SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE: THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Stevie Wonder's groundbreaking and still influential eighteenth studio album, "Songs in the Key of Life". After a string of highly successful and critically acclaimed albums which included "Talking Book", "Innervisions", and "Fulfillingness' First Finale", the immensely popular, Wonder was burnt out and really feeling ready to call his recording career a day since he had been making music professionally since he was eleven. But the twenty-five year old artist, whose contract with Motown was up, would end up changing his mind. Although there was high interest from several other labels, Wonder would wind up signing a new contract with Motown in 1975. This seven year contract would give him thirty million dollars upfront, 20% of the royalties, ownership of the publishing rights and most importantly, complete artistic control which was extremely rare with the label.

A year later, Wonder went to work on this new project and would ultimately release this double album on September 28, 1976. This collection featured seventeen songs which focused on a wide range of subjects like love, romance, parenthood, inequality and racial discrimination. With musical contributions from Herbie Hancock, George Benson, Minnie Riperton and Deniece Williams, "Songs" would have four singles released including the number one songs, "I Wish" and "Sir Duke", a track that pays tribute to jazz legend, Duke Ellington who had just died in 1974.

Other highlights from the album that received extensive radio airplay include "Love's in Need of Love Today", "Knocks Me Off My Feet" and "Isn't She Lovely", a song that surprisingly wasn't actually released as an official single since Wonder refused to trim the over six minute track but was still so popular that it wound up charting, reaching number twenty-three on the Adult Contemporary chart. "Songs" would spend thirteen weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 Album chart, was the second-best-selling album of 1977 in the US and would have sales of five million copies worldwide. And "Songs in the Key of Life" would win Album of the Year at the 1977 Grammy Awards, making this his third win in the category ("Innervisions" and "Fulfillingness' First Finale" won in 1974 and 1975).

To celebrate this remarkable musical achievement, Wonder will be taking "Song in the Key of Life" on the road with the entire album performed at each stop of the tour. The "Songs" 50th Anniversary concerts will begin in Europe in October before heading to the US in November and finishing in Los Angeles on December 19th. There has also been a new recording released, "Songs in the Key of Life: The EP" which features four outtakes from the original album recording sessions: "It's Easier" "My Life Story of Love" "I Can See the Sun in Late December" and "I'm Into Livin'".

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

It's hard to believe but it has been twenty years since the release of Beyoncé sophomore album, "B'Day" and to celebrate, the artist has just delivered "B'Day: 20th anniversary edition". This collection has remastered the original album and features nineteen additional tracks with remixes and previously unreleased bonus songs that includes "Morning Dew (Donk)" and "Can I Watch You" with Pharrell. But what is most noteworthy about this edition is that Beyoncé is leaning even heavier with Spanish-language songs with "Amor Gitano", a duet with Alejandro Fernández, "Cuerpo Tumbao (Get Me Bodied)" with Maluma (and samples Celia Cruz’s "La Negra Tiene Tumbao") and a new version of "Irreemplazable (Como La Flor)" that samples vocals from the late "Queen of Tejano Music", Selena.







Some new sounds I'm enjoying includes Adéla, the singer, songwriter and dancer from Slovakia, who has just released her debut album, "Prima" and the latest single, "Nicole Kidman" pays homage to the Oscar-winning actress; Chlöe and Timbaland have dropped another song from their upcoming collaboration with "World on Fire"; the British nu-disco band, Jungle has just released their fifth studio album, "Sunshine" and a single, "Come Back To Me"; Luca is an emerging artist bringing a vintage soul vibe into his music and the latest single from the Harlem-born, twenty-three year old performer is "Sympathy", Rising British artist, Charlie Jeer has teamed with fellow Brit singer/songwriter, Cat Burns for a guitar-driven song, "Small Talk" and Victoria Monet has revealed another song from her upcoming album, "Juicy"

And I will close by paying tribute to Cassandra Wilson, the distinctive jazz vocalist who transcended the sound by blending blues, country, and folk music into her work, has sadly passed away on September 1st at the age of seventy. Born in Jackson, Mississippi, she began her musical journey studying classical music and learning to play the piano, clarinet and guitar as a child. While attending college, Wilson would spent her nights performing with R&B, funk, and pop cover bands. Wilson moved to New Orleans after graduating and emersed herself in the jazz scene there before moving to New York in 1982. This was when Wilson would truly begin to develop her style as a singer by becoming one of the founding members of the M-Base collective where they expressed a new way of creating jazz music. In 1986, Wilson recorded her debut album, "Point of View" which included a few original songs she wrote or co-wrote. But is was her third album of standards, "Blue Skies" that helped gained Wilson some notice and helped her get signed to Blue Note Records in 1993. Her debut on the label, "Blue Light 'til Dawn" was Wilson's true breakthrough, a collection of originals and intriguing covers that included the Monkees, Joni Mitchell and Hank Williams, that gave her critical and commercial acclaim. Her follow-up, "New Moon Daughter" in 1995 would reach number one on Billboard Jazz Album chart and win her the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. Wilson would release "Traveling Miles" in 1999, a well-received tribute album to Miles Davis, who was one of her greatest influences, with music inspired by his artistry.

DOLLY PARTON (1946 - 2026)

It is still shocking to believe the passing of Dolly Parton, who worked hard to become a major player in country music before being able to transcend herself into a global superstar, finding success and popularity in all areas of entertainment. She had been going through some undisclosed health issues earlier in the year and it was revealed that Parton died after a brief battle with cancer on August 25th at the age eighty. 

While she was clearly a gifted performer, Parton also was a talented songwriter (who is said to have written over three thousand songs over her career), an savvy entrepreneur and a person of deep faith which helped guide her through an amazing life with an open heart and positive spirit. And Parton certainly stood out with her distinctive look (inspired by the style of the local town tramp she admired when she was a child) of big blonde hair, form fitting clothes that accentuated her curvy figure, sky-high shoes (she was only five foot tall) and plenty of sequins.

Born in the Great Smokey Mountains in Tennessee, Parton was one of twelve children living in a one room cabin on a tobacco farm. The family struggled financially but music played an important part in their lives. Parton began writing and singing music as a young child and would perform on local television and radio programs. By thirteen, she recorded her first single, "Puppy Love" in 1959. While this song wasn't much of a hit but it still gave her confidence to try a move to Nashville. In 1967, Parton recorded her debut album, "Hello, I'm Dolly" that would move it's way to number one on the country chart. She caught the attention of country superstar, Porter Wagoner and Parton would be asked to join his band and eventually be his co-host on his weekly television show. Wagoner and Parton became a popular musical duo and recorded twelve highly successful albums.

During this time, Parton began to release solo recordings with her biggest hit was "Jolene" which topped the country chart in 1974 and even made it on to the pop chart. And it around this time that Parton was ready to make a move away from Wagoner to pursue a career path on her own. Wanting to express her feelings about her musical partner, she wrote "I Will Always Love You" which went to number one on the country chart. Elvis Presley loved the song and wanted to record a version but his manager, Colonel Tom Parker informed Parton she would have to give him half of the publishing rights if Presley did. Parton had to sadly refuse which became a very wise business decision years later when Whitney Houston recorded a reimagined soulful pop version for her 1992 acting debut, "The Bodyguard" with the single selling well over twenty-four million copies.

Parton loved her success in country music but was curious about expanding her audience, deciding to work with a new manager, Sandy Gallin (who she met through Mac Davis and stayed with him for twenty-five years) to help her crossover to pop music. Her breakthrough came in 1977 with the title track from her nineteenth studio album, "Here You Come Again" where it reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the country chart. This was impressive feat for Parton as she managed to achieve this success without drastically changing her sound or alienating her country fans. More hits came on the country and pop charts with her profile heightened even further by appearing on numerous variety shows including her own, "Dolly!" which ran for one season in 1976.

Parton was lured to the movies and made her acting debut in the work-place comedy, "9 to 5", co-starring with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. The film was a huge hit and Parton's theme song she wrote became her first to top the pop chart and to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. She went on to make more feature films that includes an adaptation of the Broadway musical, "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" with Burt Reynolds, "Rhinestone", a 1984 comedy with Sylvester Stallone and "Steel Magnolias", a beloved all-star dramatic-comedy.

Parton invested in various charities, medical research and philanthropic projects that includes Dollywood, a theme park that was opened in 1986 located in Pigeon Forge, TN that provided jobs for the people in the community and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, founded in honor of her father who never learned to read or write, which mails one book per month to an enrolled child from the time of their birth until they enter kindergarten.

As one of the most accomplished and highly honored performers in country music with total sales of well over one hundred million records sold, Parton was able to help expand this distinctly American sound to attract a wide international audience. She was a charismatic entertainer, one who had a singular talent and extraordinary gift to be able to achieve this kind of rare universal appeal.

GLEN HANSARD (1970 - 2026)

Glen Hansard, the Oscar-winning Irish musician who is best recognized for his acting role in the musical-drama, "Once", has tragically passed away at the age of fifty-six. He was involved in a motorcycle crash at the Strawberry Beds on the outskirts of Dublin on July 29th.

Born and raised in Ballymun in northern Dublin, Hansard acquired a guitar from an uncle as a teenager and taught himself how to play. After dropping out of school at thirteen, he initially made money busking on the streets. In 1990, Hansard formed a rock band, The Frames who made a name in the Dublin music scene. This led to Hansard being cast in Alan Parker's musical-comedy, "The Commitments" about a group of working-class youths who form a soul band set in Northern Dublin. The film went on to have critical and box-office success internationally.

Hansard decided to expand himself creatively in 2006 by joining a folk band, The Swell Season which included Czech multi-instrumentalist, Markéta Irglová. This would lead to Hansard, along with Irglová (who fell in love following the shooting), to co-star in John Carney's romantic musical, "Once" that told the story of two struggling musicians in Dublin. With original songs provided by the Swell Season, this low-budget film went on to receive great acclaim, appearing on several critics' top ten lists as one of the best films of the year and Hansard and Irglová went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song with "Falling Slowly". The couple would end their romantic relationship two years later but continued to perform together, recording two more albums which included "Forward" that was released last year.

Hansard would also go on record five solo albums during his career with his final release, "All That Was East Is West of Me Now" in 2023. He is survived by his wife, Finnish poet, Maire Saaritsa, who he married in 2022 and gave birth to their first child earlier that year.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Victoria Monét has just dropped a new song from her long awaited second studio album, "Frequency of Love" which should be available in October. The single, "Reach Out" from the Grammy award winning songwriter and performer with production by Kaytranada and D’Mile is another sensual r&b jam that looks at a woman tired of waiting for a lover to contact her and deciding to move on. The visuals for this song, filmed in sepia with direction by Dave Meyers and dynamic choreography from Sean Bankhead, is sultry and stylish, filled with impressively imaginative dance moves.



Some new songs I'm enjoying at the moment includes the latest music from Kelly Clarkson, the very first "American Idol" winner who is in the middle of the final season of her popular talk show, with "I'd Be Lyin'" that feels very much like the classic sound from the early days of her pop career; the alt-hip-hop artist, Syd has delivered her third studio album, "Beard" and a highlight is the song, "Callin'" that features Blu June; Orville Peck has returned to music after a brief stint on Broadway with "Too Little, Too Late" that has a more rockabilly vibe and the newest single from his upcoming fourth album, "Mule" due out in September; "Mexico Honey", the latest single from Kacey Musgraves' album, "Middle of Nowhere", is a bit of a departure from the country artist as the ballad features Latin pop and hip-hop sounds; the new single from the progressive soul performer, Steve Lacy, "Doom" is an adventurous alt-rock song with an equally potent music video; and Cardi B has dropped a surprise single, "Ah Ha" that shows she still ain't worried about her haters.

And this year marks the thirtieth anniversary since the release of Mariah Carey's fifth studio album, "Daydream".  There is a new collection, which is officially titled, "Daydream: 30th Anniversary Edition", that will include the original album plus unreleased bonus tracks, rare demos, live performances and remixes. When the record was released, "Daydream" marked a creative shift for Carey as she blended R&B, hip-hop and pop sounds smoothly together for the first time. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and featured the hit singles, "Fantasy", "Always Be My Baby" and "One Sweet Day", Carey’s duet with Boyz II Men that was on top of the US pop chart for sixteen consecutive weeks. "Daydream" is also one of the best-selling albums of all time, with over twenty million copies sold worldwide.

And Kavinsky, the influential French DJ and producer, has passed away on July 28th at the age of fifty. The cause of death is not known at this time. Born Vincent Pierre Claude Belorgey, he had spent his early years as an actor before deciding to turn to music. "Kavinsky" was a stage persona he had created, a red-eyed, blue-skinned zombie who created electronic music. Belorgey had appeared as an actor in Quentin Dupieux's 2007 feature film, "Steak" and contributed music as Kavinsky for the first time. He went on to release three EPs which included "Nightcall" with the title track used during the opening credits of the 2011 film, "Drive", directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. Kavinsky would only release two studio albums during his career, "OutRun" in 2013 and "Reborn" in 2022.

BONNIE TYLER (1951 - 2026)

Bonnie Tyler, the raspy voiced pop vocalist who is best known for the smash hit song, "Total Eclipse of the Heart", has passed away at the age of seventy-five. In May, the Welsh performer had been hospitalized for an emergency intestinal surgery but would be placed in a medically-induced coma due to complications. After a month, Tyler woke up from her coma but remained in critical condition.

Born Gaynor Hopkins in Skewen, Neath, Wales, she was exposed to wide variety of singers and musical genres as a child and was later inspired to pursue a career in music as a teen. After placing runner up in a talent competition, Hopkins would perform back-up vocals for local bands and form her own group. During this time, she changed her professional name to "Sherene Davis" to avoid confusion with Welsh folk singer, Mary Hopkin. She soon attracted attention from talent scouts and was signed to RCA Records in 1975. Not thrilled with her stage name, they suggested various names until she decided on "Bonnie Tyler".

Following a couple of promotional singles (including "Lost in France" which reached the top ten in Britain), Tyler's debut album, "The World Starts Tonight" was released in 1977 and found modest success in Europe. But shortly after recording the album, Tyler had surgery to remove nodules from her vocal cords with the operation permanently leaving her with a slight rasp to her voice.

Tyler's next album, released the following year, "Natural Force" would be her breakthrough with the single, "It's a Heartache" becoming an international hit, reaching number three in the US, number four in the UK and selling over six million copies. With her distinctive voice, she was referred to as a "female Rod Stewart". Tyler would continue recording but her subsequent albums did not enjoy the same amount of success.

After her contract with RCA had expired, Tyler signed with Columbia Records in 1982. In search of a producer for her first album on the label, she approached Jim Steinman, a producer and songwriter best known for Meat Loaf's iconic 1977 album, "Bat Out of Hell". The first single, "Total Eclipse of the Heart", released in 1983 from her fifth album, "Faster Than the Speed of Night", was a emotional power ballad that was a perfect showcase for Tyler's dramatic voice. The song became a monster smash, reaching the top ten across the globe, selling well over six million copies and earning Tyler a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. She would have another hit the following year with "Holding Out for a Hero" from the "Footloose" movie soundtrack.

Tyler went on to record eighteen studio albums throughout her career with her last album, "The Best Is Yet to Come" was released in 2021. She was still performing and had been planning to hit the road later in the year for a tour through Europe before her hospitalization. She had been married to Robert Sullivan, a property developer and a British judo competitor in the 1972 Olympics, since 1973.

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 title 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

NEIL SEDAKA (1939 - 2026)

Neil Sedaka, the pop performer and prolific songwriter, has passed away on February 27th at the age of eighty-six. After briefly singing with a doo-wop group, the Tokens as a teenager, the Brooklyn-born performer teamed up with Howard Greenfield to write many chart topping songs together at the Brill Building for other artists before becoming a popular recording artist himself, all which happened not long after Sedaka had turned eighteen.

During his time at the Brill, which began in 1958, Greenfield was handling the lyrics while Sedaka writing the music. The team had their first hit with their song, "Stupid Cupid" for Connie Francis that year. They would write other songs for Francis including "Where The Boys Are" which was the theme song for the 1960 movie which she co-starred and became Francis' signature song. 

Sedaka was still determined to become a recording artist himself and signed with RCA Records. His first charting song was "The Diary", which was inspired by Francis not allowing him to read her own journal, reaching number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. But his next single, "Oh! Carol" (which was inspired by his former girlfriend, Carole King) became an even bigger hit, peaking at number nine in 1959. More hits followed for Sedaka which included "Calendar Girl",  "Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen" and "Breaking Up is Hard To Do".

Once the British invasion began around 1964, like many of the clean-cut, American pop stars, Sedaka could no longer get his music to chart. He was dropped by his label in 1966 and went back to songwriting full time. Sedaka wrote or co-wrote songs with Greenfield and other writers for The Monkees, the 5th Dimension, Patti Drew and Frankie Valli. But by the early 1970's, Sedaka was back trying to revive his own music career. He found some success touring in Australia and England and was able to rejoin RCA, recording the albums, "Emergence" in 1971 and "Solitaire" the following year. Neither album attracted much attention but the song, "Solitaire" found chart success for Andy Williams and the Carpenters.

Sedaka's fortunes began to shift around 1974 when he recorded the album, "Laughter in the Rain" in Britain. This title track went on to become a number one hit for the singer in the US in 1975, leading to Sedaka being signed to Elton John's label, The Rocket Record Company and a compilation album, "Sedaka's Back" featured material from three previous records he had recorded in the UK. Then later that year, Captain & Tennille recorded a version of Sedaka's song, "Love Will Keep Us Together", becoming a worldwide number one hit. Sedaka's follow-up album, "The Hungry Years" had the first single, "Bad Blood" (that features an uncredited Elton John) become his second number one hit that year. Another single from the album was a slowed-down version of Sedaka's 1962 hit, "Breaking Up is Hard To Do" which this ballad made it to number eight on the pop chart in 1976, making him the only artist to ever record an entirely new version of the same song with both reaching the Billboard Top Ten.

Unfortunately, Sedaka was unable to maintain this remarkable comeback. He recorded one more album, "Steppin' Out" for Rocket before joining Elektra Records, creating a bit of riff between himself and John but their relationship was repaired years later. None of the albums Sedaka recorded on his new label achieved great success. His last charting song was "Should've Never Let You Go", a duet with his daughter, Dara, which made it to number nineteen on the US pop chart in 1980.

But Sedaka would go on to receive plenty of appreciation for his sweeping and influential work. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983, a jukebox musical, "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" came out in 2005 and a theatrical musical biography, "Laughter in the Rain" appeared five years later. Sedaka toured extensively over the last thirty years and even did a series of free mini-concerts online during the COVID-19 shutdown.

BILLY STEINBERG (1950 - 2026)

Billy Steinberg, the incredibly prolific songwriter who was behind many of the most popular songs throughout the 1980's and 1990's, has passed away on February 16th at the age of seventy-five. With his with longtime songwriting partner, Tom Kelly, together wrote or co-wrote with other artists the songs, "Like a Virgin" by Madonna, "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper, "So Emotional" by Whitney Houston, "I Touch Myself" by Divinyls and "I'll Stand by You" by The Pretenders to name just a few.

Born in Palm Springs and raised in Fresno, Steinberg formed a band called, Billy Thermal and they were signed to Richard Perry's Planet Records. The band's actual breakthrough came only when their songs that Steinberg wrote were covered by other artists like Linda Ronstadt who did her version of "How Do I Make You", the lead single form her 1980, "Mad Love" album and Pat Benatar recorded "I'm Gonna Follow You" for her 1980 album, "Crimes of Passion". After the band broke-up, Steinberg soon moved behind the scenes, working with Benatar the following year on her next album and writing the title track, "Precious Time" and teaming with Kelly to co-write another track, "Fire and Ice". This lead to Steinberg and Kelly being suggested to work with Madonna, a rising artist who was working on her follow-up album to her self-titled debut. "Like a Virgin" would be the lead single and title of that album, reaching number one in 1984 on the US pop chart for six weeks.

This helped this newly formed songwriting team become very in demand and other popular songs Steinberg and Kelly wrote include "Alone" (recorded by Heart), "Eternal Flame", "In My Room" (both co-written with Susanna Hoffs and recorded by the Bangles) and "I Drove All Night" (recorded by Cyndi Lauper, Roy Orbison and Celine Dion). By the mid-1990s, Kelly had lost enthusiasm for songwriting, leaving the business. But Steinberg continued on with his career, going on to co-write with other musicians including Rick Nowels, Marie-Claire D'Ubaldo and Josh Alexander.

CONTROL: THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY

I can't believe that it's been forty years (February 4, 1986, to be exact) since the release of the breakthrough album by Janet Jackson, "Control". I remember like it was yesterday when the first single, "What Have You Done For Me Lately?" was dropped, a blunt feminist anthem with a funky beat that was enhanced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis' progressive production. More hit songs followed (with seven of the nine album tracks released as singles) and Jackson would no longer be in the shadow of her very famous brothers as "Control" went on to become a worldwide smash, selling more than ten million copies.

As a teenager, Jackson was largely focusing on acting, appearing in the television shows, "Different Strokes" and "Fame", and not really interested in pursuing music. But her father and manager, Joseph got her a recording contract with A&M Records. Jackson went on to release two albums, a self-titled debut in 1982 and "Dream Street" two years later. Both albums were collections of bubblegum soul that received scant attention and failed to give Jackson, who had very little creative control, much of an identity as a musical artist. 

After deciding to take charge of her career, the then nineteen year old first fired her father and then hired her label's A&R manager, John McClain to help guide her into the next phase. He introduced her to Jam and Lewis, who were former members of the funk band, The Time. The trio clicked and went to work together to create her next album with Jackson even co-writing and producing for the first time.

"Control" was made intentionally to appeal primarily to the African-American community with the feeling that if it crossed over to the pop charts, that would be an added bonus. And the album did have a major impact on both the r&b and pop charts. This was also during MTV and the age of the music video which helped bring even more attention to the singles, "Nasty", "When I Think of You", "Let's Wait Awhile" "The Pleasure Principle" and the title track, assisting them in riding high on the charts.

This album has since gone on to become a highly influential and groundbreaking collection, helping to usher in the sounds of contemporary hip-hop soul with Jackson now considered to be one of the preeminent female artists of popular music. Here is a reminder of the enduring legacy of "Control" and the extraordinary artistry of Janet Jackson: