Two sue for $51 million over canceled Stones gig

The Rolling Stones said yesterday they are planning to make up an axed New Jersey gig, originally set for October 27, in November, but two fans who really didn't like the cancellation are letting the Stones know--by suing them.

Martin and Rosalee Druyan filed a $51 million class-action lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court against the band, Ticketmaster, and concert organizers. The couple says the band should have told concertgoers sooner that the gig, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was to be canceled. In fact, they claim, concert organizers likely knew days before the cancellation was announced Friday.

The delay forced the couple to lose $300 on a nonrefundable reservations at the Trump Taj Mahal, not to mention the $575 for the tickets, the suit alleges. "People came from all over to see the Stones," the New York Daily News quoted Rosalee Druyan as saying. "When you talk about travel expenses, hotel and baby-sitting expenses, that's not a cheap day."

The Stones said yesterday they would make up the Atlantic City concert on November 17 and would provide refunds to ticket-holders who cannot attend.

Police arrest two in Hank Williams song-book theft

Nashville police arrested two people Monday in the theft of a 59-year-old notebook that once belong to country star Hank Williams, worth about $250,000, according to The Tennessean.

Police in Nashville, Tennessee, arrested Stephen M. Shutts and Francine Boykin on felony theft charges after they turned themselves in to police; the two have since been released on bond. Boykin once worked for a Sony cleaning crew in Nashville. Boykin said she found the notebook, owned by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, in a trash can. Sony fired Boykin more than a year ago for stealing other items from Sony offices, according to an arrest warrant. Shutts said he legally bought the notebook this summer.

The notebook, which contains lyrics to unpublished songs by the country singer, was reportedly taken from Sony's offices. Sony officials said they learned it was missing from the Chicago Sun-Times after the newspaper September 3 published a story detailing how the collectors acquired the notebook.

Williams died in 1953 at the age of 29.

Wal-Mart touts Garth Brooks sales record

Wal-Mart said yesterday it has sold 20 million Garth Brooks CDs in one year, making the country star the top-selling artist in the retail chain's history. Brooks signed an exclusivity contract with Wal-Mart in August 2005, meaning Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, and the chain's Web site are now the only places to buy Brooks' music, online or off.

The country star and the world's largest retail chain are also prepping Brooks' latest release, the five-DVD set Garth Brooks: The Entertainer, for release Wednesday, November 1 for $20. Wal-Mart called preorders for the $20 The Entertainer so far "record-breaking."

Kenny G tops mag's golf rankings of musicians

Grammy-winner Kenny G has something else he can toot his horn about. Golf Digest magazine awarded the saxophonist top honors in its ranking of the top 100 golf music artists. Kenny G beat out a variety of stars, including Justin Timberlake at number 15, American Idol champ Taylor Hicks in a tie at number 58, Snoop Dogg in a tie at 64th, and the rest of the magazine's top five: country musicians Vince Gill, Marty Roe, and Steve Azar and No Doubt drummer Adrian Young. Says rock star Alice Cooper: "Golf is the crack of sports. Once I took it seriously, I loved it. It absolutely saved my life" from drugs, he told the magazine.

The full rankings are available on Golf Digest's Web site in PDF format.