Free Republic

Singer-songwriter Leon Redbone, who specialized in old-school vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley-style music, died earlier today, his family confirmed. He was 69 — although, in characteristically whimsical fashion, the official statement announcing his death gave his age as 127. Although Redbone’s pop-defying predilection for seemingly antiquated musical styles of the ’20s and ’30s made him the unlikeliest of stars, he became one anyway, appearing several times as the musical guest “Saturday Night Live” — including two spots in the inaugural 1975-76 season alone — and landing frequent appearances with Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show.” Later popular successes had him...

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)’ campaign on Friday unveiled a list of actors, directors, musicians and tech industry players and who have endorsed the independent Vermont Senator and self-described socialist’s bid for the presidency. Actors Will Ferrell, Jeremy Piven, John C. Reilly, Danny DeVito, and Sarah Silverman are among the 128 “artists and cultural leaders” that have put their names to an open letter calling for Sanders to be the Democrat presidential nominee.

Bonnie Raitt covering Del Shannon’s “Runaway”. ON VINYL. "I’m a walkin’ in the rain Tears are fallin’ an’ I feel the pain Wishin’ you were here by me To end this misery…....."

Gloria Steinem, Jesse Jackson, Bonnie Raitt and Jay Leno have joined prison hunger strikers in calling for an end to California's use of solitary confinement to control prison gang violence. The civil rights crusaders, singer and late-night comedian are among those who signed a letter sent Monday to Gov. Jerry Brown. The letter calls isolation units "extensions of the same inhumanity practiced at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay." The letter to Brown, to be followed by a demonstration Tuesday at the Capitol, was arranged by the National Religion Campaign Against Torture and local supporters of the prison protesters. The organization,...

John Raitt, the robust baritone who created the role of Billy Bigelow in the original New York production of "Carousel" and sang with Doris Day in the movie "Pajama Game," died Sunday, his manager said. He was 88. Raitt, the father of the blues and rock singer and songwriter Bonnie Raitt, died peacefully from complications with pneumonia at his Pacific Palisades home, his manager, James Fitzgerald, said in a printed statement.

I don't want to completely stick my neck out on this, because when you hope something is true, it clouds your judgemenet (as Dan Rather has found out!)But it appears to me that tickets are available at all the gigs for the "swing states" pro-Kerry/anti-Bush tour. Curiously, New York and New York have not been added to this "swing states" tour. Odd. Now, this is not 1980, but it seems even the Springsteen shows still have tickets available. A bad sign for the left?

As part of an effort to inspire people to vote for change this November, the coalition of artists who are participating in this Fall’s 36 city, 12 state Vote For Change tour will come together for a grand finale performance in Washington, DC on October 11 at the MCI Center. This, as with all Vote For Change shows, is presented by MoveOn PAC to benefit America Coming Together (ACT). (I edited out the stuff on where to buy tickets and the phone number to call, in keeping with FR rules against selling stuff from the site...click on the link to...

... The most talked about Democratic fund-raiser before the convention was at Radio City Music Hall, featuring Whoopi Goldberg, the comedian and former Slim-Fast pitch person. ... Linda Ronstadt stopped an innocent gig in Vegas to make a demented pitch for "Fahrenheit 9/11." Hollywood's become a town of Demophiliacs. ... Hyper-politicized Hollywood is the new bed Bill Clinton made for the Democrats, and now the party is going to have to lie in it.... Mr. Kerry has raised $47.5 million in California. Al Gore raised only $5 million. Isn't it becoming harder by the day to take the Democrats seriously...

When the Dixie Chicks made their snide comment about President Bush, hundreds if not thousands of people lined up at radio stations across America to dump their Dixie Chicks CD's.Let's face it, artists are paid to entertain us, they are the jesters of society and true they are allowed to have a personal opinion, they should keep their opinion to themselves and not use their social position to promote their idealology. We all have an opion but few of us have a sounding board to share our opinion with thousands of people.Some folks commented that dumping their Chicks CD's did...

Red hot & blues Born to a Quaker family in California 54 years ago, Raitt has a lifelong history of political activism. She goes on marches, was arrested three years ago at a Chicago protest over an American multi-national's logging practices, hands out pamphlets on the streets and plays benefit gigs for issues she believes in. ...snip... For example: Bonnie, any particular highlights last year? "The highpoint would be our European tour, to get out of the US and give Europeans a shot at what the rest of Americans are thinking so they don't think we're just all latched up...