MUSIC NEWS: TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
TIM McGRAW DOES BENEFIT FOR SANDY HOOK PROMISE
Tim McGraw will give all the proceeds from his July 17th concert in Hartford, Connecticut, to prevent another Sandy Hook tragedy. McGraw will perform as a benefit for Sandy Hook Promise, an organization founded after the Sandy Hook shootings in 2012 that aims TO protect children from gun violence. A friend of McGraw's fiddle player lost a child in the shootings. Billy Currington and Chase Bryant will open the show.
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FORMER BEATLE AGAIN CALLS FOR AN END TO THE SEAL HUNT
Former Beatles frontman Paul McCartney is once again calling for an end to the commercial seal hunt off Canada's East Coast.
McCartney appeals for a stop to what he calls a ``senseless slaughter'' in a statement released by Humane Society International.
Anti-sealing campaigns have helped inspire bans on seal product imports in the European Union, the United States, Mexico and other countries.
The hunt opened Sunday on the Front off northeastern Newfoundland and southern Labrador, as well as in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
It has dwindled in recent years with fewer than 55,000 harp seals landed last year compared to a federal quota of about 400,000.
The federal government has defended the commercial seal hunt as humane and well regulated.
McCartney made international headlines in 2006 when he staged a photo-op on the ice floes in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, calling for an end to the centuries-old hunt.
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RINGO STARR TELLS HIS STORY THROUGH MUSIC
Ringo Starr has no interest in writing an autobiography, but you can find his life story in his music. Starr considers his songs mini-memoirs. He sings about his hometown in ``Liverpool 8,'' and ``The Other Side of Liverpool.'' He's got a new song called ``Rory and the Hurricanes'' that's about the band he played in before The Beatles. His ``Postcards From Paradise'' song strings together Beatles song lyrics. Starr doesn't even care much if he sells a lot of copies. He says putting out records is ``a great excuse to hang out with a lot of friends and a lot of great musicians.'' Starr will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist on Saturday.
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JOHN LEGEND STARS FREE AMERICA
John Legend's new cause is to end mass incarceration. Legend has announced an initiative called Free America. Legend says the U-S has made choices politically, legislatively, culturally to deal with poverty and mental illness, usually through incarceration. He will perform at a correctional facility in Austin, Texas, on Thursday and do a press conference discussing Texas' criminal justice system. He'll also visit a California state prison and co-host a criminal justice event in Washington later this month. Other artists yet to be announced will also be part of the campaign.
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ROLLING STONES' ``STICKY FINGERS'' HAS ZIPPER ISSUE
The reissue of The Rolling Stones' album ``Sticky Fingers'' has hit a snag, specifically, the zipper. The original version of the album had a working zipper, and Universal Music intends to include that on the reissues. However, the Rolling Stones say the zipper is taking longer than anticipated to manufacture. The ``Sticky Fingers'' reissues were supposed to come out the week of May 24th, when the Stones begin their tour. Instead, ``Sticky Fingers'' will come out June 9th.
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JIMMY PAGE HAS GREAT HEARING FOR A ROCK STAR
Jimmy Page's hearing is amazingly good for someone his age, especially considering most people didn't spend hours at a time in front of John Bonham's drums. Page says Bonham could play an acoustic instrument incredibly loud. Page says Bonham could do an accent on a bass drum that would ``really come right through your stomach as you were playing. It was wonderful.'' Page says sometimes he would have ringing in his ears after a show, but he's really fortunate that he still has good hearing.
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DAVID LETTERMAN ANNOUNCES LAST MUSICAL GUESTS
Elvis Costello, the Dave Matthews Band and Norah Jones will be among the final musical acts on ``Late Show with David Letterman.'' Letterman is retiring next month. Other acts who will appear on his last shows include Emmylou Harris, The Avett Brothers with Brandi Carlile, Mumford and Sons, Ralph Stanley and Amos Lee.
More will be announced. Musical guests this week include Chris Stapleton, Iron and Wine, Tracy Chapman and John Mayer. Letterman's final show is May 20. He has not said who his final guests will be, if he has any.
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EARTH DAY CONCERT LINEUP ANNOUNCED
Usher, Mary J. Blige, No Doubt, Common and Train are among the acts who will perform at an Earth Day concert on the National Mall in Washington this Saturday. Fall Out Boy and My Morning Jacket are also on the bill. Will.i.am and Soledad O'Brien will host. The event is free and open to the public.
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''AUSTIN CITY LIMITS`` CREATOR DIES
The man who founded ``Austin City Limits'' has died. Bill Arhos died Saturday at the age of 80 after a long illness, according to a show spokeswoman. Arhos created ``Austin City Limits'' while running the P-B-S affiliate in Austin in the 1970s. The first performer was Willie Nelson. The show is now in its 41st season.
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GLORIA ESTEFAN - MUSICAL
She's Cuban-American and went to the same Miami high school as Gloria Estefan. Now, Ana Villafane has something else in common with Estefan: she will play the singer in a Broadway musical. Villafane will appear with Josh Segarra in the production, ``On Your Feet!'' Performances begin Oct. 5th at the Marquis Theatre in Manhattan.
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''THE VOICE``
Corey Kent White could be in trouble on ``The Voice.'' His coach, Blake Shelton, concedes Corey ``didn't sing perfectly'' last night. Adam Levine adds that Corey isn't quite there yet. Tonight, two of the Top 12 will be sent home. The coaches agree that 16-year-old Mia Z probably isn't one of them. She did a version of the Rolling Stones ``Miss You'' that hit such high notes Shelton says she was singing in the dolphin range. Tonight's Voice broadcast will also feature a live performance by Nick Jonas.
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