EAGLES, LENNON, SPRINGSTEEN, U2: Inspire people on Time Most Influential List
The Eagles, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen and U2 are among the artists that inspire the people on Time magazine's list of the most influential people in the world.
Representing classic rock and R&B, here are songs from the special 35-song playlist that's now posted on Spotify:
- Eagles - "Take It to the Limit"
- John Lennon - "Imagine"
- Bruce Springsteen - "Badlands"
- Bruce Springsteen - "Thunder Road"
- U2 - "When I Look at the World"
- The Beach Boys - "God Only Knows"
- The Beatles - "Blackbird"
- The Beatles - "Here Comes the Sun"
- Bob Dylan - "The Times They Are A-Changin'"
- Bob Dylan - "Things Have Changed"
- James Taylor - "Secret o' Life"
- Prince - "Sometimes It Snows in April"
- Marvin Gaye - "What's Going On"
THE MOODY BLUES: Missing Rock and Roll Hall of Fame speech
When The Moody Blues took the stage last Saturday in Cleveland to give their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction speeches, John Lodge never got the chance to deliver the one given to him by Ray Thomas just a few weeks before he died from a heart attack.
The Moody Blues' John Lodge talks about the last conversation he had with Ray Thomas:
"I spoke to him just before Christmas and of course we talked about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And he said to me, typical Ray, 'Hey Rocker, that means we're famous, doesn't it?' And I thought, 'Yeah, that's Ray.' And Ray said to me, 'John, I can't get there. But, I'd love it if you pick up the award for me.' And I said, 'Well, provided you write a few little words I can say on your behalf, of course I will.' To achieve the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, you know, I'm glad Ray knew that -- to sort of put a closure on it."
Ray's widow, Lee Thomas, writes on Facebook, "If you have seen the tapes of the induction ceremony you will know that John and Justin [Hayward] both went to the microphone to say something about Ray, and John would read Ray's words, but the sound was abruptly shut off. I would like to complete that for Ray. This is what John would have read if he had been able:
"The fans have done us proud. This (night) has come about because of their tireless efforts and belief in the band and the music. I'm very, very grateful and always a little surprised that our music seems to be a little timeless. It's something you always hope for when you are recording songs but never expect to happen. It's really rather humbling to touch that many people in different generations. There were always five of us in both [versions of the] Moodies who experienced this roller coaster ride together. I played and toured from 1964 until 2002, so I have years of great memories. I had a good run, played with the best band to the greatest audiences, a man can't ask for more than that, except to say thank you to the fans who made it possible." Ray Thomas - December 2017
Though Lee is correct in saying that John and Justin were headed back to the microphone, Justin, seeing the lights going down, was able to blurt out, “Ray Thomas, we love you!"
Ray retired from the band due to health issues. He was 76 when he died on January 4th.
PRINCE: Doctor fined for prescribing his Oxycodone
A doctor who prescribed oxycodone for Prince a week before he died has agreed to pay a $30,000 fine to the federal government.
Michael Schulenberg said he's "completely cooperating" with law enforcement.
Carver County, Minnesota officials determined that Schulenberg wrote the scrips for the painkiller to Kirk Johnson, Prince's bodyguard. Not listing Prince as the recipient is a violation of both state and federal regulations -- even though it was done "for Prince's privacy."
Bottles of several meds prescibed by Schulenberg were found in a suitcase next to Prince's bed.
The doctor's license will not be suspended. (KSTP-TV)
PRINCE: New track on the way
Prince fans got some good news on Thursday with the release of the original version of "Nothing Compares 2 U."
The track was recently discovered Michael Howe, the Prince estate's archivist, as he was going through material recorded in 1984. This version was later reworked by one of his protegees, The Family, in 1986 before Sinead O'Connor had a number-one hit with it in 1990. The track is at all digital retailers and streaming sites, and the estate also released an official video set to footage of Prince and the Revolution rehearsing for the Purple Rain tour in the summer of 1984.
In other Prince news, the estate is looking for someone to be an archives supervisor at Paisley Park Studios. The job listing posted at the American Alliance of Museums’ career website includes monitoring all the exhibits, maintaining and updating the archival database system, training archival staff, and more.
RINGO STARR: Interactive #PeaceAndLove for his birthday
Ringo Starr again will share his birthday with fans. The world's most famous drummer invites everyone everywhere to embrace his "Peace and Love" message.
For the 11th consecutive year on July 7th at 12 noon local time, he wants you to say it, think it or post #PeaceAndLove online.
The goal is a worldwide Peace and Love wave, starting at noon in New Zealand and ending at noon in Hawaii. Last year saw fans in more than 20 countries join the movement.
Hard Rock Cafe will partner with Ringo, showing his video message just before noon at all its locations. He'll be on hand at its Nice, France location.
Ringo and his All Starr Band begin their summer tour on June 2nd at the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City.
He's also posted a new video for "Give Me Love," the title song of his 2017 album.