Daily Digest: Bruno Mars Tops Katy Perry, Jarvis Cocker narrates “Peter and the Wolf”
Bruno Scores Second Number One Hit
Bruno Mars’ new hit “Grenade” has ended Katy Perry’s three-week run at the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart. The song is Mars’ second #1 hit as a solo artist, and third if you count “Nothin’ On You,” his collaboration with B.o.B. [Reuters]
Boney M Singer Dies in Russia
Bobby Farrell, the flamboyant lead singer of the disco group Boney M, died this morning in St. Petersburg, Russia at the age of 61. The cause of death is presently unknown, but the singer had apparently complained about having difficulty breathing before and after a gig last night. [ABC News]
Jarvis Cocker Narrates ‘Peter and the Wolf’
Jarvis Cocker, singer for the Brit-pop band Pulp, has followed in the footsteps of David Bowie, Patrick Stewart and Ben Kingsley by narrating Sergei Prokofiev’s classic children’s story Peter and the Wolf with the Philharmonia Orchestra at London’s Royal Festival Hall. The reading was part of a double bill in which Cocker’s performance was followed by a screening of Suzie Templeton’s film adaptation of the tale. [Guardian]
Jazz Pianist Billy Taylor Dead at 89
Jazz pianist and radio host Billy Taylor has died from a heart attack at the age of 89. Taylor, who was a professional musician for six decades and played with nearly all the jazz greats of his era, was well known as a broadcaster. He served as something of an ambassador for jazz in mainstream American culture, covering the music for NPR, CBS, PBS, WLIB and WNEW. [NPR]
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