Jay-Z and Beyonce?s newborn daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, has already set a Billboard chart record. Jay-Z?s new single ?Glory,? which is officially billed as ?featuring B.I.C.,? includes the cries of Blue. The track debuts on this week?s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs list at Number 74. At less than one week old, Blue becomes the youngest person ever to appear on a Billboard chart.
The has announced Paul McCartney as its 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year. The 14-time Grammy winner will be honored at a gala on February 10. The 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year special event features a cocktail reception and silent auction, followed by the gala dinner and all-star tribute concert. Previous MusiCares Person of the Year honorees include Tony Bennett, Bono, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Quincy Jones, Barbra Streisand and Stevie Wonder, among others.
Adele holds the top spot on the chart for a 15th week with . It?s the longest-running Number One album since 1998, when the soundtrack to ?Titanic? held the summit for 16 weeks. According to Nielsen SoundScan, sales of ?21? now total 5.9 million copies. Recent reports say Adele will make her return to performing at the February 21 Brit Awards. She?s nominated in three Brit Award categories, including Best Female Solo Artist and Album of the Year. Adele underwent vocal cord surgery in November 2011, which forced her to cancel her tour. Adele is also nominated for six Grammy Awards. reports that she?ll attend the Grammy ceremony in Los Angeles on February 12, but it?s still unknown if doctors will give her permission to perform.
Guitarist Eddie Van Halen recently donated 75 guitars to Los Angeles public schools. According to the Hollywood Reporter, he teamed with Mr. Holland?s Opus Foundation to provide the instruments to schools that lack sufficient funding for their music education programs. In a statement, Eddie said, ?Music education and families are dealing with the economic times, and I wanted to help them. If I can help a kid discover a liking, or even a passion for music in their life, then that?s a wonderful thing. Music has provided a good life for me and hopefully it can help make life better for others with this donation.?
On January 21, Country singer Emmylou Harris will celebrate her 20th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry with a concert at Nashville?s historic Ryman Auditorium. Harris was inducted into the Opry on January 25, 1992. Her anniversary show will also feature appearances by Vince Gill, Shawn Colvin and Rodney Crowell, who is currently working with Harris on a duets album. Grand Ole Opry vice president and general manager Pete Fisher said, ?Emmylou is treasured not just by all of us at the Grand Ole Opry, but also by fans around the world. She?s shared so many great musical moments with us over the past 20 years, singing with and introducing us to some of her favorite musical collaborators. We?re excited to celebrate her Opry anniversary at the Ryman, a stage on which she?s displayed such incredible artistry through the years.?
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On January 15, the Smooth Jazz Cruise 2012 will begin its sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Nassau, St. Thomas, St. Barth?s and Half Moon Cay. Performers on the week-long cruise include David Sanborn, Kirk Whalum, Boney James, Rick Braun, Gerald Albright, and many other jazz stars. In addition to nightly concerts, the cruise gives passengers the opportunity to interact with their favorite artists. Daytime activities on the ship include cocktail parties hosted by the musicians, autograph and question-and-answer sessions, sporting events and contests.
Nigerian pop singer turns 52 on January 16. Sade arrived on the music scene in 1985 with the album , which won her that year?s Best New Artist Grammy Award. After two more successful collections, she took four years off from recording. Sade returned to the studio in 1992 to record , an album that produced the pop and rhythm-and-blues hit ?No Ordinary Love.? She performed a year-long tour in support of , then once again disappeared from the music scene. Sade had a child with Jamaican record producer Bob Morgan, but the couple later divorced. When things settled in her personal life, she recorded , which was released in late 2000. In 2002, she earned the Best Pop Vocal Album Grammy for the collection. Her long-awaited comeback album, , was released in 2010. The album has sold more than two million copies worldwide. Its title track won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.