Sting [ tickets ], as part of the marketing campaign behind the new Blue Cash card from American Express, will play a free concert in Chicago's Grant Park on Oct. 7.

About 40,000 tickets will be distributed for the show, which also features Jonny Lang.

American Express street teams plan to distribute thousands of free tickets in the Chicago area from Sept. 29 to Oct. 5, offering "fans on-the-spot opportunities to win tickets," according to a press release. Other tickets will be awarded via radio promotions on Chicago's WXRT-FM.

Additional details are available at the "Sting at the Blue 5" event website.

Ray Charles [ tickets ], who celebrates his 73rd birthday on Tuesday (9/23), has started work on a duets album that will feature B.B. King and others, according to Charles' publicist.

Charles called off the remainder of his 2003 tour dates in mid-summer due to a hip ailment.

Zagat Survey, a company best known for its restaurant guides, has introduced its first Music Guide, for which 10,000-plus music fans rate 1,000 albums.

The survey's five most popular albums, in order, were Bruce Springsteen [ tickets ]'s "Born to Run;" The Beatles [ tickets ]' "Abbey Road" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band; U2's "The Joshua Tree" and The Beatles' "The White Album."

The top five for "overall quality" were Miles Davis [ tickets ]' "Kind of Blue," John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme," Aretha Franklin's "Lady Soul," Patty Griffin's "Living with Ghosts" and Springsteen's "Born to Run."

The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and Madonna were named the most influential artists.

The GRAMMY^® Awards--which took place in New York last year after a five-year stint in Los Angeles--move back to L.A. in 2004. Organizers announced on Tuesday (9/23) that the ceremony will take place on Feb. 8 at Staples Center.