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Today’s Music News: Sam Smith wins Golden Globe for ‘Writing’s On the Wall’

by Staff

January 10, 2016

Sunday night, Sam Smith won the 2016 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for "Writing's On the Wall," the song he performed for the James Bond film Spectre. Accepting the award with co-writer Jimmy Napes, Smith graciously thanked the film's producers and director.

Kanye West has announced a release date for his long-awaited new album Swish: Feb. 11. He's also relaunched his "G.O.O.D. Fridays" series, in which he releases a new track every Friday (not all of the tracks will necessarily be album tracks). This weekend's release: "Real Friends" — a collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign — and a snippet of "No Parties in L.A.," featuring Kendrick Lamar and Madlib.

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Meanwhile, Lamar's been busy: he played Austin City Limits and appeared in a new promo for the ABC sitcom Black-ish.

Lemmy Kilmister has been laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Ceremony in Los Angeles. Saturday's live-streamed memorial service featured tributes from Dave Grohl and members of MotörheadGuns N' RosesAnthraxJudas PriestMetallica, and Alice in Chains. (Rolling Stone)

Michael Shannon stars as Elvis Presley and Kevin Spacey appears as Richard Nixon in a new preview for the movie Elvis & Nixon. The movie will be released in April. (Billboard)

Puddle of Mudd frontman Wes Scantlin is in trouble again: he's been arrested on charges of trespassing and vandalism after allegedly going back to a Hollywood house he lost to foreclosure and trashing the place. Scantlin's illegal antics last year included hitching a ride on a baggage carousel at the Denver airport and drunkenly leading Minnesota police on a high-speed chase. (Rolling Stone)

The music world is mourning several well-known figures this week.

  • Animator Robert Balser has died of respiratory failure at age 88. Balser co-directed the iconic cartoon sequences in the Beatles' movie Yellow Submarine. (Rolling Stone)

  • Soul singer Otis Clay has died of a heart attack at 73. A Blues Hall of Fame inductee, Clay had hits including "Trying to Live My Life Without You," "The Only Way is Up," and "She's About a Mover." (Rolling Stone)

  • John Berry of slowcore band Idaho died peacefully in his sleep. A co-founder of the band, Berry left Idaho after its 1992 debut album Year After Year. (Pitchfork)

  • Country singer Red Simpson has died of a heart attack at age 81. Along with Merle Haggard and Buck Owens, Simpson was credited with originating "the Bakersfield Sound" — a rootsy reaction to the increasingly slick sound of country music in the 1950s. (Rolling Stone)

  • Singer Troy Shondell has died at age 76. A rock and roll success from a young age, Shondell is best-known for his 1961 hit "This Time (We're Really Breaking Up." (Billboard)

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This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.