Sound Bites: John Hiatt, Outkast, Glastonbury

January 4 -- John Hiatt to Write Disney Tunes

Bluesy singer-songwriter John Hiatt will pen five songs for an upcoming Disney film, The Country Bear. The feature — inspired by the "Country Bear Jamboree" attraction at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, Calif. — tells the tale of a 10-year-old bear trying to persuade the Country Bears, a broken-up fictional band, to reunite for a benefit concert.

(Wall of Sound is owned by the Walt Disney Co.)

Hiatt, whose songs have been recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, and Emmylou Harris, will most likely provide the singing voice for one of the characters. His most recent album, Crossing Muddy Waters, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album Wednesday.

Outkast Plans Split — for Split Disc

Rap duo Outkast, whose critically acclaimed Stankonia is still riding high on the sales charts, is planning a split: The two want to record a double CD, with each of them taking charge of one disc. Rapper Big Boi tells Entertainment Weekly, "I don't think anyone's ever done that before. We've got a lot of songs — maybe 40. When we finished Stankonia, we just kept on recording." The rapper added that the disc wouldn't be released until late 2001 or early 2002.

U.K. Festival Canceled Over Safety Fears

The organizers of the Glastonbury Festival, one of the United Kingdom's largest music events, have canceled the festival's 2001 engagement, citing concerns about overcrowding and safety in the wake of the tragedy at Denmark's Roskilde Festival, which left nine dead. Organizer Michael Eavis, who started the festival in 1970, says it will return in 2002, according to the BBC. He is also being prosecuted by the local Mendip District Council over an alleged license violation at last year's event. Eavis indicated that there was difficulty in designing a suitable "super-fence" for the festival, and he was hoping the cancellation would send a "powerful message" to gate-crashers, the BBC reported.