Thursday May 23, 2013
18 year old singer-songwriter Zach Sobiech has died from complications of osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. He became well known for writing and recording the song "Clouds" which deals with his struggle with the disease. Zach Sobiech's friends had hoped to have the song hit one million views by the time of his death. The effort was successful as the video went viral and has now generated over four million views. Earlier this month a wide range of celebrities recorded a tribute video to "Clouds." Now the song has topped the iTunes sales chart adding to the spread of the inspirational story. Read more about Zach's story and check out his song below.
Single cover courtesy Rock the Cause
Tuesday May 21, 2013

Simon Cowell seemingly did not get what he was looking for when Britney Spears was hired to judge X Factor USA last fall. She and L.A. Reid will not be returning this fall for season 3 of the music competition show. They will be replaced by former Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland and Latin music star Paulina Rubio who will join Simon Cowell and returning judge Demi Lovato. For the first time a US singing competition show will have a majority of female judges on the panel. This is also the first of the major singing competition shows to feature a Latin star who has not had major commercial success among English language audiences. Latin singer Shakira joined the mentors of The Voice earlier this year, but she has experienced major success recording in English and among English language music fans. Paulina Rubio has sold an estimated 20 million albums worldwide and three of her last four studio albums reached #1 on the US Latin pop chart. Kelly Rowland will not be a newcomer to X Factor judging. She previously served a year on the X Factor UK panel.
Photo by Jason Merritt / Getty Images
Monday May 20, 2013
In 1977 Warner Bros. created a record label Pacific to release music by their successful songwriters who were also performers. The first artist signed was Alan O'Day, writer of the Righteous Brothers' "Rock and Roll Heaven" and Helen Reddy's "Angie Baby." His first single was "Undercover Angel" and it turned into a #1 pop smash. Follow ups failed to reach the pop top 40 and Alan O'Day became a legendary one hit wonder. He died this past Saturday following a battle with cancer. Although he never again enjoyed the commercial success of "Undercover Angel," Alan O'Day continued to participate in the music industry until his death. He received an Emmy Award nomination for music written for the Muppet Babies animated TV series in the 1980s. Listen to "Undercover Angel" below.
Album cover courtesy Warner Bros.
Monday May 20, 2013

This past weekend Stone Temple Pilots performed live in Los Angeles at KROQ's annual Weenie Roast. The performance featured their new lead vocalist Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. He replaces the band's long time leader Scott Weiland who was officially ousted by other group members earlier this year. Chester Bennington will not leave Linkin Park, but he has already recorded new music with Stone Temple Pilots. The song "Out Of Time" was performed at the Weenie Roast, and it is now available for free download.
Stone Temple Pilots blasted to prominence with the release of their debut album Core in 1992. It included the top 40 pop hit single "Plush" and has been certified eight times platinum. Two more multi-platinum albums followed as well as four more top 40 pop hits including the top 20 smash "Interstate Love Song." Struggles with drug addiction for lead vocalist Scott Weiland led to many ups and downs for Stone Temple Pilots through the years. The group's most recent album, a self-titled set, was released in 2010 and hit #2 on the album chart while producing their first alternative rock #1 hit "Between the Lines." Listen to Stone Temple Pilots led by Chester Bennington below.
Photo courtesy Stone Temple Pilots