R&B Legend Etta James Diagnosed With Leukaemia & Dementia; Family Feud Over Estate

Four-time Grammy Award-winning R&B vocalist Etta James is currently undergoing treatment for leukaemia and has been diagnosed with dementia while her family wrestle for control of her estate.

Details of the 72-year-old singer's condition surfaced during a rocky California court case finding her husband, Artis Mills, attempting to control more than $1 million James' estate.

According to the Associated Press, James' Beverly Hills physician, Dr. Elaine James revealed in court documents that the 'At Last' singer is unable to sign her name and needs assistance with feeding, dressing and hygiene.

In February 2008 the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee granted power of attorney to sons Donto and Sametto James, and Donto's wife, Christ.

While Etta's son is asking a third party to control her assets "to avoid present and future family conflict and discrepancies," a court hearing set for today (Jan. 14) in considering Mills' request to transfer James' assets to a joint account so that he can monitor her spending.

The legendary At Last singer, who has battled heroin addiction, has been out of the public eye since early 2010 when she was admitted to hospital.  She became ill while in a detox clinic for treatment to an addiction to painkillers and other medicines

Etta James - At Last

Catch a Hot Gig In Lincolnshire!!

Try to catch one of these gigs during the next couple of weeks.

Fri 21 Jan 8.30pm

Robin Auld

Tap and Spile, 21, Hungate, Lincoln, LN1 1ES www.tapandspilelincoln.co.uk

Sat 22 Jan 8.30pm

Slimline Papas

Hunters Leap, Oak Hill, Washingborough, LN4 1BA

Fri 28 Jan 8.30

Burn City Burn/Thunderhorse

Voodoo Lounge, 9a, North Street, Stamford, PE9 1EL www.mamaliz.co.uk

Fri 28 Jan 9pm

Almaboobies

Old Nick’s Tavern, 8 North Street, Horncastle, LN9 5DX http://www.oldnickstavern.co.uk/

Sat 29 Jan 8.30pm

Butler Family,

Adam and Eve, 25 Lindum Road, Lincoln, LN2 1NT

Wed 2 Feb

Fairport Convention

Lincoln Drill Hall, Free School Lane, Lincoln, LN2 1EY www.lincolndrillhall.com

Thu 3 Feb 7pm

National Youth Jazz Orchestra

South Holland Centre, Market Place, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE11 1SS www.southhollandcentre.co.uk

http://www.bluecrowmusic.co.uk/

Crosby, Stills and Nash ditch label and producer

The Guardian reports today that after getting at least a third of the way through a comeback album, those strange old dudes and ageing hippies, Crosby, Stills and Nash have split with Columbia Records and producer Rick Rubin. Despite months spent working on a covers record, the rock legends were reportedly tired of delays – and Rubin's obsession with Kid Rock.

"We have amicably parted ways with both Rick Rubin and Columbia," the trio said. The problem was not musical vision, according to the Daily Express, but the slow pace of recording. Rubin, who is co-president of Columbia, had a panoply of production projects, including new albums by Adele, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Gogol Bordello. His work on Kid Rock's new LP, Born Free, was reportedly particularly galling to David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.

There were signs of friction between Rubin and the band in 2009. Though the group were excited to undergo the kind of reinvention Rubin engineered for Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond, it was already a laborious process. "We write down a list of songs we think are potentials, learn them, make up our version, and sing them for him," Crosby said. "He'll like maybe one out of eight." Despite recording songs such as James Taylor's You Can Close Your Eyes and Bob Dylan's Lady of the North Country, "it's a lot slower than it's ever taken us to do an album. Nash said last year. "It's hard to tell CSN what to do in the studio after almost 40, 50 years, but it's an interesting experience. We're certainly opening to listening to [Rick]."

The group's last studio album was Looking Forward, released in 1999.

MySpace Job Cuts

MySpace has announced that it's cutting around 500 jobs in a "significant organisational restructuring" - that will affect almost half its current global workforce.

The move will impact on its London HQ with the offices being reduced to skeleton staff.

The UK branch of MySpace of around 50 people will be swallowed by Fox Networks as part of a new partnership. 

MySpace CEO Mike Jones said the aim is to "retain a core dedicated international team to work with partners in order ensure users, content partners and advertisers continue to be served".

At its peak the site reigned supreme as the top social networking website,  but since then MySpace has been eclipsed by Facebook and has struggled to retain users since an overhaul of the site last year.

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp bought MySpace for £370 million in 2005.

Billy Bragg: Major Labels Are Biggest Threat to Music

Songwriter and political activist Billy Bragg has hit out major record companies’ practise of seeking prosecution against those who download music from the internet, and has branded them the ‘biggest single threat to music’.

Bragg, who is a prominent member of the Artists Coalition, has been an outspoken critic of the campaigns against free downloading and, when asked by The Guardian what he feels is the biggest threat to music today, replied: “Major record labels, for persecuting young people who download music for free.”

“What they don’t understand is that they use downloads to sample stuff that they later buy. Can you see why I might not think it’s a good thing to arrest people for listening to my songs?”

Read more:live4ever

Antonio Forcione Live @ Lincoln Drill Hall 12 Feb 8pm

Antonio Forcione        

Lincoln Drill Hall on Saturday 12th February 2011 at 8pm

Hailed as the 'Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar', award-winning Forcione is considered one of the most charismatic and inventive performers to come out of Europe in recent years. He breaks the mould of most conventional, popular guitar sounds be it in the field of jazz, Spanish, African, Brazilian or improvised music. International tours have brought high critical acclaim from as far as Australia and Hong Kong to Russia, the Caribbean, USA and all over Europe.

His 16 albums have variously hit the top of UK and international jazz charts and he has shared the stage worldwide with some of the world’s most accomplished musicians, double-billing with artists such as John McLaughlin, John Schoffield and Leo Kotke.

Yes, playing live in Lincoln, Antonio is a class international act and the promotors are now pleased to announce that percussionist Dado will accompany him for the Lincoln gig which is also being filmed by Antonio's Record Lable.

Tickets are £16, Conc.£14, Students £8 available from Lincoln Drill Hall Box Office 01522 873894

www.lincolndrillhall.com

See Antonio play ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ @...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7z84VCgnfc

Dado Myspace www.myspace.com/dadopasqualini 

Traditional Music Session.

Traditional Music Session with Liam Robinson at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life, Saturday 15 January 2 to 4pm

Friendly jam session, all welcome for tunes and a nice cup of tea. Entrance to the museum is free

Directions - Museum of lincolnshire life

Valentines Dance with Swingtime.

Fender launches American Special Jazz and Precision basses

Two new US-built models heading to Anaheim NAMM 2011

PRESS RELEASE: Fender's two new American Special basses deliver the latest in US-built quality and value, with special features including a slim neck profile, high-gloss finish and the Fender Greasebucket tone circuit, which rolls off highs while maintaining low-end definition.

American Special Precision Bass

The American Special Precision Bass also features an alder body and 'C'-shaped maple neck, maple fretboard (Black, Candy Apple Red models) or rosewood fretboard (Olympic White, Three-color Sunburst models) with medium jumbo frets, split single-coil alnico pickup, knurled chrome knobs, three-ply pickguard (black-white black on Candy Apple Red and Olympic White models; parchment on Black and Three-color Sunburst models), vintage-style bridge and strap buttons, and deluxe gig bag.

American Special Jazz Bass

The American Special Jazz Bass also features an alder body and 'C'-shaped maple neck, maple fretboard (Black, Candy Apple Red models) or rosewood fretboard (Olympic White, Three-color Sunburst models) with medium jumbo frets, single-coil alnico Jazz Bass pickups, vintage-style black plastic Jazz Bass knobs, three-ply pickguard (black-white black on Candy Apple Red and Olympic White models; parchment on Black and Three-color Sunburst models), vintage-style bridge and strap buttons, and deluxe gig bag.

RRPs

American Special Precision Bass: £1,042.80
American Special Jazz Bass: £1,042.80