Have You Heard the News... Here are current stories about Oldies Artists in the News: Daryl Hall & John Oates will provide the voices of reason and temptation in recurring roles on Fox-TV's "Cleveland Show," beginning Sunday (November 22). "We're an angel and a devil on the shoulder of Cleveland giving him good and bad advice," said John. Rod Stewart was sued for $3.3 million Tuesday (November 17) in Los Angeles by the lawyers who unsuccessfully represented him when he cancelled a Las Vegas hotel concert in December of 2000 (as well as two other lawsuits). Rod was ordered to pay $2 million in the hotel case. Elton John was forced to cancel yet another concert Saturday (November 14) after doctors told him it was too soon to return to performing from his recent hospitalization. Elton was released from a London hospital November 5 after a six-day stay for a severe case of the flu and E.coli infection. The illness had forced him to cancel the remaining five dates dates of his tour in England and Ireland and the first three dates of his U.S. tour with Billy Joel. Elton will appear at his AIDS Foundation funraiser Monday in New York. Published report indicate that the Who have been chosen to play the halftime show at Superbowl XLIV in Miami February 7. Joining Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend will be Scott Devours on drums, guitarists Simon Townsend (Pete's brother) and Frank Simes, keyboardist Loren Gold and bassist Jon Button. Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood and his wife were granted the first stage of a two-step divorce Wednesday (November 11) in London. The divorce, after 24 years of marriage, will become final in six weeks and one day. Jo Wood, who filed on the grounds of adultery, will reportedly get nearly $10.8 million dollars as a settlement. Charlie Daniels, Dolly Parton, Ernest Tubb and the founder of Tootsie's Orchid Lounge will be inducted as the newest members of the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville Sunday (November 8), bringing total number of those honored to 42. Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Tito Jackson will star in an A&E reality TV series called "The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty," beginning December 13. The six episodes will show the brothers getting ready for their tour then dealing with the death of Michael Jackson. The head of the Jackson clan, Joe Jackson, went to court in Los Angeles County Friday (November 6) asking that Michael's estate pay him more than $20,000 a month in living expenses. Michael's will specifically left out his father. A judge on Tuesday denied Joe's request. Paul Rodgers, lead singer of Free, Bad Company and the Firm, will receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Teesside University in Middlesbrough, England November 27. Bette Midler has announced that she will end her two-year run at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas on January 31 of next year. Meanwhile, Cirque Du Soleil in Las Vegas has named their upcoming Elvis Presley-themed show. "Viva Elvis" will begin performances December 18. Marie Osmond officially fired her manager, P. Karl Engmann, on October 23 for "repeated defamatory and derogatory comments to third parties, multiple breaches of fiduciary duties, entering into unauthorized commitments, seeking to obtain monies outside the purview of the management agreement and other violations of his obligations." He filed for arbtration October 27, seeking at least $88,000 in overdue commissions. A 6-mile stretch of Highway 103 near Mt. Airy, North Carolina was designated the "Donna Fargo Highway" after the singer, who hails from the town, on Thursday (October 29). 500 people attended the dedication in the little town, which also has an "Andy Griffith Parkway." Luther Dixon, the songwriter and producer who helped establish Scepter Records and the Shirelles as hitmakers, died Thursday (October 22) in Jacksonville, Florida at the age of 78. Born in 1931 in Jacksonville, Luther grew up on the east coast and recorded with the Four Buddies (AKA the Buddies, AKA the Barons) in the early fifties. Upon the group's demise, he concentrated on writing, penning Pat Boone's "Why Baby Why" (#5, 1957) and "Sixteen Candles" for the Crests (#2, 1959). A chance meeting with Scepter's Florence Greenburg gave him the opportunity to produce her up-and-coming girl group, the Shirelles. He soon became the label's director of A&R (Artists and Repertoire). He wrote and produced the Shirelles' "Tonight's The Night" (#39-1960), as well as "Mama Said" (#4-1961), "Soldier Boy" (#1-1963) and "Baby It's You" (written as Barney Williams with Burt Bacharach, #8-1962). Luther also producd their number one hit (written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin), "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (1961). His other successful efforts for Scepter (and its sister label, Wand) included "I Don't Want To Cry" with Chuck Jackson (#36-1961). Offered his own label (Ludix) by Capitol Records, Luther jumped ship, but was never able to recreate the success he had with Scepter. His other hit compositions (away from Scepter and Ludix) included "A Hundred Pounds Of Clay" for Gene McDaniel (#3-1961), "Boys" (originally a Shirelles tune but later a Beatles classic) and "With This Ring" by the Platters (#14-1967). He was nominated earlier this month for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Bruce Springsteen cancelled his concert in Kansas City Monday (October 26) because of the death of his cousin and assistant road manager, Chris Sullivan. The 36 year-old was found dead in his hotel room there. Police do not deem the death suspicious. While Bruce did perform at the concert Thursday (October 29) celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Rock 'n' Roll of Fame at Madison Square Garden in New York, one other notable backed out. Eric Clapton is recuperating at home in England from having his gallstones removed and will be unable to play at Friday's concert. Jeff Beck will replace Eric on the bill that night. And Rod Stewart had to bow out of a scheduled appearance Tuesday (October 27) on ABC-TV's "The View" because of a viral infection. Dee Anthony-- who over the years managed the careers of such diverse artists as Peter Frampton, Joe Cocker, Traffic, Tony Bennett, Jerry Vale and the J. Geils Band-- died of pneumonia Sunday (October 25) at a Southport, Connecticut hospital. He was 83. Soupy Sales, the improvisational comedian whose local children's television shows in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Detroit led to a national show on ABC in 1959 and 1960, died in a Bronx hospice care center Thursday (October 22) at the age of 83. Born Milton Supman in Franklintown, North Carolina, Soupy's programs gave early support to many recording artists. Soupy himself had a minor chart hit with "The Mouse" (#76) in 1965. That same year he placed two albums on the national charts. Among the characters on his programs were the dog puppets White Fang and Black Tooth. He is probably best-remembered for an ad libbed routine where he encouraged children to take "those green pieces of paper" out of their mothers' purses and send them to him. He was suspended for that bit for a week. He once estimated that he had received over 20,000 pies to his face in his long career. Connie Francis' hometown of Belleville, New Jersey will name the auditorium of her alma mater, Belleville High School, after Connie Friday (October 23) and on Saturday will dedicate "Connie Francis Court," at the corner of Greylock Parkway and Forest Street where she lived for two years, on Saturday. The Berwyn, Illinois city council voted unanimously October 13 to name a stretch of Home Avenue there after native sons, the Ides of March. "Ides of March Way" will officially be dedicated early next year. The judge in the Bahamian John Travolta extortion trial declared a mistrial Wednesday (October 21), after the judge felt there could be jury misconduct. A Member of Parliament there declared one of two men on trial for attempting to extort John over his actions the day his son, Jett Travolta, died had been found innocent while in fact deliberations were still going on. The case will now be re-heard. The Berwyn, Illinois city council voted unanimously October 13 to name a stretch of Home Avenue there after native sons, the Ides of March. "Ides of March Way" will officially be dedicated early next year. Vic Mizzy, who composed the theme songs for TV shows like "Green Acres" and the musical scores for "Quincy" and five Don Knotts films, died Saturday (October 17) at his home in Los Angeles. He was 93. While Vic composed the 1945 #1 hit "My Dreams Are Getting Better All The Time" by Les Brown with Doris Day on vocals, he is best known for the theme from TV's "The Addams Family." "Let It Bleed" by the Rolling Stones, "Led Zeppelin IV," "Ziggy Stardust" from David Bowie and Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" are among the ten classic album covers which will become stamps from Britain's Royal Mail January 7. That lock of Elvis Presley's hair from his Army haircut was sold at auction for $15,000 in Chicago Sunday (October 18). One of the King's shirts sold for $52,000. Meanwhile, a charity auction of Barbra Streisand memorabilia brought in over $600,000, including $8,750 for a wooden "A" Barbra kept in her kitchen and said was the one she dropped from her first name. The Songwriters Hall of Fame announced its nominees for the Class of 2010 Saturday (October 17). In the writer/ performer category, they include Dion, David Gates, Tommy James, John Cougar Mellencamp, Lou Reed, Leon Russell, Cat Stevens and Earth, Wind & Fire. Among the writers nominated are Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, Jackie DeShannon and Joe South (who are somehow not considered performers), as well as Mark James ("Suspicious Minds"), Luther Dixon ("Soldier Boy") and the teams of Jerry Ragavoy and Bert Burns ("Twist & Shout") and Paul Vance and Neil Pockriss ("Itsy Bitsy Bikini"). Two performers and three non-performers will be chosen and announced early next year. After two years of lobbying by the town of Wink, Texas, a monument was placed at the site of Roy Orbison's boyhood home there by the Texas Historical Commission this past week. The site is currently a vacant lot but the town hopes to place a surrogate home there for visitors. Al Martino, the Italian crooner who charted 37 times in his long career, died Tuesday (October 13) in his Pennsylvania home at the age of 82. Born Alfred Cini in south Philadelphia in 1927, Al worked as a bricklayer before joining the Marines (where he was wounded in the invasion of Iwo Jima), all the while hoping to be a singer like his friend Mario Lanza. Upon his return he adopted his grandfather's surname and began work in New York nightclubs, eventually winning Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts program and a recording contract with Capitol Records in 1952. His first single, "Here In My Heart" topped the charts that year and was followed by "Take My Heart" (#12-1952). Unfortunately, this drew the attention of organized crime figures, who bought out his management contract. Al fled to England and had no American chart records for the next seven years, until a friend was able to work out his safe return in 1958. Over the next twenty years, Al had six top 20 hits, including "I Love You Because" (#3-1963), "Painted, Tainted Rose" (#15-1963), "I Love You More And More Every Day" (#9-1964), "Spanish Eyes" (#15-1966) and "To The Door Of The Son" (17-1975). He is best remembered for the role of Johnny Fontane in "The Godfather" trilogy of movies, which many say was based on Frank Sinatra, a claim Al always denied. Paul Anka will get half the royalties from the new Michael Jackson "This Is It" single. Paul and Michael had co-written and recorded the song "I Never Heard" in 1983 for Paul's "Walk A Fine Line" album. It appears Michael took a copy of the tape and used his own part as the basis for "This Is It." Meanwhile, "I Never Heard" was recorded by Safire with credit to both writers. When Paul complained about the "new" Michael Jackson single, released Monday (October 12), the Jackson estate apologized and said Paul would receive his royalties. Carly Simon filed suit against the Starbucks Cofee chain Friday (October 9), saying they failed to promote the album, "This Kind Of Love," she recorded for their Hear Music label last year. The album only sold 124,000 copies, according to Carly, because it wasnm't stocked in many Starbucks, who also failed to promote it. Later, the suit says, the price of the album was slashed, which "stigmatized" it as a loser. Dickie Peterson, lead singer and bassist with Blue Cheer, died Monday (October 12) at his home in Germany. He was 61. Dickie had been battling cancer. The pioneering San Francisco heavy metal band released ten albums over the years and Dickie recorded two solo albums. Jim Morrison called Blue Cheer (named, not for the detergent but for a brand of LSD) "The single most powerful band I've ever seen." They are best known for their re-make of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" (#14-68) and also charted with "Just A Little Bit" (#92) that same year. Rick Springfield guests on four episodes of Showtime's series, "Californication," beginning October 11. Not that it matters, but the 60 year-old will have one scene where he's seen naked from the back side. The estate of the late composer George Gershwin has authorized Beach Boy Brian Wilson to complete at least two of George's unfinished compositions. The songs will be included on an album full of Gershwin tunes Brian will record for Walt Disney Records. "I'm proud to be able to do it. Hopefully I'll be able to do them justice," said Brian. Shelby Singleton, who ran Smash Records in the '60s and later bought the Sun Records label from Sam Phillips, promoting its large catalog of legendary music, died Wednesday (October 7) in Nashville at the age of 77. Shelby had been suffering from brain cancer. He signed artists like Roger Miller and Ray Stevens and acquired hits from smaller labels like Bruce Channel's "Hey! Baby" and "Hey Paula" from Paul and Paula, but also produced his own hits-- including Jeannie C. Riley's "Harper Valley P.T.A." It's said that he once recorded three #1 country hits in one day with three different artists. The late Freddie Mercury of Queen will be honored with a star in the town centre of Feltham, England on November 24. Though born in Zanzibar, Freddie moved to Feltham at 17 and attended college there. Original Kiss drummer Peter Criss has revealed that he was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. Peter says, thanks to early detection, he is cancer-free today. to Oldies Music Home Page © 1997-2009, Ronald P. Smith. All rights reserved.