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MUSIC BITS: Snoop & Tony; Diddy & everybody; Kanye & the Stones; Rowland at Brickyard; Leela in studio; Santana wears Relix; gospel/rap Grammy; Dixon dies; Madonna aids Malawi.
*Snoop Dogg hung out Monday night at the Hollywood nightspot Skybar with…wait for it…British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Stevie Wonder was also at the club, which hosted an Adidas event in honor of British soccer stars. “It was a sight to behold, Tony Blair, Snoop and Stevie Wonder and a room full of Premiership stars,” a witness said, according to SF Gate’s Daily Dish. "You would think Tony Blair had more pressing matters to deal with than hanging around a nightclub with a convicted rapper."
*Diddy’s new album, “Press Play,” arrives in stores later this year with guest artists Kanye West, Christina Aguilera, Big Boi and Andre 3000 of OutKast, Nicole Schrezinger of the Pussycat Dolls and Havoc from Mobb Deep. The first single, “Come to Me,” has already been serviced to radio.
*Kanye West will open for the Rolling Stones this fall during three stops on their North American tour: Sept. 20 at Boston’s Gillette Stadium, Sept. 23 at Halifax Commons in Halifax and Sept. 27 at Giant Stadium in New Jersey. Tickets are currently on-sale via Ticketmaster. Check local listings for more information.
*Kelly Rowland has been tapped to sing the National Anthem before the start of the 13th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday (Aug. 6), to be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The gentlemen will start their engines at 2:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the former Destiny’s Child member is currently recording her next solo album, "My Story. Kelly Rowland," due for release in early 2007.
*Leela James is back in the studio with producer Raphael Saadiq to work on her follow up to 2005’s critically-acclaimed debut album, "A Change Is Gonna Come." Warner Bros. is planning to release the sophomore set next spring. James performed at the Monterey Jet Center on Aug. 2 for an audience that included former president Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, U2 frontman Bono, and country singer Keith Urban. She is currently making select live appearances, including the Golden Gate Festival in San Francisco on Aug. 20 and The Carolina Music Festival on Aug. 28.
*Relix, the magazine for music, announced that guitar legend Carlos Santana has been added to the list of musicians participating in its "Wear Your Music" campaign. The Relix Band is a bracelet created by previously played strings from top artists. All profits go to charities personally selected by the donating artists. Participating artists currently include blues legend Buddy Guy, Maroon 5's Adam Levine, Spearhead front man Michael Franti, Ziggy Marley, Bela Fleck, and Baaba Maal. They’re available at www.relix.com/wearyourmusic.
*The Grammy awards next year will arrive with the new category, Best Rap Gospel. Introduced this week along with Best Rock Gospel, the categories address the increasing popularity of both genres. According to statistics published by the Gospel Music Association, Christian Rock/Hip-Hop accounts for almost 25% of all Gospel music sales. The new categories for Gospel music are effective for the 2007 49th Annual Grammy Awards submission window of Summer/Fall 2006.
*R&B great Floyd Dixon, who flourished under Los Angeles' influential Central Avenue jazz scene, has died of cancer at the age of 77. With the self-imposed nickname “Mr. Magnificent,” the master of West Coast rhythm-and-blues toured with B.B. King and is often credited with inspiring Ray Charles to adopt a grittier gospel sound. Born in Marshall, Texas, the self-taught pianist sang in the "jump" style of early R&B. In 1997, “Wake Up and Live!” won the W.C. Handy award for comeback blues album of the year. A CD he recorded with fellow pianists Pinetop Perkins and Henry Gray was scheduled to be released this fall. Dixon is survived by his son Christopher of Los Angeles, first cousins, Marie Banks of Los Angeles and Mary Dixon of Marshall, Texas.
*Madonna has been bitten by the Angelina Jolie bug. In Time magazine’s new issue, the pop icon says she’s hoping to raise $3 million toward helping orphans in Malawi, Africa. The nation of 12 million people is plagued by AIDS and malaria and is home to about 4 million orphans. "Now that I have children and now that I have what I consider to be a better perspective on life, I have felt responsible for the children of the world," said the singer, who has never been to Africa but has plans to go in October. "I've been doing bits and bobs about it and I suppose I was looking for a big, big project I could sink my teeth into." Madonna is financing a $1 million documentary about the plight of the Malawi orphans. Next week, ground will be broken on an orphan-care center in the region that will be able to feed and educate as many as 1,000 children a day. Madonna has also met with Bill Clinton to discuss bringing low-cost medicines to the area.
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