• Ronnie Milsap Recalls Recording with Elvis Presley, Breaking into Ray Charles's Dressing Room

    Ronnie Milsap is a country pioneer who captivated audiences in the 1970s and '80s with his bluesy brand of Southern charm. He notched 40 No.-1 country hits, including "(There's) No Gettin' Over Me," which hit No. 5 on the pop charts in 1981.Naturally, that kind of success led to some crazy stories, and the 71-year-old Hall of Famer recently discussed the early part of his music career with "Rolling Stone."After being told by a teacher that he should not make music his profession, Milsap ignored the advice."I left Raleigh and went to Atlanta to a Ray Charles concert," he said. "His pilot got me into his dressing room. I was sitting in there playing Ray's piano when he comes in. I said, 'Mr. Ray Charles, you are truly the high priest. I've got all your records. I love all your music. I want to become a professional musician.' He said, 'Play me something.' So I did and he said, 'It sounds to me like your heart is really into music, and if that is the case then you ought to become a professional musician.'"Then, there was the time Milsap hung out with The King."I got to play on the session with Elvis on 'Kentucky Rain,'" Milsap said. "'More thunder on the piano, Milsap,' he said. I got to learn what hanging out with Elvis was all about. His big New Year's Eve party, I got to sit and talk with him like I'm talking with you. It was just great. He was the voice of my generation. I had a million questions to ask him, but he wanted to talk about that session of 'Kentucky Rain,' so we talked about that."

  • Timbaland Leaks Tink and André 3000 Collaboration Track 'UFO,' Producer Raps Along Excitedly [LISTEN]

    Timbaland posted a video on YouTube recently of him rapping along to a new song featuring Tink and André 3000. The song is titled "UFO" and Timbaland looks excited as he raps and takes video of himself. The rapper/producer has been helping out singer Tink and, from the sound of things, it is paying off.André 3000 is easily the winner on this track. Anytime he is featured on another artist's song, he shines.But Timbaland's reaction to everything is priceless. You can tell he had fun with this one. Check it out below, via "MTV News."Over the summer, Timbaland spoke to "Rolling Stone" about his upcoming solo album "Opera Noir."

  • The NCAA Playoffs, As Decided by Every School's Music Alumni: Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State Face Off

    We at Music Times have, at best, a tenuous connection with college athletics. We write about music. At the same time, nothing is trending like the first ever NCAA College Football Playoff. The University of Alabama and University of Oregon held tight to their top spots in the bracket of four, Florida State slid up one spot after a close game with Georgia Tech and Ohio State jumped into the last available spot with a crushing victory over Wisconsin. The best thing we can do, lacking the athletic know-how, is check out how this would turn out based on famous musical alumni from each school. Check it out.

  • Phil Collins Backs Out of First Planned Gig in Four Years

    Phil Collins was scheduled to play his first gig in four years — a short, "semi-acoustic" gala fundraiser show benefitting his Little Dreams Foundation — but backed out of the Saturday, Dec. 6, engagement at the last minute due to "some sort of neurological affliction," according to miami.com.The site reported the following: "He came out at the evening's end to greet the crowd, thank them and apologize, saying that he'd been working with doctors for the past two days and that sound checks leading up to the concert went poorly. 'Trust me, you wouldn't enjoy it,' he insisted when the gracious audience, calling out, 'We love you, Phil!' tried to encourage him to sing anyway."Apparently the night was saved by the other acts in the lineup, which included The Little Dreamer performers — a group of underprivileged youth who have developed their talent through Collins's foundation — and Collins's 13-year-old son Nick, who played OneRepublic's "Good Life" with a band and then performed a five-minute dueling drum solo with another kid.Professional artists Richard Marx, Laura Pausini, Gig D'Alessio, Anna Tatangelo and Alejandra Guzman also contributed music to the night.

  • Diplo and Skrillex (Jack Ü), RL Grime, What So Not and Carmada Take Over Triple J Mix-Up [LISTEN]

    Last night, Australian radio might have gotten its biggest collection of mixes ever on air. With the Stereosonic tour in its final weekend, Aussie radio station Triple J was able to tab four of the biggest touring artists — Skrillex, Diplo, RL Grime and What So Not — along with local up-and-coming act Carmada to join the program to spin a back-to-back-to-back-to-back, three-hour mix. The first 80 minutes saw Skrillex and Diplo take over the decks live as Jack Ü before turning over to a short session from Carmada. RL Grime took over the airwaves next with the aid of Skrillex and their airtime spilled over into What So Not's mix in the last hour of the show.Diplo and Skrillex were just on Triple J the day before to discuss their Jack Ü project and what they had coming up when they mentioned this mix. They said they had no idea what they were going to play, yet they still deliver another outstanding frenetic mix filled with tunes from each artist, their labels and some exclusives as well, via "Dancing Astronaut."

  • AC/DC's Phil Rudd Allegedly Threatened to Kill a Man and His 10-Year-Old Daughter: Prosecutors Release Details

    The case against AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd continues to get worse. Details of the allegations against the percussionist were released last week, and they are pretty rough. His murder-for-hire charge was already dropped, and Rudd pled not guilty to the remaining threatening-to-kill and drug-possession charges. Now New Zealand prosecutors claim Rudd called the victim and threatened to kill him and his 10-year-old daughter in September, "The Guardian" reported.According to the publication, Rudd had made a phone call prior to threatening the victim in which he spoke to a third party and outlined what he wanted to do. The drummer did not deny possessing methamphetamine or marijuana. He will return to court Feb. 10.Police in New Zealand raided Rudd's home in November, executing a search warrant when they found the drugs. The charge of trying to procure the services of a hitman was dropped shortly after his arrest when prosecutors decided there was not enough evidence for the claim.

  • Wu-Tang Clan 'A Better Tomorrow' Video Features Footage from Michael Brown and Eric Garner Protests [WATCH]

    Wu-Tang Clan dropped a video for the title track off their new album "A Better Tomorrow," and it is one powerful, political visual. The group used footage from protests revolving around the recent decisions to not indict police officers who killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York. Both grand jury verdicts have caused unrest throughout the country and political debates among friends, family and famous personalities.The video opens with a snippet of an address by President Barack Obama, who says the incidents are part of larger issues that have been in the public eye for four decades. Scenes from protests follow, with police sporting riot gear and citizens chanting "Hands up, don't shoot.""We want justice," Raekwon raps. "Police are supposed to protect and serve / And then they shoot us down like wild animals, the nerve / Of them cold-hearted killers with blue suits / Slaying our black youth."Check out the video below.

  • Beanie Sigel Reportedly in Critical Condition After Shooting

    Beanie Sigel is apparently in critical condition after being shot in the back Friday, Dec. 5. Initial reports did not indicate the severity of the wound, but the 40-year-old rapper is currently sedated and unable to speak with investigators, according to NBC Philadelphia.As previously reported, Sigel was shot outside his Jersey Shore home Friday morning after dropping his kids off at school. His attorney believes Sigel was not the intended target in the shooting, which has not resulted in any arrests.Sigel was just released from prison in August after two years behind bars for tax evasion. He reportedly owed $728,000 in back taxes, and his probation for that incident ended Saturday.In a separate incident, the rapper was arrested in 2012 after police pulled him and a friend over and found codeine syrup, prescription pills and a loaded handgun in the vehicle, per a previous report. Both men were felons and therefore not allowed to possess a loaded firearm. Police also found $4,500 that Sigel claimed he won.

  • Paul McCartney Reflects on John Lennon's Death: Beatle Calls Mark David Chapman the 'Jerk of Jerks' [WATCH]

    Tomorrow, Dec. 8, will mark the 34th anniversary of John Lennon's death. The Beatle and iconic pacifist was shot by Mark David Chapman in New York City.Bandmate Paul McCartney recently reflected on Lennon's death on "The Jonathan Ross Show," saying that he and the "Imagine" singer were on good terms prior to the shooting. He also called Chapman the "jerk of jerks" in the interview."There was acrimony in The Beatles. But when he got killed we were friends. We used to call each other up and swap bread recipes," McCartney said, "The Mirror" reported."I was at home when he died. I got a phone call. It was so horrific. I could not take it in that he was gone. It was a very big shock. I was so sad that I was not going to see him again," he said.The cordial McCartney held back on Chapman, though, offering an insult fit for television."And the guy who did it was the jerk of jerks. He was not politically motivated," he added.

  • Chris Brown Says Karrueche Tran Went on Dates with Drake and Had Threesomes While They Were Dating

    The Chris Brown-Karrueche Tran drama continues. After Brown announced his single status at a concert in Los Angeles Friday, Dec. 5, the pair took to Instagram to air out some of their dirty laundry for all to read. Brown even called Tran out for going on dates with rapper Drake in Toronto while he was in prison. As per usual with public break-ups, each party is blaming the other for the dissolution of the relationship.As "MTV News" points out, Tran posted a text picture that reads, "When something bad happens you can either let it define you, let it destroy you or let it strengthen you. The choice is yours."She then commented on the post:Once you find strength within yourself, it's hard to allow any type of bs around you. I refuse to be repeatedly mistreated especially by someone who claims to love me. That's not love. And if that's what you define as love then I don't want it. Yes, I have not been so smart before in the past but I made a promise to be a better and stronger woman and I'm keeping that promise. If you can't love me the right way, then don't love me at all. Don't be mad at me because I prefer to be happy. Keep love in your life folks. Not just love between people but love within your HEART, flowing in all aspects of your life. I promise life is so much better.Brown responded with his own text photo that reads, "It amazes me that you can change and elevate somebody's life completely and they treat you like a regular n***a... BUT IM SLEEP."His comment on the post said that Tran only visited him once while he was in prison after a judge sentenced him to a few months for violating his probation in the 2009 assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna. He also claimed that Tran met up with Drake and participated in threesomes at the beginning of the relationship.

  • Above & Beyond Debut 'All Over the World' with Pete Tong on BBC Radio One [LISTEN]

    As Above & Beyond ready their upcoming album "We Are All We Need," the U.K. trance super-trio are dishing out radio premieres of new singles from themselves. Calling upon MBE BBC Radio One legend Pete Tong, Jono, Paavo & Tony premiered their often-requested ID "All Over the World" from their Madison Square Garden show, featuring the vocals from newfound vocal collaborator Alex Vargas.Set to be their next single, "All Over the World" has the anthemic stylings of their previous single "Blue Sky Action" and continues their shift toward more club- and larger-room-oriented tracks.
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