January 23, 2017 by Amy Gold
During the week of January 15, 2017, fans bade a final farewell to Richie Ingui of The Soul Survivors (of "Expressway To Your Heart" fame) who was one of this band's lead singers and co-founders.
Also that week, Paul McCartney filed a lawsuit against Sony-ATV in an effort to reclaim the copyrights on The Beatles' song catalog.
Steely Dan is set to begin its first-ever Las Vegas residency this April. Elton John announced a new series of show dates for his long-running Las Vegas residency starting in late April. KISS will co-headline this year's Open Air Festival to take place this July in Bridgeview, IL. The band also announced its upcoming KISS Kruise VII which sets sail in November.
"George Harrison -- The Vinyl Collection," a new box set that includes all the late ex-Beatle's solo albums, will be coming out in February, along with an expanded edition of his 1980 memoir, "I Me Mine," and a specially-designed turntable.
Also that week, it was announced that the new Grateful Dead Documentary, "Long Strange Trip," will make its Amazon Prime premiere on May 26, 2017 as a streaming six-part series. Also, Chaka Khan is among the featured performers in the upcoming TV special, "Showtime At The Apollo," which premieres February 1, 2017 on Fox.
(For more information about the above-listed news items, please see below for a list of sources with links and article summaries.)
In the video below, Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave) gives a rousing and heartfelt performance of "America The Beautiful" at the inauguration concert for President-elect Donald Trump (January 19, 2017).
January 15, 2017: KISS Announces Fall Cruise
KISS announced its upcoming five-day KISS Kruise VII which sets sail November 5, 2017 from New Orleans, with stops in Costa Maya and Cozumel. Featured performers are expected to be announced soon. For more info and tickets, visit thekisskruise.com.
Source: Kiss Reveals Plans For Kiss Kruise VII
January 16, 2017: Chaka Khan To Perform On 'Showtime At The Apollo' TV Special
Chaka Khan is among the featured artists in the upcoming TV special, "Showtime At The Apollo," which captures a number of performances at the famous Harlem venue. Other highlights will include Amateur Night from various up-and-coming artists. This TV special is set to premiere February 1, 2017 on Fox.
Source: Chaka Khan Among Performers to Be Featured on New "Showtime at the Apollo" Special
January 16, 2017: Richie Ingui Of The Soul Survivors Passes Away
Famed R&B-soul singer Richie Ingui died on January 20, 2017 at age 70 of heart failure. He was one of the lead singers of The Soul Survivors famous for the 1967 Top 10 hit, "Expressway To Your Heart." Other hits included "Explosion (In Your Soul)" (1967), "Impossible Mission (Mission Impossible)" (1968), and "City Of Brotherly Love" (1974).
Formed in the early 1960s by Richie and Charlie Ingui, along with Kenny Jeremiah, The Soul Survivors still perform and record to this day. The Ingui brothers took part in the 2016 Marian Anderson Awards ceremony in Philadelphia, performing a medley of soul classics in a tribute concert for Gamble & Huff and Patti LaBelle.
Source: Soul Survivors Singer Richie Ingui Dies at Age 70
January 16, 2017: Steely Dan Announces Las Vegas Residency
Steely Dan announced its first-ever Las Vegas residency dubbed "Reelin' In The Chips." This upcoming 9-show set, to take place at The Venetian Resort Hotel & Casino, begins on April 12, 2017 and runs through April 29.
Source: Reelin' in Las Vegas: Steely Dan Schedules Sin City Residency in April
January 17, 2017: New George Harrison Vinyl Box Set To Be Released
A new George Harrison box set will be coming out on February 24, 2017, one day before the late ex-Beatle would have turned 74. Titled "George Harrison -- The Vinyl Collection," this box set includes Harrison's 12 solo albums remastered from the original tapes starting with "Wonderwall Music" (1968), plus two singles: the chart-topping "Got My Mind Set On You" (1987) and his tribute to The Beatles, "When We Was Fab" (1988). Also coming out on February 24 are an expanded edition of his 1980 memoir, "I Me Mine," and a specially-designed turntable with a lithograph of Harrison.
January 18, 2017: Elton John Announces New Las Vegas Residency Dates
Elton John announced 8 new show dates for his long-running Las Vegas residency, to take place April 25-May 5, 2017 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. In addition, he has a string of concerts lined up for this March in the U.S. and Canada.
Source: Elton John Announces New Spring Dates for Las Vegas Residency
January 18, 2017: Paul McCartney Files Lawsuit To Reclaim Beatles Catalog Copyrights
Paul McCartney recently filed a lawsuit to reclaim the copyrights on songs he wrote or co-wrote with John Lennon as recorded by The Beatles that are currently owned by the Sony/ATV publishing company. McCartney's loss of these copyrights has a long history dating back to 1963 when he and John Lennon, along with Brian Epstein and music publisher Dick James, formed Northern Songs Ltd to publish songs written by Lennon and McCartney, as well as ones by George Harrison and Ringo Starr who were all members of The Beatles at that time. In 1969, James and business partner Charles Silver sold their shares of the company to Britain's Associated Television (ATV), and Northern Songs eventually passed into the control of ATV after Lennon and McCartney, who were under contract with ATV through 1973, agreed to sell their remaining rights to ATV in exchange for being released from their contract. In 1985, Michael Jackson purchased the publishing rights to ATV, which included most of The Beatles catalog. Ten years later, he merged his ATV catalog with Sony, creating Sony/ATV.
Source: Hey, Sued! Paul McCartney Files Lawsuit Seeking to Get Back Beatles Copyrights from Sony/ATV
January 18, 2017: Grateful Dead Documentary To Premiere On Amazon Prime
The new Grateful Dead Documentary, "Long Strange Trip," will make its Amazon Prime premiere on May 26, 2017 as a streaming six-part series. This movie, which features never-before-seen interviews and rare concert and behind-the-scenes footage, takes a fresh look at the history of The Grateful Dead and its impact on the counterculture. "Long Strange Trip" is set to make its world premiere on January 23 at the Yarrow Hotel Theatre in Park City, UT as part of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
January 18, 2017: KISS To Co-Headline 2017 Open Air Festival
KISS will co-headline this year's Open Air Festival to take place July 14-16, 2017 in Bridgeview, IL. Ozzy Osbourne will also be among the many featured acts at this hard rock event. For more info and tickets, visit chicagoopenair.com.
Source: KISS Locked As Headliners For Chicago's Open Air Fest
