April 3, 2017 by Amy Gold
During the week of March 26, 2017, various recordings by David Bowie, Judy Collins, The Eagles, Don McLean, Wilson Pickett, Sister Sledge, Barbra Streisand, and Big Mama Thornton were added to this year's National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.
Also that week, fans bade a final farewell to Rosie Hamlin of Rosie & The Originals and Clem Curtis of The Foundations.
Barry Gibb, Chic, The Jacksons, and Kris Kristofferson are among the featured performers at the 2017 Glastonbury Festival to take place this June in Pilton, England. Also, Ringo Starr announced an upcoming Las Vegas residency with his All Starr Band to take place in October, with a U.S. tour to follow shortly thereafter.
The Supremes 1966 album, "The Supremes A' Go-Go," will be reissued in April as a deluxe set. Also that month, a new Van Morrison compilation titled "The Authorized Bang Collection" will be coming out featuring recordings he made while at Bang Records. The Grateful Dead's hugely popular 1977 concert at Cornell University will be coming out in May on CD and vinyl both separately and as part of a box set titled "May 1977: Get Shown The Light."
Also that week, it was announced that a tribute concert that took place in 2014 titled "Mavis Staples: I'll Take You There -- An All-Star Concert Celebration" will air April 16, 2017 on AXS TV. Also, "The Grateful Dead Movie" will be shown in theaters around the country on April 20 for one night only.
Finally, Chuck Berry made a posthumous return to the Billboard 200 Top 40 with his 2005 compilation, "The Definitive Collection."
(For more information about the above-listed news items, please see below for a list of sources with links and article summaries.)
After months of uncertainty, Bob Dylan finally accepted the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature on April 1, 2017 at a private ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden.
March 27, 2017: Ringo Starr Announces Las Vegas Residency And Tour
Ringo Starr announced an upcoming Las Vegas residency with his All Starr Band which will take place from October 13 through October 28, 2017 at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Afterwards, Starr and his All Starr Band will launch a U.S. tour, with 11 show dates confirmed so far through November 16 covering various cities in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia.
Source: Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band announce fall Las Vegas residency and US tour
March 27, 2017: Chuck Berry Returns To Billboard 200 Top 40 For First Time Since 1972
Shortly after his passing on March 18, 2017, Chuck Berry made a posthumous return to the Top 40 of the Billboard 200 with his 2005 compilation, "The Definitive Collection," which reached #33. This 30-track collection includes such classics as "Maybellene," "Roll Over Beethoven," and "Johnny B. Goode." The last time the late rock and roll legend made the Top 40 of this chart was in 1972 with "The London Chuck Berry Sessions" which includes the chart-topping "My Ding-A-Ling."
Source: The late Chuck Berry back in "Billboard" album chart's top 40 for first time since 1972
March 28, 2017: 40th Anniversary Screening Of Grateful Dead Movie To Take Place In Theaters
"The Grateful Dead Movie," the band's classic concert film, will be shown in over 500 theaters around the country on April 20 for one night only in commemoration of its 40th anniversary. Released in 1977, this movie features footage from shows the band gave in October 1974 at San Francisco's Winterland. The screening will also feature an exclusive preview of the upcoming Grateful Dead documentary, "Long Strange Trip," plus a previously unreleased concert film of the band's May 8, 1977 concert at Cornell University.
March 28, 2017: Mavis Staples Tribute Concert To Air On AXS TV
In November 2014, a tribute concert was given in honor of Mavis Staples, with Gregg Allman, Otis Clay, Michael McDonald, Aaron Neville, and Staples herself among the many featured performers. This event, dubbed "Mavis Staples: I'll Take You There -- An All-Star Concert Celebration," will air April 16, 2017 on AXS TV, and it will also be released June 2 on CD/DVD.
March 28, 2017: Clem Curtis Of The Foundations Passes Away
Famed singer Clem Curtis died on March 27, 2017 at age 76 after having been diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this year. He was an original member of The Foundations and served as the group's lead singer through most of 1968. He can be heard on the hits, "Baby, Now That I've Found You" (1967) and "Back On My Feet Again" (1968). Although The Foundations later went on to top the charts in late 1968 with "Build Me Up Buttercup," Curtis had left the group by then. The Trinidadian-born singer later on appeared as the Lion in The Wiz and, over the years, toured and recorded with newer incarnations of The Foundations.
Source: Foundations singer Clem Curtis dead at 76
March 29, 2017: Recordings By The Eagles & More Added To National Recording Registry
A number of classic oldies songs and albums were added to this year's National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. Among the recordings chosen for preservation are "Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975)" by The Eagles, one of the top selling albums of all time. Other albums added to this list include David Bowie's "The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars" (1972). The singles that made this year's list include Big Mama Thornton's original version of "Hound Dog" (1953), Barbra Streisand's "People" (1964), Wilson Pickett's "In The Midnight Hour" (1965), Judy Collins' "Amazing Grace" (1970), Don McLean's American Pie" (1971), and Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" (1979).
Source: National Recording Registry Picks Are "Over the Rainbow" | Library of Congress
March 30, 2017: Grateful Dead Live Album Of 1977 Show To Be Released
The Grateful Dead's hugely popular concert at Cornell University's Barton Hall that took place on May 8, 1977 will be coming out May 5, 2017 on CD and vinyl both separately and as part of a box set titled "May 1977: Get Shown The Light." Among this show's favorite performances by avid Grateful Dead fans is the band's over-16-minute rendition of Martha & The Vandellas' "Dancing In The Street."
Source: Hear the Grateful Dead's famed 'Dancing In The Street' from their May '77 Cornell show
March 30, 2017: New Van Morrison Compilation Album To Be Released
A new Van Morrison compilation titled "The Authorized Bang Collection" will be coming out on April 28, 2017. This 3-CD collection is made up of recordings from 1967 made by Morrison for Bang Records. Highlights include original stereo and mono mixes of "Brown Eyed Girl" and other early hits plus rare demos.
Source: New compilation focusing on Van Morrison's 1967 Bang label recordings due out in April
March 31, 2017: Supremes 1966 Album To Be Reissued
"The Supremes A' Go-Go," originally released on August 25, 1966, will be reissued on April 28, 2017 as a deluxe set. This album, which stayed on the Billboard 200 for a whopping 60 weeks, was the first ever by an all-female group to reach #1 on that chart. Highlights include the hits, "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart" and the chart-topping "You Can't Hurry Love."
Source: Deluxe reissue of groundbreaking 1966 Supremes album arriving next month
March 31, 2017: Barry Gibb & More To Play 2017 Glastonbury Festival
Barry Gibb, Chic, The Jacksons, and Kris Kristofferson are among the lineup for this year's edition of the Glastonbury Festival. This event is set to take place June 21-25, 2017 in Pilton, England. For more info, visit GlastonburyFestivals.co.uk.
Source: Barry Gibb, The Jacksons, Chic to play 2017 Glastonbury Festival
April 1, 2017: Rosie Hamlin Of Rosie & The Originals Passes Away
Famed pop/doo-wop singer Rosie Hamlin died on March 30, 2017 at age 71 after having suffered fibromyalgia for years. She was the lead singer of Rosie & The Originals famous for the 1960 smash hit, "Angel Baby," recorded when she was only 15. Hamlin also had a minor hit the following year with "Lonely Blue Nights" (credited to Rosie formerly with The Originals).
Source: Rosie Hamlin, Singer of Rosie and the Originals' Classic 'Angel Baby,' Dies at 71 | Billboard
