Nine artists have made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of possible 2007 inductees. They are the Dave Clark Five, Chic, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Joe Tex, the Ronettes, REM, Van Halen, the Stooges and Patti Smith. Five finalists will be chosen in January and inducted into the prestigious hall on March 12, 2007.
Prince is following Celine Dion, Barry Manilow, Elton John and Toni Braxton as the latest artist to sign long-term engagement deals in Las Vegas. Beginning November 10, Prince will perform every Friday and Saturday night at the 3121 nightclub in the Rio hotel. The club, formerly known as Club Rio, was re-named after his latest album. Prince also plans to host Wednesday night shows performed by other artists.
Elton John will receive the 2006 Legend of Live Award at this year's Billboard Touring Awards. The awards ceremony will take place on November 9, the final day of the 3rd annual Billboard Touring Conference in New York City. Trophies will be handed out to artists in the categories of Top Tour, Top Draw, Top Boxscore, Top Package and Breakthrough Act. Venues, managers, promoters and booking agencies will also be recognized.
On November 5, Reba McEntire, Ronnie Milsap and the late Roy Orbison were the first artists inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. The Walk of Fame is located outside of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Dick Clark has announced that he'll return as co-host of ABC-TV's New Year's Rockin' Eve special. The 76-year-old began hosting the show in 1972 and has missed only one year. Clark wasn't able to help ring in 2005 due to a stroke he suffered in December 2004. Talk show host Regis Philbin replaced him that year. Clark returned last year as co-host with American Idol host Ryan Seacrest, who will join him again this year. This year's musical guest will be Christina Aguilera.
The MusiCares Foundation has named the Eagles' Don Henley as its 2007 MusiCares Person of the Year. The Grammy-winning artist will be honored at a dinner and concert on February 9, 2007 in Los Angeles. Neil Portnow, President of the MusiCares Foundation, said, "Don is one of the most relevant and respected musical voices of our time, and it is a fitting testament to his extraordinary talents and charitable work that he will be honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year." In 1990, Henley founded the Walden Woods Project, which leads the effort to preserve historic Walden Woods in Massachusetts. He also founded the Caddo Lake Institute in East Texas, which underwrites local wetland science and conservation education. In addition, Henley co-founded the Recording Artists' Coalition, which represents the interests of recording artists with regard to legislative issues in which corporate and artist interests conflict.
NEW ALBUM RELEASES
New albums released on November 7 include: Enjoy The Ride by Sugarland, I Love You by Diana Ross, Waking by Josh Groban, Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing by Keith Urban, The Doctor's Advocate by The Game, Back to Bedlam by James Blunt, and My Friends and Me by Dionne Warwick.
MUSICAL EVENTS/FESTIVALS/BENEFITS
More than 20 artists will perform at the November 9 "Music of Bob Dylan" tribute concert at New York's Lincoln Center. They include Joan Osborne, Natalie Merchant, Patti Smith, Rosanne Cash, Ryan Adams and Allen Toussaint. The concert will benefit The Music for Youth Foundation, which has raised more than $3 million to fund over 40 programs during the past six years. The programs make quality music education available to underprivileged young people.
On November 9, Tony Bennett will perform a benefit concert at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Also on the bill are Marc Anthony, Rascal Flatts and Madeleine Peyroux. Paul Newman, George Clooney, Billy Crystal, Jack Nicholson and Bruce Willis will co-host the event, which benefits Hole in the Wall Camps. Paul Newman created Hole in the Wall's first children's camp in 1988. To date, more than 100,000 seriously ill children from 34 states and 31 countries have attended the camps free of charge.
AWARDS PRESENTATIONS/WINNERS
Shakira was the big winner at the 7th annual Latin Grammy Awards, which were presented on November 2 in New York. She picked up trophies for Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “La Tortura,” as well as Album of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Album for Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1. Her wins marked the first time a female artist has won three top categories at the Latin Grammys. Following close behind was the reggaeton duo Calle 13, which took home three awards, including Video of the Year for "Atrevete Te, Te!," Best New Artist and Best Urban Album for Calle 13. (Complete list of winners at www.grammy.com.)
The 40th annual Country Music Association Awards were handed out on November 6 in Nashville. Brad Paisley and Brooks & Dunn lead this year's contenders with six nominations apiece. Both are mentioned in the Entertainer of the Year category, which also includes Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban. Kenny and Keith join first-time nominee Carrie Underwood as the second most nominated artists this year. Each received four nominations. Other major contenders are Rascal Flatts and Dolly Parton with three mentions apiece. Brooks & Dunn will host the event for the third year in a row. During the three-hour live ABC-TV telecast, musician/producer Harold Bradley, legendary singer Sonny James and Country star George Strait will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. (www.cmaawards.com)
TOUR DATES AND INFORMATION
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band began an 18-city U.S. tour on November 8 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The group is performing its first tour in more than a decade to support the new album, Face the Promise.
On November 11, Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue, 38, will kick off a 32-date tour of Australia and the U.K. Concerts begin in Sydney. She was originally scheduled to begin her "Showgirl" tour in May 2005, but cancelled the outing after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Following surgery, Kylie underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments.