Allbutforgottenoldies.net Music News Digest: Week Of June 14, 2020

June 21, 2020 by Amy Gold

During the week of June 14, 2020, fans bade a final farewell to Vera Lynn (March 20, 1917 - June 18, 2020), England's most popular and beloved singer during World War II who was famous for helping to keep spirits up among the armed forces and civilians alike with her many live performances and radio broadcasts. She remained popular worldwide after the war with such hits as "We'll Meet Again" (1954), "My Son, My Son" (1954), and "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart" (1952), the latter of which became the first song by a British performing artist to top the U.S. charts. She continued to perform and record actively through the 2010s, and in 2017, she released "Vera Lynn 100," a collection of hits in commemoration of her 100th birthday.

Also that week, Don McLean, Jefferson Airplane, and The Chi-Lites were among those honored with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The unveiling ceremonies are expected to be rescheduled to some later date due to COVID-19 concerns.

Mavis Staples and Jackson Browne are among the featured performers in the upcoming "Thriving Roots: A Virtual Community Music Conference" taking place September 16-18, 2020. This online event supersedes "Americanafest," the annual Nashville conclave hosted by the Americana Music Association which was to be held on those dates.

Kenny Loggins announced an upcoming pay-per-view livestream concert taking place on June 28, 2020 without an audience from the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, CA. This unplugged performance can be viewed live from lobero.org or via Vimeo anytime within three days of the initial broadcast.

Grammy-winning jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis will continue his ticketed live streaming performances on June 27, 2020, which can be viewed from Stageit. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Jazz Foundation of America.

Finally, a never-before-heard solo rendition of Aretha Franklin's powerful and poignant "Never Gonna Break My Faith" was released as a digital single and on the late soul legend's official YouTube channel to commemorate Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating the emancipation of all slaves on June 19, 1865. This Grammy-winning song was first recorded in 2006 as a duet with Mary J. Blige and featured in the soundtrack to "Bobby," a fictionalized account of the hours leading up to the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

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

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