Allbutforgottenoldies.net Music News Digest: Week Of June 13, 2021

June 20, 2021 by Amy Gold

During the week of June 13, 2021, PBS announced that Jimmy Buffett and Gladys Knight will be joining the lineup of this station's 41st annual "A Capitol Fourth" TV special to be broadcast on July 4 at 8 PM EST. This year's show will also stream on Facebook, YouTube, and PBS.org and will feature pre-taped performances from across the U.S. due to the pandemic.

Also that week, it was announced that George Clinton, Martha Reeves, and Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. of The 5th Dimension are among those to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The exact days for each artist's unveiling ceremony will be announced at some later date.

Eric Clapton announced a new series of concerts in the U.S. to take place this September, his first since before the start of the pandemic. Other veteran bands and artist to announce newly scheduled tours and other live events for the remainder of 2021 include Foreigner, KISS, Van Morrison, Santana, and Rod Stewart (see below for more information.

Diana Ross will release her first new original studio album in over 20 years this September. Titled "Thank You," this recording was made in her home studio during the pandemic shutdown in collaboration with a number of producers and songwriters who have created hits for such artists as Taylor Swift and Kanye West. The title single is currently available in various digital formats.

Also that week, it was announced that "The Beatles: Get Back" will premiere on the Disney+ channel as a three-day event taking place November 25-27. This upcoming dicumentary, which features over six hours of previously unseen footage, covers the January 1969 recording sessions for the band's final studio album, "Let It Be" (1970). Highlights include The Beatles' last-ever live show which famously took place on the roof of the Apple headquarters in London.

Finally, Cher arranged for a mobile medical unit to travel through New York City to provide free access to vaccines and testing to those in need through her newly-established CherCares Pandemic Resource and Research Fund (CPRRF), which the philanthropic pop legend formed with Dr. Irwin Redlener of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP). Operated by the NYC Health + Hospitals Test & Trace Corps, this mobile unit will be available in different locations throughout the city through July 16.

Tours & Shows:
(Band/Artist - Event(s) - Location - 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.)