Music News

This page last updated on May 7, 2008.

On Sunday, April 26, while performing with Zakir Hussain's Masters of Percussion in New York City, drummer Ram Kishan passed away.  Kishan had just finished playing a solo, when he leaned forward and collapsed. A crew member helped him off the stage, thinking that Kishan simply had fainted.  Only later was it determined that he actually had died. At the age of 70, Kishan was the oldest member of Hussain's outfit. To honor his memory, the ensemble placed a single white lily in his place on the stage at its May 6 concert in Vancouver.  

The Grateful Dead has announced that it is moving its archives to the McHenry Library at the University of California at Santa Cruz.  The collection, which includes the life-size skeletons of the band members that were used in the Touch of Grey video as well as the ensemble' first recording contract, assorted T-shirts, and an array of press clippings, is estimated to be worth millions.  The announcement will be made formally at a press conference on April 24 at 11 a.m, which will be streamed through the Grateful Dead's web site.

On April 7, Bob Dylan picked up an honorary Pulitzer Prize.  It was the first time that a rock artist has won the prestigious award.

At long last, It's here.  The long-anticipated release of Winterland 1973: The Complete Recordings is now available through the Grateful Dead's web site. With the exception of the encore from the first night, which is missing because it wasn't recorded, the collection compiles the entirety of the band's November 9, 10, and 11 concerts at the fabled San Francisco venue.  Anyone who orders the set before April 30 also will receive a bonus disc containing material from the Grateful Dead's performance on December 4, 1973 at Cincinnati Gardens.

On Tuesday, February 26, drummer Buddy Miles suffered congestive heart failure and passed away at his Austin, Texas home. He was 60. Miles was best-known for his work with Jimi Hendrix in Band of Gypsies. He also performed with Carlos Santana, Muddy Waters, and Electric Flag.

In March, PBS will air The Clash Live: Revolution Rock, a documentary featuring live performances from the groundbreaking British band. Mixing studio and concert foortage, the program follows the band's career trajectory from 1979 through 1982. A DVD will be issued on April 15 that also includes the group's appearances on The Tom Snyder Show and Fridays.

The Best of The Johnny Cash TV Show, a two-DVD set of performances from The Man in Black's variety program, which aired on ABC-TV betwen 1969 and 1971, was certified platinum by the RIAA. The collection has sold more than 100,000 copies since it was released last September.

The 50th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on Sunday, February 10. Despite a slew of personal issues, including her inability to obtain a visa to travel to Los Angeles, where the event was held, Amy Winehouse still managed to steal most of the attention. Not only did she perform via satellite, but she also scored five awards, including one for Best New Artist. Meanwhile, Herbie Hancock became only the second artist to win the Album of the Year award for a jazz-oriented endeavor. His effort River: The Joni Letters also one in the category of Best Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year.

The second installment in the Grateful Dead's Road Trips series will focus upon the group's October 1977 tour. Early orders will include a special limited edition bonus disc featuring additional material from the tour.

All 5,000 copies of Clay Eals' book Steve Goodman: Facing the Music have sold-out. A second printing has been ordered, and copies will go on sale in late February.

On Saturday, January 19, Andy Palacio passed away at a hospital in Belize. In the days leading up to his death, Palacio suffered a massive stroke, which led to a heart attack and respiratory failure. Palacio not only was a hero in his homeland but he recently became an international star when his latest album Watina was named one of the best albums of 2007 by critics around the globe.  An official state funeral will be held in his honor, and a tribute concert will be held on Friday, January 25.

Fuego Entertainment recently announced that it had acquired the North American rights to over 200 concert performances by the late guitarist and songwriter Jimi Hendrix. Experience Hendrix, L.L.C., the company that owns and controls the rights to Jimi Hendrix's music, issued a statement on January 15 that identified the acquired materials as those that previously were being marketed in the U.K. by Purple Haze Records.

Over the past few years, Experience Hendrix and Purple Haze had been battling in court, and on May 24, 2007, the Court of Appeals in London rejected the claims of John Hillman, Purple Haze's purported licensor, by stating that he did not have ownership of the music in question.  Purple Haze subsequently shut its doors, and Fuego apparently purchased these same materials, all of which are inferior bootleg recordings. 

In its statement, Experience Hendrix made clear that it would take all legal action necessary to keep the materials from hitting the bootleg market and to recover damages against Fuego for copyright infringement. 

Last December, Stephen Stills announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.  His surgery, which was held on January 3, was deemed a success.   Stills caught the disease early, and he is expected to make a full recovery.

Rosanne Cash's brain surgery was successful.  She received treatment for Type 1 Chiari malformation in her brain, which affected her balance.  She is expected to begin working on a new album in early 2008, and spring tour dates already are being announced.  She also is working on a book, which is slated to be published in early 2009.

Headcount is gearing up for a busy year in anticipation of the 2008 Presidential election.  The volunteer-run organization is set a goal for itself to register 200,000 new voters.  To achieve this feat, the grassroots group is planning to stage registration drives at more than 500 concerts.  It already has partnered with the Dave Matthews Band, though countless other artists likely make similar announcements soon.  Said board member Bob Weir, "If we don't protect democracy today, there won't be a democracy to protect in a few years."

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has announced that it will be adding an award for Best Zydeco and Cajun Folk Album to the Grammy nomination and awards ceremonies. The addition of the new category follows more than six years of lobbying by Louisiana's zydeco and cajun communities, which was led by Terrance and Cynthia Simien.

U2 has reunited with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. Together, the group and its long-running producers are working on a new album in Morocco.

In the '90s, jazz bassist Kermit Driscoll contracted lyme disease, but it wasn't diagnosed until 2005, when it had entered its difficult-to-treat third phase. For years, he has suffered from headaches, joint pain, and fatigue as a result of the illness, and of late, he's been unable to work. Worse, he's unable to afford the $5,000 per week cost of his antibiotics. This past Monday, January 26, Bill Frisell, Driscoll's longtime friend and musical collaborator, along with John Zorn, John Hollenbeck, John Patitucci, Jon Ellis, and Kendrick Scott performed a benefit concert on his behalf at Tonic in New York City, but more money is still needed. Tax deductible donations can be made to Emergency Relief Fund (Kermit Driscoll) and mailed to Bill Dennison, Musicians Union Local 802, 322 West 48th Street, New York, NY 10036.

Brian Jun, whose film Steel City recently was nominated for the grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival, is planning to write and direct a movie based upon the life of Jeff Buckley. Buckley's mother Mary Guibert is producing the effort.

With no warning, Blue Merle announced that it would disband following its performance at the Rites of Spring Festival. In a statement posted on its website, the band said, "Just a few weeks away from our hometown show at Vanderbilt's Rites of Spring Festival. We need to let you all know that this will be the last Blue Merle Show. We remain close as friends and will still be collaborating together on some levels, but we feel the time is right for us to pursue individual paths in music and life. This has been a tough decision for us after such an amazing run together. We deeply thank all those who have helped us out along the way, whether it meant letting us sleep on your floor in the beginning or stopping by our site to show us support, or coming out to a show."

Gillian Welch is working on her fourth studio effort, which is tentatively slated for release later this year. She currently is working with longtime partner David Rawlings in their Nashville studio. Her last outing Soul Journey was issued in 2003.

Roxy Music has begun work on a new studio album, its first since 1982's Avalon. However, after visiting his former bandmates in the studio, Brian Eno has opted not to rejoin the group.

The Grateful Dead is planning to issue a 9-CD set titled Winterland 1973: The Complete Recordings. The collection contains every note from the band's three night engagement at the San Francisco venue on November 9, 10, and 11, 1973. Originally, the set was scheduled for release in March 2006, but it was bumped indefinitely at the last minute.

In the wake of Pink Floyd's momentary lapse in feuding, which led to a reunion at last year's Live 8 benefit concert, rumors have been circulating that the band might succeed in mounting a full-fledged tour. Speaking to Italian paper La Repubblica, guitarist David Gilmour made the declaration, "The band? It's over. Reunited because of the good cause, to get over the bad relationship, and not to have regrets."

"It's an important part of my life, I have had enormous satisfactions, but now it's enough. It's much more comfortable to work on my own," he added.

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