Music News
Hargus ‘Pig’ Robbins, Country Hall of Fame Member Who Played With George Jones, Patsy Cline, Bob Dylan & More, Dies at 84
Hargus “Pig” Robbins, a Country Music Hall of Fame member and renowned session pianist who played with the likes of George Jones, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and many more, has died. He was 84. Robbins passed away on Sunday (Jan. 30), the Country Music Hall of Fame confirmed. In a statement from the Country Music Association, CEO Sarah Trahern wrote, “Hargus ‘Pig’ Robbins was a defining sound for so much of the historic music out of Nashville. His talent spoke for itself through his decades-spanning career and work as a session pianist with countless artists across genres. Our hearts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.” Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young said, “Like all successful session musicians, Pig Robbins was quick to adapt to any studio ...
Joe Rogan Acknowledges Criticism Which Led to Neil Young’s Spotify Boycott: ‘If I P—ed You Off, I’m Sorry’
Joe Rogan offered a mea culpa as a string of artists pull their music from Spotify in protest to concerns about vaccine misinformation being spread via his popular podcast. Last week, Neil Young announced he would yank his catalog from the streaming platform, citing Spotify’s failure to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform with respect to comments made on the Joe Rogan Experience. Fellow Canadian Joni Mitchell followed suit, as did Bruce Springsteen guitarist Nils Lofgren, who will both be removing music in solidarity. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Now, in a clip posted to Instagram, Rogan addresses for the first time “some of the controversy that’s been going on over the past few days.” Speaking for ten minutes, Ro...
Kanye West and Julia Fox Share Passionate French Kiss in Paris
Kanye West and Julia Fox’s romance was on full display during a recent trip to Paris. Photographer Danielle Levitt took to her Instagram page on Friday (Jan. 28) to share a steamy photograph of the Donda rapper and Uncut Gems actress French kissing during a recent celebrity-filled dinner party. West (who now goes by Ye) and Fox made their red carpet debut on Jan. 23, posing together at Kenzo’s fashion show during Paris Fashion Week. The pair coordinated in denim ensembles that were accessorized with black gloves. Explore Explore Kanye West See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In Levitt’s candid snapshot, the 31-year-old actress is seen with her arms wrapped around the rapper and fashion mogul, 44, as they share an open-mouthed smooch. Fox donned a one-shoul...
Drake Shares Adorable Video of Son Adonis Teaching Him Some French
Drake‘s four-year-old kid is seen having a ridiculously cute conversation with his dad in a new video shared on Instagram. In the clip, which Drake posted on Friday (Jan. 28), Adonis asks whether his dad “will be much bigger than me,” to which Drake replies, “Am I gonna be much bigger than you? I don’t think so, you’re pretty tall. You think you’re gonna be bigger than me?” “Yeah! I’m gonna be, like, old,” Adonis predicts. Explore Explore Drake See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “When you’re my age, how big are you gonna be?” asks Drake, whose Certified Lover Boy album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in September, and who celebrated his son’s fourth birthday in October. Adonis — whose mother Sophie Brussaux was born and raised in France — then...
Stax Museum Offering Virtual Events for Black History Month
The Stax Museum of American Soul Music and its music academy in Tennessee are once again offering an online concert and a virtual tour in honor of Black History Month in February. The Memphis-based studio produced soul music by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, The Staples Singers, Booker T. and the MGs, Wilson Pickett and others in the 1960s and 1970s. The studio has been turned into a museum, and the adjacent Stax Music Academy teaches music theory, business and performance to young people. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The museum offered an online concert and virtual tours in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. More than 130,000 students and adults viewed the programs, Stax said in a news release. This year’s online concert wil...
Interscope Records Teams Up With LACMA for ‘Artists Inspired by Music: Interscope Reimagined’ Exhibit: See the Photos
Interscope Records teamed up with LACMA to host a special preview of their collaborative exhibit, Artists Inspired by Music: Interscope Reimagined on Wednesday (Jan. 26). To celebrate the label’s 30th anniversary, the exhibit features over 50 pieces of art that reference both albums and songs from Interscope’s impressive roster of musicians including Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, BLACKPINK, Lana Del Rey, Snoop Dogg, Juice WRLD, Dr. Dre, Lady Gaga and more. Halsey, Shepard Fairey and Takashi Murakami are among the several artists that have contributed original works to the exhibition. Interscope executives Jimmy Iovine (co-founder), Steve Berman (vice chairman), John Janick (chairman) and Josh Abraham (music executive) all conceptualized the idea for the exhibit, later working with Staci S...
Ezra Miller Delivers Cryptic Message to Ku Klux Klan in Viral Video
Ezra Miller on Thursday posted a cryptic video to social media in which the actor appears to threaten members of a Ku Klux Klan chapter in North Carolina. Wearing a Flash ring, the DC superhero actor does not explain what prompted the video, and their rep could not be immediately reached for comment. A connection between the town, identified by Miller as Beulaville, and the KKK was not immediately apparent. Says Miller in the video: “Look, if y’all want to die, I suggest just killing yourselves with your own guns. OK? Otherwise, keep doing exactly what you’re doing right now — and you know what I am talking about — then, you know, we’ll do it for you, if that’s really what you want. Talk to you soon, OK. Bye.” Along with the video, Miller wrote in the caption, “Please disseminate (gro...
Post Malone, Taylor Swift, Neil Young, Cardi B, Lana Del Rey & More of the Week’s Biggest Winners (Jan. 28)
If anyone learned a lesson this week, it’s Damon Albarn, and the lesson was to never question Taylor Swift‘s songwriting ability. The 11-time Grammy winner clapped back at his remarks that she didn’t write her own songs, and the credits, collaborators such as Jack Antonoff, and Swifties said otherwise. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Another singer-songwriter whose pen game has been praised and demanded respect lately is Lana Del Rey. The U.S. Army shared the LDR quote, “Being brave means knowing that when you fail, you don’t fail forever” in honor of #SoldierSaturday, which sent Twitter into a frenzy. But her fans recalled the 2010s Tumblr era for the 10th anniversary of her album Born to Die on Thursday (Jan. 27). And Adele sets ano...
INXS’ Tim Farriss ‘Very Disappointed’ After Losing Court Battle Over Severed Finger
Tim Farriss, founding guitarist with new wave icons INXS, is considering his next move after losing a legal battle against the owners and operators of a vessel on which he lost a finger. Farriss launched proceedings after the ring finger on his left hand was severed in a gruesome boating accident in Sydney’s Akuna Bay back in January 2015, when it was caught in a chain as he attempted to drop anchor. The rocker was treated at the Royal North Shore hospital for a week, and required several surgeries to reattach the digit. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The damage, however, is permanent. Seven years on, the finger is essentially “useless,” and he’s now in “forced retirement,” his reps told the NSW Supreme Court. It’s “in a state now where he can...
Billboard Explains: When a Soundtrack Dominates the Charts
The Billboard charts have been an integral part of the music industry since the 1940s, keeping records of the most-played songs and albums across a broad range of genres throughout the decades. On occasion, movie, television or musical soundtracks are popular enough to make appearances on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts — a feat that first started with the original West Side Story film and now continues with Disney’s Encanto. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Upon its release in 1961, the West Side Story soundtrack broke several records, spending 54 weeks on the Billboard 200 and laying the groundwork for soundtrack albums from The Graduate (1967), Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1978) to top the all-genre albums chart following their release....
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Announce Split
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones revealed that after more than 30 years, 11 albums and 10 EPs, the group is breaking up. The ska band took to their website on Thursday (Jan. 27) to announce the news in a statement. “After decades of brotherhood, touring the world and making great records together we have decided not to continue on as a band,” the statement read. “Above all, we want to express our sincere gratitude to every single one of you who have supported us. We could not have done any of it without you.” The Mighty Mighty Bosstones also added some humor to the situation, sharing a caption-less video on Instagram of the Earth split in two to the sound of their When God Was Great hit, “Bruised.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news In the 1980s, the band’s lead singer Dicky Barrett fou...
Morrissey Asks Johnny Marr to Stop Talking About Him in ‘Clickbait’ Interviews
Morrissey has penned an open letter to his former bandmate Johnny Marr asking him to “stop using my name as clickbait” in interviews and to “move on.” The pair, who along with bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce formed the highly influential Manchester rock act The Smiths, have had a nonexistent relationship following the band’s breakup in 1987, but have sniped at each other in the press since. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In the letter, posted on Morrissey Central, Morrissey wrote, “This is not a rant or an hysterical bombast. It is a polite and calmly measured request: Would you please stop mentioning my name in your interviews?” “Would you please, instead, discuss your own career, your own unstoppable solo achievements and your own...
