December 25, 2017 by Amy Gold
During the week of December 17, 2017, fans bade a final farewell to famed pop singer and Las Vegas legend Keely Smith who, with husband Louis Prima, had a string of hits during the late 1950s that included the Grammy award-winning "That Old Black Magic."
A new self-titled vinyl box set by The Vinyl Underground that includes four LPs plus the famous "lost" 1969 album will be coming out next February in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the band's founding.
Dave Davies of The Kinks announced a solo tour in the U.S. beginning next February in West Hollywood, CA. Kansas also announced a U.S. tour beginning next March in Atlantic City, NJ.
Also that week, it was announced that Jackson Browne will be presented the prestigious Les Paul Award at the 33rd annual NAMM Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Awards to take place next January in Anaheim, CA. A new book titled "Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett To The Dark Side Of The Moon" about the changes that took place within the band after the departure of Barrett in 1968 will be coming out next February. Also, surviving ex-Led Zeppelin members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones announced an upcoming official illustrated book in honor of the 50th anniversary of the band's founding to be released sometime in 2018.
Finally, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame museum in Cleveland has updated its Beatles exhibit with new memorabilia items that include an upright piano that John Lennon and Paul McCartney used to write a number of Fab Four classics.
(For more information about the above-listed news items, please see below for a list of sources with links.)
Darlene Love is shown below reviving a late night tradition with her performance of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" (December 18, 2017).
Dave Davies Tour 2018 Confirmed Dates! More to be announced soon...
— Dave Davies (@davedavieskinks) December 17, 2017
Wed Feb 14th @theroxy Theatre, Los Angeles
Fri Feb 16th @GSTmonterey Golden State Theatre Monterey
Sat Feb 17th @TheUptownNapa Theatre, Napa pic.twitter.com/upcY7yqtI3
Jazz and pop singer Keely Smith, former wife and frequent collaborator of Louis Prima, dies at 89 https://t.co/CjaZzDUr01
— billboard (@billboard) December 18, 2017
“Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to the Dark Side of the Moon” released early next year, and ...We will be running an excerpt from this book in March's issue! https://t.co/2VRrKmmpA3 pic.twitter.com/wZWwtIoczg
— Goldmine magazine (@Goldmine_mag) December 18, 2017
Kansas maps out 2018 tour dates. https://t.co/7LR5LrDBeU
— Z94.3 Radio (@Z943Radio) December 19, 2017
The Velvet Underground’s 50th anniversary to be celebrated with career-spanning vinyl box set, including the band's four LPs and the fabled "lost" 1969 album: https://t.co/ARUtpn6wcE pic.twitter.com/ktYI28S5qQ
— Consequence of Sound (@consequence) December 20, 2017
Jackson Browne to receive prestigious Les Paul Award at 2018 NAMM TEC Awards https://t.co/sG0Y9zGOJZ
— 96.1FM WSBT (@960WSBT) December 21, 2017
Led Zeppelin’s 50th anniversary will be celebrated in 2018 with an official illustrated book charting their career: https://t.co/e75VkVXYaJ pic.twitter.com/x8ZGBiXjzP
— Classic Rock (@ClassicRockMag) December 22, 2017
Updated Beatles exhibit to open at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Friday - 101 Gold https://t.co/JWG5UShZLt
— KVLC 101 Gold (@101Gold) December 22, 2017