Private funeral for Waylon Jennings

Jessi Colter, wife of the late Waylon Jennings, said her husband was remembered at a “very private” and “beautiful” service in Arizona. Jennings died last week of diabetes-related problems.

Plans are in the works for a public memorial in Nashville sometime in the future.

Summit focuses on responsible lyrics

Def Jam Records founder Russell Simmons and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan were just two of many experts in attendance at the second annual Hip-Hop Summit in Los Angeles this weekend. Many hip-hop artists suggested the music community should instigate a grassroots shift away from explicit and violent lyrics and help poverty- stricken communities.

Farrakhan urged musicians and record label executives to avoid negativity, such as portrayals of pimps, drugs and prostitution, in their lyrics and records.

Other issues discussed included political and economic empowerment, censorship, and the parental advisory system.

Former Washington, D.C. mayor Marion Barry, Death Row Records founder Suge Knight, TV/radio personality Steve Harvey and DJ Quik also took part in the summit.

Hundreds expected at 2002 Jazz Fest

Lenny Kravitz, Wynton Marsalis, Melissa Etheridge, Bonnie Raitt and India.Arie are just a few of the hundreds of artists scheduled to perform at the 2002 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Other artists include Counting Crows, String Cheese Incident, the Funky Meters, Taj Mahal, Gov’t Mule, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Phil Lesh and Friends, and more.

This year’s event will also include a blues tent, a charity gala, a Louis Armstrong film festival and various workshops.

The festival will take place April 26-28 and May 2-5. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.

– News gathered by Bethany Kohoutek from billboard.com and eonline.com