Obituary: Rick Parfitt

With his flowing blond locks, denim gear and Fender Telecaster, Rick Parfitt was one of rock's most recognisable guitarists. His partnership with Francis Rossi became the core of Status Quo, one of Britain's most enduring bands. Their brand of boogie-woogie rock survived changes in musical fashion and made them one of the best-loved live acts of their generation. As well as driving the Quo sound on stage, Parfitt penned many of the band's biggest hits. Richard John Parfitt was born in Woking, Surrey, on 12 October 1948. He began playing a guitar when he was 11 and, on leaving school at 15, got a job performing at Sunshine Holiday Camp in Hayling Island, Hampshire, earning £5 a week.

However, much of his new income went to his father, who was a committed drinker and gambler. "He was forever getting in trouble and coming to me crying," Parfitt later recalled. "I probably ended up giving him a couple of thousand quid in total. Back then, that was a lot of money."

Parfitt met Francis Rossi in 1965 when they were both playing with their respective bands at a Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead. Disillusioned Two years later Parfitt, along with Rossi, Alan Lancaster, John Coghlan and Roy Lynes came together to form Status Quo. The band's first hit, Pictures of Matchstick Men, released in 1968, embraced the psychedelic movement of the time and went to number seven in the UK charts. Their follow-up, Black Veils of Melancholy, failed to chart but they did get to number eight with Ice in the Sun, written by Marty Wilde.

Leaders Call on Driver Who Fatally Struck DJ Jinx Paul to Come Forward

HARLEM — Community leaders and friends of famed Spanish music DJ Jinx Paul called on the hit-and-run driver who fatally struck the father early Monday morning to turn him or herself in. Jinx Paul, whose real name was Jean Paul Guerrero, had finished DJing a party in East New York when he crossed Jamaica Avenue to get into a cab back to Harlem. A black four-door sedan slammed into Guerrero and fled the scene. “We are here today because this is another Christmas that will be a day of celebration for many families, but this will not be the same for this particular family who lost their loved one,” City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez said outside Guerrero’s home on Amsterdam Avenue near 136th Street Tuesday. “We are gathered here because once again a drive has committed a reckless and cowardly act. They took a life on our street, then drove away into the night.”

Rodriguez said he has been advocating for a bill that would make the charges for a hit-and-run carry penalties as severe as that of drunk driving. Mega 97.9, where Guerrero was a DJ, offered a $1,000 reward for any information about the driver. “It is a man who was filled with humbleness, happiness,” station manager Eric Garcia said. “He was the soul of our radio station, beloved by everybody.” Guerrero left behind a 7-year-old son and his family is planning to travel from Ecuador to New York to help make funeral and burial arrangements.

Jose Felix, 27, (left) embraces a friend after the death of his friend DJ Jinx Paul, who was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver in East New York, Dec. 20, 2016. (DNAinfo/Ben Fractenberg) Jose Felix, 27, told DNAinfo New York that Guerrero helped console him after his father passed away. “Jinx just loved everybody,” Felix said. “He literally squeezed every drop out of life possible.”

News: Mariah Carey to be Named BMI Icon at Annual BMI Urban Awards

News: Mariah Carey to be Named BMI Icon at Annual BMI Urban Awards:
Mariah Carey will be honored as a BMI Icon at the BMI Urban Awards, scheduled for Friday, September 7 at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. The star-studded event draws the entire entertainment community together to celebrate the songwriters, producers and publishers of the most-performed urban songs of the previous year.

BMI Icons are selected because of their “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.” As the 2012 honoree, Mariah Carey will join ranks that include The Jacksons, Snoop Dogg, George Clinton, James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Little Richard, Al Green, The Bee Gees, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, to name a few.

Mariah Carey is one of the most prolifically successful songwriters of the last several decades in any genre of music. With her distinct five-octave vocal range and the finesse with which she scaled it, Carey defined the modern pop performance, delivering the songs she wrote with awe-inspiring grace and power.

Beginning with her career-launching eponymous debut album in 1990, Carey has co-written all of the songs that made her a superstar (with the exception of her stellar version of The Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" and Harry Nilsson's "Without You"), including 30 BMI Urban and Pop Award-winning hits such as “Always Be My Baby,” “Hero,” “Fantasy,” “Vision of Love,” “Emotions,” “Shake It Off,” “We Belong Together,” “One Sweet Day,” “I Don’t Wanna Cry,” “Dreamlover” and the timeless holiday classic “All I Want for Christmas is You.” An impressive 17 of her songs have amassed more than one million performances each, including “Always Be My Baby,” “Dreamlover” and “Hero,” which have each earned more than three million performances. The multi-Grammy winner has scored 18 Hot 100 No. 1 singles – more than any other solo artist in history and second in the all-genre, all-performer record books only to the Beatles – and has sold more than 200 million albums, singles and videos around the world on her way to becoming the top-selling female artist of all time. Carey became the first female artist ever to receive the Chopard Diamond World Music Award, presented to artists who sell more than 175 million albums. She has made a substantial mark in other creative outlets as well, such as film, most notably as the social worker in Precious, the 2009 movie adaptation of the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire. Also a dedicated humanitarian, Carey works with a number of charities, including Camp Mariah – The Fresh Air Fund, the Save the Music Foundation, Make-a-Wish Foundation, World Hunger Relief, and the Elton John Aids Foundation, among many others. Carey released The Essential Mariah Carey on May 8 of this year and is currently in the studio, writing and recording her next album for Island Def Jam Music Group.
http://mariahcarey.com

The BMI Urban Awards will include an all-star musical tribute to Mariah Carey, as well as the presentation of the Urban Songwriter, Song, Producer and Publisher of the Year crystals. BMI President & CEO Del Bryant will share the evening’s hosting duties with Catherine Brewton, Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations, Atlanta.

Events: Conclave 37: Minneapolis

Events: Conclave 37: Minneapolis:
The Conclave Learning Conference draws radio and music industry professionals, students, teachers, promotion companies, suppliers, and syndicators. The gathering generally attracts 500+ people who attend over 40 sessions on subjects ranging from radio programming & promotions to broadcast industry trends.

Celebrating it’s 37th year, it will take place July 18-20 at the Doubletree Park Place Hotel in Minneapolis.

Click here for more information.

Events: BMI 101 Workshop: New York

Events: BMI 101 Workshop: New York:
BMI 101 is a one-hour introductory workshop for writers and publishers, covering the role that BMI plays in the music industry, basics of performing rights, and becoming a BMI affiliate.

This Workshop will take place in BMI’s New York office (7 World Trade Center, 250 Greenwich Street, 30th floor) from 12:00-1:00 PM on the fourth Thursday of every month.

Admission is FREE! SPACE IS LIMITED. Please RSVP with the total number of guests by email to Haley Hard at HHard@bmi.com.

Dates of BMI 101 Workshop

July 19, 2012

August 30, 2012

September 27, 2012

October 25, 2012

November 29, 2012

December 13, 2012

(Note: Dates are subject to change)