Music Biz Headlines, Feb. 27, 2019

By Kerry Doole

It's all the blues for Calgary's 'Goddess of Slide' Ellen McIlwaine

On Ellen McIlwaine’s website, the blues singer and guitarist has a section she simply calls “mind-blowing!” It offers a glimpse into the veteran blues player’s far-flung tastes. – Eric Volmers, Calgary Herald

The six degrees of Bernard Fowler

The singer with David Bowie alumni tour has had a rich career working with industry heavy-hitters. – Coral Andrews, Waterloo Region Record

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga ought to be ashamed of themselves

I have seen newlyweds walk down the aisle after exchanging vows who did not look as madly in love as Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga at the Academy Awards. Technically, what we were watching at that moment on Sunday night was a musical “duet,” not a singular and volcanic expression of carnal desire. – Vinay Menon, Toronto Star

Get ready to tear up as misfits in arms Halsey and Yungblud wring every bit of drama out of a sad indie-rock classic

Sometimes the weirdos win, and that is meant to be a high compliment rather than a putdown. – Mike Usinger  Georgia Straight

Jazz fest sounds funding alarm for Quartier des Spectacles events

The festival's CEO says the revitalization that has turned the area into a thriving cultural hub is something of a double-edged sword. – T'Cha Dunlevy, The Gazette 

Yann Tiersen interview: 'The Amelie soundtrack had a negative impact on me'

The French multi-instrumentalist and composer hates Paris with surprising intensity for a man who gave it a soundtrack.  – Roisin O'Connor, The Independent.

Why is Nashville called 'Music City'?

The story behind the nickname starts well before country music came into existence, according to local lore.  The Fisk Jubilee Singers from Nashville's Fisk University and Queen Victoria most often get the credit for the city's nickname. – The Tennessean

Canadian singer Marc Martel is the voice behind Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody

There are three things Marc Martel says he won’t do to impersonate Freddie Mercury. He won’t wear Mercury’s trademark yellow jacket. He won’t go onstage wielding Mercury’s favoured half microphone stand. And he won’t grow a full moustache. – Gavin Edwards, The New York Times

How creative sponsorships help this music fest reach Miami’s millennials

Strong headliners, multisensory installations, and surprise activations combine to help III Points compete against more established festivals. – Tracy Block, BizBash

Dolly Parton on sexual politics: ‘I’ve probably hit on some people myself!’

Her film 9 to 5 is a feminist classic. But she won’t label herself one – and she doesn’t see eye to eye with her former co-stars. – Hadley Freeman, The Guardian

From the Archives: The voice of Everyman in black

A look back at the compelling life story of Johnny Cash. – Geoff Boucher, LA Times

Teenage Wildlife: inside the song about Bowie's midlife crisis

Around 1976, London clubs began having “Bowie nights”, where DJs played his records and clubgoers came dressed as an edition of him. For some, it was the pupal stage before they became punks. Others kept at it. – Chris O'Leary, The Guardian

Rhiannon Giddens is reclaiming the black heritage of American folk music

In early 2018, folk-music torchbearer Rhiannon Giddens had won acclaim, including a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant, for her attention to America’s folk traditions, but she felt that minstrelsy, with its troubled history, remained relatively unexplored. – John Lingan, Time

Top 10 Rickie Lee Jones Songs

Rickie Lee Jones' debut album was released in 1979. She instantly became a household name because of the smash success of the album’s single “Chuck E’s In Love.” In 1980 she won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. –  Brian Kachejian, Classic Rock History

Remembering the incomparably vivid movie scores of Jóhann Jóhannsson

A year on from his death, we speak to those close to the Icelandic composer about his innovative soundtracks for films like Arrival, mother!, and Mandy. – Alex Denney, Dazed