Music
The latest music news on shows, artists, albums, concerts and more.
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Singer-songwriter John Prine named honorary Illinois Poet Laureate
The Maywood native, who passed away in April after contracting COVID-19, is the first person to receive the honor.
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Status of Summer: What Chicago festivals, events are canceled, postponed, moved online
Here’s the latest updates on this year’s changing entertainment landscape.
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Spring Awakening goes virtual for 4th of July weekend
Not even a pandemic can stop the Spring Awakening Music Festival. Here’s what fans of electronic music need to know as this festival goes virtual over the 4th of July weekend.
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Rapper T.I. to teach ‘Business of Trap Music’ at Clark Atlanta University
The course will focus on the origin, culture and business of trap music.
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Chase Rice faces backlash for performing packed concert as coronavirus cases rise
A spokesperson for the event said "all local requirements" were followed and less than 1,000 guests were in attendance Saturday night, "providing ample space in the outdoor lawn area for fans to spread out to their own comfort level."
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Rolling Stones threaten to sue Trump over using their songs on campaign trail
The Stones said in a statement Sunday that their legal team is working with music rights organization BMI to stop use of their material in Trump’s reelection campaign.
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BET Awards a forum for artists speaking out on police and change
DaBaby performs with a cop’s knee on his neck, Beyonce promotes the vote and several big names rap "Fight the Power."
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Music execs urged Christina Aguilera to change name because it was ‘too ethnic’
"I’ve been fighting for my last name my whole life."
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Rapper Huey fatally shot in St. Louis
Best known for his 2006 hit, "Pop, Lock & Drop It," Huey, stage name of Lawrence Franks Jr., was shot just before 11 p.m. Thursday.
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Kanye West to bring Yeezy brand, but not sneakers, to Gap
The rap superstar will design adult and kids’ clothing that will be sold at Gap’s stores next year.
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The Dixie Chicks announce official name change
After fellow country group Lady Antebellum’s rebrand, the all-female trio announced they were dropping the "Dixie" in a statement.
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Sound of Silent Film Festival lets music do the talking in 14 shorts
On YouTube this year instead of the big screen, the event enlists composers to write new scores for modern movies without dialogue.
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The Mix: Cool things to do in Chicago June 25-July 1
There’s a whole lot of local entertainment options to enjoy online in the week ahead.
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Orchestras, classical music programs working toward more diversity in the concert hall, leadership roles
Unlike most other members of the League of American Orchestras, at least one third of the musicians, staff and board of the Chicago Sinfonietta are people of color.
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Details revealed of Chicago’s move on Friday into Phase 4 of reopening plan
Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the cautious reopening is possible because the seven-day average number of new COVID-19 cases in Chicago has dropped to 167 a day, putting it in the "moderate-high risk" category.
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CSO’s Riccardo Muti looks to reopen Chicago’s classical music scene; seeks increased diversity in the industry
Muti, who has been conducting concerts this spring in Italy suggests that concerts could be held in Millennium Park, with 2,000 guests instead of the 30,000 capacity, and by first testing musicians for the virus and possibly sticking to a repertoire that limits the number of musicians on stage.
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Maxwell Street shines on the big screen — but it’s now ‘Anytown U.S.A.,’ critics say
The once-vibrant scene, home of Nate’s Deli and impromptu blues jams, has had a makeover since the filming of "The Blues Brothers.’
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How ‘The Blues Brothers’ helped fuel a blues boom in Chicago and beyond
The movie soundtrack, which featured Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Cab Calloway, sold more than a million copies.
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Local H starts reviving live music with drive-in concerts
It’s ‘a dream come true’ for band’s frontman to rock out for socially distancing fans in Gibson City.
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The Mix: Cool things to do in Chicago June 18-24
There’s a whole lot of local entertainment options to enjoy online in the week ahead.
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Kurt Cobain ‘MTV Unplugged’ guitar sells for sky-high $6 million
Grunge became gold as the guitar Kurt Cobain played on Nirvana’s 1993 "MTV Unplugged" performance sold for an eye-popping $6 million at auction
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Blues Brothers orphanage, screen home to Cab Calloway and ‘The Penguin,’ was actually an old brewery
Although the brothers’ mission was to save the St. Helen of the Blessed Shroud, it didn’t exist in real life.
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Never-before-heard solo version of Aretha Franklin song about race, faith released: LISTEN
"Never Gonna Break My Faith" was originally featured in the film "Bobby," about U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 assassination, and features background vocals from The Boys Choir of Harlem.
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Keedron Bryant, 12-year-old singer of Black anthem song, signs record deal
His powerful video, posted on May 26, features the lyrics "I’m a young Black man doing all that I can" from the song "I Just Wanna Live," written by his mother.
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Vera Lynn, World War II armed forces ‘sweetheart’ singer, dies at 103
The singer, who serenaded British troops abroad during World War II, has died at 103. During the war and long after, Lynn got crowds singing, smiling and crying with sentimental favorites such as "We’ll Meet Again," and "The White Cliffs of Dover."
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At 91, blues artist Jimmy Johnson keeps changing things up, and new album is the proof
He’s convinced a career pivot from welding to music added years to his life.
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Riot Fest 2020 canceled due to pandemic; Smashing Pumpkins, My Chemical Romance, Lupe Fiasco among 2021 first wave lineup
The festival will return to Douglas Park Sept. 17-19, 2021, and will feature a first-ever festival Thursday preview party on Sept. 16, 2021.
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Lyric Opera of Chicago cancels 2020 fall season due to pandemic
The Lyric has canceled the fall portion of its 2020-21 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, a move that eliminates four of its 10 productions and delays opening night from Sept. 17, 2020, to Jan. 15, 2021.
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Lady Antebellum will continue going by Lady A after apologizing to singer with same name
Lady Antebellum announced last week that it would change its name to Lady A in an effort to distance themselves from a term with ties to slavery, a move that initially didn’t sit well with Seattle-based singer Anita White, who goes by the stage name Lady A.
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Garth Brooks concert to stream at drive-ins, including Chicago area
Tickets for the June 27 event go on sale June 19.
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Bob Dylan’s ‘Rough and Rowdy Ways’ masterful, reflective
Dylan fans who love to pour over every possible meaning of his every utterance will have plenty to dig through on his first record of new material since 2012’s "Tempest." The wait was worth it.
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Brandi Carlile, Brittany Howard top Americana Awards
In the nominations announced Monday for its September awards show, the Grammy-winning artist has a total of seven nominations, including artist of the year as a solo artist.