Man arrested in hit-and-run death of Nicki Minaj’s father
MINEOLA, N.Y. — A 70-year-old man arrested Wednesday in the hit-and-run death of rapper Nicki Minaj’s father stopped briefly to ask the injured man if he was OK but didn’t call for help, police said. Charles Polevich faces charges of leaving the scene of an incident and tampering with physical...
Pittsburgh’s Miss Freddye nominated for several music awards
A song published 120 years ago, “Wade in the Water,” is making waves for a local singer today. Freddye Stover, known in the regional music scene as Miss Freddye, debuted her version of “Wade in the Water” as her latest single. ‘I grew up in church listening to ‘Wade in...
Chick Corea, jazz great with 23 Grammy Awards, dies at 79Video
NEW YORK — Chick Corea, a towering jazz pianist with a staggering 23 Grammy Awards who pushed the boundaries of the genre and worked alongside Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, has died. He was 79. Corea died Tuesday of a rare form of cancer, his team posted on his website....
Taylor Swift has finished redoing sophomore album ‘Fearless’Video
NEW YORK — Last year, Taylor Swift gave us a lot of new music. This year it will be old — the pop star has announced she’s dropping the first of her re-recorded albums. Swift said online Thursday that “Fearless: Taylor’s Version” is finished and “will be with you soon,”...
Morgan Wallen tells fans not to defend his racist language
Country star Morgan Wallen asked fans not to downplay the racist language he was caught saying on camera and said that he accepted the punishments he faced. TMZ posted a video last week of Wallen saying a racial slur and Wallen apologized at the time. Wallen posted a five-minute Instagram...
Britney Spears reminds us of the ‘person living behind the lens’ amid film dramaVideo
After FX’s buzzy Britney Spears documentary exposed the toxic ways in which the media circus descended on her as a rising pop star, Spears delivered a poignant message on Instagram about fame. On Tuesday afternoon, the singer posted three-year-old footage of herself performing her hit single “Toxic” and offered an...
Springsteen charged with drunken driving; Jeep ad on pause
HIGHLANDS, N.J. — Bruce Springsteen is facing a drunken driving charge in New Jersey, prompting Jeep to put on pause the Super Bowl television commercial that features him. Springsteen was arrested Nov. 14 in a part of the Gateway National Recreation Area on the New Jersey coast, a spokesperson for...
Westmoreland Symphony’s Young Artist Competition winners to hit virtual stage
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra and its Academy of Music will present its 2021 Young Artists Competition winners’ recital as a virtual event this year. The program will premiere at 3 p.m. Feb. 21 on the symphony’s YouTube channel. The young artist competition is open to students who reside or take...
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announces 2021 class nomineesVideo
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced the nominees for its 2021 induction Wednesday morning. Jay-Z, Foo Fighters, Rage Against the Machine, Mary J. Blige and Iron Maiden were among the nominees. The full nominee list is: • Mary J. Blige • Kate Bush • Devo • Foo...
Things to do in Western Pa.: Feb. 10, 2021
The doldrums of February is a good time to hunker down at home and watch a movie. The Carnegie Mellon International Film Festival, Row House Cinema and Pittsburgh Cultural Trust have at-home streaming options, ranging from serious to silly. Also coming up are music livestreams, art and theater happenings and...
Digital series connects music lovers to Pittsburgh Symphony
On a warm fall night in Downtown Pittsburgh, members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performed in the Heinz Hall garden. Principal oboist Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida complemented the symphony’s strings ensemble for Ennio Morricone’s “Gabriel’s Oboe” with a sound that resonated, a memorial to the composer who died in July. Port...
Mary Wilson, longest-reigning original Supreme, dies at 76Video
LAS VEGAS — Mary Wilson, the longest-reigning original Supreme, has died at 76 years old. Wilson died Monday night at her home in Las Vegas and the cause was not immediately clear, said publicist Jay Schwartz. Wilson, Diana Ross and Florence Ballard made up the first successful configuration of The...
Pittsburgh’s Jimmy Sapienza, front-man of Five Guys Named Moe, dies at 71
Pittsburgh singer Jimmy Sapienza – front-man of Jimmy Sapienza and Five Guys Named Moe – died Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021. He was 71. “It is with the deepest regret to share with all of you that my husband Jimmy Sapienza unexpectedly passed away this afternoon with immediate family,” his wife,...
Pittsburgh’s Aris Paul Band wins national honor for best rock actVideo
Pittsburgh musician Aris Paul delved deep into family history for his song, “Better Man’s Shoes,” and ended up winning a national award for his band. The Aris Paul Band received best rock song honors in the recent Hollywood Music in Media Awards. “I had no expectations,” Paul said. “I was...
Folk singer-songwriter and political activist Anne Feeney dies at 69
A fierce activist who lent her voice and music to a range of grassroots causes — a self-described “hellraiser” and “troublemaker” — Anne Feeney spent decades turning the push for social justice into lyrics. “Anne, like a laser, would identify these issues and help people understand these in a very...
Singer Morgan Wallen suspended from label after racial slur
Country star Morgan Wallen has been suspended indefinitely from his label after a video surfaced of him shouting a racial slur and radio stations have removed his music from their playlists. Big Loud Records said in a statement posted to social media on Wednesday that Wallen’s contract has been suspended...
Pittsburgh Opera’s free February livestreams offer timely themes
Pittsburgh Opera will offer two timely programs during February. Six resident artists will perform in “Songs from the Heart: A Valentine from Pittsburgh Opera,” streaming free at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 14 on the opera’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. Making for an even sweeter experience, viewers can order a five-piece...
The Weeknd coming to Pittsburgh in 2022 with ‘The After Hours Tour’ rescheduledVideo
The Weeknd is still coming to Pittsburgh, just not this year. The Canadian singer announced Wednesday new dates for “The After Hours Tour,” originally set to take place in 2020 and then rescheduled for 2021. The tour will now begin in January 2022, with a stop at PPG Paints Arena...
High school musical season is again up in the air as pandemic continuesVideo
To stage or not to stage, that is the question for area high schools as musical season approaches. As many productions fell prey last year to the pandemic, school personnel and students didn’t think they would be facing the same challenge this year. But they are. With gathering size and...
Tony Bennett reveals battle with Alzheimer’s disease
NEW YORK — Tony Bennett has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease but it hasn’t quieted his legendary voice. The singer’s wife and son reveal in the latest edition of AARP The Magazine that Bennett was first diagnosed with the irreversible neurological disorder in 2016. The magazine says he endures “increasingly...
Rod Stewart lawyer: Plea deal in works in hotel altercation
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Rod Stewart and his son have worked out details for a plea deal to settle misdemeanor battery charges stemming from an altercation with a security guard at a posh Florida hotel, a lawyer for the rock icon says. Defense attorneys said Friday that Stewart and...
Sophie, Grammy-nominated Scottish musician, dies at age 34
LONDON — Sophie, the Grammy-nominated Scottish disc jockey, producer and recording artist who had worked with the likes of Madonna and Charli XCX, has died following an accident in the Greek capital of Athens. She was 34. In a statement, U.K. label Transgressive said the musician, whose full name was...
Westmoreland-based Derek Woods Band wins national music awardVideo
“I really didn’t see that coming,” said musician Derek Woods about winning an award at Wednesday’s Hollywood Music in Media Awards. The Westmoreland-based Derek Woods Band took honors for Americana/Folk/Singer Songwriter Song of the Year for “Unforgiving Tree” during a livestreamed program that Woods and his band mates watched from...
Pittsburgh to honor local jazz musicians virtually for Black History Month
Pittsburgh jazz legend Roger Humphries marches to his own beat. The musician from Pittsburgh’s North Side began playing the drums at the age of 3. He wanted to be like his older brothers. “Music is in my blood,” said Humphries, who turns 77 on Saturday. “I recall lying on the...
How the Flaming Lips pulled off covid-distancing space bubble showsVideo
The Flaming Lips pulled off their first full-length space bubble concerts this past weekend in Oklahoma City, with both the band and audience members sequestered in their own zip-up bubbles. The band performed a couple of sold-out shows in promotion of its 2020 album “American Head,” featuring 100 inflatable audience...
