MUSIC NEWS: MONDAY, JULY 6, 2015
JENNIFER NETTLES STARTS JEWELRY LINE
Jennifer Nettles is into jewelry now. Nettles debuted her jewelry collection yesterday on QVC. It features necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings made of silver, brass, leather and suede with gemstones. Prices range from $50 to $349. The jewelry is sold through www.QVC.com .
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BRUCE DICKINSON GIVES DETAILS ON HIS CANCER
Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden reveals he was dealing with two tumors in his tongue and neck. Dickinson tells the BBC one tumour was the size of a golf ball and the other a bit smaller. Doctors have given him the all-clear in May after a treatment of radiation and chemotherapy. As Dickinson puts it, ``The inside of my head has been cooked pretty effectively.'' He says he is going to take his time healing and he will not push going back to singing just to prove a point.
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GRATEFUL DEAD SAY FAREWELL
The Grateful Dead are no more, if they hold by what they say. Last night's show in Chicago's Soldier Field was billed as their final show as The Grateful Dead. They played three days of concerts in Chicago to mark the band's 50th anniversary and paid tribute to the last place where Jerry Garcia performed with the Dead before he died in 1995. Trey Anastasio of Phish and Bruce Hornsby were among the guest musicians. The first song for Friday's show was ``Box of Rain,'' the last song they had performed with Garcia.
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PRESIDENT OBAMA, EMPIRE STATE BUILDING PAY TRIBUTE TO THE GRATEFUL DEAD
Even President Barack Obama is giving his best wishes to the Grateful Dead as they wrap up 50 years in music. Obama issued a proclamation calling the Dead ``an iconic American band that embodies the creativity, passion and ability to bring people together that makes American music so great.'' He adds, ``As Jerry would say, 'Let there be songs to fill the air.''' Meanwhile, the Empire State Building in New York paid tribute to the Dead performing in Chicago on Saturday by synchronizing its LED tower lights to the band's performance of ``U.S. Blues.'' Fans in Chicago were able to see the show by video. New Yorkers got an encore performance last night.
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FOO FIGHTERS PLAY WITH DAVE GROHL ON A THRONE
Dave Grohl is back on stage and doing it in style. The Foo Fighters performed their 20th anniversary concert in Washington on Saturday, their first show since Grohl broke his leg during a concert in Sweden last month. Grohl performed sitting down in a throne with the Foo Fighters logo on the back and his guitars sticking out of the sides. Other performers included Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Heart, Gary Clark Junior, LL Cool J and Buddy Guy.
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BILLY JOEL MARRIES
Billy Joel has gotten married for the fourth time. He married girlfriend Alexis Roderick in a surprise ceremony during their annual Independence Day party on Joel's estate on Long Island, according to his spokeswoman. The group of family and friends that were there did not know about the wedding beforehand.
Among those attending included Joel's second wife, Christie Brinkley, and his daughter, Alexa Ray Joel. Joel is 66 and Roderick is 34. They are expecting a child.
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TIM LOPEZ OF PLAIN WHITE T'S MARRIES
In 2012, Plain White T's guitarist Tim Lopez took a gamble being on the NBC reality dating show ``Ready For Love.''
The show bombed, but his love life didn't. People magazine reports Lopez married Jenna Reeves, the woman he was paired with on the show. The wedding was at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum in California on Saturday. Their honeymoon will be on the road with the band, because Plain White T's are booked for concerts through the middle of August.
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