Category Archives: Oldies

Fables of the Construction: R.E.M.’s early history profiled in new book

March 27, 2019 – 11:00 pm

Verse Chorus PressA new book titled Begin the Begin: R.E.M.'s Early Years, focusing on the influential alternative rock band's formation and rise to stardom, will be published on May 14.

The biography, which was written by Robert Dean Lurie, profiles the early lives of R.E.M.'s members -- singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry -- while also sharing accounts of how they met, and details about their first gig, their initial tours and recording sessions, and much more.

The book also delves into R.E.M.'s relationship with, and place in, the music scene of its adopted hometown of Athens, Georgia, and how the American South influenced the group.

Begin the Begin -- named after the first track of R.E.M.'s album Lifes Rich Pageant -- includes interviews with various people associated with R.E.M. whose perspectives have not appeared in previous biographies about the band.

You can check out excerpts from the book, including recollections of some of R.E.M.'s first shows, at DangerousMinds.net.

Begin the Begin: R.E.M.'s Early Years is available for pre-order now at Amazon.

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Robert Plant, Imagine Dragons, The Killers, Greta Van Fleet & more playing Woodstock 50 festival

March 20, 2019 – 1:30 am

Robert Plant; David Wolff-Patrick/Getty ImagesThe Killers, Imagine Dragons, Robert Plant and the Sensational Shape Shifters, and Greta Van Fleet are among the acts playing the Woodstock 50 Music and Arts Fair in August.

Also appearing will be original Woodstock ’69 performers Santana and the Grateful Dead spinoff group Dead & Company, as well as David Crosby and Friends, John Fogerty, Canned Heat, Country Joe McDonald, John Sebastian, and Melanie.

The Black Keys, Sturgill Simpson, Portugal. The Man, The Lumineers, The Raconteurs, Gary Clark Jr. and many others are also on the official lineup of more than 80 musical acts, announced Tuesday.

The event takes place August 16 to 18 at Watkins Glen International Speedway in Watkins Glen, New York, about an hour and a half away from the original site of the 1969 Woodstock festival.

“We’ve lined up artists who won’t just entertain but will remind the world that music has the power to bring people together, to heal, to move us to action and to tell the stories of a generation,” says Michael Lang, who co-founded the 1969 festival and produced the 2019 Woodstock festivals. “Our hope is that today, just as in 1969, music will be the constant that can inspire positive change.”

Details are on the festival's official website. Here's the schedule:

Friday, August 16: The Killers, Miley Cyrus, The Lumineers, The Raconteurs, Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats, Run The Jewels, The Head and The Heart, Maggie Rogers, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Bishop Briggs, Anderson East, Akon, Princess Nokia, Grandson, Fever 333, Larkin Poe, Dorothy, Flora Cash, Brian Cadd, Ninet Tayeb and more.

Saturday, August. 17: Chance the Rapper, The Black Keys, Sturgill Simpson, Greta Van Fleet, Portugal. The Man, Leon Bridges, Gary Clark Jr., Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Dawes, Margo Price, Nahko and Medicine for the People, India.Arie, Jade Bird, Rival Sons, Emily King, Soccer Mommy, SiR, Taylor Bennett, Amy Helm, Courtney Hadwin, Pearl, John-Robert, IAMDDB. and more.

Sunday August 18: Jay-Z, Imagine Dragons, Halsey, Cage the Elephant, Brandi Carlile, Janelle Monáe, Young the Giant, Courtney Barnett, Common, Vince Staples, Judah and The Lion, Earl Sweatshirt, Boygenius, Reignwolf, The Zombies, Pussy Riot, Cherry Glazerr, Leven Kali, The Marcus King Band, Victory, Hollis Brown, John Craigie, Amigo The Devil, Liz Brasher and more.

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Kacey Musgraves, Childish Gambino, Lady Gaga win big at 61st Annual Grammy Awards

February 11, 2019 – 11:00 am

Jennifer Lopez performs at the Grammys; Monty Brinton/CBSHey, remember last year, when everyone complained that there were barely any women on the Grammy Awards, and that deserving hip-hop artists kept getting snubbed?

What a difference a year makes. The 61st Annual Grammy Awards, held Sunday night in Los Angeles, were all about hip hop and women -- and sometimes both.

Edgy country artist Kacey Musgraves was the night's big winner, taking home four trophies, including the prestigious Album of the Year prize for Golden Hour. She also won Best Country Album, Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance. In one of her many acceptance speeches, she thanked "all of the fans who have done nothing but spread positivity and love about this album...you really gave it wings."

Meanwhile, Cardi B and Childish Gambino, the latter aka actor Donald Glover, made Grammy history with their wins. Childish Gambino's politically charged #1 hit "This Is America" was named Record and Song of the Year -- the first time a hip-hop track had ever won in those two categories. "This Is America" also won for Best Rap/Sung performance, and its galvanizing video was named Best Music Video. Gambino wasn't on hand to accept his trophies.

Cardi B's Invasion of Privacy was named Best Rap Album, making her the only solo female to win in that category. The rapper was overcome by emotion at the podium, but still managed to joke, "The nerves are so bad, maybe I need to start smoking weed!"

Cardi then gave a memorable speech, specifically thanking her 7-month-old daughter, Kulture. She explained that wen she found out she was pregnant, it gave her the impetus she needed to finish her album and shoot the videos before she started showing. She also thanked her estranged husband, Offset, who was onstage with her, for encouraging her.

The night's other big winners included Brandi Carlile, who won three trophies, and Lady Gaga, who also took home three: two for "Shallow" and one for her song "Joanne (Where Do You Think You’re Goin’?)” Accepting the award for Best Pop/Duo Group performance, a tearful Gaga thanked Bradley Cooper and her fans, and then spoke about the importance of mental health issues, especially in the music industry.

“If you see someone that’s hurting, don’t look away," she said. "And if you’re hurting, even though it might be hard, try to find that bravery within yourself to dive deep and go tell somebody and take them up into your head with you.”

Going into the show, host Alicia Keys said she felt that this year's Grammys was "one billion percent" the year of the woman. Indeed, in addition to Cardi, Kacey, Brandi and Gaga, nearly every other winner or performer of the night was female, from R&B stars H.E.R. and Janelle Monae, Latinx stars Jennifer Lopez and Camila Cabello, rock star St. Vincent, and pop stars Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa. Even Michelle Obama put in an appearance.

Most of the star-studded Grammy "moments" were female-centric: There were tributes to Dolly Parton and Aretha Franklin, and Diana Ross took center stage to wish a happy 75th birthday to herself with a performance. Even a Motown tribute was mostly performed by Jennifer Lopez.

Dua Lipa, who was named Best New Artist, even said in her acceptance speech, "I guess this year, we really stepped up." It was a not-so-subtle diss of Recording Academy president Neil Portnow, who last year was publicly slammed for suggesting that women in the music industry needed to "step up."

Unfortunately, the biggest female pop star in the world right now, Ariana Grande, declined to attend after feuding with the producers. Disappointing, considering that in ceremonies prior to the broadcast, she won her first Grammy: Best Pop Vocal Album, for Sweetener.

As for the men, there were performances by Post Malone, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Shawn Mendes and Travis Scott and, briefly, Smokey Robinson and Ne-Yo, but the most notable male appearance came from Drake, who normally avoids award shows like the plague. He was on hand to accept his Grammy for Best Rap Song, for "God's Plan," and gave one of the most pointed speeches of the night.

Noting that awards are often decided by those who "might not understand" where hip-hop stars like him are coming from, the rapper continued, "You've already won if you have people who are singing your songs word for word. If you're a hero from your hometown. If there's people who have regular jobs who are coming out in the rain and the snow, spending their hard-earned money to buy tickets to come to your shows"

Gesturing to his Grammy, Drake added, "You don't need this right here. I promise you, you already won."

Fans were furious that Drake's speech was seemingly cut short by a commercial, but backstage, it was explained that he was given the opportunity to continue afterward, but declined, saying he'd made his point.

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Grammys 2019: The Performances

February 11, 2019 – 11:00 am

Monty Brinton/CBSThe 61st Annual Grammy Awards, held Sunday night in Los Angeles, were a far cry from last year's telecast, which was criticized for a lack of female performers. It was all about the women Sunday night -- with a few men thrown in here and there. Here's who performed what:

The show kicked off with an elaborate production number starring Camila Cabello, who sang her #1 hit "Havana" on a set that looked like an apartment building, which she later tweeted was inspired by the real-life building her grandmother lived in growing up in Havana, Cuba. Camila, the first Latina to open the Grammys, was joined for the block-party-inspired number by Ricky Martin, J Balvin, Young Thug and Latin music legend Arturo Sandoval.

Shawn Mendes and Miley Cyrus performed a crowd-pleasing duet of his nominated song, "In My Blood"

One of the night's big winners, Kacey Musgraves, performed "Rainbow" from her Album of the Year-winning disc, Golden Hour.

Janelle Monáe performed a sexy, show-stopping version of her song "Make Me Feel," which featured bits of her songs "Django Jane" and "Pynk" dropped in. Surrounded by female dancers and wearing a black-and-white shiny leotard, Janelle channeled Prince and James Brown as she played guitar, sang, danced and even dropped to the floor for some suggestive hip thrusting.

Post Malone performed an acoustic version of his song "Stay" before moving to a bit of his nominated hit, "Rock Star." He then joined Red Hot Chili Peppers on guitar and vocals for a rocking version of their 2016 song, "Dark Necessities."

Anna Kendrick introduced a Dolly Parton tribute, which featured the country legend singing "Here You Come Again" with Katy Perry and Kacey Musgraves, "Jolene" with Miley Cyrus, a lovely version of Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush" with Maren Morris and Miley, and a new song, "Red Shoes," with Little Big Town. Then everyone joined in on a version of her classic hit "9 to 5."

Best R&B Album winner H.E.R. gave a soulful performance of her track "Hard Place" while playing a see-through guitar; she was later joined by a chorus of singers.

Cardi B gave a Jazz Age-inspired performance of "Money," which featured her lolling on a diamond piano and, at one point, wearing a huge peacock-looking feather tail accessory.

Alicia Keys, the show's host, played a Scott Joplin song on two pianos at once before performing a medley of songs that included Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly," Juice WRLD's "Lucid Dreams," Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable," Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody," Drake's "In My Feelings," Ella Mai's "Boo'd Up," Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)" and, finally, her own "Empire State of Mind."

Country duo Dan + Shay did a stripped-down version of their Grammy-winning crossover hit, "Tequila."

Introduced by her nine-year-old grandson, Motown legend Diana Ross wished herself a happy 75th birthday -- which is actually next month -- by performing "The Best Years of My Life" and "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)."

Lady Gaga performed a raucous, super-dramatic solo version of her Grammy-winning hit "Shallow." It was, we think, an attempt to show exactly why she and Ally, the singer/songwriter character she plays in A Star Is Born, are two very different artists.

Travis Scott, joined by Earth, Wind & Fire members as well as collaborators Mike Dean and James Blake, performed "Stop Trying to Be God," and then moved to a huge steel cage, where he performed "No Bystanders" while a crowd of young people climbed all over the cage, formed a mosh pit, and then held the rapper up as he crowd-surfed.

A Motown tribute featured some participation from Ne-Yo, Smokey Robinson and Alicia Keys, but it was dominated by Jennifer Lopez, who danced and sang a medley of the legendary record label's hits, including "Please Mr. Postman," "Dancing in the Street," "Do You Love Me," "Money, "ABC," "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," and "Square Biz."

Brandi Carlile, who won three Grammys, performed a touching version of her anti-bullying song "The Joke," impressing the crowd by nailing the song's extremely high notes.

As a tribute to Grammy Lifetime Achievement recipient Donny Hathaway, Chloe X Halle sang "Where Is the Love," a 1972 hit by the late singer and Roberta Flack.

St. Vincent and Dua Lipa sang a titillating mash-up of their respective hits "Masseducation" and "One Kiss."

Andra Day, Fantasia and Yolanda Adams paid tribute to the late Aretha Franklin by singing "You Make Me Feel (Like a Natural Woman)."

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Grammys 2019 — the winners

February 11, 2019 – 5:33 am

Grammys host Alicia Keys; Monty Brinton/CBSHere's the complete list of winners in key categories for the 61st annual Grammy Awards, revealed Sunday night in ceremonies at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Album of the Year
Golden Hour -- Kacey Musgraves

Record of the Year
“This Is America” -- Childish Gambino

Song of the Year
“This Is America” -- Childish Gambino

Best New Artist
Dua Lipa

POP FIELD

Best Pop Solo Performance
“Joanne (Where Do You Think You’re Goin’?)” — Lady Gaga

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Shallow” — Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
My Way — Willie Nelson

Best Pop Vocal Album
Sweetener — Ariana Grande

DANCE/ELECTRONIC FIELD

Best Dance Recording
“Electricity” — Silk City & Dua Lipa Featuring Diplo & Mark Ronson

Best Dance/Electronic Album
Woman Worldwide — Justice

ROCK FIELD

Best Rock Performance
“When Bad Does Good” — Chris Cornell

Best Metal Performance
“Electric Messiah” — High On Fire

Best Rock Song
“Masseduction” — Jack Antonoff & Annie Clark, songwriters (St. Vincent)

Best Rock Album
From the Fires — Greta Van Fleet

ALTERNATIVE FIELD

Best Alternative Music Album
Colors — Beck

R&B FIELD

Best R&B Performance
“Best Part” — H.E.R. Featuring Daniel Caesar

Best Traditional R&B Performance
“Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand” — Leon Bridges TIE
“How Deep Is Your Love” — PJ Morton Featuring Yebba TIE

Best R&B Song
“Boo’d Up” — Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai & Dijon McFarlane, songwriters (Ella Mai)

Best Urban Contemporary Album
Everything Is Love — The Carters

Best R&B Album
H.E.R. — H.E.R.

RAP FIELD

Best Rap Performance
“King’s Dead” — Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future & James Blake TIE
“Bubblin” — Anderson .Paak TIE

Best Rap/Sung Performance
“This Is America” — Childish Gambino

Best Rap Song
“God’s Plan” — Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Ron LaTour, Matthew Samuels & Noah Shebib, songwriters (Drake)

Best Rap Album
Invasion of Privacy — Cardi B

COUNTRY FIELD

Best Country Solo Performance
“Butterflies” — Kacey Musgraves

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“Tequila” — Dan + Shay

Best Country Song
“Space Cowboy” — Luke Laird, Shane McAnally & Kacey Musgraves, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)

Best Country Album
Golden Hour — Kacey Musgraves

AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC FIELD

Best Americana Album
By the Way, I Forgive You — Brandi Carlile

Best Bluegrass Album
The Travelin’ McCourys — The Travelin’ McCourys

Best Folk Album
All Ashore — Punch Brothers

REGGAE FIELD

Best Reggae Album
44/876 — Sting & Shaggy

SPOKEN WORD FIELD

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling)
Faith – A Journey for All — Jimmy Carter

COMEDY FIELD

Best Comedy Album
Equanimity & the Bird Revelation — Dave Chappelle

MUSIC VIDEO/FILM FIELD

Best Music Video
“This Is America” — Childish Gambino, Hiro Murai, video director; Ibra Ake, Jason Cole & Fam Rothstein, video producers

Best Music Film
Quincy — Quincy Jones Alan Hicks & Rashida Jones, video directors; Paula DuPré Pesmen, video producer

MUSIC FOR VISUAL MEDIA FIELD

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
The Greatest Showman — (Various Artists)

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
Black Panther — Ludwig Göransson, composer

Best Song Written for Visual Media
“Shallow” — Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper)

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U2’s Bono and The Edge take part in Christmas Eve charity busking session in Dublin

December 24, 2018 – 8:30 pm

Mark Horton/Getty ImagesU2's Bono and The Edge hit the streets of their hometown of Dublin, Ireland, Monday to perform along with some of their fellow Irish musicians to raise money for charities to help the city's homeless population.

According to Entertainment.ie, this marks the first time Bono has taken part in the one-time annual Christmas Eve tradition of busking on Dublin's Grafton Street since 2015.

The website posted Twitter messages from a variety of people who attended the event, which showed Bono and The Edge performing "Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way," from U2's latest studio album, Songs of Experience, and the Christmas carol "O Holy Night."

Other musicians who performed at the busking session were Glen Hansard, Damien Rice and Mundy. In addition, the Twitter feed of the usually reliable U2 fan forum AtU2.com reported that Bono and The Edge were joined by all of the other performers for a version of Darlene Love's soulful holiday classic "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)." You can check out fan-shot video of some of the performances on YouTube posted by a user named ronandonnelly1.

Among the charities that receive money raised by the performances are Dublin Simon Community and Inner City Helping Homeless.

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61st annual Grammy Awards: The nominees

December 7, 2018 – 2:43 pm

GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty ImagesHere's the complete list of nominees in key categories for the 61st annual Grammy Awards. Winners will be revealed on music's biggest night Sunday, February 10, live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on CBS.

Album of the Year
Invasion of Privacy -- Cardi B
By the Way I Forgive You -- Brandi Carlile
Scorpion -- Drake
beerbongs & bentleys -- Post Malone
H.E.R. -- H.E.R.
Dirty Computer -- Janelle Monae
Golden Hour -- Kacey Musgraves
Black Panther: The Album -- Kendrick Lamar

Record of the Year
“I Like It” -- Cardi B
“The Joke” -- Brandi Carlile
“This Is America” -- Childish Gambino
“Shallow” -- Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
“All the Stars” -- Kendrick Lamar
“Rock Star” -- Post Malone
“God’s Plan” -- Drake
“The Middle” -- Zedd, Maren Morris

Song of the Year
“All the Stars” -- Kendrick Lamar, SZA
“Boo’d Up” -- Ella Mai
“God’s Plan” -- Drake
“In My Blood” -- Shawn Mendes
“The Joke” -- Brandi Carlile
“The Middle” -- Zedd, Maren Morris
“Shallow” -- Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
“This Is America” -- Childish Gambino

Best New Artist
Chloe x Halle
Luke Combs
Greta Van Fleet
H.E.R.
Dua Lipa
Bebe Rexha
Margo Price
Jorja Smith

POP FIELD

Best Pop Solo Performance
“Colors” — Beck
“Havana (Live)” — Camila Cabello
“God Is A Woman” — Ariana Grande
“Joanne (Where Do You Think You’re Goin’?)” — Lady Gaga
“Better Now” — Post Malone

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Fall In Line” — Christina Aguilera Featuring Demi Lovato
“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” — Backstreet Boys
“‘S Wonderful” — Tony Bennett & Diana Krall
“Shallow” — Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
“Girls I Like You” — Maroon 5 Featuring Cardi B
“Say Something” — Justin Timberlake Featuring Chris Stapleton
“The Middle” — Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Love Is Here to Stay —Tony Bennett & Diana Krall
My Way — Willie Nelson
Nat “King” Cole & Me — Gregory Porter
Standards (DELUXE) —Seal
THE MUSIC…THE MEM’RIES…THE MAGIC! — Barbra Streisand

Best Pop Vocal Album
Camila — Camila Cabello
Meaning of Life — Kelly Clarkson
Sweetener — Ariana Grande
Shawn Mendes — Shawn Mendes
Beautiful Trauma — Pink
Reputation — Taylor Swift

DANCE/ELECTRONIC FIELD

Best Dance Recording
“Northern Soul” — Above & Beyond Featuring Richard Bedford
“Ultimatum” — Disclosure (Featuring Fatoumata Diawara)
“Losing It” — Fisher
“Electricity” — Silk City & Dua Lipa Featuring Diplo & Mark Ronson
“Ghost Voices” — Virtual Self

Best Dance/Electronic Album
Singularity — Jon Hopkins
Woman Worldwide — Justice
Treehouse — Sofi Tukker
Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides — SOPHIE
Lune Rouge — TOKiMONSTA

ROCK FIELD

Best Rock Performance
“Four Out of Five” —Arctic Monkeys
“When Bad Does Good” — Chris Cornell
“Made An America” — The Fever 333
“Highway Tune” — Greta Van Fleet
“Uncomfortable” — Halestorm

Best Metal Performance
“Condemned to the Gallows “— Between The Buried And Me
“Honeycomb” — Deafheaven
“Electric Messiah” — High On Fire
“Betrayer” — Trivium
“On My Teeth — Underoath

Best Rock Song
“Black Smoke Rising” — Jacob Thomas Kiszka, Joshua Michael Kiszka, Samuel Francis Kiszka & Daniel
Robert Wagner, songwriters (Greta Van Fleet)
“Jumpsuit” — Tyler Joseph, songwriter (Twenty One Pilots)
“MANTRA” — Jordan Fish, Matthew Kean, Lee Malia, Matthew Nicholls & Oliver Sykes, songwriters (Bring Me the Horizon)
“Masseduction” — Jack Antonoff & Annie Clark, songwriters (St. Vincent)
“Rats” — Tom Dalgety & A Ghoul Writer, songwriters (Ghost)

Best Rock Album
Rainier Fog — Alice In Chains
M A N I A — Fall Out Boy
Prequelle — Ghost
From the Fires — Greta Van Fleet
Pacific Daydream — Weezer

ALTERNATIVE FIELD

Best Alternative Music Album
Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino —Arctic Monkeys
Colors — Beck
Utopia — Björk
American Utopia — David Byrne
Masseduction — St. Vincent

R&B FIELD

Best R&B Performance
“Long As I Live” — Toni Braxton
“Summer” — The Carters
“Y O Y” — Lalah Hathaway
“Best Part” — H.E.R. Featuring Daniel Caesar
“First Began” — PJ Morton

Best Traditional R&B Performance
“Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand” — Leon Bridges
“Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight” — Bettye LaVette
“Honest” — MAJOR.
“How Deep Is Your Love” — PJ Morton Featuring Yebba
“Made for Love” — Charlie Wilson Featuring Lalah Hathaway

Best R&B Song
“Boo’d Up” — Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai & Dijon McFarlane, songwriters (Ella Mai)
“Come Through And Chill” — Jermaine Cole, Miguel Pimentel & Salaam Remi, songwriters (Miguel Featuring J. Cole & Salaam Remi)
“Feels Like Summer” — Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters (Childish Gambino)
“Focus” — Darhyl Camper Jr, H.E.R. & Justin Love, songwriters (H.E.R.)
“Long As I Live” — Paul Boutin, Toni Braxton & Antonio Dixon, songwriters (Toni Braxton)

Best Urban Contemporary Album
Everything Is Love — The Carters
The Kids Are Alright— Chloe x Halle
Chris Dave and the Drumhedz — Chris Dave and the Drumhedz
War & Leisure — Miguel
Ventriloquism — Meshell Ndegeocello

Best R&B Album
Sex & Cigarettes — Toni Braxton
Good Thing — Leon Bridges
Honestly — Lalah Hathaway
H.E.R. — H.E.R.
Gumbo Unplugged (Live) — PJ Morton

RAP FIELD

Best Rap Performance
“Be Careful” — Cardi B
“Nice for What” — Drake
“King’s Dead” — Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future & James Blake
“Bubblin” — Anderson .Paak
“Sicko Mode” — Travis Scott, Drake, Big Hawk & Swae Lee

Best Rap/Sung Performance
“Like I Do” — Christina Aguilera Featuring Goldlink
“Pretty Little Fears” — 6LACK Featuring J. Cole
“This Is America” — Childish Gambino
“All the Stars” — Kendrick Lamar & SZA
“Rockstar” — Post Malone Featuring 21 Savage

Best Rap Song
“God’s Plan” — Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Ron LaTour, Matthew Samuels & Noah Shebib, songwriters (Drake)
“King’s Dead” — Kendrick Duckworth, Samuel Gloade, James Litherland, Johnny McKinzie, Mark Spears, Travis Walton, Nayvadius Wilburn & Michael Williams II, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future & James Blake)
“Lucky You” — R. Fraser, G. Lucas, M. Mathers, M. Samuels & J. Sweet, songwriters (Eminem Featuring Joyner Lucas)
“Sicko Mode” — Khalif Brown, Rogét Chahayed, BryTavious Chambers, Mike Dean, Mirsad Dervic, Kevin Gomringer, Tim Gomringer, Aubrey Graham, John Edward Hawkins, Chauncey Hollis, Jacques Webster, Ozan Yildirim & Cydel Young, songwriters (Travis Scott, Drake, Big Hawk & Swae Lee)
“Win” — K. Duckworth, A. Hernandez, J. McKinzie, M. Samuels & C. Thompson, songwriters (Jay Rock)

Best Rap Album
Invasion of Privacy — Cardi B
Swimming — Mac Miller
Victory Lap — Nipsey Hussle
Daytona — Pusha T
Astroworld — Travis Scott

COUNTRY FIELD

Best Country Solo Performance
“Wouldn’t It Be Great?” — Loretta Lynn
“Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” — Maren Morris
“Butterflies” — Kacey Musgraves
“Millionaire” — Chris Stapleton
“Parallel Line” — Keith Urban

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“Shoot Me Straight” — Brothers Osborne
“Tequila” — Dan + Shay
”When Someone Stops Loving You” — Little Big Town
“Dear Hate” — Maren Morris Featuring Vince Gill
“Meant to Be” — Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line

Best Country Song
“Break Up in the End” — Jessie Jo Dillon, Chase McGill & Jon Nite, songwriters (Cole Swindell)
“Dear Hate” — Tom Douglas, David Hodges & Maren Morris, songwriters (Maren Morris Featuring Vince Gill)
“I Lived It” — Rhett Akins, Ross Copperman, Ashley Gorley & Ben Hayslip, songwriters (Blake Shelton)
“Space Cowboy” — Luke Laird, Shane McAnally & Kacey Musgraves, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
“Tequila” — Nicolle Galyon, Jordan Reynolds & Dan Smyers, songwriters (Dan + Shay)
“When Someone Stops Loving You” — Hillary Lindsey, Chase McGill & Lori McKenna, songwriters (Little Big Town)

Best Country Album
Unapologetically — Kelsea Ballerini
Port Saint Joe — Brothers Osborne
Girl Going Nowhere — Ashley McBryde
Golden Hour — Kacey Musgraves
From A Room: Volume 2 — Chris Stapleton

AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC FIELD

Best Americana Album
By the Way, I Forgive You — Brandi Carlile
Things Have Changed — Bettye LaVette
The Tree of Forgiveness — John Prine
The Lonely, the Lonesome & the Gone — Lee Ann Womack
One Drop of Truth — The Wood Brothers

Best Bluegrass Album
Portraits in Fiddles — Mike Barnett
Sister Sadie II — Sister Sadie
Rivers and Roads — Special Consensus
The Travelin’ McCourys — The Travelin’ McCourys
North of Despair — Wood & Wire

Best Folk Album
Whistle Down the Wind — Joan Baez
Black Cowboys — Dom Flemons
Rifles & Rosary Beads — Mary Gauthier
Weed Garden — Iron & Wine
All Ashore — Punch Brothers

REGGAE FIELD

Best Reggae Album
As the World Turns — Black Uhuru
Reggae Forever — Etana
Rebellion Rises — Ziggy Marley
A Matter of Time — Protoje
44/876 — Sting & Shaggy

SPOKEN WORD FIELD

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling)
Accessory to War (Neil Degrasse Tyson & Avis Lang) — Courtney B. Vance
Calypso — David Sedaris
Creative Quest — Questlove
Faith – A Journey for All — Jimmy Carter
The Last Black Unicorn — Tiffany Haddish

COMEDY FIELD

Best Comedy Album
Annihilation — Patton Oswalt
Equanimity & the Bird Revelation — Dave Chappelle
Noble Ape — Jim Gaffigan
Standup for Drummers — Fred Armisen
Tamborine — Chris Rock

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Khalid’s “Location,” Chris Stapleton, Imagine Dragons, Beyonce all hailed at Waffle House’s Tunie Awards

November 19, 2018 – 11:00 am

ABC/Kelsey McNealWith more than 1,900 restaurants spread across 25 states, it's safe to say Waffle House is popular -- so popular, in fact, that its jukeboxes have spawned their own music awards.

That's right, the first-ever Tunie Awards show happened in Georgia Friday night, and based on the plays from the eateries' TouchTunes Jukeboxes, Khalid's "Location" was named the top song.

Khalid topped Sam Hunt, Justin Timberlake and Ed Sheeran; the results are based on the 30 million songs played on Waffle House/TouchTunes Jukeboxes over the past 12 months.

"Blue Ain't Your Color" by Keith Urban -- last year's number one-ranked song, held tough at number five for 2018.

Here's the official list of Waffle House Jukebox Top Ten Songs of 2018:

"Location" by Khalid
"Body Like A Back Road" by Sam Hunt
"Can't Stop the Feeling!" by Justin Timberlake
"Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran
"Blue Ain't Your Color" by Keith Urban
"Tennessee Whiskey" by Chris Stapleton
"Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
"Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran
"Too Good at Goodbyes" by Sam Smith
"Can't Feel My Face" by The Weeknd

According to a company release, the most played artist was Michael Jackson, who was posthumously also named Best Pop Artist.

Best R&B/Hip Hop Artist went to Beyonce; Lynyrd Skynyrd won the Best Rock Artist award.

Chris Stapleton had the most country songs played and took home the Tunie award for Best Country Artist.

Many of the artists had fun with the honor. Stapleton commented, "I've had a lot of dreams come true. One of the dreams I wanted is to have a song on the Waffle House jukebox. Not only did I get a song on the Waffle House jukebox, I got this fantastic award. So thank you very much."

Imagine Dragons, winner of the Tunie Award for the most played rock song for "Thunder," referenced the eatery's famous grits. "That means the world to us," drummer Dan Platzman said on the show. "This is like you basically took our hearts, and you scattered, smothered, double-covered and peppered them."

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Bono returning to ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for fourth annual (RED) benefit show

November 15, 2018 – 8:45 pm

ABC/Adam TaylorBono will return to ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the show's fourth annual (RED) benefit episode, airing Monday, November 19.

The U2 frontman, who co-founded (RED) in 2006, will join host Jimmy Kimmel and celebrities including Chris Rock, Will Ferrell, Kristen Bell, Channing Tatum, Snoop Dogg, Mila Kunis and Pharrell to support the charity, which raises funds for the fight against AIDS.

As with previous years, the special will include a QVC-like Shopathon, offering many different (RED) products and unique celebrity experiences.

Previous specials have featured performances from Coldplay's Chris Martin and The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers.

The show will air ahead of World AIDS Day, December 1.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weekdays at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC.

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U2’s Bono: “We’re going away now”

November 14, 2018 – 3:35 pm

ABC/Adam TaylorU2 closed out their extensive eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE tour Tuesday and Berlin, and it would be hard to argue that the Irish rockers don't deserve a break. However, that break might be an extended one.

During the Berlin show, Bono announced that the band is "going away now."

"We've been on the road for quite some time now, just going on 40 years," Bono says in footage posted by the U2gigs fan account.

"This last four years have been really something very special for us," he continues. "We're going away now."

While that could mean a variety of things, some are fearing that the end is near for U2, while more optimistic fans are hoping the band simply needs some rest. Perhaps they just need a bit to dream it all up again once more.

Over the last four years, U2 released two albums: 2014's Songs of Innocence and 2017's Songs of Experience. In 2017, they also launched a tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their classic 1987 album The Joshua Tree.

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