Latest news with #MarvinGaye
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What was Detroit like in the 1960s? Take a look back in time.
It was the best of times — and the boiling point. In the 1960s, Detroit roared with the sounds of new muscle cars and the distinctive sounds of Motown. Woodward Avenue was the glittering spine of the city, lined with movie theaters, shops and crowds. At Motown's Hitsville U.S.A., Berry Gordy was changing the sound of America, while downtown department stores like Hudson's remained bustling centers of fashion and community life. But beneath the rhythm of those radio hits and the hum of the assembly line, tensions between police and the city's Black residents were brewing in the neighborhoods, ultimately leading to a deadly five-day uprising. Take a look back at Detroit in the 1960s with our curated photo gallery, featuring images from the Free Press archives and beyond, capturing the city's highs, lows and everyday life during a decade that changed everything. Riot or rebellion? The debate on what to call Detroit '67 More: Marvin Gaye's 'What's Going On' still relevant and revealing, 50 years on More: Detroit's Algiers Motel site, where 3 teens were killed in 1967, to get historical marker More: Willie Horton book excerpt: 1967 riot may have been first time I embraced my community This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What was Detroit like in the 1960s? Photos take you back in time
The Guardian
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
John Legend review – a somewhat bloodless performance from a wonderful singer
'Get lifted' is Glaswegian slang for being taken into police custody. It seems unlikely, to say the least, that John Legend knew this when choosing Glasgow to open his Get Lifted 20th Anniversary world tour. Still, his appearance is appropriately arresting, strolling on stage in the sort of dazzling white suit that looked so fine on Marvin Gaye and Al Green. 'Can I be sexy tonight?' he asks – the very definition of a rhetorical question – ahead of She Don't Have to Know, a breezy ode to cheating. The tour is a celebration of his classic debut, an album that announced Legend as a soul man who could, it seemed, be spoken of in the same breath as giants of the genre. In his 20s when Get Lifted was released, he's now 46: a middle-aged star playing the songs of a hungry – and horny – young musician; a husband and father singing of infidelity and reconciliation. Perhaps because he no longer feels the words he wrote back then, there's something bloodless about much of the performance. He is a wonderful singer and his nine-piece band skilled, but the set is drilled to the point of being dull. Legend is a former management consultant – as he mentioned during one of the interminable 'my musical journey' talky bits – and one suspects that somewhere backstage is a PowerPoint plotting every priapic strut and yelp. His between-song chat is so cheesy that when he asks us to 'Make some noise for Philadelphia!' it isn't clear whether we are being urged to cheer the city or the spread. His playing is expressive enough; no need for all that commentary. The ballads Ordinary People and All of Me, solo at the piano, are beautiful songs beautifully performed. Take My Hand, Precious Lord shows off his gospel roots. There is even a curveball Beatles cover, I Want You (She's So Heavy), stitched seamlessly to the end of his own I Can Change. Those are highlights, but the show as a whole drags. At two hours we are detained too long and it is a relief to be released. John Legend plays Co-op Live, Manchester, 29 May, then tours the UK until 1 June
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Motown tribute to play at International Plaza
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – The sounds of Motown will be playing Sunday afternoon at the International Plaza in Rochester on N Clinton Avenue. JWhispers Entertainment, led by Evans Buntley, will present a Motown tribute honoring some of the greatest musical legends ever. Members in the community will get to enjoy live performances featuring the iconic hits of Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, and more. Visitors to the Plaza today through Sunday can also look forward to the following food vendors: De Mi Tierra Food and Supplies: Mexican and Colombian tamales, chorizos, empanadas and more. Friday 12 – 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. La Parada de Salinas: Comfort food with Puerto Rican twist, including empanadas, and papas rellenas. Friday 12 – 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. New Generation Meats: Savory and sweet, including traditional empanadas and ice cream; the traditional taste of alcapurrias and a selection of fried plates. Friday 12 – 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. The International Plaza is a partnership between the City of Rochester and the Ibero American Development Corporation. Here people can enjoy music, food, culture, and activities for the whole family to enjoy. 'International Plaza showcases the contributions of Latinos and other cultures and traditions to Rochester's cultural and economic vibrancy,' organizers say. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Ed Sheeran reflects on $100M copyright trial as he performs 'emotional' new single inspired by the case for the first time during surprise appearance at Radio 1's Big Weekend
Ed Sheeran made a surprise appearance at Radio 1's Big Weekend on Saturday, where he performed a new song inspired by his $100 million copyright trial. The singer, 34, wrote the track after revisiting an old phone during the lawsuit over his hit 'Thinking Out Loud.' He had been accused of copying Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On but was cleared in court in 2023. Now, taking to the stage at the Liverpool-based festival, Ed opened up about the inspiration behind his new song Old Phone before performing it for the first time in front of a crowd. Referring to his copyright trail, told the crowd: 'The judge ordered me to give up my old devices to the other lawyers for them to go through all my text messages and emails and photos and stuff like that. 'And in that process I switched on a phone that I had not looked at in 10 years and it was like looking into the past and it was conversations with people who had passed away. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to Daily Mail's showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. He continued: 'There was arguments with an ex-girlfriend, there was, you know, text messages and pictures from people that I haven't seen or spoken to in, in 10 years, and I wrote this song about it called Old phone.' Ed's performance was announced just moments before he surprised the crowd with his unexpected appearance. He told fans he chose to perform on the New Music Stage because it was the only one he hadn't sung on yet. A source at Big Weekend told MailOnline: 'Ed came on as a surprise guest kicking off the opening act on Saturday lunchtime, I've never seen festival goers swarm a stage so quickly. 'He played a number of his hits and also included some of his new songs which the crowd the loved. 'Ed explained the meaning behind his one new song where he opened up about his court case and how finding old phone was the inspiration. 'As he started Azizam he did mess up his famous loop but he started again and told the crowd 'that's how you know I'm playing live'. 'He was on for an hour and nearly ran over time but the crowd didn't want it to end.' During his set in Liverpool, Ed also performed fan favourites including Castle on the Hill, Shivers, The A-Team, and Photograph. He went on to perform his hit Shape of You before closing the epic, surprise show with Bad Habits. It comes after Ed broke down in tears in March 2023 after a jury found his hit song Thinking Out Loud did not copy Marvin Gaye's classic 'Let's Get It On'. As the jury at Manhattan federal court cleared Ed of infringing copyright, he briefly put his hands over his face in relief before standing and hugging his lawyer. His co-writer Amy Wadge said she and Ed 'had a few tears' of relief after winning the $100million case. Speaking outside the court, he said: 'I'm just a guy with a guitar who loves writing music for people to enjoy. I am not and will not allow myself to be a piggy bank.' Ed vehemently denied allegations that his song stole fundamental musical elements from Marvin's song. The singer had staked his whole career on the case, vowing that he would be 'done' with music if found guilty. Ed added: 'I'm obviously very happy with the outcome of the case and it looks like I'm not having to retire from my day job after all. 'At the same time I'm unbelievably frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all. 'We've spent the last eight years talking about two songs with dramatically different lyrics, melodies and four chords which are also different and used by songwriters every day all over the world. 'These chords are common building blocks which were used to create music long before Let's Get It On was written and will be used to create music long after we are all gone. 'They are in a songwriter's alphabet, our toolkit, and should be there for all of us to use. 'No one owns them or the way they are played, in the same way that no one owns the color blue.' He added that if the verdict had gone the other way 'we might as well say goodbye to the creative freedom of songwriters' and that artists need to be able to create original music 'without worrying at every step on the way that said creativity will be wrongly called into question'. 'It is devastating to be accused of stealing someone else's song when we put so much work into our livelihoods,' he added. The singer also said he missed his grandmother's funeral in Ireland because of the trial, and that he 'won't get that time back'. ED SHEERAN: SHAPE OF YOU Sheeran's victory in Manhattan Thursday was his second such case in two years, after he also won a plagiarism battle over his 2017 hit Shape Of You. A judge in the UK High Court ruled that Sheeran had not copied the 2015 song Oh Why by Sami Chokri. The grime artist, who performs under the name Sami Switch, had claimed the 'Oh I' hook in Shape Of You was 'strikingly similar' to an 'Oh why' refrain on his track. Sheeran said after the ruling that such 'baseless' claims were 'way too common'. Judge Antony Zacaroli ruled that Sheeran had 'neither deliberately nor subconsciously copied' Chokri's song. He recognised 'similarities between the one-bar phrase' in Shape of You and Oh Why, but said 'such similarities are only a starting point for a possible infringement' of copyright. He added that there were 'differences between the relevant parts' of the songs, which 'provide compelling evidence that the 'Oh I' phrase' in Sheeran's song 'originated from sources other than Oh Why'. During the case, Sheeran appeared stung by the accusation that he had stolen another artist's work without giving them due credit. Chokri and his co-write Ross O'Donoghue were ordered to pay Sheeran $1.1million in legal fees after the case. ED SHEERAN: PHOTOGRAPH Sheeran also faced a copyright suit over his hit song Photograph after he was accused of 'note-for-note copying' the track 'Amazing', recorded by British X Factor winner Matt Cardle. The case was reportedly settled out of court after the song's writers had filed a lawsuit in 2016 seeking $20million. Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard's complaint said Sheeran and his writing partner 'copied and exploited... the work of other active, professional songwriters, on a breathtaking scale, unabashedly taking credit for the work of these songwriters...' The lawsuit alleged that the chorus of 'Photograph' and Cardle's 'Amazing' share 39 identical notes. ROBIN THICKE: BLURRED LINES Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were ordered to pay the family of Marvin Gaye $5million after they were found to have copied one of his hits. The duo were found to have copied Gaye's 1977 hit Got to Give It Up for their track Blurred Lines. Gaye's family initially won the case in 2015, which was upheld by a California court on appeal in 2018. The family were also awarded 50 percent of all future royalties earned by Blurred Lines. But the $5million payout was a fraction of the $16.6m Williams and Thicke were revealed to have made from the song during the initial trial. Some within the music industry slammed the initial verdict for punishing Thicke's song over copying the 'feel' of Gaye's classic - rather than directly plagiarizing musical phrases or lyrics. The appeal court also split on this, and one of the three judges dissented from the ruling. Circuit Judge Jacqueline Nguyen said the two songs 'differed in melody, harmony and rhythm' and wrote that the verdict 'strikes a devastating blow to future musicians and composers everywhere'. The verdict sparked a number of similar cases against artists including Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Madonna and Miley Cyrus. LED ZEPPELIN STAIRWAY: TO HEAVEN Rock legends Led Zeppelin won a six-year legal tussle to prove they had not copied a song by Randy California for their iconic track 'Stairway to Heaven'. The estate of the late California filed a lawsuit in 2014 alleging that the Zeppelin song had been nicked from the single 'Taurus' by the 1960s band Spirit, for whom California had been the lead guitarist. In 2020, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a jury verdict that found the song had not been copied. Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant told the BBC in 2021: 'There are zillions and zillions of songs that are carrying the same chord progression, so it was very unfortunate, and it was unpleasant for everybody.' GEORGE HARRISON: MY SWEET LORD Former Beatle George Harrison was found guilty of 'subconsciously' plagiarizing the 1962 John Mack tune 'He's So Fine' for his 1970 hit 'My Sweet Lord'. The 1976 case saw Judge Richard Owen of the US District Court in Manhattan find Harrison guilty of copyright infringement but 'not deliberately'. Owen, himself a composer, said: 'It is clear that My Sweet Lord is the very same song as 'He's So Fine.' This is, under the law infringement of copyright and is no less so even though subconsciously accomplished.' Owen said it was apparent from the trial evidence that Harrison had not been conscious of the fact that he was plagiarizing the theme of 'He's So Fine'. But he added: 'In seeking musical materials to clothe his came to the surface of his mind a particular combination that pleased him as being one he felt would be appealing to a prospective listener...[Mr. Harrison's subconscious mind] knew this combination of sounds would work because it already had worked in a song his conscious mind did not remember.'
The Independent
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Mets star Francisco Lindor has a new walk-up song to go with `My Girl'
After more than 11 months and hundreds of singalongs, 'My Girl' finally has some company atop the charts at Citi Field. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, whose pivot to The Temptations' 'My Girl' as his walk-up song last May coincided with a turnaround in fortunes for Lindor and his teammates, added 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' — the 1967 duet by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell — to his rotation prior to his second at-bat in Friday's 7-2 win over the Chicago Cubs. 'It's the vibes — the vibes I'm in right now,' Lindor said with a grin Friday night. 'I think it's a fantastic song. Hopefully the fans can vibe to it, too.' Lindor's success with 'My Girl' and the accompanying pop culture sensation made his pivot a surprise to the 41,243 fans in attendance Friday, if not his teammates. Lindor was batting .210 and the Mets were 22-30 when he debuted 'My Girl' last May 28, but Lindor hit .306 the rest of the way and finished second in NL MVP balloting as New York made it to the National League Championship Series. The Temptations performed the song, along with the national anthem, prior to Game 5 of the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Lindor hit a leadoff homer for the first-place Mets on Friday — his 34th round-tripper in 137 games since introducing 'My Girl.' 'There were some fans that yelled at me,' Lindor said. 'But there were some other ones that were singing.' Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, who is walking up to Eric Clapton's 'Layla' this year after using Rush's 'Working Man' and Don McLean's 'American Pie' in previous seasons, said Lindor hinted at the change during the just-concluded road trip to St. Louis and Arizona. 'He said he was going to do it and no one believed him,' Alonso said Saturday. 'I think it's a good one — that's a great walk-up song.' Lindor acknowledged some teammates wanted him to stick with 'My Girl' and said he'd alternate the songs in hopes his new selection grows in popularity. 'Man, the movie 'Remember The Titans' — who doesn't know that?' Lindor said, referring to the song's usage in the 2000 film. 'It's a great song. So we'll see if it catches on. If it doesn't catch on — since I got pushback from some people — they're still going to get 'My Girl.'' ___
