Music News Headlines

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) - Grammy-winning folk musician Doc Watson remained in critical condition on Friday but had regained some strength after undergoing colon surgery at a North Carolina hospital, according to his management team. A statement on Folklore Productions International's website said the 89-year-old …

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Here's a celebrity who's walking the walk this Memorial Day weekend: country star Tim McGraw is launching HomeFront, a national program that will award mortgage-free homes to wounded military vets in the 25 cities on McGraw's summer tour. Partnering with Chase and Operation Homefront, McGraw …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The "American Idol" finale audience slumped to a record low, but the show's newly crowned champion Phillip Phillips hit No.1 on iTunes on Thursday with his first single "Home." The 11-year-old Fox singing contest, once a TV industry juggernaut whose finale attracted more than 30 million viewers in …

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Britney Spears found herself in the middle of some silly drama almost as soon as she debuted as an "X Factor" judge. TMZ.com reported that Spears walked off the show's set during auditions in Austin when a contestant performed a not-so-great version of her song "Hold It Against Me." Spears tweeted …

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Nearly a decade after they last saved the earth from aliens, the Men in Black are back - and critics seem pretty okay with that. The science fiction sequel earned a 66 percent "fresh" rating, according to the critic aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. That's a far higher number than those received by …

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Singer Elton John was treated in hospital in Los Angeles for a serious respiratory infection that forced him to cancel performances this weekend of his "The Million Dollar Piano" show at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. In a statement posted on his website on Thursday, the British entertainer, whose hits …

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) - Grammy winning folk musician Doc Watson is in critical condition at a North Carolina hospital, a representative for the medical facility said on Thursday. The 89-year-old Watson is a singer of bluegrass, country, blues and gospel who is famous for his flatpicking style on the guitar …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Matt Roberts, a founding member of Mississippi rock band 3 Doors Down, is leaving the group after nearly two decades due to health issues, the band said on Thursday. "3 Doors Down will always have a special place in my heart and it saddens me to take this time off ... But my health has to be my first …

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sade fans have had to learn to be very patient. After a decade-long hiatus, the soulful jazz band led by Nigerian-born British singer Sade Adu, 53, returned to the stage with their "Bring Me Home" tour last year. And for those who couldn't make it to a show, there is now an album and film. This week, …

(Reuters) - Donna Summer's 1977 hit "I Feel Love" was added to the United States' archives on Wednesday, six days after the disco queen's death, along with Prince's "Purple Rain" album and 23 other recordings deemed cultural or historical treasures. The National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in Washington …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert pushed his fellow "Idol" alum off the top spot of the Billboard 200 chart on Wednesday to score his first No. 1 album with "Trespassing." Lambert's second studio album sold 77,000 copies in its first week, a significantly lower debut than Underwood's …

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - The Flaming Lips will try to break Jay-Z's world record for most shows in a 24-hour period as part of the Viacom Music Group's third O Music Awards. Jay-Z performed seven shows in different cities, so the Oklahaoma City-based Lips will aim for eight shows on June 27 while traveling on a bus from …

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Musical legend Bob Dylan, novelist Toni Morrison and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright are among 13 people who will be awarded the country's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by President Barack Obama next week, the White House said. The presentations will …

LONDON (Reuters) - Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb, who with brothers Barry and Maurice helped define the disco era with their falsetto harmonies and funky beats on hits like "Stayin' Alive" and "Jive Talkin'", died on Sunday after a long fight with cancer. He was 62. The singer had colon and liver cancer and, despite brief …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Energetic performances and heart-felt tributes took center stage at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, as Adele, LMFAO, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift came away top awards. British Grammy-winning singer Adele won 12 awards from 18 nominations for her juggernaut album "21," including …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Whitney Houston's last recording - a new duet with "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks - was released on Monday ahead of the singer's upcoming film, "Sparkle." "Celebrate," produced by R. Kelly for "Sparkle" which will hit movie theaters on August 17, was recorded by Houston shortly before her sudden …

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Somebody better bring the bleep button into the shop for a tune-up: Samuel L. Jackson is hosting this year's BET Awards. The "Snakes on a Plane" star's hosting gig was revealed Tuesday by the network, along with nominees for this year's event. Past hosts for the ceremony, which was launched in …

(Reuters) - The funk pioneer George Clinton has settled a lawsuit in which he accused the pop and hip hop group Black Eyed Peas of using part of one of his songs in remixes of its hit song "Shut Up" without permission. The settlement followed two weeks of mediation, and was revealed in filings this week in Los Angeles federal …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Jessica Sanchez, the teen with the big voice, chose power ballads while Phillip Phillips went with an indie vibe as the two diverse "American Idol" finalists sang on Tuesday for the hearts and votes of America. Sanchez, 16, bidding to become the youngest ever winner of America's most-watched TV show, …

LONDON (Reuters) - British singer Adele won two Ivor Novello awards for songwriting on Thursday, adding to a lengthening list of musical accolades, but she lost out in the best album and song categories. The 24-year-old chart queen picked up two coveted Ivor Novello prizes for the most performed song of 2011 ("Rolling in …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Jack White earned his musical stripes with his chart-topping debut solo album "Blunderbuss," and now the singer is attempting to add another accolade to his shelf - a Guinness World Record for most metaphors in a single concert. The eccentric former White Stripes frontman, who also has put "Blunderbuss" …

BERLIN (Reuters) - German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, whose passionate and sensitive interpretations of German lieder brought the 19th-century song form to life again for new generations, died on Friday, 10 days short of his 87th birthday. Sometimes described as the most recorded singer in history, Fischer-Dieskau …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "American Idol" finalist Jessica Sanchez must reach viewers emotionally in order to win the contest this week, while rival Phillip Phillips has a "crazy charisma" that will serve him well in his career, the show's mentor Jimmy Iovine said on Monday. As "American Idol" approaches its climax on Tuesday, …