Music category, Page 101
Reba McEntire, Darius Rucker take over as CMA Awards hosts
Country stars Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker are promising laughs and good music when they co-host this year’s CMA Awards in November. McEntire, a Country Music Hall of Famer and veteran host of country music awards shows, returns after hosting last year with Carrie Underwood and Dolly Parton. It will...
Black singer of regional Mexican music sparks buzz, emotion
RIO RANCHO, N.M. — Before clicking the Instagram video, the sight intrigued most. Sarah Palafox, a Black woman, held an iPhone while standing in front of mariachis. When users turned on the volume, they heard a woman belting out a heartbreak interpretation of Jenni Rivera’s “Que Me Vas A Dar”...
Mom, nurse, cancer survivor, singer: ‘Miss Freddye’ soothes in all aspects of her lifeVideo
When Freddye Stover learned she had breast cancer in 1998, the tears flowed.“Receiving the ‘C’ diagnosis is heartbreaking,” said Stover, known in the regional music scene as “Miss Freddye.” “I cried for 24 hours straight. I went to bed crying. I woke up crying. I cried in the shower. I...
Country star and hit Elvis songwriter Mac Davis dies at 78Video
NASHVILLE — Country star Mac Davis, who crafted the Elvis hits “A Little Less Conversation” and “In the Ghetto” before launching his own successful artist career, has died. He was 78. His longtime manager Jim Morey said in a press release that Davis died in Nashville on Tuesday after heart...
‘I Am Woman’ singer Helen Reddy, ’70s hitmaker, dies at 78
Helen Reddy, who shot to stardom in the 1970s with her rousing feminist anthem “I Am Woman” and recorded a string of other hits, has died. She was 78. Reddy’s children Traci and Jordan announced that the actor-singer died Tuesday in Los Angeles. “She was a wonderful Mother, Grandmother and...
Review: Live album shows why Adam Lambert is perfect for Queen
Adam Lambert is not Freddie Mercury. Nor, to his credit, does he try to be. What he is, though, is the perfect successor to the iconic Queen vocalist, seemingly predestined to revive the supergroup with his own impossible vocals and over-the-top showmanship. “Live Around the World,” culled from every tour...
Moon band Chip & the Charge Ups prepare for album-release party this weekendVideo
Chip Dominick, singer and guitarist for Pittsburgh rock group Chip & the Charge Ups, isn’t just making a band pun when he said he misses the electricity between the band and audience at live shows. “We have a passion for our music and our fans have a passion for what...
Hambone’s owner Jeffrey Holt remembered for supporting Pittsburgh’s art, music scene
One of the Pittsburgh area’s longtime supporters of its music and comedy scene died Thursday. Jeffrey D. Holt of Mt. Lebanon owned the popular Lawrenceville bar Hambone’s. He was 46. A cause of death wasn’t listed in obituary information, and his family declined to discuss his manner of death. “We...
John Williams, Ben Folds have new Pittsburgh Symphony dates
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra announced new 2021 dates for two special concerts that were postponed from the 2019-2020 season. “An Evening with Honeck & Mutter & Williams” will take place on June 9, while Ben Folds will appear with the orchestra on Oct. 15 next year. Both concerts will begin...
Pittsburgh hip-hop artist Mars Jackson talks new album, social justice, ways to ‘Look Up’
Pittsburgh hip-hop artist Mars Jackson has a knack for surprising people. He performed in art galleries, like Penn Avenue’s Most Wanted Fine Art, when clubs weren’t his style. Threads of soul, jazz and gospel are prominently displayed in his melodic brand of hip-hop music. He openly discusses the benefits of...
Annual John Lennon tribute, in 40th year, goes online
NEW YORK — Like many other events, an annual John Lennon tribute concert that takes place in his adopted city of New York on his Oct. 9 birthday has been forced online because of the coronavirus pandemic. There was no way it was being canceled, not on what would have...
Thomas Rhett, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs top CMT nomsVideo
Ashley McBryde, Dan + Shay, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, Sam Hunt and Thomas Rhett top the 2020 CMT Music Awards nominations with three each. In nominations announced Wednesday for the pandemic-delayed show, 14 videos are vying for the top prize of video of the year. The fan-voted show will air...
Elton John announces new North American dates for final tour — in 2022
NEW YORK — After postponing several shows because of the coronavirus pandemic, Elton John is saying hello to the yellow brick road of touring. The pop icon announced Wednesday that his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour” will return to North America on Jan. 19, 2022, in New Orleans. John also...
40 years ago, reggae legend Bob Marley jammed Pittsburgh in his final concertVideo
When David Meerman Scott snuck down from the Stanley Theatre balcony to snap photos of Bob Marley’s performance 40 years ago, he was just happy to be closer to the music. “I was never rich or connected enough to have really great seats at a show,” said Scott, who at...
South Side’s Rex Theater closing permanently
Pittsburgh’s Rex Theater, a South Side concert venue, will close permanently, theater management announced Tuesday on social media. “Due to the ongoing hardship and uncertain future caused by the covid-19 pandemic, The Rex Theater will be closing our doors after over a decade of live music and events,” they wrote on...
Post Malone leads Billboard Awards nominationsVideo
Post Malone is the sunflower of the 2020 Billboard Music Awards. The multi-platinum 25-year-old star scored 16 nominations, dick clark productions and NBC announced Tuesday. Malone’s nominations include top artist, top male artist, top rap artist and top streaming songs artist. His 2019 album “Hollywood’s Bleeding” — which featured the...
Last studio recording of jazz trumpeter Woody Shaw released
RIO RANCHO, N.M. — A forgotten studio recording of the late jazz trumpeter Woody Shaw has been released as part of an effort to preserve jazz history. “49th Parallel,” a 1987 recording led by Canadian bassist Neil Swainson that features Shaw and tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, was made available this...
Twisted Sister to anti-maskers: Don’t use our protest song
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider took to social media to condemn anti-maskers who went into a Florida Target store blaring the group’s hit “We’re Not Gonna Take It” while ripping off their masks. In a tweet Wednesday, Snider called the stunt “moronic” and shared a video...
New box set has trove of rare, unreleased Elton John songs
Elton John is opening up his vault and releasing an expansive collection of rarely heard and unreleased tracks. John announced Thursday that the eight-CD collection, “Elton: Jewel Box,” will be released on Nov. 13. The collection includes “Sing Me No Sad Songs,” an unreleased studio demo from 1969. The “Jewel...
Carrie Underwood, Thomas Rhett tie for top prize at ACMsVideo
In surprise twist that fit an unexpected year of firsts, Carrie Underwood and Thomas Rhett tied for entertainer of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards, the first time the top prize has been split between two artists. Underwood and Rhett seemed equally taken aback after host Keith...
Country’s night to party sobers up amid pandemic
In a pre-pandemic world, the Academy of Country Music Awards advertised itself as country music’s night to party with gambling, after-parties and a Las Vegas-style attitude. This year the red carpet, crowds and gambling are all replaced with covid-19 tests, temperature checks and face masks. The awards show was delayed...
Brad, Kimberly Williams-Paisley fight hunger with 1 million meal pledge
After opening a free grocery store earlier this year, country music star Brad Paisley and his wife are expanding their efforts to fight hunger in America. Paisley and his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, have pledged to donate 1 million nutritional meals this month. The initiative is billed as the Million...
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and opera take stage for outdoor concert SundayVideo
Classical music-starved fans in Western Pennsylvania will finally get to see a live performance Sunday. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Opera will perform an open-air concert at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s mobile stage in the parking lot of their Strip District headquarters. It’s part of PBT’s Open Air...
Modern string quartet next up in WSO outdoor concert seriesVideo
Beo String Quartet will perform Sept. 25 in Hempfield Park, as part of the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s “Live on the Lawn” summer concert series. Music will begin at 7 p.m. in the amphitheater of the park at 220 Forbes Trail Road. The Pittsburgh-based quartet’s two earlier dates in the series...
The Clarks’ Scott Blasey to perform at diabetes fundraiser
If Julia Balobeck sleeps through her phone’s alarm, it can be life-threatening. The 18-year-old from Crafton has diabetes and wears a device that alerts her to low blood sugar through her smartphone. It also sends a warning to her mother’s phone. “At night she gets some crazy low readings,” said...
