Pulse Music

Taylor Swift's relationship with longtime love Joe Alwyn has always been under wraps. Neither star chooses to comment on their relationship, and they rarely make appearances together.

But that hardly stops the speculation. Recently, the pair were rumored to be engaged and Swift and Alwyn apparently set out to quash those rumors quietly by making an appearance in public together happy, but sans rings.

The pair were spotted in London drinking iced coffees and strolling together.

In was 53 years ago today (July 18th, 1969) that the Doors' released their fourth album -- the band's only extensively orchestrated collection,The Soft Parade.

The album, which originally peaked at Number Six on the Billboard 200 albums chart, featured four singles -- the Robby Krieger-written Top Three hit "Touch Me," which had been released the previous December; "Wishful Sinful," which stalled at Number 44 -- although it hit Number Three in Denmark; the album's lead cut "Tell All The People," which only reached Number 57; and "Runnin' Blue," which topped out at Number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100.

John Densmore told us that from the beginning to the end of the band, the Doors had a chemistry unparalleled: "Ray and I were completely synchronistic in our musical sensibilities. We just. . . intuitive stuff together and backed up Robby's soaring solos and Jim's vocal and. . . we were blessed. We gotta remember that was the muse coming in. Y'know, she just visits when she wants to. Yeah, even with Jim's self destruction, every time we made an album, when we were behind closed doors, there was a sacredness to the four of us."

Robbie Krieger says that looking back, the Doors' short time together was relatively free of ego problems or star trips: "It was really, like, the perfect group, y'know, as far as working together and stuff. There was no ego problems, y'know, and petty jealousies and stuff like that that a lot of groups go through."

Back in 2019, a 50th anniversary edition of The Soft Parade was issued as a triple-CD and one-LP set featuring nearly two hours of unreleased recordings -- including the premiere of the entire "Rock Is Dead" jam.

Happy Birthday to Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dion DiMucci, who turns 83 today (July 18th)!!! Dion and his original backing group the Belmonts helped bring white doo-wop from the Bronx to the national charts with such hits as "I Wonder Why" and "A Teenager In Love." The group went on to tour nationally, and were co-headliners on the ill-fated "Winter Dance Party" tour that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson on February 3rd, 1959. Dion went solo from the group in 1960, and immediately scored with hits such as "The Wanderer," "Runaround Sue," "Donna The Prima Donna," "Ruby Baby" -- and later in the decade with "Abraham, Martin, And John."

Dion's latest album, Stomping Ground ,was released on November 5th, 2021. Pete Townshend supplied the liner notes for the set, which includes contributions from such legends as Bruce Springsteen & Patti Scialfa, Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, Mark Knopfler, Bon Scaggs, Billy F. Gibbons, Rickie Lee Jones, Sonny Landreth, Joe Bonamassa, G.E. Smith, Keb' Mo', and many others.

Townshend wrote in the album's notes: "Dion, like a circling star that never fades, generates the energy and fire we need to pull ourselves up and start again. Dion is a star who knows well how to start again, how to keep shining. He looks at his watch every few years. Damn! Let's make a record. Take care. This one will blow those little white things in our ears right into your brain."

In 2020, Dion's album Blues With Friends, hit Number One on both the Billboard Blues Albums, and iTunes Blues Albums charts. The set has also topped the UK's Official Jazz & Blues Albums chart. Joining the Bronx legend for the set are such heavyweights as Bruce Springsteen & Patti Scialfa, Paul Simon, Jeff Beck, Van Morrison, Brian Setzer, Steve Van Zandt, Joe Bonamassa, and Billy F. Gibbons

Recently released is Dion's long lost 1965 collection, Kickin' Child, which was originally recorded for Columbia Records but left unreleased until now.

In 2016, Dion released his critically acclaimed album, New York Is My Home. The collection, which was produced by Conan bandleader Jimmy Vivino, features a duet with Paul Simon on the album's title track. Plans are currently in the works for a jukebox musical based on his life.

Dion told us that the deeper he got into discovering music as a kid, the more similarities he found there to be among various genres: "Country music, it's American music. Blues people must've heard country, country heard blues and putting those two together, that's what we called rock n' roll in the '50s. It just seems that country music was in a major key and blues was in a minor key. Pretty much the same three chords, but only major and minor."

Dion remembered that by the early-'60s, he felt that his music was slowly losing its New York street edge: "I was the first rock n' roll artist signed to Columbia Records and Aretha Franklin was there. And I'd be sitting on a piano stool with her, and we'd be doing Al Jolson songs they had us doing. They had me doing '(My) Mammy' and they had her doing 'Rock-A-Bye My Baby (sic).' They didn't know what to do with us."

One longtime fan who's sure to be catching Dion on the road is old friend Tony Orlando: "He's always been a man of the times; he's always been a visionary. Y'know, he's one of the really great, great performers. Do you know how long I know Dion? I hate to tell you this -- since 1961. And if I see him tomorrow, it's like we never had a week or a day go by. I have great respect for him."

Dion is a native New Yorker and has been spending more time in the "Big Apple" after migrating down south to Florida over 50 years ago: "I've been in Florida a long time. And I don't know if my accent got worse or what, but you'd think you'd lose some of it. But I come back here -- I just got an apartment here. I told (my wife) Susan, I said, 'I go to New York, I feel like I'm part of the mortar.' I went to Florida for a reason; the drugs, the alcohol, I was on a fast track that I would've died. So I kinda ran out of New York and I kinda found salvation down in Florida."

Dion, who had been a heavy drug user since his early teens, finally cleaned up in 1968. The next year, after a five-year chart absence, he scored a Top Ten hit with "Abraham, Martin And John," which eulogized fallen American heroes including President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Throughout the years, Dion has continued to perform in a number of genres, including rock, pop, country, gospel, and blues. He's recorded and performed live with artists such as Phil Spector, Billy Joel, Lou Reed, Paul Simon, Dave Edmunds, Bruce Springsteen, and Steven Van Zandt, among many others.

Dion DiMucci next performs on July 20th at Staten Island, New York's St. George Theatre.

Joe Satriani has tapped Peter Frampton, Toto's Steve Lukather, and John 5 for his G4 Experience guitar workshop, according to Ultimate Classic Rock.

2023's four-day event is set for January 3rd through 7th at Las Vegas' Hilton Lake Vegas Resort with instructors set to include Deep Purple's Steve Morse, Testament's Alex Skolnick, Five Finger Death Punch's Andy James, Vulfpeck's Cory Wong, blues maestro Eric Gales, former Bruno Mars guitarist Mateus Asato, Cirque du Soleil and Danny Elfman collaborator Nili Brosh, and fretless glass-necked inventor Ned Evett.

Joe Satriani tweeted about the G4 Experience, posting, "I've got some amazing, legendary musicians joining me at this G4 Experience. All of whom will be offering instruction, and they're gonna be sharing their knowledge with everyone who comes. You're never gonna get a chance like this to hang out with these amazing musicians and hear all the stories they've got and learn all the things that they are ready to teach you. And it's gonna be a blast."

For more information, log on to: https://g4experience.com/

Another Jonas baby has arrived. Joe Jonas and his wife Sophie Turner have announced the birth of their second child. The couple now have 2 daughters.

Their first baby, Willa, was born in July 2020. The couple got married in May of 2019 in a surprise Las Vegas ceremony and the following month had a large celebration in France.

People.com was the first source to make the announcement, but did not mention the baby's name or exact date of birth.

The news comes shortly after Joe's brother, Nick Jonas and his wife had a baby via surrogate. Older brother Kevin Jonas also has two kids with his wife Danielle.

TL;DR:

• Joe Jonas and his wife Sophie Turner now have 2 daughters.
• Baby's name and exact date of birth were not announced.

Journey is heading back out on the road for a 12-date mini-summer run in support of the band's just-released new album, Freedom. The group launches the run tonight (July 15th) and tomorrow (July 16th) in Las Vegas, Nevada at Resorts World Las Vegas and plays through September 17th in Sparks, Nevada at John Ascuagas Nugget.

We caught up with keyboardist Jonathan Cain and asked him to shed light on the band's recent Freedom sessions: "We were able to do really well without ever being in the same room. And I think we probably did it for about half the cost of what we would've normally have spent on an album. And I, kinda, wanted less songs on it. But, y'know, in the end, we haven't made an album in 11 years, (laughs) so -- why not? I let go of economy and, y'know, less is more and maybe the Journey fan will want this kind of volume, y'know? And it is almost two albums -- it's 70 minutes (laughs) of music."

Journey co-founder and leader Neal Schon told us that over four decades after Journey's first gig -- he honestly can't recall a bad show, or a lousy audience: "The audience that we've, y'know, attained and kept throughout these years, I mean, it's just been unbelievable. And all the shows that we played to those audiences -- they were all great. I don't remember playing a, a show that was bad, ever, or that people didn't like or, y'know, something bad happened."

Pink's new song, "Irrelevant" takes on anyone who dares to make her feel invisible or powerless.

She said she wrote the song after she woke up and got heated and that's how the song came about.

In a statement about the track, she explained, "As a woman with an opinion and the fearlessness to voice that opinion, it gets very tiring when the only retort is to tell me how irrelevant I am. I am relevant because I exist, and because I am a human being. No one is irrelevant. And no one can take away my voice." When We All Vote's mission is to increase participation in each election cycle and change the culture around voting."

Proceeds from the track, will be donated to former first lady Michelle Obama's nonpartisan voting initiative called When We All Vote.

The artwork for the single is a blurry snap of Pink throwing up the middle finger with glee.

TL;DR:

• Pink's new song, "Irrelevant" takes on anyone who dares to make her feel invisible or powerless.
• She said she wrote the song after she woke up and got heated.
• Proceeds from the track, will be donated to former first lady Michelle Obama's nonpartisan voting initiative called When We All Vote.

Out today (July 15th) is Chicago's 38th studio album, Born For This Moment. The band is now on the road with special guest Brian Wilson, who along with fellow Beach Boys Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin, will be opening for the band for most of the summer.

Chicago is led by its three co-founders -- keyboardist Robert Lamm, trumpeter Lee Loughnane, and trombonist James Pankow.

We asked Robert Lamm to give us the backstory on Born For This Moment: "It's by no means a (laughs) concept album. I would say it's a document of where the band was at at the beginning of this year. In view of the fact that the pandemic was not ending, I think everybody agreed that, if for nothing else, for our fans, give them something, letting them know that (laughs) we're still alive."

Lee Loughnane remains proud of how throughout the decades, Chicago has remained musically relevant: "The music business has completely changed, where even the major artists that are on top that used to sell millions and millions and millions; those millions have dwindled down to hundreds of thousands. So (laughs), all the numbers are completely different than they used to be, so it makes more sense -- music will never die, but the way you record it must change in order for artists to survive."

James Pankow told us that upon forming in 1967, literally nobody in the group was even remotely thinking that this band would be spanning decades: "The intention of this thing was to put a band together that we really got off on, 'cause that was the initial feeling in the room, when we first heard the first note. And we said, 'Hey, maybe we got something great here, y'know, a worthwhile endeavor. And maybe we'll be able to make a record. Maybe two -- maybe we'll be around for a couple of years (laughs).'"

Chicago performs tonight (July 15th) at Wantagh, New York's Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater.

Lady Gaga recently gave her first online makeup tutorial and it was an automatic success.

Known for her dramatic eyeliner, she demonstrated exactly how she gets that look. The superstar has really come through with some revolutionary products. Plus, Haus Laboratories by Lady Gaga products are vegan and cruelty-free.

So far, she has over 10,000 5-star reviews on her eyeliner and it sells for only $6 on Amazon.

TL;DR:

• So far, she has over 10,000 5-star reviews and it sells for only $6 on Amazon.
• Lady Gaga's Haus Laboratories by Lady Gaga products are vegan and cruelty-free.

Reports say that Beyonce recently shot the video for "Break My Soul" in Los Angeles and New Orleans. According to Theybf.com, clips leaked online of Big Freedia filming scenes for the video. The video is rumored to ben directed by Dikayl Rimmasch -- who also served as cinematographer for Beyonce's Homecoming film on Netflix. He also directed Black Is King, her Tiffany & Co ad and more.

BEYONCE JOINS TIKTOK

In other news, Beyonce has joined TikTok. The singer shared her first post, which was a montage of fans, including Cardi B, dancing to her new song "Break My Soul." She captioned the post, "Seeing y'all release the wiggle made me so happy! Thank you so much for all the love for BREAK MY SOUL! – Love B." Beyonce's seventh album Renaissaince is due out om July 29th.

Looks like Travis Barker is on the mend following his stay in the hospital. He gave a surprise performance at Machine Gun Kelly's Mainstream Sellout show at The Forum in Los Angeles on (7-13) Wednesday night. Marking his first on-stage appearance since his pancreatitis diagnosis last month.

As MGK introduced him, he said, "There's a person I grew up idolizing that I became friends with and he believed in me. And never more have I wanted to jam to a song that he and I created. LA's own, Travis Barker! Make some noise for him tonight."

The Blink-182 drummer emerged to huge applause and settled in to play "Tickets to My Downfall" and "Bloody Valentine."

Machine Gun Kelly told the audience, "You know, a fun fact is… Travis is not supposed to be playing drums right now, but guess what he's doing? Playing drums right now."

TL;DR:

• Travis Barker gave a surprise performance at Machine Gun Kelly's Mainstream Sellout show at The Forum in Los Angeles on (7-13) Wednesday night.
• Marking his first on-stage appearance since his pancreatitis diagnosis last month.
• They played "Tickets to My Downfall" and "Bloody Valentine."

It was 50 years ago today (July 15th, 1972) that Elton John scored his first chart-topping album with his fifth studio set, Honky Chateau. The album, which was released on May 19th, 1972, featured two major Top 10 hits -- "Rocket Man" which hit Number Six and "Honky Cat," which peaked at Number Eight. Over the years, "Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters" has become a staple in its own right, especially after being featured prominently in Cameron Crowe's 2000 hit, Almost Famous.

Honky Chateau held down the Number One spot for five weeks and spent a whopping 18 in the Top 10.

The tracklisting to Honky Chateau is: "Honky Cat," "Mellow," "I Think I'm Going To Kill Myself," "Susie (Dramas)," "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long, Long Time)," "Salvation," "Slave," "Amy," "Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters," and "Hercules."

Just prior to the release of Honky Chateau, Elton John spoke about his songwriting habits with lyricist Bernie Taupin: "I'm not the sort of songwriter who sits down at the piano every day and, sort of, churns it out from nine-'til-five. I know when I'm going to write a song, I just get a feeling that I'm going to write a song and I always do if I'm, sort of, in that mood. And we don't write that many songs -- say, about 20 a year. So, I just know. Y'know, we found a very ideal way of working and we just keep to it.

All told Elton John has scored seven Number One albums in the U.S. -- Honky Chateau (1972), Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player (1973), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973), Caribou (1974), Elton John's Greatest Hits (1974), Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975), and Rock Of The Westies (1975).

Kanye West returned to Instagram yesterday (July 14th) to speak on his parternship with The Gap and meeting with The Gap Inc executives. He said, "On my moms birthday I was able for the first time to sit in on a Gap call with Bob Martin, Bob Fisher and other leads of the company. Bob Martin was one of the most inspiring people I've heard speak in business. He kept saying go to the stores on the call. I came to Gap to put good product directly in stores."

He continued, "We've had 2 of the biggest sales day in Gap history since I've been there. We sold 14 million dollars worth of the perfect black hoodie at 80 dollars a hoodie off of a television commercial that was ran one time. I came to Gap to bring good quality products to the people at all times. Bob I need to meet with you as soon as possible."

The Yeezy Gap partnership was announced in 2020.

KANYE WEST HIT WITH $7 MILLION LAWSUIT OVER UNPAID CONCERT FEES

In other news, Kanye West has been hit with a $7 million lawsuit over unpaid concert fees. According to Complex, Phantom Labs has filed suit against Ye, claiming that they worked with the rapper on his Free Larry Hoover concert and his canceled Coachella set.

In the suit, the company claimed that Ye was paying the bill at first but then he stopped. Ye's bill was for $6 million but Phantom Labs ultimately was hit with a $1.1 million penalty for cancelling Coachella. Phantom Lab wants all of their money back.

Metallica lead guitarist Kirk Hammett has nothing but love for Pink Floyd's legendary David Gilmour. During a new chat with Guitar World, Hammett admitted, "I love 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' because there is a riff in that song, but it's so sideways and so around the back. When you listen, it's actually blues. It's a freaking blues progression but it doesn't sound like it, and that in itself is a real accomplishment. So I really think that song is just amazing. With the opening to it, that weird ringing opening chord, 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' is just epic, and there's so much that I love about that."

He went on to explain, "Everyone goes on about 'Comfortably Numb' and that guitar solo, and yes, the guitar solo is absolutely amazing with the delay and the chorus. But my favorite part is when he flubs a note and then turns it into an open G during the solo. I know everyone knows what I'm talking about! But I love that David left it in. I love that."

Hammett shed light on David Gilmour being able to showcase his virtuosity without ramming it down listeners' ears: "I love how understated Gilmour's playing is because it is understated. If anything, I could be more understated, but sometimes I just regurgitate a ton of notes. I can't help it -- it's just how I am! But David is very, very understated and that, in itself, is a real, real beauty to behold."

Metallica will next play on July 28th at Chicago's Grant Park for Lollapalooza.

Macklemore's long-rumored collaboration with Tones And I is apparently in the can and ready to be released.

Both have teased the music online and He shared a snippet as he tested the track on his car's sound system. He wrote, "Can you guess who's singing on the hook," he writes.

In the background you can hear Toni Watson, better known as Tones And I, singing "I'm on fire."

Tones, who had a monster hit with 2019's "Dance Monkey," has long been a huge fan of Macklemore. There was no mention of a release date.

TL;DR:

The extended Kiss family is mourning the death of friend and producer Michael James Jackson, who played a major role in the sound of Kiss' early-'80s records. Jackson died of Covid-related pneumonia.

The band posted a message on social media, which read, "Michael James Jackson has passed away from the complications of COVID related pneumonia. He was the driving force behind Killers, Creatures Of The Night, Lick It Up, and Animalize. His passion and belief in the band was instrumental in our new found success in the 80's. He loved our fans and was a close member of the KISS family until the end. We mourn his loss and celebrate his life."

Paul Stanley took to Instagram to write: "Michael James Jackson - My dearest and best friend for 40 years has died. His kindness and steadfast commitment to me and our friendship was a rock that supported me through the toughest times. He pushed me to start painting and reveled unselfishly in all my successes. Heartbroken."

Stanley told us that over the decades, Kiss has lived out their career in public and that come what may, the fans have always seen the very human side of Kiss throughout the years: "I've made mistakes. The band has made mistakes, but that's great. A) If you survive your mistakes, that's great, and B) if you learn from them, all the better. We've lived a very open and very public life, and anything that we've done has been on the record. We've been seen blemishes and all, and I think it's awesome."

Kiss performs on July 16th in Bucharest, Romania at Romexpo.

Their next U.S. show is set for September 21st at West Palm Beach's IThink Financial Amphitheatre.

Happy Birthday to Linda Ronstadt, who turns 76 today (July 15th)!!! Despite being born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Ronstadt, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, came to embody the '70s California soft-rock sound, alongside such acts as the Eagles and Jackson Browne.

In March 2021, Ronstadt joined David Crosby and the Beach Boys in selling her musical assets to music mogul Irving Azoff's Iconic Music Group. Ronstadt's deal differs from Azoff's others in that unlike the Beach Boys, it doesn't include her intellectual properties, or as with Crosby, her songwriting publishing. Ronstadt instead inked a deal in which Iconic "has acquired Ronstadt's assets, in a sale that includes name and likeness to promote the masters."

According to Rolling Stone, "Iconic's partnership with Ronstadt, her longtime manager John Boylan, and personal assistant Janet Stark will aim to preserve her legacy in the digital era -- including working with streaming services and social media, rolling out reissues, focusing on anniversaries, and more."

In December 2019, Linda Ronstadt drew applause for her rebuke of Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo in Washington, D.C. The incident took place during the State Department reception for Ronstadt and her fellow 2019 Kennedy Center honorees, which preceded the official gala, and where the recipients are actually awarded the medals. Pompeo, in his opening address, spoke of Ronstadt and quoted her 1975 hit cover of the Everly Brothers' "When Will I Be Loved," asking, "As I travel the world, I wonder when will I be loved?" Ronstadt, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, has limited her public outings over the past few years.

Variety reported: "Ronstadt has been an outspoken critic of (President) Trump. When it came her turn following dinner to receive the honor and make optional remarks, Ronstadt rose to the microphone a few feet away from the host's table and looked straight ahead. 'I'd like to say to Mr. Pompeo, who wonders when he'll be loved, it's when he stops enabling Donald Trump.' Then she sat down. The line drew immediate gasps from the audience, followed by slowly building applause, and then cheers."

2020 saw the CNN Films premiere of Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Of My Voice. The doc, which opened in 2019 at the Tribeca Film Festival, scored the Documentary Audience Award at the Provincetown International Film Festival. The Sound Of My Voice features interviews with Ronstadt spanning 50 years, with performances and interviews with such friends and frequent collaborators as Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, and JD Souther. The Sound Of My Voice went on to snag the Grammy Award for Best Music Film.

In February 2019, Linda Ronstadt released her very first official live album. Live In Hollywood features a dozen classic tracks recorded on April 24th, 1980 during Ronstadt's performance at L.A.'s Television Center Studios for her famed HBO special. Highlights on the set include such favorites as "Blue Bayou," "Poor Poor Pitiful Me," "It's So Easy" "You're No Good" -- along with a sampling of Ronstadt then-recent new wave-tinged Mad Love album, featuring "I Can't Let Go," "How Do I Make You" and "Hurt So Bad."

In December 2018, Ronstadt canceled two spring 2019 speaking appearances. After revealing her battle with Parkinson's disease in 2013, Ronstadt has been performing a select bunch of multi-media speaking engagements, titled "A Conversation With Linda." The scrapped shows at Town Hall in New York City and the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, New Jersey would have marked her first East Coast events.

In 2013, Ronstadt published her autobiography, called Simple Dreams, via Simon And Schuster. The book chronicled her early years, her '70s super-stardom, her 1980's career on Broadway, recording standards -- and eventually Mexican folk music, all leading up to her 2009 retirement from the business.

In 2015, Linda Ronstadt received the prestigious National Medal of Arts from President Obama at the White House.

In 2017, Ronstadt released a 40th anniversary expanded edition of Ronstadt's chart-topping Simple Dreams album. Simple Dreams, which was produced by Peter Asher, hit Number One on December 3rd, 1977. The five-week chart-topper snagged Ronstadt three Top 40 hits, with her cover of Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou" peaking at Number Three, her remake of Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy" hitting Number Five, and her version of good friend Warren Zevon's "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" topping out at Number 31. The new collection features three live 1980 recordings of the album's classic hits.

Linda Ronstadt, who is of Mexican and German heritage, first broke on the scene in 1967 with her group the Stone Poneys, who scored a Top 20 hit with "Different Drum," which was written by the Monkees' Mike Nesmith. Ronstadt went solo soon afterwards, and her initial solo back up band included Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner, who went on to become the Eagles.

Although Ronstadt did write some of her own music, all of her biggest hits were covers. Among her most famous hits were her versions of the Everly Brothers' "When Will I Be Loved," Martha Reeves & The Vandellas' "Heat Wave," Smokey Robinson & The Miracles' "The Tracks Of My Tears," Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou," Chuck Berry's "Back In The U.S.A.," Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy," and the Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice." In the late-'80's and early-'90s she scored such duet hits with Aaron Neville on "I Don't Know Much" and James Ingram on "Somewhere Out There."

In later years, Ronstadt branched out into theatre, appearing on Broadway in Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates Of Penzance, recording a trio of standards albums with legendary arranger Nelson Riddle, doing two country albums with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris, a trio of albums of traditional Mexican music, and an album of lullabies.

Throughout the years, Ronstadt has been linked romantically to many high-profiled suitors, including then-California Governor Jerry Brown; musicians such as Gram Parsons and the Eagles' Don Henley; actors Bill Murray, Albert Brooks, and Jim Carrey; and director George Lucas. As a single mother, Ronstadt has adopted two children, Carlos and Mary.

During his 2014 speech inducting Linda Ronstadt into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the late, great Glenn Frey touched upon how the Eagles learned their craft while serving as her backing band: "Obviously the first thing we all noticed was what a great singer she was. And for Don (Henley) and I, to be the two harmony singers to be singing with all these incredible songs that she loved, y'know, was just the step in the right direction for us. We both loved harmony singing, and to be able to do it with Linda was a treat." (17 OC: . . . was a treat)

Linda Ronstadt says that she has mixed emotions on every facet of her career: "My music has always been 80 percent private music and twenty percent what I did for the public, but the public part of it just became so dominant, and I. . . it didn't need to be that way. And I, y'know, I've done it, I've been on the road. I've had an unusually long career. Most people's career's (laughing), don't last as long as mine and nobody would want to, unless you're mentally imbalanced. Nobody would want to keep going out on the road. It's a horrible. . . it's not a nice existence. There's nothing natural about it."

Linda Ronstadt has admittedly shared a microphone with the best in the business -- and she says that all our secrets and personal information are audible by the sound of our voices: "I can hear their life, I can hear the state of their health, I can hear, y'know, whether they feel good about singin' that note -- I mean, you can hear so much. I don't always listen with that intensity -- I can hear lying, y'know? I think people in law enforcement get really good, they have a talent for it to start with. My brother was, is a good singer, but he was the chief of police in Tucson for years and you do not ever want to tell him a lie, because he's gonna know (laughs) in one word. He's gonna know halfway through the sentence, you're lying. So, you can hear that kind of stuff in a voice. I don't think we have very well trained ears in a lot of ways."

When we last caught up with Ronstadt, she admitted to us that life on the road was always the least enjoyable part of her career: "My idea of a great week is when I don't set foot off my property. I really like to be at home, I've always been a homebody. I've never liked traveling; I've never liked performing. And it was just something that I had to do in order to get to the music. I always loved the music and I always wanted the music to get better and better, and I was thrilled to have success because it meant that I was able to get better musicians to work with. And that's the beginning and end of it. But I've never been comfortable on the stage and it's not anything that I want to do."

Ronstadt's last album was her 2006 collaboration Adieu False Heart with Ann Savoy. In May 2009 Ronstadt -- along with Smokey Robinson and merengue pioneer Juan Luis Guerra -- was awarded an honorary degree at Boston's Berklee School of Music's graduation.

Recently released is Linda Ronstadt's compilation, Duets. The collection, which spans Ronstadt's entire career includes team-ups with Don Henley, J.D. Souther, Emmylou Harris, James Taylor, Dolly Parton, Aaron Neville, Bette Midler, James Ingram, and "The Chairman Of The Board" himself -- Frank Sinatra, among others.

Blackpink will join the virtual world with the group's first-ever, in-game concert. Presented by PUBG Mobile, they'll also debut a special track with a new music video within the platform.

While watching the virtual concert, fans will be able to personalize the event by choosing the outfits the group wears on stage.

There will be a few opportunities to see them perform in this ground-breaking in-game event. It runs on July 22 and 23 and again on July 29 and 30 in North & South America.

Players can secure their free tickets (in-game) starting (tomorrow) July 15th, and will be able to preload the Concert Resource Pack the very next day.

TL;DR:

• Blackpink will join the virtual world with the group's first-ever, in-game concert. Presented by PUBG Mobile.
• Fans will be able to personalize the event by choosing the outfits the group wears on stage.
• It runs on July 22 and 23 and again on July 29 and 30.

Coming on September 23 is the latest massive Grateful Dead archival set -- In And Out Of The Garden: Madison Square Garden '81, '82, '83. The 17-disc boxed set premieres six previously unreleased shows recorded at MSG between 1981 and 1983 and is available now for pre-order. Production of the set is limited to 12,500 individually numbered copies and is available exclusively from Dead.net for $179.98. Full audio will also be available in its entirety as a digital download exclusively at Dead.net in Apple Lossless ($119.98) and FLAC 192/24 ($149.98).

The boxed set includes six unreleased concerts recorded at Madison Square Garden on March 9th and 10th, 1981; September 20th and 21st, 1982; and October 11th and 12th, 1983. In And Out Of The Garden features newly restored and speed-corrected audio by Plangent Processes, was mastered by Jeffrey Norman and produced for release by Grateful Dead archivist and legacy manager David Lemieux.

On the same day, the March 9th, 1981 show from the boxed set will be released separately at all regular retail outlets. Madison Square Garden, NY (3/9/81) will be available as a triple-disc set ($29.98) and digitally.

A while back, the late, great Jerry Garcia spoke about his time in the Grateful Dead: "A large part of my life, I've spent doing something, which has turned out being more fun than I thought it was going to be, and it's lasted way longer than I imagined it might, and it's taken me places that I would never, ever imagined. It's hard to separate myself from the experience. After all, it is my life. For me, it's 24 years of all kinds of stuff like everybody goes through -- y'know, life and death, and kids grown' up. And, y'know, the Grateful Dead has been this one, constant, continuous source during the whole thing."

On the upcoming collection, fans will get a healthy dose of beloved Dead keyboardist Brent Mydland, who died of an accidental overdose on July 26th, 1990. Drummer Mickey Hart remembers Mydland's time with the band with mixed emotions: "Brent was a beautifully charming, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed kind of a guy and crazy as a loon, y'know? He just went off the road, y'know? He just couldn't take the Grateful Dead. The Grateful Dead killed him, like it killed almost all of our keyboard players. You wouldn't wanna be a keyboard player in this band. It's almost like a. . . It seems to be almost prophetic."

5 Seconds of Summer dropped a new single this week called "Blender." Co-written and co-produced by the band, the song showcases the group's pop and punk influences and gives a preview of their upcoming album, 5SOS5.

As part of their world tour, the band is currently touring the U.S.

5 Seconds of Summer will release their 5th studio album on September 23. It will have 19 tracks and be available on cassette and vinyl formats, as well as digitally.

TL;DR:

⦁ 5 Seconds of Summer dropped a new single this week called "Blender."

⦁ from their upcoming album, 5SOS5 out September 23.

The Daily Mail is reporting that Doja Cat has lost 200,000 Instagram followers after going public about Noah Schnapp sharing their private DMs. Doja reached out to Schnapp to inquire about Stranger Things co-star Joseph Quinn, hoping to spark a romance.

After Schnapp's revealed Doja's DMs, Doja said that his actions were "borderline snake sh*t" and "weasel sh*t." This is after she noted that Schnapp is "a kid" and "when you're that young, you make mistakes. You do dumb sh*t."

Doja now has 24.14 million followers while Schnapp gained 1 million followers, going from from 24.25 million to 25.17 million

Jay Z says that he has not retired from rap music. In an interview with Kevin Hart on his Hart to Hart podcast, when asked if he was retired, he said, "Nah, I tried that. I just needed a break. But I really thought that I was really burnt out at that time. I was releasing an album every year. '96, '97, '98, and in between that, soundtracks, other people's albums, Roc-A-Fella, touring, back to back. I just looked up one day and I was like 'I'm tired.' I had never been on vacation until like, I want to say 2000, my whole life. I was just really burnt out at that moment."

He continued, "I don't know what happens next. I'm not actively making music or making an album or have plans to make an album, but I never want to say that I'm retired. It's a gift, so who am I to shut it off. And it may have a different form or interpretation. Maybe it's not an album, maybe it is. I have no idea, but I'm just going to leave it open."

On Wednesday (7-13) Harry Styles premiered the music video for his single "Late Night Talking." The clip takes him everywhere from the streets of London to the skies, all from the comfort of his own bed. As he makes sense of his surroundings, he dives into the center of his bed and emerges wearing his pajamas. "Late Night Talking" is Styles' second single from his album, Harry's House.

Original Talking Heads keyboardist/guitarist Jerry Harrison and touring guitarist Adrian Belew have announced a Remain in Light celebration concert in Los Angeles. The musicians will perform music from the 1980 album and discuss Talking Heads' legacy. The event is slated for September 29th. Tickets for this one-time-only event go on sale July 15th

Christina Aguilera says that she is "completely open" to collaborating with one of her Masterclass students and said she's constantly inspired by them. She told People.com that she's offering new sessions online and in a span of 30-days, she'll teach students how to craft their own version of a song, how to warm up their voices and how to sing with confidence. The yearly online masterclass membership is $180.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi along with Glenn Horowitz and Edward Kosinski were formerly charged on July 12th for "allegedly possessing a trove of stolen handwritten notes and lyrics by the Eagles' co-founder Don Henley, with New York officials estimating the documents are worth more than $1 million."

Inciardi and Kosinski were also charged with first degree counts of criminal possession and had previously tried to sell of the lyric manuscripts to such high profile auction houses as Sotheby's and Christie's -- while attempting to also get Don Henley to buy back his stolen property.

Rolling Stone reported that the trio accused of the conspiracy, featured nearly 100 pages of handwritten notes and lyrics by Henley -- including such standards as "Hotel California" and "Life In The Fast Lane." According to the report, Henley had been trying to recover his papers for years after they were stolen back in the 1970's by a biographer and eventually ended up in at the accuse Glen Horowitz' possession.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with President and CEO Joel Peresman wrote in a letter to Rolling Stone: "At this time we do not know whether Craig engaged in any wrongdoing. He will remain on leave pending the resolution of the third party internal investigation and the extent of the charges once the indictment is unsealed."

In a statement provided to Rolling Stone, the Eagles manager Irving Azoff said, "The band was pleased with the indictments and Henley was looking forward to the documents return. This action exposes the truth about music memorabilia sales of highly personal, stolen items hidden behind a facade of legitimacy. No one has the right to sell illegally obtained property or profit from the outright theft of irreplaceable pieces of musical history. These handwritten lyrics are an integral part of the legacy Don Henley has created over the course of his 50-plus-year career."

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg also issued a statement, which read: "New York is a world-class hub for art and culture, and those who deal cultural artifacts must scrupulously follow the law. These defendants attempted to keep and sell these unique and valuable manuscripts, despite knowing they had no right to do so. They made up stories about the origin of the documents and their right to possess them so they could turn a profit."