October 11, 2020 by Amy Gold
Johnny Nash: Reggae singer-songwriter dies aged 80 https://t.co/N9Q9FnDyNC
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) October 7, 2020
During the week of October 4, 2020, fans bade a final farewell to Johnny Nash (August 19, 1940 - October 6, 2020) and Van Halen co-founder Eddie Van Halen (January 26, 1955 - October 6, 2020).
Johnny Nash was a veteran reggae/pop singer-songwriter best known for the 1972 self-penned smash, "I Can See Clearly Now," which topped both the Adult Contemporary and Pop/Rock charts. Born in Houston, TX, he launched his career in the early 1950s performing on TV and had his first chart hit in 1957 with "A Very Special Love." His many other hits, which continued through the mid 1970s, also included "Hold Me Tight" (1968) and his cover of Bob Marley's "Stir It Up" (1973). Nash passed away at his home of natural but as-yet unreported causes after a period of declining health.
Eddie Van Halen was a highly acclaimed and influential guitarist, songwriter, producer, and inventor with three patents related to guitar design. Born in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, he moved with his family to Pasadena, CA in 1962 and eventually became a naturalized U.S. citizen along with his older brother Alex. He became famous for popularizing the tapping guitar technique in which both hands are used to play rapid arpeggios on the fingerboard. With Alex, he co-founded the veteran hard rock band, Van Halen, and served as main songwriter and lead guitarist. Best known for such smash hits as "Jump" (1984) and "Why Can't This Be Love" (1986), the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. Van Halen passed away after a five-year battle with throat cancer.
Also that week, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced an upcoming virtual event in honor of this year's inductees to the Class of 2020 to air November 7, 2020 on HBO and stream on HBO Max. This program will take the place of the usual in-person award ceremonies and concert which were canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. This year's inductees include such veteran bands and artists as The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, and T. Rex. Ringo Starr, Bruce Springsteen, and Don Henley of The Eagles are among the many featured guests.
Record Store Day announced its list of limited-edition vinyl recordings to be released during its annual Black Friday event taking place on November 27, 2020. Among those bands and artists with offerings are Chuck Berry, Jerry Garcia, George Harrison, Jefferson Starship, Little Richard, Lou Reed, The Rolling Stones, Nancy Sinatra, and Brian Wilson. Visit RecordStoreDay.com for a complete list of recordings and participating stores.
"Regimental Sgt. Zippo," a rare early Elton John song from a shelved 1969 debut album, recently made its debut on YouTube. This Beatles' sound-alike song pays tribute to the band's similarly-named "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Along with several other unearthed early gems and rarities, "Regimental Sgt. Zippo" is included in the upcoming Elton John box set, "Jewel Box," due out on November 13.
Shock rocker Alice Cooper will show a softer side later this month when he hosts a one-off, kid-friendly Halloween story time hour on October 21, 2020 that will be viewable at Airbnb.com. Proceeds will go to North Star Reach, a medical camp that offers free camp experiences for children with health issues. We'll read about spiders and spirits, goblins and ghosts and monsters and mutants -- all of my favorite things, really,
says Cooper. And we'll do it in full costume ... It'll be a scary good time.
Also that week, it was announced that "Bruce Springsteen's Letter To You," a new documentary about the making of The Boss's latest album, will premiere October 23, 2020 on Apple TV+, the same day that this recording is set to be released. This upcoming movie features both previously-unseen archival footage and more recent in-studio shots of Springsteen at work with his E Street Band.
Finally, fans and musicians alike - including former Beatles bandmates, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr - came together on October 9, 2020 to pay tribute to John Lennon on what would have been his 80th birthday. Among the many online and offline events that took place in his honor were the annual lighting of the Imagine Peace Tower on Vioey Island near Reykjavík, Iceland, a memorial art piece conceived by his widow, Yoko Ono, which can be viewed at ImaginePeaceTower.com. The tower will remain lit until December 8, 2020, the 40th anniversary of Lennon's death.
New & Upcoming Releases:
(Band/Artist - Title - Format - Release Date)
The Eagles - Take It Easy (single from "Live From The Forum MMXVIII") - digital download, streaming - October 5, 2020
Stephen Stills & Billy Porter - For What It's Worth (single, remake of 1967 Buffalo Springfield hit) - digital download, streaming - October 6, 2020
The Temptations, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, & more - NOW That's What I Call Music! R&B Christmas - CD, digital download, streaming - October 7, 2020
David Bowie - The Man Who Sold The World (single remix of 1970 hit from "The Metrobolist") - digital download, streaming - October 9, 2020
Todd Rundgren & Rivers Cuomo - Down With The Ship (single from "Space Force") - digital download, streaming - October 9, 2020
The Temptations, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, & more - NOW That's What I Call Music! R&B Christmas - vinyl - October 23, 2020
The Who - WHO (deluxe edition) - CD - October 30, 2020
David Bowie - The Metrobolist - CD, vinyl, digital download, streaming - November 6, 2020
The Who - WHO (box set) - CD, vinyl - December 4, 2020
Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song (single, Japanese version reissue) - vinyl - January 15, 2021
Neil Young - The Bottom Line "Citizen Kane Jr. Blues" (1974 archival live album) - various formats - ca. early 2021
Todd Rundgren - Space Force - various formats - ca. early 2021
(For more information about the above news items, please see below for a list of sources with links.)
.@Springsteen's #LetterToYou film is coming to @AppleTV!https://t.co/oqCA61JV6q
— BroadwayWorld TV & Film (@BroadwayWorldTV) October 5, 2020
Listen to "Take It Easy," the latest preview of Eagles "Live From the Forum MMXVIII," the concert film/live album due out on Oct. 16.
— Rock Cellar Magazine (@RockCellarMag) October 5, 2020
--> https://t.co/98VsPdhkSj pic.twitter.com/4BPr3iOMhI
Led Zeppelin reissuing "Immigrant Song" vinyl single; Supreme Court denies hearing "Stairway to Heaven" case https://t.co/dDelzhQX0K
— 98 Rock (@98Rock) October 5, 2020
The compilation features modern and classic holiday hits from @StevieWonder, Marvin Gaye, and @JohnLegend. @NOWThatsMusic https://t.co/5Aj9fCkP5i
— uDiscover Music (@uDiscoverMusic) October 6, 2020
Dear Friends
— Yoko Ono (@yokoono) October 6, 2020
This Oct 9th, IMAGINE PEACE TOWER @IPTower will be relit in Iceland in memory of my late husband @JohnLennon on his 80th birthday. Join us to watch the relighting at https://t.co/6WZvRFjbuv as we celebrate around the world!
I love you! yoko #IMAGINEPEACE #LENNON80 pic.twitter.com/ylqJUT89Ta
The Who's 'Who' Album To Be Re-Released As A Deluxe Edition https://t.co/Q8f4XsdElm
— TotalRock (@TotalRock20) October 7, 2020
Neil Young (@NeilYoungNYA) is going to release his The Bottom Line 1974 concert bootleg recording: https://t.co/GXAkCRujXq pic.twitter.com/7EW7ABkq4e
— Consequence of Sound (@consequence) October 7, 2020
Music News: Stephen Stills and actor/singer Billy Porter promote the vote with new version of "For What It's Worth" https://t.co/m9rKIl7hq0 More @ https://t.co/u9twSRpzVO pic.twitter.com/JhBYs1dMA7
— X101 - wxhc 101.5 fm (@X101_wxhc) October 7, 2020
Legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen, whose band helped define the rock genre from the late 1970s through much of the 1980s, died following a bout with cancer, his son said. He was 65. https://t.co/5OhVW1fSBx
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 7, 2020
Johnny Nash: Reggae singer-songwriter dies aged 80 https://t.co/N9Q9FnDyNC
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) October 7, 2020
Record Store Day announces full list of Black Friday 2020 exclusives https://t.co/hrA45CAauw | @recordstoreday @RSDUK pic.twitter.com/nYnlRA3Fnv
— The Vinyl Factory (@TheVinylFactory) October 7, 2020
From https://t.co/dAlAL5QyNd: Ringo Starr, Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley among special guests for 2020 Rock Hall Induction Ceremony https://t.co/KPBQz1Ob3W
— Z94.3 Radio (@Z943Radio) October 9, 2020
@alicecooper hosting streaming Halloween story-telling event to raise funds for charity --> https://t.co/4ux8DSCcWJ #RealRockNews
— KSHE 95 (@KSHE95) October 9, 2020
A new '2020 mix' of a @DavidBowieReal classic https://t.co/34QgudJJ5H
— NME (@NME) October 9, 2020
See Elton John's new video for his lost 1968 psychedelic song "Regimental Sgt. Zippo" https://t.co/j7cnD6s2Tc pic.twitter.com/ITQAQpy71u
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) October 9, 2020
Rivers Cuomo teams up with Todd Rundgren on new song "Down with the Ship" https://t.co/A4Wy4NeWLt
— 98 Rock (@98Rock) October 9, 2020