MUSIC NEWS: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2018
CHRIS STAPLETON STILL DOES COVER SONGS
NASHVILLE (AP) _ Just because Chris Stapleton didn't write the song doesn't mean he won't perform it. Stapleton made his name as a Nashville songwriter and he acknowledges that for a while, he believed he could only sing songs he wrote. He's changed his mind because he says there are so many great songs that have nothing to do with him. Stapleton says whether it's an old R-&-B song, a country tune, or an old blues song, they're worth singing and he's going to do it.
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- R. KELLY BEHIND ON RENT
R. Kelly has been evicted from two homes near Atlanta for unpaid rent. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Kelly owes more than 31-thousand dollars in past due payments to S-B Property Management Global, according to filings with the Fulton County magistrate court. Representatives for Kelly and for the property manager declined comment.
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KESHA RECOVERS FROM KNEE SURGERY
Kesha had surgery yesterday to repair an A-C-L tear in her knee. Kesha suffered the injury in a fall at a concert in Dubai on February 9th. She has called off her tour dates for March and April in Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and Japan.
Kesha's American tour with Macklemore is expected to go on as planned, starting June 6th in Phoenix.
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JOHN LEGEND
A 64-year-old man has been convicted of stealing John Legend's luggage at Kennedy Airport last March. Prosecutors say Agustin Hilario was convicted yesterday of criminal possession of stolen property. He was accused of stealing Legend's Louis Vuitton bag containing 25-thousand dollar cufflinks while it was momentarily unattended on a luggage cart. Hilario was identified through surveillance camera footage.
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MIKE NESMITH AND MICKY DOLENZ OF THE MONKEES ANNOUNCED TOUR
For the first time, Mike Nesmith and Micky Dolenz of The Monkees will tour together as a duo. ``The Mike and Micky Show'' tour begins June 1st in Chandler, Arizona. The show will highlight several of Nesmith's compositions, including some that have never been performed live. Where's Peter Tork? He's working on an album of Lead Belly songs with his band, Peter Tork and Shoe Suede Blues. Tork says he ``wishes the boys well'' and he's ``learned to say never say never on things further down the line.''
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MICHAEL W. SMITH: DON'T EVEN GO THERE
Every now and then, someone tries to get Michael W. Smith to lose his cool online. He doesn't take the bait.
Smith says sometimes a hater will try to pick a fight with him online, but he never engages the debate because most of the time it's over something that isn't true. If anything, the trolls inspire him. Smith says he wrote a song called ``Revolution'' for his new album, ``A Million Lights,'' about divided opinions on social media.
``A Million Lights'' came out last Friday. As if that were not enough to keep him busy: Smith also will release a worship record called ``Surrounded'' this Friday.
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NO JUNO NOMINEE REPLACEMENTS FOR HEDLEY
The Juno Awards will not be naming replacement nominees now that embattled rockers Hedley have withdrawn from consideration. The Vancouver pop-rockers say they don't want to be a ``distraction'' at what they call ``Canadian music's biggest night,'' as they continue to face sexual misconduct allegations posted by anonymous social media users. The Junos say no alternates will be added to the categories affected by Hedley's withdrawal, because voting has already begun. A spokeswoman says votes already registered for Hedley will be thrown out, but voters will not be asked to submit a new ballot. This year's Junos show takes place in Vancouver next month.
(The Associated Press)
