MUSIC NEWS: TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018

YVONNE ELLIMAN - DRUG CHARGES

Yvonne Elliman and her husband have been sentenced in their drug case in Guam. And the news is about as good as it gets for two people who copped to felony drug possession charges. Her lawyer says Elliman and her husband got a 14-day sentence. And they will be able to do the time in their home state of Hawaii. What's more, they can satisfy the service by watching courtroom proceedings of a drug offender probation program. And the two weeks of attending court? It will likely be pared down to 13 days, since they are getting credit for one day of time served.

---

PRINCE - ANNIVERSARY

Paisley Park will mark the second anniversary of Prince's death with a celebration of his life on April 19th to 22nd. Sheila E. will headline a concert at Paisley Park. The concert ``Prince: Live on the Big Screen'' at Target Center in Minneapolis will feature Prince on video performing with live musicians. A series of panel discussions at Paisley Park will feature speakers including Bobby Z, Dez Dickerson and Matt Fink of The Revolution. Fans will be able to leave notes or small gifts on a special tribute fence on the grounds of Paisley Park. A second tribute fence will be erected outside Target Center.

---

PRINCE - TOXICOLOGY

 A toxicology report from Prince's autopsy shows he had exceedingly high concentrations of fentanyl throughout his body when he died. The musician was 57 when he was found alone and unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park estate nearly two years ago. Public data released six weeks later showed he died of an accidental fentanyl overdose. A confidential toxicology report obtained yesterday by The Associated Press says the concentration of fentanyl in Prince's blood was 67.8 micrograms per litre _ a level experts called exceedingly high, even for someone who may have a tolerance to opioids. It was reported that Prince was constantly in pain because of a bad hip.

---

KILLER MIKE -  CLARIFIES NRA TV INTERVIEW

Killer Mike of Run The Jewels is apologizing to the organizers of Saturday's March For Our Lives that the interview he gave to the NRA was used against them. Killer Mike tweeted two videos in which he says he is sorry to the march organizers that the N-R-A T-V interview was ``used as a weapon against you guys.'' He calls himself an ally of the march. Killer Mike says he spoke to N-R-A T-V to continue the conversation about African-American gun ownership. He says it's possible to support both the march and black people owning guns.

---

ACMS - WINNERS - NEW ARTIST CATEGORIES

Lauren Alaina says her ``country-loving heart is exploding'' after finding out she's already won an Academy of Country Music Award. Alaina posted a video of her answering the phone when A-C-M host Reba McEntire called to give the news that Alaina had won new female vocalist of the year. Brett Young won the new male vocalist of the year and calls it ``an absolute honour.''

Midland won the new group award. They tweet, ``For the first time in our career, we're speechless.'' McEntire called each of them with the news. The A-C-M's are April 15th in Las Vegas and will be shown live on C-B-S.

---

CMA AND SMOKEY ROBINSON - ``CMT CROSSROADS''

Putting Motown legend Smokey Robinson with country upstart Cam may seem like an odd pairing, but they say it works. They will sing each other's music for tomorrow's episode of ``CMT Crossroads.'' Robinson says they have a shared love of music and songwriting. Cam says Motown songs often have a groove that accompanies troubling lyrics, just like country fans will two-step to songs about heartbreak. Cam says before they were paired up for the show, they just happened to meet at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Cam says she went into a trailer to get warm and ``there's this aura, the light of Smokey Robinson.''

GEORGE STRAIT - TEXAN OF THE YEAR

Here's what George Strait had to say about being named Texan of the Year: ``Texas is a big place filled with amazingly talented, smart people. How'd I end up here?'' The Texas Legislative Conference gave the honour to Strait on Friday, not just for Strait's music career, but for his efforts in raising funds for Texans following Hurricane Harvey. Strait calls it ``a great honour'' that is at ``the tip top of my list.''

---

DONNA SUMMER - MUSICAL

Preview performances of a musical based on the life of Donna Summer will begin tomorrow in New York. ``Summer: The Donna Summer Musical'' will open officially on April 23rd. Three actresses will portray Summer at different phases in her life. A companion greatest-hits collection, ``Summer: The Original Hits,'' will be released April 20th.

---

MARCH MADNESS MUSIC FESTIVAL ADDS MORE TALENT

Jason Aldean, Luis Fonsi and Panic At The Disco are among the acts added to the lineup of the N-C-Double-A March Madness Music Festival in San Antonio. On Friday, Kelsea Ballerini will open for Aldean. Fonsi and Imagine Dragons will play Saturday.

Maroon 5 headlines Sunday's lineup, which also includes Panic At The Disco, OneRepublic and Daya. The concerts are free. They will be streamed live on NCAA-dot-com. The Final Four semifinals are Saturday, with Loyola of Chicago taking on Michigan, and Villanova versus Kansas. The National Championship game is Monday.

---

G-EAZY'S - CHOICES

G-Eazy never got to travel much as a kid, so one of the perks of his job is seeing the world. However, even for him it's a luxury. G-Eazy says he often has to decide whether to see a city or sleep. He says after a full day of interviews, a concert, a required after-party, an early-morning commitment and then a flight, sometimes his body just doesn't want to do anything. However, he says he makes an effort to see the beautiful places he would hear about as a child.

---

DMX - TAX CASE

A lawyer for D-M-X plans to use music to convince a judge that his client deserves leniency for his tax evasion conviction. The attorney, Murray Richman, says in a court document made public yesterday that he wants to play some of the rapper's music at Thursday's sentencing. The lawyer says D-M-X might be too emotional to speak to the judge _ and he plans to let his music do the talking for him. D-M-X has been incarcerated since his bail was revoked in January by a judge who scolded him for failing to obey bail conditions. Prosecutors say they want to see him do five years.

---

DELORES TAYLOR - OBIT

Remember the ``Billy Jack'' films? Most remember the star was Tom Laughlin _ but his real-life wife, Delores Taylor, co-starred in the productions. Taylor has died, some five years after her husband did. She was 85 and her daughter says she died last week at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Home near Los Angeles. Taylor starred in three of the four ``Billy Jack'' films, but her daughter says her mom's most treasured roles _ were those of wife and mother.

---

(The Associated Press)