Allbutforgottenoldies.net Music News Digest: Week Of August 29, 2021

September 5, 2021 by Amy Gold

During the week of August 29, 2021, Smokey Robinson was announced as being among the honorees at this year's Songs of Hope virtual gala. The Motown legend and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will receive the Clive Davis Legend in Songwriting award for his numerous career achievements as a composer. Jimmy Jam will co-host the awards ceremonies to be streamed on September 30.

Also that week, Elton John's "Cold Heart" debuted on Billboard's Pop Airplay chart at #39, making this his first appearance on that tally since 1998. This song is from his upcoming album, "The Lockdown Sessions," featuring collaborations with other performing artists recorded during the pandemic.

Elton John announced that his last-ever London show will take place June 24, 2022 when he will headline next year's BST Hyde Park. In addition, his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour is back on track and currently set to end in Australia sometime in 2023.

ABBA announced its first new album in 40 years, "Voyage," which is due out on November 5, 2021. This recording was created in conjunction with an upcoming concert experience featuring avatars of all four ABBA members performing digitally with a live 10-piece band in a specially-built 3,000-person capacity arena in London. For more info and tickets, visit ABBAVoyage.com.

Two virtual Van Morrison concerts will stream at nugs.net on September 10 and 11, 2021. The first show will be a career-spanning concert of songs from Morrison's extensive catalog. The second show will feature songs from his 2021 album, "Latest Record Project: Volume 1," plus selected classics.

Also that week, it was announced that Jackson Browne will be among the featured performers on the November 13 episode of Austin City Limits, making this his first appearance on this PBS series in almost 20 years. Also announced was the release of official trailers for two upcoming documentaries: "Becoming Led Zeppelin" and "The Velvet Underground." The latter film, which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on July 7, 2021, will arrive October 15 on Apple TV+.

Finally, Alice Cooper will serve as one of the grand marshals for the 2021 Fiesta Bowl Parade to take place December 18 in his hometown of Phoenix, AZ. He will be joined by the nine founders of the NCAA's Fiesta Bowl football game which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. This event will be broadcast live on Arizona's Family 3TV channel and will also be viewable online and via the AZFamily app.

In Memoriam:

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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.)