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Joy McKean, the Australian singer, songwriter and country music scene builder who, along with her husband, the late Slim Dusty, formed one of this nation’s great creative partnerships, died Thursday (May 25) following a battle with cancer. She was 93.
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“Joy passed away peacefully last night with family by her side,” reads a message from her family, issued Friday (May 26).
A trailblazer in the country scene, McKean enjoyed a career spanning more than 70 years, and composed some of the genre’s most celebrated songs, from “The Biggest Disappointment” to “Ringer from the Top End,” “Walk a Country Mile,” “Indian Pacific” and “Lights on the Hill,” an award-winning hit for her husband Slim Dusty, whom she married in 1951. Many others have covered the song, including Keith Urban.
Lauded as the “grand lady” of Australian country, McKean made cut her teeth in the 1940s and ‘50s, working alongside her sister Heather — as the McKean Sisters.
Joy McKean in the 1950s. Courtesy Kirkpatrick Family
Courtesy Kirkpatrick Family
After teaming up with Dusty, Australian country music had its golden couple. McKean wrote many of Dusty’s iconic songs, managed him for half a century, and the pair toured relentlessly in regional and remote Australia, at a time when the perceived role of women was that of home-maker.
With McKean as his support, muse and collaborator, Dusty released more than 100 albums and sold over eight million copies. Dusty died in 2003, aged 76.
McKean’s trophy collection is almost as impressive as her songbook. She’s a two-time inductee into the Australasian Country Music Roll of Renown and winner of the Industry Achiever Award, bestowed on her by the Country Music Association of Australia, which she co-founded back in 1992. She’s a winner of seven Golden Guitar awards, including the very first statue, won at the inaugural Tamworth Country Music Awards back in 1973.
In 1991, McKean was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for “service to the entertainment industry,” and, 30 years later, in 2021, was the recipient of the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music, one of the music industry’s highest honors. She said of the salute, “after what has been a lifetime of working in the music industry, and loving just about every minute of it, I find it fascinating to reflect on the changes that have taken place.” On the night, the award was presented by her children Anne and David Kirkpatrick.
Joy is survived by her two children, four grandchildren, and six great grandchilden. “She will be remembered as a pioneer in Australian music,” reads the statement from her family.
Australia’s music community is paying tribute to the country music legend.
“Where do I start about this beautiful woman, your songs will always be the melodies that makes my heart sing,” writes homegrown country star Troy Cassar-Daley. “Your emails always like a hand written note of encouragement and love.” He adds, “thank you for being the best yard stick a man can ask for.”
Joy McKean,Where do I start about this beautiful woman, your songs will always be the Melodies that makes my heart sing,Your emails always like a hand written note of encouragement and love.♥️ to Anne & David & kids thank you for being the best yard stick a man can ask for xx pic.twitter.com/AEQOKml8YN— Troy Cassar-Daley (@troycassardaley) May 26, 2023
“Vale Joy McKean OAM, the ‘Grand Lady of Country Music’, who has passed away at age 93,” reads a post from APRA AMCOS. “We extend our condolences to Joy’s family, friends and many fans. She will be greatly missed.”
Vale Joy McKean OAM, the ‘Grand Lady of Country Music’, who has passed away at age 93. We extend our condolences to Joy’s family, friends and many fans. She will be greatly missed.https://t.co/gQ7adMCdeU— APRA AMCOS (@APRAAMCOS) May 26, 2023
ARIA Award-winning country artist Fanny Lumsden writes, “What an icon. Someone I didn’t even realize I was following in the path of until quite recently. (I know, shameful). But will I will draw strength from as I continue to play halls throughout regional aus, sharing stories, running a business & a family. Thank you Joy.”
Joy McKean. What an icon. Someone I didn’t even realise I was following in the path of until quite recently. (I know, shameful). But will I will draw strength from as I continue to play halls throughout regional aus, sharing stories, running a business & a family. Thank you Joy— Fanny Lumsden (@Fannylumsden) May 26, 2023
After scoring a No. 2 debut on the Hot 100 this week with his J. Cole-assisted single “All My Life,” Lil Durk looks to topple that feat on the Billboard 200 with the release of his new album Almost Healed. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Released today (May […]
The music world lost one of the all-time great rock stars when Tina Turner passed Wednesday (May 24), at the age of 83.
The former Ike & Tina Turner singer possessed the style, the songs and sass, her mid-‘80s solo comeback is the stuff of legend, and her longevity helped to redraw the lines for showbiz.
It was on the stage, however, where Turner was TNT. When the “Nutbush City Limits” star strutted her stuff, it was always pure heat. Explosive.
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Below, Billboard compiles some of Turner’s top televised performances.
Turner had to wait for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but she made a terrific case for elevation during the 1989 ceremony. That year, Turner inducted Phil Spector and performed with a starring cast that included Bruce Springsteen, Little Richard, John Oates and more. Her closing performance of “River Deep – Mountain High,” her 1966 Spector-produced classic, was a sizzling highlight. In 1991, Spector inducted Ike & Tina Turner on their behalf, and in 2021, Tina was inducted as a solo artist by Angela Bassett, who had portrayed the singer in 1993’s docudrama What’s Love Got To Do With It.
For those who closely followed Tina Turner journey, her solo comeback in 1984 represented so much more than a musical revival. Turner would later speak openly about how she had once attempted suicide by taking 50 sleeping pills to her escape abusive marriage with Ike Turner. Her 1970 reworking of “Proud Mary,” written by John Fogerty, frontman of Creedence Clearwater Revival, helped her heal. Turner, the survivor, would perform the song on Italian TV in 1971. Sit back and soak it up.
Two full years before Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and the rest of the Dream Team swept to gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, Tina Turner was winning hearts in the Catalonian capitol. Turner performed an epic concert at the Barcelona Olympic Stadium in 1990, which was captured for a TV special and included this cut of “Better Be Good to Me,” from 1984’s Private Dancer.
With 1984’s Band Aid project, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure wanted to “Feed The World.” With their trans-Atlantic Live Aid concert in 1985, Geldof and Ure changed the world. On Saturday, July 13, 1985, a full house at London’s Wembley Stadium caught some of the biggest acts on the planet, from Paul McCartney, to Elton John, U2, The Who, David Bowie and Queen. Then, Philadelphia’s John F. Kennedy Stadium came online, with a lineup that included Led Zeppelin, The Beach Boys, Madonna, Duran Duran, and Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. As he completed his set, Jagger welcomed Tina Turner on stage for performances of “State of Shock” and “It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It),” one of the final musical moments in an historic day for live music.
“Nutbush City Limits” is a song that passes the test of time. Once a piece of art crosses that threshold, it’s literally unimpeachable (the contribution of the controversial Ike Turner will always add an asterisk to the duo’s works). “Nutbush” captures a sound and a time that can’t be repeated. It rocks but you can dance to it, and the synth solo is a moment of wizardy. None of it matters without the injection of fire that Tina Turner brings. Don’t believe it? The proof is there, captured for eternity on a 1973 episode of Der Musikladen (The Music Shop), a West German music TV program that ran from 1972 to 1984. Turner is pure dynamite.
Tina Turner’s name is etched into the hearts and minds of all Australians who grew up in the ‘80s or ‘90s, thanks to her years-long association with the national rugby league competition. Turner appeared in promotional videos as the sport expanded into the NRL, now one of the most popular professional sports in these parts. Her song “The Best” soundtracked some of those memorable campaigns, and is today recognized as the unofficial song of Australian rugby league. There’s no argument about Turner’s place in Australian sport: she’s the Queen of Rugby League. During the 1993 NRL grand final, Turner performed “The Best” for a full house at the Sydney Football Stadium. Watch the clip below and listen for the roars of approval from football fans.
The late Tina Turner had a river deep connection with Australia, one that was built on hits, touring, connections and a unique sporting alliance.
Turner’s extraordinary solo comeback in 1984 was engineered by Roger Davies, the great Australian artist manager who has guided the careers of Pink, Olivia Newton-John, Janet Jackson, Cher and many others. For bonus points, Davies was portrayed by one of his clients, James Reyne, frontman of Australian Crawl, in 1993’s What’s Love Got to Do With It, the award-winning autobiographical film based on Turner’s life.
The rocker also starred as Auntie Entity in 1985’s Beyond Thunderdome, the third in George Miller’s Mad Max action movie franchise.
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The “Nutbush City Limits” singer, however, would tackle something no other U.S pop artist had done, when she committed to a series of much-loved campaigns for Australia’s premier rugby league competition.
From 1989 to 1995, Turner was the face of the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) competition, now rebranded the National Rugby League (NRL), appearing alongside the game’s most famous athletes in national commercials, and sometimes on the ground for the sport’s showpiece events, including a set during the 1993 grand final at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Those campaigns included Turner’s hits “What You Get Is What You See” and “The Best,” and, for many sports fans and athletes in these parts, she represents a golden era for the code.
Thanks to her contribution as the competition expanded out of New South Wales, “The Best” is today recognized as the unofficial anthem of rugby league in Australia, a sport for only the knuckliest, toughest types in society.
Turner, who in one memorable promotional video pushes those he-men around in the dressing room, was a perfect fit, her sass, style and songs offsetting the brawn. She became the unlikely Queen of League.
Those Aussie connections played a part. Because her manager Davies was Australian, “we were able to make contact,” John Quayle, then head of the NRL, recounts in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The sport’s administrators presented to Davies while on a visit to his homeland. A partnership seemed unlikely, then an opportunity materialized.
“He rang and said you’ve got one day in London to film and if you can do it, we can have a look at it and go from there.” Working in “freezing conditions,” the team taught Turner the finer points of the game, she warmed to it, and a slice of marketing magic was created.
On Wednesday (May 24), Turner died at 83 years old, prompting both fans, fellow musicians and friends to express their condolences on social media — including one particular sporting code in the land Down Under.
“Vale Tina Turner, the Queen of Rugby League,” reads one post from the official NRL account.
Another post reads, “Tina Turner provided the soundtrack for a golden era of rugby league. Today we reflect on her immense contribution to the game.”
Watch some of Tina Turner’s classic campaigns for Australia’s professional rugby league competition below.
Tina Turner, whose gritty vocals and fierce, sizzling performances powered two iconic music careers —as one-half of husband-and-wife duo Ike & Tina Turner and later as a solo star — has died, her rep confirmed to Billboard. The eight-time Grammy Award winner was 83. TETRIS KELLY:Tina Turner has died at the age of 83. A […]
If you had one shot, or one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted, just one moment… Gina Miles can identify her moment, and no, she didn’t let it slip. Miles, the teen from Paxton, IL won the 2023 season of The Voice on Tuesday night (May 23), but she unofficially stole the nation’s hearts […]
It was the end of an era Tuesday night (May 23) as The Voice crowned its 2023 winner, and coach Blake Shelton hung up his cowboy hat for the very last time.After months of blind auditions, tears, cheers, battles, and a few baffling moments, five contestants duked it out in second night of the two-part grand final. On night one, which beamed out Monday on NBC, Gina Miles, Grace West, D.Smooth, Sorelle and Noivas respectively graced the stage for solo performances. Tonight, each of the finalists teamed up with their coaches for a duet. And faced the final countdown.
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One theme that bubbled away through the season had focused on Shelton, and whether the outgoing nine-time winning coach would leave the reality TV show on a high note. For this swansong, Shelton had twice the opportunity of his rival coaches. On Tuesday, he performed with Noivas on Michael Buble’s “Home,” and with Grace West on Blake’s own hit “Lonely Tonight.” Would he, could he do it again? Flat answer, no.
As the 23rd season wrapped, it was Niall Horan’s teammate Gina Miles who took the glory.
The 19-year-old resident of Nashville, TN, broke hearts with a rendition of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” Prince’s classic 90s number made popular by Sinead O’Connor, and a cover of Taylor Swift’s “Style.”
When she dueted with Horan on Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” The Voice viewers had seen enough.
Horan, the debutant, enjoys the rub of the green. Blake, who had a near miss in his quest to crack double figures, might call it the luck of the Irish.
“I’ve been wrestling with this for a while, and I’ve decided that it’s time for me to step away from The Voice after Season 23,” Shelton said in a statement. “This show has changed my life in every way for the better, and it will always feel like home to me. It’s been a hell of a ride over these 12 years of chair turns, and I want to thank everyone at The Voice from NBC, every producer, the writers, musicians, crew and catering people; you are the best.”
Shelton’s teammate Grace West finished second and Kelly Clarkson’s singer D.Smooth completed the podium.
The victorious Miles collects a six-figure cash prize and a recording contract with Universal Republic Records.
Rolf Harris, the disgraced entertainer who, prior to his downfall, enjoyed hits in the U.K. and his homeland, Australia, and who was once commissioned to paint Queen Elizabeth II, has died at the age of 93.
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Born March 30, 1930 in Perth, Australia, Harris’ life and career will be remembered in two halves.
At the peak of his celebrity, following a relocation to the U.K., Harris enjoyed a-list status on both sides of the globe, a star of TV and popular music, an enthusiast for the wobble board and didgeridoo who had a string of hit singles, and collaborations with The Wiggles and others.
Harris was, for decades, the face of British Paints in Australia, and was lampooned in the popular ‘70s and early ‘80s British comedy series The Goodies. For millions of Australians and Britons, he was a broadcast star from their youth.
He enjoyed a string of U.K. chart hits including “Two Little Boys” (Columbia), which has the distinction of being the very last No. 1 in Britain in the 1960s. “Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport” reached No. 9 in Britain back in 1960, and he had a No. 3 hit with “Sun Arise” in 1962. He enjoyed another U.K. top 10 in 1993, when his cover of “Stairway to Heaven,” a spin-off from the Australian TV show Money or the Gun, reached No. 7.
The Guinness World Records book of British Hit Singles had summed-up Harris as a “lovable Australian musician, artist and presenter.”
Along the way, he was elevated into the highest circles, by being named as Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
In 2005, another honor, when he was tapped by the BBC to create an oil painting of the Queen for the occasion of her 80th birthday, the sittings for which were captured for a documentary. The following year, in 2006, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
In 2013, Harris was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), in recognition for his distinguished service to the performing and visual arts, to charitable organizations and to international relations through the promotion of Australian culture, following his induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2008.
When his downfall was complete, Harris’ name had been scrubbed from those history books.
His spectacular fall from grace began in 2013, when Harris was questioned and arrested police under Operation Yewtree, the investigation into sexual abuse among members of the English media elite, including the late Jimmy Savile.Following a trial in 2014, Harris was found guilty of various indecent assaults between 1968 and 1986, and was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison. He was released in 2017, but denied any wrongdoing and never issued an apology to his victims.According to the BBC, Harris passed May 10, and has already been buried, though details have been kept under lock and key until now. His death certificate, the Corporation reports, notes that he died from neck cancer and “frailty of old age” at his home in Bray, Berkshire.
A statement from his family reads: “This is to confirm that Rolf Harris recently died peacefully surrounded by family and friends and has now been laid to rest. They ask that you respect their privacy. No further comment will be made.”
One of the most prominent developers of do-it-yourself music creation platforms, BandLab Technologies, raised $25 million in Series B1 financing at a valuation of $425 million, the company announced Tuesday (May 23).
The round was led by existing investor Cercano Management – formerly Vulcan Capital, the venture capital arm of the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s Vulcan Inc. Holding company – with participation from Prosus Ventures, a giant technology investor with a portfolio that includes e-commerce, delivery, fintech and education platforms.
The new funding will allow BandLab to augment its work force, offer more emerging creator campaigns, boost its support services – such as BandLab for Education – the company stated in a press release. Last year, the company raised $65 million in a Series B round that valued BandLab at $315 million – $110 million less than the latest valuation – and was led by Vulcan Capital with participation from Caldecott Music Group and K3 Ventures.
BandLabs Technologies is best known for its namesake platform, BandLab, a mobile-first digital audio workstation with over 60 million registered users. The company also owns the long-running digital audio workstation Cakewalk, which it acquired in 2018; ReverbNation, a 16-year-old independent artist services provider acquired in 2021; and Airbit, a beats marketplace acquired in February.
It competes in a growing category of cloud-based music creation tools that offer a far more simplified user experience than common studio platforms like ProTools. Like BandLab, Soundtrap, acquired by Spotify in 2017, makes creating songs an easy and collaborative process. RapChat boasts more than 10 million music creators on its feature-rich mobile app.
“BandLab serves a vital role in today’s music creation ecosystem, enabling more artists to break through at previously unfathomable levels,” Meng Ru Kuok, BandLab CEO and co-founder, said in a statement to Billboard.” This additional investment amplifies our position in today’s environment to accelerate our vision and deepen meaningful collaborations, bridging the gap between emerging talent and established industry players. We’re ready to double down on our mission, empowering artists at scale.”
Over the last two decades, independent musicians have been given digital tools that markedly lowered the barriers to entry. Digital audio workstations like Apple’s GarageBand gave anybody with an Apple computer the ability to easily record and edit audio files. Digital distribution services such as TuneCore allowed anybody to sell their music online. Now, tools to create music have been simplified to mobile phone apps and artificial intelligence-powered products – such as BandLab’s SongStarter – give the average internet user the ability to make music.
Sometimes, BandLab users have found legitimate chart success using the app’s entry-level toolkit. Last year, “Romantic Homocide,” created on BandLab by 17-year-old Houston artist d4vd, reached No. 45 on Billboard’s Hot 100 after another of his songs “Here With Me” got him signed to Darkroom/Interscrope Records. Also last year, BandLab teamed with Billboard to launch the Bringing BandLab to Billboard portal to help expose its creators to a global audience. Two artists were featured at Billboard.com as a result: The Moon City Masters and Hitha.
Lewis Capaldi can almost taste victory in the U.K. chart race.
The Scottish singer and songwriter will be hard to beat, as Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent (EMI) notches 68,000 chart sales by the midweek point, the Official Charts Company reports, and is currently outselling the rests of the top 20 combined.
It’s on track to overtake Ed Sheeran’s Subtract (Asylum) as the year’s fastest-selling LP, and push Sheeran’s album from the summit after a two-week stay (Subtract opened with 76,000 chart sales).
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Assuming Capaldi reigns supreme when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published Friday, May 26, it’ll give the Scot his second leader after his 2019 debut Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent, which has passed one million U.K. combined sales and features the global hit “Someone You Loved,” which is recognized by the OCC as the most-streamed song in the U.K.
Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent is already a hit machine. Three songs from it, “Forget Me,” “Pointless,” and “Wish You The Best,” have led the Official U.K. Singles Chart.
Capaldi leads an all-new top four on the Official Chart Update. Based on midweek sales and streaming data, ‘80s rockers Def Leppard could debut at No. 2 with Drastic Symphonies (Mercury), a collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, while fellow British rock band Sleep Token could complete the podium with Take Me Back To Eden (Spinefarm), set to arrive at No. 3.
Close behind is Swedish rock act Ghost with their covers EP Phantomime (Loma Vista), set to start at No. 4, while Sheeran’s Subtract is poised to drop 1-5.
Also eyeing top 10 berths are veteran prog-rock group Yes with Mirror To The Sky (Century Media), at No. 6 on the chart update, and iconic U.S. singer and songwriter Paul Simon with Seven Psalms (Sony Music CG), set to bow at No. 9.
Finally, as fans mourn the death of the Smiths’ bass player Andy Rourke, the indie legends’ music is providing some comfort. The Smiths’ hits compilation The Sound of The Smiths (Rhino) could return to top 40, at No. 30.