Allbutforgottenoldies.net Music News Digest: Week Of February 17, 2019

February 25, 2019 by Amy Gold

During the week of February 17, 2019, fans bade a final farewell to singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor, and beloved cultural icon Peter Tork (February 13, 1942 - February 21, 2019) best known as the guitarist for The Monkees.

David Crosby announced a 24-date spring tour with his group, the Sky Trails Band, which kicks off on May 10, 2019 in Minneapolis, MN and ends on June 16 in Bar Harbor, ME, with stops in many Northern and East Coast states. The Steve Miller Band will launch a 35-date summer tour across the U.S. beginning June 13 in Des Moines, IA and ending August 31 in Woodinville, WA. This trek will also feature country singer Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives. Aerosmith is among the headliners for the upcoming inaugural Twin Cities Summer Jam festival to take place July 18-20 in Shakopee, MN. The band will perform on this event's second day, July 19. Also, Al Green added three new concerts to his recently-announced tour to take place May 5 in New York City, May 7 in Chicago, and May 9 in Los Angeles.

Peter Frampton announced his upcoming farewell tour which will begin on June 18, 2019 in Catoosa, OK and is currently set to end on October 12 in Concord, CA, covering many states across the country as well as several Canadian provinces. Frampton's special guest during most of this 50-date trek will be Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening, and his son Julian will also be an opening act for the shows taking place on the West Coast. The British guitar legend also discussed his reasons for retiring from touring in an interview with "CBS This Morning" (February 23, 2019).

John Lennon and Yoko Ono's experimental 1969 recording, "Unfinished Music No. 3: Wedding Album," will be reissued on March 22, 2019 in various formats two days before what would have been the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. A career-spanning compilation by Stevie Nicks titled "Stand Back" will be coming out on March 29 in commemoration of her becoming the first female performing artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice. Also, a 9-LP vinyl box set by The Steve Miller Band titled "Complete Albums Volume 2 (1977-2011)," a follow-up to last year's "Complete Albums Volume 1 (1968-1976)," will be released on May 24, along with each individual album in this collection. In addition, HD digital-audio versions of the albums will be released 1-2 per week starting February 22.

Also that week, VH1 announced that Cher will appear on the station's upcoming "Trailblazer Honors" special to be broadcast March 8, 2019 on both VH1 and Logo.

Finally, The Beatles' landmark White Album has now been certified 24-times platinum, moving it up to #4 on the Recording Industry Association of America's list of highest-certified recordings. With five other albums that have achieved diamond status, The Beatles are the act with the most overall RIAA certifications.

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