MUSIC NEWS: MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2017
BONO PROMISES ANSWERS ON ``PARADISE PAPERS'' INVESTIGATION
Bono says he plans to be as transparent as possible on his business arrangements that were named in the so-called ``Paradise Papers.'' Documents that were leaked to the media indicate Bono is one of several high-profile people with offshore tax arrangements. Bono was shown to be a stakeholder in a company in Malta that owned a shopping mall in Lithuania. It's particularly embarrassing to Bono because of his work as an anti-poverty activist. Bono tells a German newspaper (Sueddeutsche Zeitung) once the investigation into the matter is complete, he will be the first to report the details. He says fans ought to know that ``should anything fishy have happened, I would be at least as angry as they would.''
---
U2 IS NUMBER ONE AGAIN
U2 has scored their eighth number-one album.
``Songs of Experience'' moved 186,000 units in its first week of release, putting it in the top spot on the Billboard 200 album chart. U2 is the fourth act and the only group to have number-one albums in each of the past four decades. The others are Janet Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand.
---
ALICE COOPER IS CAST AS KING HEROD FOR ``JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR''
NBC has cast King Herod in its upcoming live version of ``Jesus Christ Superstar'' and it's Alice Cooper. The production has not yet announced the other roles. It will air on Easter. Show creators Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice have had their eye on Cooper for some time. They asked Cooper to record a version of ``King Herod's Song'' from the musical for the 2000 cast album release.
---
JANA KRAMER SUFFERS MISCARRIAGE
Jana Kramer decided to go public with her miscarriage because she did not want to feel alone. She writes on Instagram she wanted to shout from the rooftops when she found out she was pregnant but kept it low-key ``for reasons like this.'' She says she thought she had to suffer silently with her loss, but she decided to change that. Kramer admits she is ``knee deep in crying and trying to listen to God.'' She miscarried once before. Kramer and her husband, former Washington Redskins tight end Mike Caussin, have a 22-month-old daughter, Jolie Rae.
---
JOHN LEGEND HEADLINES NOBEL PEACE PRIZE CONCERT
John Legend will sing for the Nobel Peace Prize winners today in Oslo, Norway. Legend last performed at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in 2006. This year's peace prize winner is the group International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. Legend says becoming a father has made him think more about what the world is going to be for his children. He says he's glad this year's prize is going to a group `` dedicated to actually making the world safer for everybody.'' Zara Larsson and Lukas Graham are among the other performers at the concert.
---
SUSPECT IDENTIFIED IN SHOOTING OUTSIDE NICK LACHEY'S RESTAURANT
A grand jury has indicted a 36-year-old man on charges he shot a bar manager at Nick Lachey's (lah-SHAYS') restaurant in Cincinnati on Thanksgiving. Police say Lavoris Hightower turned himself in Thursday night. Prosecutors say bar manager Ellie Richardson was leaving Lachey's when she was nearly hit by a van. She approached the van, and prosecutors say the driver shot her in the face. Hightower has been charged with attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, having a weapon under disability and tampering with evidence. Lachey says 98 Degrees will hold a benefit concert for Richardson on Friday.
---
CHARLEY PRIDE RECALLS HIS BASEBALL CAREER
Charley Pride thought his path to success was going to be professional baseball, not country music. Pride says he remembers hearing about Jackie Robinson while picking cotton with his dad. He figured baseball would be his ticket out of that. Pride signed with the New York Yankees organization and bounced around the minor leagues for a while. He was with the Los Angeles Angels in
1961 but got hurt. He laughs that they sent him home ``with a tuna fish sandwich and an orange.'' Pride still has an eye toward baseball. He holds a minority stake in the Texas Rangers.
---
GOSPEL MUSIC MUSEUM IN THE WORKS IN CHICAGO
A museum dedicated to gospel music is planned for Chicago on the site of the church credited with being one of the first supporters of it. The National Museum of Gospel Music will be built on the site of the Pilgrim Baptist Church. The church's musical director, Thomas A. Dorsey, was a blues pianist who popularized a blend of Christian text with jazz and blues. Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson and James Cleveland sang at the church.
The church burned down in 2006 and only the exterior walls still stand. The design for the museum calls for using the existing church walls with a glass-encased roof. Organizers hope to open the museum in 2020.
---
(The Canadian Press)
