February 13, 2017 by Amy Gold
During the week of February 5, 2017, Aretha Franklin announced that she will go into semi-retirement later this year after the completion of her final studio album which is expected out in September. The Queen Of Soul indicated that although 2017 will be her last one in concert, she still plans to do "some select things" on a part-time basis.
Also that week, fans bade a final farewell to Sonny Geraci who was the lead singer of The Outsiders and Climax.
A tribute concert to The Queen Of Soul dubbed "The Music Of Aretha Franklin" is set to take place in March at New York City's Carnegie Hall, with Kenny Loggins, Sam Moore, and Todd Rundgren to be among the many featured performers. The Strawberry Alarm Clock and Alan Parsons Live Project are among the featured acts in the upcoming Starry Nites Festival in Santa Barbara, CA, which also takes place in March. Ex-Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson will launch a U.S. tour in May, performing alongside other former band members.
A new David Bowie EP titled "No Plan" will be coming out later this month on CD and in April on vinyl. Dave Davies will release a new album titled "Open Road" which is due out in March. Also coming out that month is "Jethro Tull -- The String Quartets," an album featuring classically-reworked versions of many of the band's best known songs. Also, Barry Manilow pays tribute to the Big Apple in his upcoming album, "This Is My Town: Songs Of New York," to be released in April.
Also that week, it was announced that Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, and Mick Fleetwood will appear on the new season of AXS TV's "Rock & Roll Road Trip With Sammy Hagar" which premieres March 5, 2017. Also, a new limited-edition book by Mick Fleetwood titled "Love That Burns -- A Chronicle Of Fleetwood Mac: Volume 1, 1967-1975" will be coming out sometime this fall.
(For more information about the above-listed news items, please see below for a list of sources with links and article summaries.)
Below is a really short clip from a rare Beatles film of a 1964 concert in Montreal. The full-length film is set to go to auction March 18, 2017 as part of a memorabilia sale hosted by Omega Auctions.
February 6, 2017: Sam Moore Added To Aretha Franklin Tribute Lineup
A tribute concert to The Queen Of Soul dubbed "The Music Of Aretha Franklin" is set to take place March 6, 2017 at New York City's Carnegie Hall. Among the many featured performers are Kenny Loggins and Todd Rundgren, with Sam Moore just announced as the latest addition to the lineup. For more info and tickets, visit musicof.org.
Source: Sam Moore Joins Aretha Franklin Tribute Lineup
February 6, 2017: Sonny Geraci Passes Away
Famed pop/rock singer Sonny Geraci died on February 5, 2017 at age 70 in Cleveland, OH. He first became known as the lead singer of The Outsiders, a garage rock band with a string of hits in the late 1960s that included "Time Won't Let Me" (1966), "Girl In Love" (1966), and "Help Me Girl" (1966). He then fronted the soft rock band, Climax, best known for the smash 1971 hit, "Precious And Few." Since Climax disbanded in 1975, Geraci toured and recorded on and off over the years, serving for a time with The Grass Roots in the early 2000s as an honorary member. From 2007-on, he performed as Sonny Geraci & The Outsiders with an all-new lineup.
Source: Sonny Geraci, of The Outsiders and Climax, Dies at 69
February 6, 2017: New David Bowie EP To Be Released
A new David Bowie EP titled "No Plan" will be coming out February 24, 2017 on CD and April 21 on vinyl. Included in this upcoming recording are the songs, "No Plan," "Killing A Little Time," and "When I Met You," which were previously available as digital downloads and also as tracks on the recently released "Lazarus" album. A video for the EP title track was released on January 8 to commemorate what would have been the late singer's 70th birthday.
Source: Bowie's "No Plan" EP Set for Physical Release This Month
February 7, 2017: Barry Manilow To Release New Album
Native New Yorker Barry Manilow pays tribute to the Big Apple in his upcoming album which is due out on April 21, 2017. Titled "This Is My Town: Songs Of New York," highlights include the Manilow co-written title track which can be previewed at his official VEVO YouTube channel, plus various medleys and a virtual duet with the late Mel Torme of "The Brooklyn Bridge.
Source: Barry Manilow Pays Tribute to His Hometown on New Album, "This Is My Town: Songs of New York"
February 7, 2017: Aretha Franklin Announces Semi-Retirement
After a stellar career spanning over a half-century, Aretha Franklin announced that she will go into semi-retirement later this year after the completion of her 42nd and final studio album which is expected out in September. She also has a limited number of show dates planned starting at around that time, not to exceed 1-2 per month for no more than six months. The 74-year-old Queen Of Soul indicated that 2017 will be her last one in concert, but she still plans to do some select things, maybe one a month, for six months out of the year.
Source: Singer Aretha Franklin: 'I am retiring this year' after release of new album
February 8, 2017: Alan Parsons, Strawberry Alarm Clock To Perform At Starry Nites Festival
Alan Parsons Live Project will headline the second day of the Starry Nites Festival which takes place March 18 and 19, 2017 in Santa Barbara, CA. Other featured acts will include The Strawberry Alarm Clock whose appearance at this event on March 18 will mark this band's 50th anniversary. For more info and tickets, visit StarryNitesFestival.com.
February 8, 2017: Dave Davies To Release New Album
Dave Davies of The Kinks will release a new album titled "Open Road," recorded in collaboration with his son Russ, which is due out on March 31, 2017. A preview of one of this album's songs, "Path Is Long," can be heard at consequenceofsound.net.
Source: New Song from Dave Davies' Upcoming Album with His Son Russ Debuts Online
February 10, 2017: Mick Fleetwood & More To Appear On AXS TV Reality Series
Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, and Mick Fleetwood are among those to appear on the new season of the AXS TV reality series, "Rock & Roll Road Trip With Sammy Hagar," which premieres March 5, 2017. Nielson, Gibbons, and Fleetwood will be featured in the March 26, April 2, and April 9 episodes, respectively.
Source: Mellencamp, Fleetwood & More to Appear on New Season of Sammy Hagar's AXS TV Reality Series
February 10, 2017: Book About Fleetwood Mac's Early History To Be Published
A new book by Mick Fleetwood about his band's early years will be coming out sometime this fall. Titled "Love That Burns -- A Chronicle Of Fleetwood Mac: Volume 1, 1967-1975," this upcoming book, which includes rare photos, chronicles the band's founding as a blues-rock combo through its transformation in the mid 1970s to a hugely popular pop/rock act. Only 2,000 copies of this limited-edition book, each one signed by the author, will be available. Also, Fleetwood will discuss his upcoming book at a Q&A event to take place March 15, 2017 at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, TX. For more info, visit FleetwoodMacBook.com and Genesis-Publications.com.
Source: Limited-Edition Book About Fleetwood Mac's Early History Penned by Mick Fleetwood Due in the Fall
February 10, 2017: Album Of String Quartet Versions Of Jethro Tull Songs To Be Released, Ian Anderson To Launch Tour
A new album titled "Jethro Tull -- The String Quartets" featuring classically-reworked versions of many of the band's best known songs will be coming out on March 24, 2017. Performers include the Carducci Quartet and ex-Jethro Tull members John O'Hara and Ian Anderson. In addition, Anderson will launch a short U.S. tour along with other former band members. Dubbed the Jethro Tull by Ian Anderson tour, this 6-date trek, which begins on May 26 in Morrison, CO and ends on June 1 in Durant, OK, will also cover various cities in New Mexico and Texas.
Source: Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson Releasing Album of String Quartet Versions of Tull Tunes
