Richard Wright dies at 65; founding member of Pink Floyd

Los Angeles Times

Richard Wright, the founding member of Pink Floyd whose piano and synthesizer work played a critical part in the pioneering British psychedelic rock band's ethereal sound, died Monday after a short battle with cancer, his spokesman said. He was 65.

Doug Wright, who is not a relative, said Wright died at his home in England and that his family did not wish to release any more information, the Associated Press reported.

Wright never achieved the high public profile of the group's three key figures -- founding singer-guitarist Syd Barrett and the often-feuding co-leaders, singer-bassist Roger Waters and singer-guitarist David Gilmour, who joined shortly before Barrett left in 1968.

Warner Music reorganizes top tier

Variety

Citing the radical changes in the music biz since its 2004 launch as a stand-alone company, Warner Music Group announced a major management restructuring Tuesday.

The company created an office of the chairman and upped Lyor Cohen and Michael D. Fleisher to vice chairmen. In the restructuring, Warner Music Intl. chairman and chief exec Patrick Vien is ankling.

Cohen will also be chairman and CEO of recorded music in the U.S. and U.K. Cohen had been leading WMG's U.S. recorded music operations.

Fleisher has been WMG’s exec VP and CFO since January 2005. He helped take the company public in May 2005 and established its finance, investor relations and IT areas.

Steven Macri, WMG’s senior VP and global controller, has been named exec VP and CFO.

Metallica tries to revive classic sound on 'Death Magnetic'

Chicago Tribune

In the last decade, Metallica has had a few image problems. They had run-ins with Napster and fans who were downloading their music, then they battled with each other and fired their bass player. Once metal innovators, they became parodies of bloated, past-their-prime rock stars in the "Spinal Tap"-like 2004 documentary "Some Kind of Monster."

With its scenes of petty in-fighting, group therapy, and champagne-sipping extravagance, "Monster" exposed a band that had lost touch with everything that had once made it great.

"Death Magnetic" (Warner), the band’s first studio album in five years and the ninth in its 25-year career, tries to rehabilitate the band’s image by explicitly referencing its late ‘80s Golden Age.

David Byrne Designs Guitar-Shaped Bike Rack, 8 Others

The Associated Press

Musician, artist and bicycling enthusiast David Byrne has designed nine unusual bike racks that have been installed around New York City.

The Department of Transportation says the artistic installations by the Talking Heads singer are meant to spark interest in bicycling.

Each rack reflects its location. A guitar-shaped rack named Hipster has been placed in Brooklyn's trendy Williamsburg neighborhood. A rack that looks like a dollar sign is in the Wall Street area.

Chuck Berry cancels pre-paid Spain concerts

France 24

Rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry pulled out of two sold-out weekend concerts in Spain at the last minute without any explanation, organisers said Monday, sparking concerns over his health.

Berry, who has been on a tour of Europe, had already been paid for the two concerts and organisers said they are considering taking legal action.

The American guitarist and singer, who turns 82 in October, was scheduled to perform in Estepona on Spain's Mediterranean coast on Saturday and in the northern city of Leon a day later.

But just one hour before he was to take the stage in Estepona, his agent called concert promoters to inform them that the singer had left the country, leaving behind over 4,000 disappointed fans, organisers said in a statement.

Rolling Stones sign with Universal Music, ditching EMI

I work for the company that distributes Universal Music. In many ways, this is a homecoming for the Stones discography. The early Rolling Stones albums were released on London Records. London is a distributed label now owned by Universal Music. Now it seems that all Stones material will be available under one roof, so to speak.

USATODAY.com

The Rolling Stones, the world's top earning music act last year, have signed a long-term, exclusive worldwide contract with Vivendi's Universal Music, dealing a major blow to the group's former recording company EMI Group.

Universal said on Friday that the new deal covered both future albums by the Stones and their back catalog, including albums such as "Sticky Fingers" and "Black and Blue" and the songs "Brown Sugar" and "Start Me Up."

Universal, the world's biggest recording company, did not disclose terms of the deal.

The Stones had been on the EMI label for more than 20 years and their departure is a low point in a bumpy ride for Terra Firma Capital Partners, the private equity firm that bought the London-based recording company last year.

Rush To Perform On The Colbert Report Wednesday Night

iWon News

Rush will be appearing on "The Colbert Report," and it's not Limbaugh.

The Canadian band Rush, which hasn't performed on U.S. television in more than three decades, will play their classic "Tom Sawyer" on the Comedy Central show Wednesday (11:30 p.m. EST). The Geddy Lee-led trio, which is currently on tour, hasn't played on U.S. television since 1975.

Rush is only the latest act to perform on "The Report," which has steadily edged closer to "Ed Sullivan Show" territory. With increasingly frequent musical performances, "The Report" has grown a variety-show impulse, evident in other upcoming bookings.

Grand Funk: In Concert 1972

Here's a clip of GFR playing at Madison Square Garden in late 1972. This was part of the In Concert series. I have a bootleg of the show but it is not the best quality. Found this on You Tube.

Grand Funk Railroad - Flight of the Phoenix / Footstompin' Music

Dead Dog Express - From The Ashes

I have decided to resume writing on this page. It will be again somewhat different from it's initial inception. I will share some of my rock and roll stories from my playing days but will also add other snippets related to the music industry. I have a couple of music projects that I am launching and will share them as they develop.