Country singer Joe Diffie dies of coronavirus complicationsVideo
NEW YORK — Country singer Joe Diffie, who had a string of hits in the 1990s with chart-topping ballads and honky-tonk singles such as “Home” and “Pickup Man,” has died after testing positive for covid-19. He was 61. Diffie on Friday announced he had contracted the coronavirus, becoming the first...
Singer-songwriter Jan Howard dies at 91
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Singer-songwriter Jan Howard, who had a No. 1 country hit “For Loving You” with Bill Anderson and wrote hits for others like Kitty Wells’ “It’s All Over But the Crying,” has died at age 91, according to the Grand Ole Opry. The Opry, of which she was...
Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood to perform requests on live special
LOS ANGELES — Garth Brooks and wife Trisha Yearwood will be taking viewer requests during a live prime-time show this week filmed at their home. CBS will air the special, “Garth and Trisha: Live!” on Wednesday at 9 p.m. Eastern. In an announcement Sunday, CBS says the country stars will...
PSO offers weekly concert footage, other online music programs
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will launch a web series at 8 p.m.Friday featuring its performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique,” recorded live in May 2016 at the Berlin Philharmonie in Germany. Music Director Manfred Honeck will host; bonus footage will provide Honeck’s insights into the performance. The symphony will remain...
Baby Shark returns to help you wash your hands — doo, doo …Video
Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the internet. Baby Shark is back. This time, Pinkfong takes its infectious — er, maybe bad choice of words — its earworm song and made it all about hand washing. And the result? After listening to “Wash Your Hands...
Dave Matthews to livestream set from home, kick off weekly seriesVideo
Dave Matthews is playing live from his home tonight for a good cause. The singer-songwriter will play a 30-minute set starting at 8 p.m. that will be shown via Verizon’s Twitter account and also on Yahoo. The streamed set is the first from Pay it Forward Live, a weekly eight-part...
Houston rapper Slim Thug says he has tested positive for covid-19Video
Texas rapper Slim Thug announced this week on social media that he has tested positive for coronavirus. The rapper, whose real name is Stayve Jerome Thomas, can be seen in an Instagram post sitting in his home detailing his experience with finding out his diagnosis. View this post on Instagram...
Recording registry adds ‘Wichita Lineman,’ songs from ‘Mister Rogers’Video
Dr. Dre’s classic debut rap album “The Chronic,” Selena’s sophomore release “Ven Conmigo” and the worldwide disco hit “Y.M.C.A.” by the Village People are among 25 recordings being inducted to the National Recording Registry. The Library of Congress announced Wednesday that Tina Turner’s “Private Dancer,” Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman” —...
Pittsburgh’s Gabby Barrett, Code Orange top Billboard chart
The Pittsburgh area was well-represented on a Billboard chart this week. Country singer Gabby Barrett, from Munhall, and Pittsburgh hardcore band Code Orange topped the Emerging Artists chart for the week of March 28 at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. It was Barrett’s fifth week on the chart and Code...
The Clarks will continue weekly live Facebook sessions
The Clarks say they will continue to go live every Saturday night on Facebook “to share their music with all of you during these difficult times.” The sessions begin at 8 p.m. on the band’s Facebook page. Coming next is music and a question-and-answer session with founder and lead vocalist...
Elton John to host TV, radio concert as coronavirus antidote
Elton John is hosting a “living room” concert aimed at bolstering American spirits during the coronavirus crisis and saluting those countering it, iHeartMedia and Fox said Wednesday. Alicia Keys, Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, the Backstreet Boys, Tim McGraw and Billie Joe Armstrong are scheduled to take part in the event...
Pittsburgh Irish Festival to livestream Facebook concert series
The Pittsburgh Irish Festival will livestream a series of Irish music performances on its Facebook page. The Live Stream Irish Music Series is a partnership with the Irish Design Center. This week’s schedule includes: • Wednesday: Mickey Spain, 7 p.m.; and Mike Flaherty, 8 p.m. • Thursday: Katie Grennan (Pittsburgh-born...
Once booming concert industry goes quiet after coronavirus
Inside a warehouse for MooTV, a live video production company in Nashville, Tenn., the floor-to-ceiling shelves are lined with row after row of video screens, cables and rolling cases that normally would be out on the road with Brad Paisley, Chris Stapleton or Dierks Bentley. At one end of the...
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction moved to fall, to be broadcast live on HBO
It might be coming later than expected, but the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony is coming in the fall and will be shown live, according to Variety. The induction ceremony for the class of 2020 was originally set for May 2, but was postponed because of the coronavirus...
Africa’s jazz great Manu Dibango dies in France of virusVideo
PARIS — Renowned jazz man Manu Dibango, to many the beloved “Papy Groove” who served as an inspiration and pioneer in his art, died on Tuesday with the coronavirus, his official Facebook page announced. He was 86. The saxophonist who inspired what is known as “world music” was recently hospitalized...
River City Brass celebrates anniversaries, honors supportersVideo
When River City Brass artistic and general director James Gourlay, a native of Scotland, was invited to be a guest conductor for the Pittsburgh band in 2010, he immediately fell in love with the city. “I kept a video diary. I would go into Giant Eagle or a barbershop. I...
Celtic Thunder sets November date at The Palace TheatreVideo
The Irish vocal group Celtic Thunder has a Nov. 23 concert date at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg. Promoter presale begins at 10 a.m. April 1 with the passcode “PALACE” via eventbrite.com. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. April 3 at thepalacetheatre.org. Show time is...
Neon Swing X-perience invites fans to interactive online session
Fans of Neon Swing X-Perience can connect with the band during an interactive online session from 7-8 p.m. Tuesday. The Pittsburgh-based jazz-funk-blues band will host a session that will include members talking about their experiences with the band, a question-and-answer session and clips from albums and past live shows. A...
Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’ rewrite eliminates hands touching handsVideo
We all know by now that we should not have hands … touching hands. Neil Diamond is doing his part to help. The singer-songwriter has rewritten the lyrics in “Sweet Caroline” to be more in line with the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. Sitting beside a fire with his dog, Diamond played...
Singer, actor, ‘The Gambler’: Kenny Rogers dies at 81Video
Actor-singer Kenny Rogers, the smooth, Grammy-winning balladeer who spanned jazz, folk, country and pop with such hits as “Lucille,” “Lady” and “Islands in the Stream” and embraced his persona as “The Gambler” on record and on TV, died Friday night. He was 81. He died at home in Sandy Springs,...
Placido Domingo resigns from opera union, donates $500,000
Superstar Plácido Domingo has resigned from the U.S. union that represents opera singers and will contribute $500,000 to sexual harassment eradication programs and a fund that helps opera employees in crisis, the union said Friday. The development came weeks after investigations by the American Guild of Musical Artists and Los...
The Grand Ole Opry to play on in an empty theater
The Grand Ole Opry, the longest running radio show in history, is playing on through the coronavirus outbreak by returning to its roots. The country music institution, which has been airing Saturday nights for 94 years, is set to broadcast live on television this week in front of an empty...
Garth Brooks plans acoustic concert on Facebook LiveVideo
Country superstar Garth Brooks will do his part to keep fans entertained during coronavirus shutdowns with a live Facebook concert. The singer said on his “Inside Studio G” Facebook Live show that he’ll livestream an acoustic set at 6 p.m. March 23 CST, 7 p.m. here in southwestern Pa. Brooks...
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra plays on — onlineVideo
In an effort to provide music to its fans while on hiatus due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra is introducing its new WSO to Go series. The orchestra website notes the series will “keep the music playing wherever we can.” ”We will be sharing videos from our...
Pittsburgh Symphony reschedules ‘Bugs Bunny,’ cancels other dates
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has announced new dates for its previously postponed PNC Pops “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony” concerts, and has issued a new list of cancellations. The “Bugs Bunny” series has been moved to June 30-July 2 in Pittsburgh’s Heinz Hall. Information for current ticket-holders includes: March 20 tickets...
