Sunday, January 22, 2012

Roger Waters Marries Laurie Durning, Talks of 'Clinging to Pink Floyd Trademark'

Roger WatersStefan M. Prager, Redferns
Roger Waters married filmmaker and longtime girlfriend Laurie Durning in Southampton, New York on Jan. 14. This is the fourth wedding for the Pink Floyd icon, who became engaged to Durning in 2004.

"Well, actually, I need to bring you up to date because I just got married on Saturday to Laurie, she's gorgeous," Waters revealed to Howard Stern during an hour-long interview Jan. 18 on his SiriusXM show.

"Yeah, I couldn't be happier. We did [the pre-nup]. We've been living together for 10 years, I think we sort of know now that we like getting up together in the morning and going to bed at night."

Johnny Otis, 'Willie and the Hand Jive' Songwriter and R&B Icon, Dead at 90

Johnny OtisGAB Archive, Redferns
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Johnny Otis -- best known for writing the 1958 hit 'Willie and the Hand Jive' -- died Jan. 17 in Los Angeles. He was 90.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Otis -- born Johnny Veliotes -- was raised in Berkeley, CA, and began playing drums in his early 20s around the Los Angeles R&B scene which predominantly consisted of black artists performing with Otis, who was white. Today, he is considered by many to be the "Godfather of Rhythm and Blues."

"When I got near teen age, I was so happy with my friends and the African American culture that I couldn't imagine not being a part of it," he said in a 1991 interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Weakerthan's John K. Samson Goes Solo, Ponders 'Provincial' Roads and Occupy

John K SamsonANTI-
It's hard to imagine Bruce Springsteen being from anywhere other than New Jersey, and in much the same way, John K. Samson's affiliation with his home province of Manitoba has become the stuff of CanRock legend.

As frontman for the Weakerthans since the band's formation in 1997, Samson's lyrics have often exposed harsh truths about life in and around Winnipeg. But over the past two years, Samson has been edging even closer into Springsteen-themed territory with solo recordings directly inspired by Manitoba roads. These now provide the backbone of 'Provincial,' Samson's first full-length solo venture since a 1993 cassette recorded while he was still a part of Winnipeg punk institution Propagandhi.

"My idea for this record was, if someone had a couple of days free, they could come to me and I could take them to the site of each song," Sampson tells Spinner, noting that much of the album's subject matter, such as the notorious history of the Ninette, Manitoba tuberculosis sanitorium, and a petition to get Riverton, Manitoba NHL star Reggie Leach into the Hockey Hall of Fame, was ultimately fleshed out by his unquenchable thirst for gathering details.

8-Year-Old Australian Girl Performs 'My First Hardcore Song' -- (VIDEO)

youtube.com
She sings! She screams! She plays with puppies and plush toys! But most of all, she does a mean moshpit windmill.

Meet Juliet, an adorable and precocious 8-year-old girl from Australia who just issued 'My First Hardcore Song,' a video that has gone viral today. In the minute-long clip, Juliet makes the tough guy hardcore face -rawr!- hugs her dog, Robert, while confessing her love for him and her fish, and demands "Let's open up the pit." Yes, ma'am. Whatever you say, Juliet!

Kenny G and Wife File for Divorce

Kenny G and WifeStephen Shugerman, Getty Images for In Style
Saxophone virtuoso Kenny G and his wife Lyndie Benson-Gorelick have filed for divorce. According to TMZ, the couple seek to legally separate after 20 years of marriage. The soprano sax maven is reportedly worth around $50 million, so a lot of money is at stake.

Both parties have lawyered up big time. The 55-year-old reed man has hired Laura Wasser, attorney for Britney Spears and Kim Kardashian, while his estranged wife his hired Hollywood's Gary Fishbein.

Fleet Foxes Drummer J. Tillman Leaves Band After Four Years

Sean Pecknold
J. Tillman, drummer of Fleet Foxes, is heading for greener pastures, or so he hopes. He made the announcement via his Tumblr, bidding goodbye after joining in 2008: "Farewell Fleet Fans and Friends. Back into the gaping maw of obscurity I go."

"Tokyo is my last show with the Foxes," he continued. The show takes place Friday night (Jan. 20), so if you're a fan in the Tokyo metropolitan area or have a lot of airline miles on your hands, then you know where to be. Though he hasn't made it clear exactly what he will be doing post-Foxes, the guy is a veritable folk Swiss Army Knife, he has maintained a steady stream of releases since 2004 and has toured with David Bazan and Damien Jurado.

Etta James Dead at 73: 'At Last' Singer Dies After Leukemia Battle

Getty Images
Etta James, the powerhouse singer who combined blues, gospel and R&B and emerged as a major star in the '50s and '60s, has died after a long battle with leukemia. According to CNN, the sad news was confirmed by her friend and manager, Lupe De Leon, who revealed that James died in a Riverside, Calif., hospital. She was 73.

Best known for her 1961 version of 'At Last,' James enjoyed a remarkable career that spanned more than a half-century. Her string of hits began with 1955's 'The Wallflower (Dance With Me, Henry)' and continued with such classics as 'Spoonful,' 'Something's Got a Hold on Me' and 'Tell Mama.' Over the years, she won six Grammy awards, and in 1993, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The singer's life was not without hardship, however. Her popularity declined in the '70s and '80s, and she struggled for years with an addiction to heroin. While she earned plaudits for the 1988 "comeback" album 'Seven Year Itch,' recorded after she'd completed a stint at the Betty Ford Center, health troubles continued to plague her throughout her life. In addition to leukemia, she spent recent years grappling with dementia, Hepatitis C and Alzheimer's disease, and in January 2010, she was hospitalized for sepsis.