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Bands and Artists

Johnny Cash and Megan Thee Stallion have two of this week's best albums

This week's listening recommendations are eclectic, to say the least, but well worth your time.
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A naked Megan Thee Stallion emerges from a human-sized egg, next to a black and white photo of Johnny Cash with a guitar.

Shifty Shellshock, singer of Crazy Town and 00s hit Butterfly, dies at 49

Shifty Shellshock, the frontman of American rap rock band Crazy Town, has died at his home aged 49.
A man with tattoos on his arms, chest and neck poses for a photo, wearing a black tank top and a hat

From The Cranberries to Gorillaz, the top song covers of the last 25 years

Comedian and music lover Bec Charlwood contentiously lists the best cover songs since 1999.
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Four musicieans singing

Johnny Devlin wore a leather suit and opened The Beatles' Australian and NZ shows. This is what he remembers

This week marks 60 years since The Beatles' first and only tour of Australia and New Zealand. Former rock'n'roller Johnny Devlin recalls what it was like opening for the Fab Four. 
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White haired man in cheetah pattern jacket holding black and white photo

There should be no 'expiry date' for good music or women in the industry, says Aussie band

South Gippsland musicians Eric Collier and Janine Garvey head up the band No Promises, which has penned an open letter to the Australian music industry imploring them to "just listen". Their new song Singing My Lines asks why the industry hasn't so far.
A sepia image of Eric Collier holding a guitar, standing, smiling with Janine Garvey in black, smiling in front of house

Charlie Colin, founding bass player for rock band Train, found dead at 58

Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for hits like Drops of Jupiter and Meet Virginia, has died.
Five members of the rock band Train crouch on the street

The foreclosure sale of Elvis Presley's iconic home Graceland has been halted

A judge has halted the sale of the estate, saying Graceland is part of the community and beloved around the world.
A line of people waiting to get into Graceland

Australian singer Frank Ifield, who helped give The Beatles their start, dies aged 86

British-born Australian country music singer Frank Ifield has died at the age of 86 at his home in Dural, NSW. He had multiple number one hits and famously helped give The Beatles their start when he was approached by their manager, Brian Epstein.
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An elderly man smiles at the camera holding an award.

The frontmen of two of Australia's biggest bands collaborate on new single, Disconnect

The frontmen of beloved Aussie rock bands Powderfinger and Something For Kate join forces for a triumphant track with Springsteen and Bowie DNA.
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Powderfinger frontman Bernard Fanning and Something For Kate frontman Paul Dempsey pose in black suits.

'Brilliant mind, great artist': Alt rock pioneer Steve Albini dies aged 61

The legendary producer who recorded music for bands including Nirvana, the Pixies, and PJ Harvey dies after a heart attack.
A man waring jeans and a shirt leaning back in a chair with legs up on an audio panel behind him

On the farm Grace would pretend to be Pink. Now she's supported the pop star on stage

Grace Newton-Wordsworth spent her younger years on the farm listening to pop star Pink through the headphones of her Walkman. Now she is singing right next to her. 
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A young woman wearing a red gown, sitting on a horse resting her head on its neck.

Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department breaks multiple records in 24 hours

The pop sensation now holds the record for most-streamed album in a single day across Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Music.
Taylor Swift's new album cover in black and white with Taylor standing in the middle in a long white t shirt

Taylor Swift's new album is actually two new albums, and the internet has lost it

Taylor Swift's 11th studio album, The Tortured Poet's Department, has dropped and her fans are feeling a lot of things. Then the pop star managed to pull off a double surprise — sending the internet into meltdown.
Three composite photos of pop singer taylor swift

John Farnham to break his silence about personal life in new memoir

Australian singing superstar John Farnham has announced the release of his memoir. After being asked many times, Farnham says "it finally felt like the right time to sit down and tell my story".
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A young John Farnham with long hair, smiling and wearing a leather jacket.

Swedish entertainment firm acquires KISS music catalogue for an estimated $456 million

Pophouse Entertainment Group, established by ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus, is also the founding investor in the ABBA Voyage show.
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US band KISS performs on stage with black and white makeup on their face.

30 years on from his death, Kurt Cobain's influence looms large on 1994's music

It's hard to fathom how one singer-songwriter and his little rock band could have such a profound impact on music, but perhaps the best way to explain it can be found by examining the musical landscape from the year he died.
Nirvana's Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged in 1993

Josh was sick of having to travel at least an hour for gigs, so he and his friends decided to stage their own events

Recent research shows a lack of live music venues in western and south-west Sydney - artist collective Hotter Out West decided to create their own.
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A DJ looks down at his decks as he performs in front of a crowd.

'Do I need to give a billionaire more money?' How Taylor Swift's financial status collides with fans

Taylor Swift is officially a billionaire, with Forbes confirming the megastar is the first artist to reach the wealthy status solely from songwriting and performing
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Taylor Swift leans back and closes her eyes on stage in an orange dress as lights blur around her

Survey finds half of Aussie musicians earned less than $6,000 in a year

Half of Australian musicians earned less than $6,000 in the industry last financial year, which is 15 per cent of the national minimum wage, according to a survey by the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.
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a black and white picture of a woman posing with a large stringed instrument.

Townsville group's 12-year campaign to bring pop star P!NK to regional Queensland pays off

P!NK is preparing to take the stage in front of more than 60,000 fans in Townsville, injecting nearly $50 million into a city that struggles to attract international artists.
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Three women in front of Castle Hill, wearing Bring Pink to Townsville T-shirts.

Politics and race stopped Cymande in their tracks. 50 years later they're being recognised as fathers of hip hop

You might not have heard their name but you've probably heard their music. Cymande broke up more than 50 years ago but their music went on to form the building blocks of hip hop.
Six men stand together, one holding a saxaphone.

'They've filmed people throwing their instruments': Musicians share baggage handling horror stories

A broken instrument can put a touring musician's livelihood in jeopardy, but many have horror stories about damaged equipment after travelling with commercial airlines.
photo of a guitar with its body broken on a black hard case

Raye's recognition at the Brit Awards was borne out of blood, sweat and years

British singer-songwriter Raye made history when she won six Brit Awards this week. It's been a long road to the top for the pop star, who was on the verge of giving up her dream before her breakthrough and awards dominance.
Raye sitting down wearing long maroon high heeled boots, a grey guitar, drum kit and speakers behind her

Charges dropped midtrial in Hotel California lyrics case, but Don Henley vows to fight on

Eagles drummer and co-founder Don Henley now plans to turn to the civil courts, his lawyer says.
A medium shot of an elderly man in sanglasses, a suit and tie walking across a street in New York.

Exclusive Taylor Swift deal was not 'unfriendly' towards neighbours, Singapore PM says

Lee Hsien Loong denies it was unfriendly that Singapore paid to host Taylor Swift's only tour stop in South-East Asia.
A composite of two images: A close up of a man in a suit and tie, and a close up of Taylor Swift smiling while performing