I just received this press release and I couldn’t be prouder of my pals Sam Moore and Mary Wilson. Rock on!

Legendary recording artists Mary Wilson and Sam Moore, and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), together applaud Hawaii’s enactment of the Truth in Music Advertising Act (TIMA) today. The TIMA legislation is designed to help protect the livelihood of legacy musical groups and artists by preventing “imposter” performers from improperly using the legacy act’s name.

Governor David Ige signed the bill into law today. It had previously passed the Legislature unanimously.

“This legislation will help stop ‘fake groups’ from using our own hard-earned name to take work away from us,” said Mary Wilson, founding member of The Supremes. “We worked to earn our legacies – our name – and we earn our living by touring. We can’t afford to lose gigs to bogus groups, and music fans shouldn’t be misled into paying for fakes. Thank you to Governor Ige, Speaker Saiki, Senate President Kouchi and Senate Majority Leader English for enacting this important law.”

“I am part of a generation of music creators who defined American culture and made our country the music leader it has been for decades,” said Sam Moore, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. “Those creators – those legends – deserve to be recognized and not to have their identities and hard work invaded, misappropriated, or stolen, and the fans who have been loyal and supportive all these years should never be deceived by fakes and phonies.”

For decades, imposters have been performing under the name and likeness of legacy recording groups despite having no connection or legal rights to the original band or artists. HB 1678, Hawaii’s Truth in Music Advertising Act, would correct this by prohibiting advertising or conducting a live musical performance or production in the state through the use of a false, deceptive or misleading affiliation, connection, or association between a performing group and a recording group. In addition, it authorizes the Attorney General and parties with a claim to take civil action.

“We would like to thank Hawaii House Speaker Scott Saiki, Senate President Ron Kouchi, and Senate Majority Leader J. Kalani English for their work to pass this bill and protect the legacies of thousands of classic artists, while protecting Hawaii’s consumers from paying to see fraudulent groups,” said Rafael Fernandez, RIAA’s Senior Vice President of State Public Policy and Industry Relations.

Similar legislation has been enacted in 34 states to date.

Bruce Springsteen is back with the E Street Band. “Letter to You” is the single, and the title track of a new album coming October 23rd. They made it in five days!

“I love the emotional nature of Letter To You,” says Bruce in a statement. “And I love the sound of the E Street Band playing completely live in the studio, in a way we’ve never done before, and with no overdubs. We made the album in only five days, and it turned out to be one of the greatest recording experiences I’ve ever had.”

“Letter to You” includes nine recently written Springsteen songs, as well as new recordings of three of his legendary, but previously unreleased, compositions from the 1970s. Produced by Ron Aniello with Bruce Springsteen, “Letter To You” is Bruce’s first time performing with the E Street Band since The River 2016 tour.

We have a new Elvis Costello album the next week, too. Octoberfest!

Here’s the tracklist:

One Minute You’re Here
Letter To You
Burnin’ Train
Janey Needs A Shooter
Last Man Standing
The Power Of Prayer
House Of A Thousand Guitars
Rainmaker
If I Was The Priest
Ghosts
Song For Orphans
I’ll See You In My Dreams

Ronald Bell of Kool and the Gang has died age 68 and I want my money back for 2020. Ronald and his brother Robert, the co-founders of this amazing group, and the other members of their band appeared at least twice this summer on Richard and Demi Weitz’s Quarantunes Zoom charity calls. They were wonderful, joking around, answering questions, singing and playing and so on. There was no outward indication of illness.

According to sources, Ronald and his family were at their summer home in the Bahamas where they’d escaped COVID and were relaxing. Ronald leaves his brother, Robert, and his other brothers Wahid and Amir, his wife, Tia; sister Sharifah; and children Kahdijah, Rasheed, Nadirah, Liza, Maryam, Aminah, Jennah, Khalis, Asia and James.

Ronald, who went by the name Khalis,  explained once how jazz influenced him. “It was those albums that my dad brought home that drew me to jazz,” he said. “As I child, I was influenced by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Cannonball Adderley. I taught myself how to play saxophone by copying records by Lee Morgan, Art Blakey, and Wayne Shorter.”

Kool & the Gang’s hits– sampled over and over and played around the world — include many songs Ronald co-wrote including “Jungle Boogie,” “Hollywood Swinging,” and “Celebration (Celebrate Good Times),” and “Joanna.”

The band went through many name changes –from  the Jazziacs, to The New Dimensions, The Soul Town Band, Kool & the Flames — before arriving on Kool & the Gang in 1969, the year before they released their self-titled debut album.

I can still remember the first time I heard “Jungle Boogie.” It was just the beginning of the funk, pre-disco era that included the Ohio Players and many others (George Clinton’s Parliament/Funkadelic). But the Bells knew how to hit the top 40 and number 1 especially. They had a recipe for funk and melody with very strong melody and bass lines. You could not not start dancing, which is very bad if you’re 16 and in a car.

This is just more bad news for music and for 2020. The Bells were really young when they had their hits, like 22 and 21, and were still young now by classic rock standards. I’m sure Robert will keep them going, but it won’t be the same.

“Celebration” was the biggest of their big hits and remains a staple at weddings and bar mitzvahs. This may be the first time it’s played at a funeral. But Ronald deserves to go out in style.