Roy Ayers, a legendary jazz vibraphonist, keyboardist, composer and vocalist known for his spacy, funky 1976 hit “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” has died.

It’s not the holiday season until the house is full of festive music, from classics to covers and reimaginations across genres, for all to enjoy.

Two voter advocacy organizations have put Ohio’s Republican elections chief on notice that voters are being removed from the rolls, allegedly in violation of federal law.

The Democratic National Convention transformed what should have been the driest part of the evening — the roll call — into a party, featuring lively music and several celebrity appearances.

Cardi B, Queen Latifah and The Roots will headline concerts celebrating the return of the BET Experience in Los Angeles just days before the 2024 BET Awards.

Just over one week into Black History Month in 2024, hundreds of people came to the historic Fort Mose in St. Augustine to listen to one of hip-hop’s most legendary acts: Common.

Prosecutors say a high-profile entertainment marketing consultant was targeted by a woman who had been stalking one of his friends, a film director, before she fatally shot him inside his Los Angeles home.

Sheryl Crow and Olivia Rodrigo kicked off the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony Friday night and Missy Elliott closed the show more than four hours later with a roof-shaking set, as the hall celebrated a strong representation of women and Black artists.

R&B singer Bobby Caldwell, who had a major hit in 1978 with “What You Won’t Do for Love," has died.

It was feast or famine at the Broadway box office as 2022 wound down, with eye-popping revenue for popular shows — including a staggering new Broadway record for “The Lion King” — not lifting all strugglers.

Rapper and actor Common will make his Broadway debut this fall in Stephen Adly Guirgis’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “Between Riverside and Crazy.”.

Of all the questions that can be asked to measure one’s physical strength, this one might be the most common: “How much can you bench?”

This combination photo shows promotional art for Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry, a documentary debuting Friday on Apple TV+, from left, The United States vs. Billie Holiday," premiering Friday on Hulu and Superman & Lois," a new series premiering Tuesday on The CW. (AppleTV+/Hulu/The CW via AP)Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. Ad— Based on Johann Hari’s 2015 book, “Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs,” Lee Daniels' “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” chronicles the legendary jazz singer's addiction and activism. Andra Day, who's nominated for a Golden Globe, plays Holiday in the biopic, which premieres Friday on Hulu. ET at the Amazon Music Twitch channel and will feature music from the group’s new album, “Life Rolls On,” released on Feb. 12.

Jacob Blake, who is Black, was left paralyzed after being shot in the back on Aug. 23 by Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey, who is white. The Bucks — who share Fiserv Forum with Marquette about 40 miles north of Kenosha — sat out an August first-round playoff game to protest the shooting. That led the NBA to postpone all games that day, and player-driven protests also led to postponements in the WNBA and Major League Baseball. “The Bucks organization remains firmly against excessive use of force by law enforcement,” the Bucks said. “We’ve got to continue to stay strong continue to believe in each other and continue to push for the greater change and the greater good,” James said.

For Democrats to win control of the Senate, Georgia’s Black communities, as well as the state's smaller Hispanic and Asian communities, likely need to vote in the Jan. 5 runoff election by history-making margins. An Associated Press VoteCast survey of Georgia voters in November found that 22% of white voters chose Warnock and 28% chose Ossoff, compared to the 90% of Black voters who chose Ossoff and 73% who chose Warnock. Democrats also have an opportunity to capture the 15% of Black voters who chose Matt Lieberman, another Democratic candidate who competed against Warnock in last month’s race. There are signs that turnout in Georgia could indeed be high in the runoffs. “Do you have a plan to vote in the runoff election?” another canvasser, Graco Hernandez Valenezuela, asked Tyrone Vereen, a 62-year-old Black retired police officer who answered the door.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – Common, a Grammy Award-winning rapper, actor and author, made a stop in Brunswick on Friday to give out tennis shoes to children. He also met with the family of Ahmaud Arbery and encouraged people in Georgia to vote in the upcoming Senate race runoffs. And this country has been going through a lately, especially here in Brunswick, has been through a lot with the killing of a Ahmaud Arbery,” Common said. As organizers prepared to pass out 250 new tennis shoes to teenagers, Common spent some time meeting with Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper. Common visited Jacksonville right before the presidential election.

LOS ANGELES – Mark Cuban, Anthony Anderson and Skylar Diggins-Smith will take part in a series of panel discussions on YouTube that are focused on racial justice. Common and Keke Palmer return as hosts of the forum, which will include sports figures, entertainers and activists. Diggins-Smith will appear on panel with reporter Jemele Hill and activist Harry Edwards about athletes’ impact on today’s political movement. “It is so important that we keep a dialogue about racial justice going beyond any particular moment,” Palmer said. “I want to encourage my peers to continue to have thoughtful and powerful conversations that will lead us to change.

— Trump paints an apocalyptic portrait of life under a Biden presidency— Trump Cabinet members fan out to states, blending politics and policy. ___HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON:8:45 p.m.President Donald Trump has met with rap star Lil Wayne at his resort in Doral, Florida. The Trump campaign and the company didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press. The Minnesota Department of Health has linked 28 coronavirus cases to other recent Trump campaign events in the state. Mrs. Trump warmed up the large crowd outside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa for President Donald Trump.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dozens of #WalkTheVote Parades across the county took place Saturday to encourage early in-person voting, including two events in Jacksonville and St. Augustine. It’s part of a nationwide initiative to encourage voters to join in by practicing social distancing, wearing a mask and voting early ahead of Election Day. Rapper Common from Chicago was in Jacksonville for a “Party at the Polls” event to encourage the community to get out and vote. Walk the Vote is being held in more than 18 cities in a number of swing states to encourage in-person, early voting ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3. All counties in Florida have now opened their early voting periods, and most counties continue early voting through next Saturday while Nassau and Duval counties remain open on the Sunday before Election Day, as well.

Twitter via CNN(CNN) - A high school teacher has been placed on administrative leave in California after he wore blackface to school on Halloween, according to the Milpitas Unified School District. A video posted on social media shows the teacher with his face painted black and dressed up in an apparent attempt to imitate the rapper Common. Milpitas High School Principal Francis Rojas and MUSD Superintendent Cheryl Jordan said in a statement that the teacher, who has not been named, was suspended and now is under investigation for the "disparaging" act. Because the teacher has not been identified, CNN has been unable to reach out to him for comment. Chris Norwood, the MUSD school board president, called the teacher's actions "inappropriate, unprofessional and insensitive," according to an online statement.