Annie Lennox has been named the 2002 recipient of Billboard magazine's Century Award. Billboard's highest honor for creative achievement will be presented to Lennox at the Billboard Music Awards on December 9. She's currently in London recording a new album.
Bruce Springsteen is currently working on his first album of all new material in seven years. His manager, Jon Landau, recently previewed some tracks for Sony Music Group executives. The album's tentative release date is July 30.
Tony Bennett and K.D. Lang have recorded a duets album of 13 Louis Armstrong songs. Together will be released later this year on Tony's label, Columbia Records. Bennett came up with the idea last year when he performed a concert tour with Lang.
On May 22, California-based rock band Alien Ant Farm was in a serious bus accident in Spain. The hired bus driver was killed in the crash and Alien Ant Farm's singer Dryden Mitchell fractured a vertebra. He was flown to a London hospital for treatment. Three other band members received treatment for minor injuries. The group's head of security, David Zajic, suffered multiple skull and facial fractures. He's in critical condition in a Prague hospital. Alien Ant Farm was performing a European tour in support of its album ANThology. The collection includes the group's breakthrough hit, Smooth Criminal.
Rapper Eminem debuts on Billboard's Top 200 chart at Number One the week ending June 8 with his third album, The Eminem Show. The set sold 285,000 copies its first two days in record stores. Its first week sales total is expected to reach one million. Eminem's previous album, The Marshall Mathers LP, also debuted at Number One by selling 1.76 million its first week of release.
NEW ALBUM RELEASES/June 4:
MUSICAL EVENTS/FESTIVALS/BENEFITS:
New York radio station WHTZ will host its annual "Zootopia" summer concert on June 2 at Giant Stadium. This year's lineup includes Celine Dion, Bon Jovi, Alanis Morissette, P. Diddy, Marc Anthony, Shakira, Pink, the Goo Goo Dolls, Aaron and Nick Carter, Mary J. Blige, Craig David and Michelle Branch.
Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee "Party At The Palace" concert will take place at Buckingham Palace on June 3. The free concert will feature performances by Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Aretha Franklin, Tom Jones, Annie Lennox, the Corrs, Ricky Martin, Rod Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne, and many others. A home video of the event will be released in the U.S. on July 2.
LOOK WHO'S GOING ON TOUR!
June 2: Rod Stewart will kick off a European summer tour in Biberstein, Switzerland. He's also scheduled to perform in Denmark, Germany and England through July 13. Stewart recently signed a multi-album deal with Clive Davis' new label J Records. His first album for J Records is due out in October. Stewart's manager says it will be a concept album, but details are "top-secret."