April 12, 2020 by Amy Gold
For the first time in his storied career, @bobdylan has a No. 1 song on the @billboardcharts under his name https://t.co/f40Xa3s1lm
— billboard (@billboard) April 8, 2020
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)
Doug Clifford of Creedence Clearwater Revival - Just Another Girl (single from "Magic Window") - digital download - April 10, 2020
Doug Clifford of Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born On The South Side (single from "Magic Window") - digital download - April 10, 2020
Doug Clifford of Creedence Clearwater Revival - Magic Window - CD, digital download - April 24, 2020
Todd Rundgren/Utopia - Benefit For Moogy Klingman (box set) - CD/DVD - May 1, 2020
Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones - Rolling Stone: Life And Death Of Brian Jones (documentary) - DVD - June 12, 2020
Deep Purple - Whoosh! - CD, vinyl, digital download - August 7, 2020
Cancelled & Postponed Events:
(Band/Artist - Event(s) - Location - Original Dates - Rescheduled Dates)
Nile Rodgers & CHIC & more - BST Hyde Park 2020 - Hyde Park, London, U.K. - July 2-12, 2020 - dates to be announced
Rod Stewart & more - Festival d'ete (FEQ) - Quebec City, Quebec, Canada - July 9-19, 2020 - dates to be announced
(For more information about the above news items, please see below for a list of sources with links.)
"It is so important to think globally and support the World Health Organization to curb the pandemic and prevent future outbreaks." - @LadyGaga. Learn more about One World: #TogetherAtHome and take action now 👉 https://t.co/QMSMOngS2h
— Global Citizen (@GlblCtzn) April 6, 2020
Deep Purple new album "Whoosh!" is postponed to August - https://t.co/P1kWr1g441
— Rock And Roll Garage (@rocknrollgarag1) April 6, 2020
He's gone. https://t.co/VDOB4omwWl
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) April 8, 2020
For the first time in his storied career, @bobdylan has a No. 1 song on the @billboardcharts under his name https://t.co/f40Xa3s1lm
— billboard (@billboard) April 8, 2020
Major UK & Canadian music festivals scheduled for July now canceled due to COVID-19 --> https://t.co/yFV49iFWgw #RealRockNews
— KSHE 95 (@KSHE95) April 9, 2020
Music News: New documentary about Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones' death to be released on DVD in June https://t.co/SHEymZCtbI More @ https://t.co/u9twSRpzVO pic.twitter.com/UFGcIvX2xI
— X101 Always Classic (@X101_wxhc) April 10, 2020
Ex-@TheOfficialCCR drummer Doug Clifford issuing unreleased 1985 solo album this month; listen to lead single --> https://t.co/sI83qRz2p8 #RealRockNews
— KSHE 95 (@KSHE95) April 10, 2020
Today marks the 50th anniversary of @thebeatles' breakup being announced in the press --> https://t.co/TsoB9sJtsl #RealRockNews
— KSHE 95 (@KSHE95) April 10, 2020
Paul McCartney's handwritten "Hey Jude" lyrics sell for $910,000 at Beatles auction https://t.co/ggFK1Sa3Wc
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) April 11, 2020
TODD RUNDGREN'S UTOPIA Benefit For Moogy Klingman 2011 Reunion Concert Recordings Now Available In A Special Limited Edition 6-Disc Box Set! https://t.co/IkpeivUgqB pic.twitter.com/5htYXGtyBe
— PowerofProg (@powerofprog) April 11, 2020