April 2020 Recap: John Prine Dies, COVID Rocks the Music Industry
With the coronavirus pandemic affecting every aspect of life, April 2020 saw the music industry responding in various ways.
The effects of the virus struck close to home for many musicians with the COVID-related deaths of several high-profile musicians. Chief among them: Grammy-winning singer-songwriter John Prine and Adam Schlesinger, cofounder of the band Fountains of Wayne and a prolific writer of music for TV and film.
Many artists spent April participating in benefits raising funds for COVID-19 relief, including Paul McCartney, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones. Organized during lockdown, these events introduced music fans to what would become the new normal in 2020: watching virtual performances as artists livestreamed from their homes.
Ennio Morricone, noted film composer, defining the Spaghetti Western soundtrack.
Four of the top five Charlie Daniels Band headlining grosses came from his long-running Volunteer Jam, including the Charlie Daniels 80th Birthday Volunteer Jam, Nov. 30, 2016 in Nashville, which drew 17,007 fans and included Chris Stapleton, Kid Rock and Luke Bryan. The performance grossed $657,921 and followed Daniels’ induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame just six weeks earlier.
Mitch Slater partnered with Ron Delsener to form Delsener / Slater Presents in 1988 before the company was acquired by SFX Entertainment in 1996, and later acquired Metropolitan Entertainment Group. Slater became a key figure at the core of SFX Entertainment’s business, being elevated to executive vice president and continuing to work with SFX head Robert Sillerman after he sold his business to Clear Channel Entertainment, the precursor company to what is now Live Nation.