VICTOR WILLIS (1951 - 2026)

Victor Willis, the lead vocalist and founding member of the queer-coded, disco act, Village People, has died on June 30th. He had struggled with drug addiction for many years after leaving the group and would have several run-ins with the law. He would undergo treatment in 2006 after an arrest and had remained sober since then. No details of his cause of death have been revealed. He was seventy-four, passing away one day before his birthday on July 1st.

Born in Dallas but raised in San Francisco, Willis was brought up in the church as his father was Baptist minister. He began singing gospel music before moving on to soul and jazz as he got older. Willis would get into theater and moved to New York where he landed roles on Broadway.

While in New York, Willis met French producers, Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo who were interested in him performing vocals on a disco record project they were working on called "Village People". The self-titled debut album was released in 1977 and the single, "San Francisco (You've Got Me)" became a popular hit internationally. This lead to listeners wanting to see this band perform live but there was not an actual "Village People" at this point. So the producers and Willis quickly assembled a group that featured Alex Briley, Felipe Rose and three other performers. Morali and Belolo got the inspiration for creating an image for the band based on male archetypes of the gay men living in New York City's Greenwich Village. With Willis as the lead voice of the band dressed as a cop (later a Naval Officer), Briley as a soldier and Rose as a Native American, they added permanent singers, Glenn Hughes (leatherman), Randy Jones (cowboy) and David Hodo (construction worker) to record their next album.

The follow-up album, "Macho Man" became an even bigger hit in 1978 with the title track crossing over from the dance floor to the mainstream, reaching number twenty-five on the US Billboard pop chart and another single, "Key West"  reaching the top five on the dance chart. Later in the same year, Village People released their third album, "Cruisin'" which featured the group's biggest hit, "Y.M.C.A." which reached number two on the pop chart and has gone on to become a popular anthem at parties and sporting events. Another album, "Go West" (with this song later covered by Pet Shop Boys in 1993) was released the following year with the single, "In The Navy" becoming another top-five smash hit.

After deciding to leave Village People in 1979 (right before the filming of the disastrous musical, "Can't Stop The Music"), Willis tried to distance himself from the group, refusing to perform the songs for many years. In May 2012, Willis would win a landmark ruling in the first case heard regarding the Copyright Act of 1976, which allows recording artists and writers to reclaim their master recordings and publishing rights initially given to record and publishing companies after thirty-five years, recapturing the copyrights of many of the popular songs he co-wrote for Village People. He would release "Solo Man" in 2015, a solo album he recorded back in 1979. Willis would return to performing with Village People in 2018 with a new line-up and recorded their first studio album in thirty-three years, "A Village People Christmas". 

Willis is survived by his wife, Karen Huff-Willis, a lawyer and entertainment executive, with the couple being married since 2007. He was previously married to the actress, Phylicia Ayers-Allen who he met during the Broadway run of "The Wiz" in 1978. The couple separated in 1982 and she would go on to marry the former NFL player and sportscaster, Ahmad Rashad three years later.

EARTH WIND AND FIRE

For his third non-fiction feature film, following his docs on the 1969 Harlem Cultural Music Festival and Sly Stone, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson delivers "Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs That's the Weight of the World)" (streaming now on HBO Max) which examines the extraordinary career and enduring legacy of this legendary r&b band who went on to sell well over ninety million records throughout their career. While Earth Wind & Fire was made up of an unusually large number of members, the driving, creative force and spiritual leader of the group was really only one person: Maurice White.

Born in Memphis, TN, White endured emotional hardship as a small child when his mother moved to Chicago for a better opportunity following the passing of his father, leaving him behind to be raised by his grandmother. His mother would remarry and start another family and he wouldn't live with her until he was a teenager. This would leave White with a deep feeling of abandonment, some resentment and trust issues, affecting his personal and professional relationships later in his life.

One thing that helped him get through his childhood trauma was music and he gravitated towards playing the drums. First starting out playing professionally with the jazz/soul band, the Pharaohs, White would join them as session players for Chess Records, backing many of the popular acts on the Chicago soul label. By 1966, White left this band and the label to join the Ramsey Lewis Trio to replace the drummer. During his time with this jazz group, they achieved great commercial success and awards while White was encouraged by Lewis to develop his stage presence. This was also when White first encountered the African thumb piano, kalimba and used it for a recording with the Ramsey Lewis Trio.

But White once again became restless, wanting to have more control over his music, and formed another group, The Salty Peppers with friends, Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead. They had some minor success in Chicago but soon decided to take their chances by heading to the west coast. Once there, White soon became intrigued by studying philosophies, metaphysics, mysticism and astrology with these concepts beginning to heavily influence his life and approach to creating music. Using his astrological sign, Sagittarius which has primary elemental qualities of fire and earth and air, White came up with the name of "Earth, Wind & Fire" and guided his band towards universal, genre-defying music that would inspire all listeners.

Briskly paced and visually electrifying, Thompson utilizes video footage, animated sequences and plenty of famous talking heads to reveal the importance and legacy of this group. We have founding members (who still perform with the band), Phillip Bailey, Ralph Johnson and White's brother, Verdine who share their experiences working with the mercurial White (who died in 2016 at the age of seventy-four) which managed to be both gratifying and complicated. Stevie Wonder, Lionel Ritchie, H.E.R., Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and even the Obamas all express on camera the importance and emotional impact that the music by Earth Wind & Fire had left on each of them.

"Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs That's the Weight of the World)" is the perfect tribute to this pioneering band, offering objective insight and historical information that reveals how they expanded and innovated their sound to attract a global audience, blazing a powerful trail for other artists to follow.

NEW SOUNDS

Katy Perry has dropped some new music with "Watch It Burn", a hard-driving pop-rock song that recaptures the singer's classic sound. This track details about finally releasing some long, bottled-up anger in order to reclaim personal power after years of holding it back. The music video for the song is a cinematic, high production clip where Perry goes through several dramatic, physical transformations:



Chlöe Bailey and legendary producer, Timbaland have teamed up for a joint mixtape called "Resurrection". This inspired pairing combines Bailey's incredible vocals with Timba's bounce beats and smooth production, creating a classic '90's vibe with a contemporary feel. A highlight from the album is the track, "Better Than She Can":



Sam Smith has new music on the way with his fifth studio album, "Hazel Eyes" due out in August. The record is deeply personal for the singer and very romantic in spirit with the first single, "My Guy", a love ballad which Smith no longer being coy about who he is singing about:



Muni Long has been away for a while but she recently revealed that she had a serious health issue last year, having to undergo a double lung transplant after being told she only had about a week to live due to complications with pneumonia. Thankfully, she has recovered with the singer/songwriter returning to music with a ballad, "Richest" which is about the true wealth in life is being in love:



"Baby, Can We?" is the latest single from Dawn Richard and it's a duet with fellow alt-soul artist, Durand Bernarr. Coasting along lyrics from Aretha Franklin‘s 1972 classic hit, "Day Dreaming", the former Danity Kane member captures the desire to flee from daily life with a potential lover on this track:



"She’s My Religion" is the latest single from Willow's upcoming eighth studio album, "The Thread" due out in July. This provocative song is about using love, spiritual growth, and a feminine spirit as a guide, rather than a formal, traditional religion:



And Jennifer Lopez teams up with the Brazilian musician and DJ, Alok for "Everything's Fine". There are two versions of this song with each offering a different perspective on the same emotional story. Exploring the stories people tell themselves in order to convince themselves to keep moving forward, one take is more intimate and beat driven called "AM" while the other is a clearly dance floor-oriented "PM" version.

CLIVE DAVIS (1932 - 2026)

Clive Davis, the legendary music executive who had an amazing ear for discerning talent, has passed away on June 22nd at the age of ninety-four. The five-time Grammy Award winner and inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame had been hospitalized with respiratory problems late last month but had been released. Davis was largely responsible for signing and nurturing the careers of some of the greatest artists in popular music which includes Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, Sly and the Family Stone, Janis Joplin, Barry Manilow, Santana, Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire, Aerosmith, Billy Joel and Whitney Houston to name just a few.

Born in Brooklyn, NY on April 4, 1932, Davis began his professional career as a lawyer working for a small firm. He was hired as an assistant counsel for a subsidiary of CBS Records, Columbia Records and later became general counsel. Despite not having much knowledge about music or the business, Davis soon worked his way into the industry going from from general manager of the label to president by 1966. While Columbia Records had been best known for releasing jazz, theatrical soundtracks and pop standards, Davis was interested in moving more heavily into rock and roll. One of the first artists he signed was the folk-rock musician, Donovan. During the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, Davis was advised to attend and was mesmerized by the live performance of Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company, signing the band immediately. Other acts that Davis would go on to sign during his time at Columbia included Laura Nyro, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Loggins and Messina, and Santana.

But in 1973, Davis was abruptly fired from CBS Records. It had been rumored that the reason was that he allegedly used company funds to bankroll his son's bar mitzvah. However an article in Rolling Stone magazine claimed he was actually let go due to him supplying drugs to musicians and being a part of an alleged payola scandal, all of which Davis had vehemently denied.

After regrouping, Davis founded Arista Records in 1974. He set about signing well-known artists to his label that either he previously worked directly with at Columbia or had greatly admired their artistry, performers like Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, the Grateful Dead, Patti Smith, Lou Reed and Carly Simon, with him working to revitalize their recording careers and achieving great success. And Davis developed new talent, helping to establish Alicia Keys, Kenny G, Taylor Dayne, Ace of Base, Air Supply, and most notably, Whitney Houston, who he signed at nineteen and worked extensively towards making her a global pop music superstar. Davis also helped found LaFace Records with L.A. Reid and Babyface as well as Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy Records.

In 2000, Davis left Arista to start J Records, an independent label that received financial backing from Bertelsmann Music Group. Four years later, BMG merged with Sony Music Entertainment to form Sony BMG with Davis named chief creative officer. He was made chief creative officer of Sony Music Entertainment in 2018 and had remained in the position until his death.

YOU SEEM PRETTY SAD FOR A GIRL SO IN LOVE

For her third studio album, "You Seem Pretty Sad For a Girl So In Love", Olivia Rodrigo has taken the thrashing beats of 90's grunge rock and filtered it through contemporary Gen Z angst. This riveting collection, which Rodrigo continues her creative collaboration with producer, Dan Nigro, displays a maturity and artistic evolution for the twenty-three year old performer. Experimenting with other sounds ranging from indie pop to New Romantic-era rock, the album feels fresh as the singer shares her intimate thoughts on love and heartbreak that is spun through a wide range of classic rock. Rodrigo even teams up with Robert Smith of the '80's goth band, the Cure (who she is a huge fan) on the love ballad, "What's Wrong With Me".

What I truly admire the most about Rodrigo and her new album is how she's bopping wildly to her own beat, blissfully unconcerned about pop music trends or chart placement. Too few musicians today are planning for maintaining their careers and simply chasing what is hot at the moment. "You Seem Pretty Sad For a Girl So In Love" proves that Rodrigo is a true artist and working towards being around for the long haul.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

After spending her time emoting musically on the big screen and dazzling audiences with her performance in the two-part film musical, "Wicked", Ariana Grande is returning to her pop music career. "Hate That I Made You Love Me" is the lead single off of her upcoming eighth studio album, "Petal" which is due out at the end of July. Teaming once again with frequent collaborators, Ilya Salmanzadeh, and Max Martin, the song is a bit of a departure for Grande with this synth-pop ballad having a subtle, minimalist vibe. "Hate That I Made You Love Me" deals with her complicated relationship with fame and the public scrutiny that comes with it, especially commentary regarding her appearance and body. The humorous video for the song, directed by Christian Breslauer and features actor, Justin Long, plays like a short film that involves a man who has apparently murdered his wife (played by Grande) and buried her body while he is continuously being haunted by her. Grande has also begun her long awaited Eternal Sunshine Tour on June 6th which will take her through the US and Canada before concluding in September with a ten-date stop at the O2 Arena in England.



June is the month where we celebrate Pride and here is a collection of LGBTQ+ artists who have new music out: for his upcoming sixth studio album, "Adam", Adam Lambert digs into the sounds of '90's electronic and alternative rock with the first single, "Eat U Alive"; free from her label, pop diva, Kim Petras is now independently releasing her music and the latest song is "Brutalist"; the queer Nashville-based country group, the Cowgays (made-up of solo artists, Brooke Eden, Chris Housman, and Adam Mac) have released a campy tune, "Good Hoedown"; the English synth-pop act, La Roux has dropped a new track, "Cabin Fever" from their upcoming album, "Old Flames"; Frankie Grande is currently appearing in the Broadway production of "Titanique" and has delivered a fast-paced "Pride anthem" of the number he does in the show, "I Drove All Night"; David Archuleta has dropped his latest dance-pop tune, "Love For Free" and the electroclash performer, Slayyter has the single, "Dance..." from her second studio album, "Worst Girl in America".

And with her next album, "Confessions II" due out on July 3rd, Madonna is moving into overdrive to promote this dance music collection. First she was involved with doing some playfully sexy promo on the gay networking app, Grindr and then did a mini concert in the middle of Times Square in NYC. Now, the Queen of Pop has released "Confessions II – The Film". This fourteen minute visual album directed by TORSO features the first six tracks from the upcoming album. The short film made its premiere on June 5th at the Tribeca Festival and was released three days later on YouTube. Filled with wild imagery and many notable famous faces, this dazzling musical film is an impressive reminder of what a powerful and enduring force she is as a visual stylist and performer.

PEABO BRYSON (1951- 2026)

Peabo Bryson, the smooth voiced, soul crooner who would win two Grammy Awards for his work on popular theme songs for two Disney animated features, has sadly passed away on June 2nd. The singer had a heart attack seven years ago but made a full recovery but recently had suffered from a stroke on May 31st and died from complications. He was seventy-five.

Born Robert Peapo Bryson in Greenville, SC, on April 13th, he began his career singing background vocals for a local band at the age of fourteen. Taking on his middle name as his stage moniker and changing the pronunciation to "Peabo", Bryson went to work with other bands before an opportunity lead him to Bang Records in Atlanta and was encouraged to move from the background and into the foreground as a performer. This lead to his debut album on Bang, "Peabo" in 1977 and this recording would capture the attention of a major label, Capitol Records who would sign him.

The song that first helped launch him as a performer was "Feel The Fire" which he wrote from his first album on Capitol, "Reaching for the Sky". This love ballad was later covered by Stephanie Mills in 1979 for her debut studio album, "What Cha Gonna Do with My Lovin'". Bryson would have more hit songs that included "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" (his first top-ten pop single), "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love", a duet with Roberta Flack, "Without You", a duet with Regina Belle for the soundtrack of the 1987 comedy, "Leonard Part 6" and "Can You Stop the Rain" which reached number one on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in 1991.

In 1991, Bryson was teamed with Celine Dion, a rising vocalist from Canada at the time, to perform a pop recording of the title track for the Disney animated film, "Beauty and the Beast". This ballad would also go on to win the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. Bryson would later be approached to record a pop music version of "A Whole New World" for the 1992 animated movie, "Aladdin" and would join forces again with Belle to duet on the love ballad. More major awards would be won for this song and Bryson and Belle would reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for this recording.

KYLIE

"Kylie", a three part, Netflix limited series about the global pop superstar from Down Under, with this documentary about her life and career told largely through Kylie Minogue herself. And with the singer very much involved in this film, directed by Emmy winner, Michael Harte, what we see is a honest and largely unfiltered account of her journey from acting into music and the incredible ups and downs that went with her meteoric rise to become a beloved pop icon.

The film begins with Minogue telling the story of how she was whisked off to England to quickly record a couple of tracks with the production team of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. But having forgotten that she was arriving and unaware who she was, they had her waiting for hours before getting her in the studio, record the vocals and sending her on her way. The team found out later that Minogue was a star of the wildly popular Australian soap opera, "Neighbours" and when the single they recorded with her, "I Should Be So Lucky" was released in 1987, it became an instant global hit. A self-titled album was released with her smash hit cover of Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion" helping her become a true pop star. Minogue reveals that she had originally wanted to actually get into music, which was her first love, but acting fell her way first.

After being written off of "Neighbours", Minogue went full steam ahead with her successful music career with Stock, Aitken and Waterman, recording two more albums, but soon became frustrated with the lack of creative input during recording. She soon gained more control, taking her sound from bubblegum pop to more mature and sexier. After one more album with the team, she parted ways by 1992 and signed with indie label, Deconstruction. With her fifth studio album, "Kylie Minogue", the singer sought out more harder edged producers to enhance her dance-pop sound. And while her music was initially well received but by "Impossible Princess" in 1997, which Minogue wrote most of the lyrics and brought indie and techno to her sound, the response was critically mixed and became her lowest selling album. Deciding to take a hiatus from recording music, when she returned three years later, Minogue entered the new century with a sound more aligned to what first brought her fame with "Spinning Around" which took her back to the top of the international charts.

"Kylie" features plenty of concert footage, home movies and music video clips that covers her extensive career. In addition to Minogue, there are interviews with family which includes her sister, Dannii who had her own success as a pop singer; producer, Pete Waterman; Jason Donovan, her co-star on "Neighbours" who she shared a romance on and off screen; and fellow Aussie, indie rocker, Nick Cave with the two coming together for an unlikely creative collaboration and deep friendship. Minogue also goes into detail about her brief love affair with the late INXS singer, Michael Hutchence, her deep love and respect for the LGBTQ communities and regarding her harrowing ordeal with breast cancer which became a media nightmare not only for herself but for her family. My only real critique of "Kylie" is that it just feels way too short, missing many other highlights over her forty year profession. Perhaps there will be a second part? In the meantime, sit back and enjoy learning more about the Princess of Pop in her own words.



A concert film of Minogue's Tension Tour was released on May 27th on Netflix. And the new song, "Light Up", which closes the documentary, was co-written with Chris Martin of Coldplay and is an uplifting anthem about unconditional love and human potential.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Last month, the Brit pop singer, Charli XCX made a bold proclamation with "I think the dance floor is dead, so now we're making rock music". Many of her fans were taken aback by this statement since she made her name by creating energized music that you could dance to since her breakout single, "Boom Clap" back in 2014. But the singer/songwriter, born Charlotte Aitchison, was actually doing a little promoting for her newest bit of music, "Rock Music". And while this track has an edgy and rough vibe, it's not exactly a hardcore rock song but more guitar-driven with a dance beat driving the tune along. Charli has been busy: contributing music for the soundtrack of Emerald Fennell's adaptation of "Wuthering Heights" and performing as an actor in the films, "The Moment", "Faces of Death" and the upcoming Gregg Araki comedy-thriller, "I Want Your Sex". But she has not abandoned her pop music career with "Rock Music" being the first release from her seventh studio album with no title or street date revealed just yet.



Here's a round up of some intriguing new music: the soul music legend, Chaka Khan is back with "Chakzilla", an oddly titled funky dance track (with production by Greg Kurstin) which also happens to be the title of her upcoming studio album, Khan's first in seven years; the latest single from Harry Styles, "Dance No More" has the former boy band member busting out some serious dance moves in the music video; the Swedish artist, Tove Lo has dropped a raw and edgy new single, "I'm Your Girl, Right?" with an equally oddball video; "Five Past Three" is an electropop single from the Chainsmokers’ newest EP, "Love Is Kind", which is a collaboration with the Swedish performer, Oaks; and Sir Paul McCartney has his twentieth solo album, "The Boys of Dungeon Lane" on the way with the song, "Home to Us", is a duet with his former bandmate, Ringo Starr.

The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest recently concluded on May 16th with thirty-five countries competing for the top prize of the best international original pop song. Held at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna for the contest's 70th edition, Dara from Bulgaria won the Grand Prize for "Bangaranga", a dance-pop song with the title taken from Jamaican Patois and has been translated as "a joyful kind of disorder". This song, the first win for this country, won both the jury vote and televote, the first entry to do so since 2017. The runner-up was from Israel with "Michelle" by Noam Bettan and in third is "Choke Me" by Romania's Alexandra Căpitănescu. Several countries had declined to participate this year in protest at Israel's inclusion in the contest due to the on-going Gaza war.

Clarence Carter, the blind soul singer behind the hits, "Patches" and Strokin'", passed away on May 13th at the age of ninety. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Carter (blind since birth) attended the Alabama School for the Blind in Talladega and later went to Alabama State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in music. After pursuing music professionally with friend, Calvin Scott in 1960, the duo formed the C & C Boys and recorded several singles but none of them gained much traction commercially. Six years later, Scott was seriously injured in an auto accident with Carter deciding to continue as a solo performer.

His first break came the following year with "Tell Daddy", his answer record to Etta James' hit, "Tell Mama", which reached the top forty on the r&b chart. Carter joined Atlantic Records which began a string of hits on the R&B and pop charts, starting with "Slip Away", "Too Weak to Fight", "Snatching It Back" and the naughty, "Back Door Santa". Carter's biggest hit came in 1970 with his version of "Patches", originally recorded by Chairmen of the Board, which reached number two in the UK and number four on the U.S. pop chart. The record would sell over one million copies and win the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.

Carter's career would cool down following this but he did have one more hit record with "Strokin'" in 1986. While the song was considered too raunchy to actually be played on the radio, it was discovered by fans with it being played on jukeboxes and later found even bigger success when it was included on the soundtracks for Eddie Murphy's remake of "The Nutty Professor" and the 2011 crime-drama, "Killer Joe". Carter was briefly married to Candi Staton, who began as one of his background singers, in 1970 and they had a son together, Clarence Carter Jr., before divorcing in 1973.

2026 NATIONAL RECORDING REGISTRY

The latest twenty-five sound recordings have been selected and inducted into National Recording Registry. Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian of Congress, with advice from the National Recording Preservation Board, selects titles each year that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and are at least ten years old. This latest group brings the total number of recordings in the registry to 675.

Some of the recordings that have been honored include Beyoncé's chart-topping hit, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" from her third solo album, "I Am... Sasha Fierce"; the original Broadway cast recording of the Bob Fosse directed musical, "Chicago" that featured theater legends, Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera; the country music tale, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" that went on to become a crossover hit for the Charlie Daniels Band; Gladys Knight and the Pips' version of the country song, "Midnight Train to Georgia" which became the r&b group's first number one pop hit; Ray Charles' genre blurring album, "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" that features the soul music legend's versions of country music songs; the Byrds's cover of folk music singer and activist, Pete Seeger's song, "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" became an anthem during the social turmoil of the 1960's; the all-female new-wave rock band, the Go-Go's debut album, "Beauty and the Beat" that reached the top of the US album chart; José Feliciano's bilingual Christmas song, "Feliz Navidad" has gone on to become a holiday classic; Chaka Khan put an early hip-hop spin on a cover of Prince's song, "I Feel for You" and "1989", Taylor Swift's first foray into pop, after first achieving fame in country music, which launched her into becoming an even bigger star.

Here is the complete list of the twenty-five selections entered into the 2026 National Recording Registry:

"Cocktails for Two" – Spike Jones and His City Slickers (1944) (single)
"Mambo No. 5" – Pérez Prado and His Orchestra (1950) (single)
"Teardrops from My Eyes" – Ruth Brown (1950) (single)



"Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)" – Kaye Ballard (1954) (single)
"Put Your Head On My Shoulder" – Paul Anka (1959) (single)



"The Blues and the Abstract Truth" – Oliver Nelson (1961) (album)
"Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" – Ray Charles (1962) (album)
"Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" – The Byrds (1965) (single)



"Amen, Brother" – The Winstons (1969) (single)



"Feliz Navidad" – José Feliciano (1970) (single)
"The Fight of the Century: Ali vs. Frazier" (March 8, 1971) (broadcast)
"Midnight Train to Georgia" – Gladys Knight and the Pips (1973) (single)



"Chicago" Original Cast Album (1975) (album)



"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" – The Charlie Daniels Band (1979) (single)



"Beauty and the Beat" – The Go-Go’s (1981) (album)
"Texas Flood" – Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (1983) (album)
"I Feel For You" – Chaka Khan (1984) (single)



"Your Love" – Jamie Principle (1986) / Jamie Principle/Frankie Knuckles (1987) (singles)
"Rumor Has It" – Reba McEntire (1990) (album)



"The Wheel" – Rosanne Cash (1993) (album)
"Doom" Soundtrack – Bobby Prince, composer (album)(1993)
"Go Rest High On That Mountain"– Vince Gill (1994) (single)
"Weezer (The Blue Album)"– Weezer (1994) (album)
"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" – Beyoncé (2008) (single)



"1989" – Taylor Swift (2014) (album)

FOREIGN TONGUES

The Rolling Stones have just announced they are releasing new music, with "Foreign Tongues" which will be the legendary British rock band's twenty-fifth studio album. Their last album of original material, "Hackney Diamonds" was released three years ago and the Stones has once again teamed up with Andrew Watt to produce their latest effort which will be drop on July 10th. 

While the two original members, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are now octogenarians (and longtime guitarist Ronnie Wood is not far behind at seventy-eight) and have been creating and playing music together for over sixty years, that doesn't mean they still can't rock. And they prove it quite convincingly with two songs released from the upcoming record. There's the lead single "In the Stars", a rousing blues-rock track with Jagger's vocals sounding in good form while another track, "Rough and Twisted" (which had been teased and put out on vinyl on Record Store Day last month under the band name, "The Cockroaches") is a guitar blasting blues number that glides with the band's classic swagger.

Some tracks were recorded during the "Hackney Diamonds" sessions and much like that last album, this new record will feature a few impressive guest appearances, this time by Paul McCartney, Robert Smith of The Cure, and Steve Winwood. "Foreign Tongues" will also feature the final recording with the band's original drummer, Charlie Watts which was done during a session in Los Angeles shortly before his death in 2021 at the age of eighty.

NEW SOUNDS

NORTH WEST

North West is the twelve year old daughter of the erratic hip-hop musician, Kanye West (currently going by "Ye") and the media personality-turned-entrepreneur, Kim Kardashian. And it's not really much of a surprise that she has been dabbling in professionally performing and making music since she was ten. Now, West has just debuted her first EP as a solo artist, "N0rth4evr". She was fully hands on in the production and songwriting of this recording with the six tracks featuring an intriguing blend of rap, goth rock and hyperpop. Most of the songs are under two minutes but I have to say that this album is a solid collection, twisting sounds and beats to inventively blast out her Gen Alpha angst. With "N0rth4evr", West reveals she has much in common with her father, credibly displaying that she does have the essential qualities to potentially become a major musical artist.





MAYA HAWKE

The actor and musician, Maya Hawke has released her fourth studio album with "Maitreya Corso". The title represents a fictional "magical misfit" persona that allows Hawke to boldly explore themes of ego, ambition, and reinvention. The songs possess an other-worldly vibe, transporting us through with eclectic sounds, understated arrangements and whimsical thoughts. The twenty-seven year old offspring of actors, Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman has crafted an indie-pop record that also pays tribute to her community of fellow musicians in the New York scene, collaborating with local performers like Benjamin Lazar Davis, Will Graefe, and Michael Riddleberger. 

MAXWELL'S URBAN HANG SUITE: THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY

This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of "Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite", the debut album by the r&b artist, Maxwell. Inspired by the legends of classic soul, Maxwell took the music he loved and put his own distinctive spin to create a sound that was fresh and contemporary yet also capturing an old school vibe. "Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite", along with D'Angelo's "Brown Sugar" in 1995 and Erykah Badu's "Baduizm" released in 1997, would define the neo soul movement and helped reshape popular black music.

The Brooklyn native born Gerald Maxwell Rivera began creating music at seventeen after receiving a Casio keyboard. While hip-hop was becoming the dominate sound being played on r&b radio at the time, Rivera remained a fan of the soul he heard growing up in the 1980's. As he got older, he continued pursuing music, learning to play other instruments and gaining access to a recording studio where he worked on demos. Rivera had begun performing around in small clubs throughout New York City, which created some buzz for him, while his demos where making the rounds, leading to him being signed to Columbia Records in 1994

Taking on his middle name as his professional moniker, Maxwell went to work on his debut with songwriter, Leon Ware. But after completing the record about a year later, the label put it on hold due to concerns of it's commercial appeal. When "Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite" was finally released on April 2, 1996, the concept album did struggle a bit to receive attention with the first single, "...Til the Cops Come Knockin'" failing to chart. But the mellow collection of funk, jazz, smooth soul did gain some serious traction with the help of the second single, "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)" peaking at number eight on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and crossing over to the top forty on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The follow-up single, "Sumthin' Sumthin'" also charted, helping "Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite" go on to sell over two million copies in the US alone.

The album would land on several Top-Ten Album of the Year lists and receive a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Album. This success lead to him being featured live on MTV Unplugged (which was highly unusual since he only had one album to date) with the EP being released the following year with his cover of Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work" becoming a hit, reaching number sixteen on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

I FEEL SO FREE

It has been six years since she has released new music and Madonna is ready for a return. It has been teased for a few years and her fifteenth studio album is now official with "Confessions On A Dance Floor: Part II" which is due out on July 3rd. This spiritual sequel to the 2005 album has the Queen of Pop reteaming with producer, Stuart Price to create a modern and further exploration into dance music.

The first taste of this record is the song, "I Feel So Free", a deep house track that has Madonna speaking seductively (over a sample of the 1989 acid house song, "French Kiss" by Lil Louis) about being able to fully let loose while dancing. This is a thrilling preview and hopefully we'll get even more in a very short matter of time. In the meanwhile, here is the official visualizer for "I Feel So Free" with the lyrics and Lil Louis' original version of "French Kiss":

NUMBER ONE FLASHBACK

The number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the week of April 19, 1975, was "Philadelphia Freedom" by Elton John. The British rock artist was still riding high with a string of hit singles with this song becoming his fourth number one song on the US chart and held this position for two weeks.

"Philadelphia Freedom" was originally written by John with his musical collaborator, Bernie Taupin to pay tribute to tennis player, Billie Jean King as she was playing with the Philadelphia Freedoms, a part of a charter franchise of the World Team Tennis in 1974. Taupin could not really find a way to write a song about tennis so he went on to convey a message that was uplifting and somewhat patriotic. The song is also dedicated in part to the feeling of "the Philadelphia sound" which was the soul music of writer-producers Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Thom Bell. In fact, John would later perform "Philadelphia Freedom" on "Soul Train" on May 17. 1975, making him the second White artist to appearance on the r&b music program following Gino Vannelli who was on about four months earlier.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

We'll be seeing a lot of the actress, Anne Hathaway over the next couple of weeks. First she will be seen on the big screen in "Mother Mary" from writer/director, David Lowery on April 24th. In this psychological-drama musical, Hathaway plays a pop singer called Mother Mary who reunites with her estranged best friend and former costume designer (played by Michaela Coel) on the eve of her comeback performance. The original songs in the film will be available on a soundtrack album, "Mother Mary: Greatest Hits" set for release on April 17th. Hathaway is performing the songs and a couple of the tracks have been released. "Burial" (written by Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX) delivers a "Lady Gaga" vibe while "My Mouth Is Lonely For You" feels like a "FKA Twigs" track and it should since it was co-written by the artist (who makes a screen appearance in "Mother Mary").

Then on May 1st, the long awaited sequel to the 2006 high-fashion comedy, "The Devil Wears Prada" hits theaters worldwide with Hathaway reprising her role as Andrea Sachs along with Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci and Meryl Streep as fashion editor, Miranda Priestly. An original song for the movie's soundtrack, "Runway" teams up Lady Gaga and Doechii for a euphoric house music song. Andrew Watt, Bruno Mars, Cirkut and D'Mile all co-wrote and produced this track.



The alternative R&B artist, Kelela makes her highly anticipated return after three years with "idea 1" who co-wrote and produced the track with PinkPantheress; Kehlani, who won two Grammy awards this year for her smash r&b single, "Folded", is back with new music delivering "Back and Forth" that features Missy Elliott; Saint Harison, the Brit singer/songwriter, has released a soulful ballad, "Stuck" from his upcoming EP, "Ghost"; another British act trying to gain some traction in the US is Flo, a classic girl hip-hop/soul group, that has dropped the lead single, "Leak It" from their upcoming second album

And I will close by paying tribute to the passing of two artists: Dash Crofts, one half of the the soft rock duo, Seals & Crofts, passed away on March 26th at the age of eighty-seven. Born Darrell George Crofts in Cisco, Texas, he got his nickname "Dash" when he was a baby. Crofts first started playing the piano as child before switching to the drums as a teenager. In high school, he played in a band where he met the saxophone player, Jim Seals. The two decided to try their luck as professional musicians by moving to Southern California in 1958. They briefly joined a rock band, the Champs before Crofts was drafted and spent two years with the Army. By 1969, they started recording under "Seals & Crofts" and by their second album, "Summer Breeze" with the title track becoming a top-ten pop hit in 1972, the duo had a string of popular songs. Seals (who died in 2022) and Crofts would part ways as an act in 1983 but would reunite for a concert tour in 1991 to 1992 and again in 2004 after the duo recorded their first new album since 1980 and also final recording together, "Traces".

And one of the pioneers that would greatly influence hip-hop culture, Afrika Bambaataa has passed away on April 9th. The Bronx native, who was was an originator of breakbeat DJing, died from complications of from prostate cancer and was sixty-eight. Born Lance Taylor, he was exposed to the ideologies of the Black Liberation Movement through his parents as a teen as well as the sounds of their eclectic record collection. After wining an essay contest that earned him a trip to Africa, Taylor was inspired by the sense of community while he was there and determined create one in his own neighborhood. Adopting the name, "Afrika Bambaataa Aasim", he set about creating the "Bronx River Organization" which was a positive alternative to the street gangs that infiltrated the Bronx and that he had once been affiliated. Bambaataa soon turned his attention to music after hosting several block parties and forming the Universal Zulu Nation which brought together socially and politically aware rappers and graffiti artists. Inspired by the emerging electronic music scene, he released "Planet Rock" in 1982 with the Soul Sonic Force that merged electro beats and hip-hop. The single, produced by Arthur Baker, reached the top five on the US R&B and Dance charts.

WHATEVER'S CLEVER

Charlie Puth has been around making music since 2011 after getting a record deal from his growing popularity posting himself singing covers on YouTube. His first single, "Marvin Gaye", that pays tribute to the Motown legend, was a duet with Meghan Trainor in 2015. And while the song was a popular in several countries, this doo-wop styled track was savaged by many music critics and even found its way on Worst Song of the Year lists.

Puth managed to rebound spectacularly by co-writing, producing, and providing vocals on Wiz Khalifa's single "See You Again" for the soundtrack of the film, "Furious 7". This song, which is in honor of actor, Paul Walker who had died before filming and had been a star in this movie franchise, spent twelve non-consecutive weeks atop the US Billboard Hot 100, received three nominations at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song and was the best selling-song of 2015 worldwide.

Puth went on to release his debut album, "Nine Track Mind" which achieved great success as well as his following albums, "Voicenotes" in 2018 and "Charlie" in 2022. And while these albums and the singles went high on the charts and he received more award recognition, I must admit I wasn't overly impressed by his music, finding much of his work far too colorless for my taste.

Now the thirty-four year old New Jersey native has captured my attention with his just released fourth studio album, "Whatever's Clever". Puth has stated that he had charged his approach on how he created his music, opening himself to reveal more and put a personal touch into his songs. And I think it shows with the album feeling far more authentic and I'm able to make more of a connection to him as an artist. Inspired by the easy listening sounds of the 1980's, specifically what is currently being defined as "yacht rock", Puth teamed up with Michael Tucker, who is better known as BloodPop, to co-write and produce this album. "Whatever's Clever" is loaded with guest musicians that range from soft rock pioneers, Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins, jazz-pop star, Kenny G; Japanese pop artist, Hikaru Utada and contemporary r&b vocalists, Ravyn Lenae and Coco Jones. The album closes with the brutally honest, guitar driven ballad, "I Used To be Cringe" where Puth acknowledges that he tried a bit too hard to fit in as his idea of a musician. But with "Whatever's Clever", I think it's clear he has evolved, letting loose and allowing himself to go much deeper as a musical artist.

Puth had previewed a few tracks from the album during a four-night stand at Blue Note Jazz Club in New York late last year and did a follow-up residency at the recently opened Blue Note in Los Angeles. He plans on hitting the road on a world tour that will begin on April 22nd in San Diego and ending in Warsaw, Poland by July.