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 Ronnie James Dio was a small guy with a big voice, and that voice has been silenced. Dio has died of stomach cancer at the age of 67.Dio had appeared at the Golden Gods Awards just last month and had even won best vocalist. He had undergone his seventh chemotherapy treatment and was confident he'd perform again. Dio first became famous as the singer for Rainbow, then he replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath in 1980. He later fronted the band Dio and had intended to tour this summer with Heaven and Hell, but that tour was called off because of his failing health. His wife Wendy tells fans, "Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever." Vince Gill is the father of the bride. His daughter, Jenny Gill, got married on May 8th. The wedding and reception were at Gill's home.Jenny Gill is his daughter with Janis Oliver of Sweethearts of the Rodeo. On his website, Gill says Jenny and her new husband have known each other since they were kids. He's Josh Van Valkenburg. He grew up to become a record executive with EMI Music Publishing in Nashville. Kenny Chesney is one of thousands in Nashville sifting through waterlogged memories after floodwaters consumed his home this week.His publicist, Holly Gleason, says it’s likely his house will be condemned after water rose past the first floor. Chesney’s gym is ruined. He also lost all of his sports memorabilia, including items from when he was in high school as well as professional sports items and pictures with friends who are athletes. Chesney was in another state working on a project when the flooding happened over the weekend. Cleanup is under way and people are working to assess the damage. Garth Brooks is in New York City to announce a new charitable partnership between the Professional Bull Riders organization and Brooks' charity -- Teammates for Kids Foundation. Some top bull riders will be there at Madison Square Garden to watch the announcement. More big numbers for Taylor Swift. A company that keeps track of downloads, Nielsen SoundScan, says Swift has become the top-selling digital artist in music history. She's sold more than 24.3 million digital tracks. The Lemmy movie will make its world premiere at the South By Southwest festival. A documentary about Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead has been in the works for three years. It features appearances by Metallica, Dave Grohl, Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Bob Thornton. The film will premiere at South By Southwest in Austin, Texas, the weekend of March 12. When asked about the film, Kilmister said, "Amazing! See Lemmy breathe in and breathe out! See him move his fingers independently! All singing and dancing! Give generously!" You can see the movie trailer at LemmyMovie-dot-com. More than 273,000 people want John Mellencamp to quit smoking, but that's still not enough. Mellencamp's son, Speck, started a Facebook page earlier this month to get his dad to kick the habit. The rocker agreed that he'd quit smoking if one million people signed up. His wife, Elaine, is quoted on his website as saying Mellencamp started cutting back on cigarettes after 100,000 people signed up. A new Van Morrison has been born. The Irish singer says on his Web site that he and his wife, GiGi, welcomed their son George Ivan Morrison III on Monday. The couple says that "Little Van" is "the spitting image of his daddy." The baby is a dual citizen of the United States and United Kingdom. A three-pack of songs from Paul McCartney's live album, "Good Evening New York City," will be released for the video game "Rock Band'' next month. The songs are live versions of "Band on the Run," "Jet" and "Sing the Changes." The tracks are available January 5 for X-Box 360 and Nintendo Wii, and January 7 for Playstation 3. "The Beatles: Rock Band" came out in September.
Elton John wants the internet shut down because it is destroying music. The guy who sang the ``Monster Mash'' has died. Bobby 'Boris' Pickett died of leukemia. He was 69.A technological feat that allowed Quebec diva Celine Dion to sing alongside the late Elvis Presley had music and tech fans abuzz with wonder and speculation today. Reaction was mixed as couch critics weighed in on the unusual televised duet, which saw an understated Dion and a realistic-looking Presley join voices on the ``American Idol'' stage yesterday to sing his 1968 hit ``If I Can Dream.'' Hologram expert Steve Wilson says Presley appears more ``real'' in some camera angles than others. He says Presley's image was most likely lifted from a previous taping, digitally remastered and inserted next to Dion.
Keith Richards, who is renowned for his drink and drug use, was encouraged to go organic by bandmate Ronnie Wood's wife, Jo Wood, who is a keen advocate for green living. US President Bush calls James Brown ``an American original.'' The White House put out a statement today, following Brown's death from apparent heart failure at age 73.Bush says Brown influenced ``generations of musicians'' and that his fans ``came from all walks of life and backgrounds.'' Little Richard is one of those fans. He calls Brown an innovator who paved the way for things like rap music. Rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy once said of James Brown there's ``no one near as funky.'' OASIS star LIAM GALLAGHER wasn't always a fan of JOHN LENNON - the late Beatle icon once haunted the WONDERWALL singer. The rock wildman is adamant he was haunted by a presence one night- and is adamant it was the IMAGINE hitmaker. Gallagher says, "I was in Manchester (north England) at a mate's house having a kip (sleep). I remember getting up and feeling really weird. I turned round and there I was, lying on the bed, and I sort of fell back into my body. "There was a presence there and it was him. Lennon." There could be some sad news coming from the hugely popular children's group ``The Wiggles.'' Reports say the Australian supergroup is expected to announce the departure of one of its founding members, because of a serious illness doctors have not been able to identify. ``The Wiggles'' have scheduled a news conference for tomorrow in Perth, Australia.Reports say the group will announce the departure of the ``Yellow Wiggle,'' Greg Page, who has been frequently absent from touring since undergoing a double hernia operation last December. The 34-year-old lead vocalist, known for his bright yellow T-shirt, has been undergoing medical treatment since June after experiencing fainting spells and lethargy. Here you go air guitar lovers scientists in Australia have invented a T-shirt that allows air guitarists to play actual music as they strum the air. Scientists form Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research call the thing a "wearable instrument shirt". It has sensors in each elbow and sleeves to detect and interpret the air guitarist's arm movements-- one arm chooses chords and the other strums imaginary strings. The gestures are then connected wirelessly to guitar audio samples to produce the sound. If you want to see a video of this thing in action check out: www.scienceimage.csiro.au/mediarelease/air-guitar.html Stevie Wonder has been honoured by the National Civil Rights Museum. The soulful singer received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Memphis museum last night. After giving his acceptance speech, Wonder sang a medley of his songs. The museum also awarded civil rights pioneer Dr. Joseph Lowery the National Freedom Award. Doctors Without Borders co-founder Bernard Kouchner received the International Freedom Award. Rapper Busta Rhymes is in trouble with the law.The 29-year-old singer, whose legal name is Trevor Smith, is charged in New York with assault. No details, although police say his arrest comes about a week after the assault. The rapper's representatives haven't been available for comment. Police had also been wanting to interview Rhymes about the shooting death of one of his bodyguards last February. Israel Ramirez was gunned down outside a Brooklyn studio where Rhymes was making a music video. A month later, Rhymes and another bodyguard were sued by a fan who alleges they beat him up after he asked for an autograph. The lead vocalist and songwriter for the traditional ``roots'' reggae group Culture has died.Joseph Hill was 57. Hill's daughter Andrea says the singer suddenly fell ill and died in Berlin while the group was on a European tour. The cause of death isn't known. One of reggae's most enduring bands, Culture was led by Hill for three decades. He penned the group's best known songs, including ``Two Sevens Clash,'' ``Natty Never Get Weary'' and ``I'm Not Ashamed.'' As the Rastafarian influence on reggae grew in the 1970s, Hill formed Culture and remained its driving force through more than 30 albums. ``Two Sevens Clash,'' Culture's most influential record, gained the group wide popularity both in Jamaica and in Britain. |
