American drummer Melvin Parker died. He and his brother, saxophonist Maceo Parker, were key members of James Brown's band. Parker was the drummer on three of Brown's recordings: ‘Out of Sight,’ ‘Papa's Got A Brand New Bag,’ and ‘I Got You (I Feel Good).’

In a new interview with John Mayer on the guitarist's recently launched radio show How's Life, Joel spoke about consistently feeling let down by his own vocal abilities."I always wanted to sing like somebody else — I never liked my own voice," he said. "I would go in the studio and I'd do a recording and I'd come back in the control room and listen and go 'Oh God, it's that guy.' And I'd always be disappointed — no matter how good I thought the writing was, I never liked my own voice. Always wanted to sound like somebody else."One way he skirts around this, he says, is by trying to channel other singers he admires, including Ray Charles, Sting and Elvis Costello — "people with these wonderful voices," he explained.This is not the first time Joel has opened up about not liking his voice. He ran into the issue most recently when recording his newest single, "Turn the Lights Back On," his first piece of original material in nearly two decades.Freddy Wexler, the song's co-writer and producer asked him, 'Are you thinking of somebody else when you're singing?' And Billy Joel said, 'Always,'.Joel said to WBLM-FM earlier this year. "I'm always trying to sound like not Billy Joel, because I don't like my own voice. I like other singers. I'm a songwriter, because I can think about other people singing this stuff, not me."

The new Yacht Rock documentary is coming soon. The documentary, "A Dockumentary," looks at the musicians and producers behind the Yacht Rock scene. It dives into how this genre came to be, how it evolved, and why it eventually fizzled out. The official synopsis describes it as a sound that was known for its polished production, mellow vocals, and laid-back lyrics.Ultimately, MTV was the driving force behind the genre's success. Without the comedians who later mocked it, the genre might have been forgotten in music history. Yacht rock also had a revival in the 1990s, when some of its tracks were sampled by hip-hop artists. Yacht Rock: The documentary features the music, of course, but also what HBO calls "incredible archival footage of recording sessions and concerts, as well as humorous and self-reflexive interviews."The film features Loggins, Cross and McDonald, as well as Steve Porcaro (Toto), Steve Lukather (Toto), David Paich (Toto), Prince Paul (De La Soul), Brian Robert Jones (Vampire Weekend), Thundercat, Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson (The Roots), Mac DeMarco, and many more. The guy who came up with the idea for the web series, Yacht Rock, is also involved in the documentary, as is Fred Armisen. "Yacht rock is a very relaxing sensation," says comedian Fred Armisen in the film. "It's as if the singers are all saying, 'Hey, everything's going to be fine.'" Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson also shares his thoughts.Fagen only makes a brief appearance at the other end of a telephone conversation with Price. The director has asked him if he would be willing to discuss "this genre." Fagen asks, "And what genre is that?" Price replies, "Er, yacht rock." It doesn't go very well. Before abruptly ending the call, Fagen replies, "Oh, yacht rock. Well, I'll tell you what: why don't you fuck off?"

Quincy Jones, legendary music producer, composer and musician, died on Sunday, 3 November 2024, aged 91. His publicist and a family statement said he died at home in Bel Air, California, with his family around him.

Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham have announced a new album. Cunningham Bird covers Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks' 1973 album, Buckingham Nicks. Hear Bird and Cunningham's new versions of "Crying in the Night" and "Crystal" below.

Eric Clapton just let us know that his new studio album, Meanwhile, will be released digitally on October 4th and on vinyl and CD on January 24, 2025. It's coming out from Bushbranch/Surfdog Records. The announcement also includes the release of a new song, "One Woman," which is available today. You can pre-order Meanwhile and listen to "One Woman" HERE.The album features collaborations with Jeff Beck, Van Morrison, Bradley Walker, Judith Hill, Daniel Santiago, and Simon Climie, as well as six brand new songs and eight previously released singles.