May 16
Rapper Nicki Minaj’s lawyers filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit by Terrence Davidson, her former wig designer, who claimed Minaj and Pink Personality LLC broke implied contracts, reneged on discussions to launch a reality TV show and a wig line, and misappropriated his designs.
David Nathan segued from his longtime post at Republic Records as senior vp promotion and artist development to Big Machine Label Group, where he will spearhead promotion efforts for Taylor Swift, Florida Georgia Line and The Band Perry.
Motown Records announced that Myisha Brooks will join as vp creative relations and marketing. She previously was vp publicity at Republic Records.
Related
May 17
After an Avicii show in Toronto at the 20,000-seat Rogers Centre, 29 people were hospitalized, mostly due to alcohol-related reasons, with one person arrested and one drug overdose also reported.
Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger became a great-grandfather, after his granddaughter Assisi – the daughter of his daughter Jade, with ex-wife Bianca Jagger – gave birth to a baby girl with her boyfriend, chef Alex Key. Jade is expecting her third child in May with graphic designer husband Adrian Fillary.
May 18
Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Nicole Pantenburg, who are parents to daughter Peyton Nicole, 5, were wed in Beverly Hills in front of celebrity guests including Oprah Winfrey. They moved the ceremony and reception from the Hotel Bel-Air following the controversy surrounding the owner, the Sultan of Brunei.
May 19
Brandon Frankel was named U.S. COO/executive vp global management and marketing for ATM Artists. His client roster includes Swedish House Mafia (and two of its members, Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso), Alesso and Dirty South.
Dennis Blair was named senior vp promotion for RCA Records. He most recently was senior vp rock formats at Republic Records, where his successes included Florence & The Machine, Gotye, Of Monsters and Men, Lorde, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Black Sabbath and Volbeat.
David Barbis has joined Austin-based C3 Presents in the company’s promotions/management division. His two-decade résumé includes stints at Island, DreamWorks and vp promotion at Capitol Records.
Singer Ciara and fiance Future celebrated the birth of their baby boy, Future Zahir Wilburn, in Los Angeles. This is the first child for Ciara and the fourth for Future.
Pitbull announced he is suing E. & J. Winery & New Amsterdam Spirits for branding a vodka recipe “The Pit Bull.” The rapper, whose name has been trademarked since 2000, alleged that the distributor has been using his trademark to sell the drink.
May 20
Two former members of Heart, bassist Mark Andes and drummer Dennis Carmassi, who were in the group from 1982 to 1993, announced they will sue the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for using their likenesses to promote the 2013 induction ceremony, as they were not inducted along with the original members. Images including Andes and Carmassi were used on the Rock Hall’s biography page for the band.
Live Nation Australasia announced that the rest of the Australasian tour of Janelle Monae (top, far left) and Kimbra would be canceled after Monae failed to shake off an unknown illness. The R&B artist had already nixed a date on May 17 and another in Sydney on May 19 before the announcement.
Paul McCartney announced that his Out There Japan Tour 2014 and a concert in Seoul have been canceled due to illness. McCartney is still scheduled for 19 U.S. performances during the next two months.
Birthdays
May 19 Dusty Hill of ZZ Top (65), Pete Townshend of The Who (69)
May 20 Busta Rhymes (42), Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s (56), Cher (68)
May 21 Gotye (34)
May 23 Jewel (40), Phil Selway of Radiohead (47)
May 24 Patti LaBelle (70), Bob Dylan (73)
May 25 Paul Weller of The Jam and The Style Council (56)
May 26 Lenny Kravitz (50)
Deaths
Prince Rupert Loewenstein, longtime Rolling Stones business manager, who guided the band’s fortunes for nearly 40 years, died May 20 following a long battle with illness. He was 80.
Jerry Vale, the crooner known for his classic Italian-American songs like “Volare,” “Innamorata” and “Al Di La,” died May 18 at his Palm Desert, Calif., home. He was 83.