DATE=5/3/2002
TYPE=Music Programs Feature
NUMBER=7-400741
TITLE=Music Notes For The Week Of May 5-11, 2002
BYLINE=Mary Morningstar
TELEPHONE=619-1692
DATELINE=Washington
EDITOR=ML
CONTENT=
POP NUMBER ONE HITS:
1962 The Shirelles "Soldier Boy" (CDP-98)
1972 Roberta Flack "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (CDP-15001)
1982 Vangelis "Chariots Of Fire Main Titles" (CDP-22352A)
1992 Kris Kross "Jump" (CDP-5528)
2002 Ashanti "Foolish" (CDP-25004)
MUSIC NEWS:
One week after the death of TLC's Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, the remaining two members of the trio announced they will continue performing. Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins won't replace Lopes because they say, "The chemistry we have is something God gave us. You can't put that together." The funeral for 30-year-old Lopes, who died April 25th in a car accident in Honduras, took place on May 1st in Atlanta, Georgia. Ten thousand of her fans attended the service. TLC's fourth album is scheduled for release later this year.
Scott Stapp, lead singer of the rock band Creed, was injured in a car accident on April 19th. He was driving near Orlando, Florida when his car was struck by another automobile at a high speed. The group was to begin the second North American leg of its "Weathered Tour" on April 29th. Stapp's doctors advised him to cancel the concerts while he recuperates from back and neck injuries. Creed hopes to resume the tour in a few months.
On May 7th, Columbia Records will release Lauryn Hill's "MTV Unplugged" album. The double CD contains new, solo acoustic songs that she performed on the "MTV Unplugged" series in March. This week (May 11th), Lauryn is scheduled to appear at the St. Lucia Jazz Festival in the Caribbean.
Elektra Records will release the live album "Family Values Tour 2001" on May 7th. The set includes tracks by Stone Temple Pilots, Linkin Park, Staind and Static-X, among others. It's the third in a series of Family Values Tour releases. Both previous collections have sold more than one million copies in the U.S.
NEW ALBUM RELEASES:
New albums scheduled for release on May 7th include: "Michael Feinstein and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra" on Concord Jazz Records; "Burnin' Down The House" by Etta James on Private Music; "Hard Game of Love" by Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver and "Lookout For Hope" by Jerry Douglas on Sugar Hill Records; "When You Lie Next To Me" by Kellie Coffey on BNA Records; "Thanks For Bringing Love Around Again" by Ray Charles on Crossover Records; "What In Samhill?" by Highway 9 on Epic Records; "Cool Me Down" by Jenai on Curb Records; "King Biscuit Presents" by Teddy Pendergrass on King Biscuit Records; and "My Ride's Here" by Warren Zevon on Artemis Records.
MUSICAL EVENTS/FESTIVALS/BENEFITS:
On May 10th, cable music channel MTV will present a free concert in New York's Battery Park. The three-hour show will include performances by Sheryl Crow, Counting Crows and Wyclef Jean. Comedians Robin Williams and Jimmy Fallon will also appear. MTV plans to air a portion of the concert later this month.
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK AND SUGGESTED MUSIC:
May 5th marks the birth date of the late Country singer Tammy Wynette (born 1942). Known as the "First Lady of Country Music," she left her native Mississippi and moved to Nashville in 1966. Wynette recorded a string of Number One songs throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, including "D-I-V-O-R-C-E," "I Don't Wanna Play House" and "Stand By Your Man." In 1993, she teamed with Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn to record the album, "Honky Tonk Angels." Wynette's most recent album was the 1995 release "One," which teamed her with ex-husband George Jones. The album reunited the Country legends for their first concerts together in 17~years. In April of 1998, Wynette died unexpectedly of a blood clot in her lung. She was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame during that year's Country Music Association Awards. Her daughters recently agreed to an out-of-court settlement in their lawsuit against their late mother's physician, Dr. Wallis Marsh of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They accused Marsh of contributing to Wynette's death by over-prescribing large quantities of painkillers. No details of the settlement will be disclosed. ("Stand By Your Man" CDP-244)
Rock singer-songwriter Bob Seger will celebrate his 57th birthday on May 6th. Seger taught himself to play the guitar and keyboards during his high school years and later formed his first band, The Decibels. In~1968, he assembled the Bob Seger System, which~eventually evolved into the Silver Bullet Band. Nine years later, the group recorded the million-selling double album, "Live Bullet." Since~then, each of its releases has been certified platinum, with sales exceeding one million copies. The~band's biggest hits include "Night Moves," "Still~The Same" and the Number One Adult Contemporary single, "Shame On The Moon." Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band's latest album, "It's A Mystery," was~released in late-1995. Three years later, Seger~recorded "Chances Are," a duet with Country~singer Martina McBride that appeared on the motion picture soundtrack to "Hope Floats." ("Night~Moves" CDP-10339)
May 8th marks the birth date of the late actor and singer Rick Nelson (born 1940). Before pursuing a successful singing career, he acted in his parents' popular television series, "Ozzie & Harriet." Nelson became a teen idol in the late 1950s after singing his Top 5 single "I'm Walking" on one of the episodes. Other major hits followed, including two Number One songs, "Poor Little Fool" and "Travelin' Man." On December 31, 1985, Nelson was killed when his plane crashed while en route to a New Year's Eve performance near DeKalb, Texas. ("Poor Little Fool" CDP-349)
On May 9th, singer-songwriter Billy Joel will celebrate his 53rd birthday. During the 1960s, Joel performed with various local New York bands. He signed a solo recording deal in 1973, and the following year, scored his first chart single with "Piano Man." Since then, Joel has sold nearly 100 million albums worldwide. His numerous hits include the Number One songs "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me," "Tell Her About It" and "We Didn't Start The Fire." In 1987, he performed a concert tour of Russia, which spawned the live double album "Kohuept" (translation: "Concert"). In 1990, Joel received a Grammy Legend Award for "ongoing contributions and influence in the recording field." His other prestigious industry honors include Billboard magazine's 1995 Century Award and induction into the Songwriter's Hall Of Fame (1992) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1999). During the past few years, Joel has toured with Elton John, lectured on college campuses and composed classical music. In 2000, his 1985 anthology, "Greatest Hits, Volume I and Volume II" passed the 20 million mark in sales to become the fourth-highest-certified album in history. His latest recording project was last year's Sony Classical release "Billy Joel Fantasies & Delusions." Joel composed the classical pieces, which were performed on the album by Richard Joo. ("Piano Man" CDP-16525A)
U2 lead vocalist Bono (real name Paul Hewson) will turn 42 on May 10th. The Irish singer helped formed the rock group U2, which gained international popularity following the release of "The Joshua Tree" in 1987. The album contained the Number One singles "With Or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," and earned the band two Grammy Awards. Several successful albums followed, including "Rattle And Hum," "Achtung Baby," "Zooropa" and "Pop." In 1998, Island Records released the group's anthology "The Best Of U2, 1980-1990." U2 returned in 2000 with its latest studio album, "All That You Can't Leave Behind." The album earned U2 four Grammy Awards, including Rock Album of the Year. On May 20th, Bono will head to Africa with U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill to support the cause of fair trade with Third World countries. ("Walk On" CDP-22612)
AWARDS PRESENTATIONS/WINNERS:
The 2002 Billboard Latin Music Awards will take place in Miami Beach, Florida on May 9th. Mexican artist Lupillo Rivera leads this year's finalists with six nominations, followed by singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel, who received five. This year's ceremony will feature performances by Marc Anthony, Celine Dion, Jaci Velasquez, Thalia, and many others.
TOUR DATES/INFORMATION:
On May 5th, singer-songwriter Jackson Browne will begin a solo acoustic tour in Concord, New Hampshire. He'll be performing at small theaters and halls along the East Coast through the end of May. Browne's spokesperson says he has been working on a new studio album, but there's no word on when it will be released.
Rhythm-and-blues star Usher will kick off a North American concert tour on May 8th in Seattle, Washington. He'll be promoting his latest album "8701." Also on the bill are Faith Evans, Nas and Mr. Cheeks. Usher planned to launch the tour last November, but was forced to cancel the outing after dislocating his shoulder during rehearsals.
On May 10th, pop singer-songwriter Jewel will begin a three-week European concert tour in Milan, Italy. She's still recuperating from a horse riding accident that left her with a broken collarbone and rib. Jewel won't be able to play the guitar for a few weeks, so she'll have her band fill in for her. In addition to Italy, Jewel is scheduled to perform shows in Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain and the U.K. U.S. dates will begin on June 14th.
Irish rock band the Cranberries will begin a North American tour on May 10th in Montreal, Quebec. The trek is in support of the group's fifth album, "Wake Up and Smell the Coffee." Concerts are currently scheduled through early July.
FACTS FROM THE PAST AND SUGGESTED MUSIC:
5/7/49 - Country legend Hank Williams scored his first Number One hit with "Lovesick Blues." ("Lovesick Blues" CDP-888)
5/7/78 - Singer Yvonne Elliman topped Billboard's Hot 100 chart with "If I Can't Have You." The song was featured on the soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever." ("If I Can't Have You" CDP-781)
5/8/76 - Country singer Reba McEntire made her chart debut with "I Don't Want To Be A One Night Stand." The song peaked at Number 88, but was followed in the 1980's and 1990's by such major hits as "Can't Even Get The Blues," "Whoever's In New England" and "Does He Love You." ("I Don't Want To Be A One Night Stand" CDP-10255)
5/9/62 - The Beatles signed their first recording contract with EMI Parlophone. Two years later, the group embarked on its first American tour, which sparked the so-called Beatlemania throughout the U.S. ("Hey Jude" CDP-970)
5/10/63 - The Rolling Stones' first recording session took place at Olympic Studios in London. Although "Come On" was the only track released from the session, other songs appear on the bootleg album "Bright Lights, Big City." ("Come On" CDP-513)
5/10/75 - Stevie Wonder performed to 125,000 people in Washington, D.C. during a free, unannounced concert to celebrate Human Kindness Day. ("I Wish" CDP-7495)
5/11/81 - Reggae superstar Bob Marley died of brain cancer at age 36. He was responsible for spreading reggae's popularity to an international level. Three years after his death, the Marley compilation "Legend" was released, which has sold more than 8 million copies in the U.S. alone. In 1992, Tuff Gong Records issued a 79-song boxed set, entitled "Songs Of Freedom." ("Jammin'" CDP-6284)