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Greg Epler, Longtime Fuel Manager, Dies at 64
Greg Epler, the veteran music manager and booking agent who worked closely with Fuel, Lisa Simone and others, has died at the age of 64. Epler began his career in the music business in the late 1980s and found his niche in 1994, with the launch of Greg Epler Management, which he built with an ethos of championing up-and-coming bands. One of those acts was Fuel, the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania rockers which he co-managed with Dave Sestak at Media Five. Epler worked with the group since its inception and was instrumental in getting Fuel signed to Epic Records in the 1990s, an alliance that delivered a string of platinum and double platinum recordings. The band has five career appearances on the Billboard 200, including a No. 15 for 2003’s Natural Selection; and a No. 17 peak for 2000’s Somethin...
Cyndi Lauper Enters Fight For Reproductive Justice With New Fund
Cyndi Lauper launches the Girls Just Want To Have Fundamental Rights Fund, with a mission to support organizations “fighting for the right to abortion and reproductive healthcare.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The veteran singer, songwriter and activist announced the initiative on Oct. 11, the International Day of the Girl and in response to the Supreme Court’s controversial overturning of Roe v. Wade. In addition, Lauper will release limited-edition “Girls Just Want To Have Fundamental Rights” t-shirts, with net proceeds generated from each sale also going toward the fund. Its ambition, reads a statement on Lauper’s official website, is to “support efforts that advance the fundamental rights and health of all women and girls.” The p...
HARDY Photographer Tanner Gallagher Details ‘Terrifying’ Bus Crash: ‘It Was a Miracle That We Survived’
Tanner Gallagher, photographer and videographer with country act HARDY, has shared photos and memories of the “terrifying” bus crash that forced the band off the road and into hospital. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Gallagher was on the tour bus that was involved in a crash early Sunday, Oct. 2 following the band’s appearance at Country Thunder Bristol in Tennessee. No one died in the accident, though Gallagher documents the painful ordeal that left him with broken bones in his foot, a punctured lung, four broken ribs, and a fractured vertebrae in his neck. “It seems like this happened so fast but I feel the need to talk about it officially,” Gallagher writes. “Last week we had one of the most terrifying accidents happen to us. For th...
The Isley Brothers Talk About Extending Their Reign as ‘The Kings of Love Songs’
For a group who first made waves in the 1950s, the energy for The Isley Brothers inside Harbor New York City’s Rooftop surpasses palpable. With close to 70 years of experience under the group’s belts, fans zealously received the electricity commanded by the legendary R&B outfit, who were on hand to celebrate the release of their new album, Make Me Say It Again, Girl, this past Friday (Sept. 30). “It’s God’s blessing, and we’re trying to take advantage of being able to do what we do and love what we do, and we know what we’re doing by now,” Ronald Isley tells Billboard. The self-proclaimed “Love Kings” veered in a different direction on their latest outing, as they sought after rappers to fulfill their romantic quest. According to Ronald, the group has been sampled over 900 times, with ...
Brooks Arthur, Grammy-Winning Producer and Engineer, Has Died
Brooks Arthur, the multiple Grammy Award-winning record producer and engineer who worked on hits by Leiber and Stoller, The Grateful Dead, Burt Bacharach, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison and many more, died Sunday (Oct. 9). Born Arnold Brodsky in New York City back in 1936, the music man cut his teeth in the industry while still in high school, scoring a part-time job in the Decca Records mailroom. From there, he could see how the entire business in action. Several years later, he was tapped by Aldon Music as a songwriter and demo singer, along with the likes of Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. There, he wrote “At the Edge of Tears,” recorded by a young Tony Orlando, who would introduce Arthur to his engineering mentor. The hits would roll on at Associated Studios, wh...
Art Laboe, DJ Known for Playing ‘Oldies but Goodies,’ Dies at 97
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/art-laboe-dead-oldies-but-goodies-1235238488/ Art Laboe, the DJ and music promoter who spent 79 continuous years on the radio, was an innovator of the compilation album and coined and trademarked the term “Oldies but Goodies,” has died. He was 97. Laboe died peacefully Friday at his home in Palm Springs after a brief bout with pneumonia, Joanna Morones, a spokesperson for his production company, Dart Entertainment, announced. He was on the air as recently as Sunday night with his pre-recorded The Art Laboe Connection, the syndicated program that he launched in 1991. “My favorite place to be is behind that microphone,” Laboe said. “I have one of the best jobs in the world, playing the music, interacting with our listeners, doing their dedica...
Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott, Ex-Beautiful South Artists, Lead Midweek U.K. Chart With ‘N.K-Pop’
Former Beautiful South bandmates Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott are on track for a second U.K. chart crown with N.K-Pop (via EMI). The English duo’s latest release leads the midweek survey, and, if it holds its course, will deliver the pair a second consecutive No. 1, after 2020’s Manchester Calling hit the summit. Close behind is Maybe In Another Life…? (Island), the sophomore offering from Leicester alternative-pop act Easy Life. Maybe is at No. 2 on the Official Chart Update, and should give the outfit their third top ten, following 2020 mixtape Junk Food (peaking at No. 7) and 2021 debut studio set Life’s A Beach (No. 2). Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Pink Floyd’s classic 1977 album “Animals” (Rhino) flies into the midweek top tier, thanks...
Tee Grizzley Talks Becoming Rap’s Martin Scorsese With New Project ‘Chapters of the Trenches’
Storytelling has always been a pillar of rap, but nobody in the industry is doing it like Tee Grizzley right now. The Detroit native turned his cautionary street tales into a cinematic visual album, which will be packaged as Chapters of the Trenches. The vivid project arrives on Friday (Oct. 14). Inspired by real-life events, Tee’s “Robbery” series quickly caught fire earlier this year, and with fans thirsting for more, Grizzley delivered a connected universe of sorts with each heart-racing installment, leaving viewers with a thrilling cliffhanger more twisted than the last. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I hear a lot of people speak on the trenches and a lot of people think it’s cool. Even Lil Durk would tell you, this s–...
Sam Smith and Kim Petras Extend ‘Unholy’ U.K. Chart Reign
Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” (EMI) hit dominates the U.K.’s chart for a second week. The viral track racks up 6.6 million streams during the latest chart cycle, the Official Charts Company reports, to complete another victory lap. “Unholy” finishes “comfortably ahead” of David Guetta & Bebe Rexha’s former leader “I’m Good (Blue)” (via Parlophone), which had led the midweek chart before finishing in second place. The highest new debut on the Official U.K. Singles Chart belongs to Ed Sheeran with “Celestial” (Asylum), new at No. 6, for the Englishman’s 40th top 10 and 57th top 40 appearance. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Celestial,” which is synced to the forthcoming Pokémon games “Scarlet” and “Violet,” is “by far” the most-bought t...
Slipknot’s ‘The End So Far’ Crowned on U.K. Chart
Slipknot rocks a third U.K. No. 1 with The End So Far. The U.S. metal veterans overturned a midweek deficit to come home with a wet sail, as The End So Far (via Roadrunner) tops the chart by just 340 combined units, the Official Charts Company reports. The End So Far is the group’s sixth U.K. top 10 album, and third leader after Iowa (from 2001) and We Are Not Your Kind (2019). It’s the most downloaded album of the chart cycle, according to the OCC, and it’s the best-selling album of the week in Australia. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The LP to narrowly miss out on the U.K. crown is the posthumous reissue of George Michael’s Older (Sony Music CG). Following its original release in 1996, Michael’s classic record peaked at No. 1, one of his ni...
Coolio Catalog Surges 264% in Streams, ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ Returns to Charts After Rapper’s Death
Fans rallied to the late Coolio’s music catalog and sent it surging 264.3% in the wake after his death. The rapper, born Artis Ivey, Jr. died Sept. 28 at age 59 due to suspected cardiac arrest. His most popular hit – “Gangsta’s Paradise,” featuring L.V. – led the way in both streams and sales, and the former Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 returns to the charts this week. Coolio’s songs (on which he was the lead performer) registered 19.6 million U.S. on-demand streams in the week of Sept. 28 – Oct. 4, according to preliminary reports to Luminate, a 264.3% increase compared with the 5.4 million generated in prior seven days. (Note: the streaming totals here combine both official and non-official, user-generated content; the latter does not contribute to the Billboard charts). As mentioned above, “...
PRETTYMUCH Announce Nick Mara Is Leaving the Band
Nick Mara from PRETTYMUCH announced he’ll be breaking from the group to “take on new endeavors as an individual.” The group released a statement Friday (Oct. 7) saying goodbye to Mara, but assuring fans that they’ll continue to make music with four members. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The band, who have four other members in addition to Mara — Edwin Honoret, Brandon Arreaga, Zion Kuwonu, and Austin Porter — also shared their new single “H2L” made by the remaining members. The single, which they describe as a Web3 single, is the band’s first independent release and is fully written and produced by the band members, according to their post on Sound.xyz. “We’d like to start off by saying we love each and every one of you for sticking by us and...
