Allbutforgottenoldies.net Music News Digest: Week Of October 6, 2019

October 14, 2019 by Amy Gold

During the week of October 6, 2019, fans bade a final farewell to two oldies music icons - Ginger Baker (August 19, 1939 - October 6, 2019) and Larry "L.J." Junstrom (June 22, 1949 - October 6, 2019). Considered one of rock music's all-time greatest drummers, Baker was a co-founder of the late 1960s supergroup Cream, a short-lived but groundbreaking rock trio with hits that included "Sunshine Of Your Love" and "White Room." Junstrom was a highly acclaimed bassist and a founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd. He later joined .38 Special in 1977, remaining with the band through 2014.

Also that week, the releases for this year's Record Store Day Black Friday sale were announced. Among the offerings are recordings by Chuck Berry, James Brown, Jackson Browne, Eric Clapton, The Doors, Aretha Franklin, Hall & Oates, The Kinks, Paul McCartney, The Monkees, Elvis Presley, Todd Rundgren, Bruce Springsteen, and Steppenwolf. Visit RecordStoreDay.com for a complete list of releases and participating stores.

In the wake of its 50th anniversary, The Beatles' "Abbey Road" continues to rechart worldwide years after its original release. This week, the seminal album climbed the Billboard 200 chart and peaked at #3, making this its first re-entry into this chart's Top 10 since April 1970. "Abbey Road" spent 11 nonconsecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 since its release on September 26, 1969, a run that ended in January 1970.

The Eagles announced an upcoming tour in which the band will perform "Hotel California" in its entirety. This 12-date trek begins on February 7, 2020 in Atlanta, GA and ends on April 18 in Inglewood, CA, with additional stops in California, as well as in New York and Texas. Also, Elton John added six more U.S. show dates to his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour beginning April 26 in Louisville, KY and ending June 11 in Des Moines, IA, also covering Michigan and Florida. Other upcoming 2020 events include the U.K.'s Glastonbury Festival taking place June 24-28 in Somerset, England, with featured performers to include Diana Ross.

Ringo Starr recently released a cover of the John Lennon-penned "Grow Old With Me" as a digital single from his upcoming album, "What's My Name." Also, a new Grateful Dead live compilation, "Ready Or Not," featuring unreleased performances of nine original songs from the early 1990s, will be coming out on November 22 in various formats.

Also that week, it was announced that "The Jimi Hendrix Experience: The Royal Albert Hall," a concert film that captures the late guitar legend's final European performance on February 26, 1969, will be screened on October 21, 2019 for one night only at the famous venue where this event originally took place. "Mountaintop," a new documentary about the making of Neil Young's upcoming album, "Colorado," will be shown in over 100 theaters across North American on October 22. Also, "Dolly Parton: 50 Years At The Grand Ole Opry" will air November 26 on NBC.

Finally, "The Queen Next Door: Aretha Franklin, An Intimate Portrait" by Linda Solomon will be coming out on October 14, 2019. This upcoming book features never-before-seen photos of the late Queen of Soul taken over a 30-year period, many from the 1980s.

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