Allbutforgottenoldies.net Music News Digest: Week Of March 3, 2019

March 11, 2019 by Amy Gold

During the week of March 3, 2019, the Songwriters Hall of Fame announced that Carole Bayer Sager will be honored with this year's Johnny Mercer Award. Her many songs include such oldies classics as The Mindbenders' "A Groovy Kind Of Love," Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better," and "Best That You Can Do," the Oscar-winning theme to "Arthur" as performed by Christopher Cross. The awards ceremonies will take place June 13 in New York City.

An archival album by The Moody Blues titled "Live At The BBC: 1967–1970," which was issued on CD and as a digital download in 2007, will be coming out as a limited-edition three-LP set on April 26, 2019. Also, original Beach Boys founding member Al Jardine announced an expanded CD version of his 2010 debut solo album, "A Postcard From California," which is expected sometime this April. A native of Rochester, NY, Jardine is among those to be inducted into the city's Music Hall of Fame. The awards ceremonies will take place April 28.

Alice Cooper's Hollywood Vampires announced a series of spring concerts beginning May 10, 2019 in Las Vegas, NV and ending May 18 in Indio, CA, with stops in Arizona, California, Colorado, and New Mexico. Alice Cooper will also launch a 19-date summer co-headlining tour with Halestorm which kicks off on July 17 in Allentown, PA and ends on August 16 in Camden, NJ, covering many states across the country.

Due to popular demand, Diana Ross announced an extension of her Las Vegas residency, with six new shows scheduled at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas for June 5-15, 2019. Also, The Isley Brothers will headline the Pitchfork Music Festival which will take place July 19-21 in Chicago's Union Park. Mavis Staples will also be among the many featured performers.

AXS TV announced the lineup for its seventh season of "The Big Interview" which kicks off on April 16, 2019. Among this show's guests are KISS singer/guitarist Paul Stanley and REO Speedwagon who will appear on April 23 and May 14, respectively.

Several documentaries featuring landmark music events and veteran performers will premiere at this year's Tribeca Film Festival to take place April 24-May 5, 2019 in New York City. Among this year's offerings are "Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Of My Voice," "Woodstock: Three Days That Defined A Generation," and a documentary about former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman titled "The Quiet One." For a complete list, visit tribecafilm.com.

Aretha Franklin's "Amazing Grace," a concert documentary originally filmed in 1972, will make its long-awaited debut on April 5, 2019 at select theaters in New York and Los Angeles before being shown nationwide. Another movie about the late Queen of Soul was also announced, a biopic titled "Respect," which is set to make its debut on August 14, 2020. Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson will portray Franklin in this upcoming movie.

The Zombies will take part in a Q&A session and also perform on March 26, 2019 at The Cutting Room in New York City. This event will be streamed live at GuitarWorld.com. The famed British Invasion band is among those to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this month.

"Bachman," a new documentary about Canadian rocker Randy Bachman, will be released March 26, 2019 on iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and DVD. Coming out on March 29 is "The Music Center Presents Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration," a new concert film featuring highlights from a two-night Joni Mitchell tribute held in Los Angeles this past November. This movie will also be aired on PBS sometime later this month.

Finally, Pete Townshend of The Who announced his first full-length novel which is due out on November 5, 2019. Titled "The Age Of Anxiety," this work deals with the torments of creativity and the craziness of the music business.

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