Allbutforgottenoldies.net Music News Digest: Week Of July 19, 2020

July 26, 2020 by Amy Gold

During the week of July 19, 2020, fans bade a final farewell to Fleetwood Mac co-founder Peter Green (October 29, 1946 - July 25, 2020) and 1970s singer-songwriter Emitt Rhodes (February 25, 1950 - July 19, 2020).

Peter Green, who died in his sleep from as-yet unknown causes, co-founded Fleetwood Mac in 1967 and served as the band's guitarist, backing vocalist, and main songwriter through mid 1970. He penned such early hits as "Albatross," "Oh Well," "The Green Manalishi," and "Black Magic Woman" which was later made famous by Santana. Prior to forming Fleetwood Mac, he had played with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, and over his long career, became known as one of rock music's most highly acclaimed and influential guitarists. Green was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 along with the rest of Fleetwood Mac, and he is also included in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."

Emitt Rhodes, who also passed away in his sleep, began in the mid 1960s as a member of The Palace Guard before co-founding The Merry-Go-Round (of "You're A Very Lovely Woman" fame). During the 1970s, he became critically acclaimed as a solo artist and was often compared to Paul McCartney both for his looks and musical style. Rhodes is best known for the 1971 power pop hit, "Fresh As A Daisy."

Also that week, it was announced that Joan Baez will receive the 2020 Woody Guthrie Prize for her groundbreaking career and impact on humanitarian causes. The award will be presented during this year's virtual edition of the Philadelphia Folk Festival taking place August 16.

Queen's hugely popular compilation, "Greatest Hits," reached another milestone in the charts after spending 55 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Catalog Albums tally. Originally released in October 1981, this best-of collection features such classics as "Another One Bites The Dust," "Bohemian Rhapsody," and "We Will Rock You."

The family of late Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia and the band's Rex Foundation are launching "Daze Between," an annual virtual event in celebration of Garcia's life and legacy featuring performances by The Grateful Dead, Dead & Company, Bob Weir & The Campfire Band, and The Jerry Garcia 75th Birthday Band. The inaugural livestream celebration, which will run for nine days, kicks off August 1, 2020 on what would have been Garcia's 78th birthday.

Also that week, it was announced that Brian May of Queen and Nancy Wilson of Heart are among those taking part in an upcoming AXS TV concert special, "At Home And Social With Nuno Bettencourt & Friends," to premiere August 3, 2020. May will give a guitars-only performance of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" along with members of the rock supergroup, Generation Axe. Wilson will team up with Bettencourt and others to perform Heart's "Barracuda."

Finally, a new official Jimi Hendrix online store, AuthenticHendrix.com, was recently launched which offers a wide variety of Hendrix-themed clothing items, accessories and other collectibles. This store was established in conjunction with a partnership between The Thread Shop, Sony Music Entertainment's merchandising division, and the Hendrix family-run companies, Authentic Hendrix LLC and Experience Hendrix LLC.

New & Upcoming Releases:
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Canceled & Postponed Events:
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(For more information about the above news items, please see below for a list of sources with links.)