April 16, 2017 by Amy Gold
During the week of April 9, 2017, fans bade a final farewell to J. Geils who co-founded The J. Geils Band and served as this group's leader and guitarist.
Also that week, Glen Campbell announced his final studio album, "Adios," which is due out in June.
A rare Bob Seger single from 1968 will be offered on Record Store Day which takes place later this month. Jethro Tull will release a new deluxe 40th anniversary edition of "Songs From The Wood" which is due out in May. Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac announced a new self-titled duet album which is due out in June. They will also launch a tour that same month in support of this upcoming album.
Bob Dylan will be among the featured performers at the upcoming inaugural Outlaw Music Festival Tour which kicks off this July. Also, the inaugural Rock Getaway music festival is set to take place in Solidaridad, Mexico starting in late October, with featured performers to include Roger Daltrey, Don Henley, Santana, and many other veteran bands and artists.
Also that week, the soundtrack to the new Grateful Dead documentary, "Long Strange Trip," will be coming out on May 26, 2017, the day this movie makes its theatrical premiere.
Finally, Stevie Wonder was recently honored by ASCAP with its inaugural Key of Life Award.
(For more information about the above-listed news items, please see below for a list of sources with links and article summaries.)
Below is the first trailer for "Thor: Ragnarok," the upcoming third movie in the Thor franchise, with Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" playing in the background.
April 10, 2017: Stevie Wonder Honored By ASCAP
Stevie Wonder is among those to be honored by ASCAP at the "I Create Music" Expo to take place in Los Angeles April 13-15, 2017. A longtime ASCAP member, Wonder will be presented with the society's inaugural Key of Life Award.
Source: Stevie Wonder & Ashley Gorley To Be Honored At ASCAP Expo | Billboard
April 10, 2017: Roger Daltrey, Don Henley, Santana To Perform At Rock Getaway Fest
Roger Daltrey, Don Henley, and Santana are among the many veteran bands and artists to perform at the upcoming inaugural Rock Getaway, an 11-day music festival to take place October 26-November 5, 2017 in Solidaridad, Mexico. Other featured acts will include Bad Company, Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Don Felder, Foghat, Foreigner, Steve Miller, and REO Speedwagon. For more info, visit RockGetaway.com.
April 11, 2017: Lindsey Buckingham And Christine McVie Announce Duet Album And Tour
Fleetwood Mac members Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie announced their upcoming new duet album which is due out on June 9, 2017. Titled "Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie," this 10-track collection features all new songs by Buckingham and McVie. The duo will support this upcoming album with a 14-date US tour that kicks off on June 21 in Atlanta, GA and ends on July 27 in Denver, CO, with stops in several different states.
Source: Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie announce details of new duet album
April 11, 2017: Jethro Tull To Release 40th Anniversary Edition Of 'Songs From The Wood'
Jethro Tull announced a new deluxe edition of "Songs From The Wood" in commemoration of the album's 40th anniversary which is due out on May 19, 2017. Titled "Songs From The Wood: The 40th Anniversary Edition," this 3-CD/2-DVD collection includes several mixes of the original album plus previously unreleased tracks and live footage from the band's 1977 tour. Originally released on February 11, 1977, "Songs From The Wood," which reached #8 on the Billboard 200, includes the single, "The Whistler," which was a minor hit. For more info, visit JethroTull.com.
Source: Five-disc, 40th anniversary edition of Jethro Tull's "Songs from the Wood" arriving in May
April 11, 2017: Bob Dylan To Take Part In Outlaw Music Festival Tour
Bob Dylan will be among the featured performers at the upcoming inaugural Outlaw Music Festival Tour. The first leg begins on July 1, 2017 in New Orleans and ends on July 16 in Syracuse, NY, with stops in Dallas, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Rogers, AR. Dylan will appear on July 8 in Detroit and July 9 in Milwaukee, and Willie Nelson will perform on all six scheduled tour dates.
Source: Bob Dylan taking part in inaugural Outlaw Music Festival Tour in July
April 11, 2017: J. Geils Passes Away
Famed musician John Warren "J." Geils Jr. was found dead at age 71 from natural causes at his home in Groton, MA on April 11, 2017 during a well-being check by local police. He was a co-founder of The J. Geils Band and served as the group's leader and guitarist. Formed in 1968 in Worcester, MA, the band's many hits include "Looking For A Love" (1971), "Must Of Got Lost" (1974), "Love Stinks" (1980), and the chart-topping "Centerfold" (1981). The band's 1981 album, "Freeze-Frame," topped the Billboard 200, and the title song also became a smash hit.
After The J. Geils Band broke up in 1985, Geils formed KTR Motorsports, an automobile restoration shop in Carlisle, MA. He also appeared in reunion tours with the band during the 2000s and 2010s and released his first solo album, "Jay Geils Plays Jazz," in 2005.
Source: Founding J. Geils Band guitarist John Geils dead at 71
April 12, 2017: Early Bob Seger Single To Be Reissued On Record Store Day
A rare Bob Seger single from 1968 featuring the song, "2+2=?," will be offered on Record Store Day to take place on April 22, 2017 at various record stores across the country. This anti-Vietnam War anthem (pronounced "two plus two equals what?") was the first song recorded by The Bob Seger System for Capitol Records, and it is also included on the band's 1968 debut album, "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man."
Source: Early Bob Seger single to be reissued on colored vinyl for Record Store Day
April 13, 2017: Soundtrack To New Grateful Dead Documentary To Be Released
The soundtrack to the new Grateful Dead documentary, "Long Strange Trip," will be coming out on May 26, 2017, the day this movie makes its theatrical premiere. Titled "Long Strange Trip Motion Picture Soundtrack," this career-spanning collection includes such Grateful Dead classics as "Uncle John's Band," "Ripple," and "Touch Of Grey," plus various previously unreleased live performances.
Source: Soundtrack to new Grateful Dead doc "Long Strange Trip" due out next month
April 14, 2017: Glen Campbell To Release Final Studio Album
Glen Campbell announced his final studio album which is due out on June 9, 2017. Titled "Adios," this final work was recorded in Nashville in 2012-2013 after his Goodbye Tour. Highlights of this 12-track collection include a number of songs Campbell performed over the years but had never recorded such as his cover of Harry Nilsson's "Everybody’s Talkin'" and a new version of "Postcard From Paris."
Source: Glen Campbell to Release Final Studio Album Adios
