On April 4, 2009, the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place in Cleveland for the first time since 1997. The 2009 Induction Ceremony will be broadcast live on Fuse TV.

The 2009 performer Inductees are:
Jeff Beck
Little Anthony & the Imperials
Metallica
Run-D.M.C.
Bobby Womack

2009 Early Influence Category Inductee:
Wanda Jackson

2009 Sidemen Category Inductees:
Bill Black
DJ Fontana
Spooner Oldham

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are SOLD OUT! Additional tickets may become available in the future, you can stay updated by subscribing to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame newsletter.

Positively Cleveland is hosting a sweepstakes for two free tickets to the Induction Ceremony plus one night stay at Hilton Garden Inn at www.positivelycleveland.com/induction09. Entries will be accepted until February 6th, open to U.S. residents 18+, limit 1 entry per day.

WEEKLONG SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Saturday, March 28, 2009 — Majic 105.7 Moondog Coronation Ball presented by your Northeast Ohio Chrysler & Jeep Dealer and Ameriprise Financial at Quick Loans Arena

**CORONATION BALL LINE-UP JUST ANNOUNCED:

Catch Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Little Richard along with Three Dog Night, Tommy James & the Shondells, Peter Noone and Jerry Butler perform live at the 2009 Moondog Coronation Ball. This event is hosted by WMJI 105.7 FM and presented by Ameriprise Financial and your Northern Ohio Chysler Jeep Dealers. Tickets are $62, $47 and $32 and will be available to the public beginning Saturday, February 7th at 10 AM at all Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 216-420-2121 in Cleveland or 330-945-9400 in Akron/Canton. Tickets will also be available at the Quicken Loans Arena box office during regular operating hours and the night of the show.

Sunday, March 29 — Free Community Gospel Concert honoring multiple Grammy winner Pastor Shirley Caesar.

Monday, March 30 — Students Rock! Education Program

Tuesday, March 31 — Teachers Rock! Education Program

Wednesday, April 1 — From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen, the world’s first exhibit devoted to Bruce Springsteen is unveiled.

Thursday, April 2 — Free Community Concert presented by National City Bank at the Wolstein Center.

Saturday, April 4 — Free Day at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum presented by Medical Mutual

Saturday, April 4 — The 24th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Cleveland’s historic Public Hall.

MORE ABOUT THE INDUCTEES

An active recording artist since the early 1960’s, Bobby Womack started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentino’s, and as Sam Cooke’s backing guitarist. Womack’s career has spanned more than 40 years in the styles of R&B, soul, rock and roll, doo-wop, gospel, country and funk. As a songwriter, Womack is notable for penning and originally recording The Rolling Stones’ first UK No. 1 hit, “It’s All Over Now.” As a singer he is most notable for the hits “Lookin For a Love”, “That’s The Way I Feel About Cha”, “Woman’s Gotta Have It”, Harry Hippie”, Across 110th Street” and his 1980s hit “If You Think You’re Lonely Now”.

Jeff Beck is one of the three noted guitarists to have recorded with the band TheYardbirds. Rolling Stone ranked him as one of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.” Much of Beck’s recorded output has been instrumental, and his releases have spanned genres ranging from blues-rock, heavy metal, jazz fusion and (currently) a blend of guitar-rock and electronica Beck has earned wide critical praise and four Grammy awards for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Beck has guested at scores of sessions with everyone from Stevie Wonder and Buddy Guy to Tina Turner and Mick Jagger.

Little Anthony & The Imperials is a rhythm and blues/soul/doo-wop vocal group from New York, first active in the 1950s. Lead singer Jerome Anthony “Little Anthony” Gourdine was noted for his high-pitched falsetto voice influenced by Jimmy Scott. Changing their name to The Imperials in 1957, they signed with End Records in 1958. Their first single was “Tears on My
Pillow”, which was an instant hit. In 1964 the group made a rare transition into soul music with a series of hit including “I’m On the Outside (Looking In) and “Goin’ Out of My Head.”

Metallica is the most successful heavy metal band of the past quarter century. Metallica’s line-up has primarily consisted of drummer Lars Ulrich, rhythm guitarist, vocalist James Hetfield, and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, as well as current bass player Robert Trujillo. Longtime bassists for the band, the late Cliff Burton, and Jason Newsted, are also being inducted. Metallica’s early releases included fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship that placed them as one of the “big four” of the thrash metal subgenre alongside Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. The band earned a growing fan base in the underground music community and critical acclaim, with the 1986 release Master of Puppets described as one of the most influential and “heavy” thrash metal albums. The band achieved substantial commercial success with its self-titled 1991 album, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. With this release the band expanded its musical direction resulting in an album that appealed to a more mainstream audience.

Founded by Joseph “Reverend Run” Simmons, Darryl “D.M.C” McDaniels, and Jason “Jam-Master Jay” Mizell, Run-D.M.C. took hip hop from the streets of New York to the national stage. Formed in Hollis, Queens, the group is arguably the most important and influential act in the history of hip hop. They were the biggest act in hip-hop throughout the 1980s and is widely credited with breaking hip hop into mainstream music. In 2004, Rolling Stone named them one of the greatest musical artists of all time. In 2007, the trio was named Greatest Hip Hop Group of All Time by MTV.com. They were also named Greatest Hip Hop Artist of All Time by VH1.

Wanda Jackson is an American rockabilly and country music singer who began recording in the mid-50s. She was one of the first female rockabilly singers to come to popularity during the 1950s. Jackson began her professional career while she was still in high school after being discovered by Hank Thompson in 1954. She mixed regular country music material with fast-moving rockabilly music, often cutting each side of a record with a different type of music. In the mid-1960s, Jackson moved to a successful career in country music, having a string of hits between 1966 and 1973, including, “Tears Will Be the Chaser for Your Wine,” “The Box it Came in,” “My Big Iron Skillet,” and “Fancy Satin Pillows.”

“Spooner” Oldham is a keyboard player, songwriter, and session musician. An American, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and at FAME Studios on such hit R&B songs as “When a Man Loves a Woman” by Percy Sledge, “Mustang Sally” by Wilson Pickett and “I Never Loved a Man” by Aretha Franklin. As a sideman, Oldham has recorded and performed with a countless number of artists including Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne and Neil Young.

D. J. Fontana is best known as the drummer for Elvis Presley for 14 years. Fontana, joined a band consisting of Scotty Moore (lead guitar), Bill Black (bass) and Elvis Presley (rhythm guitar), calling themselves “The Blue Moon Boys”. The band would perform and record the vast majority of the Elvis Presley hits of the 50’s including “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Hound Dog”, “Don’t Be Cruel”, and “Jailhouse Rock”. The band also toured extensively and performed on several television appearances through 1956 and 1957. His drumming built the foundation of rock and roll percussion influencing future players such as Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts and Max Weinberg.

Bill Black is best known as the bassist for Elvis Presley. Black played double bass on early Presley recordings including “Good Rockin’ Tonight”, “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Baby Let’s Play House”, “Mystery Train”, “That’s All Right” (Mama), “Hound Dog”; and eventually became one of the first bass players to use the Fender Precision Bass guitar in popular music on
“Jailhouse Rock” in the late 1950’s. Black’s bass playing had an extraordinary impact on rock and roll bass playing, influencing many players including Paul McCartney. Afterward, he formed the Bill Black Combo and scored numerous instrumental hits during the late 1950’s and 1960’s.

For more information, go to:

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Official Website

Fuse TV

“The Dave Clark Five were the biggest challenge to The Beatles.”

One hundred million selling band The Dave Clark Five are back with a new album called ‘The Hits’.

Watch “Glad All Over” video:

The Hits on amazon.co.uk

The Hits on amazon.com

This carer spanning release including their No. 1 hits “Glad All Over” and “Bits and Pieces” and classic tracks like “Do You Love Me”, “Don’t Let Me Down”, “Can’t You See That You’re Mine”.

The Dave Clark 5 were the first English group to tour the United States, spearheading the British Invasion. During their first two years in the US they scored no less than fifteen consecutive Top Twenty hits, more than anyone except The Beatles. They took the world by storm and helped change the rock scene, blasting hit after hit over the world’s radio airwaves.

Dave produced all The DC5’s records and co-wrote most of them, and he also managed the group at the same time. In the UK, The Dave Clark Five achieved the seemingly impossible feat of a semi-professional outfit, without an agent or manager, logging up two consecutive No. 1 hit records. The first was “Glad All Over” ringing up cash sales in excess of two-and-a-half million records, followed by “Bits and Pieces” which repeated the success.

In 2008, Academy award winning actor Tom Hanks inducted The Dave Clark Five into The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame and Paul Williams, Editor of the UK’s ‘Music Week’, wrote: “Dave Clark was a music revolutionary before the revolution.”

The Hits Tracklisting:

1. Do You Love Me
2. Glad All Over
3. Bits And Pieces
4. Can’t You See That She’s Mine
5. Everybody Knows (I Still Love You)
6. Don’t Let Me Down
7. Any Way You Want It
8. Wild Weekend
9. Catch Us If You Can
10. Because
11. I Like It Like That
12. Reelin’ and Rockin’
13. Over And Over
14. Come Home
15. You Got What It Takes
16. Try Too Hard
17. Everybody Knows
18. I’ll Be Yours My Love
19. Nineteen Days
20. Look Before You Leap
21. Til The Right One Comes Along
22. All Night Long
23. Good Old Rock n’ Roll (Medley)
24. Sha-Na-Na Hey Hey
25. Here Comes Summer
26. Put A Little Love In Your Heart
27. Everybody Get Together
28. Universal Love

The Dave Clark Five on Wikipedia

The Dave Clark Five Website

Madonna’s 11th studio album for Warner Brothers Records ‘Hard Candy’ will be released in the UK April 28th, 2008 (US – April 29).

‘Hard Candy’, the follow-up to Madonna’s ‘Confessions On A Dance Floor’ which debuted at No. 1 in 30 countries and sold over 8 million copies, has been described as a brilliant up-tempo collection of 12 songs in which Madonna remains ensconced in club mode but this time adds an urban hip hop beat in collaboration with musical partners Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes and Nate ‘Danja’ Hills.

The debut single, the pulsating “4 Minutes”, will be released digitally on March 26th, 2008 and physically on April 21st.

“The album title is a juxtaposition of tough and sweetness…kind of like I’m gonna kick your ass but it’s going to make you feel good. And of course, I love candy” laughed Madonna.

Madonna is the biggest selling female solo artist ever. A multi-Grammy-award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, stage performer, children’s book author, director and documentary film maker, she has sold over 200 million albums in the course of her unprecedented two decade plus career and is slated to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on March 10th, 2008 (other 2008 inductees: Leonard Cohen, The Dave Clark Five, John Mellencamp and The Ventures).

Madonna on amazon.co.uk

Madonna on amazon.com

Madonna on Myspace
Madonna Official Website

Following the fantastic success of their No. 1 album ‘Long Road Out of Eden’, the Eagles will play four shows at London’s prestigious 02 Arena on March 20, 22, 23 and 26, 2008 to mark the kick-off of the “Long Road Out of Eden World Tour.”

Tickets for the O2 Arena concerts will go on sale on Friday 18 January, 2008. Prices 70 GBP, 85 GBP, plus a limited number of Golden Circle tickets at 110 GBP. Box office tel: 0844 856 0202 or TicketMaster UK.

The O2 Arena concerts will debut an all-new stage production and the band – Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit – will be performing current hits from ‘Long Road Out of Eden’ including “How Long” and “Busy Being Fabulous” as well as classic songs such as “Hotel California,” “Desperado,” “Take It To The Limit,” “Life In The Fast Lane,” and “Take It Easy.”

Eagles last toured the UK in 2006 with their sold out “Farewell I” tour, including shows in Birmingham, Dublin, Glasgow, and highlighted with final performances at London’s Twickenham Stadium and Wembley Arena.

‘Long Road Out of Eden’ was released worldwide outside North America by Universal Music Group companies. In the UK more than 800,000 copies of the album have been shipped and it was the 6th best selling CD of the year, despite only been on sale for 9 weeks.

Internationally, the album has sold in excess of 2.2 million albums and has topped the music charts in the UK, Australia, Greece, India, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Norway. Nine territories have already gone platinum (the UK and Australia are double-platinum) and fifteen more are gold, and has topped the retail charts in Singapore and Thailand.

In the United States, ‘Long Road Out of Eden’ has been certified seven times Platinum by the RIAA. Released October 30th, the album debuted at No. 1, with sales of 711,000 units, and in only 9 weeks became the biggest selling album by a group in 2007, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

“How Long,” the first single from ‘Long Road Out of Eden’, has been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals. The Eagles have been nominated for 35 Grammy Awards.

The Eagles have sold more than 120 million albums worldwide, earning five #1 U.S. singles and four Grammy Awards. Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 is the best-selling album of all time, exceeding sales of 29 million units. The band’s Hotel California and Their Greatest Hits Volume 2 have sold more than 16 and 11 million albums respectively. Eagles were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

The Eagles have teamed up with iloveallaccess.com to offer the ultimate fan experience for the upcoming 02 Arena concerts featuring a variety of VIP ticket packages.

For more details go to ILoveAllAccess.Com

The O2 Arena

Eagles Official Website
Eagles on Myspace

Epic/Legacy Recordings proudly celebrates the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the world’s biggest-selling album of all time, with a newly expanded deluxe edition of the phenomenal record-breaking pop culture touchstone, available in the U.K February 11, 2008.

The Michael Jackson Thriller 25th anniversary celebration kicks off in December 2007 and continues throughout 2008 with the release of a new single and a multi-faceted global marketing campaign featuring high-profile television, radio and online events around the world.

The Thriller – 25th Anniversary Edition will include the original album in its entirety as well as eight bonus tracks and a DVD featuring Michael Jackson’s groundbreaking short films from Thriller (“Thriller,” “Beat It,” and “Billie Jean”) and the artist’s Emmy-nominated breakout performance of “Billie Jean” from the legendary “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever” television special (first broadcast on NBC on May 16, 1983).

The newly expanded version of Thriller premieres five tracks previously unreleased in any form: a new Kanye West remix of “Billie Jean”; a new 2008 version of “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” with Akon and will.i.am; will.i.am remixes of “The Girl Is Mine” and “P.Y.T.”; and “For All Time,” a rare unreleased cut from the original Thriller recording sessions, newly mixed and mastered by Michael Jackson.

Additional bonus material on the Thriller – 25th Anniversary Edition includes “Someone In The Dark,” “Carousel,” and Michael Jackson’s original demo recording of “Billie Jean.”

The deluxe Thriller – 25th Anniversary Edition packaging contains a personal greeting from Michael Jackson to his fans penned exclusively for this special release.

Originally released 25 years ago early December 1982 by Epic Records, Thriller, Michael Jackson’s sixth solo album and second with producer Quincy Jones, rocketed the former child-star lead singer for the Jackson 5 into the stratosphere of international superstardom. Introducing the “robot” and the “moonwalk” into the international lexicon of clubland dance moves via the pulsing sounds of Thriller, Michael Jackson revolutionized all aspects of mainstream pop culture – from radio airwaves to the newly emerging art form of music videos – becoming the world’s most popular entertainer in the process.

The original Thriller spent an astounding 80 consecutive weeks in the American Top 10, 37 of those at #1. Seven of the album’s original nine tracks became Top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 while individual singles from Thriller reached #1 chart positions in the US, the UK, France, Italy, Australia, Denmark, Belgium, South Africa, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand and Canada.

Thriller made history as the first and only record to be America’s top-selling album two years running (1983 and 1984).

Thriller has been certified 27x platinum by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond Award status in the US. In addition, the album has achieved Diamond or Multi-Platinum status in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. Thriller was named the Best Selling Album of All Time by the Guinness Book of Records in 1985.

In February 1984, Michael Jackson held a record-breaking 12 Grammy nominations, going on to win eight, which stands as the record for most Grammy Awards to be won by anyone in a single year. Seven of Michael’s Grammys that year were for Thriller: Album of the Year; Record of the Year (”Beat It”); Best Male Pop Vocal Performance (”Thriller”); Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical (Thriller); Best Male Rock Vocal Performance (”Beat It”); Best Male R&B Vocal Performance (”Billie Jean”); Best R&B Song (”Billie Jean”) (Michael’s eighth Grammy that year was in the Best Recording For Children – Single or Album, Musical or Spoken category for “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial”). That same year, Michael Jackson took home eight American Music Awards and three MTV Video Music Awards. The following year, “The Making of Michael Jackson’s Thriller” took home the Best Video Album trophy at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards.

Named the “Most Successful Entertainer of All Time” by the Guinness World Records, Michael Jackson is among the most highly acclaimed and influential artists in pop culture. He was named the World Music Award’s Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium and received the American Music Award’s Artist of the Century Award. He has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice: in 1997 as a member of the Jackson 5 and as a solo artist in 2001.

Thriller – 25th Anniversary Edition

Thriller – original track listing – US Billboard Chart Peaks

“Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” – (#5 Hot 100, #5 R&B)
“Baby Be Mine”
“The Girl Is Mine” (with Paul McCartney) – (#2 Hot 100, #1 R&B, #1 Adult Contemporary)
Thriller” – (#4 Hot 10, #3 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks)
“Beat It” – (#1 Hot 100, #1 R&B)
“Billie Jean” – (#1 Hot 100, #1 R&B, #9 A/C)
“Human Nature” – (#7 Hot 100, #2 Adult Contemporary)
“P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” – (#10 Hot 100)
“The Lady in My Life”

Bonus Material:

10. Someone In the Dark ^
11. Billie Jean (Michael Jackson’s original demo recording) ^
12. Carousel ^

Previously Unreleased Tracks For 25th Anniversary Edition

13. The Girl Is Mine – 2008 with will.i.am*
14. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) – 2008 with Michael Jackson and will.i.am*
15. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ – 2008 with Michael Jackson, Akon and will.i.am*
16. Billie Jean – 2008 with Kanye West*
17. For All Time (unreleased track from original Thriller sessions)*

^ – From 2001 Thriller Special Edition

* – previously unreleased

Bonus DVD

The Videos

1. Thriller
2. Beat It
3. Billie Jean
4. Billie Jean performance from Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever

25th Anniversary Executive Producer: Michael Jackson
Original Album Produced by Quincy Jones for Quincy Jones Productions

Thriller [25th Anniversary Edition CD + DVD] on amazon.co.uk (Release date: February 11, 2008 UK)

Michael Jackson 25th Anniversary of Thriller (Enhanced) on amazon.com (Release date: February 12th, 2008 US)

Michael Jackson on Myspace