Former Queen bassist John Deacon, who is still technically involved with the band but hasn't contributed to any Queen music since the death of Freddie Mercury, has added his signature to a copy of Queen's seminal 1975 album A Night At The Opera for an upcoming posthumous birthday party for Mercury to raise money for HIV/AIDS awareness. The album, which also bears the sigs of Queen guitarist Brian May and Queen drummer Roger Taylor, will be up for silent auction at the annual Freddie Mercury Birthday Party in Montreux, a fundraiser for a charity set up in Mercury's name. The party is set for the Casino Barrire Montreux on Sep. 6, where Queen's legendary Mountain Studios was formerly located. The proceeds will go towards HIV/AIDS Awareness in honor of Mercury. Though Taylor and May regularly donate items for the charity, this is the first time Deacon, who has been living anonymously for the last few decades, has signed memorabilia since officially leaving the band in 1997. May has said that although Deacon has a say in the band's business matters and "is happy with what we're doing," he no longer wished to be involved creatively with the band and "we respect that." Details about bidding on the collectible A Night At The Opera LP can be found on queenonline.com. - New Musical Express, 7/29/25...... 
Mama he's coming home. The remains of metal icon Ozzy Osbourne, who died on July 22 at age 76, will travel through Birmingham, England, on July 30 before being buried in his home city. According to the BBC, fans will get their chance to say goodbye to Osbourne when his cortege is paraded along Broad Street in the city center beginning at 1 p.m. BST. The hearse will then make its way to a bridge and bench named in honour of Ozzy, where fans have left thousands of tributes, messages and flower arrangements since his passing. The bench, dedicated in 2019, has since become a king of pilgrimage site for fans of Black Sabbath and its beloved singer. It features images of all four original members of the group -- guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward -- along with the band's logo on the right side and the slogan "Made in Birmingham" below. "We're going to pay our last respects and homage to one of the greatest living legends of Birmingham," said Zafar Iqbal, Lord Mayor of Birmingham in a statement about the procession that will be accompanied by local group Bostin' Brass. "He put Birmingham on the map. He put Aston on the map," Iqbal said of the musician he dubbed a "son of Birmingham." The public procession will take place before a private funeral, allowing Ozzy's family to see the fan tributes, which include homages from diehards who traveled from as far away as Mexico, the U.S. and Poland. In addition to the procession, fans and members of the public are invited to pay their respects by visiting the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, where they can sign a condolence book and check out the Ozzy Osbourne Working Class Hero exhibit, which the singer's wife/manager, Sharon Osbourne, opened in June. Osbourne died shortly more than two weeks after taking the stage for his final solo and Sabbath performance at the massive July 5 Back to the "Beginning show in Birmingham," where he sang from a black, bat-bedecked throne due to a variety of health issues that prevented him from touring. Meanwhile, streams of Ozzy and Black Sabbath's music have soared since the music icon's death. His solo rocker "Crazy Train" has traveled into the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 pop chart for the first time in the Aug. 2-dated chart, while his ballad "Mama, I'm Coming Home" returns to the ranking after 33 years. "Crazy Train" bowed at No. 46 on the Hot 100 thanks to 9.2 million official U.S. streams (up 194% week-over-week), 2.4 million radio audience impressions (up 108%) and 11,000 downloads sold (up 1,184%) in the week ending July 24, according to Luminate. "Mama, I'm Coming Home," at No. 49, accumulated 8.7 million streams (up 298%), 2.1 million audience impressions (up 143%) and 15,000 paid downloads (up 899%). On the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart, "Mama, I'm Coming Home" has re-entered at No. 1, becoming Osbourne's first leader, and "Crazy Train" debuted at No. 2. Earlier in July, Osbourne's The Essential Ozzy Osbourne compilation reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart, while Sabbath's Paranoid reentered at No. 37. Osbourne previously hit the top 10 on the Billboard 200 with Patient Number 9 (No. 3 in 2022), Ordinary Man (No. 3, 2020), Scream (No. 4, 2010), Black Rain (No. 3, 2007), Down to Earth (No. 4, 2001), Ozzmosis (No. 4, 1995), No More Tears (No. 7, 1991), Tribute (with Randy Rhoads, No. 6 in 1987) and The Ultimate Sin (No. 6, 1986). Elsewhere, Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler has said that he "wasn't prepared" to see how frail Ozzy was at the final Black Sabbath show. In an essay for the London Sunday Times, Butler admitted he was aware the singer had health issues, but said he was shocked to see how "frail" he had become in his final days. "I knew he wasn't in good health, but I wasn't prepared to see how frail he was," Butler wrote. "He was helped into the rehearsal room by two helpers and a nurse and was using a cane -- being Ozzy, the cane was black and studded with gold and precious stones." "I wish I'd had more time backstage with Ozzy, but wishes are redundant now. As Ozzy used to say: 'Wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which comes first.'" Butler added: "But I am so grateful we got to play one last time together in front of his beloved fans. The love from the fans and all the bands, musicians, singers and solo artists that night was incredible." Tony Iommi told ITV News he thought that Osbourne "really just held out to do that show." "I really feel -- and me and Geezer were talking about it last night -- that we think he held out to do it, and just after that, he's done it and said goodbye to the fans. And that was the end of it, really. Lastly in Ozzy news, Alice Cooper and his Hollywood Vampires bandmate Johnny Depp performed a cover of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" in tribute to Osbourne on July 25 during a show at London's O2 Arena. Cooper, who was wearing an Osbourne t-shirt, played the beginning of "Paranoid" with his band, before being joined by Depp, who walked onstage with his guitar and played the song's famous riff alongside the other guitarists. The moment can be viewed on YouTube. - Billboard/NME, 7/29/25...... 
In a new interview with Now Spinning magazine, Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson shared his thoughts on the singing skills of Mick Jagger, Ozzy Osbourne, Phil Collins and Billy Joel. Anderson, 77, spoke about the challenges of singing and playing at his age. "It depends what you do," he said. "You can be physically animated, but there's a degree to which you can only do so much if you're playing a flute." Anderson then compared the performance requirements of Rolling Stones frontman Jagger, saying, "If you are Mick Jagger and you're just running around with sort of shout-out vocals, then yeah -- no disrespect, but Mick Jagger didn't set the bar very high in terms of vocal skills right from the very beginning. He's a shouter, and he doesn't have to really hit the notes or necessarily be terribly great on intonation or phrasing or anything." Anderson added: "He runs around in a very animated way, and that's great for someone who's -- whatever -- a couple of years older than me, or three years older than me. That's fine. But it's not that easy if you're trying to play a flute -- there is a limit to what you can do. And it tends to be that if I'm not playing the flute, I'm singing." Anderson also discussed performing with health issues; sharing he had been diagnosed with "incurable lung disease" COPD in 2020, interfering with his abilities to perform on stage. He went on to compare his health with the some other legendary singers -- including Osbourne (the interview took place before Ozzy's death). "Luckily, I'm not in a position of poor old Ozzy Osbourne or equally poor old Phil Collins, or Billy Joel or a whole bunch of other people whose performance has been essentially terminated forever because, although they're still alive, they're not physically capable of doing concerts," he explained. "And that's hopefully a way off in my life. But you've gotta face reality. I'll be 78 in a couple of weeks' time. And that's bringing with it a few issues." Since Anderson's diagnosis, Jethro Tull have managed to tour regularly -- although briefly -- and are currently midway through their "Seven Decades" tour across Europe. In 2026, they'll play three UK shows in Newcastle (4/23), London (5/6) and Southampton (5/9). - NME, 7/29/25...... Speaking of Phil Collins, the former Genesis frontman and '80s solo superstar has shut down online rumors that he's currently in hospice care, and is instead in the hospital for knee surgery. Speaking to the celebrity gossip site TMZ.com, a rep for the 73-year-old singer/drummer said those rumors are unfounded. Speculation surrounding Collins' health began circulating online in mid-July, with some social media users falsely claiming that the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer had entered hospice -- a facility typically reserved for end-of-life care. Concerns over the musician's health have been ongoing in recent years. Collins has openly discussed his medical challenges, many of which stem from a serious spinal injury he suffered in 2007. Complications from that injury led to nerve damage and drop-foot, a condition that has left him with little to no sensation in one of his feet. Since 2015, Collins has used a cane to walk and has had difficulty standing for extended periods. Collins, who officially retired from performing with Genesis in 2022 following a seated farewell concert, has also shared in past interviews that he had postponed recording new music due to feeling "very sick." His final Genesis performance in London saw him joined by longtime bandmates Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks, and was marked by an outpouring of love from fans. At the time, Collins joked to the crowd, "After tonight, we've all got to get real jobs." - Billboard, 7/28/25...... Just hours after the conclusion of the new Billy Joel documentary And So It Goes, which had its second and final part premiering on HBO on July 25, an extensive collection of unheard and unreleased material from Joel's archives was uploaded to streaming services. Six-and-a-half hours of unheard material and live performances from Joel's storied career were made available, including early tracks from his time as a member of groups such as The Hassles and The Lost Souls. The 115 songs are also accompanied by audio clips of Joel and others providing introductions to some of the selections. A number of live cuts from notable performances such as Joel's appearance on the UK program The Old Grey Whistle Test and some recorded the day he signed with Columbia Records, are also present, as is the debut rendition of "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" -- recorded on May 6, 1977 at C.W. Post College in Long Island. Produced by Steve Cohen, Bradshaw Leigh and John Jackson, the new collection is likely to be accompanied further releases of similarly unheard material in the future. "There's a ton of stuff that's in his personal vault and there's a ton of stuff that's in Sony's vault, with not a ton of overlap," Jackson told UltimateClassicRock.com. "We are determined to go through both things in the coming years." In his new documentary, Joel once again condemns Pres. Donald Trump's 2017 speech about the white nationalist's Unite the Right rally that took place in Charlottesville, Va., in which the president said there were "some very fine people on both sides." Joel says that while he "never liked getting political on stage," there are situations about which he feels the need to speak out, and this is one of them. "There is no qualifying it," Joel says. "The Nazis are not good people. Period! And I was very angry, and I had to do something, but I didn't want to get up on a soapbox on stage and say, 'This is wrong,' so I wore the star. But basically to say, no matter what, I will always be a Jew." Meanwhile in a recent video posted by Joel on Instagram, he is shown pulling up next to a man riding a bicycle, chauffeuring two women sitting in an attached passenger car while blasting the rocker's iconic 1976 classic "New York State of Mind." Joel looks stunned as he greets the trio from the backseat window of his car, with the biker not recognizing him at first. When it dawns on him that he's looking at the creator of the song he's playing, the "taxi" driver says excitedly: "We are playing you, man! Can I take a picture with you, please?" The women in the back look just as psyched. "How are you feeling?" one of them asks, most likely referencing Joel's recent normal pressure hydrocephalus diagnosis. "We're in a New York State of Mind always," Joel captioned the clip, adding a heart emoji. - Billboard, 7/28/25...... 
Iggy Pop has played his song "Punkrocker," which features prominently in the new summer blockbuster Superman, for the time ever. The track was, until recently, a relatively obscure entry in the Stooges frontman's back catalogue, having been recorded alongside Teddybears for their 2006 album Soft Machine. However, it has seen a huge surge in interest since being included in the closing scene of director James Gunn's new big screen reboot of the DC Comics superhero, and at a show in Portland, Ore. on July 26, Pop gave it its first outing on stage. The singer was playing at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park as part of the Project Pabst Festival and he chose to close his show with the song. The song has resonance in the film as it follows on from a conversation between David Corenswet's Superman and Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane in which the superhero asserts that kindness is "the real punk rock." Speaking recently to The Hollywood Reporter, Pop shared his joy at seeing the track featured in the movie. "I always thought the track had soul," said Iggy, who earlier in July made a raucous appearance at the UK's Mad Cool festival. "Superman is the best friend you could have." Fan-captured footage of "Punkrocker" has been shared on YouTube. - NME, 7/27/25...... Star Wars mastermind George Lucas appeared for the first time at the San Diego pop cultural extravaganza Comic-Con on July 27 to an ovation from thousands of attendees, some holding light sabers in the air, with soaring Star Wars music filling the room. The 81-year-old Lucas, decidedly earthbound in his jeans and flannel shirt and a bit embarrassed by the attention, then participated in a thoughtful panel discussion about the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art he's building with his wife, businesswoman Mellody Hobson. "This is sort of a temple to the people's art," Lucas told the crowd. The museum designed by Ma Yansong resembles a giant space cruiser, and at 300,000 square feet it's about the size of an average IKEA store. Star Wars art and artifacts will be well-represented as shown in an introductory video narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. The panel discussion also included director Guillermo del Toro and production designer Doug Chiang, who has worked on Star Wars films since the Lucas-directed Star Wars prequels in the 1990s. Rapper, singer and actor Queen Latifah, a friend of Lucas and Hobson who called herself a "sci-fi nerd," served as moderator and chief energizer of the panel. "Are y'all pumped up for this museum now or what?" she shouted to the crowd at the end. Lucas said the project began in part just to have a place for everything he's collected since he was in college in the 1960s, when he learned original drawings from comic books and comic strips were surprisingly affordable. "I could get an 'Alley-Oop' for $30," Lucas said. "I've been collecting narrative art ever since." He owns the first drawing of Flash Gordon, original panels of "Peanuts" comic strips complete with notes from artist Charles Schulz, and early drawings of Iron Man and Black Panther, along with original artwork for political cartoons and alternative comics. He would later move on to paintings and art from films, after the Star Wars money began pouring in. "What am I going to do with it all?" Lucas said. "I refuse to sell it. I could never do that." Del Toro, himself a famous hoarder of pop culture artifacts and a museum board member, said the January Los Angeles wildfires came "frighteningly close" to the collection he keeps at home. "Now that the museum exists, a lot of it may go there," Del Toro said. The Lucas museum's 11-acre campus sits right next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and near several other major museums and the University of Southern California. An exact date for its opening has not been announced. - Associated Press, 7/27/25...... 
Diana Ross completed a two-night run at L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl on July 25 as part of her "Celebrating Timeless Classics Tour." Before launching into her 1980 classic "Upside Down," the 81-year-old Ross wasn't shy about acknowledging her senior status. "You know I'm 81, right?" she slyly queried the packed house before being greeted with a chorus of raucous cheers in response. There was no opening act at the show -- and one wasn't missed or needed -- as Ross got right down to business with a video presentation chronicling her career and life. "It took me a lifetime to get here, and I'm not going anywhere," she noted in a voiceover as photos of her in performance flashed onscreen. Amid family photos and video footage featuring her parents and siblings (her dad in one clip describes Diana as "wild" growing up), Ross proclaims that "singing became my life." The video then cut to photos of her with fellow Supremes Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard during their '60s heyday. Other chapters in her illustrious career and life were also spotlighted from her solo work (including duet turns with Lionel Richie and Marvin Gaye) to film and TV projects to her children ("Having babies was the most magical for me"). In watching, you're reminded of all Ross has accomplished. But as she emphasizes in the video, "Through it all, there's always been music." Ross, who also sang "Tomorrow" from her latest album Thank You, introduced a special guest during the show's second half: daughter Rhonda Ross. Rhonda performed a couple of songs, including one she wrote for Thank You titled "Count on Me." After changing into a gold lam gown accented by a golden coat, Ross sang her cover of Frankie Lymon's "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" followed by "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" and the still mesmerizing "Love Hangover" -- after which her family, including daughters Rhonda and Tracee, plus grandchildren, joined a thankful Ross onstage. As she'd noted at the show's start, "There's nothing more magical than the energy onstage." - Billboard, 7/26/25...... British jazz singer Cleo Laine, whose husky contralto was one of the most distinctive voices in jazz and who was regarded by many as Britain's greatest contribution to the quintessentially American music, died on July 25 at age 97. Ms. Laine's career spanned the Atlantic and crossed genres: She sang the songs of Kurt Weill, Arnold Schoenberg and Robert Schumann; she acted on stage and on film, and even played God in a production of Benjamin Britten's "Noye's Fludde." Her life and art were intimately bound up with her jazz musician husband band leader John Dankworth, who gave her a job and her stage name in 1951, and married her seven years later. Both were still performing after their 80th birthdays. Dankworth died in 2010 at 82. Ms. Laine began winning a following in the United States in 1972 with a concert at the Alice Tully Hall in New York. It wasn't well-attended, but The New York Times gave her a glowing review. Ms. Laine said in an interview with the Boston Globe in 2003 that the secret of her longevity was that "I was never a complete belter." There was always a protective side in me, and an inner voice always said, 'Don't do that -- it's not good for you and your voice.'" She is survived by her son and daughter. - AP, 7/26/25...... Tom Lehrer, the highly influential American satirist and singer-songwriter, died at his home in Cambridge, Mass., on July 26. He was 97. Mr. Lehrer was widely recognized for his incisive, darkly comedic songs that targeted the politics and society of '50s and '60s American life, and he has been cited as a key influence on the work of the likes of Randy Newman, "Weird Al" Yankovic and The Simpsons. Born in New York on Apr. 9, 1928, he began playing piano at a young age and was accepted into Harvard at the age of 15. While studying for a doctorate in mathematics in the early '50s, he recorded his debut album Songs Of Tom Lehrerin 1953, which became a cult hit in the Boston area and sold 10,000 copies. He continued in higher education throughout his adult life, becoming a professor in mathematics at Harvard and later at UC Santa Cruz. After establishing himself on the underground beatnik circuit in the 1950s, he rose to greater prominence with his regular contributions to NBC's That Was The Week That Was, the US spin-off of the landmark David Frost-fronted BBC satirical show. Mr. Lehrer was comfortable challenging social taboos of the day in his songs, including drug addiction ("The Old Dope Peddler"), militant patriotism ("It Makes A Fellow Proud To Be A Soldier"), nuclear proliferation ("So Long Mom") and sexuality ("The Masochism Tango"). He never married and leaves no children. - NME, 7/27/25.
The Who kicked off their farewell "The Song Is Over" tour in Piazzola sul Brenta, Italy on July 20. The band performed a 20-song set, which included hits such as "Baba O'Riley," "Pinball Wizard," "My Generation," "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "I Can't Explain." Notably, this is The Who's first tour without longtime drummer Zak Starkey, who was fired earlier this year. A public and protracted dispute between Starkey -- the son of Beatles legend Ringo Starr -- and the band began in April, following a charity show for the Teenage Cancer Trust at London's Royal Albert Hall. The longstanding member, who joined the band in 1996, was initially fired before being rehired, and eventually fired again within a matter of weeks. While in Italy, The Who also performed at the Parco Della Musica in Milan on July 22, before frontman Roger Daltrey plays a run of solo shows in the U.K. in early August. The "Song Is Over" tour will resume in North America on Aug. 16 in Florida. The series of shows will continue through the fall, including two dates at the iconic Hollywood Bowl (Sept. 17 & 19), as well as a night at Madison Square Garden in New York on Aug. 30. - Billboard, 7/22/25...... 
Great Britain's Channel 5 has commissioned a major new 90-minute Freddie Mercury documentary, Freddie Mercury: A Secret Daughter, which promises to unveil a previously unknown chapter of the iconic Queen frontman's life. The film is set to explore claims that Mercury fathered a daughter in the 1970s and maintained a close, loving relationship with her until his death in 1991. The astonishing narrative is based on evidence unearthed by writer Lesley-Ann Jones, one of Mercury's most prolific biographers. Jones, who has been granted unprecedented access to Mercury's private journals and has maintained extensive contact with the woman in question, referred to as "B" to protect her privacy, will unveil the revelation. According to Jones, Mercury meticulously recorded his life and innermost thoughts in these notebooks throughout their 14-year father-daughter relationship. "B" reportedly tracked Jones down and developed a friendship with the biographer over several years, eventually granting permission to share the contents of the journals and her personal memories of Mercury. These insights form the basis of Jones's new book, Love, Freddie, which aims to offer an entirely new perspective on Mercury's private life, from his early childhood in Zanzibar to his global superstardom and tragic passing. "B" asserts that these recollections will be the sole account of Mercury's true life story "as told by his own flesh and blood." The documentary is slated to air later in 2025, coinciding with the publication of Love, Freddie. - Music-News.com, 7/24/25...... Plans to bring ABBA Voyage -- the virtual concert experience from Swedish pop group ABBA -- to Australia have reportedly failed. First launched in May 2022, ABBA Voyage saw the quartet - which comprises Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Faltskog -- taking to the first stage for the first time in 40 years, albeit as digital avatars (or "ABBA-tars"). Currently, the experience is scheduled through Feb. 1, 2026, with questions having been raised as to where it may be held next (or if it will be extended). While reports of a Las Vegas debut have surfaced recently, discussions in regard to an Australian edition of ABBA Voyage have been in the works since 2023. Initially, both the cities of Sydney and Melbourne were in competition to host the production, with the latter reportedly winning out as the Victorian state government entered into what were labelled "advanced conversations." However, reports in May 2024 of an imminent announcement of a production at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse were later replaced by reports of stalled negotiations, with an unnamed government official claiming that ABBA Voyage organizers -- which includes Melbourne's Craig Hartenstine as CEO -- "got greedy." Now, a new report from the Herald Sun has stated the event is "not going ahead" in Melbourne after talks had "failed," with money and value for taxpayers being the sticking point. Reportedly, the ABBA Voyage production would require a purpose-built 3,000 seat venue to host the event and would cost $100 million AUD to be staged. Paul Dainty -- who serves as the president and chief executive of promoter TEG Dainty, and was responsible for bringing the group to Australia in 1977 -- called the news "disappointing." "It's been a long journey, but [ABBA Voyage] is a super expensive project," he added. "Maybe we can revisit it in the future." First launched in London in 2022, the immersive spectacle features 1979 versions of the band playing their biggest hits, backed by a 10-piece live band and a lofty light show. - Billboard, 7/23/25...... Tom Jones was forced to postpone a concert in Bremen, Germany set for July 22 after an upper resperatory infection made him unable to perform at the show. Posting on Instagram on July 22, Sir Tom shared that he'd be postponing that night's concert in Bremen to a later date. The performance at Seebhne waterfront will now take place on July 28. "Hello to all the fans in Bremen," Jones began in his statement. "Unfortunately, I must postpone my show this evening, as I've contracted an upper respiratory infection that needs treatment and rest. I know this is really disappointing and will cause inconvenience to you all, and I'm very sorry about that." The "She's A Lady" singer went on to emphasize that all tickets purchased for the postponed show would remain valid for the makeup performance on the 28th. "I look forward to seeing you then," he added. "Until then, thank you for your understanding." The announcement comes as Jones is traveling through Europe on a summer-long tour that will wrap in late August. Shortly before kicking off the trek in June, he wrote on Instagram, "I'm very much looking forward to be performing again for you all." Also in June, the veteran Welsh singer rang in his 85th birthday, which he celebrated on the set of The Voice U.K. The musician has been a coach for 14 seasons, and he is currently filming the next installment with fellow judges Kelly Rowland, Will.I.Am and McFly. - Billboard, 7/22/25...... 
Although Village People previously gave Pres. Donald Trump the green flag to use their No. 1 1979 hit "Y.M.C.A." in his campaign efforts, a recent video featuring the song shared by the POTUS may have just crossed a line in the eyes of the famous disco group. Shortly after Trump shared a fake, AI-generated video on Truth Social of former Pres. Barack Obama getting arrested while the band's iconic 1970s hit plays in the background, the group shared its thoughts on the matter in a joint statement to People magazine on July 21. "While we don't want 'Y.M.C.A.' to be used for political endorsements of any kind, President Trump merely sharing a video containing our song does not meet the standard for copyright infringement," the members said. "However, we will attempt to find the original person or entity who posted the offensive video featuring President Barack Obama, and have such video taken down as not being endorsed by Village People, nor any of the owners of the copyright," the group added. In the controversial video, digital renderings of Trump and Obama sit together in the Oval Office. As faux FBI officers suddenly come into view, the twice-impeached chief of state smiles unnaturally while the Democratic politician is handcuffed and carried out of frame. The clip -- which also features a montage of Democratic party leaders repeating the phrase, "No one is above the law" -- then cuts to AI-generated shots of Obama standing behind bars, wearing an orange jumpsuit. The former president has never been arrested, though the sitting POTUS is a convicted felon. - Billboard, 7/21/25...... Billy Joel has shared an update on how he's feeling after being diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus. At the beginning of his recent interview on talk show host Bill Maher's Club Random Podcast posted on July 21, the Piano Man said that, overall, he's feeling alright as he deals with the brain condition. "It's not fixed," he began when asked whether his illness had been cured yet. "It's still being worked on." "I feel fine," Joel continued, sitting at a piano as he conversed with Maher. "My balance sucks. It's like being on a boat. [My condition] used to be called 'water on the brain.' Now it's called normal pressure hydrocephalus." The podcast comes about two months after Joel, 79, canceled all of his upcoming shows due to his NPH diagnosis, writing in a statement at the time, "I'm sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience, and thank you for understanding." His team also shared at the time that he would be undergoing "specific physical therapy" to combat the disorder, which has affected his hearing, vision, balance and performance capabilities. During the interview, Joel also revealed that he's "not a big fan" of the Beatles "White Album," released in 1968. As the pair discussed classic double albums, Joel said: "I'm not a big fan of the White album, but some people love it. I hear it as a collection of half-assed songs they didn't finish writing because they were too stoned, or they didn't care anymore," he continued. "I think they had fragments and they put them on the album." He went on to say that "I think John [Lennon] was dissasociating at that point," adding: "I think Paul [McCartney] was carrying the weight." The musician theorized that the band "had their ups and downs" as to why the "White Album"' took a dip in quality, going on to explain: "Sometimes they were more prolific and sometimes they weren't, and I hear that in some of those things." The full interview with Maher has been shared on YouTube, and a new two-part Joel documentary, And So It Goes is premiering on HBO Max in July. - Billboard, 7/21/25...... Def Leppard announced on July 21 that they're headed back to Las Vegas for their third residency in Sin City. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group announced their Def Leppard: Live at Caesars Palace The Las Vegas Residency will set up shop at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace from Feb. 3-28, 2026. The latest run follows up on previous residencies by Def Leppard in 2019 and 2013. "Las Vegas has always been such a main attraction for Def Leppard. There's no place on earth where you can have the likes of Adele, U2 and The Eagles all playing sold out shows on the same night!," Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott in a statement. "We're really looking forward to coming back for our third Vegas residency and to do a run at the iconic Colosseum at Caesars Palace is such an honor given the giants that have blessed that stage!" A preview video and the full list of dates for Def Leppard's Vegas residency shows can be viewed on Instagram. - Billboard, 7/21/25...... 
The recent sensational rumors of a Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham "reunion" appear to be a teaser for the rerelease of the pair's '70s album Buckingham Nicks. Released in 1973 when were they were relative unknowns -- a young couple putting out their own album and posing nude on the cover like a Laurel Canyon version of Adam and Eve -- the LP has for decades maintained somewhat of a holy grail status in the dusty bins of record stores, selling for $20 to $90 depending on its condition. Now, in addition to new vinyl, it will be available on streaming and CD for the first time when it's reissued Sept. 19 on Rhino, Warner Music Group announced on July 23. "It's one of those records that everybody has heard of but not that many people have actually heard," said Brian Mansfield, a music historian, journalist and record collector in Nashville, Tenn. "Especially before everything got put onto YouTube, very few people had heard it because it had never been on CD. But it had this iconic cover that everybody recognized." Buckingham Nicks featured the duo's iconic harmonies and Buckingham's distinct guitar sound, which later fueled Fleetwood Mac's ability to sell tens of millions of records. But Buckingham Nicks sold poorly upon release and Polydor Records dropped them from the label, prompting Nicks' return to waitressing and Buckingham to briefly tour with Don Everly. The rest of the story is enshrined in lore: Drummer Mick Fleetwood heard "Frozen Love" from the album when he visited the studio where it was recorded, Sound City. After guitarist Bob Welch left the band, Fleetwood invited Buckingham to join, with Buckingham insisting Nicks join too. The band also included the late Christine McVie on keyboards and John McVie on bass. Mansfield says he has no idea why Buckingham Nicks hasn't been reissued more considering the steady demand. For him, it's a good album but not one that reached the heights of what was to come. "It's definitely not there yet," he said. "I don't know that there's anything on this album that would have made a Fleetwood (Mac) album." The romantic relationship between Buckingham and Nicks would end around the making of Rumours, and Buckingham would eventually be kicked off the band's tour in 2018, prompting a lawsuit that was later settled. Buckingham and Nicks seemed to be operating in perfect symmetry -- at least on Instagram. Each posted half a line from "Frozen Love," -- with Nicks writing "And if you go forward" and Buckingham responding, "I'll meet you there." On July 23, they shared the same video of a billboard being put up in Hollywood to advertise the reissue of Buckingham Nicks. "We may have made the album more than 50 years ago," Buckingham said in announcing its reissue, "but it stands up in a way you hope it would, by these two kids who were pretty young to be doing that work." - AP, 7/24/25...... Hulk Hogan, one of pro wrestling's biggest icons who found crossover fame in the world of entertainment, died on July 24 after suffering a heart attack. He was 71. Born Terry Gene Bollea and raised in Florida, Hogan found fame in the 1980s after triumphing over Iron Sheik to become the World Wrestling Federation's heavyweight winner. The win sparked a phenomenon in the wrestling world known as "Hulkmania," which saw him through a total of six WWE championship wins and eight WrestleMania headlining slots over the course of his career. In the 1990s, Hogan nurtured his penchant for acting through appearances in Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Suburban Commando, Mr. Nanny and Santa With Muscles. In 1995, Hogan released an album titled Hulk Rules under the name Hulk Hogan and the Wrestling Boot Band. The set reached No. 12 on Billboard's Kid Albums chart on Sept. 9, 1995, marking his only chart appearance. Famous for his signature blond mustache and red bandana, "The Hulk" was also known for making cameos as himself in projects such as 1999's Muppets From Space and TV show The Goldbergs. Heavily associated with his walkout song "Real American," Hogan was also outspoken in his conservative political beliefs. In 2024, he appeared at the Republican National Convention, supporting Donald Trump's third presidential campaign. The athlete is survived by his children, Nick and Brooke, whom he shared with first wife Linda Claridge, and his wife, Sky Daily. Hogan was also previously married to Jennifer McDaniel for more than a decade, ending with a separation in 2021. - Billboard, 7/24/25...... 
Beloved jazz musician Chuck Mangione, a leading figure in contemporary jazz and the musician behind crossover hit "Feels So Good," died in his sleep on July 22 at his home in Rochester, N.Y. He was 84. Born Nov. 29, 1940, Mr. Mangione grew up listening to jazz music and learning from the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, who was a "family friend," according to his Spotify bio. An alum of Eastman School of Music -- where he would later serve as faculty director of the Eastman Jazz Orchestra -- Mr. Mangione played in a quintet called the Jazz Brothers with his brother, keyboardist Gap, and performed in Woody Hermanand Maynard Ferguson's big bands. As an artist in his own right, Mr. Mangione infused his compositions with lighter, pop-inspired techniques that ultimately helped him reach the mainstream, despite his more niche musical background. He scored five entries on the Billboard Hot 100 pop charts in his lifetime with the tracks "Hill Where the Lord Hides," "Chase the Clouds Away," "Land of Make Believe," "Give It All You Got" and, of course, "Feels So Good," which reached No. 4 on the chart in 1978 -- a rare feat for an instrumental pop-jazz recording. Mr. Mangione also charted 17 albums on the Billboard 200, with Feels So Good earning him his career highest peak at No. 2 and a platinum album. Mr. Mangione was also a Grammy winner, taking home two of his 14 total nominations. In 1977, he won best instrumental composition for "Bellavia," and two years later, he was awarded best pop instrumental performance for "Children Of Sanchez." Both a trumpeter and flugelhorn player, Mr. Mangione became recognizable not just for his music, but also for his distinct look. Voicing himself as a recurring character on the Fox animated series King of the Hill, he was always depicted with his signature hat and long hairstyle on the animated series. Other notable moments in Mr. Mangione's career also included his association with the Olympics, which used his track "Chase the Clouds Away" in the 1976 Games. Two years later, he performed "Give It All You Got" at the 1980 Winter Games closing ceremony in Lake Placid, N.Y. - Billboard, 7/24/25.
There won't ever be another like him. Geezer, Bill and myself have lost our brother." He added, "Rest in peace Oz." Posting on 
"He has inspired an entire generation -- all the bands you have play at your festival have in some way been inspired by Black Sabbath and Ozzy," one fan wrote. Meanwhile, clips of the MTV reality series The Osbournes have flooded social media in wake of Ozzy's death. Specific moments were celebrated by some fans, including Ozzy's love of burritos in the show. One said: "if you really wanna honour Ozzy Osbourne in a way he would love beyond his music & please, enjoy a burrito in his memory. those who remember, know this for sure. the man loved a good burrito." Other areas outside of music are also honoring Ozzy -- gamers shared a famous PlayStation ad featuring him, while The Alamo in Texas remembered an infamous moment where Osbourne mistakenly urinated on the monument, sharing an unusual tribute. As fans and friends remember Ozzy, the "Prince of Darkness" will be in our lives for a long time to come thanks to the handful of legacy ventures he was working on before his death. Mercury Studio recently announced that the best bits of the epic "Back to the Beginning" show will be compiled in a 100-minute concert film, Back to the Beginning: Ozzy's Final Bow, slated to hit movie theaters in early 2026. A feature-length documentary chronicling Ozzy's six-year struggle to recuperate from a devastating 2019 fall, Ozzy Osbourne: No Escape From Now, will debut on Paramount+ later in 2025. Osbourne had also announced a new memoir, Last Rites, which is due out on Oct. 7 through Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group. The follow-up to the rocker's 2009 memoir, I Am Ozzy, will reportedly cover the health crises the 76-year-old metal god endured over his final years, including the Parkinson's diagnosis that forced him to retire from touring. And a new cosmetics line had been announced just weeks before his death - "Ozzy Osbourne x Jolie Beauty." In light of the news of his passing, the Birmingham-based beauty business said fans have been scrambling to snap up the devilishly dashing range of eyeshadows, makeup brushes and metallic lipsticks and glosses. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 7/23/25.
Born John Michael Osbourne on Dec. 3, 1948, in the Aston area of Birmingham, England, he was the fourth of six children to mother Lilian, who was a factory worker, and father, John, also known as Jack, who toiled as a toolmaker. He earned the nickname Ozzy in elementary school, by which time he was struggling with undiagnosed dyslexia, attention deficit disorder and low self-esteem. Embarrassed about the lack of money in his home, Ozzy lost himself in the fantasy of music. Listening to the Beatles' "She Loves You" made him want to be a musician. He quit school at age 15 and worked in construction, plumbing and in an abattoir. Ozzy's first gig came in 1967, when future Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler hired him for his band Rare Breed. After two gigs, they broke up, freeing the singer and Butler to join with the other future Sabbath members, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward. The foursome were billed for a while as Earth before adopting their haunted moniker in 1969, based on a like-named horror movie. Stressing menacing guitar riffs, shadowy bass lines, and thundering drums, and topped by Ozzy's devilish voice, Black Sabbath was signed to a record deal by Warner Bros. in 1970. Sabbath's 
One month later, while wearing a dress owned by his later wife Sharon Arden, he urinated on a monument erected to honor those who died at the battle of the Alamo in Texas. As a consequence, he was banned from the city of San Antonio for a decade. Ozzy later blamed all those actions on profound intoxication, a state he frequently admitted to maintaining for much of his career. One such binge escalated to the point where he tried to strangle his third wife Sharon Osbourne, an act he didn't remember committing. "It's one of the most regretful things," he told British GQ. "I woke up in jail the next morning. Thank God, she dropped the charges. And still I didn't stop drinking." For the next few months, a despondent, dejected Ozzy went on a self-destructive binge. He was rallied by Sharon Arden, whose father, Don Arden, then managed both the singer and his ex-band. Ozzy credits Arden with turning him around, and with encouraging him to form his own band, who backed him for his solo debut, Blizzard of Ozz. It became one of the best-selling works of his career, bolstered by songs like "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley," the latter penned for the famous Satanist Aleister Crowley. His follow-up, Diary of a Madman, in 1981, sold over 3 million copies. But tragedy came the next year when the gifted guitarist in his band, Randy Rhoads, was killed in the crash of a light aircraft, which also took the lives of two others. Though deeply depressed, Ozzy married Sharon four months after the incident. His solo albums continued to sell in huge numbers, never dipping below gold status, or missing the top 25 of the Billboard 200, right through his last studio work, 2010's Scream; the only exception was a 2005 collection of interpretive recordings titled Under Covers. Ozzy's image received an improbable overhaul when he arose as an oddly lovable TV star in the early 2000's. Along with his wife and two of his children, Jack and Kelly Osbourne, he starred in the MTV series The Osbournes, one of the first family-centered reality shows, and one of network's biggest hits. The show presented Ozzy as doddering, gibberish-spewing dad but one who adores his family unendingly. While some saw the portrayal as a contradiction of his devilish image, he viewed them as part of a piece. "I'm just a zany ham," he told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2018. "It's all entertainment." In late 2011, the original lineup of Sabbath announced a reunion tour and an album to be produced by Rick Rubin. When contractual issues caused drummer Bill Ward to bow out, Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk stepped in. 
Two years later, the band issued their first album with Ozzy in over thirty years. Titled 
Styx released its 18th studio album and third in seven years, 
The "Rumours" gang are at it again. Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham have sparked rumours of an imminent reunion after the two recently shared a pair of cryptic posts on Instagram. Nicks and Buckingham dated between 1972 and 1976 and had remained bandmates in Fleetwood Mac until Buckingham was fired from the band in 2018 after over 40 years in somewhat acrimonious circumstances relating to a disagreement over a tour, to be replaced by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers' Mike Campbell and Crowded House's Neil Finn. The two had appeared to be at loggerheads since then, but in an 
David Byrne has shared "She Explains Things To Me," the second single from his forthcoming new album, 
On July 16 Robert Plant announced he'll release a new album of covers, 
Stevie Wonder has used an appearance at a recent concert to address the longstanding conspiracy theory that he isn't actually blind. Wonder -- who has been performing since the age of 11 and scored his first Billboard No. 1 with "Fingertips" at the tender age of13 -- has long been noted for his status as a blind man, having lost his vision weeks after his birth. However, his prolific output and tireless work in the music industry over the past 64 years has resulted in a half-serious theory that Wonder can in fact see. Though often shared as a tongue-in-cheek rumor, the Motown legend's ability to navigate the world around him has resulted in many of these theories coming to light. In 2019, former NBA player Shaquille O'Neal shared a tale of Wonder recognizing him in an elevator, while comedian and actor Anthony Anderson once recalled how he challenged Wonder to a basketball game. "What y'all don't know is, Stevie can see," he told Stephen Colbert in 2016. "It's just an act." Now, at a recent tour stop in Cardiff, Wales for his "Love, Light & Song" U.K. tour, Wonder used an opportunity to speak to the crowd to dispel the enduring speculation. "I must say to all of you, something that I was thinking, 'When did I want to let the world know this?' But I wanted to say it right now," Wonder began in his monologue, which can be viewed on 
Legendary lyricist Alan Bergman, known for penning the words to such iconic works as 
Beloved pop singer/actress Connie Francis, who in 1960 became the first woman to score a No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with her signature hit "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," died on July 17. She was 87. The news was confirmed by her publicist, Ron Roberts, in a Facebook post in which he wrote, "it is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that i inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night. I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news." Roberts did not reveal where Ms. Francis died or the cause of her death, which came two weeks after the singer told fans that she'd been rushed to the intensive care unit at a hospital in Florida suffering from what she described as "extreme pain." In March of this year Ms. Francis told fans that she was in a wheelchair due to a "troublesome, painful" hip and was undergoing stem cell therapy to deal with the issue. Born Concetta Franconero on Dec. 12, 1937, in Newark, N.J., Ms. Francis sold more than 40 million records and was one of the most popular female singers in the U.S., scoring 35 top 40 hits, including 16 top 10s and three No. 1s. After getting her start in pageants and a series of variety shows such as Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour and Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts in the mid-1950s -- where she often played the accordion -- Ms. Francis embarked on a bid to break into the music business that was initially met with indifference after signing with MGM Records in 1955 and releasing a string of 10 flop singles. She was saved from obscurity when, on the verge of giving up on her showbiz dreams and preparing to attend college, her father convinced her to record a cover of the 1923 ballad "Who's Sorry Now," a song she initially rejected as sounding too fusty for her. Though it seemed to be yet another chart fail at first, six months after Dick Clark spun the track on his American Bandstand show in Jan. 1958, the song sold one million copies and Ms. Francis was launched into a career that included hit singles in a number of languages -- including Yiddish, Italian and Irish -- as well as a sideline acting career. Initially providing the off-screen singing voice only for stars including Tuesday Weld in 1956's Rock, Rock, Rock! and Freda Holloway in 1957's Jamboree, Ms. Francis became a star in her own right by 1960 with her role in the comedy Where the Boys Are and a series of other lighthearted sequel comedies and musicals including Follow the Boys, Looking for Love and 1965's When the Boys Meet the Girls. With a versatile, easy listening voice and confident style, Francis' hot streak also included a number of top five hits, including 1958's "My Happiness" and "Lipstick on Your Collar" and 1961's "Where the Boys Are." Her chart dominance began to wane, however, by the mid-1960s as popular taste shifted to more uptempo rock from the likes of The Beatles and other British invasion acts. After fading from the charts, Ms. Francis' life was touched a series of tragic incidents, including a cosmetic procedure to narrow her nose that same year that impaired her ability to sing, and a 1974 incident in which she was beaten and raped at knifepoint at a motel after performing at a music festival in Westbury, N.Y. She later sued the Howard Johnson's motel chain for failing to provide adequate security and was awarded a $2.5 million judgement. According to The New York Times the brutal assault threw Francis into an "emotional tailspin" that included a descent into a "nightmare of paranoia, suicidal depression and drug abuse." The struggles continued, including the singer being committed to a mental hospital by her father in the early 1980s, where she was diagnosed with manic depression. Francis later said she'd been misdiagnosed and that she had actually been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after the "horrendous string of events" in her life, in reference to the sexual assault, the cosmetic surgery effects on her voice and her younger brother George's murder in 1981. She retired from the music industry in 2018. "Connie Francis led a truly extraordinary life," UMe president/CEO Bruce Resnikoff said in a statement. "She gave the world countless, timeless songs and inspired generations with her voice, resilience, and trailblazing spirit. We are deeply saddened by her passing, but take comfort in knowing how joyful and fulfilled she felt in these last few months, as a new generation discovered her music and celebrated her legacy." - Billboard, 7/17/25
After King Crimson guitarist Jakko Jakszyk told Goldmine magazine earlier in July that the English prog-rock icons were working on a new studio album, King Crimson manager David Singleton has taken to social media to urge fans not to get too excited about the prospect. "It was an amazing thing to have done, and in a way, part of it's still happening," said Jakszyk, who joined the veteran band in 2013. Jakszyk went on to say the band has "been doing it piecemeal," and with "a view to it coming out in some format at some point. But who knows when?" Now Singleton says "there is indeed the seed of a new recording [but] whether it is an album, whether it sees the light of day, whether it is something else is unknown. As is the outcome of any creative process." King Crimson was initially formed in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Ian McDonald, Greg Lake, Michael Giles, and Peter Sinfiel, with the band releasing their debut album, 
On July 10 Paul McCartney announced he's heading back out on the road for his first North American swing since 2022. Titled "Got Back 2025," the 19-date trek is slated to launch at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, CA on Sept. 29, then visit Las Vegas (10/4), Albuquerque (10/7), (10/11), Des Moines (10/14), Minneapolis (10/17), Tulsa (10/22), New Orleans (10/29), Atlanta (11/2, 3), Nashville (11/6), Columbus (11/8), Pittsburgh (11/11), Buffalo (11/14), Montreal (11/17) and Hamilton, Ontario (11/21) before winding down with a two-night stand at the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 24-25. The tour is the indefatigable former Beatle's follow-up to his run of three surprise shows at the intimate Bowery Ballroom in New York in early February, and close-out performance of an Abbey Road medley at the SNL50: The Anniversary Special just days later. While a number of the stops are in cities the singer has played before, a few will be first-time visits, including Albuquerque and the Palm Springs kick-off. Tickets are set to go on sale on July 18. Sir Paul first launched his Got Back run of shows in 2022 with 16 sold-out U.S. gigs, followed by an international edition the next year and 20 more concerts in South America, Mexico, the U.K. and Europe in 2024. Meanwhile, Macca has discussed his creative approach to music in a new interview with BBC Radio 3's Sound Sources host Elizabeth Alker. "You can do something apparently very strange with a piece of music and then you listen to it, and you go 'Oh I really like that'. It's like abstract art I mean, not everything we see is clear and figurative," he said. "Sometimes when you're asleep or you rub your eye, you see an abstract. So, your mind knows about it. We know about this stuff. So, it was the same with music." The full program can be streamed at the 
Two months after announcing the upcoming publication of a long-awaited memoir, Yusuf/Cat Stevens has announced the release of a "definitive" greatest hits collection. 
'70s novelty hitmaker Ray Stevens is reportedly recovering after undergoing a miniminally invasive heart surgery operation on July 7. On July 4, the