Jack White, frontman for alternative darlings The White Stripes, claims to have been influenced by blues players such as Blind Willie McTell and country icons like Dolly Parton. Yet it always seemed as though his love for authentic roots musicians would remain unrequited. That is, until The Coal Miner's Daughter herself, Loretta Lynn, joined the Detroit duo onstage at a recent New York concert. The strangest thing about the Country Music Hall of Famer opening for the Stripes isn't that she agreed to do it, but that she reveled in the opportunity. “This is a very special night for me because I'm working with my idols, the White Stripes,” Lynn said during her set, and later told a story of how she invited the band (Jack and his “big sister,” drummer Meg White) to her house for homemade chicken and dumplings. Jack joined her for “Fist City” and “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man.” Lynn returned after the Stripes' set, joining Jack in a duet of her hit, “Rated X.”

This past year has been a tough one for Guns 'N' Roses fans. First, the band's comeback tour was a disaster — featuring Axl Rose no-shows, audience riots, and eventual midtour cancellation by the promoter. And now we find out that a bunch of the band's songs were rearranged as, of all things, show tunes, and used as the basis for a production in that hotbed of musical theater, Edmonton, Alberta. According to a report in the Edmonton Sun, the musical, entitled Paradise City (which ran for a whopping two weeks), featured, among other ditties, a swing version of “Sweet Child of Mine” (featuring soft-shoe dancing), a torch-song treatment of “You Could Be Mine,” and “Paradise City” performed with a gospel choir.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) settled its lawsuits against four college students accused of copyright infringement through their peer-to-peer music-file-swapping services on their college campuses. The original suit had asked for $150,000 in damages from each of the four students, but the settlements were reported to be between $12,000 and $17,500. The students, who came from several different colleges — Michigan Technological University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Princeton University — will be allowed to pay off their fines over a number of years. “I don't believe that I did anything wrong,” said 18-year-old Princeton student Daniel Peng. “I am glad that the case has been settled amicably, and I hope that, for the sake of artists, the larger issues can soon be resolved.” The RIAA clearly hopes that its action will intimidate other file swappers from continuing their activities, and it threatened more serious sanctions should similar legal actions be necessary in the future.

After his stint as spokesman for Priceline.com, William Shatner is searching for new opportunities to exercise his outsized dramatic gift. He was recently invited to appear in the video for country artist Brad Paisley's new single “Celebrity.” Shatner will show up alongside former Seinfeld star and fried-chicken spokesperson Jason Alexander. The video, a tongue-in-cheek look at life in the pop culture public eye, will also feature Trista Rehn of “The Bachelorette” and Little Jimmy Dickens of the Grand Ole Opry.

The Stax Museum of American Soul Music opened recently in Memphis, Tennessee, on the site where Stax's recording studios and office once stood. The museum has more than 17,000 square feet of exhibit space and features a large collection of historic artifacts, photos, and gold records, as well as audio and video displays. The museum's highlight is a reproduction of the legendary Studio A, where artists such as Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, and Issac Hayes recorded. Studio A was also where Booker T. and the MGs — the Stax “house band” that featured Booker T., Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, and Al Jackson — laid down their celebrated grooves. Scheduled to perform at the museum's grand-opening celebration were Booker T. and the MG's, Solomon Burke, Al Green, Wilson Pickett, and many others. The museum, which is located in Memphis's “Soulsville USA” district, is operated by the nonprofit organization Soulsville, which also opened the Stax Music Academy across the street from the museum. The academy plans to offer free instruments and music lessons to poor children in the Memphis area.—Mike Levine

Noel Redding, 57. The bassist from the Jimi Hendrix Experience died of natural causes on May 11, 2003, at his home in Ireland. Originally a guitar player, Redding was recruited into Hendrix's band in 1966. He stayed with the Experience until it broke up in 1969 and later played in Fat Mattress and the Noel Redding Band. The official Hendrix Web site posted the following message regarding Redding's passing: “We at Experience Hendrix mourn the loss of Noel Redding. His contributions to the Jimi Hendrix Experience shall never be forgotten.” Ironically, Redding had recently threatened to sue the Hendrix estate over what he claimed were unpaid royalties.

June Carter Cash, 73. The singer, songwriter, actress, and wife of Johnny Cash died on May 15, 2003, from complications after heart surgery. Ms. Cash spent much of her career performing with her husband, and she cowrote his hit song, “Ring of Fire.” She was the daughter of country legend Mother Maybelle Carter, the mother of singer Carlene Carter, and stepmother of Johnny's daughter Roseanne Cash.—Mike Levine