Allbutforgottenoldies.net Music News Digest: Week Of December 22, 2013

December 29, 2013 by Amy Gold

During the week of December 22, 2013, it was announced that Billy Joel's upcoming New Year's Eve concert at Brooklyn's Barclays Center is set to be broadcast right after the new year rings in on ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest."

Also that week, the Piano Man donated a deluxe, handmade Bosendorfer piano to Stony Brook University worth $250,000.

Aretha Franklin is set to record a new album this January which is expected to be out next spring. Also, Bobby Womack will be collaborating with Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart and Snoop Dog on a new album.

Alice Cooper, the Doobie Brothers, Blue Oyster Cult, and other big name classic rockers will be the featured artists on the Third Annual Rock Legends Cruise which sets sail next February. It was announced that the original members of KISS will be performing together at the upcoming Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies to be aired on HBO in May. Also, Carlos Santana was recently reunited with his long-lost former bandmate, Marcus Malone, through a series of serendipitous events.

Finally, Paul McCartney and Barry Gibb appeared on this year's Christmas episode of "Saturday Night Live." The funny and affable ex-Beatle performed a duet of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" with host Jimmy Fallon (see video below).



December 22, 2013: Paul McCartney, Barry Gibb Appear On 'Saturday Night Live' Christmas Show

Paul McCartney and Barry Gibb were among the guests on this year's Christmas episode of "Saturday Night Live" which aired on December 21, 2013. McCartney performed a duet of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" with host Jimmy Fallon. Bob Dylan and David Bowie were also scheduled to perform but could not make it to the show in time due to a massive New York City traffic jam. Later in the show, Gibb appeared at the end of a skit in which he and his brother, Robin Gibb, were spoofed as talk show hosts.

Source: Paul McCartney Makes Merry With Fallon and Timberlake on 'SNL' - Video | Rolling Stone

December 22, 2013: Alice Cooper, Doobie Brothers And More To Join Rock Legends Cruise

The Third Annual Rock Legends Cruise aboard Royal Caribbean International's Liberty of the Seas will be sailing out on February 19, 2014 from Fort Lauderdale, FL and returning on February 23. Featured artists on this floating classic rock concert will include Alice Cooper, the Doobie Brothers, Blue Oyster Cult, the Marshall Tucker Band, Eddie Money, Uriah Heep, the Outlaws, the Edgar Winter Band, and Ten Years After. For more info and tickets, go to RockLegendsCruise.com.

Source: ROCK LEGENDS CRUISE III | Rock Legends CruiseRock Legends Cruise

December 22, 2013: Original KISS Members To Reunite At Rock Hall Of Fame

Current KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, and former members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, will be performing together at the upcoming Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies where KISS will be among those bands and artists to be added to this year's honorees. The ceremonies are set to take place on April 10, 2014 at Brooklyn's Barclays Center and will be shown on HBO in May.

Source: KISS To Reunite At Rock Hall Of Fame Event

December 23, 2013: Billy Joel's Brooklyn's Barclays Center Show To Be Shown On 'New Year's Rockin' Eve'

Billy Joel's upcoming New Year's Eve concert at Brooklyn's Barclays Center is scheduled to be broadcast right after the new year rings in on ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest." Launched in 1972 by Dick Clark, this show has remained a New Year's Eve tradition ever since.

Source: Billy Joel to Appear on 'New Year's Rockin' Eve' | Music News | Rolling Stone

December 23, 2013: Carlos Santana Is Reunited With Former Bandmate Marcus Malone

A series of serendipitous events brought Carlos Santana back together with his long-lost bandmate Marcus Malone, a homeless man who played percussion in Santana's band back in the late 1960s. Stanley Roberts from KRON-TV in San Francisco was doing a story on illegal dumping and happened to meet Marcus Malone, who relayed his story to Roberts. In the meantime, Santana was trying to track down his former bandmate, and the two were reunited after Santana's management contacted Roberts who tracked down Malone.

Source: Carlos Santana Reunites With Homeless Ex-Bandmate | Music News | Rolling Stone

December 26, 2013: Billy Joel Donates Piano To Stony Brook University

The Piano Man recently donated a deluxe, handmade Bosendorfer piano worth $250,000 to Stony Brook University. This piano, which is the second one that Joel has donated to Stony Brook University, is unusual in that it has 97 keys rather than the usual 88.

Source: Billy Joel Donates Piano To University

December 26, 2013: Aretha Franklin To Record New Album

This January, Aretha Franklin will be recording a new album which is expected to be released sometime during the spring of 2014. Included on this 10-track LP will be covers of "Bootylicious" by Destiny's Child and the 1978 disco classic, "Last Dance," by Donna Summer.

Source: Aretha Franklin To Cover Destiny's Child And Donna Summer On New Album

December 28, 2013: Bobby Womack Working On New Album With Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart and Snoop Dog

Bobby Womack will be collaborating with Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart and Snoop Dog on a new album which will be a follow-up to "The Bravest Man in the Universe." Despite battling with cancer and Alzheimer’s, Womack still records and tours actively.

Source: Stevie Wonder And Rod Stewart Collaborating With Bobby Womack