Allbutforgottenoldies.net Music News Digest: Week Of December 28, 2014

January 4, 2015 by Amy Gold

During the week of December 28, 2014, fans bade a final farewell to country legend Little Jimmy Dickens who made a splash on the pop charts in 1965 with "May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose."

Also that week, it was announced that a celebration of the 80th anniversary of Elvis Presley's birthday will be taking place at Graceland the week of January 8, 2015, the day the King would have reached that milestone.

Ringo Starr will be touring North America with his All Starr Band starting this February, and he will also be releasing a new solo album sometime later this year. A lost duet recorded by Linda Ronstadt and Joe Ely in 1987 was recently remastered and is now available for the first time as a digital download. Also, Paul McCartney and rap star Kanye West have recently released their first song together, the first of what is expected to be many more to come.

Also, a new documentary about Michael Jackson was recently released which covers the late King of Pop's entire life, from his childhood in Gary, IN to his tragic and untimely death in 2009.

Finally, it was announced that a tribute concert for The Who's late and great John Entwistle and Keith Moon will be taking place in late January in Santa Ana, CA. Featured artists for this event, dubbed "Entwistle/Moon: The Ox & the Loon," will include members of Whitesnake, Poison, Guns N' Roses, Thin Lizzy, and other top classic rock bands.

(For more information about the above-listed news items, please see below for a list of sources with links and article summaries.)


Kevin Spacey is shown below leading a serenade to Billy Joel as he and various other guest artists perform "Piano Man" in honor of Joel being awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The award ceremonies, which took place on November 19, 2014 at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC, were broadcast January 2, 2015 on PBS.


December 29, 2014: Ringo Starr To Release New Album And Launch Tour In 2015

Ringo Starr announced that he has recently recorded a new solo album which will be released on Universal Records sometime in 2015. Also, Starr will be touring North America with his All Starr Band starting on February 13, 2015 in Bossier City, LA. This trek, which wraps up on March 3 in Las Vegas, NV, will also cover various other cities in Alabama, California, Florida, South Carolina, and Texas, plus Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

Source: Ringo Starr Says New Solo Album Is Finished and Will Be Released Next Year

December 30, 2014: Elvis Presley 80th Birthday Celebration To Take Place At Graceland

A celebration of the 80th anniversary of Elvis Presley's birthday is set to take place the week of January 8, 2015, the day the King would have reached that milestone. The 2015 Elvis Birthday Celebration will be held at Graceland from January 7-10, 2015 and will be streamed live at Graceland.com for those who cannot attend.

Source: Elvis Presley's 80th Birthday Celebrations Planned for Next Week in Memphis

December 31, 2014: Lost Duet By Linda Ronstadt And Joe Ely Released

A lost duet recorded by Linda Ronstadt and Joe Ely in 1987 titled "Where Is My Love" was recently remastered and is now available for the first time as a digital download on iTunes and Amazon.com. To hear this song, visit soundcloud.com.

Source: 1987 Duet Featuring Linda Ronstadt and Joe Ely Finally Released

January 1, 2015: Late Who Members To Be Honored In Tribute Concert

On January 24, 2015, a concert in tribute to The Who's late and great John Entwistle and Keith Moon will take place at the Observatory in Santa Ana, CA. Featured artists for this event, dubbed "Entwistle/Moon: The Ox & the Loon," will include mostly rhythm section members of top classic rock bands such as Whitesnake, Poison, Guns N' Roses, and Thin Lizzy.

Source: Keith Moon And John Entwistle To Be Honored With All-Star Concert

January 1, 2015: New Michael Jackson Documentary Released

A new documentary about the late King of Pop titled "Michael Jackson: The Journey" was recently released. This film covers Jackson's life from his childhood in Gary, IN, his years with The Jackson 5, his career as an international pop superstar, his struggles, and his tragic and untimely death in 2009.

Source: New Michael Jackson Documentary Being Released as Digital Video, Making On Demand Premiere Today

January 2, 2015: Paul McCartney And Kanye West Release First Song Together

In early 2014, Paul McCartney began collaborating with rap star Kanye West, and the two artists have recently released their first song together titled "Only One." This song, which is currently available from iTunes, is expected to be the first of many more to come. "Only One" can also be heard at kanyewest.com.

Source: New Song by Paul McCartney & Kanye West Is the First of a "Prolific Musical Collaboration"

January 2, 2015: Little Jimmy Dickens Passes Away

Country legend Little Jimmy Dickens died on January 2, 2015 in Nashville, TN at age 94 of cardiac arrest. He had a string of hits on the Country charts that included the novelty song, "May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose."

He was born James Cecil Dickens in Bolt, WV and began his music career in radio in the late 1930s performing under the name, "Jimmy The Kid." In 1948, he was discovered by Roy Acuff who heard him performing on a Saginaw, MI radio station. Acuff introduced Dickens to Columbia Records and officials from the Grand Ole Opry. Later that year, he joined the Opry and signed on with Columbia. It was at around this time that he started to become known as "Little Jimmy Dickens," a name he gave himself due to his short stature (4' 11").

Dickens debuted on the Country charts in 1948 with "Take An Old Cold 'Tater (And Wait)." This was followed by a long string of hits that also included "Country Boy" (1949), "A-Sleeping At The Foot Of The Bed" (1950), "Hillbilly Fever" (1950), "Out Behind The Barn" (1954), and "The Violet And A Rose" (1962). In 1965, he topped the Country charts with the song for which he is best known, "May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose," which also became a pop hit. Dickens last charting song was in 1972 with "Try It, You'll Like It."

A longtime member of the Grand Ole Opry, Dickens’ many other honors and accolades include being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1983. He is survived by his wife, Mona, and two daughters.

Source: Little Jimmy Dickens Dies at Age 94 | CMT