The Beatles spent the last three years of the 1960s breaking up. By the spring of 1970, little more than a snarled set of business relationships was keeping them together....
The Beatles’ famous, bittersweet Savile Row rooftop concert on Jan. 30, 1969, drew me to London to pay homage to the group’s last performance and caused me to recall my own rooftop experience with the comedy troupe The Gramcrackers....
Paul McCartney still knows how to put on a show at 74-years-old. The ex-Beatle played for almost three hours to a packed Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, running the gamut of his musical repertoire from Beatles classics to Wings hits and some interesting new material. McCartney also played up his New Jersey roots, namely his wife Nancy Shevell, who was born and raised in the Garden state....
Sam Smith, who rocketed to fame after winning the 2014 Critics’ Choice Award at the UK BRIT Awards, has just finished a secret mission. He’s written the theme song for the new Bond movie “Spectre,” joining the ranks of luminaries like Paul McCartney....
Ringo Starr, who became a rock and roll legend as drummer for The Beatles in the 1960s, has added his insights into the split between Zayn Malik and One Direction. They will survive, he says. Starr also delivered a bit of a backhand diss of the Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Niall Horan. “I don’t think it will stop the band, he said, before quizzically adding,”They’re not really a band are they? They’re singing boys who dance."...
George Harrison was unquestionably the Beatle I really wanted to meet. Who could forget his early songs like “Taxman” and “Blue Jay Way,” or his lasting contribution to human rights. He would have been 72 today had he survive lung cancer that took his life in 2001 at the age of 58. I met John Lennon, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, but Harrison eluded me. He was full of intrigue and complexity and almost dared you to like him. His brilliant 1970 Concert For Bangladesh set the standard for charity shows. Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Jim Keltner, Jesse Ed Davis, Klaus Vorman, half-of Badfinger, Ringo, Billy Preston and horn-men Tom Scott and Jim Horn were there, led by George....
Rihanna officially released her “FourFiveSeconds” video this morning (Feb. 3) featuring Kanye West and Paul McCartney and showcasing a different look to go with the decidely un-Rihanna like tune. Rihanna chose a minimalist route for the video. It’s mainly just her, half-naked, against a white backdrop. Who could ask for more? Collaborators Wests and ex-Beatle McCartney make appearances as well. Kanye sings and McCartney plays guitar....
As soon as the new Paul McCartney single, “New,” broke, I listened to it straight away. At 71, McCartney is pushing it more than ever: world tours, videos, re-mastered early works; rather amazing I’d say. As big as The Beatles became, they are just a chapter in his long storied career. The new song is miraculously more ’70s and ’80s than anything else–think “Penny Lane” or “My Brave Face.” “We can do as we want; we can live as we choose” is the one lyric that will jump out at you, and rather charming at that. ...
Paul McCartney nearly touched off a riot at the screening of his new, re-edited rockumentary “Rockshow” in London last month, and now the concert film is out on DVD and Blu-ray. It documents his epic “Wings over the World” tour in the United States....
Paul McCartney’s live DVD for his recent Kisses on the Bottom album has been released by Eagle Vision and is just sensational, from Elvis Costello’s fantastic liner notes to a behind-the-scenes look at the video for his wedding song, “My Valentine.” Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman appear in the video, and the DVD includes all six versions! ...
Pete Bennett, one of the top promotion men in rock music during its Golden era, died suddenly of a heart attack on Thanksgiving day at his home in Connecticut. He was 77.
Bennett, named “World’s Top Promotion Man,” by Billboard magazine, is credited for propelling the careers of The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, The Who, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor and many artists and bands. Bennett, born in the Bronx, NY was described by ex-Beatle Paul McCartney as “the promotion man responsible for getting the Beatles on the radio,” according to his company Peter Bennett Enterprises....
Paul McCartney’s bluesy “My Valentine,” which he wrote and dedicated to his new wife, Nancy Schevell is out on video. Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman are the only characters. The ex-Beatle debuted the video in Los Angeles last night (Apr. 13). Oscar-winning cinematographer Wally Pfister (“Dark Knight,” “Inception”), Susanne Preissler and Paul Martinez produced and edited the minimalist, black and white clip, which runs just over three minutes....
Paul McCartney’s “My Valentine,” the song he wrote for his marriage to Hamptons lover Nancy Shevel has just been released. The dreamy ballad is off his upcoming album, showcasing tunes that inspired The Beatles....
Taylor Swift answers critics who claim she can’t sing with a new video made up of clips from her Speak Now Tour. If anything, Swift is a consummate performer and worthy of her accolades and phenomenal popularity....
“I can’t believe I’m playing at the Highline Ballroom, and neither can my movie career,” joked Steve Martin when he took the stage with his banjo to the sound of a crowd of excited fans. That’s right, Steve Martin, that wild and crazy guy....
When The Beatles started their own record label Apple Records in 1968, it represented just how important the group was and how big they had become. Sure, the Moody Blues had Threshold Records, but Apple really set the standard and every artist-startup had that label as their template....
Back in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, The Beatles had such a wealth of money and influence that they decided to launch their own record label, Apple Records. Some 40 years later this month, a new album, Come and Get It: The Best of Apple Records, will be released, including a lot of material that has never been available on CD, or digital download....
Former Beatle Paul McCartney played a three-night sold out concert at the new home of the New York Mets in July, to not only christen the stadium but to reprise...