Here & There …

Emmylou Harris, Tom T. Hall, The Statler Brothers and Ernest “Pop” Stoneman are the newest members of the Country Music Hall Of Fame – Country Music Association / PRNewswire (press release)

Are Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi “closet curlers?” – Toronto Star

Joe Jackson on music, smoking and Berlin – Associated Press

iTunes sponsors gigs in U.K. featuring big names like Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, KT Tunstall and Billy Bragg along with up-and-coming artists and bands – Telegraph U.K.

Yemen’s conservative Islamists try to ban Syrian diva Say Asala from performing in the country. One politician calls her performance “an invitation for vice” – Scopical/AU

Check out the “most useful car gadgets,” including MP3 player-ready entertainment systems – MSNBC / ForbesAutos.com

Dates, Dates & More Dates …

Yet more Montreal dates for Celine Dion. So far the number of Montreal shows has reached 8 with the addition of August 31 and September 1. All Montreal performances are scheduled for that city’s Bell Centre.

The Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige tour is shaping up to be one of the biggest arena tours for the first part of 2008. Latest dates are for April and include stops in Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, Anaheim, Las Vegas and Oakland.

Lots & Lots of new dates for Seether! April and May are the months and the list of cities includes Denver, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Worcester and New York.

Elton John updates with new March gigs for Pensacola, Tallahassee, and Gainesville.

During the past couple of hours we also updated the schedules for Shadows Fall, Shai Hulud, Sanctus Real, Matt Costa, Liza Minnelli, Jamie Kennedy, Jack Jones, Flyleaf, Decemberadio, David Ford, Angelique Kidjo, A Life Once Lost, The Bad Plus, The Four Freshmen, Third Day, Thrice, and The Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza.

But wait, there’s more! Stay on top of the wacky, funny, strange and lurid world of tour data research by checking out Your Latest Update, scheduled for around 3 pm (PST), from Pollstar.com!

This Day In Music History … (from Associated Press)

In 1956, rock ‘n’ roll eccentric Screamin’ Jay Hawkins recorded “I Put a Spell on You,” which became his best known song. He toured with revues organized by disc jockey Alan Freed, and often concluded his act by being carried off in a flaming coffin.

In 1967, 15 policemen raided the English country home of Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones in a search for drugs. Among those present were Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull. The three were not charged until three months later.

In 1968, rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix returned to Seattle, Washington during his second American tour, and played for the students of Garfield High, the school from which he dropped out. Hendrix was given an honorary high school diploma and the key to the city.

In 1977, The Police recorded their first single, “Fall Out.”

In 1990, M.C. Hammer released Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em, featuring the hit single, “U Can’t Touch This.”