “Why Can’t We All Get Along” that’s been made available as an advance single. The other bonus cuts include three alternate versions of the album’s first single, “Red Hot,” and four tracks that Wilson recorded in…

Courtesy of NY PopsUpPatti Smith will play a special concert at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City on Tuesday, March 9, that will honor the memory of her late friend, lauded photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. The show, scheduled to take place at 12:30 p.m. ET, will feature the “Godmother of Punk” presenting an afternoon of music and poetry. The event is part of the ongoing NY PopsUp festival, which launched on February 20 and will continue until Labor Day, featuring a variety of cultural performances taking place across New York…

Emma McIntyre/Getty For CAREIn honor of International Women’s Day today, the humanitarian organization CARE has launched a new campaign, soundtracked with a new version of a classic tune. CARE’s #IMEVERYWOMAN Campaign will recognize the strength, resilience and leadership of women around the world. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee Chaka Khan has re-recorded her iconic song “I’m Every Woman” with Idina Menzel to help promote it. The video incorporates footage of Chaka and Idina together in the studio with images of strong women all over the world, as well…

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagicAccording to Carole King, it’s not too late for you to protect yourself against COVID-19. Inspired by Dolly Parton, who turned her classic “Jolene” into “Vaccine” while getting her COVID shot, Carole has done something similar with one of her hits: “It’s Too Late,” from her groundbreaking album Tapestry. King got vaccinated earlier on Monday.  Now she’s posted a video in which she turns “It’s Too Late” into a song urging people to do the same. “It’s not too late, baby/it’s not too late/And you really are gonna make it,”…

Jeremy Danger/Carry On MusicHeart guitarist Nancy Wilson has released the title track of her forthcoming debut solo studio album, You and Me, as a digital single and via streaming services. The arrival of the introspective acoustic tune, which you also can check out on YouTube, coincides with Monday’s International Women’s Day. Nancy wrote the song with ex-Heart drummer Ben Smith and longtime Heart collaborator Sue Ennis, who co-penned many tunes for the band with Nancy and her sister, Ann. Nancy tells ABC Audio that “You and Me” focuses on what…

Courtesy of CharityBuzzPaul Simon and James Taylor are among the many artists that have donated items and experiences to a new online charity auction benefiting the Grammy Museum and the facility’s music-education initiatives. Simon has offered an autographed poster featuring the cover art for his Grammy-winning 1986 album, Graceland, while Taylor has donated a signed Yamaha acoustic guitar. In addition, famed session guitarist Waddy Wachtel, bassist Leland Sklar and drummer Russ Kunkel, who currently play together in the band The Immediate Family, are separately auctioning virtual music lessons along with…

Courtesy of Bruce SpringsteenLast year, Bruce Springsteen released a digital-only compilation called Songs Under Cover that featured performances of various tunes by other artists that The Boss and his E Street Band have played in concert.  Now he’s issued a sequel collection called Songs Under Cover, Vol. 2. The 15-song collection boasts performances spanning from 1975 to 2016.  Like its predecessor, it’s an installment of Bruce’s The Live Series of themed playlists featuring tunes from various Springsteen concerts. Songs Under Cover, Vol. 2, which is ordered more or less chronologically,…

RhinoFleetwood Mac has made available a previously unreleased performance of the Rumours gem “Gold Dust Woman” as an advance track from the upcoming expanded reissue of the band’s 1980 concert album, Fleetwood Mac Live, which is due out on April 9. The rendition of “Gold Dust Woman” was recorded on August 29, 1977 at The Forum in Inglewood, California, and it’s part of a bonus disc included on the deluxe editions of the Live reissue that features more than an hour’s worth of unreleased performances dating from 1977 through 1982.…

Reprise RecordsThe “Retail Edition” of Neil Young‘s expansive Archives Volume II: 1972-1976 box set was released Friday, offering a less-pricey alternative to the “Deluxe Edition” that first was issued in November 2020. As previously reported, Archives Volume II features 10 CDs with a total of 131 tracks, 12 of which never appeared on any previous Young release, plus 50 unheard versions of previously issued songs. Frank “Poncho” Sampedro, who played with Young’s longtime backing band Crazy Horse from 1975 to 2014, contributed to over 20 tracks. He tells ABC Audio…

Credit: Marc TheisScorpions drummer Mikkey Dee has revealed that the veteran German rockers are almost done with their latest studio album, which they have been recording at their Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany. The Swedish-born Dee, who joined the Scorpions in 2016 after a long stint with Motorhead, reveals in a video update posted this week on his social media pages that he’s been quarantining at a hotel in Hannover because of COVID-19 protocols, and will be hitting the studio soon to finish some parts for the record. “[W]e…