Allbutforgottenoldies.net Music News Digest: Week Of April 5, 2020

April 12, 2020 by Amy Gold

During the week of April 5, 2020, Bob Dylan topped the Billboard charts for the very first time with his latest song, "Murder Most Foul," a 17-minute-long epic about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Released on March 27, this song reached No. 1 on Billboard's Rock Digital Song Sales chart and was also the folk-rock legend's first-ever entry on that chart.

Also that week, Paul McCartney's handwritten lyrics with notes for "Hey Jude," used in the studio when The Beatles recorded this classic in 1968, sold for a whopping $910,000 at Julien's Auctions on April 10, 2020. Other Fab Four items that sold at auction included the drumhead from a 1964 concert ($200,000), a drawing from John Lennon and Yoko Ono's 1969 Bed-In for Peace ($93,750), a script for the "Hello Goodbye" video with handwritten notes by Lennon and George Harrison ($83,000), Ringo Starr's Abbey Road ashtray ($32,000), and the original stage from The Beatles' first public performance on May 14, 1960 when the band was billed as The Silver Beats ($25,000).

April 10, 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the day that Paul McCartney's split with The Beatles was announced in the U.K. newspaper, The Daily Mirror. This announcement was in the form of a Q&A that included answers to a number of questions about the soon-to-be ex-Beatle's future plans both with and without the band. McCartney discussed the reasons for the breakup and whether or not it was permanent. Personal differences, business differences, musical differences, but most of all because I have a better time with my family, he wrote. Temporary or permanent? I don't really know.

Also that week, ABC, NBC, CBS, and a number of other networks and online platforms announced the upcoming "One World: Together At Home," a two-hour special to support frontline healthcare workers and the World Health Organization in the fight against COVID-19 that will air on April 18, 2020 at 8 PM ET. Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder are among the many participating performers and celebrities along with hosts Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Kimmel. For more info, visit GlobalCitizen.org/togetherathome.

Finally, fans bade a final farewell to John Prine (October 10, 1946 - April 7, 2020) who died of complications due to COVID-19. The highly acclaimed and influential Grammy-winning singer-songwriter had a long performing and recording career dating back to the late 1960s, and he also wrote/co-wrote numerous songs for other artists that included Bonnie Raitt's "Angel From Montgomery" (1974) and Don Williams' "Love Is On A Roll" (1983), the latter of which topped the Country charts.

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

Cancelled & 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.)