#105 Apr. 3, 2012: The Beach Boys; The Bee Gees; Coldplay at the KROQ Weenie Roast; Elton John on Whitney Houston; David Bowie; Joe Jackson & Duke Ellington; Queen & Adam Lambert; George Jones; bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs; Gladys Knight; Joan Osborne; Jerry Lee Lewis; Duran Duran; Tower of Power & Weird Al Yankovic; former Byrds leader Roger McGuinn, French singing icon Charles Aznavour - and more!

Beach Boys perform at Dodgers Opening Day

The Beach Boys and Dodger Stadium are both celebrating their 50^th anniversaries this year, so the legendary band from Hawthorne and the team with its new owners are teaming up for a season-long celebration, according to the Dodgers.

It will all begin on Opening Day, Tuesday, April 10, at the Dodgers-Pirates game with a special pre-game one-song performance by the reunited Beach Boys that includes Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks. Then the group will sing the national anthem.

Throughout the year, merchandise featuring the band’s and the stadium’s 50^th anniversary logos will be available.  May 18 will be Beach Boys Night at the stadium when the group’s surf classics will be played on the PA systems throughout the game and a special fireworks show after the game will feature all-Beach Boys songs.

The Beach Boys reunion tour, the first with Wilson in more than two decades, begins on April 24 in Tucson and includes stops on June 2 at the Hollywood Bowl and June 3 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine.

Bee Gees to reunite

Robin Gibb, who only last week again underwent intestinal surgery, was told while recovering in a London hospital that his cancers are all in remission, reports Britain’s Daily Mail. Nonetheless, Gibb has cancelled almost all future events in order to recover from the surgery, with heavy emphasis on “almost.”

There are two exceptions. The first is the premiere of “Titanic Requiem” on April 10 at Westminster’s Central Hall, marking the 100^th anniversary of the launch and shortly thereafter, the ship’s tragic sinking. That night, the requiem, a classical piece composed by Gibb and his 29-year-old son RJ, will be performed by the Royal Philharmonic.

The project was the most ambitious of Gibb’s career, so as preparation, he had a chat with his old pal Paul McCartney, who has composed several classical pieces. McCartney told him, “Don’t feel you have to push it. Don’t go too far with your subject matter, because you don’t have to. Less is more.”

At the premiere, the 62-year-old has been preparing to sing one of the work’s corner stone songs, “Don’t Cry Alone,” which tells of “a male passenger who stands back so that his wife can be saved as the ship goes down,” knowing he’ll never see her again.

The other exception is a musical reunion in the studio with his older brother Barry. “We intend to record again and also work with The Bee Gee’s catalog as well. We want to make an album. That will be close to the end of the year.” The last Bee Gees album, “This is where I Came In,” was released in 2001, two years before the death of the third Bee Gee, Robin’s twin brother, Maurice. At the time of Maurice’s passing, Robin and Barry announced the end of The Bee Gees.

Coldplay heads KROQ Weenie Roast

Coldplay headlines SoCal radio station KROQ-FM’s 20^th Annual Weenie Roast Y Fiesta, May 5 (Cinco de Mayo) at the Verizon Wireless amphitheatre. Other performers included Calabasas rockers Incubus, veteran Huntington Beach punks The Offspring, journeyman Hermosa Beach punk outfit Pennywise, and Wisconsin alt rockers Garbage, led by Scottish singer Shirley Manson. 

Elton relates to Whitney’s death

Elton John, who just celebrated his 65^th birthday, says his proudest achievement has nothing to do with his membership in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or the more than 250 million records he’s sold, that his single, “Candle in the Wind 1997” has sold 33 million copies, making it the biggest selling 45 in Billboard history.

No, John considers getting clean and sober 22 years ago his proudest achievement, he tells E! News. He says that if he didn’t sober up and quit all the booze and drugs, he’d long ago have been a rock and roll casualty. “I could have so easily ended up like Whitney Houston. It’s a miracle I didn’t, because I’m sure I did as much cocaine as she ever did,” he says.

John also told E! that after he found fame he was bullied by three unnamed yet “very important people” in his professional life, even though he was a superstar. “It was about control and them being able to keep me under their thumb, and I was the perfect candidate for it. Even though I was famous and a big deal, it doesn’t matter. It’s who you are underneath that, and I was always kind of shy and intimidated. One was violent and the other two were mentally violent. They were very important people in my life.”

To others who are being bullied, he advises, “Speak out, speak out. Snitch on them. Try to defend yourself, not like me, who hid it.”

In other John news, he and his husband David Furnish have listed two luxury condos they own in the Sierra Towers just off the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, according to NBC New York. Both units offer spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and Los Angeles. The largest condo, one bedroom and one-and-a-half baths in 1,831 square feet listed at $3.5 million. The smaller also contains one bedroom and a one-and-a-half baths in 1,151 square feet cam be had for $1.6 million.

The family, that also includes John’s and Furnish’s son Zach, plan to move into a four-bedroom, five-and-a-half bathroom, 4,200-square-foot home in the 90210 zip code of Beverly Hills that was recently listed for $7.695 million.

On April 13, John returns to his on-going Million Dollar Piano gig at the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. He’ll be there through the 18^th, before heading to Minnesota, Indiana and Canada for five shows. He’ll then be back in Vegas from May 4-27 before he hops the pond for a tour of the U.K. and Europe from June 1 through July 21 that included a high profile performance at Buckingham Palace on June 4 as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrating 60 years as monarch. Sir Elton will join Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Cliff Richard, Sir Tom Jones, Squeeze founder and OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) recipient Jools Holland, Annie Lennox OBE, Aussie superstar Kylie Minogue OBE, English ska band Madness, Chinese concert pianist Lang Lang, Blackpool tenor Alfie Boe  and Yank Stevie Wonder.

Bowie’s Ziggy gets landmark

Forty years after David Bowie posed on Heddon Street in the Soho district of London in the guise of his space age persona Ziggy Stardust for a photo shoot for the cover of his iconic glam rock album, “The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars,” a plaque was put up at the site noting the event, according to CBS News. Today the once-bleak and foreboding street is vibrant and bustling with outdoor cafes.

Bowie fan, Spandau Ballet singer Gary Kemp, unveiled the plaque at a ceremony that was also attended by former Spiders bassist Trevor Bolder and drummer Mick Woodmansey.

The third original Spider, guitarist Mick Ronson, who was named the 64^th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone, died on liver cancer in 1993 at 46, one year after making his final public appearance at the star-studded Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert before 72,000 at the Wembley Arena in London where he reunited with Bowie to perform “Heroes.” He and Bowie were also joined by Mott the Hoople leader Ian Hunter for “All the Young Dudes,” a song written by Bowie and made a classic by Mott.

The 65-year-old Bowie, who declined the Queen’s offer of a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) honor in 2000 and a knighthood in 2003 and who has sold 250 million records, has pretty much retired from public life in 2006, choosing to live quietly and privately with his family in New York City.

Joe Jackson’s tribute to Duke

English singer-pianist Joe Jackson’s upcoming album is a tribute to the man many regard as jazz music’s greatest songwriter, the late big band leader Duke Ellington, according to a Jackson press release. Jackson’s album of his takes on Ellington classics, “The Duke,” comes out June 26, includes a duet with punk pioneer Iggy Pop on “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).”

Among those backing up Jackson, 57, are guitarist Steve Vai, The Roots drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and jazz violinist Regina Carter. Jackson also covers standards “Mood Indigo,” and “I Got It Bad (and That Ain’t Good)” and the Duke’s pianist, Billy Strayhorn’s “Take the ‘A’ Train,” that was a huge hit for Ellington and his band in 1941.

Queen with Adam Lambert gig cancelled

The one-off gig Queen had set with former “American Idol” runner-up Adam Lambert has been cancelled, but they weren’t the one that did it. The huge Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth Park that was could have accommodated 125,000, was cancelled by promoters who blamed the poor economy on the less than zesty ticket sales, according to a release posted on the festival’s website. 

Other acts on the mostly hard rock and heavy metal bill included Kiss, Marilyn Manson, Mastodon and San Francisco alt metal rockers Faith No More.

However in a post on Queen’s website, drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May said, “We are working to see if we can redress the situation at some other venue.”

In an unrelated story May, 64, told the British daily the Independent that would have loved to have been a member of AC/DC, “because it’s different from Queen. Queen were very eclectic, that’s the word, isn’t it? We just trampled over every boundary that there was, but AC/DC are in a sense the opposite. They know their style and it’s incredibly pure and I have great respect for that. And every single note they play is AC/DC completely.”

George Jones hospitalized

Country Music Hall of Famer George Jones, owner of more than 150 hit singles, was hospitalized in a Nashville hospital where, at press time, he continues to battle an upper respiratory infection, according to the Associated Press. The 80-year-old has cancelled all shows through April 20, when he’s still set to perform at the Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen, Minnesota and continue on with the other 28 concerts currently on his docket through the rest of the year.

Earl Scruggs dies

Legendary bluegrass banjo player Earl Scruggs, who many credit as a major figure who helped shape contemporary country music, died in Nashville of natural causes at 88, report AP.

Scruggs, who joined Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys in 1945, was best known for his 21 years, from 1948 -1969, with guitarist Lester Flatt. The duo’s best known songs were “The Ballad of Jed Clampett,” that served as the theme song for “The Beverly Hillbillies,” and “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” an instrument Scruggs wrote that they recorded in 1949 that found fame courtesy of its inclusion in the 1967 hit movie, “Bonnie & Clyde,” with Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty.

In 1985, they were inducted into the Country Music Hall if Fame, and in 2004, they were ranked together at No. 24 on CMT’s 40 Greatest Men of Country Music. In 2003, he got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2008, he received the Grammy’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

With his banjo placed in its stand center-stage in front of his silver-colored casket, Scruggs was memorialized at his funeral before 2,300 family, friends and fans at the Ryman Auditorium, the former home of the Grand Ole Opry, in Nashville.

Among those speaking and performing were Nitty Gritty Dirt Band leader John McEuen, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, Charlie Daniels, Ricky Skaggs, Bluegrass Hall of Famer Del McCoury, popular contemporary bluegrass banjo player Bela Fleck, country singer Jon Randall Stewart, and Patty Loveless.

Sitcom for Gladys Knight

Former front-woman for The Pips, Gladys Knight, is currently kicking up her heels as a contestant on ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars.” This fall, the 67-year-old Motown legend will star in a syndicated sitcom, “First Family,” about an African-American family living in the White House, reports the Root. Producer Byron Allen says the series has an order for 104 initial episodes.

Among the veteran comedians and comic actors in the cast are Marla Gibbs, Paul Rodriguez, and Jackee Harry. Christopher B. Duncan from “The Jamie Foxx Show” plays the president, and Kellita Smith from “The Bernie Mac Show” plays the First Lady.

In addition to working on both shows, Knight has more than a dozen concerts on her schedule between now and early June.

Joan Osborne covers the blues

Joan Osborne covers the blues on her new album. The 49-year-old singer, who, in 2003 joined The Dead, the band featuring the surviving members of The Grateful Dead, and hit the Top 10 in nine countries in 1995 with “One of Us,” a ballad written by Eric Bazalian of Philly rockers The Hooters, just released “Bring It On Home.”

Included in the dozen tracks Osborne covers are Sonny Boy Williamson’s title song that Led Zeppelin brought to the attention of rock fans on its debut album in 1969; Ray Charles “I Don’t Need No Doctor” that Humble Pie received FM airplay with in 1971; Slim Harpo’s 1966 song, “Shake Your Hips” that The Rolling Stones covered in 1972 on “Exile on Main Street”; Al Green’s “Rhymes” and the Otis Redding song, “Champagne and Wine.”

New Releases

Among the recent new albums, re-issues and deluxe box CD sets include “Thick as a Brick2” by Jethro Tull leader Ian Anderson; “Dedicated,” from Wilson Phillips; “Changed” from Rascal Flatts; a 2-CD from Johnny Cash, “Bootleg Vol. IV: The Soul of Truth”; “Number 1’s Volume 1” from veteran contemporary Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman; “The return of the Spectacular Spinning Wheel” from Elvis Costello; a 2-CD set, “With a Smile And A Song” from Doris Day; “Gibb: The Titanic Requiem” from Robin Gibb & The Royal Philharmonic; “Locked Down” from Dr. John; Live Dates II” from Wishbone Ash; an import, “Supercharged,” a re-issue of a 1980 LP from R&B soul funksters Tavares; “We’ll Never Forget You: Imperial Years 1963-1966,” an import from The O’Jays; and a 2-Cd from former Japan singer David Sylvain, “Victim of Stars 1982-2012.”

Jerry Lee’s Lucky #7

Jerry Lee Lewis has taken his seventh stroll down the aisle, reports People magazine. The 76-year-old rock and roller married Judith Brown, 62, in Natchez, Mississippi. The wedding plans were kept so secret that his daughter Phoebe, who lives with him, was unaware that they were going to get hitched.  Brown was previously wed to Lewis’ cousin, Rusty Brown, who was also the brother of Lewis’ third wife, Myra.  Myra, the daughter of Lewis’ cousin and band member J.W. Brown, was 13 when she married Lewis in 1957. Tom complicate things, Lewis and Myra had to marry a second time after it was discovered that the Wildman rocker hadn’t bothered to divorce his second wife when they got married the first time.

More more Duran Duran

Duran Duran keeps on adding dates to their American tour in support of their 13^th studio album, “All You Need Is Now” that actually came out last March. Included in the new dates is a stop on August 11 at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa.

Tower of Power & Weird Al sue

Tower of Power and Weird Al Yankovic are the latest in a seeming avalanche of recording stars to sue their labels over unpaid royalties for digital downloads and related items, reports Pollstar.

Yankovic is playing the San Diego County Fair at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and Racetrack on July 4; while Tower of Power is appearing with War at L.A.’s Greek Theatre on May 26, before returning to play the L.A. County Fair in Pomona on September 14. The soul and funk vets then head down the 5 freeway for a gig with The Average White Band the following night at Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay in San Diego.

Now Playing

Classic acts from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s continue to perform. Here’s what some of them are doing.

Roger McGuinn, contributed many of the classic vocals and the jingle-jangle electric 12-string that gave Rock Hall of Famers The Byrds its distinctive sound on his and fellow Byrds’ David Crosby and Gene Clark’s “Eight Miles High”; Pete Seeger’s “Turn, Turn, Turn,”; Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” and so many other classics. Next week, the 69-year-old folk rocker will be in Old Saybrook, Connecticut at the Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, before heading to Irvington, New York, for a gig at the Irvington Town Hall Theatre.

French singer-songwriter Charles Aznavour is still dapper and continues to tour at age 87. The man called “France’s Frank Sinatra,” who, in fact, has recorded and performed with the late Chairman of the Board, performs a three-night stand in Montreal next week before headlining at the Gibson amphitheatre in Universal City on April 22. From there, he’s off to the Big Apple for three nights at the New York City Center.