Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Even from an artist renowned for outrageous behavior, the action was a shocking sight. In August, 1984, Richard Penniman—better known as Little Richard, the flamboyant 1950s rocker—began picketing an office building in downtown Los Angeles. The rock star was not on strike; he was on a crusade. The offices belonged to ATV Music Corp., one of the world’s largest song publishers. Little Richard’s claim: that ATV, along with Specialty Records and Venice Music, owed him millions of dollars in royalties for “Tutti-Frutti,” “Good Golly Miss Molly” and other classic Little Richard hits. Four months later his $115-million lawsuit against those companies was thrown out of U.S. Federal Court. Now, Litt...

At 76, Sir Paul could be forgiven if he slowed down and kicked back in his slippers with a nice cuppa. But that’s not Macca’s way. In fact he’s as busy as ever, going viral with James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke and launching another world tour Sept. 17 in Quebec City. On his 17th solo studio album, McCartney sounds still in his prime—feisty, frisky and having fun. The flirtatious “Come On to Me” is a delirious rocker, while “Fuh You,” produced by hitmaker Ryan Tedder, is sexy and infectious. The rest of the album, produced by Greg Kurstin (Beck, Adele), ranges from the Latin jazz of “Back in Brazil” and the bouncy “Happy With You” (about his wife Nancy Shevell) to the cautionary political...

It’s not easy being the son of the deified Beatle—just ask Julian who, despite (or because of) his eerie resemblance to his father, rode a ticket to obscurity. Sean, who actually sounds more like Paul, has fared better, largely due to his alt-rock connections. His long-awaited followup to 1998’s Into the Sun is a promising collection of piano and falsetto-filled songs about failed romance. But the most moving number is the stark hidden track that recalls the day John was murdered, leaving five-year-old Sean tragically fatherless. Sept. 26

There have been many Beatles tributes. This one stands out for its vast range of major artists covering songs by McCartneyl, who ranks alongside Cole Porter and George Gershwin as the most successful composer of all time. “Yesterday” is the world’s most covered song, with over 2,200 versions. It’s sung here, with accordion backing, by Willie Nelson. Among the other 41 tracks are two contributions each from Heart, Billy Joel, Steve Miller and Alice Cooper. There are also fine renditions of “Helter Skelter” by Roger Daltry, “Let It Be” by Chrissie Hynde and “Things We Said Today” by Bob Dylan. Ronnie Spector and Darlene Love sing early classics, while Wanda Jackson tackles Sir Paul’s Chuck Ber...

The year was 1976 and arena rock was in its heyday. Paul McCartney, who had not performed in North America since the Beatles’ last tour a decade earlier, took his band Wings on the road in Canada and the United States. The concerts sparked scenes reminiscent of Beatlemania and the resulting live album, Wings Over America, became an instant bestseller. Now reissued as a two-CD set (an expanded deluxe edition also includes a bonus CD, DVD and several souvenir books), Wings Over America is McCartney at his post-Beatles best. Along with Fab Four favorites like “Yesterday” and “Lady Madonna,” he performs thrilling renditions of “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Live and Let Die” and “Band on the Run” that far...