When superstar Christina Aguilera paid tribute to the legendary Etta James by belting out her classic "At Last" at the singer's star-studded funeral, it wasn't the first time she had covered the late, great blues singer.
Hit the jump to watch vintage (and remarkable) footage of Aguilera singing James's "Sunday Kind of Love" at the tender age of seven or eight. Even as a pre-tween Aguilera had stage presence... and pipes.
It got pretty darn Canadian up in the nation's capital on Sunday afternoon, as Canada's hottest hip-hop export came to the home of the Senators, Scotiabank Place, to perform during the second intermission of a hockey game sponsored by Tim Hortons.
It's only what most of us drink, play and listen to, all colliding on a happy winter's day filled with 21 goals. Drake shouted out our country, our game and the NHL while launching into a two-song performances of his hits "Headlines" and "The Motto."
Players from both all-star teams took to the ice with smartphones in hand to document the mini concert, and Drake visited the dressing rooms during the first intermission to meet the stars and sign autographs.
Rumour is, Drake even left with NHL leading scorer Evgeni Malkin's game stick.
The funeral of R&B legend Etta James was held yesterday in the City of Refuge Church in Gardena, California. The Wall Street Journal reports that the event featured performances by Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera.
Aguilera, who paid tribute by singing James' signature ballad, "At Last," said, “There’s a line in this song that says ‘I found a dream that I could speak to. And for me that dream, all my life, has been Etta James.”
Peter, Paul and Mary bassist Dick Kniss has died at age 74.
The New York Times reports that Kniss died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Kingston New York on Wednesday.
Kniss played with the folk trio for forty years and was considered a fourth member. He also worked with singer-songwriter John Denver and co-wrote Denver's classic “Sunshine on My Shoulders” (Denver, incidentally, wrote Peter Paul and Mary's classic, "Leaving on a Jet Plane").
Kniss started out as a jazz sideman and joined Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers in 1964. They split up in 1970 and Kniss went to work with Denver. Then, when Peter, Paul and Mary reunited eight years later, Kniss rejoined the group and played with them until Mary Travers' death in 2009.
Peter Yarrow said in a statement - via Billboard - that Kniss was "our intrepid bass player for almost as long as we performed together.
"He was a dear and beloved part of our closest family circle and his bass playing was always a great fourth voice in our music as well as, conceptually, an original and delightfully surprising new statement added to our vocal arrangements."
Kniss is survived by his wife Diane, their two sons, a son from a previous relationship, two sisters, and seven grandchildren.
Canadian rap hero Drake has been known to jump onstage unannounced in support of other artists when they tour through Toronto. He has appeared and performed a song or two at Toronto concerts by J. Cole, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, and Bun B in the last few years.
Well, on Friday night Drizzy once again got up to his old tricks.
Harlem's A$AP Rocky, one of the most buzzed-about MCs around, will be opening up for Drake during the chart-topper's tour through the U.S. And on Friday Drake returned the favour by dropping by Rocky's show at The Opera House.
"I'd like to welcome you to the greatest city in the mother****** world!" Drake hollered to the delight of the frenzied crowd. Drake performed "Cameras" and "The Motto" before leaving the stage.
American GOP candidate Newt Gingrich has been smacked with a cease-and-desist order from Montreal-based Third Side Music.
The Republican presidential hopeful has been using U.K. band The Heavy's banging 2009 song "How You Like Me Now?" on his campaign mission. But if Third Side Music, which owns the tune's rights, gets its way, Gingrich will have to find another anthem.
After the politician played the song at a rally in Tampa last week, The Heavy posted the following message on its Facebook page:
"If you heard How You Like Me Now being used by Republican, Newt Gingrich, in his campaign, we'd like you to know it had f*** all to do with us and we are trying to stop it being used. TWATS."
Canadians K'naan and Nelly Furtado have linked up for a duet on K'Naan's brand-new More Beautiful Than Silence EP. An anthem for those who don't want to be lonely (uh, all of us), "Is Anybody Out There," with K'naan on the postive-message rhymes and Furtado on the poppy hook, has radio written all over it.
Neither Furtado nor K'naan has released an album since 2009, although Nelly does have a new record scheduled for release later this year. Judging by the wide-appeal potential of "Is Anybody Out There," the Somalia-born K'naan seems to be building on the pop audience he earned with his massive hit, "Wavin' Flag."
Take a listen. Do the two Canadian artists make a good match?
American Idol alumus Kelly Clarkson has released a new country version of her hit "Mr. Know It All." Countrifying her Stronger single could be seen as Clarkson expanding her range and experimenting musically, or it could be a marketing ploy at grabbing a few more ears (and record sales) from the vast country music audience.
Take a listen to Clarkson's reworking of "Know It All" after the jump, and let us know if you prefer it to the original.
Look! It's behind the scenes video of Madonna and M.I.A. a New York studio last November with producer Martin Solveig. The rapper appears in Madge's upcoming album, along, MDNA, with Nicki Minaj. And the two younger stars are widely expected to be joining the elder pop star on stage at the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show. Look how they frolic! Just like BFFS! Stay relevant Madge! Enjoy...
OK, I’m officially sick of Lana Del Rey. GAWD. Its probably not even her fault, but has anyone ever been more overexposed before even releasing an album?
Oh, wait! That’s not actually the case. It seems the hipster phenom released an album in 2010 on the indie Five Point Records, which was available on iTunes for about two months before it was pulled.
