Music News: Watch Obama tell Letterman about dancing with Prince
by Jay Gabler
January 10, 2018
On Friday, David Letterman’s new Netflix show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction will debut, with former president Barack Obama as Letterman's first guest. In a teaser clip from the show, Obama tells Letterman about being pulled up to dance with Prince during the late icon's White House concert. (Pitchfork)
When Low Cut Connie visited The Current's studio last year, frontman Adam Weiner told a story about seeing a photo of the moment on display at the White House.
Grammys name four lifetime achievement honorees
The Recording Academy announced plans to present Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards to Tina Turner, Queen, Neil Diamond, and Emmylou Harris. Other recipients of Special Merit Awards will include composer John Williams, promoter Bill Graham, and record executive Seymour Stein (all to receive Trustees Awards); as well as drummer Hal Blaine (of the Wrecking Crew), the Meters, and Louis Jordan. This year's Grammys will be held on Sunday, Jan. 28. (Rolling Stone)
St. Vincent bringing family on tour
St. Vincent has added a new opening act to her Fear the Future tour: veteran jazz duo Tuck & Patti, who also happen to be her aunt and uncle. (Pitchfork)
Remembering Denise LaSalle
Soulful singer/songwriter Denise LaSalle has died, due to complications from surgery, at age 78. The Mississippi native was known for witty, no-nonsense story songs like "Your Husband is Cheating on Us," "Married, But Not to Each Other," and "I Wanna Do What's On Your Mind." Her biggest hit was "Trapped by a Thing Called Love," an R&B number one and a top 20 pop hit in 1971. (New York Times)
Sleater-Kinney working on new music
Sleater-Kinney are going to keep that comeback momentum rolling with a new album, says Carrie Brownstein. There's no rush to complete the follow-up to 2015's acclaimed No Cities to Love, though. "We’re going to do this very slowly," said Brownstein in an interview promoting the upcoming final season of Portlandia. (Pitchfork)
Mariah Carey celebrates NYE success with new merch
Mariah Carey triumphed in her return to Times Square on New Year's Eve, and she's celebrating with new merch that features the quip she used during the broadcast: "They told me there would be tea." As Billboard puts it, "the first musical meme of 2018 was instantly born."