Miscellaneous Music News

[prhoshay]

Whitney Houston (43) is involved with Brandy Norwood's little brother Ray J.(26, yesterday)!!! I find that ewwwwww...!!!!!

[Google]

 

[Leftcoaster]

Mamas and Papas Singer Denny Doherty Dies

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. (Jan. 19) - Denny Doherty, one-quarter of the 1960s folk-rock group The Mamas and the Papas , known for their soaring harmony on hits like "California Dreamin"' and "Monday, Monday," died Friday at 66.

His sister Frances Arnold said the singer-songwriter died at his home in Mississauga, a city just west of Toronto, after a short illness. He had suffered kidney problems following surgery last month and had been put on dialysis, Arnold said.

The group burst on the national scene in 1966 with the top 10 smash "California Dreamin'." The Mamas and the Papas broke new ground by having women and men in one group at a time when most singing groups were unisex. John Phillips, the group's chief songwriter; his wife, Michelle; and another female vocalist, Cass Elliot, teamed with Doherty.

"Monday, Monday" hit No. 1 on the charts and won the band a Grammy for best contemporary group performance. Among the group's other songs were "I Saw Her Again Last Night," "Go Where You Wanna Go," "Dancing Bear," and versions of "I Call Your Name" and "Dedicated to the One I Love."

"What made the group special was their haunting and sumptuous harmony singing," according to "The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll."

"Everybody used to think that John Phillips, who wrote the songs, was also the main voice of the group, but it wasn't - it was the angelic voice of Denny Doherty," said Larry Leblanc, Canadian editor of Billboard Magazine. "He was often overlooked but it was really his voice that carried the group."

In 1998, the Mamas and the Papas were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The group's catchy sound was a blend of '60s upbeat pop and the folk music that had surged in popularity early in the decade. The song "Creeque Alley" told the story of their formation amid the musical ferment of the folk scene; among the other stars-to-be mentioned in its lyrics were members of the Lovin' Spoonful and the Byrds.

Folk superstars Peter, Paul and Mary paid their own tribute to the Mamas and the Papas with their humorous 1967 hit "I Dig Rock and Roll Music."

But the group's heyday was brief and it disbanded in 1968 following John and Michelle Phillips' divorce. The members re-formed in 1971 for the album "People Like Us," but all hope for a reunion ended in 1974 when the 32-year-old Elliot suffered a fatal heart attack in London.

Phillips briefly re-formed the group in 1982 with Doherty, Phillips' actress daughter, Mackenzie, and Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane. The foursome toured playing oldies and new Phillips originals.

In 2003, Doherty was co-author and performer in an off-Broadway show called "Dream a Little Dream: The Mamas and the Papas Musical." It traced the band's early years, its dizzying fame and breakup amid drugs and alcohol and an affair between Doherty and Michelle Phillips.

"There's a part of this thing that if I'm not careful, I'd be just a blob on the stage crying my guts out," Doherty told The Associated Press at the time. "Everybody knows about death and dying and sadness, so it's an exercise in staying in the moment and not getting maudlin about your friends dying."

John Phillips died in 2001 at 65.

The Halifax-born Doherty started his music career in Montreal in 1960 as the co-founder of the Colonials, which later became the Halifax Three.

Doherty made a solo album in 1974 and achieved a bit of immortality by both playing the Harbormaster and voicing all the characters for the children's TV series "Theodore Tugboat."

Doherty, who was married twice, is survived by three children, John, Emberly and Jessica; three sisters; and a brother. Both of his wives predeceased him.


Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.

http://news.aol.com/entertainment/mu...19163809990002

This news is a drag. Even more that this sort of announcement is becoming anticipated at this point.

Time waits for no one....

[Nemeses]

Ahh, sad news The Mamas and The Papas had some of the best songs of that generation, and I still love hearing them (California Dreaming, Monday Monday, Twelve Thirty, Saw Her Again Last Nite). Condolences to Denny's family and loved ones.

[Leftcoaster]

Twelve Thirty is The Mamas and The Papas song I play first and most frequently, but I enjoy almost all their music quite a bit.

A difficult to match, if not unique sound they were blessed with as a group.

[BoBoFan]

http://www.playfuls.com/news_0000223...uper_Bowl.html

Billy Joel To Sing Anthem At Super Bowl

Singer-songwriter Billy Joel will sing the National Anthem during the Super Bowl XLI pregame show on CBS at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, the NFL said Monday.

It will be the second time that Joel, a six-time Grammy winner, sings the National Anthem at a Super Bowl, Access Hollywood said. He also performed in Super Bowl XXIII in 1989.

The Super Bowl will be played Feb. 4.

[LG.]

Billy Joel singing the Anthem 18 years after his prior performance at the Super Bowl. Wow, to think that 18 years ago Joel was still married to Christy Brinkley and I think their daughter was really young - what a lot of things have happened since then. Of course I was a senior in high school in 1989.

[prhoshay]

Chris Daughtery did a good job of singing the national anthem at one of the final conference games last weekend. I think it was the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints game. He didn't have that raspy sound. It was pretty smooth!

[BoBoFan]

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pb...701250360/1023

January 25, 2007

Brandy involved in accident that kills 38-year-old woman

From staff and wire reports

Singer-actress Brandy was involved in a four-car freeway crash in Los Angeles last month that left a 38-year-old woman dead, authorities said Wednesday.

The cause of the accident was under investigation, and no arrests have been made.

Brandy was not injured, and she wasn't under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash, her publicist Courtney Barnes said.

The 27-year-old McComb native, whose full name is Brandy Norwood, was driving a 2007 Land Rover on the 405 Freeway on Dec. 30 when the collision occurred. She failed to slow down and struck the back of a 2005 Honda at about 65 mph, according to a California Highway Patrol report.

The Honda, driven by 38-year-old Awatef Aboudihaj hit another vehicle and then slid sideways before it struck a center divider, the report said.

Aboudihaj's car was then hit by an oncoming car driven by 50-year-old Mallory Ham, the report said.

Aboudihaj was taken to a hospital, where she died of blunt-force injuries, said county coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey. The coroner's office ruled her death an accident.

Ham also was taken to a hospital where she was treated for moderate injuries.

"She wishes to publicly express her condolences to the family of the deceased," Barnes said.

Barnes was not available for further comment when contacted by The Clarion-Ledger. Asked how the singer was doing, Candice Smart, a spokeswoman for the Courtney Barnes Group, said, "As well as can be expected. ... She's dealing with it."

E-mailed questions as to why it took so long for the singer to issue a statement and about the status of the star's next projects, Evette Fergerson, another spokeswoman with the agency, would not provide further comment to The Clarion-Ledger.

Norwood, whose hits include Sittin' Up in My Room and The Boy Is Mine, has made five albums and earned a Grammy in 1999. She began her recording career at 14 and acted in film and TV shows, starring on the sitcom Moesha from 1996-2001 and most recently as a judge for NBC's America's Got Talent.

She played the starring role in the 1997 TV movie Cinderella.

Norwood and her brother, Ray J, visited their hometown of McComb in October to encourage voter registration and to endorse mayoral candidate Zach Patterson.

Patterson was elected McComb's first black mayor in November.

[BoBoFan]

http://www.suntimes.com/entertainmen...alen25.article

Van Halen, Roth discussing 40-city summertime tour
January 25, 2007

Sources say Van Halen is planning a return to the road this summer, with original frontman David Lee Roth back in the fold for the first time in more than 20 years.
Concert giant Live Nation was readying contracts for the 40-date amphitheater tour.

Guitarist Eddie Van Halen's 15-year-old son Wolfgang steps in for original bassist Michael Anthony in the new incarnation of the group, which also features drummer Alex Van Halen.

Van Halen last toured in 2004 with vocalist Sammy Hagar, grossing nearly $40 million. Afterward, Hagar refused to collaborate further with Eddie and Alex Van Halen ("I don't get along with Eddie anymore, and that's all there is to it,'' he said in August 2005), although he has played live with Anthony in recent years.

The warring factions may wind up meeting in public in March when Van Halen is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Roth last year hosted a short-lived radio show on several stations that used to carry Howard Stern.

[bbnbama]

I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I would be to see Van Halen (with Diamond Dave) in concert again!!!! Yeah, I know they've aged (haven't we all??? )...and Diamond Dave doesn't have his flowing blonde mane anymore and he might not be able to do the jump splits like he use to but I would love to see them again and "re-live my youth" again!