Country music legend Ferlin Husky successfully underwent heart surgery on Tuesday to place two stints around
two of his arteries that were 99% blocked. Huskey recently signed a new recording deal with Heart of Texas Records
with plans to record his first new studio album in over a decade.
Patrick Parker, the 21 year-old son of R&B vocalist Betty Wright, was killed early on Christmas day in a volley
of gunfire outside a holiday party in Opa-locka
Tom Jones, 65, was one among those receiving knighthood in the British New Year's Honors list announced Saturday.
The Queen's honors are the U.K.'s top lifetime achievement awards going to people from all walks of life. Former
Fairground Attraction vocalist Eddi Reader was also named in the honors list.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark have announced that founding members Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys have reunited
along with former bandmates Martin Cooper and Malcolm Holmes. OMD plan on some performances at the end of this
year and more following the release of their new studio album in the spring of 2007. One special performance is
being arranged where they will play their third album, Architecture & Morality, in its entirety. Meanwhile,
Humphrey's project OneTwo will release their debut album this spring.
According to Billboard Boxscore, U2 had the top-grossing tour of 2005 drawing more than 3 million people to 90
concerts (all sell-outs) and grossing $260 million. The Rolling Stones came in second grossing $162 million on
42 North American shows with a second leg starting on Jan. 10th.
According to Moviehole.net, former Cult guitarist Billy Duffy has signed on to play a villain in the upcoming film
Sin Jim-Smyth portraying a rogue government agent who specializes in interrogation and torture. Meanwhile, there
are rumors of some limited reunion performances by the Cult and possible reissues.
Janis Ian will release her 20th album, Folk Is The New Black, on Feb. 11th marking the 40th anniversary of her
debut album. The 15-track collection will also be her first set entirely written by her since 1981's Restless Eyes.
According to a recent MTV interview with Rush's Geddy Lee, he, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart are in the process of
getting their home studios ready for the writing process and have plans to meet up this month to collaborate on
tracks for the next album.
All 5 members of Devo have regrouped in the recording studio to re-record some of their best known songs with vocals
provided by a quintet of kids. Devo 2.0 will be released on Mar. 17th with the new studio tracks "Cyclops"
and "The Winner." A companion DVD will also include animated and live-action videos for each of the songs
directed by bassist Gerry Casale.
Killing Joke plan to release their new studio album, Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell, on Mar. 3rd via Edel.
Last year, Air Supply celebrated their 30th anniversary together with the live DVD, It Was 30 Years Ago Today,
and the fan club-only CD entitled The Singer and The Song. The Singer and The Song, an collection of their hits
recorded in 1 take without overdubs as acoustic vocal-guitar duets, has now been released on their www.airsupplymusic.com
Web site for sale to the general public.
Ian McNabb is planning to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his former band The Icicle Works with a tour dedicated
to their music and release a new Icicle Works album (with no plans to bring back any of the original members.)
According to the Mirror, the reality TV series that the Jackson family have been shopping will focus on Tito's
3 sons (who previously recorded as 3T) trying to break into the music industry again. Expected to air in the spring,
LaToya and Jermaine Jackson will also star in the show with appearances by Michael.
Former Poison frontman Bret Michaels plans to take a break from his Freedom of Sound tour early this year for a
TV campaign for juvenile diabetes. Michaels has been a diabetic since he was 6 and plans to promote a more hands-on
approach to the issue. He is making a shirt available at his Web site that says "Bret Michaels Diabetic"
with the number of injections he's taken in his life at that point (253,210) and "Fear Nothing. Survive It."
Meanwhile, EMI is working on a new Poison hits collection due out in April with a few bonus tracks.
Iron Maiden plan to release their new DVD, Death On The Road, in the U.K. on Feb. 6th. The set will initially be
available as a limited-edition special digipack.
Madonna will launch her celebrity wine label on Jan. 6th. The bottles come with two different labels in a Cabarnet
Sauvingon, Barbera, Pinot Grigio and UnWine.
Mute and Nitzer Ebb are in talks about releasing an extensive retrospective, Body Of Work, later this year. The
3-disc collection would feature 2 CDs and a DVD. A separate double CD remix package, The Remixes, which is will
contain older and newer mixes as well as previously unreleased material would follow.
A 20-track compilation, Sleepless In Seattle: The Birth Of Grunge, containing rare recordings by bands in the mid-80's
to early 90's that were responsible for the 'grunge' movement (including Mudhoney, Screaming Trees, Skin Yard,
Green River, The Melvins, Babes In Toyland, The Gits, Malfunkshun and Supersuckers) will be released on Feb. 7th.
Patrick Swayze is reportedly working on his first new music since landing two songs on the Roadhouse soundtrack.
The album is due out this year. Swayze had his biggest his with "She's Like The Wind" from the Dirty
Dancing soundtrack.
Alphaville vocalist Marian Gold has contributed additional vocals on the new Syrian song, "Supernova,"
for Syrian's next album due out this year.
Former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley is working on a solo album with tentative plans for a spring release. He plans
to record 15 tracks with 10 making the album.
Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Ralph Stanley has recorded a duet with Josh Turner, "Me And God," featuring
Diamond Rio for Turner's new album, Your Man, due out on Jan. 24th.
Missing Persons have reissued their 1982 debut album, Spring Session M, with two new bonus tracks ("Mental
Hopscotch" and "Hello, I Love You.")
The Revolting Cocks will release their first new studio album since 1993's Linger Ficken' Good on Mar. 7th under
the title Cocked and Loaded. The 10-track album will include guest appearances by former Dead Kennedys vocalist
Jello Biafra, Gibby Hayes of the Butthole Surfers and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons.