Billboard Bits: Mariah Carey, Lit, Susaye Greene

11/15/2001

News on Mariah Carey, Lit, Susaye Greene

Pop diva Mariah Carey, who has only made a handful of appearances since her emotional breakdown over the summer, will be a special guest at New York radio outlet Z100's Jingle Ball concert. The Dec. 13 show at Madison Square Garden will also boast appearances by Jewel, Alicia Keys, Craig David, Enrique Iglesias, Pink, Sugar Ray, Lifehouse, Five For Fighting, and O-Town, with more artists yet to be announced.

Proceeds from the event will benefit will a special relief fund set up by the station's owner, Clear Channel Communications, to aid the families of the victims of the World Trade Center tragedy, as well as the Ronald McDonald House. Tickets -- ranging from $60-$150 -- are available via Ticketmaster.

As previously reported, Carey will guest star in an episode of "Ally McBeal" due to air in January. The same episode of the Fox series will also see the debut of a recurring role played by Jon Bon Jovi.

-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.

Orange County, Calif.-based modern rock act Lit has set up a handful of post-Thanksgiving tour dates, made up of 10 radio station-sponsored holiday concerts across the U.S. The run will begin Nov. 27 in Boston and wrap Dec. 15 in Memphis.

The group will be out in support of its latest album, "Atomic," which debuted at No. 36 on The Billboard 200 earlier this month. The album's first single, "Lipstick and Bruises," peaked at No. 10 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. The follow-up, "Addicted," has recently been sent to U.S. radio outlets.

Here are Lit's upcoming tour dates>

Nov. 27: Boston (Orpheum Theatre, WBCN)
Nov. 28: Providence, R.I. (Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, WBRU)
Nov. 30: Ft. Myers, Fla. (Lee County Sports Complex, WJBX)
Dec. 1: West Palm Beach, Fla. (Mars Music Center, WPBZ)
Dec. 2: Clearwater, Fla. (Coachman Park, WSUN)
Dec. 4: New Orleans (State Palace Theatre, KKND)
Dec. 6: Indianapolis (Pepsi Coliseum, WRZX)
Dec. 10: Tucson, Ariz. (TBD, KFMA)
Dec. 12: Philadelphia (First Union Center, WPLY)
Dec. 15: Memphis (New Daisy Theatre, WMFS)

-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.

Susaye Greene, the final singer to join the Supremes in the mid-'70s, will release her debut solo album, "No Fear Here," on her own Zed Records label (not to be confused with the infamous Long Beach, Calif., punk record store and label). Described as "running the gamut from dance and rousing pop to alternative and R&B/soul, the set will be made available initially via the Internet, and later through a retail distribution partner to be announced soon.

"I'm not just a one-genre singer," Greene said in a statement. "I want to impress upon people that there are all kinds of music to enjoy. And new and old Supremes' fans from around the world have been E-mailing me about wanting new music. So I decided to make this album."

Greene -- who was a member of Ray Charles' back up singers, the Raeletts, and Stevie Wonder's backup group, Wonderlove, before replacing Cindy Birdsong in the Supremes -- appeared on the final two Supremes albums, "High Energy" and "Mary, Scherrie, and Susaye," before Motown retired the group's name following Mary Wilson's exit in 1977.

-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.