 | Date: 12/16/2024 Section: Rumor Mill In 1999 Starbucks purchased a mini-chain of tastemaking record stores called Hear Music and sold a curated selection of CDs. Its first gambit as a record label was with Ray Charles' Genius Loves Company. Grammys, Ray Charles, Starbucks |
 | Date: 12/12/2024 Section: Rumor Mill The 2008 Album of the Year Grammy was an epic battle between two commercial and critical heavyweights, Kanye West and Amy Winehouse. At the dawn of the century, however, Grammy voters were a largely middlebrow and mercurial bunch who applauded bluegrass and jazz. So when presenter Quincy Jones announced that the Album of the Year was Herbie Hancock’s River: The Joni Letters, Hancock’s look of complete shock was matched by many at Staples Center. Grammy, Herbie Hancock, River: The Joni Letters |
 | Date: 11/06/2024 Section: Rumor Mill In honor of the great Quincy Jones, who left us this on 11/3, we celebrate one of the most important figures in modern music with this selection from our Black History Month special. |
| Date: 11/06/2024 Section: Rumor Mill In honor of the great Quincy Jones, who left us on 11/3, we celebrate one of the most important figures in modern music with this selection from our Black History Month special. Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Thriller |
 | Date: 11/04/2024 Section: Rumor Mill Quincy Jones, one of the most important figures in modern music, died 11/3 at the age of 91 at his home in Los Angeles. No cause was provided. Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles |
 | Date: 11/01/2024 Section: Rumor Mill A teenaged Charles Mangan became transfixed for the first time by the concept of branding when he attended Kanye West’s 2008 Glow in the Dark tour, and it’s a passion that has since served him well in key roles at Bravado and now as the founder and CEO of TITOL™, the biggest independent-artist merchandise and brand company in the world. Titol, Charles Mangan, Travis Scott, Kanye West, Andre 3000, Don Toliver, Yeat, Future, Alex Cooper, Alix Earle, JAY-Z |
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 | Date: 07/25/2024 Section: Pub Crawling Primary Wave is waving the flag for its writers’ roles in some big radio records. At the top of the heap is “Too Sweet” by Columbia’s Hozier, co-written by PW-affiliated Serge Gherman and Tyler Reese. The track is currently #2 at Top 40 and #1 at Hot AC and Alternative. A ke... |
 | Date: 07/24/2024 Section: Rumor Mill Jerry Fuller, a prolific songwriter and producer, died of complications from lung cancer on 7/18 at the age of 85. He passed away at home in Sherman Oaks, surrounded by family and loved ones. Jerry Fuller obituary |
 | Date: 07/18/2024 Section: Rumor Mill Rosenblatt's winding path took him from Macy's management trainee to Geffen Records prexy. Michael Sigman takes a deep dive into his remarkable career. Eddie Rosenblatt, Geffen, Nirvana, A&M, Warner Bros., Steve Ross |
 | Date: 06/25/2024 Section: Rumor Mill Primary Wave Music, Be Forward Productions and Storyvault Films have teamed up on a documentary about legendary songwriter Gerry Goffin, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Primary Wave, Be Forward Productions, Storyvault Films |
 | Date: 06/21/2024 Section: Rumor Mill As the lead singer of Gladys Knight & the Pips, the Atlanta native achieved major success with hits like "Midnight Train to Georgia” and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” Here, we dive deep into her ongoing journey as a music legend. HITS Black Music Month 2024, Gladys Knight, Atlanta |
 | Date: 06/17/2024 Section: Rumor Mill David Bender considers the dichotomy between Billy Preston’s exuberant public persona and the painful secrecy of his private life as a deeply closeted gay man. Billy Preston, Paris Barclay, HITS Pride Special 2024, LGBTQIA+ |
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 | Date: 06/04/2024 Section: Rumor Mill As we celebrate both Pride and Black Music Month, we revisit this piece by acclaimed writer Craig Seymour, who provides a much-needed corrective to the received narrative of cultural history. Sylvester, Ronnie Dyson, Johnny Mathis, Frankie Jaxon, Alex Bradford |
 | Date: 05/21/2024 Section: Music City Amazon Music has dropped three new live recordings from the performances at the 59th ACM Awards. |
| Date: 05/17/2024 Section: Music City By Holly Gleason From the moment the unstoppable Lainey Wilson hit the satellite stage—performing Little Texas’ “God Bless Texas,” it was clear the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards was going to lean hard into the friskiness and out-yonder kind of country that derives i... |
 | Date: 05/14/2024 Section: Rumor Mill With Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us"—which samples Ray Charles—debuting as the #1 single overall in the wake of the rapper's war of words with Drake, Primary Wave has scored its second chart-topper of the past three weeks. Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Ray Charles, James Brown, Primary Wave, Hozier |
 | Date: 04/26/2024 Section: Rumor Mill Andra Day, Ravyn Lenae, Shinedown and The War and Treaty will perform at the inaugural Grammy Hall of Fame gala on 5/21 at the Novo Theater in L.A. Andra Day, The War and Treaty, Ravyn Lenae, Shinedown, Grammy Awards, Grammy Hall of Fame |
 | Date: 03/28/2024 Section: Rumor Mill Nashville-based Holly Gleason finds all sorts of reasons to celebrate Queen Bey’s foray into country’s deep roots. Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter, “TEXAS HOLD ’EM”, Raphael Saadiq, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Rissi Palmer, Linda Martell, Robert Randolph |
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 | Date: 03/27/2024 Section: Rumor Mill Country is a musical form with whitewashed African American roots, and a learning curve tracing that trajectory emerged on social media straight away... Beyoncé, Rhiannon Giddens, Robert Randolph, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson |
 | Date: 03/21/2024 Section: Rumor Mill For Country Music Association CEO Sarah Trahern and Academy of Country Music CEO Damon Whiteside, getting people to see where and what country music actually represents is a mission as well as the compass both leaders use to steer by. In this interview, they spoke to their wins, country’s evolution and the challenges ahead. Damon Whiteside, Sarah Trahern, CMA, ACM, Amazon, HITS' Nashville Special |
 | Date: 03/05/2024 Section: Rumor Mill The Grammy Museum and Recording Academy are reinstating Grammy Hall of Fame events on its 50th anniversary, following a two-year hiatus. Grammy Museum, Recording Academy, Grammy Hall of Fame, Ken Ehrlich |
 | Date: 02/15/2024 Section: Rumor Mill I.B. on USHER and the Super Bowl's aftermath, Merck's numbers, Bey's country excursion, Kanye's bumpy rollout and more. USHER, Larry Jackson, L.A. Reid, Ron Laffitte, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Travis Kelce, Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn Monroe, Eliah Seton, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Fleetwood Mac, Ray Charles, Kanye West, Fuga, Downtown, Ty Dolla $ign, Shakira, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Post Malone, Ice Spice. |
 | Date: 02/02/2024 Section: Rumor Mill With Black History Month upon us, we revisit this fascinating interview with Chaka Khan, conducted by our friend Dyana Williams. Chaka Khan, Dyana Williams |
 | Date: 01/31/2024 Section: Rumor Mill Dick Waterman, a promoter and manager of blues musicians who played a key role in the career revivals of Son House, Mississippi John Hurt and Bukka White, died on 1/26. He was 88. |
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 | Date: 01/30/2024 Section: Rumor Mill Legendary producer Jimmy Jam, pictured here, hosted a throng of fellow dignitaries to hail the unveiling of the Grammy Museum's Ray Charles Terrace... Recording Academy, Grammy Museum, The Ray Charles Foundation, Rita George, John Burk, Yakub Hazzard, Clarence Daniels, Wes Coleman, Michael Sticka, Valerie Ervin, Jimmy Jam, Tammy Hurt, Harvey Mason Jr, Tim Bucher |
