Jim Seals Dies: Seals & Crofts Singer-Songwriter Who Had Hits With “Summer Breeze” & “Diamond Girl” Was 80

Kenneth “Ken” Williams, who wrote or co-wrote more than 500 songs including the classic 1972 hit “Everybody Plays The Fool” recorded by The Main Ingredient with lead vocals by Cuba Gooding Sr., died June 17 following a long non-Covid illness at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York. He was 83.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticIf you think that this weekend’s Record Store Day Drop feels like a dribble, you’re not completely wrong. The June 18 event is an adjunct to the big collectors’ kahuna that happened back in April, with just under 80 exclusive vinyl titles being released for this bonus RSD, versus the roughly 400 shoppers got in mid-spring.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe music industry’s return to whatever passes for normal these days has been hit and miss, to put it mildly: Grammy Week, Coachella, and the first publishers’ week in three years have seen an uneven balance of caution and carelessness — some events have a relatively high percentage of masks and distancing, some have hardly any at all, and at each one you hear tales of how severe someone’s bout with Covid was or wasn’t, and that someone else couldn’t make it because they suddenly tested positive.The “publishers week” we’re referring to is the usual combination of A2IM’s Indie Week conference, the National Music Publishers Association’s annual meeting, and the closer, the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which is one of the most unique and memorable awards shows in the business — which is a parallel event to the Clive Davis pre-Grammy Gala in that it’s invite-only and features a number of once-in-a-lifetime performances. Not only is it the annual family reunion for the songwriting an publishing industry, over the years we’ve seen performances from  Neil Diamond, Drake, Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt, Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, Van Morrison, Cyndi Lauper, John Prine, Leon Russell, Elvis Costello and dozens of others, along with several completely unique homages: Lady Gaga singing Four Non-Blondes’ hit “What’s Up” to Linda Perry; Stevie Nicks belting “The Rose” to Bette Midler; Emmylou Harris performing Eric Clapton’s heartbreaking hit “Tears in Heaven” for the song’s co-writer Will Jennings; and one year, the evening ended with Billy Joel and Garth Brooks duetting at the piano in matching Stetson hats.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorGrammy Awards are one thing, but being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame is another matter — the inductees are decided by a relatively small group of songwriting and music-publishing peers and celebrated at an invite-only event, and it’s a tough crowd.It’s a sadly common assumption that female pop stars don’t write their own songs — even Taylor Swift, one of the greatest and most distinctive songwriters of the past 25 years, is often greeted with skepticism. So for Mariah Carey — who was mocked in a widely shared meme when she made a statement beginning with the words “As a songwriter” — to be inducted is a big deal.

With its affection for loopy gadgets, unlikely friendships, and large vegetables, the new UK comedy “Brian and Charles” resembles a live-action Aardman film. (Think “Wallace & Gromit” shot to look like a documentary.) On a new Be Reel, I chat with director Jim Archer (“The Young Offenders,” “Big Boys”) about his debut feature.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThere’s no question: As challenging as the music industry can be for men, it’s twice as tough for women.That was one of the many takeaways from a panel discussion involving Grammy-winning songwriter Autumn Rowe (Jon Batiste’s “We Are,” Dua Lipa, Ava Max) and top music publishers Jody Gerson (chairman/CEO of Universal Music Publishing), Golnar Khosrowshahi (founder/president of Reservoir) and Carianne Marshall (co-chair/COO of Warner Chappell Music) at a panel discussion during the National Music Publishers Association’s annual meeting on Wednesday.While the four all had different paths to the roles they’re in today, they all faced similar challenges and obstacles, namely sexism, a lack of allies, achieving a work-life balance, and most ominously of all, dangerous situations. Rowe (pictured above, second from left), who said that she worked as a songwriter for 12 years before she got a significant paycheck — a sadly common situation — also said that she has encountered multiple writing sessions that were “unsafe.” When moderator, Danielle Aguirre, NMPA EVP and general counsel, asked if she would feel safer with even just one more woman in the room, Rowe said she would.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Grammys might be the most well-known music awards show in the world, but the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s ceremony is arguably the most unique. The invite-only event, being held June 16 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City, and its awards honor the most important and yet most frequently overlooked people in the music business — the songwriter, duh — and it resembles a cross between the Grammys and an annual family reunion for the tight-knit songwriting and music-publishing community.At each ceremony, superstars receiving honors frequently tell the room that the accolade means more to them than any other award they’ve received, because it’s an endorsement and a validation from their peers.

Young Thug has been virtually silent since his May arrest on charges of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and participation in criminal street gang activity. He’s also been charged with seven additional felonies stemming from drugs and firearms found during a search of his Atlanta home the night of his arrest. Since then, he’s been incarcerated in Fulton County Jail, denied bond twice by judges in the county’s magistrate and superior courts.

Perth will be the first stop for a major new summer exhibition of famed works from the National Gallery in London.

Thania Garcia Roddy Ricch took the stage at New York radio station Hot 97’s Summer Jam on Sunday (June 12), just 24 hours after being released from custody on weapons possession charges. Although those charges against him have since been dropped, that didn’t stop the Compton-born rapper from leading a fiery “fuck NYPD” chant with his festival audience.Ricch — whose real name is Rodrick Wayne Moore, Jr.

By Allison Ponthier is that rare breed of relatable popstar. She regularly gets nervous, sings about being a bad driver and her ADHD, and fakes phone calls to avoid stares while talking to herself in public. Her instagram bio describes herself as “v sensitive.” In a world filled with latex bodysuits and gyrating club anthems, it's that relatability factor that feels so refreshing as Ponthier, 26, enters the mainstream.

Britney Spears' ex-husband has been arrested at the singer's Los Angeles home - as she prepared to wed her partner Sam Asghari. Police officers responded to an incident of trespassing at the address and later arrested 40 year-old Jason Alexander.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThursday morning’s announcement of several new Grammy Awards, particularly the long-overdue Songwriter of the Year honor, has already gotten a strong response from the music community. It also reflects an Academy that has been increasingly and more immediately responsive to calls from the community — while the Songwriter of the Year has been a glaring and baffling omission in the half-century-plus since the Grammys began, calls for it have increased in recent years.

Jim Seals, of Seals & Crofts, has died at the age of 80. The '70s music star's death was announced by his cousin Brady Seals on Instagram. "I just learned that James ‘Jimmy’ Seals has passed," Brady wrote.

has died. He was 80.Seals died on Monday and it was confirmed by several family members and friends on social media.

A post shared by Brady Seals (@bradysealsofficial)The duo caused controversy in 1974 with the release of ‘Unborn Child’, an anti-abortion song that was written shortly after the Roe V Wade Supreme Court decision. It was banned by a number of radio stations.Speaking to Los Angeles Times in the ’90s, Seals said of the song: “It was our ignorance that we didn’t know that kind of thing was seething and boiling as a social issue.

has died. He was 80.Seals death came on Monday and was confirmed by several family members and friends on social media.His cousin, Brady Seals — a former member of the country band Little Texas — shared the news on social media Monday night.«I just learned that James 'Jimmy' Seals has passed,» Brady wrote, alongside a photo of his late cousin.

on Instagram. “Please keep them in your prayers. What an incredible legacy he leaves behind.”Seals & Crofts helmed the era of soft rock, with a string of hit tracks in the ’70s including “Summer Breeze,” “Diamond Girl” and “Get Closer,” which featured Carolyn Willis.