Williams concert project almost done
An effort to digitize more than 200 Boston Pops radio broadcasts conducted by John Williams from 1979 until 1991 is almost complete, the Boston Symphony Orchestra announced Wednesday, which was Williams’ 91st birthday.
The project to preserve 233 live radio broadcasts that were recorded on 256 one-quarter inch reel-toreel analog tapes — which were becoming increasingly fragile and in danger of chemical deterioration — was funded by grants totaling $24,000 from the Grammy Museum and the Council on Library and Information Resource.
The recordings chronicle Williams’ work with guest performers from a broad spectrum of the entertainment industry: classical artists like Yo-yo Ma and James Galway; popular stars such as Joan Baez and Ray Charles; Broadway stars like Carol Channing and Joel Grey; and jazz musicians such as Wynton Marsalis and Sarah Vaughan.
The concerts were originally broadcast locally before being distributed to radio stations nationwide.
The BSO has completed the digitization process and is creating access files for public use. The recordings are searchable through the BSO’S performance history search engine, and the public can request free access to the audio streams starting June 15.
Renner says new series coming:
Jeremy Renner is on the mend and raring to debut his new Disney+ show after suffering extensive injuries in a snowplow accident earlier this year.
The actor recently shared an image from his reality series, “Rennervations,” on Instagram. A release date for the show
has not been announced.
“We are so very excited to share the #rennervat ions show with you all on @disneyplus coming very soon!!!” Renner wrote.
“As soon as I’m back on my feet, we are coming to YOU, all across the globe ... I hope you’re ready!!!”
Starring and executive produced by Renner, the four-part series will follow the actor as he fashions “unique purposebuilt vehicles” to satisfy communities’ needs. According to Disney, the project will showcase Renner’s interests and skills as “a construction aficionado” who is “heavily invested in the highly creative fabricator culture that exists” around the world.
Charlie Thomas, a singer and member of the R&B group the Drifters, has died at age 85. Thomas died Jan. 31 at his Maryland home after
Singer Thomas dies:
a battle with liver cancer, his friend and fellow singer Peter Lemongello Jr. said.
While performing with the Drifters for more than 60 years, Thomas recorded such hits as “There Goes My Baby,” “Under the Boardwalk,” “This Magic Moment” and “Save the Last Dance for Me.”
In 1988, Thomas and fellow Drifters Ben E.
King, Bill Pinkney, Clyde Mcphatter, Gerhart Thrasher, Johnny Moore and Rudy Lewis were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Actor Janet Suzman is 84. Singer Carole King is 81. Singer Barbara Lewis is 80. Actor Joe Pesci is 80. Author Alice Walker is 79. Actor Mia Farrow is 78. Actor Judith Light is 74. Singer Travis Tritt is 60. Actor Charlie Day is 47. Actor Tom Hiddleston is 42. Actor Michael B. Jordan is 36. Actor Rose Leslie is 36.