- Ousted Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham will appear on the May 23rd season finale of ABC's American Idol. Also appearing on the episode will be Chaka Khan, Sheryl Crow, Mickey Guyton, Leona Lewis, Alessia Cara, Luke Combs, Macklemore, and Fall Out Boy — along with Idol judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie. (People)
- Billy Joel is the voice being New York State's new "Back In The New York Groove: Reimagine, Rebuild, Renew" campaign to support the state’s economic recovery through Covid. Billy, who is a longtime friend of Governor Andrew Cuomo, talks about the progress New York continues to make over the 1978 Ace Frehley track, "New York Groove."
- Sting will appear on Friday, May 21st, on MTV and its affiliated networks for See Us Unite For Change, a multi-network special that “celebrates and pays tribute” to the Asian American experience. (Press release)
- Beach Boys co-founding guitarist David Marks has filed a class action lawsuit against the band's label, UMG Recordings, accusing the conglomerate of withholding millions of dollars worth of royalties from its acts via international streaming revenue. Marks filed suit on May 13th in California Federal Court, citing that UMG is "contractually required to pay artists a portion of the international revenue it receives from the exploitation of Plaintiff and Class Members' artistic works from digital streaming." (The Wrap)
- David Marks, who began making music with the Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson as a pre-teen, was a member of the Beach Boys from 1961 to 1963 and one of the five names on the band's original contract to Capitol Records.
- Marks performed on the group's first five albums before leaving in November 1963. He last performed with the Beach Boys for their 2012 50th anniversary tour.
Quick Takes: Lindsey Buckingham, Billy Joel, Sting, The Beach Boys
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