Have You Heard the News... Here are current stories about Oldies Artists in the News: Fayette Pinkney, an original member of the Three Degrees, died Saturday (June 27) at the age of 61. She had been in the hospital for two weeks before her death. Born in Philadelphia in 1948, Fayette joined with Shirley Poole and Linda Turner in a trio that caught the ear of manager Richard Barrett, who got them a contract with Swan Records. Their initial effort, "Gee Baby (I'm Sorry)"-- with Fayette on lead vocals-- reached a respectable 80 on the pop charts, but soon Shirley and Linda were gone, replaced by a variety of singers, most notably Valerie Holiday and Sheila Ferguson. The group's second Swan single, "Look In My Eyes" stalled at #97 and it would be 4 1/2 years and a switch to Roulette Records before they would chart again. In 1970 and 1971, the Three Degrees charted four times, the best showing being a remake of the Chantels' "Maybe (#29-1970). In 1974, they jumped to Philadelphia International Records, where they worked with the label's legendary producer/songwriters Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff. After providing what few vocals there were on the studio effort "TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia)" by MFSB (#1-1974), the girls scored their own elusive hit with "When Will I See You Again" (#2-1974). A lack of follow-up hits caused them to switch to Epic Records, minus Fayette, who went back to school, earning a Masters degree in psychology from Lincoln University in 1964 and working as a counselor and vocal coach. It was a good move-- the Three Degrees never charted again. Terry Black, who sang "Goin' Down (On The Road To L.A.)" with his first wife, Laurel Ward (#57) in 1972 and barely charted (#99) on his own with "Unless You Care" in 1964, died Sunday (June 28) of Multiple Sclerosis at his home in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. He was 62. Terry and Laurel met while in the Toronto cast of "Hair" and married in 1970. Ray ("For The Good Times") Price underwent surgery June 23 to remove what were termed "pre-cancerous polyps" from his colon. He is said to be making a "slow, steady recovery." Gale Storm, actress on "My Little Margie" and "The Gale Storm Show" (AKA "Oh, Susanna") and singer with six top ten cover records in the '50s, died Saturday (June 27) at a convalescence center in Danville, California at the age of 87. Born Josephine Owaissa Cottle in Bloomington, Texas in 1922, she won a radio contest that brought her to Hollywood, where she appeared in movies for RKO, Monogram and Universal, including three pictures with Roy Rogers. In 1952, she starred in "My Little Margie," a summer replacement for "I Love Lucy"on CBS-TV. It was so popular that NBC-TV picked it up for airing that fall and Dot Records offered Gale a recording contract. All told, 126 episodes of the sitcom aired until 1955. The following year, Gale moved on to her eponymous series, which ran until 1960, with 143 episodes. Like many singers in the mid-'50s, Gale covered the hits of the day, striking gold with "I Hear You Knockin'" (#2-1955), "Memories Are Made Of This" (#5-1956"), "Teen Age Prayer" (#6-1956), "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" (#9-1956), "Ivory Tower" (#6-1956) and "Dark Moon" (#4-1057). All told, she charted twelve times between 1955 and 1957. She has four stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame-- one each for radio, TV, music and movies. The Los Angeles County Coroner said Friday (June 26) that a cause of death on Michael Jackson will require further neuropathology and pulmonary tests that will take four to six weeks. Michael was rushed to UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles Thursday afternoon with cardiac arrest and the 50 year-old self-proclaimed "King of Pop" never recovered. Since then, rumors have surfaced that Michael was receiving regular doses of demerol and oxycontin and had an injection of demerol before he stopped breathing. Born in 1958 in Gary, Indiana, Michael was the seventh of nine children. He joined four of his brothers-- Jermaine, Marlon, Tito and Jackie Jackson as the Jackson 5 under the tutelage of their father Joe. The brothers first recorded for a small Gary label in 1968, actually charting in Chicago with a tune called "Bad Boy." It was Gladys Knight who saw the group open for Stevie Wonder and recommended them to Motown, who signed them to a contract, promoting them as Diana Ross' discoveries. Beginning in late 1969, their first four Motown records went to #1-- "I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There." By 1971, lead singer Michael was also recording solo. All told, Michael recorded 46 chart singles-- 13 of which went to #1. The Jackson 5 (who later changed their name to the Jacksons when they switched to Epic Records) charted 33 times. Michael also recorded the #1 selling album of all-time--"Thriller"-- in 1982. Michael underwent numerous plastic surgeries and well-publicized child molestation charges from which he was acquitted in 2006. He was married to Lisa Marie Presley (only daughter of Elvis Presley) from 1994 to 1996 and starred in the movie "The Wiz". He was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Sky Saxon (nee Richard Marsh), bassist and lead singer of the Seeds, died Thursday (June 25) in an Austin, Texas hospital, where he went for what is believed was an infection in his internal organs on Monday. Born sometime between 1937 and 1946, he originally sang doo-wop in the fifties as Little Richie Marsh but changed his name in 1962 when he formed the Elektra Fires group (later Sky Saxon & the Soul Rockers and finally the Seeds) in Los Angeles. While the group is remembered for "Pushin' Too Hard" (#36-1967), it's "Can't Seem To Make You Mine" (#41-1967) that has recently appeared in a television commercial. Sky (who later lengthened his alias to Sky Sunlight Saxon) broke up the group and joined a spiritual commune in 1970, but kept his hand in music-- even appearing in a Smashing Pumpkins video. He performed with his group, Shapes Have Fangs, just last Saturday. Tommy Aldrige, drummer for Thin Lizzy, is still recovering from his broken collarbone suffered in an automobile accident, forcing the group to bow out of three of their own shows this week and three shows opening for AC/DC beginning June 26. Joseph Brooks, writer of the song "You Light Up My Life" and writer and director of the movie of the same name, was arraigned Tuesday (June 23) in New York on charges that he lured eleven actresses to his home in 2008 with the promise of movie roles and then raped them. The 71 year-old pled not guilty to the 91-count indictment and was given until Thursday to put up $500,000 bond (or a $250,000 cash bail). He also composed music for the movie "The Lords of Flatbush" and co-produced the film "Eddie And The Cruisers." Detectives in California appealed to the public Tuesday (June 23) for help in solving two cold cases-- one of which is the 1973 murder of the ex-wife of Righteous Brother Bill Medley. Anyone with information on the rape, strangulation and beating death of Karen Klaas is asked to contact authorities. In honor of Sir Paul McCartney's recent birthday, Rolling Stone magazine asked its readers to choose his best silly love song. "Hey Jude" topped the list of McCartney compositions, with "Penny Lane" and "Maybe I'm Amazed" next. The city of Dothan, Alabama unveiled an interactive mural of local talent June 10, including Bobby Goldsboro, Micky Thomas of Starship, Martha Reeves and members of the Atlanta Rhythm Section. It is the 20th public mural painted in Dothan, with one honoring country artists coming next. It's been rumored for weeks, but Cher has officially signed to appear in the movie, "Burlesque," alongside Christina Aquilera. Cher plays a former dancer who now owns a "neo-burlesque" club employing Christina. Both artists will sing in the film. Filming begins in November. Chaka Khan entertained 230 guests (including aging actresses Sophia Loren, Faye Dunaway, Ursula Andress and Joan Collins) at the 26th birthday party for Prince Azim-- the son of the Sultan of Brunei-- and three of his siblings, in London June 13. The Prince, fourth in line to the throne, is said to be worth $22 billion. Roy Orbison, Ringo Starr, Van Morrison, Chaka Khan, ZZ Top, Randy Newman and the Motown Funk Brothers were among the 28 honorees for 2010 named Thursday (June 18) to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The 28 were selected from over 200 nominees and have up to five years to schedule their ceremony. Unspecified health issues forced Les Paul to cancel his weekly sets at New York's Iridium Club Monday (June 15). Jose Feliciano filled in for the 94 year-old. Les will miss his performance on June 22 as well (and some sources also say June 29). The club says he will be "back soon." The Left Banke fan site is reporting that Jeff Winfield, the group's guitarist in 1966 and 1967, died June 11 from pneumonia. Billy Joel and his chef wife of five years, Katie Lee, announced they are separating Wednesday (June 17). It was 60 year-old Billy's third marriage, 27 year-old Katie Lee's first. There was no mention of a divorce-- yet. The couple said they remain, "caring friends with admiration and respect for each other." To promote the next season of "Gene Simmons Family Jewels" starting Sunday (June 21), the A&E cable network has placed urinal cakes with the Kiss star's picture in washrooms nationwide. And some of them even talk! Gene advises if fans want to take them home to please wash them off first. Nine years after his death, William Oliver Swofford's home town of Wilkesboro, North Carolina is planning "OliverFest '69" Saturday (June 20) to celebrate the music of the artist known to us as Oliver and to townsfolk as "Bill." Bob Bogle, original lead guitarist and co-founder of the Ventures, died Sunday (June 14) in a Vancouver, Washington hospital, where he had been admitted after falling ill over the weekend. He was 75. Bob had been suffering from Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Bob was working in construction in 1958 when he met Don Wilson at a Seattle car dealership where Don worked. The two began to play music together, soon adding Nokie Edwards and Howie Johnson (replaced on drums by Mel Taylor after Howie's serious 1962 auto accident). An unsuccessful first vocal single on tiny Blue Horizon Records led to an all-instrumental sound that quickly yielded a #2 hit in 1960-- "Walk- Don't Run" (re-made later as the #8 hit "Walk- Don't Run '64"). The Ventures became known for their "surf" sound that gave us the top 40 hits "Perfidia" (#15-1960), "Ram-Bunk-Shush" (#29-1961), "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue" (#35-1964) and "Hawaii Five-O" (#4-1969). They also appeared 38 times on the album charts and, alltold, have sold over 110 million albums wordwide. The group was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame last year, though Bob was too ill to attend. Want a 4-bedroom, 3 1/2 bath home in Malibu, California, formerly owned by a celebrity? Barry Manilow has listed his for $10.4 million. He paid $3.55 million for the home less than seven years ago. Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys is a grandfather again as daughter Carnie (Wilson Phillips) gave birth to a baby girl in Los Angeles Friday (June 12). Luciana Bella Bonfigio is the second daughter for the host of the "New Newlywed Game" TV show. Lionel Richie will appear on the daytime drama, "One Life To Live" as himself. The episode will air in July. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen of the group Van Halen filed suit Friday (June 12) in Los Angeles against Nike, alleging that the company stole the trademarked striped design of his Frankenstein electric guitar for use on its Dunk Lows athletic shoes. Peter Tork of the Monkees posted on his Twitter account that his doctor told him Wenesday (June 10) his cancer had recurred. Peter had been diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma-- a rare form of head and neck cancer in March. However, Peter said the doctor said there's an 80% chance they can get ahead of it and he continues to be optimistic. Chastity (Chaz) Bono, the only child of Sonny and Cher, announced Thursday (June 11) that he is transitioning from female-to-male. The forty year-old came out as a lesbian nearly 20 years ago but now is in the early stages of gender reassignment. Apparently having run out of artists from their own state, Loretta Lynn was inducted into the Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame Wednesday (June 10), while performing in Denver. Loretta has no known ties to the state. Alice Cooper's lost bag containing his laptop and his collection of obscure horror DVDs has been found in London's Heathrow airport lost and found. Alice was so distraught when the bag turned up missing Tuesday (June 9) that he offered a reward for its return: a pair of tickets and backstage passes to any of his UK shows later this year. No word on whether he'll give the reward to British Airways staffers who, after all, lost it in the first place. Barry Beckett, producer and keyboardist with the Muscle Shoals, Alabama "Swampers" rhythm section, died Wednesday (June 10) in his home outside Nashville. He was 66. He had been diagnosed with prostate and thyroid cancer and suffered a stroke in February. Among his production credits are Mary MacGregor's "Torn Between Two Lovers," Bob Seger's "Night Moves" and Alabama's "If I Had You." He also played keyboard on such hits as "I'll Take You There" by the Staple Singers and Paul Simon's "Kodachrome." Huey Long, guitarist and singer for a short time with the Ink Spots, died Wednesday (June 10) in Houston at the age of 105. He was hired in 1945 to replace Bernie Mackey, who in turn was filling in for Charlie Fuqua, who was in the Army. When Charlie returned later that year, Huey was out of a job, though he did sing in one of the many spin-offs of the Ink Spots that turned up over the years. The Library of Congress added 25 more "culturally-significant" recordings to its National Recording Registry Wednesday (June 10). Among the recordings were "Tom Dooley" by the Kingston Trio, "Rumble" from Link Wray, Etta James' "At Last", the soundtrack to the Broadway musical, "West Side Story" and the album "The Who Sings My Generation." Etta James' former guitarist has filed suit in Los Angeles charging he was hired to perform on her year-long tour in 2008, which was suspended for health reasons after a few shows. Leo Nocentelli says he was not informed of the cancelled shows nor of the resumption of the tour-- without him-- months later. He is asking for at least $50,000 for breach of their verbal contract. He played guitar for Bob Dylan on the "Bringing It All Back Home" album in 1965. He opened for George Carlin for years. Johnny Carson wrote the liner notes for his 1967 debut album, "Mind Dusters." But Kenny Rankin is probably best remembered for writing Helen Reddy's hit, "Peaceful." The 69 year-old died of lung cancer Sunday (June 7) at a Los Angeles hospital. The disease had only been diagnosed three weeks ago. All told, five of Kenny's albums charted from 1972 to 1980-- the highest of which was "Silver Morning" (#63) in 1975. An examination of the 1911 census released Tuesday (June 9) shows that-- horrors! Tom Jones is only one-quarter Welsh! And three-quarters English! Only his great-grandfather Albert Jones, a miner in Cardiff, is a true Welshman. A Federal Court judge in Los Angeles ruled Tuesday (June 9) that the charitable Ray Charles Foundation, set up by the singer himself, owns the rights to Ray's name, likeness and intellectual property. Ray's children, who had filed suit and were in turn countersued, were ordered to pay $8,900 in damages and court cost and were prohibited from using his name or image. A British film on the life of producer Joe Meek, named after one of his hits-- "Telstar"-- will have its world premiere in London June 18 and open there the next day. There's no word on when the film-- starring Con O'Neill as the troubled producer, who eventually killed his landlady, then himself-- will open in the U.S. But with Kevin Spacey in the cast, it probably will. The film is based on the London stage play of the same name. Lionel Richie performed at private party for British tycoon Sir Philip Green Monday (June 8) in London, sing fifteen songs. For that he picked up a $1.63 million paycheck. Not to be outdone, Smokey Robinson sang for 16,000 Walmart shareholders Friday (June 5) at the University of Arkansas Bud Walton Stadium. Also performing were Mylie Cyrus, Kris ("American Idol") Allen, Paulina Rubio, Michael Jordan and Ben Stiller-- dispelling any myths of an economic slowdown. Natalie Cole has announced that her first concert since undergoing a kidney transplant and the death of her sister last month will be September 9 at the Hollywood Bowl. Congratulations to Elton John, whose "Billy Elliot" musical won ten Tony awards Sunday (June 7) in New York, including Best Musical. "Hair" was honored for Best Revival of a Musical. Meanwhile, Bret Michaels from Poison performed with the cast of "Rock Of Love" but while exiting the stage he was struck by a piece of descending scenery. He received a nose fracture and cut lip. Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford has undergone surgery for internal bleeding after banging his head and will miss part of the group's upcoming tour, the group announced Monday (June 8). Bad's replacement will be Bobby Schneck, who has played with Weezer and Green Day. The target date for Brad's return is July 7. As part of England's Queen Elizabeth's birthday honors, Frank Ifield was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to the arts. The Queen awarded an MBE (Member of the order of the British Empire) to guitarist Joe Brownwho played with Johnny Cash and Gene Vincent early in his career and influenced Keith Richards, Mark Knopfler and George Harrison. In addition, veteran '60s actor Christopher Lee will receive a knighthood. The town of Gainesville, Florida officially dedicated its downtown Bo Diddley Community Plaza Friday (June 5). Bo was from nearby Archer, Florida and played the plaza in 2006. Bo's daughter and grandson were on hand to present the city with one of Bo's guitars. Archer celebrated Yulee Diddley Day on Saturday, honoring both Bo and Florida's first senator, David Levy Yulee. And Bo's gravestone was unveiled Sunday at a cemetery in nearby Bronson, Florida. A gravesite memorial to the late Freddy Fender will be unveiled Saturday (June 6) in San Benito, Texas, where he was born and laid to rest. The memorial consists of six monuments, including a replica of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Country star Rick Trevino will sing at the unveiling. Freddy died of cancer in 2006. The key to the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario was given to Yoko Ono . Kiss' Gene Simmons announced on NBC-TV's "Today" show Thursday (June 4) that he had auctioned off a kidney stone on ebay for $15,000. However, a check of Ebay shows no such completed auction and such a listing would violate their policies anyhow. Koko Taylor (nee Cora Walton), Chicago's Queen of the Blues, died Wednesday (June 3) in a hospital there of complications following May 19 surgery to correct gastrointestinal bleeding. She was 80. The Memphis native's recording of "Wang Dang Doodle," written by Willie Dixon, reached #58 on the Billboard pop charts in 1966. Dorothy Moore will sing at her funeral Friday (June 12) in Chicago. Sam Butera, leader of Sam Butera & the Witnesses-- who backed up Louis Prima and Keely Smith at the Sahara Hotel in the fifties-- died Wednesday (June 3) in Las Vegas. The 81 year-old had entered a hospital there in January and never left. The New Orleans native joined Louis' band as a saxophonist and arranger in 1954 and for seven years made their all-night shows the lounge act to see on the strip. In addition, their live albums (usually with some variation of "Wildest" in the title) propelled the singers to stardom. Sam arranged and played on most of the duo's hits, including the 1958 top 20 tune, "That Old Black Magic," which earned them a four-night stay at the Copacabana in New York. Keely and Louis divorced in 1961. Louis fell into a coma in 1975 and died three years later, but Sam kept the "wildest" sound alive. He was inducted into the Italian-American Hall of Fame in 2003. Cher, the estate of the late Sonny Bono and producer Snuff Garrett filed suit Tuesday (June 2) in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging that Universal Music Group (parent company of Kapp, MCA and Geffen Records) "engaged in wrongful tactics" to hide revenues from two "greatest hits" albums. The suit is asking for at least $5 million in damages. The Musician's Hall of Fame in Nashville announced its 2009 inductees Tuesday (June 2). And an eclectic list it is. Its third class of inductees include surf guitarist Dick Dale, Charlie Daniels, country performer and producer Chet Atkins, Toto, Roy Orbson's producer-- Fred Foster-- and Motown arranger Paul Riser. Stevie Wonder's son-- Keita Morris-- was arrested in Los Angeles Monday (June 1) for felony domestic violence after police responded to a call of a disturbance and found an unidentified woman with "marks" on her. Keita was released on $50,000 bond. The long battle over James Brown's estate was almost over. A South Carolina signed off last Tuesday (May 26) on a settlement that gave 50% of the Godfather's money to a charitable trust to pay for his grandchildren's education and to help needy children in South Carolina and Georgia. One-quarter would go to James' widow, Tomi Rae Hynie, and their son, James II. And one-quarter would be divided among his adult children. However, two former court-appointed trustees who were replaced by the judge last week filed a motion on Tuesday (June 2) contesting the settlement. Six people were stabbed in multiple fights involving an estimated 100 people that broke out Saturday (May 30) at a War concert in Mountain View, California. Brenton Wood, Lakeside and El Chicano also appeared at the "old school" concert, sponsored by a local radio station. Police were forced to end the concert early, though well after trouble began. None of the injuries were life-threatening. A forthcoming book by a former roadie for Jimi Hendrix claims Jimi's 1971 death was not accidental. James "Tappy" Wright says Jimi was murdered by his own, soon to be ex-manager. Tappy says Michael Jeffery confessed the crime to him while drunk a year later (two years before Feffery himself died in a plane crash), saying, "we went round to [the] hotel room, got a handful of pills and stuffed them into his mouth... then poured a few bottles of red wine deep into his windpipe." Jeffery reportedly collected on a 1.2 million pound life insurance policy after Jimi's death. Phil Spector was sentenced to 19 years-to-life in prison Friday (May 29) for the 2003 second-degree murder of actress Lana Clarkson. Phil did not address the judge, having undergone surgery to remove polyps from his vocal chords at UCLA Medical Center on Wednesday. Phil has asked his wife, Rachelle, to place the Alhambra, California mansion where he shot Lana up for sale. She will also place his rock 'n' roll artifacts in storage. The home, once worth $1.3 million (he paid $1.1 million), is now only worth about $800,000, though its notoriety might fetch it more. The money will be used for pay for his appeal. Those commercials with Ozzy Osbourne for the World of Warcraft video game over who owns the "Prince of Darkness" name may be amusing. But you don't want to get into a real battle with Oz over copyright. He filed suit in federal court in New York Tuesday (May 26) against Black Sabbath's guitarist, Tommy Iommi, for a share of the group's trademark. He is also seeking a percentage of the money Tommy earned when the guitarist-- the only remaining original member-- performed in clubs using the name. The group reunited for a 1997 tour. Said Ozzy, "the name 'Black Sabbath' now has a worldwide prestige and merchandising value that it would not have had by continuing on the road it was on prior to the 1997 reunion tour." Reports of his death were, apparently, greatly exaggerated. An obituary for someone named Richard Blue in the New York Times claimed that Blue was Ted Bluechel, Jr., drummer for the Association. However, the daughter of the group's Larry Ramos reports that she talked to Ted, who is very much alive. The City Council of Dan Fogelberg's home town of Peoria, Illinois approved Tuesday (May 26) putting up a memorial to the singer, who died in 2007, in the town's Riverfront Park. The memorial, which will cost $10,000, will be paid for with private donations. $2,400 has already been raised. A new Beatles museum entitled, appropriately enough, Beatlemania, opened Friday (May 29) in Hamburg, Germany. Containing five floors of exhibits, the museum is in the same Reeperbahn section of the city where John, Paul, George, Pete Best and Stu Sutcliffe first performed in 1960 (George Harrison was later deported for being underaged!). Barbra Streisand has been signed to create a book on her Malibu dream house entitled "A Passion For Design", due to be published next year. Babs has also indicated she may be ready to write her memoirs. Barbara Marx Sinatra, Frank's fourth wife and widow, will reportedly write a book about her life with the crooner, due in 2011. A lawsuits filed by Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler was dismissed by a Los Angeles judge Friday (May 22) because Steven couldn't identify the defendant(s). He had alledged that anonymous posters were impersonating him on the Web. But without being able to name the perpetrators, the judge had no choice but to throw it out. Six miles of state highway 103 in North Carolina will be re-named the "Donna Fargo Highway" this fall. The stretch runs along Mt. Airy, North Carolina, where Donna grew up. After the county and town approved the request in February, the state highway commission gave its okay May 7. The area already has a parkway named after another native son-- Andy Griffith. Patti Smith's son, Jackson Smith, married White Stripes drummer Meg White in a Nashville ceremony Friday (May 22). The weddig was hed at the home of her bandmate and ex-husband Jack White. The long battle over James Brown's estate appears to be over. A South Carolina signed off Tuesday (May 26) on a settlement that gives 50% of the Godfather's money to a charitable trust to pay for his grandchildren's education and to help needy children in South Carolina and Georgia. One-quarter will go to James' widow, Tomi Rae Hynie, and their son, James II. And one-quarter will be divided among his adult children. Elton John announced his involvement Tuesday (May 26) in a new 3-D animated feature called "Gnomeo and Juliet," to be produced by Starz Animated Toronto. The film, described as an "irreverent comedy set in the back-drop of suburban English gardens and inspired by Shakespeare's renowned love story" concerns garden gnomes from feauding families, voiced by James McAvoy and Emily Blunt, and will feature old and new songs by Elton. It has received near $23 million in funding from the Government of Ontario's Next Generation of Jobs Fund. Billy Joel's drummer from 1975 to 2005 has sued the Piano Man in New York's Manhattan state Supreme Court, claiming he has been denied royalties due him. In the suit, filed May 19, Liberty DeVitto said he has not been paid in the last ten years and alleges he was fired in 2005 after participating in an intervention with Billy concerning his addictions. Natalie Cole underwent a kidney transplant Tuesday (May 19) at a Los Angeles hospital. The 59 year-old singer is battling Hepatitis C brought on, she said, by her drug use thirty years ago. She had been on dialysis three times a week since last fall while waiting for the organ, which came from a deceased fan whose family asked that she receive it. Natalie will have to postpone her summer tour as she recuperates for the next three-to-four months. Shockingly, Natalie's adopted sister (actually her cousin), Carol "Cookie" Cole, died of lung cancer on Monday (May 18) at the age of 64, shortly before Natalie's transplant. Carol had been by Natalie's side when news came of the donor kidney. Carol was an actress who appeared, among other roles, in the 1974 movie, "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three." Natalie was released from the hospital Sunday (May 24) and attended Carol's funeral Monday. Forget that tell-all book by Barbra Streisand's ex-husband. Jon Peters has returned his $700,000 advance and declined to publish "Studio Head," saying, "I have been besieged by potential lawsuits and threatened litigation by some of the most important figures in the world of show business...I somehow feel that the cat got out of the bag before the cat was ever in the bag, and the cat became a wild jungle tiger on the loose." (With that kind of writing, perhaps it's good he isn't going to be published.) Wayne Allwine, the voice of Mickey Mouse for the past 32 years and only the third person to officially voice the cartoon character, died Monday (May 18) of complications of diabetes at the age of 62. He was married to Russi Taylor, who provides the voice of Minnie Mouse in Disney cartoons. But back in the '60s, Wayne played guitar with Davie Allan and the Arrows-- though not on the recording of "Blue's Theme." In a statement for the Forgotten Hits newsletter, Davie said, "He was not on many tracks but we did plenty of appearances including a month long tour of the U.S. in '67. He was a great friend, a great talent and one of the nicest guys I ever knew. I can't quite convey the incredible sadness I feel for the loss." Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" has finally charted in the UK (albeit at #40), nearly 38 years after peaking at #3 on the U.S. charts in 1971. The song never charted in England back then, but got new life when it was sung by a contestant on "Britain's Got Talent". Known for her cancellation of concerts, Aretha Franklin took things a step further Wednesday (May 20) by cancelling the honorary degree she was to have received Sunday (May 24) at Brown University in Rhode Island. The Queen of Soul cited a family emergency as the reason for her non-appearance. Its not known whether the Ivy League school will still bestow the honor on her. In case you were wondering, Jim Nabors will be singing "Back Home In Indiana" before Sunday's (May 24) Indianapolis 500 race. Jim is recovered from the illness that caused the 78 year-old to miss the tradition in 2007. Jim has started 30 previous races with that song since 1972. Florence ("Brady Bunch") Henderson will sing "God Bless America" this year. The new musical, "The Dark Root Of The Dream," written by Donovan's son, will have its world-premiere June 6 at Largo on the Coronet Theatre in Los Angeles. Donovan Leitch (Jr.) describes the musical-- which surround the fictional son of poet Virginia Woolf-- as "a complete departure from me. I have taken my exploration of the unconscious through dream therapy and married it to the soul clutching sounds of gypsy music." Prosecutors in Los Angeles on Tuesday (May 19) asked the judge in the Phil Spector murder trial to sentence the convicted producer to 19 years-to-life for the second-degree murder of actress Lana Clarkson in 2003. While 15 years is a mandatory sentence, prosecutoes asked for an addition four years for the use of a gun. They also asked that Phil be required to pay at least $26,500 to Lana's family for her funeral and their mental health costs. The family has filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit. The judge will sentence Phil May 29. The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) announced Tuesday (May 19) that it will honor Smokey Robinson with its 2009 Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award June 26 in Los Angeles. The group already gave their AMEE Award for Sound Recordings to Smokey on March 9. Stevie Wonder has filmed a marriage proposal for "America's Got Talent"/"Celebrity Apprentice" star Piers Morgan. Stevie is apparently Piers' girlfriend's favorite singer. But Piers is keeping the video in reserve, waiting for the proper moment to use it. A poem supposedly written by 16 year-old Bob Zimmerman while attending summer camp in Wentzl, Wisconsin in 1957 is being auctioned in New York June 23 to benefit the camp. Of course, the author of the poem-- about a dog named Little Buddy who was abused by a drunkard-- became Bob Dylan and the handwritten copy is expected to fetch between $10,000 and $15,000. Other Dylan memorabilia will be auctioned the same day. The auction house has noted, however, that the poem closely resembles the lyrics to a Hank Snow song of the same name. After 37 years, a guitarist with the Edgar Winter Group has tracked down his 1959 Les Paul Standard guitar, which was stolen from a concert with the group in Dudley, Massachusetts. Ronnie Montrose is filing suit against an English collector to get his guitar-- which he bought from J. Geils in 1972-- back. The instrument turned up in a photo in Guitar Buyer magazine. Jimmy Beaumont, lead singer of the Skyliners has been hospitalized, which forced cancellation of the group's apperarances Friday (May 15) in Longmeadow, Massachusetts and Saturday (May 16) in Glenside, Pennsylvania. to Oldies Music Home Page © 1997-2009, Ronald P. Smith. All rights reserved.