Music

Manu Dibango, the acclaimed Cameroonian saxophonist whose 1972 hit, “Soul Makossa,” would later be sampled by Michael Jackson, Kanye West, and dozens of other musicians, died Tuesday due to complications from COVID-19. He was 86. A note on Dibango’s Facebook page confirmed his death, as well as the cause (Dibango …

The afternoon before he released his latest album, the Weeknd put out a press release in which he offered a hopeful promise for his new work: “Let the music heal us all during these dark times.” Such communitarian concern hasn’t often been his hallmark. He’s always been one of pop’s …

In this time of self-isolation and social distancing, MTV has rebranded its Unplugged program as Unplugged at Home, an online series featuring artists performing acoustic sets from their own houses. Wyclef Jean delivered the series’ inaugural set Friday, with other artists to be announced in the coming weeks. Wyclef opened …

The Grand Ole Opry has been a musical tradition for nearly 95 years, and on Saturday, March 21st, the cherished institution will make history once again, with a special live performance from three of its long-serving members. Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, and Marty Stuart will take the Opry stage — …

Singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter has launched a new online music series called “Songs From Home.” Although she’s practicing social distancing by performing solo from her kitchen in Virginia, Carpenter’s debut episode finds her joined by a special guest, her dog (and “co-producer”) Angus, who wanders in and out of frame, …

Third Man Records announced it will livestream daily performances in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Titled Third Man Public Access, the shows will stream from the Blue Room in Nashville via YouTube, beginning Thursday at noon CT. “Third Man Records has always believed that great things come out of …

Jason Isbell has announced that his four March tour dates, in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, are officially being rescheduled for later in the year. “Tickets that have already been purchased will be valid for the new shows,” Isbell said in a tweet on Wednesday. The singer-songwriter’s new album,Reunions, is still …

Millions in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and throughout the world celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th, commemorating the death some 1,556 years ago of the patron saint of Ireland. While much is still unknown about St. Patrick, who wasn’t actually born in Ireland but in what was at the time …

Dan + Shay were just three shows into a massive arena tour — including back-to-back sold-out nights in Nashville — when the spread of COVID-19 forced them to reschedule their spring dates. The Grammy-winning country duo of Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney had been steadily building toward a trek of …

Deap Lips — a collaboration between Flaming Lips and Deap Vally — released their self-titled debut LP Friday, and with it the project’s colorful video for their cover of Steppenwolf’s Easy Rider classic “The Pusher.” Since the Oklahoma City psych-rockers and the Los Angeles rock duo first announced their collaboration …