James Gurley From Big Brother and the Holding Company Dead at 69 December 26, 2009
Posted by aeschtunes in Big Brother and the Holding Company, music, obituaries.Tags: Big Brother and the Holding Company, James Gurley, obituaries
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James Gurley, the guitarist for Janis Joplin’s band Big Brother and the Holding Company, died on Sunday, December 20 at the age of 69 from a heart attack.
Gurley was one of the prominent guitarists to emerge from San Francisco’s psychedelic music scene in the mid-1960’s. He taught himself to play the guitar as a teenager by listening to blues records by Lightnin’ Hopkins. He used a finger pick rather than a flat pick, and he would also use an electric vibrator as a slide on his guitar.
Gurley was playing acoustic guitar in a San Francisco coffee house when Chet Helms introduced him to the other members of the band in 1965. After Janis Joplin left the group in 1968, they disbanded. However, Big Brother and the Holding Company later reunited and continue to perform. However, Gurley left the group for good in the later 1990s. He released a solo album, Pipe Dreams, in 2000.
Gurley is survived by his wife, Margaret, and his songs Hongo and Django.
Vic Chesnutt Dead at 45 December 26, 2009
Posted by aeschtunes in Vic Chesnutt, music, obituaries.Tags: obituaries, Vic Chesnutt
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Folk-rocker Vic Chesnutt passed away on Christmas Day at the age of 45. He had been paralyzed in a car accident in 1983, which had an influence on the music he released.
Over the years, Chesnutt has worked with such artists as R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe and Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto. He recently toured with members of Canadian bands Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Thee Silver Mt. Zion Orchestra, as well as with Picciotto. This year, Chesnutt also released two albums, including At the Cut.
Susan Boyle Spends 4th Week on Top of the Billboard 200 December 23, 2009
Posted by aeschtunes in Susan Boyle, music, sales figures.Tags: Alicia Keys, Andrea Bocelli, Carrie Underwood, Glee: The Music Volume 2, Justin Bieber, Lady GaGa, Michael Buble, Robin Thicke, sales figures, Susan Boyle, Taylor Swift
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Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed a Dream spends a fourth week on top of the Billboard 200 chart. The album sold 661,000 copies; this is a 14% increase in sales from last week.
Alicia Keys’ The Element of Freedom debuts at number two, selling 417,000 copies in its first week of release. Andrea Bocelli’s My Christmas falls one spot to number three, selling 390,000 copies; however, this is only a 3% decrease in sales from last week.
Taylor Swift’s Fearless holds steady at number four, selling 239,000 copies (this is a 42% increase in sales). Carrie Underwood’s Play On holds steady at number five, selling 153,000 copies (which is a 44% increase in sales from last week).
Lady Gaga’s The Fame holds steady at number six, selling 141,000 copies; this is a 37% increase in sales. Michael Buble’s Crazy Love moves up two spots to number seven, selling 140,000 copies.
Justin Bieber’s My World holds steady at number eight, selling 127,000 copies (this is a 31% increase in sales from last week). Robin Thicke’s Sex Therapy: The Session debuts at number nine, selling 123,000 copies in its first week of release. Glee: The Music Volume 2 falls seven spots to number ten, selling 111,000 copies; this is a 36% decrease in sales from last week.
This week’s album sales (15.14 million units) are up 26% compared to last week, but down 12% compared to the same week last year.
New Releases: December 21, 2009 December 21, 2009
Posted by aeschtunes in music, release dates.Tags: Hurricane Chris, Mary J. Blige, Mudvayne, Nine soundtrack album, release dates, We Are Young Money compilation album
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Here are this week’s new music releases:
Mary J. Blige – Stronger withEach Tear
Hurricane Chris – Unleashed
Mudvayne – Mudvayne
Nine soundtrack album
We Are Young Money compilation album
Susan Boyle Spends a Third Week at #1 on the Billboard 200 December 16, 2009
Posted by aeschtunes in Susan Boyle, music, sales figures.Tags: Andrea Bocelli, Carrie Underwood, Chris Brown, Glee: The Music Volume 2, Gucci Mane, Justin Bieber, Lady GaGa, Michael Buble, sales figures, Susan Boyle, Taylor Swift
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Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed a Dream remains on top of the Billboard 200 chart for a third straight week. The album sold 582,000 copies, which is a 10% increase in sales from last week.
Andrea Bocelli’s My Christmas holds steady at number two, selling 400,000 copies; this is a 7% decrease in sales. Glee: The Music Volume 2 debuts at number three, selling 173,000 copies in its first week of release.
Taylor Swift’s Fearless falls one spot to number four, selling 168,000 copies; however, this represents a 32% increase in sales from last week. Carrie Underwood’s Play On moves up one spot to number five, selling 107,000 copies (which is a 32% increase in sales).
Lady Gaga’s The Fame falls one spot to number six, selling 103,000 copies; this is a 23% decrease in sales from last week. Chris Brown’s Graffiti debuts at number seven, selling 102,000 copies in its first week of release.
Justin Bieber’s My World moves up four spots to re-enter the top ten at number eight, selling 97,000 copies (this is a 45% increase in sales). Michael Buble’s Crazy Love moves up one spot to number nine, selling 92,000 copies; this is a 28% increase in sales from last week. Gucci Mane’s The State vs. Radric Davis debuts at number ten, selling 90,000 copies in its first week of release.
This week’s album sales (12 million units) are up 18% from last week, but down 7% compared to the same week last year.
New Releases: December 15, 2009 December 15, 2009
Posted by aeschtunes in music, release dates.Tags: Alicia Keys, animal collective, Avatar soundtrack album, George Lopez, Julian Lennon, Phil Vassar, release dates, Robin Thicke, The Willowz
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Here are this week’s new music releases:
Animal Collective – Fall Be Kind [EP]
Avatar soundtrack album
Alicia Keys – The Element of Freedom
Julian Lennon and James Scott Cook – Lucy [EP]
George Lopez – Tall, Dark & Chicano
Robin Thicke – Sex Therapy: The Session
Phil Vassar – Traveling Circus
The Willowz – Everyone
Susan Boyle Stays on Top of the Billboard 200 December 9, 2009
Posted by aeschtunes in Susan Boyle, music, sales figures.Tags: Andrea Bocelli, Carrie Underwood, Lady GaGa, Michael Buble, Norah Jones, R. Kelly, sales figures, Susan Boyle, Taylor Swift, This Is It soundtrack, Twilight: New Moon soundtrack
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Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed a Dream stays on top of the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 527,000 copies in its second week of release. This is only a 25% decrease in sales from last week.
Andrea Bocelli’s My Christmas holds at number two, selling 428,000 copies; this is a 97% increase in sales. Taylor Swift’s Fearless moves back up five spots to number three, selling 127,000 copies (this is a 2% increase in sales from last week).
R. Kelly’s Untitled debuts at number four, selling 114,000 copies in its first week of release. Lady Gaga’s The Fame moves up one spot to number five, selling 84,000 copies; however, this is a 45% decrease in sales from last week.
Carrie Underwood’s Play On moves back up three spots to number six, selling 81,000 copies; however, this is a 35% decrease in sales. Norah Jones’ The Fall moves back up three spots to number seven, selling 80,000 copies (however, this is a 27% decrease in sales from last week.
The This Is It soundtrack moves up three spots to re-enter the top ten at number eight, selling 75,000 copies (however, this is a 31% decrease in sales). The Twilight: New Moon soundtrack re-enters the top ten at number nine, selling 72,000 copies; however, this represents a 31% decrease in sales from last week. Michael Buble’s Crazy Love moves back up eight spots to re-enter the top ten at number ten, selling 72,000 copies; this is a sales increase of 6%.
This week’s album sales (10.14 million units) is down 5% from last week, and is down 10% compared to the same week last year.
New Releases: December 8, 2009 December 8, 2009
Posted by aeschtunes in music, release dates.Tags: 3 Doors Down, 30 Seconds to Mars, Chris Brown, Glee: The Music, Gucci Mane, Jimmy Buffet, Marillion, Puddle Of Mudd, release dates, Snoop Dogg, The Clipse, Timbaland, Volume 2, We the Kings
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Here are this week’s new music releases:
Chris Brown – Graffiti
Jimmy Buffet – Buffet Hotel
The Clipse – Till the Casket Drops
Glee: The Music, Volume 2 soundtrack album
Gucci Mane – The State vs. Radric Davis
Marillion – Less Is More
Puddle of Mudd – Volume 4: Songs in the Key of Love & Hate
Snoop Dogg – Malice N Wonderland
30 Seconds to Mars – This Is War
3 Doors Down – Where My Christmas Lives [MP3 download]
Timbaland – Timbaland Presents Shock Value 2
We the Kings – Smile Kid
Eric Woolfson, Co-Found of Alan Parsons Project, Dead at 64 December 4, 2009
Posted by aeschtunes in The Alan Parsons Project, music, obituaries.Tags: Eric Woolfson, obituary, The Alan Parsons Project
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Eric Woolfson, a co-founder of the Alan Parsons Project, passed away on Tueday, December 1, after a battle with cancer. He was 64 at the time of his passing.
Woolfson wa a keyboardist for the Alan Parsons Project, wrote all the group’s lyrics, and also contributed vocals. Woolfson co-wrote 10 albums for the band, from 1976’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination to 1987’s Gaudi. Some of the group’s songs include: “Eye in the Sky,” “Don’t Answer Me,” “Games People Play,” “Time,” and “Let’s Talk About Me.”
Woolfson was born in Glasgow. He started out his career as a session player for Andrew Loog Oldham (a producer for the Rolling Stones). He also wrote songs for Marianne Faithful, Peter Noone (from Herman’s Hermits), and Marmalade. Before starting the Alan Parsons Project, Woolfson also managed Carl Douglas’ career (who is best know for the song “Kung Fo Fighting”).
After leaving the Alan Parsons Project, Woolfson went into music theater. In 1990, Woolfson launchd a musical called Freudiana.
