Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on March 12th, 2023

Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks' co-headlining "Two Icons - One Night Only" tour kicked off on Mar. 10 at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles with the two hitmakers duetting on a couple of songs. The first duet happened when Joel took on Tom Petty's vocal part on the 1981 Nicks/Petty collaboration "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," which has been shared on YouTube. The pair reunited for a performance of one of Joel's personal favorites of his many hits, "And So It Goes." Elsewhere during the show, Nicks delighted the audience with her first performance of "Fall From Grace" in more than a decade, and delivered a rendition of Fleetwood Mac's "Sara," marking her first solo performance of the track since 2008. She also paid tribute to her late FM bandmate Christine McVie, who died in Nov. 2022, with an emotional delivery of the band's "Landslide." That performance can also be viewed on YouTube. The two rock icons' stadium tour continues on Apr. 8 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex. Shows are also set for Nashville (5/19), Philadelphia (6/16), Columbus, Oh. (8/5), Kansas City (8/19), Foxborough, Mass. (9/23), and Baltimore (10/7) before wrapping in Minneapolis on Nov. 10. - Billboard, 3/11/23...... The Who frontman Roger Daltrey says he's enlisted such rising artists as Kasabian, Wet Leg, Courteeners and Underworld for the 2023 edition of his annual Teenage Cancer Trust shows, which take place Mar. 20-26 at the historic Royal Albert Hall in London. Daltrey, who is an Honorary Patron of TCT, will play a solo concert there on Mar. 26, as he announced on The Who's official Twitter account on Mar. 2. He'll be joined on the night by special guests Richard Ashcroft and Joan Armatrading. "The place gets an incredible vibe," Daltrey told New Musical Express of the Albert Hall's unique atmosphere during the TCT series. "Even though it's five-and-a-half-thousand seats, it doesn't feel like it. It almost feels like [the performers are] in your front room." But he says still not an easy place to play: "It's a tricky hall to master the sound for bands going in on a one-off. But because we've done it for 21 years, we know all of its quirks. We have the best sound, lights and video in there for the whole week." As for his personal highlights from the line-up, Daltrey said: "I'm really glad we got Wet Leg because I've had my eye on them from this time last year. I saw them as up-and-coming with something kind of fresh. I find them very interesting... they're gonna have a great night." Daltrey adds that the TCT has so far funded 29 age-specific specialist units in NHS hospitals across the UK. "We've done remarkably well, but it's not to say we can't do better. One of the problems we have, of course, is that we have to work in the NHS, although we're not a part of it. And if [the patients'] GP or their consultant, and their clinician doesn't refer them to Teenage Cancer Trust, they don't even know we're there, and it's tragic," he lamented. Meanwhile, The Who's orchestral UK headline tour is set to kick off in Hull on July 6, also hitting Edinburgh, (7/8,9) London (7/12), Derby (7/14), Bristol (7/16), Durham (7/19), St Helens (7/21), and Brighton (7/23) before playing a final show on Aug. 28 at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. In 2022, The Who managed to make it back on the road for the first time since 2019. Daltrey, his Who co-founder Pete Townshend and their band played a one-off TCT show in London before embarking on their two-leg North American "The Who Hits Back!" tour. - New Musical Express, 3/10/23...... The Rolling Stones have been hit with a copyright lawsuit after a little-known songwriter claims he gave a demo CD to an "immediate family member" of frontman Mick Jagger and that then band then lifted elements from two of his tracks for their 2020 song "Living in a Ghost Town." In a lawsuit filed in New Orleans federal court on Mar. 10, songwriter Sergio Garcia Fernandez (stage name Angelslang) is claiming that Jagger and his songwriting partner Keith Richards "misappropriated many of the recognizable and key protected elements" from his 2006 song "So Sorry" as well as his 2007 tune "Seed of God." Although the two songs have less than 1,000 spins on Spotify, Fernandez claims he gave a demo CD to "an immediate family member" of Jagger. "The immediate family member & confirmed receipt & to the plaintiff via e-mail, and expressed that the musical works of the plaintiff and its style was a sound The Rolling Stones would be interested in using," the complaint states. Released at the peak of the Covid-19 shutdowns in Apr. 2020, "Living in a Ghost Town" was the first original material released by the Stones since 2012. The song, a blues-rock tune with reggae influences accompanied by a Covid-themed video, reached No. 3 on Billboard's Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart in May 2020. Fernandez says the new song was created by borrowing key features from his songs, including the "vocal melodies, the chord progressions, the drum beat patterns, the harmonica parts, the electric bass line parts, the tempos, and other key signatures" from "So Sorry" and the "harmonic and chord progression and melody" from "Seed of God." The band has yet to comment on the lawsuit. - Billboard, 3/10/23...... In a new interview with Classic Rock magazine, Deep Purple's Ian Paice and Ritchie Blackmore recalled the "pretty hostile" police situation with their classic "Smoke on the Water" riff was born back in 1971. The legendary rock band were jamming in a mobile unit after Switzerland's Montreux Casino burned down in 1971 during a concert by The Mothers of Invention after a fan had set the venue on fire with a flare gun. And the cops came knocking the doors down because they were making a "hell of a racket." "There was no sound-proofing and we were recording at night. A hell of a racket!," drummer Paice said. Guitarist Blackmore continued: "We did 'Smoke On The Water' there, and the riff I made up in the spur of the moment. I just threw it together with lan Paice. Roger Glover [Bassist] joined in. We went outside to the mobile unit and were listening back to one of the takes, and there was some hammering on the door. It was the local police, and they were trying to stop the whole thing because it was so loud. We knew that they were coming to close everything down. We said to Martin Birch, our engineer: 'Let's see if we have a take.' So they were outside hammering and taking out their guns... It was getting pretty hostile." Birch added: "It was about two in the morning, the neighbours were complaining. We locked all the doors. I mean, literally, it was 'da-da-da! Bang, bang', 'polizei, polizei' 'P*** off. Da-da-da'. So we had to get the track down before the police broke in and chucked us out." The iconic riff could have easily got away amid the "hostile" situation, however, "Smoke on the Water" ended up being the big hit from the band's 1972 album Machine Head. - Music-News.com, 3/11/23...... In a new interview on the UK's BBC Breakfast program, former Genesis guitarist/bassist Mike Rutherford updated fans on the state of former Genesis frontman Phil Collins' health. "As you know, Phil is a bit... He's much more immobile than he used to be, which is a shame, but at the tour, he was in good spirits," said Rutherford, who is promoting his upcoming tour with Mike + The Mechanics. "He's fine now at home, enjoying life. He's worked so hard over the years. I think he's enjoying his time at home." When he was asked whether Collins or his son Nic Rutherford, who will be playing drums on his dad's upcoming tour, was the stronger drummer, Rutherford said: "I always support the dads because I'm this generation. Phil's the most amazing drummer, but Nic is fantastic too. Like his dad, but a bit different." Collins has experienced issues with his health since suffering a spinal injury in 2007, which damaged vertebrae in his upper neck and also left him with nerve damage. The injury has impacted his ability to perform, and at Genesis' last ever show in Mar. 2022, he performed in a wheelchair. He has also been walking with a cane for the last few years. - NME, 3/9/23...... Earth, Wind & Fire has filed a lawsuit in Florida federal court to stop a rival group that's been performing under the name "Earth Wind & Fire Legacy Reunion," calling them imposters who are infringing the band's trademarks to "mislead the ticket-buying public." In the suit filed on Mar. 7, the company that owns EW&F's intellectual property argued that Legacy Reunion's only claim to the name is a few "side musicians," who briefly played with EW&F many years ago. Despite that allegedly spurious link, the lawsuit says the rival group's organizers "hatched a scheme to falsely imply in advertising that this new group was the real Earth, Wind & Fire." "Defendants did this to benefit from the commercial magnetism and immense goodwill the public has for plaintiff's 'Earth, Wind & Fire' marks and logos, thereby misleading consumers and selling more tickets at higher prices," the group's lawyers wrote. According to court papers, the allegedly phony group is directly competing with the "real" Earth Wind & Fire, which has continued to tour since founder Maurice White died in 2016. Led by longtime members Philip Bailey, Maurice's brother Verdine White and Ralph Johnson, the band operates under a license from Earth Wind & Fire IP, a holding company owned by White's sons. The organizers of Legacy Reunion said on Mar. 8 that "It is sad that a greedy corporation has chosen to use trademark law to attempt to pass judgment on which historic members of Earth, Wind & Fire are worthy of being called alumni of the band." Substantial Music Group founder Richard Smith said, "I was personally a member of the band for five years and performed on two tours and one album. I'm proud to be an alumnus of the musical group and the corporation's dismissiveness of my and others' contributions Earth, Wind & Fire is hurtful. We will not be erased." - Billboard, 3/8/23...... It was announced on Mar. 9 that iconic '70s actor John Travolta is scheduled to be among the presenters at the 2023 Oscars on Mar. 12, held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, the show's usual home since 2002. This will give the Saturday Night Fever and Grease star another chance to prove that his inexplicable mangling of Idina Menzel's name as "Adele Dazeem" on the Oscars nine years ago was just a once-in-a-lifetime verbal slip. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the Oscars will air live on ABC and broadcast to outlets worldwide on Mar. 12, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Among the notable '70s-related nominations is director Baz Luhrmann's dizzying Elvis Presley biopic Elvis, which has been nominated for 8 Oscars. On Mar. 7, an expanded edition of the movie's soundtrack was announced, featuring previously unreleased recordings of star Austin Butler, some contemporary versions of Elvis classics and the new mash-up "Backstreet Boss Nova (Daisy O'Dell Remix)" that mixes up Presley and the iconic '90s boy band. At a massive 52 tracks, the deluxe edition features such tracks as "Toxic Las Vegas," "Rubberneckin'," "Blue Moon" and "Can't Help Falling In Love," along with the Butler-performed "Blue Suede Shoes," "Heartbreak Hotel," "Are You Lonesome Tonight" and "Crawfish" (live on set). The Elvis - Deluxe Edition can be previewed on Spotify.com. - Billboard, 3/9/23...... In related news, Tom Hanks' depiction of Elvis manager Colonel Tom Parker in Elvis has earned the beloved Oscar-winning actor a "Razzie" award for Worst Supporting Actor and Worst Screen Combo. Despite the Forrest Gump actor's legacy of Oscar-winning roles, many critics and fans condemned his performance in Elvis, particularly his accent. Naming him Worst Supporting Actor, the Razzie Awards on Mar. 11 also noted Hanks' "latex face" in the film. The Razzies, the self-described "ugly cousin to the Oscars," started in 1980 as the Golden Raspberry Awards, created by UCLA film school graduates and film industry veterans John J.B. Wilson and Mo Murphy. More than 1,100 Razzie members from across the U.S. and about two dozen other countries vote on the awards, according to the Razzie website. - Reuters, 3/11/23...... Alice Cooper's long-serving guitarist Nita Strauss has rejoined his band after taking time out to be part of pop star Demi Lavato's touring line-up. Alice and his 36-year-old axe-slayer Nita will reunite on the "School's Out" rocker's upcoming "Too Close For Comfort" North American tour, which kicks off on Apr. 28 in Michigan. The 75-year-old rocker said of Nita's returns: "She's Back! Nita asked for a leave of absence to work with someone else, something I always encourage my band members to do. I like them to challenge themselves and try new things. I'm thankful to my old friend Kane Roberts for stepping up and filling in for her, but she'll be back with us for the new tour that starts up in late April. It's going to be great to have her back." Nita added: "From the studio to the stage, it's always an immense honour to make music with Alice Cooper!! I'm very excited to be re-joining the band on the road for the 2023 dates, and so I'll see you on the road in April. Let the nightmare return!" Meanwhile, Alice's "supergroup" Hollywood Vampires are to tour the UK next summer. The band -- which also comprises Hollywood actor Johnny Depp and Aerosmith rocker Joe Perry -- are to play shows across the UK and Europe in 2023 after being forced to cancel dates in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The trio -- accompanied by guitarist Tommy Henriksen -- play songs in tribute to the "great lost heroes of music" and perform original material from their two album releases. - Music-News.com, 3/8/23...... Speaking to the UK paper The Mirror, former The Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock said that he thinks that the concept of "ABBA Voyage"-style hologram shows can't live up to the real thing. "There's nothing better than a band playing with passion, vim and vigour in front of a live audience -- in tune, with a couple of beers inside them, or a coffee, going for it," he said. "If they can dig up some 3D imagery of Sid [Vicious] at this stage, that would be an achievement in itself." Sid Vicious passed away from a drug overdose in 1979 at the age of 21. Matlock will be playing live with Blondie at Iggy Pop's "Dog Day Afternoon" event at London's Crystal Palace on July 1. The Buzzcocks and Lambrini Girls have also recently been added to the bill. - NME, 3/9/23...... Legendary New Wave icons The B-52's and '80s hitmaker Cyndi Lauper have joined a rising chorus of voices speaking out against new laws being passed by Republicans targeting the trans community and seeking to ban drag artists. "We, The B-52's, are deeply concerned about the numerous new bills that promote transphobia and discrimination against transgender individuals and drag artists, which have been introduced in the United States," the band said in a sharply worded statement issued on Twitter on Mar. 8. "We strongly denounce these bills and stand in solidarity with out LGBTQ+ community... These bills not only violate the fundamental human rights of the affected individuals but also perpetuate a toxic culture of hate and intolerance that has no place in our society." Lauper, another longtime advocate for LBGTQ causes, was quoted in an article on TheHill.com as saying "Equality for everybody, or nobody's really equal. This is how Hitler started. just weeding everybody out." Hitler's Nazi Germany tagged gay people as "enemies of the state" and many were jailed or killed in concentration camps and Lauper said it's imperative that we keep "fighting for civil rights." The statement from B-52 members Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider, Cindy Wilson and Keith Strickland came a week after Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed two controversial laws -- one banning gender-affirming care from being performed on minors, another aiming to prevent drag queens from performing in public spaces where the "adult cabaret performances could be viewed by a person who is not an adult." The legislation defines these displays as any performance that "features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest, or similar entertainers, regardless of whether or not performed for consideration." Critics of the legislation have called this statue a violation of the performers' First Amendment rights, claiming the law is an unwarranted attack on LGBTQ performers who pose no threat to children. According to the Human Rights Campaign, Tennessee has passed more anti-LGBTQ laws than any other state in the U.S, at fourteen in the past few years. - Billboard, 3/9/23...... Speaking to People magazine, '70 disco star Gloria Gaynor delved into her divorce from her manager, Linwood Simon, after 26 years of marriage, and even recalled the exact moment she knew it was time to call it quits. Gaynor, 79, said that she had an awful migraine headache for the second time in a few days, and Simon did not want to take her to the hospital. "I said, 'OK, I'm done. You really, truly don't care about me, and I'm done.' I'd have to be freakin' comatose not to get that," she explained. "My friend nailed it when she said it was disregard. You don't know how painful that can be until you experience it. [Leaving him] was extremely liberating." However, Gaynor says she's now "very happy," but is still open to the right person coming along. "I absolutely believe in love," she says. "Whether it's in the cards for me, I sincerely doubt it, 'cause I'm truly not interested anymore. If it happens, it happens. If not, I'm good. It's a wonderful place to be." Her 1978 hit "I Will Survive" also feels true to her now more than ever. "I have not only survived, I have thrived," Gaynor shared. "I really think a lot of it has to do with the fact that whenever I'm going through something, I have used that song." - Billboard, 3/8/23...... Cher told E! News on Mar. 6 that she's working on new music, and she's even brought her boyfriend Alexander "A.E." Edwards -- who is a producer himself -- into the studio for collaboration. "I'm going to England to make two albums," she revealed. "Some of the songs Alexander gave me, so I'm pretty excited about that. He's a producer and a writer and he does everything, so I'm happy about that." In Dec. 2022, Cher told talk show host Kelly Clarkson that her 40-year-age difference with Edwards is "kind of ridiculous...on paper." "But in real life, we get along great. He's fabulous. And I don't give men qualities that they don't deserve." he noted that Edwards is "very kind, very smart, he's very talented, and he's really funny," before sweetly observing, "And I think he's quite handsome." Cher and Edwards met at Paris Fashion Week in Sept. 2022, and were later spotted holding hands. The rapper and music executive was previously linked to Amber Rose, with whom he shares three-year-old son Slash Electric. Cher also told E! News that she's "trying to get myself in shape" for an upcoming tour she is planning to embark on later in 2023. - Billboard, 3/6/23...... Tom Jones is confirmed for two festivals in the U.K. this summer -- the annual Hampton Court Palace Festival 2023 which returns to the royal landmark from June 6 to June 17, and a brand new festival called Greenwich Summer Sounds held at Old Royal Naval College from July 4 to July 8. Joining Sir Tom on the bill at the Hampton Court Festival will be Soft Cell and Kool and The Gang, while Nile Rodgers + Chic and Kaiser Chiefs will co-headline the Greenwich Summer Sounds event with Jones. Jones will play Hampton Court Palace Festival on June 14, and Greenwich Summer Sounds on July 6. - Music-News.com, 3/11/23...... Actor Robert Blake, the Emmy award-winning performer who went from acclaim for his acting to notoriety when he was tried and acquitted in the killing of his wife Bonny Lee Bakley in 2001, died of heart disease on Mar. 9 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 89. Blake, star of the 1970s TV show, Baretta, had once hoped for a comeback, but he never recovered from the long ordeal which began with the shooting death of Bakley outside a Studio City restaurant on May 4, 2001. The story of their strange marriage, the child it produced and its violent end was a Hollywood tragedy played out in court. In a 2002 interview while he was jailed awaiting trial, Blake bemoaned the change in his status with his fans nationwide: "It hurt because America is the only family I had." He was adamant that he had not killed his wife and a jury ultimately acquitted him, but a civil jury would find him liable for her death and order him to pay Bakley's family $30 million, a judgment which sent him into bankruptcy. The daughter he and Bakley had together, Rose Lenore, was raised by other relatives and went for years without seeing Blake, until they spoke in 2019. She would tell People magazine that she called him "Robert," not "Dad." Once hailed as among the finest actors of his generation, Blake's career peaked with the 1975-78 series, Baretta, in which he starred as a detective who carried a pet cockatoo on his shoulder and was fond of disguises. It was typical of his specialty, portraying tough guys with soft hearts, and its signature line: "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time," was often quoted. Blake won a 1975 Emmy for his portrayal of Tony Baretta, although behind the scenes the show was wracked by disputes involving the temperamental star. He gained a reputation as one of Hollywood's finest actors, but one of the most difficult to work with. He later admitted to struggles with alcohol and drug addiction in his early life. In 1993, Blake won another Emmy as the title character in, Judgment Day: the John List Story, portraying a soft-spoken, churchgoing man who murdered his wife and three children. Born Michael James Gubitosi on Sept. 18, 1933, in Nutley, N.J., Blake's Italian immigrant father and is Italian American mother wanted their three children to succeed in show business. At age 2, Blake was performing with a brother and sister in a family vaudeville act called, "The Three Little Hillbillies." When his parents moved the family to Los Angeles, his mother found work for the kids as movie extras and little Mickey Gubitosi was plucked from the crowd by producers who cast him in the Our Gang comedies. He appeared in the series for five years and changed his name to Bobby Blake. He also acted in a movie classic, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and as an adult, he was praised for his portrayal of real-life murderer Perry Smith in the movie of Truman Capote's true crime best seller In Cold Blood. On television, fans also watched Blake on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, where he was a recurring guest who appeared in funny skits with longtime friend Johnny Carson and other featured celebrities. He is also remembered as a pitchman in commercials for STP, Geico and others. Blake's career had slowed down well before the trial. Once a wealthy man, he spent millions on his murder defense and wound up living on social security and a Screen Actor's Guild pension. He made only a handful of screen appearances after the mid-1980s; his last project was in David Lynch's Lost Highway, released in 1997. According to his niece, Blake had spent his recent years "enjoying jazz music, playing his guitar, reading poetry, and watching many Hollywood Classic films." A private memorial service will be held to honor his life. - AP, 3/9/23...... Chaim Topol, the spirited Israeli actor and singer who portrayed Tevye the milkman in "Fiddler on the Roof" on stages all around the world and in an Oscar-nominated turn in Norman Jewison's 1971 film adaptation, died on Mar. 9 in Tel Aviv. He was 87. Israel's first international movie star, Mr. Topol also played famed Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in Galileo (1975); an American scientist, Dr. Hans Zarkov, in the cult sci-fi classic Flash Gordon (1980); and Milos Columbo, a Greek smuggler and ally of Roger Moore's James Bond, in For Your Eyes Only (1981). As Polish family man Berel Jastrow, he was central to the plot of two acclaimed 1980s ABC miniseries, The Winds of War and War and Remembrance, both based on Herman Wouk novels. Topol last portrayed Tevye on a Boston stage in 2009 but was forced to exit the musical after suffering a shoulder injury. He received the prestigious Israel Prize for lifetime achievement from his government in 2015. Survivors include his wife, Galia, whom he married in October 1956. They had three children, Omer, Adi and Anat. - The Hollywood Reporter, 3/9/23...... Bert I. Gordon, the professed king of the monster movies whose B pictures featured giant rats, giant spiders, giant grasshoppers, giant chickens, a colossal man and 30-foot teenagers laying waste to everything in sight, died on Mar. 8 in Los Angeles. He was 100 years old. As anxieties over nuclear testing and the effects of radiation swept postwar America, Mr. Gordon embarked on a low-budget filmmaking odyssey that turned mutated monsters loose on the hapless world. Despite the fact that his movies featured stars like Ida Lupino and Orson Welles, and despite the eye-catching apocalyptic titles and lurid posters, he generated many flops, a few minor hits and largely negative reviews. He also generated a cult following. In the 1950s and early '60s, Mr. Gordon's monster movies were perfect for drive-in theaters, where audiences took in wildly improbable plots, silly dialogue and crude special effects, including locusts overrunning a miniature city, a gigantic rat hovering over a girl in a negligee, and Ida Lupino being eaten by vast mealworms. - GlobalVillageSpace.com, 3/8/23.

Gary Rossington, the last surviving original member of Southern Rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd, died on Mar. 5, nearly four months before the band was planning to launch its next tour. He was 71. No cause of death was given, though Rossington had been dealing with health issues over the past couple of decades and particularly since the mid-2010s, when heart ailments occasionally sidelined him, and the band."It is without deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington today," the band wrote in an official statement. "Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does. Please keep Dale, Mary and Annie and the entire Rossington family in your prayers and respect the family's privacy at this time," the band added. Rossington was the last man standing in a band that formed during 1964 in Jacksonville, Fla., starting with bassist Larry Junstrom and drummer Bob Burns in a trio called Me, You, and Him. Singer Ronnie Van Zant, who played on a rival baseball team, jammed with the team after one of their games, playing the Rolling Stones' "Time Is on My Side," and the rest was history. The band settled on its name around 1970, taking it from Leonard Skinner, the strict physical education teacher at Robert E. Lee High School. Skinner was particularly hard on boys who had long hair, which led Rossington to drop out of school. After working the local and regional scene Skynyrd was discovered by Al Kooper, founder of Blood, Sweat & Tears, who signed the band to his Sounds of the South label. The band's debut album, Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd, was released on Aug. 13, 1973 and featured the lengthy anthem "Free Bird," which would become Skynyrd's signature song. The group continued to build a following through hard touring and tracks such as "Sweet Home Alabama" -- its answer to Neil Young's "Southern Man." Rossington co-wrote that track as well as other Skynyrd favorites such as "I Ain't the One," "Things Goin' On," "Don't Ask Me No Questions," "Gimme Back My Bullets" and "What's Your Name." The first phase of the band ended on Oct. 20, 1977, when a Convair CV-240 carrying the band from Greenville, S.C. to Baton Rouge, La., crashed near Gillsburg, Miss., killing three band members (Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and his older sister, backup singer Cassie Gaines), assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick and both pilots. Rossington and other suffered severe injuries and put the group on hold immediately after. "We couldn't imagine going on after something like that," he said later. "We were a brotherhood, and when you lose your brothers you can't just go on." He and guitarist Allen Collins formed the Rossington Collins Band, which lasted nearly four years and two albums before breaking up in 1982. Lynyrd Skynyrd, meanwhile reformed in 1987, ostensibly to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the plane crash; the band has continued ever since, recording nine more studio albums and going through a number of number of lineup changes. Rossington -- who is part of a guitarist core that included Collins (who passed away during 1977), Ed King (who died in 2018), Hughie Thomasson (who died in 2007), Rickey Medlocke and others -- was the only Skynyrd member to appear on all of its albums. During a 2016 interview, promoting his Take It on Faith album with wife Dale Krantz-Rossington -- who's also a Skynyrd back-up singer -- Rossington said that despite his health battles he'd made a decision to go on playing and die with his proverbial boots on. "It's just in my blood, y'know?," he explained. "I'm just an old guitar player, and we've spent our whole loves and the 10,000 hours of working to understand how to play and do it. So I think once you've got something going for yourself you should keep it up and keep your craft going. When you retire, what's next? I like to fish, but how much of that can you do, right? So I want to keep doing what I do now." Despite his health concerns, Rossington still appeared at some of Lynyrd Skynyrd's shows in 2022, although sometimes he would only play for the second half of the gig. The band recently confirmed that he would be making "guest appearances" on their upcoming co-headlining tour with ZZ Top this summer. Tributes to Rossington began hitting social media immediately after the band's announcement. The social media team of the late Charlie Daniels wrote on Instagram, "the last of the Free birds has flown home. RIP Gary Rossington, God Bless the Lynyrd @Skynyrd band. Prayers to Dale and the rest of his family." Artists remembering Rossington on Twitter include Peter Frampton, Paul Rodgers, The Allman Brothers Band, Brett Michaels, and Ricky Scaggs. - Billboard, 3/5/23.