Sunday September 18th, 2005
New CD's this past week:
- Syleena Johnson - Chapter 3: The flesh
- Charlie Wilson - Charlie, last name Wilson
- Ian Martin - The way (UK release)
- Ruby Turner - So amazing (UK release)
Music news headlines this week:
Heather Headley’s Sophomore CD To Be Released November
15, New Single In September
Two time Grammy nominated and Tony award
winning recording artist Heather
Headley’s first single “In My Mind,” off her highly anticipated new album
on RCA Records, hits airwaves Sept 26th.
This is the world’s first taste of Heather’s powerful voice since her
critically acclaimed debut album “This Is Who I Am” which garnered her two
Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, two BET Award nominations, two NAACP Award
nominations, a Soul Train Award nomination and the ultimate recognition:
Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist and Best R&B Vocal. The stand
out single is produced and written by Grammy nominated, Shannon Sanders
and Drew Ramsey.
Heather’s sophomore album is slated for release in mid November and has
such top talents as Babyface, Lil’ Jon and Jermaine Dupri working on
material for her. More information on the upcoming full length to be
released shortly.
Destiny’s Child DVD Pushed Back To 2006
With a greatest hits album due out next
month, Destiny's Child has decided
to hold the concert DVD from its recently completed farewell tour until
next year. The group's spokesperson said that the DVD, which was filmed in
Atlanta on the trio's Destiny Fulfilled...And Loving It tour, will be
released in 2006. That will keep it from competing with the Destiny's
Child #1's album that's due out October 25th. No title, track list, or
extra features have yet been announced for the DVD.
Destiny's Child announced in June that it would split after the tour, with
the three group members -- Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle
Williams -- going on to their own projects.
Destiny's Child will also be featured on the Live 8 DVD that comes out on
November 8th. The package will include the group's performances of
"Survivor" and "Girl" in Philadelphia .
Chaka Khan’s Son Ordered To Stand Trial
Chaka Khan's son, 26-year-old Damien
Patrick Holland, was ordered to stand
trial for fatally shooting 17-year-old Christopher Baily back in September
2004 as the two struggled for a gun during a fight. Los Angeles Superior
Court Judge Stephanie Sautner decided that there was sufficient evidence
to allow the case to proceed on Monday (September 12), district attorney's
spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons tells the Associated Press. Arraignment is
scheduled for September 26.
Holland was arrested after the shooting but released after prosecutors
said they didn't have enough evidence to charge him. After witnesses were
found, prosecutors filed charges against Holland .
Fifty two-year-old Chaka Khan, whose real name is Yvette Marie Stevens, is
best-known for hits including "Tell Me Something Good," and "I Feel for
You."
Aretha Franklin & Lou Rawls To Pray Tribute To Sam
Cooke
Aretha Franklin will be among the artists
performing during The Rock And
Roll Hall of Fame's salute to Sam Cooke. The concerts are part of A Change
Is Gonna Come: The Life and Music of Sam Cooke, the 10th annual
installment of the Rock Hall's American Music Masters series presented in
conjunction with Case Western Reserve University . The first concert on
November 5th at Cleveland's Playhouse Square's State Theatre, will also
feature Elvis Costello, former J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf, Taj
Mahal, Cissy Houston, the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Blind Boys Of Alabama
and many more.
The next night, Lou Rawls will be joining Franklin and many of the
previous night's stars as they perform selections from Cooke's early
gospel recordings. Rawls, who started his career backing Cooke, can be
heard harmonizing with him on many of his best known song, and duetting
with him on "Bring It On Home To Me." He says that working on songs
with Sam Cooke came very naturally: "A lot of the songs that Sam wrote,
he wrote in my mom's house because he would come over with his guitar and
he would just say, 'I got an idea for a tune, Lou.' And he would start
playing on his guitar, and we would sit there and harmonize like that."
Scheduled prior to the November 5th show will be an academic symposium on
Cooke's music at Case's Ford Auditorium -- with appearances by Cooke's
brother L.C. Cooke and National Association For The Advancement Of Colored
People chairman Julian Bond, among others
Sam Cooke scored 29 Top 40 hits including "Chain Gang," "Twistin' the
Night Away," "Another Saturday Night," and the 1957 Number One hit "You
Send Me."
Cooke was shot and killed on December 11th, 1964, by the manager of a Los
Angeles motel. Details surrounding Cooke's death are still unclear, but
Cooke's killer claimed she acted in self defense.