TENNESSEE OFFERS COUNTRY MUSIC PASSPORT

NASHVILLE (AP) - Visitors to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Loretta Lynn’s ranch and Sun Studios will be able to win prizes in the new year. The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development is including a Country Music Passport with its 2020 vacation guide. The locations were featured in the recent Ken Burns PBS documentary about country music. Limited prizes will be offered for visitors who get stamps for five, 15 or all 22 sites. Sites that are included in the passport are Dollywood, the Grand Ole Opry, Elvis Presley’s Graceland, the Carl Perkins visitors centre and the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. The passports expire in October 2022.

ELVIS AUCTION WILL INCLUDE HIS GOLF CART

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Elvis Presley’s golf cart is for sale, which is interesting because he did not play golf. Graceland says Presley bought the white Harley-Davidson golf cart in May of 1967 for driving around the nearly 14 acres of his property. It’s one of 288 Presley artifacts that will be sold by third party collectors at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, on Jan. 8, what would have been Presley’s 85th birthday. The golf cart is expected to sell for $60,000 to $70,000. Other items for auction include a never-played 45 record of “That’s All Right,” the television from Presley’s 1963 limousine and two pajama tops he gave to two different girlfriends.

JUSTIN BIEBER ANNOUNCES YOUTUBE SERIES

UNDATED (AP) - Do you want to see footage from Justin Bieber’s wedding to Hailey Baldwin? It will be included in his upcoming YouTube documentary series about the making of his new album. “Justin Bieber: Seasons” will run as ten episodes beginning Jan. 27. Bieber says it feels great to partner with YouTube for the series because that’s where he first shared his music with fans. Bieber will release the single “Yummy” on Friday.

PAUL McCARTNEY’S WORKOUT MUSIC IS HIS JUKEBOX

UNDATED (AP) - Paul McCartney enjoys sweating to the oldies. McCartney says on his website that Capitol Records gave each of The Beatles a jukebox years ago, and his is in his gym area. He says he listens to records like “Something Else” by Eddie Cochran, “Tutti Frutti” by Little Richard and Chuck Berry songs. McCartney admits he used to put a quarter in the jukebox each time he wanted to hear a song until he realized there is a credit switch inside that makes it free to play.

ROCKABILLY MUSICIAN SLEEPY LABEEF DIES

NEW YORK (AP) - Rockabilly musician Sleepy LaBeef has died. The New York Times reports LaBeef died Thursday at his home in Siloam (SY’-lohm) Springs, Arkansas, at the age of 84, according to his daughter. A cause of death was not given. LaBeef was born Thomas LaBeff, the youngest of 10 children. He got the name “Sleepy” because of his droopy eyelids, and he changed his last name to LaBeef at the suggestion of a record label. He made his first records in the 1950s. Although they never became big hits, LaBeef built his reputation on propulsive live shows and constant touring. He claimed to know 6,000 songs and once said he could learn a song if he heard it twice on a jukebox.

By Margie Szaroleta

News from © The Associated Press, 2020