NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

Carrie Underwood to honor military families during tour

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

Country star Carrie Underwood is working with Carnival Cruise Line and Operation Homefront to honor military families throughout her upcoming “Storyteller” tour.

Underwood will meet with selected military families in 10 cities, and she’ll perform a free concert for hundreds of military families onboard the Carnival Vista in New York on Nov. 4.

Her tour begins Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla.

The Grammy-winning singer said in a phone interview that meeting military families is a special experience.

Jefferson Airplane’s Paul Kantner dies at 74

Paul Kantner, the Jefferson Airplane guitarist, songwriter and fixture of the San Francisco ’60s rock scene, died Thursday of septic shock and organ failure, according to his publicist, who confirmed the news with the San Francisco Chronicle. He was 74.

“Paul was a key architect in the development of what became known as the San Francisco Sound,” wrote Recording Academy President Neil Portnow in a statement released Thursday. “The music community has lost a true icon, and we share our deepest condolences with Paul’s family and friends.”

Kantner’s sound – a blues-based, psychedelic style – formed the backbone of Jefferson Airplane, a band best known for hits such as “White Rabbit” and “Somebody To Love.”

Combined dispatches