Jazz Pioneer George Russell Dead at 86

Heavy metal legend also fronted Rainbow, Heaven & Hell

(NEWSER) - Ronnie James Dio, the legendary heavy metal singer who replaced Ozzy Osbourne as Black Sabbath's frontman, died today. He was 61 or 67, according to the LA Times , and suffered from stomach cancer. "Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away," his wife, Wendy, said in a statement. "Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all." More»

Captured Hendrix, Dylan, Joplin, many more

(NEWSER) - Jim Marshall, whose iconic photography captured many of the stars of rock and roll’s 1960s heyday, died in his sleep last night at 74, Rolling Stone reports; cause of death is still unknown. Marshall shot everyone from Bob Dylan to Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis to the Beatles, Janis Joplin to the Rolling Stones; images from his collection can be seen here . More»

Looking to break into the biz? Use one of these pseudonyms.

(NEWSER) - With Diddy constantly changing his rap name, you might think all the good ones have already been used. But no: There are an awful lot of awesome pseudonyms still left, and Jesse Gissen lists his favorites on XXL :

• Sirius Black: “This bad ass dude from the Harry Potter series is known for practicing black magic, breaking out of prison and being able to turn into a werewolf. Seriously, it doesn’t get any better than this.”

I want it that way. Wait, you want what what way?

(NEWSER) - Some lyrics are just so ambiguous you have no idea what you’re singing about when you sing along. Willa Paskin lists 20 “songs that make you go, huh?” on BlackBook :

• “I Want It That Way,” Backstreet Boys: “Make up your minds dudes, is ‘that way’ a good or a bad thing? Or is it anal sex?”
• “Push It,” Salt N’ Pepa: OK, maybe this one isn’t so vague: “Yeah, the ‘it’ in this song is pretty definitively ween.”

Amy Winehouse and Blink-182 are back, plus more hot releases

(NEWSER) - Forget Susan Boyle and Taylor Swift: This year promises to be a great one for music, with comebacks by big names and exciting follow-ups from breakthrough artists. MTV takes a look at the most anticipated albums of 2010:

• Amy Winehouse : The troubled singer will, supposedly, finally complete the sequel to her Grammy-winning Back to Black.
• Katy Perry : She’s worked with Rivers Cuomo of Weezer as well as a Rihanna collaborator on her follow-up to One of the Boys.