Allbutforgottenoldies.net Music News Digest: Week Of March 1, 2020

March 9, 2020 by Amy Gold

During the week of March 1, 2020, TIME magazine announced its list of "100 Women of the Year" made up of one women representing each year from 1920 through 2019. Late soul legend Aretha Franklin was chosen for 1968 because of the three albums she released that year which were "a salve for a torn nation" mourning the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

Also that week, it was announced that Carlos Santana is among those to be honored at this year's annual fundraising gala for the Jazz Foundation of America taking place April 14, 2020 in New York City. The guitar legend will be presented with the inaugural Claude Nobs Award named after the late founder of Switzerland's Montreux Jazz Festival, an event that Santana has played many times over the years.

This year's Record Store Day will take place on April 18 at numerous record stores across the country. Among this year's offerings are various limited-edition vinyl recordings by The Allman Brothers Band, America, David Bowie, Dr. John, The Doors, Fleetwood Mac, The Grateful Dead, Al Green, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, The Kinks, Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Cat Stevens, and The Who. Visit RecordStoreDay.com for a complete list of releases and participating stores.

"Tribute: Cocker Power," a new photo book that commemorates the late Joe Cocker's 1970 Mad Dogs & Englishmen Tour, will be coming out on April 28, 2020. This book also features photos from a star-studded 2015 Lockn' Festival performance led by the Tedeschi Trucks Band that paid tribute to Cocker and his famous tour.

Also that week, A&E announced three upcoming TV specials in honor of country greats Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Kenny Rogers. "Willie Nelson: American Outlaw," which features interviews and behind-the-scenes footage from a concert taped in January 2019, premieres April 12, 2020. The first of two installment to "Biography: Dolly," a documentary covering the life and career of Dolly Parton, will also make its premiere on that day just prior to the Willie Nelson special. Also, "Biography: Kenny Rogers," a documentary covering Rogers' career beginning with his time with the First Edition during the late 1960s, will debut the following day on April 13.

Finally, fans bade a final farewell to Barbara Martin (June 16, 1943 - March 4, 2020) who was one of the original members of The Supremes. Martin replaced Betty McGlown in 1960 when the founding quartet, then consisting of McGlown, Florence Ballard, Diana Ross, and Mary Wilson, used to be known as The Primettes. The following year, they went on to sign with Motown and were renamed as The Supremes. Martin left in 1962 to start a family, and Ballard, Ross, and Wilson continued on as a trio until 1967 when they were renamed again as Diana Ross & The Supremes, with Cindy Birdsong replacing Ballard.

Newly-Announced Tours & Shows:
(Band/Artist - Event(s) - Location - Dates)

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.)