Paul McCartney and second wife Heather Mills McCartney have
announced that they are separating amicably after almost 4 years of marriage. The couple have one child together,
Beatrice.
Johnny Van Zant is recovering from an emergency surgery to remove his appendix on Thursday night after suffering
a potentially fatal infection. It is expected that some previously planned tour dates will be canceled.
According to the Rolling Stones Web site, "Keith Richards has arrived back home in the U.S. from New Zealand."
His publicist has denied that the guitarist suffered any brain damage in the still undisclosed incident that put
him in the hospital while on vacation in Fiji.
Madonna's performance in Los Angeles was met by hundreds of union picketers from the International Alliance of
Theatrical Stage Employees who have urged the singer to move her show to another venue. The union has been locked
out of the Forum since an Apr. 11th salary dispute with the stadium owners.
The Gatlin Brothers are scheduled to be inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame during a ceremony in
Carthage, Texas, on Aug. 19th.
Bob Geldof was recently honored with the 2006 Lyndon Baines Johnson Moral Courage Award on Sunday night at the
Holocaust Museum in Houston for his work organizing 1985's Live Aid concert.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers' first double-disc studio album became their first #1 album debut by selling 442,000
copies according to Neilsen SoundScan.
Dwight Yoakam and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons will be among those paying tribute to the late Buck Owens at the Academy
of Country Music Awards show airing live from Las Vegas on Tuesday. Van Zant is nominated for Top Country Duo.
George Strait is nominated for Top Male Vocalist. Alabama is nominated for Top Vocal Group. Brad Paisley and Dolly
Parton's "When I Get Where I'm Going" is nominated for Video Of The Year. Jennifer Nettles and Bon Jovi's
"Who Says You Can't Go Home" and Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton's "When I Get Where I'm Going"
are up for Vocal Event Of The Year.
Public Enemy will be immortalized in comic book form with the debut of Public Enemy special #0 preview book in
comic shops in June from American Mule Entertainment. Issue #1 will be released in July with a bi-monthly publishing
schedule expected for further issues.
Vocalist Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty reportedly went into the studio last week with Aerosmith to work on a song
for Aerosmith's new studio album. The band is expected to lay down tracks on May 20th with a possible late 2006/early
2007 release date.
T Bone Burnett will release his new studio album, The True False Identity, and Twenty Twenty: The Essential T Bone
this month.
Voivod has teamed up with MP3.com to host a 5-minute trailer about the making of the band's new album, Katorz,
due out July 25th. The trailer contains footage from a documentary in the works about the life of late Voivod guitarist
Denis 'Piggy' D'Amour.
A new White Lion double-disc retrospective, Anthology '83-'89, will be released on June 27th via the Deadline label.
Dutch DJ Ferry Corsten's collaboration with Duran Duran's Simon LeBon, "Fire," was recently released
as the first single from Corsten's new album, L.E.F., and is #9 on the Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart. L.E.F.
is due out in Dutch stores on May 26th and also contains guest vocals by Howard Jones on "Fall Into The Dark."
Metal Church will release their new studio album, A Light In The Dark, via SPV on June 27th in North America. A
new version of their song, "Watch The Children Pray," will be included as a tribute to their late vocalist
David Wayne.
The Goo Goo Dolls will be performing a mini-concert (2 to 4 songs) on Last Call with Carson Daly on June 13th.
Their performance on CD USA had to be postponed due to an illness in the band.
The new Meat Loaf song, "The Monster Is Loose," has been leaked online. The song was co-written by Motley
Crue's Nikki Sixx and is expected to appear on Bat Out Of Hell III. Meanwhile, Meat Loaf's acting career continues
as he will appear in an episode in the second season of Showtime's Masters of Horror series.
Supergroup The Head Cat (Lemmy, Stray Cats' Slim Jim Phantom and Rockats' Danny B. Harvey) will release their album,
Fools Paradise, on Rockabilly Records on June 25th.
Jane's Addiction fans will have two reasons to cheer this year as The Panic Channel (Dave Navarro, Stephen Perkins
and Chris Chaney with singer/guitarist Steve Isaacs) and Satellite Party (Perry Farrell and Extreme's Nuno Bettencourt
with guest appearances by Flea and John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers and New Order bassist Peter Hook) will
release albums this year. Satellite Party will release their new single, "Dogstar," this summer followed
by their debut album. The Panic Channel will release their debut, (ONe), on Sept. 12th.
The Replacements will release their first single-disc retrospective on June 13th entitled Don't You Know Who I
Think I Was?: The Best Of The Replacements which includes the newly recorded tracks "Message To The Boys"
and "Pool & Dive."
Wal-Mart plans to release an exclusive Def Leppard EP this week. Yeah!: Bonus CD With Backstage Interviews will
contain renditions of "American Girl," "Search & Destroy," "Space Oddity," "Dear
Friends" and "Heartbeat" as well as 3 backstage interviews. None of these covers appear on the standard
14-track Yeah! disc. The band will also take part in an outdoor performance on NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno
on May 23rd.
The Misfits are in the writing stages for their new studio album that they plan to release to coincide with their
30th anniversary.
Erasure have mentioned in several recent interviews that they are getting started with their next studio album
after ending their recent Erasure Acoustic tour. Gareth Jones will produce the album which could be released early
next year.
The next single from the Charlatans U.K. album, Simpatico, will be, "NYC, There's No Need To Stop." A
remix of the song is being done by Steve Aoki of Dim Mak Records.
Big Shot, a television series based on Billy Joel's life, is in the works. The show is expected to air on Showtime
and be co-produced by Sean Hayes of Will And Grace.
Slash recently told Camp Freddie Radio (hosted by bandmate Matt Sorum) that he recorded some of the film score
for The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift. He also mentioned that Velvet Revolver haven't decided on a producer
for their next album. Keep your eyes open for Derek Sherinian's upcoming album, Blood Of The Snake, on Aug. 1st
as Billy Idol and Slash recorded on the cover song, "In The Summertime."
The Simple Minds have made three Exclusive Bundles from their Black & White world tour available for download
via their official Web site (www.simpleminds.com) and TuneTribe.com.
Joan Jett has reportedly filmed a video for her song, "A.C.D.C.," which features Carmen Electra as her
female lover who is torn between being with a guy or a girl. Jett plans to release her new album, Sinner, on June
6th.
Gangsta rap pioneer Too Short appears on Kelis new single, "Bossy," from her upcoming album, Kelis Was
Here, due out in August.
The Pet Shop Boys have been remixing Bananarama's next single, "I Feel For You," from their latest album,
Drama.
Former Suicidal Tendencies drummer Amery Smith has formed a new band called Against who have been in the studio
working on tracks. Two songs will first appear on the Welcome To Venice 2 compilation.
West Texas native and Grand Ole Opry performer Billy Walker, 77, was killed in a single vehicle accident early
on Sunday morning. According to police, Walker was driving a 1996 Chevrolet van when he lost control on I-65 south
of Montgomery, Alabama. Walker's wife Bettie, bassist Charles Lilly Jr. and guitarist Daniel Patton were also killed
in the accident while another passenger, Joshua Brooks, remains seriously injured.
Former Juggernaut and S.A. Slayer vocalist Steven Lane Cooper, 47, passed away at a San Antonio, Texas, hospital
from complications due to kidney failure on May 14th. Cooper had been in ill health and on dialysis for several
years. The family has asked that in lieu of flowers contributions be made to the American Diabetes Association.
Heatwave frontman and co-founder Johnnie Wilder Jr., 56, died on May 13th in his Clayton, Ohio, home. No cause
of death has been announced. Wilder formed the band in the late 70's with his brother Keith and recorded with the
band even after being paralyzed from the neck down after a car accident in 1979 (although he couldn't tour.) The
band disbanded in 1983 after several members came and went. He would release Sound Of Soul in 1989 with his brother
and recorded a few solo gospel albums later.