Allbutforgottenoldies.net Music News Digest: Week Of February 24, 2019

March 4, 2019 by Amy Gold

During the week of February 24, 2019, the Blues Foundation announced that Aretha Franklin, Count Basie, and Booker T. & The MGs are among this year's inductees into the Blues Hall of Fame. The awards ceremonies will take place on May 8, 2019 in Memphis, TN. "I Got A Woman" by Ray Charles and other classic recordings are also being inducted.

Also that week, the United States Postal Service announced that Marvin Gaye will be honored with a commemorative stamp which will debut April 2, 2019 on what would have been the late Motown legend's 80th birthday.

Newly-remastered vinyl editions of Creedence Clearwater Revival's 1968 eponymous album and the band's 1969 second album, "Bayou Country," will be coming out on March 15, 2019. Aretha Franklin's 1972 live album, "Amazing Grace," which earned her a Grammy for Best Soul Gospel Performance, will be re-released on March 22 as a four-LP set. Also, Dionne Warwick will release her first new album in 5 years, "She's Back," on May 10. This 10-track collection will be packaged with a bonus disc of her 1998 greatest hits album, "Dionne Sings Dionne."

This year's Record Store Day will take place on April 13, 2019, and the complete list of exclusive releases that will be available at participating independent record shops has been announced. Among this year's offerings are classic recordings by David Bowie, Billy Joel, Elton John, John Lennon, Pink Floyd, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Sly & The Family Stone, Tony Joe White, and many other top oldies bands and artists.

Ringo Starr, Steve Miller Band, and The Stray Cats are among the many featured performers at the 2nd annual Summer Concert Series at New York City's The Rooftop at Pier 17 which begins on May 19, 2019 and runs through October 11. Santana announced an extension of its long-running Las Vegas residency into the fall, with two new eight-show runs to take place September 18-29 and October 30-November 10. Also, Aerosmith announced that the band will be taking its Las Vegas "Deuces Are Wild" residency to the East Coast this summer, with three shows scheduled in National Harbor, MD (August 8, 10, and 13), two in Atlantic City, NJ (August 16 and 18), and four in Springfield, MA (August 21, 24, 26, and 29).

Also that week, ABC announced the premiere of "The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story," a documentary about Lambert's pairing in recent years with the legendary British rock band which is set to air April 29, 2019. Queen and Adam Lambert gave a rousing performance on February 24 at the 91st Academy Awards ceremonies of "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" before "Bohemian Rhapsody," the recently-released blockbuster movie based on the life of the late Freddie Mercury, was awarded four Oscars.

Finally, fans bade a final farewell to Doug Sandom (February 26, 1930 - February 27, 2019) and Andre Previn (April 6, 1929 - February 28, 2019). Sandom was the original drummer of The Who before Keith Moon joined the band in 1964. A world-renowned conductor, composer, and pianist, Previn made a splash on the Pop/Rock charts in 1959 with the self-penned instrumental, "Like Young," which won a Grammy that year for Best Performance by an Orchestra.

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