July 13, 2014 by Amy Gold
During the week of July 6, 2014, fans mourned the passing of Tommy Ramone, the last surviving original member of the Ramones, a pioneering punk rock band formed in the mid 1970s famous for such songs as "Blitzkrieg Bop" and a power pop remake of the oldies classic, "Do You Wanna Dance."
This August, Deep Purple will be launching a North American summer tour that kicks off in Scottsdale, AZ. The Bellamy Brothers announced that they will be adding more fall and winter shows to their ongoing world tour. Also, the upcoming 2015 Soul Train Cruise sets sail next February, and KC and the Sunshine Band, Gladys Knight, and the Spinners are among the many featured bands and artists.
The long-awaited duets album by Smokey Robinson, titled "Smokey & Friends," will be coming out this August. Randy Bachman will also be releasing a box set that same month titled "Every Song Tells A Story" that includes mainly classic hits by the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive plus some background information about these songs. Also, Pink Floyd will be releasing a new album this October titled "The Endless River," the band's first album in 20 years.
Also that week, it was announced that Jackson Browne and Loretta Lynn are among those who will be receiving awards from the Americana Music Association this September. The Everly Brothers will also be honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this October with a tribute concert, to be attended by the duo's surviving member, Don Everly.
Finally, the decades-old rumor about Jimmy Page playing guitar in the Kinks' 1964 hit, "You Really Got Me," was laid to rest (again). Longtime White Castle customer Alice Cooper was rewarded for his loyalty by being inducted into this hamburger chain's Hall of Fame. Also, the first meeting of Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash, who would later go on to have a smash hit in 1970 with the Kristofferson-penned "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down," is humorously re-enacted in an upcoming episode of Comedy Central's "Drunk History" which airs July 15, 2014 on Comedy Central.
(For more information about the above-listed news items, please see below for a list of sources with links and article summaries.)
At a recent Paul McCartney concert in Albany, NY, the amiable music legend invited a couple onstage during an encore when he noticed the man and woman in the front row holding signs that read, respectively, "I have the ring and I'm 64" and "He won't marry me til he meets you." The man proposed to the woman after singing a verse from "When I'm Sixty-Four" accompanied by the ex-Beatle, his band, and a cheering audience of some 13,000 (see video below).
July 07, 2014: Pink Floyd To Release New Album
This October, Pink Floyd will be releasing a new album titled "The Endless River," the band's first album in 20 years. This album will consist mainly of ambient and instrumental music, much of it based on previously unreleased material from 1994 recording sessions during the making of the band's last album, "The Division Bell." The exact release date has not yet been finalized as this album is still a work in progress.
July 8, 2014: KC and the Sunshine Band, Gladys Knight, And More Featured On 2015 Soul Train Cruise
KC and the Sunshine Band, Gladys Knight, the Spinners, Harold Melvin's Blue Notes, and Marilyn McKoo and Billy Davis Jr. of the 5th Dimension are among the many top R&B bands and artists who will be performing on the upcoming 2015 Soul Train Cruise. This weeklong cruise, which will feature over 30 concerts plus artists interviews and other events, sets sail on February 22, 2015 from Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Source: KC and the Sunshine Band, Gladys Knight and Many More Stars to Set Sail on 2015 Soul Train Cruise
July 8, 2014: Smokey Robinson Duets Album To Be Released
On August 19, 2014, Smokey Robinson will be releasing a new duets album titled "Smokey & Friends." Elton John, James Taylor, and Steven Tyler are among the featured artists on this 11-track album of classic songs written or co-written by Robinson.
Source: Smokey Robinson's Duets Album Now Set for August Release; Full Track List Revealed
July 8, 2014: Jackson Browne, Loretta Lynn To Receive Americana Music Association Honors
Jackson Browne and Loretta Lynn are among those to be honored by the Americana Music Association. Browne will receive the Spirit of Americana, Free Speech in Music Award, and Lynn the Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting. The awards ceremonies will take place on September 17, 2014 at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.
Source: Jackson Browne, Loretta Lynn Among Top Americana Honorees
July 9, 2014: Kris Kristofferson Meets Johnny Cash On Upcoming 'Drunk History' Episode
In an upcoming episode of "Drunk History," which is set to air on July 15, 2014, Kris Kristofferson meets Johnny Cash for the first time back when Kristofferson was a struggling songwriter. Years later, Kristofferson lands at Cash's house in a helicopter, eventually leading to the release of the Kristofferson-penned "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" which becomes a smash hit for Cash in 1970. "Drunk History" is a TV comedy series that airs on Comedy Central. In each episode, an inebriated narrator recounts an event from American history which is humorously re-enacted.
Source: Kris Kristofferson Meets Johnny Cash on 'Drunk History'
July 9, 2014: Alice Cooper Inducted Into White Castle's Cravers Hall Of Fame
Longtime customer Alice Cooper recently became the newest inductee into the White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame. In 2002, this famous hamburger chain, which was founded in 1921, started inducting celebrities and other public figures who frequent their restaurants.
Source: Alice Cooper Enters White Castle's Cravers Hall of Fame
July 9, 2014: Deep Purple To Launch North American Summer Tour
Deep Purple is set to launch a 19-date North American summer tour that kicks off on August 4, 2014 in Scottsdale, AZ and ends on August 31 in Hollywood, FL. The veteran rock band is currently touring in Europe and will soon be releasing to radio a new single, "All The Time In The World," from their latest studio album (titled "Now What?!").
Source: Deep Purple Confirms Itinerary for North American Summer Tour
July 9, 2014: Bellamy Brothers Add More Shows To World Tour
The Bellamy Brothers, a pop-country duo famous for their chart-topping "Let Your Love Flow" (1976) and other hits, have recently added some new shows to their ongoing world tour. Australia, Qatar, and New Caledonia are among the countries in which they will be performing later this year.
Source: Bellamy Brothers Add Dates To World Tour
July 10, 2014: Dave Davies Lays To Rest Old Rumor Regarding 'You Really Got Me'
The old myth that Jimmy Page was the one who played the solo guitar passage and created the distorted guitar sound in the Kinks' 1964 hit, "You Really Got Me," got resurrected yet again in a recent BBC documentary. On his Facebook page, Dave Davies declared this myth to be false and that he was the one who played the guitar in this classic song.
Source: Kinks Refute BBC Doc Saying Jimmy Page Played on 'You Really Got Me'
July 10, 2014: Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame To Honor The Everly Brothers
On October 25, 2014, the Everly Brothers will be honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Case Western Reserve University with a tribute concert to be held at Cleveland’s PlayhouseSquare’s State Theatre. The duo's surviving member, Don Everly, is slated to appear at this event. The Everly Brothers were among the first acts to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
July 11, 2014: Randy Bachman To Release Box Set
On August 19, 2014, Randy Bachman, who co-founded both the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, will be releasing a CD/DVD box set titled "Every Song Tells A Story." This collection contains mainly classic hits from both these iconic bands performed by Bachman along with the stories and inspiration behind these songs. Bachman will also be touring this summer, both solo and with Peter Frampton and Buddy Guy.
Source: Randy Bachman Tells the Stories Behind the Songs in Forthcoming CD/DVD Set
July 12, 2014: Tommy Ramone Of The Ramones Passes Away
Record producer and musician Tommy Ramone died on July 11, 2014 at age 65 at his home in Queens, NY after battling bile duct cancer. He was the drummer, a co-founder, and the last surviving original member of the Ramones, a pioneering punk rock band formed in New York during the mid 1970s.
He was born Erdelyi Tamas in Budapest, Hungary in 1949 to Jewish parents who had survived the Holocaust. In 1957, his family emigrated to the U.S., and he grew up in Forest Hills, NY. In high school, he played in a garage band called the Tangerine Puppets whose members also included future Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone (nee John Cummings). Before co-founding the Ramones, Tommy Ramone had studied recording engineering and in 1970, helped produce the Jimi Hendrix album, "Band Of Gypsys."
The Ramones were formed in 1974 and originally consisted of four "brothers": lead singer Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Ross Hyman), Tommy Ramone (Erdelyi Tamas), Johnny Ramone (John Cummings), and Dee Dee Ramone (Douglas Glenn Colvin). The Ramones had a signature sound that was fast, loud, exuberant, defiant, and yet playful, in striking contrast to much of the pop music at that time. After become a big sensation locally, the band, which was highly instrumental in defining a then-new genre that became known as punk rock, went on to achieve national recognition with such songs as "Blitzkrieg Bop" (1976), "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" (1977), and a power pop remake of the oldies classic, "Do You Wanna Dance" (1978).
Tommy Ramone left the Ramones in 1978 and spent much of the rest of his career on studio work and producing. He was replaced by Marky Ramone (Marc Bell), and the band had a number of other personnel changes along the way before finally disbanding in 1996. Tommy Ramone was also one half of the bluegrass duo, Uncle Monk.
The Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. The band's many other honors also include being awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
Source: Tommy Ramone Dead at 65 | Music News | Rolling Stone
