New Orleans jazz patriarch Ellis Marsalis dead at 85
NEW ORLEANS — Ellis Marsalis Jr., jazz pianist, teacher and patriarch of a New Orleans musical clan that includes famed performer sons Wynton and Branford, has died after battling pneumonia brought by the new coronavirus, one of his sons said late Wednesday. He was 85. Ellis Marsalis III confirmed in...
Fountains of Wayne songwriter dies of coronavirus
Emmy and Grammy-winning musician and songwriter Adam Schlesinger, known for his work with his band Fountains of Wayne and on the TV show “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” died Wednesday after contracting the coronavirus, his attorney said. Schlesinger died at a hospital in upstate New York, his longtime lawyer Josh Grier told The...
Web-a-thon with Bill Deasy, Aubrey Burchell, others benefits emergency fund for artists
Bill Deasy is among the local musicians to play for the Emergency Fund for Artists Web-a-thon 6 p.m. Saturday to raise money for an emergency fund for local performing artists. As covid-19 has decimated the performing arts scene, the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council is trying to raise money for an...
Justin Bieber postpones Pittsburgh show, ‘Changes’ tour
Justin Bieber joins the long list of artists canceling shows because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Canadian pop star has postponed his tour in support of his new album “Changes,” which was set to come through Pittsburgh at PPG Paints Arena on Aug. 4. “In light of the current public...
Pittsburgh Symphony adds to list of canceled concert dates
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has canceled all concerts through May 21, in accordance with recommended “stay-at-home” orders to limit the spread of covid-19. Concerts that have been canceled are: • May 1-3: PNC Pops “Paul Shaffer” • May 5, 6, 12 and 13: Second Grade Schooltime • May 8-10: BNY...
Elton John-led streaming concert raises $8 millionVideo
The Elton John-led starry benefit concert that featured Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys on Sunday has raised nearly $8 million to battle the coronavirus. The musicians performed from their homes for the hourlong event that aired on Fox and iHeartMedia radio stations. The money will go to Feeding...
Pittsburgh couple’s virus song goes viral on YouTubeVideo
A Pittsburgh couple used their housebound time to fight back at coronavirus with a parody song. Claire and Mel Vatz based their “We’re All Home Bound” on the Simon & Garfunkel classic “Homeward Bound.” The couple sent the video to about 35 friends and family Sunday night. The YouTube video...
Former WYEP ‘Soul Show’ host Stephen Chatman dies of covid-19
Stephen Chatman was a different kind of radio host. His former colleagues at WYEP remember him as easygoing at the microphone — never formal. He spoke to listeners like he was talking with friends, casually and unhurried. “It was that really personal aspect that he brought,” said Michael Canton, WYEP’s...
Fred Rogers Center pairs with guitar maker for fellowship program
The name of a prominent musical instrument maker will grace a newly established fellowship in children’s music at the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College. A grant from Fred and Dinah Gretsch and their family has endowed The Gretsch Fellow in Children’s Music...
Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, more sing from home to raise funds for virusVideo
Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys and Dave Grohl opened their doors — literally — as the musicians performed from their homes for an hour-long benefit concert to raise money for those affected by the coronavirus crisis. Keys kicked off the Sunday event — which also honored health professionals and...
John Prine in critical condition with covid-19 symptoms
NEW YORK — The family of John Prine says the singer-songwriter is critically ill and has been placed on a ventilator while being treated for covid-19-type symptoms. A message posted on Prine’s Twitter page Sunday said the “Angel from Montgomery” singer has been hospitalized since Thursday and his condition worsened...
Country singer Joe Diffie dies of coronavirus complicationsVideo
NEW YORK — Country singer Joe Diffie, who had a string of hits in the 1990s with chart-topping ballads and honky-tonk singles such as “Home” and “Pickup Man,” has died after testing positive for covid-19. He was 61. Diffie on Friday announced he had contracted the coronavirus, becoming the first...
Singer-songwriter Jan Howard dies at 91
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Singer-songwriter Jan Howard, who had a No. 1 country hit “For Loving You” with Bill Anderson and wrote hits for others like Kitty Wells’ “It’s All Over But the Crying,” has died at age 91, according to the Grand Ole Opry. The Opry, of which she was...
Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood to perform requests on live special
LOS ANGELES — Garth Brooks and wife Trisha Yearwood will be taking viewer requests during a live prime-time show this week filmed at their home. CBS will air the special, “Garth and Trisha: Live!” on Wednesday at 9 p.m. Eastern. In an announcement Sunday, CBS says the country stars will...
PSO offers weekly concert footage, other online music programs
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will launch a web series at 8 p.m.Friday featuring its performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique,” recorded live in May 2016 at the Berlin Philharmonie in Germany. Music Director Manfred Honeck will host; bonus footage will provide Honeck’s insights into the performance. The symphony will remain...
Baby Shark returns to help you wash your hands — doo, doo …Video
Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the internet. Baby Shark is back. This time, Pinkfong takes its infectious — er, maybe bad choice of words — its earworm song and made it all about hand washing. And the result? After listening to “Wash Your Hands...
Dave Matthews to livestream set from home, kick off weekly seriesVideo
Dave Matthews is playing live from his home tonight for a good cause. The singer-songwriter will play a 30-minute set starting at 8 p.m. that will be shown via Verizon’s Twitter account and also on Yahoo. The streamed set is the first from Pay it Forward Live, a weekly eight-part...
Houston rapper Slim Thug says he has tested positive for covid-19Video
Texas rapper Slim Thug announced this week on social media that he has tested positive for coronavirus. The rapper, whose real name is Stayve Jerome Thomas, can be seen in an Instagram post sitting in his home detailing his experience with finding out his diagnosis. View this post on Instagram...
Recording registry adds ‘Wichita Lineman,’ songs from ‘Mister Rogers’Video
Dr. Dre’s classic debut rap album “The Chronic,” Selena’s sophomore release “Ven Conmigo” and the worldwide disco hit “Y.M.C.A.” by the Village People are among 25 recordings being inducted to the National Recording Registry. The Library of Congress announced Wednesday that Tina Turner’s “Private Dancer,” Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman” —...
Pittsburgh’s Gabby Barrett, Code Orange top Billboard chart
The Pittsburgh area was well-represented on a Billboard chart this week. Country singer Gabby Barrett, from Munhall, and Pittsburgh hardcore band Code Orange topped the Emerging Artists chart for the week of March 28 at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. It was Barrett’s fifth week on the chart and Code...
The Clarks will continue weekly live Facebook sessions
The Clarks say they will continue to go live every Saturday night on Facebook “to share their music with all of you during these difficult times.” The sessions begin at 8 p.m. on the band’s Facebook page. Coming next is music and a question-and-answer session with founder and lead vocalist...
Elton John to host TV, radio concert as coronavirus antidote
Elton John is hosting a “living room” concert aimed at bolstering American spirits during the coronavirus crisis and saluting those countering it, iHeartMedia and Fox said Wednesday. Alicia Keys, Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, the Backstreet Boys, Tim McGraw and Billie Joe Armstrong are scheduled to take part in the event...
Pittsburgh Irish Festival to livestream Facebook concert series
The Pittsburgh Irish Festival will livestream a series of Irish music performances on its Facebook page. The Live Stream Irish Music Series is a partnership with the Irish Design Center. This week’s schedule includes: • Wednesday: Mickey Spain, 7 p.m.; and Mike Flaherty, 8 p.m. • Thursday: Katie Grennan (Pittsburgh-born...
Once booming concert industry goes quiet after coronavirus
Inside a warehouse for MooTV, a live video production company in Nashville, Tenn., the floor-to-ceiling shelves are lined with row after row of video screens, cables and rolling cases that normally would be out on the road with Brad Paisley, Chris Stapleton or Dierks Bentley. At one end of the...
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction moved to fall, to be broadcast live on HBO
It might be coming later than expected, but the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony is coming in the fall and will be shown live, according to Variety. The induction ceremony for the class of 2020 was originally set for May 2, but was postponed because of the coronavirus...
