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.