John Wetton (photo: Mike Inns)
John Wetton of prog rockers Asia and King Crimson has passed away at the age of 67 following a battle with colon cancer. Wetton spent time as a member of a number of seminal bands such as King Crimson, Roxy Music and Uriah Heep. However, he found his greatest success in the early ’80s as the singer for supergroup Asia, who sold over 10 million copies of their self-titled smash debut album.
In a statement, Asia drummer Carl Palmer (also of Emerson, Lake and Palmer) wrote, “John was a gentle person who created some of the most lasting melodies and lyrics in modern popular music. As a musician, he was both brave and innovative, with a voice that took the music of Asia to the top of the charts around the world. His ability to triumph over alcohol abuse made him an inspiration to many who have also fought that battle. For those of us who knew him and worked with him, his valiant struggle against cancer was a further inspiration. I will miss his talent, his sense of humor and his infectious smile.”
Prince‘s catalog is expected to finally come to all major streaming services in just a few weeks. Sources tell the New York Post that Warner Bros. has made a deal covering all of the albums he released under the Warner label. His music is expected to officially appear during the Grammy Awards themselves. Spotify may be teasing the announcement with all-purple ads for the service that have been spotted in multiple cities this week.
Sia, Lady Gaga and Frank Ocean are among the musicians nominated for GLADD‘s Media Awards. The 28th annual awards recognize artists in the LGBTQ community. Ten albums are nominated for this year’s Outstanding Music Artist: Against Me! – Shape Shift With Me, Blood Orange – Freetown Sound, Brandy Clark – Big Day in a Small Town, Tyler Glenn – Excommunication, Ty Herndon – House on Fire, Elton John – Wonderful Crazy Night, Lady Gaga – Joanne, Frank Ocean – Blonde, Sia – This is Acting and Tegan and Sara – Love You to Death.
Bob Dylan will release his first ever triple-album this spring, titled Triplicate. The three-disc set features 30 covers of classic American songs. Each disc is individually titled and presented in a thematically-arranged 10-song sequence. The album was produced by “Jack Frost” (a Dylan alter ego) and arrives on March 31.
The Forecastle Festival in Louisville has added a number of artists to its lineup. Joining the three-day event are Sturgill Simpson, Phantogram, Spoon, K. Flay, Capital Cities and more. Weezer, Cage the Elephant and LCD Soundsytem headline the 2017 Forecastle Festival, which runs from July 14-16.
