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Johnny Cash is Dead at 71 |
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American music takes a blow as Johnny Cash dies, just four months after his wife June Carter Cash passed away.
They were a legendary couple in country music who will be greatly missed. Cash had been hospitalized and was
unable to attend MTV's VMAs on september as a result. A spokesperson for him said he succumbed to complications
from diabetes resulting in respiratory failure at the Baptist Hospital in Nashville.
The Arkansas native was 71 and is survived by five children, including musicians Rosanne Cash and John Carter Cash.
Cash was known for his deep voice and no-nonsense lyrics about prison life, love and pain. His most recent acclaim
came from an emotional cover of Nine Inch Nail's “Hurt.” His other famous hits included "I Walk The Line",
"Folsom Prison Blues", "Ring of Fire" and "A Boy Named Sue" among many many other acclaims.
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Avril on DVD soon |
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Now that pop music has been peppered with so many Avril clones, these days Lavigne is acting out her best Green Day, Bob Dylan and Metallica impressions.
Lavigne's covers of songs by those artists appear on the bonus audio disc that comes with "My World," the singer's first DVD, due November 4, according to an Arista Records spokesperson. Green Day's "Basket Case" was a staple of her live set, while her version of Metallica's "Fuel" was performed at the mtvICON tribute to the metal band in May. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," recorded while on tour in London, appeared on the War Child: Hope various-artists benefit album in April.
Live versions of "Unwanted" and "Sk8er Boi," both recorded in Dublin, and the studio cut "Why," the B-side to an import single, round out the audio CD.
"My World" also includes more than an hour of concert footage culled from the last show of her North American Try to Shut Me Up Tour on May 18 in Buffalo, New York, and the videos for the singles "Complicated," "Losing Grip," "Sk8er Boi" and "I'm With You," as well as "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." A 40-minute behind-the-scenes documentary on the tour is also featured.
Lavigne is currently in a Los Angeles studio working on the follow-up to last year's Let Go. The new, as-yet-untitled effort is expected in the spring.
So far Lavigne, who co-wrote all of Let Go's tracks with four different songwriting parties, has only collaborated with Cliff Magness, who assisted the singer with "Complicated", "Mobile", "Unwanted", "Too Much to Ask" and "My World."
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Lenny Kravitz: Seventh album coming next spring |
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"No guests -- pure L.K." is what Lenny Kravitz promises on his seventh studio effort, due out next spring.
Splitting his recording time between Miami and New York, Kravitz maintained a back-to-basics approach.
"It's some funky rock & roll," he says. "But you'll hear some strings and orchestra on a couple of tunes -- real simple and fresh."
With eight of the album's eleven songs finished, Kravitz (who is also producing the record) cites "I Don't Wanna Be a Star"
as the one that's close to his heart. "It's just saying there's a very simple person underneath the image that's put
upon you," he says. "It's about really wanting to hold on to the simple things in life."
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Delta gets 10 nominations at the ARIA- Australian Awards |
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Singer/songwriter Delta Goodrem leads the field for the 17th annual Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Awards, with 10 nominations.
The awards will be presented Oct. 21 at the Sydney Superdome.
Goodrem, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy for Hodgkin's Disease, received the most nominations ever for a female artist.
In another ARIA first, the Sony artist has three songs: "Born To Try," "Innocent Eyes" and "Lost Without You" nominated for
top-selling single. The tracks are from her album, "Innocent Eyes." Goodrem is also nominated for single and album of the year,
best female artist, best new artist single and album, best pop release and top-selling album.
Other multiple nominees include the Waifs, with six; Powderfinger, five; the Sleepy Jackson, four; and Silverchair,
John Butler Trio and Something For Kate, with three each.
Kylie Minogue, Silverchair and Kasey Chambers topped last year's winners with three honors each.
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Backstreet Boy member is Billy Flynn |
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Kevin Richardson from the Backstreet Boys is making his West End debut in London, he's playing Billy Flynn in 'Chicago'
for the next eight weeks, he was a massive hit in the same role on Broadway.
Kevin's no stranger to acting, he was on stage before he joined the Backstreet Boys. One of his first jobs was dressing
up at Disneyland, which he says taught him a lot: "It was a very valuable experience, I was Aladdin, I was a Ninja Turtle.
When we were in the Ninja Turtle show, I slung my foot off, you know I did a martial arts kick and my foot went flying out
into the audience. That was funny actually, it wasn't embarrassing 'cos people couldn't see my face!"
Kevin also told us the Backstreet Boys are still together and they could be back in the studio soon.
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"THE JOURNEY", a new Donna Summer compilation, brings 2 new songs |
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Allegedly, Universal Records (former PolyGram) will release another Greatest Hits compilation by Donna Summer entitled
"THE JOURNEY" (due end of Septemebr!). But before you get totally bored about this news (after all, there's always a
new Donna Summer compilation popping up somewhere), this one seems to include a REAL treat for the fans: just like 1994's
"Endless Summer", the CD will include 2 new songs. And there's more: such songs were supposedly produced by nobody less than GIORGIO MORODER!!.
Hmmm... PolyGram, Giorgio, Donna, new songs... Wow, if all this information is confirmed, 2003 is really going to be an endless SUMMER!
And if it isn't enough already, there are some words that there's going to be a limited edition with a bonus CD. The two news songs
added are: "You are so Beautiful" and "Dream a lot -Theme".
Donna is also releasing her autobiography on October the 7th "Ordinary Girl - The Journey".
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"Back to the Well", Kenny Rogers new album |
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“Back to the Well,” is released on September 23rd on Dreamcatcher Records. The album, which was one and a half years in the making,
marks the 61st recording of Kenny's long and illustrious career and is already being hailed as one of his best.
Produced by Kenny Rogers, John Guess and Joe Chemay with executive producer, Jim Mazza, “Back to the Well” features a diverse line-up
of songwriters including Phil Vassar, Dolly Parton, Mark Knofler and Steve Wariner, and an equally diverse collection of songs,
including the new single out begining of September, “Handprints on the Wall,” written by Scott Innes (the voice of “Scobby-Doo”),
Claude Parish and Nelson Blanchard; and two outstanding duets, “Undercover” featuring Dolly Parton (written especially for the pair by Dolly);
and “Owe Them More Than That” with Tim McGraw, an upbeat honky-tonk that pays tribute to the trailblazers of country.
Highlights of the album also include “It’s A Beautiful Life,” written by award-winning songwriter Phil Vassar; “Love Like This”
featuring country darling Alison Krauss; “Prairie Wedding,” a tale about a man meeting his mail order bride written by Dire Straits
premier guitar player, Mark Knofler; and “Back to the Well,” a bluegrass jam that has become a favorite in Kenny’s live shows.
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Madonna nearly beats Harry Potter |
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Madonna's first fictional book, 'The English Roses', has become the fastest selling illustrated children's book of all time.
Released on September 15, the book is said to have sold more than 10,000 copies in the UK in its first week alone.
In this week's children's best-seller list, 'The English Roses' is in second place behind 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix',
selling just 220 copies less.
As previously reported, Madonna's book has been published simultaneously in more than 100 countries and in 30 languages.
Over one million copies were distributed to bookstores across the globe last week, whilst the singer/author embarked on a
high-profile marketing blitz.
'The English Roses' is the first in a series of five illustrated books by Madonna, each pitched at children aged six and over.
Based on the adventures of a red fox and a little prince, 'The English Roses' incorporates themes of friendship, jealousy and
feature sleepover parties and fairy godmothers.
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Robert Palmer dies at the age of 54 |
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On friday the 26th of September, Robert Palmer has died of a heart attack in Paris, aged 54.
The singer, who is best known for his string of Eighties hits including 'Addicted To Love' and
accompanying videos featuring wall to wall models, was holidaying in the French capital.
His manager confirmed that he died of a heart attack in the early hours of friday morning.
He was on route to his home in Switzerland with his partner Mary Ambrose after recording a television appearance in London.
'Addicted To Love' won Palmer a Grammy for Best Rock Performance in 1987 and his recent album, 'Drive', saw the musician go
back to basics with a collection of simple blues arrangements.
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Gloria Estefan is coming back with 'Unwrapped' |
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After a six year hiatus, five-time Grammy Award winner, Gloria Estefan, released on 25/09/03 her much-anticipated English language CD titled
"Unwrapped". Many anticipate that this album, which contains 14 tracks in English and 4 in Spanish, will become the defining English language
CD in her career.
The first single off "Unwrapped" titled "Wrapped"/"Hoy" hit the No 1 position on the Billboard Latin Charts making this Gloria's 12th No 1 hit.
With this chart position, Gloria becomes the female artist with the most No 1 hits on the Billboard Latin Charts.
"Unwrapped," lyrically resembles a photo album filled with snap shots of Gloria's life. This is her most personal work yet. In this album,
she taps into her abilities as a songwriter, producer and singer. She not only wrote most of the lyrics and music of the eighteen tracks,
but also co-produced the entire CD. The music was recorded live bringing all the musicians and vocalist to record their takes simultaneously.
Some of the best musicians in the world, including Manu Katache (Sting & Peter Gabriel's drummer) and El Papa Pastor (Carlos Vive's bassist)
collaborated in this production. Leaving horns and congas out, a rich fusion of sounds was created. The integration of unexpected instrumentation
such as Andean pan pipes and pedal steel guitars all while incorporating unique percussion sequences gives this CD a provocative new sound.
Collaborations with world known recording artists, Stevie Wonder and Chrissie Hynde, add to the lush and powerful sound of this album.
To further invoke the personal nature of this CD, Gloria's body is utilized in a very unexpected fashion. Puerto Rican artist Carlos Betancourt,
used her body as a canvas for the album cover, creating a visually stimulating body of work that further supports the personal character of
this album.
As a gift to her fans, Gloria commissioned her son Nayib to direct and produce a documentary entitled "Famous," an up close and personal look
into Gloria's life away from the stage. This one hour DVD is included alongside the CD.
Gloria Estefan co-directed, along with husband Emilio Estefan, the music video for the first single "Wrapped"/"Hoy". For the first time ever,
the sacred land of Machu Picchu was used for the filming of a music video.
Coinciding with her CD release is the official website http://www.gloriaestefan.com designed by the Factory Interactive in Miami, Florida.
To support this album, Gloria is on an extensive promotional tour throughout Europe, Australia, Asia, Latin America & the United States.
On October 10-19 she will take over The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas for seven shows entitled "Gloria Estefan Live & Unwrapped."
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