C Notes

New evidence discovered by journalist suggests the death of Rolling Stones' guitarist may not have been an accident

Police are to take another look at the death of the Rolling Stones founder member and guitarist Brian Jones, 40 years after he was found drowned at his East Sussex farmhouse, after new evidence about the case was unearthed by an investigative journalist.

The flamboyant 27-year-old rock star was found on July 3, 1969, floating in the swimming pool at Cotchford Farm, once the home of children's author AA Milne. An inquest ruled that Jones's drowning – which occured less than a month after he had been sacked from the Stones and followed a binge of drugs and drinking - was an accident.

Several films and books have since suggested that foul play was involved, and Sussex police have agreed to re-examine the case after receiving new information from a journalist who they have not named. He is thought to be Scott Jones, a freelance reporter who has spent four years looking into the guitarist's death. The Mail on Sunday said Scott Jones, no relation to the guitarist, had handed over 600 documents to Sussex police. He also reportedly had a three-and-a-half hour meeting with senior officers in July, in which they discussed testimony from witnesses at the house on the night Jones died.

Last November an article by Jones published in the MoS revealed fresh evidence from Janet Lawson, who found Jones's body. Lawson, the then girlfriend of the Rolling Stones' tour manager Tom Keylock, said she saw Frank Thorogood, a London building contractor who was renovating Jones's house, jump into the pool and "do something to Brian". Lawson, who died of cancer last year, was convinced Thorogood had killed Jones.

Scott Jones's article quoted Lawson as saying that police had pressured her and "were trying to put words into my mouth" when she gave her statement, which made no mention of any tension between Thorogood and Brian Jones.

In 1994 two books claimed Jones was murdered by Thorogood. Both Paint it Black: The Murder of Brian Jones by Geoffrey Giuliano and Terry Rawlings's Who Killed Christopher Robin? - a reference to Winnie-the-Pooh author Milne - said the builder confessed to killing Jones on his deathbed in November 1993. Anna Wohlin, Brian Jones's Swedish girlfriend, has also claimed that Thorogood killed him. In her 1999 book The Murder of Brian Jones, she said that Thorogood, who was the last person to see Jones alive, behaved suspiciously and showed little sympathy when his body was discovered.

Rachel Helyer Donaldson, The First Post

My Sunday, October 3rd visit to the Rock and Roll and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland became a milestone moment in my life. Norm N. Nite devoted his full 3-Hour broadcast from the Sirius XM 'Alan Freed Studios' to "Sh-Boom!" Countless calls rolled in from Dion, Connie Francis, Leslie Gore, Lou Christie, Freddie Cannon, Jay Siegal, Dee Dee Sharp, Bobby Vee, Nick from the Capris and Al Contrara from the Classics. This surprise was the finest day of my life ... I am forever grateful to Norm N Nite.

This has been one of the toughest summers in recent memory for music tours. Some of the biggest treks of the summer were called off because of injuries (U2), illness (Simon and Garfunkel, and Mastodon), lack of preparation (Limp Bizkit, Christina Aguilera) and general economic malaise (Eagles).

In the past week, box office woes have forced the cancellation of seven stops on the American Idols Live! tour and 10 shows on the resurrected Lilith Fair.

With the economy still in a funk and joblessness holding steady, the main complaint about the concert industry has been the out-of-control prices of tickets. According to Pollstar, the average cost of a concert ticket in 2009 was a somewhat-astounding $62.57. Comparatively speaking, that's a nearly 35 percent increase over the average at the beginning of the decade (in that same time period, the inflation rate has only increased 24 percent). And that's not even taking into account transportation, concessions and merchandise, all of which push up the cost of seeing your favorite artist in concert. At the same time, sales and attendance have not slowed on the big event festivals. While there are fewer

of them than there have been in past years, they have seen no real decrease in sales or attendance.

Compiled from the Hull Daily Mail, UK

By the 1970s, Neil Sedaka had been reduced to the status of a $50 session musician. It was a crushing contrast to the singer’s heyday of the 1950s and early 60s.

Prior to the “British Invasion” spearheaded by The Beatles, Sedaka had been RCA’s second biggest-selling act behind Elvis.

In one sobering incident during the wilderness years, he was stopped by a passerby and asked: “Didn’t you used to be Neil Sedaka?”

The story of this Brooklyn-born artist, who hauled himself back into the spotlight after moving to London, is a compelling one.

And in Laughter In The Rain, a new musical based on the singer’s career, there’s a real excitement as Sedaka (Wayne Smith) and his nerdy, poetry-writing neighbor Howie Greenfield (Edward Handoll) begin to compose the numbers that will make their name.

The success of this Bill Kenwright produced production lies partly in the bizarre twists of Sedaka’s life. While it’s a true story, it has the flavor of a fairytale. He and Howie had the gumption to visit Connie Francis – then America’s leading female pop star – to pitch the ditty Stupid Cupid to her. After she recorded the song, the duo became a hit-making machine – with Sedaka going on to sell 25 million records.

When it went pear-shaped during the mid-1960s, he was reduced to scratching a living after some mismanagement by his financial adviser. The cast capture this rise, fall and eventual return of the singer.

In the lead role, Wayne Smith gives a finely-tuned performance – not only nailing Sedaka’s vocal style, but also the singer’s early naivety that was to be his financial undoing. Whether you’re a fan of Sedaka or not, the music works well.

Laughter In The Rain avoids the trap of creating a fictional story around a back catalogue, which can often seemed strained. By telling Sedaka’s life as a straightforward biography, the production weaves a selection of the hits through the story – giving an insight into their songwriting technique. The duo would study the current top 40 to see where the next hit might lie – noting a sudden surge in songs titles with women’s names, they penned Oh! Carol.

Backed by a live band, with a stage set inset with screens showing photos from Sedaka’s life, it’s a brilliantly engaging snapshot of the singer’s return.

From the April 8, 2010 issue of

"The Northern Echo" (UK)

In a review of the London production of Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" musical, Neil is quoted as saying: "... Meanwhile, Sedaka is busying himself preparing to cut his next album this summer. 'The working title is "Sedaka Sings Doo-Wop" (Fifties' vocal-based rhythm and blues), which will be a new-old style of songs and, like all the songs I've done in later years, the lyrics will come from me because I like to put my own words to projects."

This summer, John Fogerty will become the only musician ever enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame when his classic ode to the sport, "Centerfield," gets inducted into Cooperstown. For over a decade, "Centerfield" has been a staple anthem at baseball games and every Hall of Fame induction. "It's one of those things that you're not sure that you heard it right because, as they say, it came out of left field," Fogerty tells Rolling Stone about hearing the news. "It was just so unusual because it's not an occurrence that they do with the Baseball Hall of Fame. I had to kind of think about it a while to make sure it was actually real." Fogerty is set to perform the song at the induction ceremony, held in Cooperstown, New York on July 25th. To celebrate the event, Fogerty is also releasing a remastered version of the album Centerfield, featuring a pair of rare B-sides from the era ("My Toot Toot," "I Confess"), on June 29th.

Fogerty has been a lifelong baseball fan. Growing up in the Midwest, he aligned himself with the hallowed New York Yankees of the early '50s but when his family moved to California, he shifted his allegiances to the San Francisco Giants.

When Fogerty wrote "Centerfield" in the ‘80s, he says he was inspired by the self-created lore of the position. "When I was eight or nine, I decided that the most hallowed turf in the universe was centerfield in Yankee Stadium," he says. "Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle — I mean, those two had such remarkable careers. It seemed like only the greatest had to be in centerfield."

"This has been our worst summer in years," according to Stephanie Gold, producer of the free Long Island "concert under the stars."

"In past years, communities have committed to an average of thirty free concerts; today they can afford seven to ten."

Ray Reneri agrees: "Instead of booking major artists like The Tokens, or Brooklyn Bridge the parks now prefer tribute bands, like "Hot Shot" (Billy Joel) or "Separate Ways" (Journey). Ray has booked Tony Orlando, Gloria Gaynor and the Marshall Tucker Band on Long Island and the Duprees, Kenny Vance and Joey Dee in New Jersey. See Summer Concerts Page.

Ed Salamon headed Programming of a major radio network for more than two decades, most recently as President/Programming of the Westwood One Radio Network. Ed has also produced retrospective albums and written liner notes for dozens of artists including The Skyliners, The Platters and The Ink Spots. Ed Salamon was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2006, and is a member of the Hit Parade Hall of Fame Nominating Committee.

He was the Executive Director of The Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc, and recently published a historic book "The Golden Age of Pittsburgh Radio," illustrated with amazing vinatge pictures. Arcadia Books

Considering a three-day pass to any one of those festival events can cost upwards of $200 and even more money must be set aside for travel and food, that's an extremely pricey investment (even with the layaway plans most of the festivals now offer, allowing people to pay for tickets over time). Of course, part of the draw of a festival is the feel of a big event, the possibilities created by eclectic masses of people and the opportunity to see dozens of bands stacked on top of one another.

The Jonus Bros have canceled 16 summer tour dates due to poor ticket sales, joining Christina Aguilera and Rihanna in the reality of global belt-tightening and waning popularity.

Christina canceled her whole tour, and Rihanna's 'Last Girl On Earth' tour with Ke$ha

has been scaled way down. The latest tour cancellations come days after Lilith Fair organizers announced they were scrapping 11 dates due to sluggish ticket sales.

And while "American Idol" just completed one of its worst seasons (both aesthetically and ratings-wise), it is still a show watched by 24 million people every week and features a handful of singers who have developed followings on the Internet. But perhaps people are willing to pay 30 bucks for that type of show, but not necessarily pony up 40 (which is the opening price for the cheap ducats at most stops). The twist is that most artists have relied more heavily on their touring revenue in the past decade because of eroding album sales (and because their labels usually don't have any right to their concert receipts).

The exciting thing is that the group selections includes material which aren't associated with a cappella.

The first section, the troupe cruise through such harmony-dripping 1950s standards as "Sh-boom,"

the Coasters' "Get a Job," and the Flamingos' take on the Harry Warren - Al Dubin classic "I Only Have Eyes for You," all of which play to SNC's many vocal strengths.

The show's set list is flawless,

containing such familiar songs as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling,"

"I Heard It Through the Grapevine,"

"Stayin' Alive," "Superstition" (one of the show's true standouts),

"Livin' on a Prayer" and "Hey Ya." Another stand-out is their Four Seasons' medley and a clever bit as if the Beach Boys had grown up on the Jersey Shore.

The other segments of the program go after similar direction as the group applies its singular treatment to a bouquet of a decade's signature hits. The show also includes several nonmusical breaks featuring SNCer Charlie Mechling.

Straight No Chaser is loaded with talents, an ability for choosing smart, appropriate material and a generation-straddling presentation at a mere $35 for a premium seat, making the show a real deal.

You must remember when this

a cappella group burst onto the scene with their "Twelve Days of Christmas." These boys reunited

at a college reunion where their performance was taped and it became a YouTube sensation with over 2-million visitors. They were quickly signed to Atlantic Records, cut a Christmas CD (which sold 500,000 copies), went on a nation-wide tour and quit their day jobs.

This July and August, "Straight No Chaser (With a Twist)" perform in

a show with sets, lights and first-rate stage production.