MUSIC NEWS: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015
JOHN LENNON
It's hard to believe, but it was 35 years ago today John Lennon was shot and killed. Lennon was gunned down outside of his New York City apartment building. It was the end of an era for many shocked fans. Lennon and the Beatles redefined rock and roll. Later, Lennon became icon of the peace movement. His killer, Mark David Chapman, is still in prison, after being sentenced to 20 years to life. Chapman was last denied parole in August of 2014.
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TWITTER USERS - ONE DIRECTION
Four of the five most retweeted messages of the year on Twitter involved One Direction. The most recirculated tweet was Harry Styles saying, ``All the love as always. H'' after Zayn Malik (MAL'-ihk) quit the band. It was retweeted more than 730-thousand times. Malik's message of support for One Direction's new single, ``Drag Me Down,'' was second with 567-thousand retweets.
It read, ``Proud of my boys the new single is sick. Big love.''
Number three was Liam Payne's message to his bandmates congratulating them on their five-year anniversary. President Obama's announcement about the Supreme Court's decision legalizing gay marriage was fourth. Number five was Louis (LOO'-ee) Tomlinson saying, ``Our fans support really has been a different class ! Huge love to you guys !!''
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KANYE WEST - SAINT
Kanye West has named his baby Saint. West and his wife, Kim Kardashian, have announced they named their baby boy Saint West. He joins his two-year-old sister, North West. Saint was born Saturday.
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JASON ISBELL - GRAMMYS
Jason Isbell spent yesterday celebrating his Grammy nominations by going dress shopping. Isbell says his wife is always looking for an excuse to get a new dress and that's what they were going to do yesterday. Isbell has been nominated for best Americana album for ``Something More Than Free'' and best American roots song for ``24 Frames.''
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USHER - WISDOM
Usher is teaching a class on how he does what he does so well. Usher has released a series of videos through the online teaching site MasterClass-dot-com that gives viewers instruction on captivating an audience, building a brand and other aspects of being an entertainer. Usher says it's not like anyone who watches his videos will be an overnight success, because any success earned that way will not last. Usher says part of being a master is trial and error and the tenacity to keep going. Sixteen video classes cost 90-dollars.
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EAGLES OF DEATH METAL - U2 - PARIS
U2 were not lying when they said Eagles of Death Metal would not appear at their Paris concert on Sunday. They said nothing about the concert on Monday. Eagles of Death Metal were U2's special guests at last night's show on the song ``People Have The Power.'' It was the band's first performance since the attack on their concert in Paris on November 13th in which three gunmen killed 89 people. Bono introduced them by saying, ``They were robbed of their stage three weeks ago, and we would like to offer them ours tonight.'' Eagles of Death Metal singer Jesse Hughes expressed his love for the people of Paris and added, ``I will never stop rocking and rolling.''
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ALABAMA SHAKES - GRAMMYS
Alabama Shakes say they are at a loss for words knowing they're up for the album of the year Grammy. They write on Instagram they are proud of their ``Sound and Color'' album and they add, ``To see it recognized in this way means the world to us.'' Their competition is Taylor Swift's ``1989,'' Toronto native The Weeknd's ``Beauty Behind The Madness,'' Chris Stapleton's ``Traveller'' and ``To Pimp A Butterfly'' by Kendrick Lamar. The Grammys are February 15 in Los Angeles.
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BEST NEW ARTIST - GRAMMYS
Meghan Trainor says she was crying all day yesterday after finding out she was nominated for the best new artist Grammy. She's up against James Bay, Tori Kelly, Sam Hunt and Courtney Barnett. Hunt says he's so grateful and it's been ``just the most amazing year.'' Kelly writes on Instagram her heart is heavy and she's speechless at being nominated. The Grammys are February 15th in Los Angeles.
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ED SHEERAN - GRAMMYS
Ed Sheeran says he wasn't expecting any Grammy nominations and he offers his thanks. ``Thinking Out Loud'' is up for record of the year, up against ``Uptown Funk'' by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, ``Really Love'' by D'Angelo and the Vanguard, ``Blank Space'' by Taylor Swift and ``Can't Feel My Face'' by Toronto native The Weeknd. ``Thinking Out Loud'' is also up for song of the year and best solo pop performance. Sheeran could also win for album of the year but not for his own album. He's eligible because he's a featured artist on The Weeknd's ``Beauty Behind The Madness'' album.
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ELLE KING
Elle King says she is ``humbly elated'' to be nominated for two Grammys but she has to keep her eyes on the important things. She says, ``The real question is, what the hell am I going to wear?'' Her song, ``Ex's and Oh's'' is up for best rock performance, up against ``Don't Wanna Fight'' by Alabama Shakes, ``What Kind of Man'' by Florence and the Machine, ``Something From Nothing'' by Foo Fighters and ``Moaning Lisa Smile'' by Wolf Alice.
``Ex's and Oh's'' is also up for best rock song.
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JOEY FEEK - GRAMMYS
Rory Feek of Joey and Rory says he made his wife cry yesterday. Feek writes on their Facebook page he told Joey their version of ``If I Needed You'' was nominated for the country duo/group Grammy. He says her tears flowed into his own and she said, ``How can this be?'' Feek says the song got no radio play and no critical acclaim. Joey Feek is in hospice care with terminal cancer. ``Stay a Little Longer'' by Brothers Osborne, ``The Driver'' by Charles Kelley, Dierks (DURKS) Bentley and Eric Paslay, ``Lonely Tonight'' by Blake Shelton and Ashley Monroe and ``Girl Crush'' by Little Big Town are also up for this award.
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LITTLE BIG TOWN - GRAMMYS
Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town says the two Grammy nominations for their song ``Girl Crush'' says a lot about the Nashville community. She says it shows that instead of artists being competitive, they are cheering each other on. ``Girl Crush''
is up for two Grammys, including song of the year. Little Big Town are also up for two Grammys as well.
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BIEBER - CONCERT
Justin Bieber fans lined up for over 24 hours to get a prime seat at a sold-out benefit concert in Toronto. Proceeds from last night's acoustic show will go the Stratford House of Blessing in Bieber's hometown of Stratford, Ontario. The outreach centre has a food bank and services to help those in need. The organization says Bieber's mother used its services when he was little. The lineup to get into the approximately 14-hundred-seat venue stretched around the block before the doors opened. Tickets quickly sold out when they went on sale last Tuesday.
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GRAMMYS - CANADA
For years, The Weeknd has loomed large on the fringes of mainstream music -- fast track to 2015, and the future has certainly brightened for the R&B sensation, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye. The Toronto native dubbed ``The Prince of Darkness''
has ascended into the pop stratosphere with a chart-topping album and a steady stream of infectious hit singles. He cemented his breakout year yesterday with seven Grammy nominations, including nods for record and album of the year. The Weeknd leads a strong Canadian contingent into the 57th annual Grammys, including Drake and Justin Bieber.
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(The Associated Press)