Rapper Lil Wayne has become the first artist in three years to sell
more than one million albums in a week. His new CD, Tha Carter III,
sold 423,000 copies its first day of release. First week sales reached
1.01 million copies. The last artist to achieve that feat was 50 Cent,
who sold a little more than 1.1 million copies of Massacre its first
week of release in 2005. According to Billboard, the debut single from
Lil Wayne's new album has sold 2.14 million digital downloads.
"Lollipop" also spent four weeks at Number One on the Hot 100 chart.
Blondie
is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its breakthrough album Parallel
Lines. The album sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and
included the hits "Heart of Glass" and "One Way or Another." On June
24, an expanded version of Parallel Lines will be released. The
anniversary edition includes a DVD with videos and television
performances. Earlier this month, Blondie kicked of a U.S. concert
tour.
On June 27, "The 46664 Concert Honoring Nelson Mandela at
90" will take place at London's Hyde Park. Among the many artists
taking part in the concert are Leona Lewis, Amy Winehouse, Annie
Lennox, Queen + Paul Rodgers and Simple Minds. VH1 will tape the event
for broadcast as a two-hour special on June 30. Nelson Mandela will
turn 90 years old on July 18.
Britney Spears' younger sister,
Jamie Lynn Spears, delivered a baby girl in a Mississipppi hospital on
June 19. She and fiancé Casey Aldridge named their daughter Maddie
Briann. The day before Maddie's birth, Jamie Lynn's father, her
brother Bryan and Britney all flew from California to the Spears home
in Louisiana to be with Jamie Lynn.
The original members of the
1980s funk group The Time will reunite on June 24 to begin a series of
shows at The Flamingo in Las Vegas. According to the band's publicist,
this marks the first time in nearly 20 years that original members
Morris Day, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Jesse Johnson, Jerome Benton,
Jellybean Johnson and Monte Moir have performed in concert. The Time's
R&B hits include "777-9311," "Jungle Love" and "Jerk Out."
NEW ALBUM RELEASES
New
albums scheduled for release on June 24 include: "Brass Knuckles" by
Nelly, "Tales From The Beach" by Incognito, "Duchess" by Deborah Bonham
(younger sister of Led Zeppelin's late drummer John Bonham), "Delta" by
Delta Goodrem, "Saints of Los Angeles" by Motley Crue, "Real Animal" by
Alejandro Escovedo, "Superhero Brother" by G. Love & Special Sauce,
"Nobody's Fault But Mine" by Edwin McCain, "Patriotic Country 3" by
various Country artists, "Sax For Stax" by Gerald Albright and "Fire
Songs" by The Watson Twins.
MUSICAL EVENTS/FESTIVALS/BENEFITS
The
2008 Monterey Bay Blues Festival will take place in Monterey,
California June 27-29. This year's event will feature appearances by
B.B. King, Charlie Musselwhite, Bettye LaVette, Keb Mo, Susan Tedeschi
and many others.
The Rock in Rio festival will take place June
27 and 28 in Madrid, Spain. This is the first time the festival has
been held in Spain's capital city. A second weekend of festival dates
is schedule for July 4, 5 and 6. This year's lineup includes
appearances by Alanis Morissette, Neil Young, Shakira, The Police,
Alejandro Sanz and Lenny Kravitz, among others.
AWARDS PRESENTATIONS/WINNERS
On
June 23, performing rights organization ASCAP will hold its 21st annual
Rhythm & Soul Music Awards in Beverly Hills, California. The
awards recognize ASCAP's top songwriters and publishers in rap and
hip-hop music. New Edition will receive this year's Golden Note Award,
which is given to "songwriters, composers and artists who have achieved
extraordinary career milestones." Previous Golden Note Award winners
include Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Jay-Z, Quincy Jones, Jermaine
Dupree and LL Cool J.
TOUR DATES AND INFORMATION
On June 27,
the Black Crowes will begin their 90-city "Euphoria or Bust Tour" in
Hershey, Pennsylvania. The rock band will support Warpaint, its
first studio album in nearly seven years.
