Allbutforgottenoldies.net Music News Digest: Week Of September 23, 2018

October 1, 2018 by Amy Gold

During the week of September 23, 2018, fans bade a final farewell to Marty Balin (January 30, 1942 - September 27, 2018) who co-founded Jefferson Airplane and served as a lead singer and songwriter for both that band and its successor, Jefferson Starship.

Also that week, it was announced that The Beatles' landmark White Album will be re-released on November 9, 2018 as a remastered deluxe set in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of its original release. This album's many classic songs include various alternate versions of the 1968 hit, "Revolution."

Barbra Streisand will release a new studio album titled "Walls" on November 2, 2018 featuring songs about various aspects of the current political climate. Also coming out on that day is a massive Eagles box set titled "Legacy," which includes the band's complete recording catalog plus two concert videos. Fleetwood Mac also announced a new career-spanning compilation, "50 Years -- Don't Stop," to be released on November 16 in various formats.

ZZ Top announced an upcoming eight-date Las Vegas residency to take place at The Venetian from January 18 through February 2, 2019. The Eagles will launch a 14-date European tour in 2019 starting on May 26 in Antwerp, Belgium and ending on July 6 in Dublin, Ireland, also covering Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.K. Also, Elton John added 25 new concert dates to his sold-out three-year farewell tour which begin on September 4, 2019 in Salt Lake City, UT and end on November 16 in Uniondale, NY, covering many states across the country as well as several Canadian provinces.

Also that week, it was announced that Gladys Knight will be among those to pay tribute in concert to the late Aretha Franklin during the 2018 American Music Awards ceremonies which will be broadcast live October 9, 2018 on ABC. On October 13, Paul Simon will celebrate his 77th birthday as the musical guest on NBC's Saturday Night Live, making this his 15th time to appear on this show. Also, a new Netflix music documentary series titled "ReMastered" will make its premiere on October 12. The first episode, "Who Shot The Sheriff?," will cover the political suppression of Jamaica's roots-reggae movement during the 1970s and the shooting of Bob Marley. Future episodes will feature such artists as Johnny Cash and Sam Cooke.

Finally, pop legend Tony Bennett extended his record as the oldest male performing artist (at age 92) to crack the U.K. Top 40 with his latest album, "Love Is Here To Stay" (with Diana Krall).

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

Paul McCartney is interviewed by Sharyn Alfonsi on the September 30, 2018 episode of the CBS series, "60 Minutes."