singer-songwriter

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Randy Travis' Wife: Doctors Wanted Me to Pull the Plug

Mary Travis speaks of the country singer's stroke

(Newser) - Randy Travis is still with us, and it appears we have his wife, Mary, to thank in part. In an interview with Fox News , Mary recalls the medical aftermath of the stroke then-54-year-old Travis suffered in 2013 , saying doctors advised her to "pull the plug." She said she...

The Battle for Jimmy Buffett's $275M Estate Continues

Jane Buffett accuses Richard Mozenter of breaching fiduciary duty in trust battle

(Newser) - Jimmy Buffett's widow has accused her late husband's financial adviser of failing to administer the singer's multimillion-dollar trust in good faith and ignoring what she believes are her best interests for the $275 million estate. As the AP reports, Jane Buffett on Monday asked a judge in...

Billy Joel Talks Handling 'Water on the Brain'

Singer opens up about recovery, canceled concerts after normal pressure hydrocephalus diagnosis

(Newser) - Billy Joel is breaking his silence on his health with an update, two months after revealing a brain disorder diagnosis that sidelined his tour. The 76-year-old music legend announced in May that he'd been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus , or NPH, a condition that leads to a buildup...

Billy Joel's Mandate for New HBO Doc: 'Just Tell the Truth'

The 2-part film explores the star's music, life, and enduring influence

(Newser) - Billy Joel famously returned a multimillion-dollar book advance in 2011, declaring that his story was best told through music, not memoirs. Now, HBO's new two-part documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, seeks to honor that preference while still offering an unflinching look at Joel's life and...

Neil Young Extends an Invite to Trump

Rock legend says 'if there's not martial law,' Trump should come to one of his shows

(Newser) - Neil Young wants to keep on rockin' in the free world, emphasis on the "free" part. The 79-year-old singer is about to set off on a summer concert tour around the country, and he's extending an invite to President Trump to come to one of his shows, kick...

R. Kelly: 'I've Written Like 25 Albums' in Prison

Rapper serving 30-year sentence sings on podcast, says bursting out in song is his 'uncurable' disease

(Newser) - From the J6 Prison Choir's songwriting to Sam Bankman-Fried's chess play , it sounds like our most headline-making prisoners are finding ways to stay entertained while behind bars. R. Kelly has emerged as the latest incarcerated Renaissance man, revealing that he's been spending his free time in North...

How Parton's Late Husband Figured in 'Jolene'

Flirty bank teller had 'terrible crush' on Carl Dean when Parton, Dean were still newly married

(Newser) - As Dolly Parton mourns the death of her spouse of 59 years, Carl Dean, the origins of one of her most popular songs, 1973's "Jolene," is making the rounds once again—because Dean, and a bank teller who was infatuated with him decades ago, were the main...

Songwriters Hall of Fame Makes This Year's Noms

Eminem, Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow, NWA, and Janet Jackson make the cut

(Newser) - Eminem, Boy George, George Clinton, Sheryl Crow, Janet Jackson, the Doobie Brothers, NWA, and Alanis Morissette are among the nominees for the 2025 class at the Songwriters Hall of Fame , an eclectic group of rap, rock, hip-hop, and pop pioneers. Joining them on the ballot are Bryan Adams, with radio...

Willie Nelson, 91, on Dying: 'I'm Not Worried About It'

Country legend releases 76th solo studio album, dishes on songwriting, new cannabis cookbook

(Newser) - Young musicians looking for longevity would be wise to follow the sensible words of Willie Nelson: Do what feels right, and if you're lucky enough to have a statue built in your honor in your city, remember that it's just something you've "got to go down...

Bossa Nova Star Sergio Mendes Dies at 83
Bossa Nova Legend Dies
After Bout With Long COVID
OBITUARY
Sep 6, 2024 12:55 PM CDT

Bossa Nova Legend Dies After Bout With Long COVID

Brazil's Sergio Mendes, whose 'Mas Que Nada' made him a star, had suffered from long COVID

(Newser) - Sergio Mendes, the Grammy-winning Brazilian musician whose hit "Mas Que Nada" made him a global legend, has died after months battling the effects of long COVID. He was 83. The death Thursday of the Brazilian pianist, songwriter, and arranger was confirmed in a statement by his family, per the...

'Harvard Has Taylor, Vermont State Has Weird Al!'

University will offer a course on comedic singer Yankovic in the fall

(Newser) - If you've ever longed for a glimpse inside the imagination of Alfred Yankovic and you're a student at Vermont State University, your two worlds are about to collide. The higher-ed institution will be offering a course this fall dedicated to the quirky singer-songwriter known as "Weird Al,...

Guess Who's Coming Back to Spotify?
Guess Who's
Coming Back
to Spotify?
Mar 13, 2024 8:20 AM CDT

Guess Who's Coming Back to Spotify?

Neil Young announces return to streaming platform, still complaining about 'low-res' files

(Newser) - More than two years ago, Neil Young yanked his songs off of Spotify, a protest against what Young said was COVID vaccine misinformation being circulated by podcaster Joe Rogan. Now the singer-songwriter has announced he's coming back to the streaming music platform, though the Consequence of Sound describes his...

Country Music Star Toby Keith Dies at 62

'Beer For My Horses' singer was battling stomach cancer

(Newser) - "Beer For My Horses" singer-songwriter Toby Keith has died. He was 62, reports the AP . Keith, who was battling stomach cancer, passed peacefully on Monday surrounded by his family, according to a statement posted on the country singer's website. "He fought his fight with grace and courage,...

Barry Manilow Breaks a Big Elvis Record

'70s singer plays his 637th show at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino; the King had 636

(Newser) - No one played more shows at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino than Elvis Presley, who notched an impressive 636 sold-out performances in residency before his 1977 death. No one until last weekend, that is, when '70s legend Barry Manilow logged his 637th show at the same venue....

'She Was the Female Bob Dylan'
'She Was the Female
Bob Dylan,' Then Vanished
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
May 13, 2023 6:30 AM CDT

'She Was the Female Bob Dylan,' Then Vanished

Connie Converse was a folk pioneer before she disappeared, as the 'New York Times' explains

(Newser) - If she had recorded her songs just a few years later, Connie Converse might very likely be a household name to this day, writes Howard Fishman in the New York Times . Instead, she's an enigmatic footnote in modern music history, though interest appears to be growing in her legacy....

Gordon Lightfoot Dead at 84
Beloved Canadian
Singer-Songwriter
Dead at 84
obituary
May 2, 2023 3:00 AM CDT

Beloved Canadian Singer-Songwriter Dead at 84

Gordon Lightfoot had just last month canceled planned shows

(Newser) - Gordon Lightfoot, Canada's legendary folk singer-songwriter known for “If You Could Read My Mind" and "Sundown” and for songs that told tales of Canadian identity, died on Monday. He was 84. Representative Victoria Lord said the musician died at a Toronto hospital, the AP reports. His cause...

His Songwriting Resume Is Astonishing
His Songwriting Resume
Is Astonishing
obituary
Aug 9, 2022 10:45 AM CDT

His Songwriting Resume Is Astonishing

Lamont Dozier, who helped write some of Motown's biggest hits, dies at 81

(Newser) - Lamont Dozier, the middle name of the celebrated Holland-Dozier-Holland team that wrote and produced dozens of hits and helped make Motown an essential record company of the 1960s and beyond, has died at age 81, per the AP . In Motown’s historic rise, Holland-Dozier-Holland stood out even compared to such...

You've Sung It Plenty in Bars. Now, This Song Gets Its Own Film

Paramount+ documentary on Don McLean's 'American Pie' is 'mandatory viewing' for fans

(Newser) - Don McLean has listened for decades as people belted out his classic song "American Pie" at last call or at karaoke—and applauds you for the effort. "I've heard whole bars burst into this song when I've been across the room," McLean told the AP...

She's Had 19 No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 Hits. Now, a Big Honor

Mariah Carey, behind only the Beatles using Billboard gauge, is inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame

(Newser) - After a glittering career stuffed with No. 1 hits—not to mention a two-year pandemic delay—Mariah Carey was finally inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on Thursday, but not before challenging her new fellow members to do better by women. "I read that out of the 439...

Universal Picks Up Another Huge Music Catalog

Music group just bought the rights to Neil Diamond's song collection, including 'Sweet Caroline'

(Newser) - Universal Music Group has been on a shopping spree. First it scooped up the rights to Bob Dylan's lyrics and compositions , then Sting's song catalog , and now it's got a new acquisition to brag about. The music corporation has purchased the rights to Neil Diamond's entire...

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