Allbutforgottenoldies.net Music News Digest: Week Of April 26, 2020

May 3, 2020 by Amy Gold

During the week of April 26, 2020, The Rolling Stones' latest single, "Living In A Ghost Town," debuted on the Billboard Rock Digital Song Sales chart at No. 3 and on the Hot Rock Songs tally at No. 30. Released on April 23, this song marks the 7th decade that the legendary band has had a charting song on a Billboard chart.

Also that week, Record Store Day announced that it will be changing its format to a three-day system due to COVID-19 concerns. Originally set to take place on April 18, 2020 before moving to June 20, this year's event will now be spread out over three days: August 29, September 26, and October 24. A list of which releases will be available on each of these days will be posted June 1 on RecordStoreDay.com.

SiriusXM recently launched several new music channels each dedicated to a particular band or artist, including many veteran acts. The David Bowie Channel features music spanning his entire career from his earliest recordings to his final album, "Blackstar." Led Zeppelin Radio will cover every song from the band's music catalog. Rolling Stones Radio, which debuted on SiriusXM in 2008, has been updated and expanded to include the band's latest recordings. Other music legends getting their own SiriusXM music channels include The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Guns N' Roses, Metallica, and Prince.

Peter Frampton is auctioning off a guitar lesson via Zoom and CharityBuzz, with the proceeds going toward the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization. Also up for auction is a limited-edition Gibson Les Paul guitar autographed by the guitar legend. Bidding for both items will remain open until May 7, 2020.

As part of YouTube's #StayHome #WithMe Film Festival, Pink Floyd launched a free live concert series featuring a different archival performance each Friday. The latest installment, "An Hour With Pink Floyd: KQED," includes footage of an April 1970 performance on a San Francisco cable TV station. This video can be viewed until May 17, 2020 on the band's YouTube channel.

The Rolling Stones also launched a new weekly archival six-part concert film series, "Extra Licks," as part of YouTube's #StayHome Film Festival. The first installment, which premiered on May 3, 2020, features highlights of the band's 2016 Latin America Ole! Tour. A new installment will be introduced every Sunday.

Due to COVID-19 concerns, the Tupelo Elvis Festival will move its annual tribute to The King online. Originally set to take place June 3-7, 2020 in Tupelo, MS, the festival will now be hosted on tupeloelvisfestival.com.

"My Darling Vivian," a new documentary about Johnny Cash's first wife, the couple's family life, and his early career, is currently streaming for free on Amazon Prime Video. This film was originally slated to premiere at the SXSW 2020 Film Festival which was canceled.

Also that week, it was announced that "Up From The Streets: New Orleans -- The City Of Music," a new documentary that covers the history of the city's rich musical scene, will get a virtual cinematic release on May 15, 2020. Among this movie's featured performers are Keith Richards, Robert Plant, and Sting. Tickets can be purchased at eventive.org for online viewing at home.

Finally, Bob Dylan's original handwritten lyrics for "The Times They Are a-Changin'" have been put on sale at auction by Moments In Time with a starting price of $2.2 million. The lyrics for "Subterranean Homesick Blues" are also being offered at $1.2 million, and those for "Lay, Lady, Lay" at $650,000.

Newly-Announced Recordings:
(Band/Artist - Title - Format - Release Date)

Canceled & Postponed Events:
(Band/Artist - Event(s) - Location - Original Dates - Rescheduled Dates)

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