Music News Digest, Jan. 17, 2020

By Kerry Doole

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced its new inductees for 2020: Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, the Notorious B.I.G., the Doobie Brothers, T. Rex, and Depeche Mode. Famed music managers Jon Landau and Irving Azoff will both receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award. The 35th HoF induction ceremony takes place on May 2 at Cleveland’s Public Hall and airs live on HBO and SiriusXM’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame channel.

— Music Nova Scotia and Casino Nova Scotia have announced Maritimes legend Matt Minglewood as this year's inductee to The Casino Nova Scotia Music Hall of Fame. The induction weekend will be held Feb. 27-29 at the Casino's Schooner Showroom. Minglewood will join long-time collaborator and friend Bruce Guthro, as well as Matt Andersen and Kim Dunn, onstage during the 3 nights of the Bruce Guthro Songwriters Circle. Tix available here  

— Jazzahead has announced the eight artists who will showcase during Canada night at the conference/market. They are Audrey Ochoa, Carrier, Lambert, Edwards,  François Bourassa Quartet,  Itamar Erez quartet, Larnell Lewis, Marianne Trudel + John Hollenbeck: Dédé Java Espiritu, Silvervest, and Steph Richards. In collaboration with CIMA, CQM presents their Québec Jazz event during the Clubnight on April 25, at the Schaulust in Bremen. The line up is CODE Quartet, Rachel Therrien, Jean-Pierre Zanella, The Brooks, and Torontonian Barbra Lica. Jazzahead is held in Bremen, Germany,  April 23 to 26.

— FACTOR's Annual Profile Review is coming up on Feb. 28, and it is important that both your artist and applicant profiles are kept up-to-date to increase your chances of improving your rating. Learn more here

— A reminder that the inaugural SPEAK Music Be Kind Festival takes place at Toronto's Tranzac Club this weekend (Jan. 17-19). This non-profit roots-accented Canadian music festival will give net profits to the Unison Benevolent Fund. A strong lineup includes Abigail Lapell, Dave McEathron, Arlene Bishop, Chloe Watkinson, Conor Gains, Tragedy Ann, Blair Packham, Lydia Persaud, Julian Taylor, HOTCHA!,  Ori Dagan, Piper & Carson, Rob Szabo, Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar, and more. Tix here

— Toronto roots music veteran Ken Whiteley's Gospel Brunch is always a musical treat. At Hugh's Room Live on Sunday (2-4 pm) it welcomes a very special guest, US bluegrass star Claire Lynch. Now a TO resident, Lynch has been named best female vocalist by the International Bluegrass Music Association three times and is a multiple Grammy nominee.

— Edmonton-based jazz composer/bandleader Mark Segger releases a new album from the Mark Segger Sextet, Lift Off, on Feb. 7, launching it with performances at Yardbird Suite in Edmonton on Feb. 8 and The Tranzac in Toronto on March 29. 

— R (Robbie) Grunwald is a Toronto-based keyboardist best known for work with Jill Barber and Donovan Woods. On March 6, he releases a debut solo piano album, Oma. A six-show Canadian tour starts on March 11. Here's the first single.

— Recent CanCon Music Canada certifications are Ali Gatie (double-platinum single for it's You),  NAV & Metro Boomin' (gold single, Hold Me Down), and The Weeknd (platinum single, The Morning).

— MMF Canada is attending  Folk Alliance International in New Orleans next week, co-hosting the Managers Peer Session on Jan .23  and the international Managers Meetup on Jan 24.

— Much-loved East Coast folk singer/songwriter Laura Smith is battling cancer. A GoFundMe campaign to assist her met the initial campaign target of $10K  in a day, but remains open here

Obit

Carmelo Esteban "Steve" Martin Caro, lead singer of the 1960s baroque pop band The Left Banke, died on Jan. 14, age 71. No cause of death reported.

Originally known as Steve Martin, he added his family surname Caro in the 1980s to avoid confusion with the comedian of the same name.

With The Left Banke, Caro scored chart hits with Walk Away Renée, Pretty Ballerina and Desiree in the 1966-68 period. In addition to providing most of the lead vocals on Left Banke recordings, Caro occasionally made instrumental contributions as well, performing guitar and/or drums on various songs.

Caro and the band recorded two albums together before their initial split in 1969; band members would occasionally come together for short-lived reunions over the next 50 years. Source: Rolling Stone