Allbutforgottenoldies.net Music News Digest: Week Of January 2, 2022

January 9, 2022 by Amy Gold

During the week of January 2, 2022, Warner Chappell Music and the estate of David Bowie announced that WCM purchased the publishing rights to the late rock legend's entire catalog for around 250 million. This extensive collection includes such classic hits as "Changes," "Let's Dance," "Rebel Rebel," "A Space Oddity," and "Ziggy Stardust," plus all other songs included on Bowie's albums, as well as music he recorded for soundtracks and other projects.

Also that week, the Recording Academy announced that the 2022 Grammy Awards will not take place as scheduled, making this the second year in a row in which this event had to be postponed due to the pandemic. Originally slated for January 31, 2022, a new date for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, to be held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, will be announced soon, and this event will be televised live on CBS. Among the nominees are ABBA (for Record Of The Year), Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga (for Album Of The Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance), and Paul McCartney (for Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song).

Elton John's longtime musical collaborator, Bernie Taupin, was made a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) as part of Queen Elizabeth II's annual New Year's honors list in recognition of his exceptional services to music. Other music icons who have received this honor to date include the Bee Gees, Brian May of Queen, Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, and Elton John himself who was made a CBE in 1995 and subsequently knighted in 1998.

George Harrison will be the main topic of an upcoming episode of the Disgraceland podcast which features music-related stories of true crime. This episode, which premieres on March 29, 2022, will focus on the 1999 home invasion by a deranged knife-wielding fan of the late ex-Beatle that almost cost him his life. Future episodes will cover such veteran acts as Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Hank Williams, The Eagles, and The Temptations. For more info, visit DisgracelandPod.com.

Also that week, it was announced that a special screening of The Beatles' famous rooftop concert as captured in the new 3-part documentary series, "The Beatles: Get Back," will be taking place on January 30, 2022 at select IMAX theaters across the country. A global theatrical showing will then run from February 11-13. For more info and tickets to the IMAX debut, visit tickets.imax.com. The complete docuseries, which premiered November 25, 2021 on Disney+, will be coming out February 8 on Blu-ray and DVD.

Finally, January 4, 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the original U.S. release of "Fragile" by the famed and veteran English progressive rock band, Yes. This classic album, which reached #4 on the Billboard 200, includes such favorites as "Long Distance Runaround," "Heart Of The Sunrise," and the band's signature song, "Roundabout."

In Memoriam:

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Cancelled & Postponed Events:
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Newly-Announced Recordings:
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(For more information about the above news items, please see below for a list of sources with links.)