Page updated on March 31, 2020
All news is attributed to the source from which it was received so that readers may judge the validity of the statements for themselves.
Have Joan Jett news to report? Email us at jettfc@aol.com, and please include the source of the information so it can be validated. JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS' see 'The Light of Day'...separately from: msnbc by Morning Joe
JOAN JETT and her band The BLACKHEARTS overcame social distancing to record this version of 'The Light of Day' with each member separated in their own homes. Here is Morning Joe's exclusive first look. Aired on 3/30/2020. 'I Love Rock 'N' Roll' songwriter Alan Merrill dies of coronavirus; JOAN JETT mourns from: usatoday.com by Bryan Alexander
Alan Merrill, who penned the anthem "I Love Rock 'N' Roll" that became an era-defining hit for fellow rocker JOAN JETT, has died of complications from coronavirus at age 69.
Daughter Laura Merrill announced her father's death on Facebook Sunday, hours after leaving his New York City hospital room.
"The Coronavirus took my father this morning," she wrote. "I was given 2 minutes to say my goodbyes before I was rushed out. He seemed peaceful and as I left there was still a glimmer of hope that he wouldn't be a ticker on the right hand side of the CNN/Fox news screen ... By the time I got in the doors to my apartment I received the news that he was gone."
Merrill wrote ruefully about joking with her father about the "cold" he had come down with weeks ago.
"I had just photographed his portrait for his new album. Texted with him earlier. He played down the 'cold' he thought he had," she wrote. "I've made a million jokes about the 'Rona' and how it'll 'getcha'...boy do I feel stupid. If anything can come of this I beg of you to take this seriously. Money doesn't matter."
Alan Merrill wrote "I Love Rock 'N' Roll" for his band The Arrows and recorded it in 1975. In a tribute post on Twitter Sunday night, Jett recalled hearing the song for the first time. She recorded it in 1982 and it became her biggest hit, shooting to No. 1 for eight weeks on the U.S. charts.
"I can still remember watching the Arrows on TV in London and being blown away by the song that screamed hit to me," wrote Jett. "With deep gratitude and sadness, wishing him a safe journey to the other side."
Rocker Meat Loaf mourned Merrill, who played in his band for four years, on Facebook.
"Let this be a lesson to all of us, try to stay in touch with the people you really love and care about. Life is very short. Alan I am sorry that I didn't reach out to you years ago. I love you very much," wrote Meat Loaf, urging fans to play "I Love Rock 'N' Roll" loudly. [more] Suzi Quatro documentary Suzi Q set for summer home release from: ultimateclassicrock.com by Scott Munro
Liam Firmager's documentary about the career of Suzi Quatro is set for a home release this summer.
Suzi Q will launch on DVD, Blu-ray and video on demand on July 3 through Utopia, with the film also set to hit cinema screens on July 1.
The documentary explores the 54-year career of the pioneering Detroit-born and UK-based vocalist, bassist and songwriter, who became the first female rocker to break into the mainstream in the 70s.
Suzi Q inludes interviews with artists including JOAN JETT, Debbie Harry, Lita Ford, Cherie Currie, Tina Weymouth, Donita Sparks, Alice Cooper and KT Tunstall, along with members of Quatro's family.
Suzi Q producer Tait Brady says: "Over the four-plus years making the film, the idea that Suzi's status had been forgotten in the USA slowly dawned on us - because in the rest of the world, everyone knows that she is the first and one of the most important trailblazers in rock'n'roll!
"That then influenced the direction the film took - it became our mission to redress history. Getting the film out to American audiences ultimately became our major goal, so Liam and I are thrilled that Utopia are taking it out in the US.
"In the UK, Europe and Australia, the film is a celebration - for North America the film should play like a rediscovery story."
Quatro released her latest solo album No Control in 2019.
Hear JOAN JETT and Sting's New Alzheimer's Benefit Album Songs from: ultimateclassicrock.com by Martin Kielty
JOAN JETT and Sting are among the artists who have contributed to a new album titled Music Moments that was created by the Alzheimer's Association.
The campaign focuses on raising awareness of the condition by demonstrating how music touches people's lives in personal ways.
"These songs honor the personal, emotional connection between music and the most important moments in life that we never want to lose," the association noted.
Jett recorded a new version of her song "Hard to Grow Up," which was inspired by her change of priorities after her mother died. "Songs really open people up, the way sometimes just conversation can't," she said in an accompanying video. "To share a moment with someone, look in their eyes and have a smile, it means everything."
You can listen to JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS' "Hard to Grow Up" and watch a video about the song below.
Meanwhile, Sting recorded a cover of Otis Redding's classic "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" and explained why it meant so much to him.
"When I was 16, I had no idea how to achieve my dreams," he said. "I lived near the river in my town. I'd go down to the ferry and I'd watch ships go back and forth. I wondered where they were going, and I realized my life was like that. I had to leave where I was."
Sting also noted that his wife's mother died "from premature Alzheimer's, and it's a tragic and horrifying disease. It's a potential in all of our lives, so whatever research we do at this present time is absolutely important." JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS to play the Palace in Albany from: timesunion.com by Features staff
Rocker JOAN JETT and her band, the BLACKHEARTS, will play Albany's Palace Theatre in April, the venue posted on their Facebook page Monday.
Tickets for the Thursday, April 23 concert will go on sale to the general public starting this Friday at 10 a.m. Prices range from $39.75 to $89.75.
There are earlier ticket availabilities, according to the concert's Ticketmaster page.
For more information, visit the Palace's Facebook page. There is a tune from every decade to help with proper hand-washing from: cbs12.com by CNN News Source
CNN) â€" Coronavirus cases are climbing in the U.S., with two deaths reported in the state of Florida so far.
Health officials keep saying one of the best ways to prevent it from spreading is by washing your hands.
But, there's a proper way to wash your hands, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Instructions from the CDC say you should be lathering soap on your hands for at least 20 seconds. To help you keep track of time, the agency suggests you hum the "Happy Birthday" song twice.
But no one wants that in their head if it's not a special occasion. So instead, we compiled a list of songs with a tune from each decade to help you jam out as you're scrubbing off the germs.
And for these songs, there's no need to just hum.
The 50s: 'Jailhouse Rock' by Elvis Presley
The warden threw a party in the county jail
The prison band was there and they began to wail
The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing
You should've heard them knocked-out jailbirds sing
Let's rock everybody, let's rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock
The 60s: 'My Girl' by The Temptations
I've got sunshine on a cloudy day
When it's cold outside I've got the month of May
Well I guess you'd say
What can make me feel this way?
My girl (my girl, my girl)
Talkin' 'bout my girl (my girl) [more]
