Sir Paul Mccartney Page 10

One of the most surprising things about the new 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie is the addition of Johnny Depp's good pal Sir Paul McCartney, who apparently only landed his cameo role because Keith Richards was too busy to return to the franchise.

Paul McCartney at Desert Trip Weekend

Yep, the legendary singer-songwriter has the Rolling Stones guitarist to thank for his chance to star in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' (also known as 'Salazar's Revenge'), because Keith - who played Captain Jack Sparrow's father Captain Teague in the last two movies - couldn't make it this time around.

Continue reading: How Paul McCartney Landed His 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' Cameo

Four years after the release of his last solo studio album 'New', Paul McCartney is returning with another record, this time working alongside acclaimed producer Greg Kurstin who landed four Grammy Awards earlier this year for his work on Adele's '25'.

Paul McCartney performing at Desert Trip Festival 2016

While talking about songwriting with John Lennon in the Beatles, working with Elvis Costello on 1989's 'Flowers in the Dirt' and the influence Chuck Berry had on him in an interview with Matt Everitt on 6 Music over the weekend, the singer announced that he was working on another project.

Continue reading: Paul McCartney Worried About 'Flavour Of The Month' Accusations With New Collaboration

In what is hotting up to be one of the most significant music industry legal battles in recent memory, Sir Paul McCartney has filed a lawsuit against Sony ATV hoping to regain his copyright share of hundreds of songs he co-wrote as a member of The Beatles.

McCartney, 74, filed the suit in a federal court in New York on Wednesday (January 18th), and he is seeking a declaratory judgment that he will soon start to regain the ownership rights of more than 200 tracks he co-wrote with John Lennon between 1962 and 1971, starting from 2018.

Paul McCartney is suing Sony over publishing rights to The Beatles' songs

Continue reading: Paul McCartney Files Lawsuit Against Sony For Beatles Songs Publishing Rights

Paul McCartney joined Jimmy Fallon and the cast of the animated film 'Sing' for an excellent a cappella rendition of his 1979 holiday hit 'Wonderful Christmastime'. The video was aired on 'The Tonight Show' featuring each musician singing along in the usual 3 by 3 coloured boxes.

Paul McCartney does 'Wonderful Christmastime' a cappella

To celebrate the holidays, Jimmy Fallon unveiled an a cappella Christmas special for his talk show. House band The Roots featuring Questlove took on the instrumental mimickry while the cast of 'Sing' - them being Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Matthew McConaughey, Seth MacFarlane and Tori Kelly - sang the vocals, joined by Fallon and Sir Paul himself. We also got a glimpse of the CGI characters from the movie singing along.

Continue reading: Paul McCartney Is Having A 'Wonderful Christmastime' With Jimmy Fallon

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are set to perform at this years 56th Grammy Awards, with their inclusion to the Grammys set list being announced this week by the music awards showcase. Although the organisers for the event have revealed that the pair will perform, they have yet to specify whether the two will appear on stage together at all, a prospect that most are hoping for.

Paul and Ringo will hopefully be performing together

The pair were announced as two of the latest confirmed acts to appear at the awards show, with fellow performers John Legend, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kacey Musgraves, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Sara Bareilles and Carole King also added to the bill.

Continue reading: Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr Confirmed For Grammy Awards Performance. Does This Spell A Beatles Showcase?

The Beatles only surviving members, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, will join each other on stage for a live performance at the 2014 Grammy Awards.

The pair will also be honored with the 2014 Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of all four of the boys from Liverpool.

The event's organisers made the announcement on Tuesday (Jan 14th).

Continue reading: A Beatles Reunion? Paul McCartney And Ringo Starr Will Perform Live At The Grammys

The Beatles’ incredible contribution to music is set to be recognized once more by a lifetime achievement award; this time it’s the Grammy’s lavishing praise on the Liverpool pop pioneers. The honorary gong will be handed over at a special ceremony that's taking place on January 25, the night before the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.

Seminal popsters The Beatles are getting a lifetime achievement award

“It is a great privilege to recognize such an exceptional group of honorees and celebrate their accomplishments and contributions to the recording industry," Neil Portnow, president and CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement.

Continue reading: Another Lifetime Achievement Award For The Beatles; This Time, The Grammys

Oh man – mates. Mates are great. I’ve got some mates, and I drink coffee with them and talk about Breaking Bad. But for the past million decades, or however long ago when people thought the Beatles were good, Yoko Ono and Paul McCartney haven’t been mates.

Paul McCartney holding a guitar

In fact, it’s been one of the most enduring public shoulder-chips to remain lodged firmly in place. The chip on Macca’s shoulder was always bigger, but now both of them seem to have shrunk, and the pair might even be seen in a north London café grabbing a fry up, or watching Thor: The Dark World in the cinema.

Continue reading: Yoko Ono & Paul McCartney- Best Pals: They Can Drink Coffee And Watch Breaking Bad Together

A week after Sir Paul McCartney's latest solo album, New, debuted, the brand new video for track 'Queenie Eye' premieres today (October 24, 2013). However, this isn't any old music video: the former Beatle has called on a few friends to help, with stars including Gary Barlow, Alice Eve, Kate Moss, Chris Pine, Johnny Depp, James Corden and Jeremy Irons all featured.

A Little Help From My Friends: Paul McCartney Prepared To Launch New Music Video.

The song is named after and draws inspiration from a childhood game McCartney used to play in Liverpool. "Queenie eye, queenie eye, who's got the ball? It isn't in my pocket. O-U-T spells OUT!" sang a young Macca and the same lyrics are called upon for Paul's latest, upbeat track that has been described by Q Magazine as "jaw-dropping."

Continue reading: Little Help From My Friends: Paul McCartney Recruits Johnny Depp, Kate Moss And More For 'Queenie Eye' Video [Pictures]

Paul McCartney sent a ripple of excitement through his London fans today when he announced that he'd be playing a gig in Covent Garden then made good with his promise by rocking in a lorry with a full band in tow. "I'm getting ready to pop up in Covent Garden at 1pm today. Oh baby!" he tweeted to plenty of frenzied glee.

McCartney Played From The Side Of A Decorated Lorry.

Though McCartney posted the news at midday, a sizeable crowd of 2,000 had assembled ready for some magic. "Good afternoon," he said to the mass. "Welcome to Covent Garden." He added "We're just going to do some songs from our new album so get your phones out...As if they weren't already."

Continue reading: Paul McCartney Appears In Covent Garden Impromptu Gig [Pictures]

It’s hard to deny that Miley Cyrus is the talk of the town these days, but one person, who isn’t all that impressed, is Sir Paul McCartney. Not impressed by all the heat the young singer has been getting that is. McCartney is a respected name in the music business and has managed to maintain a near spotless reputation through the years, so he might know a thing or two about surviving in show business.

MIley Cyrus has McCartney's support.

After Miley’s twerk-tastic VMA performance from August, everyone and their grandmother rushed to condemn her for “corrupting the youth of America” and/or offered advice on cleaning up her image, protecting her dignity, etc. McCartney, on the other hand, provided a more level-headed opinion, saying in an interview with Sky News: "Come on, we’ve seen worse than that!"

Continue reading: Paul McCartney On Miley Cyrus And A New Crop Of Pop Stars: "Only Mildly Shocking"

Sir Paul McCartney surprised 400 students from Queens High School in New York on Wednesday (Oct 7th) by playing a surprise gig for them.

The Frank Sinatra School for the Arts' auditorium was packed full of the city's best art students and had McCartney conduct a "master class".

"This beats going to class", said the 71 year-old as he graced the stage with his band and the screaming audience indicated that they to agree.

Continue reading: Paul McCartney Treats Queens High School To A Surprise Performance

Music lovers at the iHeartRadio Music Festival last weekend (September 20th-21st 2013) were in for a treat as Justin Timberlake rounded off the event with a few new tunes.

It was a rather special set from the 'Suit and Tie' singer who has dealt well with the endless live shows and televised performances pretty much running through the whole year. He was introduced to the stage by undefeated welterweight boxer floyd mayweather who crowned him 'the heavyweight champion of music'; a prestigious title that his thrilled audience certainly didn't appear to dispute. As well as performing some timeless hits from 'Cry Me A River' to 'SexyBack' to 'Mirrors', JT unleashed some brand new tracks from 'The 20/20 Experience' follow-up, 'The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2'. He sang his most recent single 'TKO', as well as 'True Blood' and 'Only When I Walk Away'. Even aside from the music Justin was an act not to be missed, oozing with charisma as he owned the stage with his entertaining and often comedic dance routines.

Other notable performances from the weekend came from everyone's favourite controversy Miley Cyrus, who belted out hits such as 'Wrecking Ball' and 'We Can't Stop' wearing a customary revealing outfit; Joan Jett, who teamed up with Ke$ha in an unusual performance which celebrated her 55th birthday; and Paul McCartney, who was promoting his, quite literally, 'New' album set for release on October 15th.

Continue reading: Justin Timberlake Brings IHeartRadio Music Festival 2013 To A Lively Close

Day 2 of the Las Vegas ‘iHeartRadio Music Festival’ kicked off this Saturday (Sept 21st) and the MGM Grand Garden arena witnessed yet another amazing crop of talent perform their best hits to in the ‘Entertainment Capital of the World’.

Paul McCartney opened the second day of the music festival

But how did it match up to the festival's stellar opening day?

Continue reading: Day 2 Of Las Vegas' IHeartRadio Music Festival Is Nothing Short Of Eventful

A new video has been released to promote The Beatles' upcoming album release showcasing songs that the Liverpudlian band performed in session with the BBC. Entitled, On Air - Live At The BBC Volume 2, the new record will comprise of a 63 track, 2 disc album featuring a "48 page booklet with rare photos and introduction by Paul McCartney" as well as 37 unreleased performances and 23 excerpts of solid studio banter.

A New Album Of The Beatles Recordings Will Be Released.

On Air... will reportedly also include 10 previously unheard songs that the band played together but did not record with their record label, EMI, including their cover of Chuck Berry's 'I'm Talking About You' and the 19th century, oft covered 'Beautiful Dreamer,' according to The Independent.

Continue reading: Watch The Beatles' Feature Film Ahead Of BBC Rarities Album Release [Video]

Kristen Stewart managed to earn half a million dollars in only 15 minutes, and if that wasn't impressive enough, the money she made was donated straight to charity. The Twilight star caught the attention of an unnamed Middle Eastern Prince, who was so taken with the actress that he forked out the huge sum for just 15 minutes of her time.

Just $500K can buy you 15 minutes with Kristen Stewart

According to film producer Harvey Weinstein, Kristen was helping to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Sandy when Weinstein was approached about spending some one-on-one time with Kristen by the mysterious, ultra-rich Middle Eastern monarch. Initially dismissing the requests, Kristen soon caught wind of what was happening and was actually willing to meet with the high-paying Prince, leading Weinstein to broker a deal to arrange the meet-up. Sounds seedy doesn't it?

Continue reading: Kristen Stewart Earns $500,000 For Charity After Spending 15 Minutes Alone With Middle Eastern Prince

To be Paul McCartney right now is to be a happy man; new album in the pipe and a new single – both called 'New'. The former Beatles man seems to have a newfound zest about him as he talked to WXRT Chicago.

Sir Paul McCartney struts his stuff in Brooklyn

The title ‘musical legend’ doesn’t really get bestowed on many people, and if you’ve managed to achieve it, it probably means you’re quite old. For McCartney, his age nearly stopped him doing festivals because of “the kids”.

Continue reading: Retirement? No, "Everything's New Baby" - Paul McCartney's In Good Spirits

Sir Paul McCartney has launched a fresh single from his forthcoming record, and has announced that his new album will be called just that; New. Thinks could get confusing for music journalists describing "Paul McCartney's new New Album," or his "new album New" but for now we'll focus on the exciting new release that has been sneakily dropped online, also called 'New.'

Sir Paul Teased Twitter Fans, Tweeting Words Related To 'New.'

Produced by Mark Ronson, the bouncy new song, 'New,' harks back to The Beatles sound with its marching piano chords, nostalgic harpsichord effect and lovesick lyrics. Of course, because it's had Ronson within 10 feet of it, it has a bulbous horn section but has been thankfully saved from the grating trumpet-plagued ubiquity of the producer's work of yesteryear.

Continue reading: Paul McCartney Drops Surprise 'New' Single Ahead Of 'New' Album [Listen]

Big Sean's new track 'Control' was only released on Tuesday but already the rap world is up in arms over guest rapper Kendrick Lamar's 3 minute verse in which he boasts, disses and namechecks other artists in order to make it sound like he's the undisputed big dog.

The Rap World Replies To Lamar.

Jermaine Cole, Big KRIT, Pusha T, Drake, A$AP Rocky, Mac Miller, NaS, Eminem, Andre 3000 and Meek Millz are not even all the names spat out by Lamar as the rapper compares himself to a King, the Pope and Italian writer/politician Machiavelli. He also adds in Lindsay Lohan, Sir Paul McCartney and Sean Connery for good measure, just in case Hollywood or The Beatles' guitarist ever considers encroaching on his self-anointed rap lordship.

Continue reading: Kendrick Lamar 'Control' Rap: The Best Responses From The Hip-Hop World

Paul McCartney fans at the Outside Lands festival were given a real treat on Friday evening (August 9, 2013) with the Beatles legend performing with the string virtuosos, the Kronos Quartet. The quartet are perhaps best known for their work with Tom Waits, David Bowie, Bjork and even the poet Allen Ginsberg, but the strings perfectly complimented McCartney's hit Yesterday - a track usually backed only by the musician's idiosyncratic guitar work, though rarely played live.

Though the former Beatle continues to sell out shows around the globe, he has on occasions been guilty of failing to change up his set - something that he's rectified in the past year or so. At Outside Festival, he played the more obscure Fab Four tracks Lovely Rita and Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite, as well as Yesterday, according to Rolling Stone magazine. 

Continue reading: Paul McCartney Plays 'Yesterday' With Kronos Quartet At Outside Lands Festival

The Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival is back on August 9th - 11th 2013 bringing us the best in art and music as we see the likes of Paul McCartney, Nine Inch Nails and Red Hot Chili Peppers top this year's bill.

San Francisco hosts this annual festival which has soared in popularity since the first event in 2008. It takes place at Golden Gate Park and, as well as some brilliant bands and artists being on show all weekend, presents some fantastic food and drink offerings from the Bay Area. Food includes everything from mac and cheese and hot dogs to falafel and noodles and there'll be food trucks and special cheese and chocolate stalls good enough to pull you away from the awesome music for a while. There'll also be a wide array of wines and beers to enjoy plus live painting and Levi's Mobile Bike Shop as Outside Lands is all about being eco-friendly and reducing our carbon footprints.

Continue reading: Outside Lands Festival 2013 To Bring You Much More Than Music This Year

Having played in the West End last year, the Beatles musical Let It Be opened on Broadway last night (24th July) in the midst of an on-going copyright infringement lawsuit that has been filed by the creators of rival tribute show, Rain: A Tribute To The Beatles. The people behind Rain claim that Let It Be incorporates elements of their 2010-11 show, including musical arrangements of hits, hairstyles, similar Scouser banter, and a selection of 28 of the 31 songs that Rain brought to Broadway.

The Beatles Stage Tribute Band.

According to the New York Times, Peter Cane, a lawyer for Let It Be's producers, Jeff Parry and Annerin Productions, argued that the copyright claim was absurd. Speaking to the NY Times, Cane said "Let It Be is a tribute to The Beatles, not to the four guys who impersonate The Beatles. How do you monopolise the ability to present an impersonation of The Beatles? How many different ways can you really do it? The Beatles acted a certain way, they played certain notes, they spoke a certain way."

Continue reading: Let It Be: The Beatles Broadway Musical Opens Despite Copyright Lawsuit

Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine is engaged to Behati Prinsloo. His representative confirmed their engagement in a statement issued on Tuesday 16th July. The statement, made to People magazine, reads: "Adam Levine and his girlfriend Behati Prinsloo are excited to announce they are engaged to be married"

Adam Levine at the launch of his fragrance, Macy's, New York. 

The couple started dating in May 2012 but separated earlier this year. It's come as something of a surprise when Levine proposed to Prinsloo over the weekend. It's certainly a romantic story with such a spontaneous demonstration of love. However, the singer's involvement with Behati is somewhat cliché.

Continue reading: Adam Levine Certainly 'Moves Like Jagger': He Is Engaged To Model Behati Prinsloo

In an accolade of meat avoidance, Kristen Bell and fiancé Dax Shepard have been crowned animal rights activist PETA's sexiest celebrity vegetarians, in a campaign to spread the word about the benefits of cutting out meat. 32 year-old Bell, who's best known for her titular role in the Veronica Mars television series, revealed that she's been veggie since she was a teen: "I had a hard time disassociating the animals I cuddled with-dogs and cats, for example-from the animals on my plate, and I never really cared for the taste of meat." This isn't the first time she's been recognised by PETA for her dietary choices - in 2006 she was selected as their 'World's Sexiest Vegetarian' and now it seems she's lifting the crown again with her fiancé and father of her child, Dax Shepard. 

The Sexy Faces Of Vegetarianism: Dax Shepard [L] And Kristen Bell [R] Crowned By PETA.

Shepard spoke of the benefits of a vegan diet, after being encouraged to follow Bell's example by documentary Forks Over Knives, which advocates a plant-based diet: "I have fewer body aches, my skin looks better, I'm never starving, and I never need to ride the couch feeling completely full and disgusting" he explained to Playboy magazine when he was following a strict no-meat diet. However, it seems that it's only Bell who can truly feel proud of the title:"I'm really flattered to be named 'Sexiest Vegetarian' with ?@IMKristenBell, but sadly I can't accept in good conscience because I eat chicken," Shepard tweeted. In a shock for PETA, who had been using the publicity as part of their campaign to encourage more people to be vegetarian, Dax added: "I was vegan for a year, but that ended 6 months ago. I aspire to be more like ?@IMKristenBell, but I'm not there yet," he said in a follow-up tweet. Oops.

Continue reading: Kristen Bell & Dax Shepard Are PETA's 2013 Sexiest Vegetarians

Billy Joel’s daughter Alexa Ray has been the victim of a deranged stalker, who has threatened the singer with more than 60 Facebook messages, containing elements of “pedophilia, sadistic-sexual behavior, violent physical assaults and murder.” Joel was so concerned about the stalker that he hired Paul McCartney’s private detective, to hunt down Sheryl Finley, 40 – the perpetrator of the oppressive behavior.

New York Post reports that 27 year-old Alexa was scared to leave the house, after the Minnesota woman stalked her and sent messages over a period of several months. A source told the Post that Alexa’s mother, Christie Brinkley, was also fearful for her daughter’s life. “Her mother, Christie Brinkley, was terrified that someone would harm her baby,” the source revealed. “Billy Joel was worried but focused.” According to the report, Billy hired a bodyguard to protect Alexa and also got in touch with old pal McCartney, who put him in touch with a Europe-based private security firm – not bound by the same legal restrictions as the police.

The stalker was tracked down in Austin, Minnesota, where she told law enforcement that the alleged rape and murder threats were not actions she wanted to carry out “during this life.” Finley had previously spent time in a mental institution in 2010. She reportedly remained optimistic that Alexa would not “object to meeting with her.” 

Continue reading: Billy Joel's Daughter At Centre Of Stalking Scandal - Billy Calls On Paul McCartney For Help

Paul McCartney’s already got a few dates lined up, but he’s just announced one of his biggest ones of the year, after revealing that he’ll be playing Fenway Park this summer as part of what looks to be like a North American tour.

Rolling Stone magazine reports that McCartney will play at the ballpark on July 9th while its home baseball team, Red Sox, play an away game against the Seattle Mariners. It will be four years since McCartney played the venue, having last rocked it with two shows in August 2009. Tickets go on sale this Friday, and date has been added to a summer schedule that already includes three shows on May 4th, 6th and 9th in Brazil, as well as a festival slot at this year’s Bonnaroo, which takes place June 13th-16th. Additionally, the former Beatle already has a June 22nd date set in Warsaw, Poland, as well as dates in Italy on the 22nd and Austria on the 27th of the same month.

It marks a busy time for the veteran rocker, who has never truly stepped away from making and releasing music. He’s currently working on the follow up to last year's album of standards, Kisses on the Bottom, having recorded new songs with producer Mark Ronson.

Continue reading: Paul McCartney Confirms Boston Fenway Park Show

Why Was Paul McCartney late to Stella’s fashion show? Well, we may never know but at least when he did decide to show up, he did so with an appropriate degree of style and swaggered like a catwalk star to his seat in the front row to check out Stella Mccartney’s latest Paris fashion show. Stella may be 41 years old but she wasn’t prepared to let the runway show commence until her daddy was in the house. When the former Beatle did show up, around half an hour later than the scheduled star, according to Associated Press, he was overheard to say “walk, walk, walk like a model” and sashayed over to his front row seat, joining U2s Bono for one of the best views in the house.

As for the show itself, Stella McCartney unveiled a ready-to-wear collection that relied on texture and sculpted shapes; classic British tailoring with its game well and truly raised. A reimagining of the pinstripe suit was a highlight of the show and “her signature remained relaxed, with soft silhouettes and circular cuts in silk duchess and silk cloquet jacquard.” Backstage, McCartney commented “I wanted a refresh in a classical way… Women have a masculine side and if you tap into that, you find another part of yourself." 

Continue reading: Paul McCartney Late For Daughter Stella's Show - Former Beatle Enters With A Swagger

This year’s Bonnaroo Festival takes place in Manchester, Tennessee, on June 13-16 and the lineup is boasting some pretty heavyweight talent, with the likes of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Mumford & Sons and Sir Paul McCartney stealing the headline slots. Beyond the draw of the top billing, though – who should you go and see if you manage to bag a ticket to Bonnaroo 2013? Here’s our Top 5 Bonnaroo Bets.

1. Bjork – We can’t remember the last time there was an opportunity to see Bjork in such a superb festival setting (okay, we probably could, if we cast our minds back a little but it’s far from a frequent occurrence). The eccentric Icelandic songstress always puts on a fabulous show, both visually and sonically, setting fire to all of your senses, whether you are a hardened Bjork fan or simply wandering past the stage, wondering what the hell might be going on.

2. Cat Power – OK. This one comes with a warning. When she’s on form, Cat Power (aka Chan Marshall) will provide you with one of the most emotionally charged, cathartic live music experiences that you’re likely to experience. On a bad day, though, it can be torturous to witness. All part of the Cat Power charm, of course, but a gamble, nonetheless.

Continue reading: Bonnaroo Festival 2013 Lineup Announced: Our Top 5 Picks Beyond The Headlines

The Bonnaroo festival line-up has been released and it's something to get yourself excited about. Not got a ticket? You'll definitely want to get yourself one once you see who'll be performing. 

The Bonnaroo festival info page is a veritable delight of explaining Out There and In Here. Out There is out here, where we are now, beyond the limits temporally or spatially of the festival itself, but In There, in the festival, the festival organisers want it to be a haven of positivity, safety and, above all, supreme amounts of fun. They describe it as "4 of the best days ever" and "an escape into Excitement. Music. Art. Discoveries. Trees. Fresh Air. Green Grass... Friends (Old / New). Adventure. Overwhelming happiness. Hugging a stranger by accident. Sharing and Generosity. Bonnaroovian Dancing. Hyperbolic verbiage..." and the list goes on. Sounds good, right? Well, the line-up is even better, and suitable for all genres you may find yourself remotely interested in. 

Here's the best of the list, from the headliners down to the early stars: Paul McCartney, Grammy winners Mumford & Sons, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Bjork, R Kelly, Wu-Tang Clan, The National, The Lumineers, David Byrne, St Vincent, Passion Pit, The XX, Kendrick Lamar, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Of Monsters and Men, Nas, ZZ Top, Beach House, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, A$AP Rocky, Tame Impala, Gaslight Anthem, Billy Idol, Foals, Local Natives, Alt-J, The Tallest Man on Earth, Earl Sweatshirt, The Vaccines, Frank Turner, Purity Ring... and once again, the list goes on. Check out the website to see the rest.

Continue reading: Bjork, Paul McCartney And R Kelly: Variegated Lineup For Tennessee's Bonnaroo Festival

Sad news for dedicated Beatles fans, as Tony Sheridan dies, aged 72. Sheridan was an early supporter of the Fab Four; indeed, the Liverpudlian quartet performed as his backing band in Hamburg in their early days, when they were known as The Silver Beatles. Sir Paul McCartney posted a message on his own website, entitled ‘Tony Sheridan: 1940 – 2013,’ which read “Tony was a good guy who we knew and worked with from the early days in Hamburg. We regularly watched his late night performances and admired his style. He will be missed.”

The Beatles’ drummer, Ringo Starr, was also quick to praise Sheridan and expressed how much he’s enjoyed playing with Tony back in Germany. His tweet read “Just say goodbye to Tony Sheridan just he died I had a great month 19 6061 playing with him was great bye R***” The time that The Beatles spent playing and recording with Sheridan is considered by many to have been pivotal in their rise to fame. They played on Sheridan’s recording of ‘My Bonnie,’ which was then requested by a teenage fan in Brian Epstein’s record store. Epstein then famously went on to become their manager and was often referred to as the ‘fifth Beatle.’

The BBC reports that Sheridan passed away on February 16, after a long illness. His third wife, Anna Sievers, passed away in 2011. 

Continue reading: Tony Sheridan Dies: Paul McCartney Praises Early Mentor Of The Beatles

Dave Grohl has entered middle age, and as such it is time for the Foo Fighters frontman to branch out away from music as is the norm for the rock elite. With Sound City, Grohl has don't exactly this with his insightful look into one of Los Angeles' hidden relics, Sound City Recording Studio.

Attached as director, it is hard to think that anyone would be too enthused about going to see the film were anyone other than Dave Grohl signed up for the documentary, but this is far more than just a vehicle for Grohl to further demonstrate how cool he is. Lovingly referred to as a "sh*thole" throughout, the documentary is like an encyclopaedia of the indie world, with some big names such as Paul McCartney, James Brown and Mick Fleetwood appear alongside such underground heroes as Frank Black, Rivers Cuomo and Trent Reznor.

Grohl has recently been doing the rounds promoting the film and in a recent interview for 'The Nerdist' podcast, the former Nirvana drummer also opened up on the traumatic split of the trio. He tells the podcast, "It was heartbreaking. We were fucked up by what happened. So it was just, 'I gotta keep playing music, I gotta keep playing music.'"

Continue reading: Dave Grohl's 'Sound City' Brings Light To A Usually Backlit Piece Of Recording History

Despite having been married twice since her death, Paul McCartney continues to show dedication to his first love and most prominent wife, Linda Mccartney. Since her death he has never stopped his involvement with her company, Linda McCartney Foods, which makes froze vegetarian food and meals, and as AFP report he has now recorded a song to be included in the latest advertisements for the brand.

Linda McCartney Foods haven't advertised via the television for 15 years, but it seems now is the time to begin a new campaign, and being the year 2013, of course the campaign has a hashtag: #LoveLinda. 

According to the AFP, "The animation [of the advert] transports viewers into a fairy-tale world where characters such as Horse Boy, Napoleon Dog and Ballerina Cat join the McCartney family, including Linda who died in 1998, in a musical fanfare that culminates with a woodland feast." While this is going on, Paul and a band perform 'Heart of the Country' which he re-recorded with Elvis Costello, who is also vegetarian.

Continue reading: Paul McCartney And Elvis Costello Record Song For Linda McCartney Foods #LoveLinda

Paul McCartney was snapped with his grandchildred out in Notting Hill today (15th Jan). Despite being an international superstar, McCartney remains a doting father and grandfather to all his extended family.

Sir Paul McCartey walks across the road with his Grandchildren

Continue reading: Sir Paul McCartney Spends Time With Family And Mourns Friend (Photos)

All eyes will be on Bruce Springsteen during Grammy’s week, as the New Jersey rocker will be the recipient of the MusiCares Person of the Year award. To celebrate the honour, a Bruce Springsteen tribute concert will take place in Los Angeles on February 8, 2013, featuring some of the biggest names in rock and pop and hosted by Jon Stewart.

The event, which is already sold out, will feature musical highlights such as Elton John, Kenny Chesney and Mumford And Sons. A whole host of musicians of varying genres and eras have been included in the line-up. Patti Smith, with whom Bruce co-wrote the hit ‘Because The Night’ will be there, as will Faith Hill, Emmylou Harris, as well as Alabama Shakes, Eddie Vedder and Neil Young. Proceeds for the concert will go to MusiCares, an organisation set up to provide support for struggling musicians in financial, medical and personal need.

The annual MusiCares Person of the Year award is attributed to a star whose artistic accomplishments are as worthy of merit as their philanthropic work. Previous winners of the award include Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney and Bono.

Yoko Ono claims Paul McCartney is the reason why the Beatles split and it was not, as many others claim, her at the root of the band's disintegration.

In a recently unarchived interview between her and music industry insider Joe Smith from 1987, Yoko refers to the "Beatles divorce," and seems to place the blame on Paul for being the one behind the Fab Four's split. In the interview from the Library of Congress, which was dug up by the Huffington Post, Yoko shares her ideas behind why the Beatles split, claiming that although Paul seemed to be the one trying to hold the band together, it was only so he could claim the band as his own in a Diana Ross and the Supremes type fashion.

She said: "The Beatles were getting very independent. Each one of them [was] getting independent. John, in fact, was not the first, who wanted to leave the Beatles. [We saw] Ringo [Starr] one night with Maureen [Starkey Tigrett], and he came to John and me and said he wanted to leave. George [Harrison] was next, and then John. Paul [McCartney] was the only one trying to hold the Beatles together. But the other three thought Paul would hold the Beatles together as his band. They were getting to be like Paul's band, which they didn't like."

Continue reading: Yoko Blames Paul For The Beatles Split

Is The Justice Collective's 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother' The Underdog In The Fight For Christmas Number One?

The Justice Collective have finally released their tribute single 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother' in remembrance of the tragic disaster at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield.

Continue reading: Is The Justice Collective's 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother' The Underdog In The Fight For Christmas Number One? [Video]

The Justice Collective - featuring stars like Robbie Williams, Shane MacGowan and Paul McCartney – are amongst the favourites to get to number one in the UK this Christmas. Over the last few years. the Christmas Number One has been a little unpredictable, what with a recent campaign to get Rage Against The Machine’s ‘Killing In the Name Of’ to number one thus preventing the usual X Factor winner Number One for the years that had preceded it.

Everyone loves to support a good cause at Christmas and the Justice Collective’s cover of The Hollies’ ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’ will raise money for to help the families of those killed in the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, with their legal fees. The single was launched at Liverpool’s HMV store, by the former footballer Kenny Dalglish and the comedian John Bishop. According to the Halifax Courier, the Justice Collective currently have best odds of 2/7 to get a Christmas number one, whereas James Arthur – this year’s X Factor winner – has odds of 5/1 in second place. Gareth Malone's Military Wives’ Choir are in third place at 20/1, which would make it their second Christmas number one in a row if they manage to land the top spot.

According to the Belfast Telegraph, there has been a call from the stars of the Justice Collective, as well as Kenny Dalglish, John Bishop and Liverpool Walton MP Steve Rotheram to waive the VAT on the sales of the single. “I wrote to the Chancellor George Osborne before X Factor and we haven't yet had a formal response from him. We tried to get hold of the Treasury yesterday and we are still hopeful that he will waive the VAT on our single. It's the right thing for the Government to do,” said the MP.

Albums of Note... Rihanna’s seventh studio album, Unapologetic has been met with a mixed response and our reviewer reckons the Barbadian pop star phoned this one in. As her career becomes more of a marketing cash cow than an artistic endeavour, so her albums impress less and less.

Of course, there is also the ‘elephant’ that seems to appear in every room Rihanna walks into… an elephant known as ‘Chris Brown.’ He makes an appearance on the album, duetting with RhiRhi on a track called ‘Nobody’s Business.’ “Fun: it's something that's lacking a lot in this album, Unapologetic rattling on machine-like but with very little given away to the spirit of enjoyment… She doesn't have to feel apologetic for anything, but what's more concerning is that Rihanna doesn't seem to feel anything anymore, something all too apparent on this turgid LP.”

Continue reading: A Week In Music – Rihanna Disappoints, Cee-Lo Green And The Muppets Get Us In The Festive Spirit, The Rolling Stones And Paul McCartney

With only nine days left until the big day, the race is on to see who will be sitting atop the UK Singles Chart this christmas, with the charity Hillsborough single battling it out with X Factor winner James Arthur for the coveted Christmas No. 1.

Only a few years ago, it was pretty much a given that the festive number one spot would go to The X Factor or Pop Idol/Popstars winner, however the competition has gotten a little more heated in recent years for for a number of reasons, and unlike before there is an air of uncertainty as to who will walk away with this year's number one spot at Christmas.

Girls Aloud were the first to do it back in 2002, when 'Sound in the Underground' took the Yuletide top spot. Then, from Shayne Ward in 2005 to Alexandra Burke in 2008, Simon Cowell's creations had that top spot wrapped up like dad's songs on Christmas Eve. That all changed when a successful Facebook campaign saw Rage Against The Machine's 1991 debut single 'Killing In The Name' take the top spot away from that years' winner, and thus outrage erupted (even though all profits RATM made were donated to charity, as opposed to Simon Cowell's already bulging wallet). Even though Matt Cardle managed to come up trumps the next year with 'When We Collide,' 2011 again saw a change in the wind when the choir ensemble Military Wives with Gareth Malone took the Xmas top spot with their rendition of 'Wherever You Are.' This time round though, SiCo was a little more forgiving.

Continue reading: Christmas Number One: The Race Is On

Though The Hurricane Sandy Benefit concert raised money for those affected by the super storm that ripped into east coast America as well as aiding the relief effort, the feeling of good will surrounding the momentous event wasn’t shared by everybody. No, you might’ve guessed it, Courtney Love wasn’t impressed by the ‘Nirvana reunion’.

It wasn’t really a reunion as such; sure, the surviving members of the seminal grunge members were all on stage together (that’s Dave Grohl, Kris Novoselic and Pat Smear), but they were joined by ageing Beatle Sir Paul McCartney and didn’t even play a Nirvana song, opting instead for a Grohl/McCartney-written track ‘Cut Me Some Slack’. And it sounded alright. No, really it did. However, what with Love’s bitterness at Grohl and her gradual loss of control over much of the Nirvana rights, she was never going to be the easiest to please – and true to form she wasn’t.

Love spent the time leading up to the show making jibes on Facebook, at one point writing “Paul better get earmuffs for the bassplaying is all. [It's] not exactly known for its brilliance." And when the performance itself came she commented briefly, "There it was. Uh it was bad." However, Love’s grumpiness aside, people were trumping the concert as a success, with a line-up including The Who, Roger Waters and Eric Clapton being hailed as “one of the greatest line-ups ever” by the Daily Mirror. Other stars performing included Mick Jagger, Chris Martin and REM’s Michael Stipe.

Courtney Love, Kurt Kobain's widow and mother of his only child, has expressed her distaste at the appointment of Paul McCartney to be the front man of a Nirvana reunion at the 12-12-12 charity gig in New York, on Wednesday. 

The show was all for charity, to support the victims of Hurricane Sandy, for Courtney Love, it's just not cool that McCartney has taken Kurt's place, reports TMZ. "Look, if John were alive it would be cool." She said. She also objects to the reference to the gig as a 'Nirvana reunion' because she says, without Kurt, it's not Nirvana. We can certainly see where she's coming from, but for a band as well loved as Nirvana, a 'reunion' regardless of its authenticity never stops being a tribute to Kurt and will always provide an arena for fans to remember him and the band.

McCartney, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic have been 'jamming' together for a while in secret and have even written some songs together. Speaking to the audience at the 12-12-12 concert McCartney said: "Recently, some guys asked me to go jam with them... So I showed up, like you do, ready to jam. And in the middle of it, these guys kept going, 'We haven't played together for years.' So the penny finally dropped, I finally understood I was in the middle of a Nirvana reunion." Reports the LA Times.

Continue reading: Courtney Love Is Against Paul McCartney Fronting Nirvana In Place Of Kurt Cobain

Katie Holmes and Blake Lively were in danger of stealing the limelight from the host of rockers performing at last night’s Concert For Sandy Relief at New York’s Madison Square Garden (December 12, 2012). Even Kanye West turning up in a skirt couldn’t upstage these two glamour-pusses, who were all a-shimmer for the big event.

Holmes may be a recent divorcee at 33 and Lively a newlywed at 25, but the pair of them looked equally happy last night. Katie chose to wear a figure-hugging purple dress with velvet panels, designed by Tom Ford, suiting her own classic style down to the ground (well, down to the knees anyway). US Magazine have pictured Tom Cruise’s ex looking relaxed at the charity concert, which featured The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney & Nirvana and Bruce Springsteen, among others and she wore her hair loose, neatly accessorised with black pointy heels. Blake went for a studded red leather mini-dress, designed by Isabel Marant and nude caged ankle boots, designed by Christian Louboutin.

Blake, who recently married Ryan Reynolds, has been keeping a low profile of late, though she and her new husband had been spotted enjoying a break in Paris at the start of this month. Both Katie and Blake were looking stunning last night; they almost put some of the musicians to shame when it came to grabbing the limelight.

Yesterday’s Concert For Sandy Relief (December 12, 2012) turned into a year’s worth of rock and pop headlines, all rolled into one. Not only were some of the coolest kids on the block performing (Alicia Keys, we’re looking at you), but they were doing it in tabloid-seeking style (Kanye West in a skirt, anyone?). However, it was the older statesmen of rock and roll that really grabbed the nations’ attention last night.

First up, Sir Paul McCartney, formerly of The Beatles and now, apparently… of Nirvana? Well, maybe not quite. But Sir Paul did perform with the surviving members of Nirvana – Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear, playing a new song that they had composed together, entitled ‘Cut Me Some Slack.’ It was part of a wider set performed by McCartney and allayed the fears of devout Nirvana fans, concerned that they would be performing a set of Nirvana covers, with McCartney taking the place of the late Kurt Cobain.

The Rolling Stones made an impressive, if brief, performance, playing ‘You Got Me Rocking’ and ‘Jumping Jack Flash’ before leaving the Madison Square Garden gathered crowd wanting more. Mick Jagger’s seemingly unending reserves of energy put many of the other performers to shame, even if he didn’t have to exert quite the same degree of stamina that he has had to at the band’s recent 2 hour 50th anniversary shows. “Homestate hero” Bruce Springsteen was described by New York Times as “the master of the socially conscious message that’s also a full-tilt rock concert” and last night, he didn’t disappoint. The evening ended on a rousing note, with Alicia Keys joined by a stage full of firefighters to sing ‘Empire State Of Mind Part II,’ with its appropriate chorus of “This is New York… concrete jungle where dreams are made of.” 

Continue reading: Sandy Benefit Concert Highlights: Bruce Springsteen, Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney And Nirvana Hit The Mark

Twelve years after waging war with Napster, Metallica have finally softened their approach to allowing fans to access their music online. The long-lasting metal band will be making their back catalogue available to stream on Spotify, having finally laid to rest the bitter legal battle that they had with Napster’s co-founder Sean Parker (also an investor in Spotify) back in 2000.

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich appeared on stage with Parker, BBC News reports, to discuss that legal battle and Spotify also announced a new range of services for its users. In 2000, Metallica sued Napster on Copyright infringement claims, leaving Napster with no choice but to remove users who had downloaded the band’s music. Many Metallica fans were angered at the decision, arguing that they were being unnecessarily targeted. Whilst onstage, Parker admitted that Napster had acted in good faith and now regretted the dispute. Napster was forced into bankruptcy, after record labels and media united to launch a campaign against the service. “We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into” said Parker. The site re-launched in 2011 and is now a legal music subscription site.

Meanwhile, Spotify announced that they will be launching the ability to “follow” influential artists such as Paul McCartney and Justin Bieber. The chief executive of Spotify, Daniel Ek also announced other features that will aid their users in discovering new artists. A new browser-based client is currently being tested and will be released next year.

The Hillsborough single, released to raise money for the families of Liverpool fans who lost their life during the tragic Hillsborough disaster in 1989, where 96 football fans lost their lives during a FA Cup semi-final match at the Sheffield stadium, has had it's full line-up released, featuring a fair share of star power.

The single, a cover of the 1969 Hollies track 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother,' will be released on December 17th and is already hotly tipped to take this year's Christmas Number One spot. The full line-up is to feature Liverpudlian Paul McCartney, Robbie Williams, Mick Jones, X Factor star Rebecca Ferguson, Spice Girl Mel C, Gerry Marsden, Paloma Faith, Squeeze's Glenn Tilbrook, Beady Eye's Chris Sharrock, Hollie Cook, Jon McClure, Eliza Doolittle, Beverley Knight, Liverpool FC legend Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool MP Steve Rotheram, Liverpool-born comic John Bishop and members of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Lawson, the Farm, the Zutons, the Beautiful South and Cast.

Families of the victims have already been given a listen to the charity single, which will raise funds for the ongoing legal costs as the victim's families seek retribution from the Government and police, who had covered up the truth about the disaster until earlier this year. Margaret Aspinall, chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, commended McCartney for lending his name to the project and spoke of how her son, one of the 96, was listening to the song shortly before he passed on. She said, "I thought, maybe he's handing me this new version and saying 'listen to this'."

Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney are amongst the artists to have songs inducted into the Grammy Museum’s Hall of Fame in 2013. Dylan has ‘the Times They Are A Changin’’ up for the honour and Macca has ‘Band on the Run’ on the list.

In a statement from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, reported by the Sacramento Bee, Neil Portnow said “With the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame celebrating 40 years, it's especially important to note that these entries continue the tradition of inducting a wide variety of recordings that have inspired and influenced both fans and music makers for generations. Memorable for being both culturally and historically significant, we are proud to add them to our growing catalog of outstanding recordings that have become part of our musical, social and cultural history.”

One stipulation of being entered onto the list is that the song must have been recorded at least 25 years ago and have had lasting significance. Also on the list of inductees are Whitney Houston and Elton John’s self-titled albums, Billy Joel’s ‘Piano Man,’ recordings by James Brown, Richard Pryor and Little Richard, amongst others. Next year’s Grammy awards will be broadcast on February 10, 2013 at 8pm ET/PT on the CBS Network, they are amongst the most highly regarded awards in the music industry. This years awards were marked with a tribute to the late Whitney Houston, who died just the day before the ceremony. 

Continue reading: Bob Dylan And Paul McCartney Songs Among Grammy Hall Of Fame List

Since 1973, the Grammys have been inducting particular recordings that have stood the test of time into their hall of fame. The list doesn't only include music and one of the most famous hall of famers in there is Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have A Dream' speech. The institution have just released a few of the artists and tracks that will be included in the hall of fame for 2013 on their home website.

Included in the list are James Brown, Bob Dylan, Carlos Gardel, Buck Owens, Richard Pryor, Little Richard, Paul McCartney & The Wings, and Billy Joel. Neil Portnow, the President and CEO of the Recording Academy spoke of next year's importance. "With the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame celebrating 40 years, it's especially important to note that these entries continue the tradition of inducting a wide variety of recordings that have inspired and influenced both fans and music makers for generations," he said. "Memorable for being both culturally and historically significant, we are proud to add them to our growing catalog of outstanding recordings that have become part of our musical, social, and cultural history."

There are a couple of tracks in this years list of 27 entrants that are surprising, if only that it's take 40 years for them to make the cut. Frank Sinatra's 'New York, New York' will be in the hall of fame as of next year, though surely its iconographic status had already more proven its worth. AC/DC's 'Back in Black' also appears in the list. Perhaps to pay tribute to a great figure in music, Whitney Houston's self titled album will also be inducted, marking the further great achievements and talents from all over the world, and rounding off a great 40 years of the Grammy hall of fame. 

For four decades Beatles fans have blamed Yoko Ono for the band's demise. However, in a revealing interview with Sir Paul McCartney, the legendary singer has shed light on many aspects of himself and the Beatles, as well as removing blame from Yoko Ono and transposing it onto Allen Klein, the Beatles' manager who took over proceedings after the death of their original manager, Brian Epstein. 

In this new interview that McCartney's given to David Frost, he admitted "[Yoko] certainly didn't break the group up, the group was breaking up". E! reports that also told Frost what a great influence she had on John Lennon. After the breakdown of the Beatles Lennon went on to forge a hugely successful solo career, including the wildly popular and iconic song 'Imagine'. "I don't think he would have done that without Yoko, so I don't think you can blame her for anything. When Yoko came along, part of her attraction was her avant garde side, her view of things, so she showed him another way to be, which was very attractive to him," McCartney said. "So it was time for John to leave, he was definitely going to leave." 

The Frost/McCartney interview will be aired on Al Jazeerah English, and is the longest interview given by McCartney for decades. 

It looks like The Beatles single, Love Me Do was always set a chart entry, due to some sneaky sales tactics employed by Brian Epstein, reports Music Week.

"He [Brian Epstein] went and he bought 10,000 copies of 'Love Me Do' and that was in his store room in Whitechapel, because I'd seen them, they were there, 10,000 copies," explained friend and business associate Joe Flannery. The documentary, Love Me Do: The Beatles '62 will be broadcast this Sunday, October 7 at 10.00pm. It celebrates 50 years since the release of the song in October, 1962, and will include Sir Peter Blake, Bob Harris, Gerry Marsden and the Beatles original drummer Pete Best, who was replaced by Ringo Starr. "He [Brian Epstein] found out that we were on tour, he'd look at our gigs, [and say] 'Oh we're playing Sheffield' or 'We're playing Manchester. OK will you just go in this record shop and pick up a few copies [of Love Me Do]? Don't all go in at the same time.' Which we did. I like to think that we did help the Beatles get to number 17."

The Beatles went on to be one of the biggest selling bands of all time, but the news that Epstein boosted sales by as many as 10,000 single-handily may come as an embarrassing revelation to some, but will probably be seen as a funny anecdote on the Liverpudlian band's incredible journey.

There has been no official announcement yet by Sony Pictures, but according to the BBC rumours are growing stronger that pop sensation Adele will be taking the vocal reigns of singing the official song for the 23rd James Bond movie. Many are surprised that Sony hasn’t yet made the move to announce who will be doing the Skyfall the theme song, which has traditionally been a big draw for artists – Shirley Bassey, Tina Turner and Sir Paul McCartney are just three who’ve written or collaborated on Bond themes in the past.

Several news outlets have started reporting that the deal has been confirmed, and the BBC have pointed to several quotes from last year that suggest the multi-million selling artist is going be the chosen voice for Skyfall. "I'm going back in the studio in November, fingers crossed," Adele told Jonathan Ross on his show last year, adding "Well this is actually a theme, what I've got to do for, um… Wow. That's really giving something away isn't it?”

Last year Adele’s pal Tinie Tempah seemed to suggest that she had recorded a song for the film too, saying "I was with her (Adele) yesterday, she was telling me about it and that's amazing. I've always wanted to do a Bond theme. I'm a bit jealous actually. No, let's leave it to her, it's always a really big diva that does it right?" Until that official word comes from Sony comes we still won’t know, but with the recent flurry of reports, it would seem highly likely that it will be Adele.