December 19, 2021 by Amy Gold
"In what may be the biggest deal in music for an individual body of work," @Springsteen has sold his masters to @SonyMusic and his music publishing to Sony Music Publishing," a combined deal that sources tell @Billboard is in the area of $500 million." https://t.co/2sctNftTaA
— Backstreets Magazine (@backstreetsmag) December 16, 2021
During the week of December 12, 2021, Bruce Springsteen sold his masters and music catalog to Sony for a whopping and possibly record-breaking 500 million dollars. His albums have sold over 65 million copies in the U.S. alone, with such classics as "Born In The U.S.A." and "The River" selling 15 and 5 million to date, respectively.
Also that week, Guinness World Records announced that Dolly Parton has reached an astounding three record-breaking milestones in its tally. The country legend now holds the title for the highest number of decades on the U.S. Hot Country songs chart by a female artist (seven) and the most No. 1 hits by a female artist (25). Parton also topped the list for the most hits on this chart back in January with her 108th entry, "Cuddle Up, Cozy Down Christmas." Her more recent release, "Does He Love You," performed as a duet with Reba McEntire, became her 109th hit and put her back to the top.
Elton John scored his 70th Billboard Hot 100 hit with his latest holiday release, "Merry Christmas," performed with Ed Sheeran. The veteran pop legend is now one of only 23 performing artists with at least 70 entries on this chart since it was launched in 1958.
Paul McCartney's recently published "The Lyrics: 1956 To The Present" was named by People as one of this magazine's Top 10 books of 2021. The magazine staff writes, The rock legend pulls back the curtain on his creative process in this two-volume set, including rare photos and personal anecdotes behind his hits. It's just the thing to crack open after you've watched the Beatles documentary Get Back.
Finally, Rod Stewart surprised a longtime fan battling brain cancer with a video of himself performing his 1977 hit "You're In My Heart (The Final Acclaim)." Titled "Sir Rod Stewart fulfills one man's last wish - sings him his favorite song," this video, which was posted on Twitter by Good News Movement (GNM), opens with a brief message from the good-hearted Stewart to his ailing fan.
In Memoriam:
Les Emmerson (September 17, 1944 - December 10, 2021): Lead singer and guitarist of the Canadian rock group, Five Man Electrical Band, who wrote their 1971 smash, "Signs"
Ken Kragen (November 24, 1936 - December 14, 2021): Veteran manager, TV producer, author, speaker, and non-profit consultant best known for organizing "We Are The World" and "Hands Across America"
Phil Chen (October 21, 1946 - December 14, 2021): Veteran session bassist who played with such top rock acts as Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, and members of The Doors
Wanda Young (August 9, 1943 - December 16, 2021): Co-lead singer of the famed Motown girl group, The Marvelettes, famous for the 1961 oldies classic, "Please Mr. Postman"
Tours & Shows:
(Band/Artist - Event(s) - Location - Dates)
Wayne Newton - Residency (Wayne: Up Close And Personal) - Las Vegas, NV - January 24-June 29, 2022
Graham Nash, James Taylor, & more - Concert (2022 MusiCares Person Of The Year: Joni Mitchell) - Los Angeles, CA - January 29, 2022
Rick Wakeman of Yes - Tour (Even Grumpier Old Rock Star) - U.S. - February 22-March 13, 2022
The Isley Brothers & more - Jazz In The Gardens - Miami Gardens, FL - March 12-13, 2022
Don McLean - Tour (American Pie) - U.S. - April 29-July 9, 2022
The Doobie Brothers - Residency - Las Vegas, NV - May 13-28, 2022
Newly-Announced Recordings:
(Band/Artist - Title - Format - Release Date)
The Dave Clark Five - Glad All Over (1964 debut album reissue) - vinyl - December 17, 2021
Chuck Berry - Live From Blueberry Hill - CD, vinyl, digital download, streaming - December 24, 2021
David Bowie - Hunky Dory (50th anniversary reissue) - vinyl - January 7, 2022
Mary Wilson - The Motown Anthology - CD - January 7, 2022
The Electric Prunes - Then Came The Dawn: Complete Recordings 1966-1969 - CD - January 7, 2022
New & Upcoming Books:
(Author - Title - Publisher - Publication Date)
Jim Jenkins & Jacky Smith - Queen: As It Began (Revised and Updated Edition) - Omnibus Press - June 9, 2022
Dave Davies of The Kinks - Living On A Thin Line - Headline Publishing Group - July 7, 2022
(For more information about the above news items, please see below for a list of sources with links.)
It's Red Hot Just For You: Mary Wilson's ( @MWilsonSupreme ) "The Motown Anthology" Coming Soon from @RealGoneMusic , Second Disc Records #Classic Motown #Motown #MaryWilson #TheSupremes #Disco https://t.co/W999VAQFBW
— The Second Disc (@TheSecondDisc) October 11, 2021
Reviews: Electric Prunes - Then Came The Dawn (Complete recordings (1966 - 1969) https://t.co/nOalEAXbeY pic.twitter.com/YSQjqtynns
— The Gig Review (@thegigreview) November 7, 2021
Mary J. Blige, H.E.R., Rick Ross, and The Isley Brothers are among the star-studded lineup announced today for the return of Jazz in the Gardens in Miami Gardens.
— The Miami Times (@TheMiamiTimes) December 10, 2021
Read which artists are set to perform on the Hard Rock Stadium stage next March.https://t.co/NUgKbg2v58
The book also features handwritten lyric sheets, rare personal photos, drawings and rough drafts of songs. https://t.co/ItTeBOrWUI
— K-HITS 107.9 (@khits1079) December 13, 2021
Back in October, Don McLean announced the initial dates for a 2022 U.S. tour commemorating the 50th anniversary of his classic anthem "American Pie" & his studio album of the same name. Now the singer-songwriter has unveiled …
— Rock107 (@Rock107) December 13, 2021
Courtesy of 2911 Media https://t.co/hZWFK6Ue6E
A revised and updated version of the authorized 1992 Queen biography Queen: As It Began, which told the story of the legendary British rock band through the 1991 death of frontman Freddie Mercury, will be published on March 2…
— Rock107 (@Rock107) December 13, 2021
© Queen Productions Ltd https://t.co/ogk99h2bqb
The Doobie Brothers had been scheduled to launch the 2022 leg of their 50th anniversary tour on June 2 in West Palm Beach, Florida, but now the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have announced plans...
— Rock107 (@Rock107) December 13, 2021
Courtesy of Caesars Entertainment/Live Nation https://t.co/vi61EpCxqY
Rod Stewart (@rodstewart) sang a portion of his 1977 hit "You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)" to surprise a fan battling brain cancer. https://t.co/xtgwcQ900i
— American Songwriter (@AmerSongwriter) December 13, 2021
Earlier this year, Rick Wakeman had to postpone a portion of the 2021 U.S. leg of his Even Grumpier Old Rock Star Tour until next year because of issues regarding COVID-19 restrictions. Now the former Yes keyboardist...
— Rock107 (@Rock107) December 14, 2021
Bobby Bank/Getty Images https://t.co/kftBqaXJUk
Les Emmerson, frontman for Five Man Electrical Band and songwriter of the hippie-era classic "Signs," has died at the age of 77. https://t.co/ouKZcVrAsw
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) December 14, 2021
Kinks guitarist Dave Davies has written a new autobiography titled Living on a Thin Line that's scheduled to be released on July 7, 2022, in hardcover and e-book editions.
— Rock107 (@Rock107) December 15, 2021
Headline Publishing Group https://t.co/v0kuQxR7hZ
Ken Kragen, Organizer of 'We Are the World' and 'Hands Across America,' Dies at 85 https://t.co/Udykf9Q6WG
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) December 15, 2021
A new live album by @ChuckBerry comes out Friday. Read our review: https://t.co/ZE02oaBJsP
— UltimateClassicRock (@UltClassicRock) December 15, 2021
As previously reported, "Merry Christmas" is also number one in the U.K. Elton recently teamed with Ed to perform his new Christmas hit live for the first time when they took over BBC Radio 1's stage. https://t.co/uiUaoKotwd
— K-HITS 107.9 (@khits1079) December 15, 2021
"In what may be the biggest deal in music for an individual body of work," @Springsteen has sold his masters to @SonyMusic and his music publishing to Sony Music Publishing," a combined deal that sources tell @Billboard is in the area of $500 million." https://t.co/2sctNftTaA
— Backstreets Magazine (@backstreetsmag) December 16, 2021
Wanda LaFaye Rogers, better known as Wanda Young, co-lead singer of the massive @ClassicMotown group The Marvelettes, has died.https://t.co/MLZ9BZzMqL
— uDiscover Music (@uDiscoverMusic) December 16, 2021
.@WayneNewtonMrLV is ready to come back to the Strip. https://t.co/W8cgmAOwTu
— KSNV News 3 Las Vegas (@News3LV) December 16, 2021
Graham Nash and James Taylor are part of the just-announced lineup of musicians who'll salute Joni Mitchell at the 31st annual MusiCares Person of the Year gala, which takes place at the Los Angeles Convention Center...
— Rock107 (@Rock107) December 16, 2021
Credit: Marcy Gensic https://t.co/tiSiTlgfuf
Veteran session musician fought a long battle with cancer: https://t.co/kII8lPugr0
— UltimateClassicRock (@UltClassicRock) December 16, 2021
50th anniversary of @DavidBowieReal's Hunky Dory album to be celebrated with picture disc, new mix of "Changes" --> https://t.co/3R1m7Usdjy #RealRockNews
— KSHE 95 (@KSHE95) December 17, 2021
Dolly Parton Breaks 3 Guinness World Records: 'I've Been So Fortunate to See My Dreams Come True' https://t.co/Y0STqWTIC6
— People (@people) December 17, 2021
White All Over: Dave Clark Five's debut album, 'Glad All Over,' reissued on white vinyl https://t.co/c9qjZTxs7H
— 95.7 The Lake (@957TheLake) December 17, 2021
