Allbutforgottenoldies.net Music News Digest: Week Of August 1, 2021

August 8, 2021 by Amy Gold

During the week of August 1, 2021, Paul McCartney's latest release, "McCartney III Imagined," topped Billboard's Top Album Sales chart and became his third album to reach No. 1 on that tally after "Egypt Station" in 2018 and "McCartney III" in early 2021. "McCartney III Imagined" also reached no. 1 on Billboard's Vinyl Albums chart and no. 19 on the Billboard 200.

August 3, 2021 marks Tony Bennett's 95th birthday, and the State of New York proclaimed that day as "Tony Bennett Day" in honor of his many contributions to music over his long career. The veteran pop icon and native New Yorker celebrated his birthday by taking the stage at Radio City Music Hall on the opening night of "One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga," his final set of live concert appearances in New York City.

Also that week, it was announced that "Becoming Led Zeppelin" has been added to the program for this year's edition of Italy's Venice International Film Festival taking place September 1-11. This upcoming documentary covers the band's rise to international fame and features new interviews with John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant, as well as archival interviews with late drummer John Bonham.

Finally, fans launched an online petition calling for the induction of Styx into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This veteran hard rock band is best known for such power ballad smashes as "Lady" (1973) and "Come Sail Away" (1977). The petition can be accessed at Change.org.

In Memoriam:

Canceled & Postponed Events:
(Band/Artist - Event(s) - Location - Original Dates - Rescheduled Dates)

New & Upcoming 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.)