CARS, DOORS, FLEETWOOD MAC: 'Record Store Day' vinyl on the way
Limited-edition vinyl releaes by The Cars, Doors, Fleetwood Mac, Frida (of ABBA), Madonna, Stevie Nicks, Paul Shaffer and Yes have been announced for April 22nd.
Rhino Records, drawing from the Warner Music labels, will take part in Record Store Day with:
The Cars - Live at the Agoura, 1978
The Doors - Live at the Matrix '67
Fleetwood Mac - Alternate Mirage
Anni-Frid Lyngstad - Frida
Madonna - Dance Mix
Stevie Nicks - Rarities 1981 - 1983
Paul Shaffer and The World's Most Dangerous Band - "Happy Street" (featuring Bill Murray)
Yes - 90125 (picture disc)
CHUCK BERRY: Rock 'n roll pioneer left a $17 million estate
Chuck Berry was one of rock 'n' roll's greatest songwriters and became one its savviest businessmen.
According to Billboard, he controlled more than $17 million in music assets, which generate up to a half-million bucks in annual royalties.
Like many artists, black and white, Chuck was taken advantage in business dealings with his label during the early years of his career. But, quoting a favorite saying of his mother -- “Don’t let the same dog bite you twice” -- Berry became a savvy negotiator over time. By the early '70s, his chart-topper "My Ding-a-Ling" earned him $250,000 (that's $1.5 million today). Berry also invested in real estate, including a 30-acre spread in the St. Louis suburb of Wentzville, Missouri.
One of Chuck's attorneys, Martin Green, said that he "negotiated a lot of contracts for himself. He handled more of his own business than most musicians could."
Well known for demanding he be paid in cash before concerts, Chuck even insisted on receiving $2,500 in a paper bag before appearing in Hail! Hail! Rock ’N’ Roll, the concert documentary celebrating his 60th birthday.
That fee was a bargain. Musician/attorney Bob Baldori, who occasionally played piano for Chuck, noted that he did nearly 100 shows a year in the ’80s and ’90s -- at $20,000 to $35,000 a gig.
THE BEATLES: Liverpool gears up to celebrate 'Sgt Pepper's' 50th
The Beatles' hometown will host a series of summer events tied to the 50th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The Liverpool festival -- with programs tied to each of the album's 12 songs -- will begin May 25th with the debut Pepperland, a ballet with a chamber music score inspired by Beatles music.
Other events on tap for the first weekend's festivities include an art show inspired by "With a Little From My Friends," a "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" light show and a performance of "local people, performers and musicians" keyed to "Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite."
The second part of the event, June 8th through the 11th, will include an unnamed "leading artist... performing incognito."
According to the BBC, Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson wants the festival to be "thought-provoking, sometimes cheeky and always entertaining." What he doesn't want is to turn The Beatles' legacy into "into a Disney-style theme park."