A judge has denied Cher's bid to have a conservator placed in charge of the finances of her son, 49-year-old Elijah Blue Allman. Earlier in April, Cher submitted an application to Los Angeles Superior Court to file for conservatorship, with the case stating that Allman "has significantly deteriorated" since 2023. "The proposed conservatee is currently in custody in the State of New Hampshire in a locked psychiatric hospital in an attempt to restore him to competency to face criminal charges in two cases," the filing stated. Now, a Los Angeles County judge has denied the request on Apr. 24, saying she did not see the urgency of the claim and confirming she would reconsider the matter at a second hearing in June. "I certainly understand the concerns of Mr. Allman's friends and family regarding his behaviour," Judge Jessica A. Uzcategui said. "But those concerns do not necessarily equate to a finding that the proposed conservatee lacks capacity or that a probate conservatorship is appropriate. I am going to deny the temporary conservatorship without prejudice." Allman appeared at the hearing remotely from his New Hampshire hospital, speaking only to ask for his attorney to represent him and to thank the judge for her ruling. Allman was reportedly arrested for causing a disturbance at a private school on March 1, while two days later he was arrested again after allegedly breaking into a home in Windham, New Hampshire. Elijah Blue's father, Gregg Allman died in 2017 and Elijah reportedly receives an annual allowance of $120,000 per year from his trust. Cher has in the past claimed that the money is spent primarily on "drugs, expensive hotels and limousine transportation." Elijah Blue later filed an objection to his mother's request, stating that he was not in need of a conservatorship and claiming that Cher would be "unfit to serve." The family then reached a private settlement in 2024, having paused court proceedings to attempt to resolve the matter privately. - New Musical Express, 4/25/26...... 
An authorized Ramones exhibit will open at the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas on July 4, and Rhino Records has announed a series of reissues and remastered, upscaled Ramones videos. To mark the group's 50th anniversary, the Ramones and Rhino Records are launching a year-long celebration that will include the only authorized exhibition dedicated to the seminal punk band. The show organized and curated by the Punk Foundation in collaboration with late guitarist Johnny Ramone's wife Linda Ramone and Ramones Production Inc., will feature the band's music, memorabilia, along with public and member's only performances, artist conversations, interactive experiences, artist-led tours and other events. The museum will also host a 4th of July bash featuring the Ramones tribute band Mama's Boy. In addition, between now and the end of 2026, the band and Rhino will announced a series of physical reissues and releases, as well as tribute performances and newly remastered, upscaled videos for such classics as "I Wanna Be Sedated," "Psycho Therapy," "Rock N' Roll High School," "Sheena is a Punk Rocker," "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)," "We Want the Airwaves," "Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio?" and others. - Billboard, 4/24/26...... In other '70s punk news, the 2026 edition of the CBGB Festival in NYC will feature a mix of classic and contemporary punk and new wave acts, topped by former Smiths singer and solo performer Morrissey, as well as punk godmother Patti Smith, Interpol and the Sex Pistols, featuring charter members guitarist Steve Jones, bassist Glen Matlock and drummer Paul Cook, with singer Frank Carter subbing in for original vocalist Johnny Rotten/John Lydon. The event honoring the legendary punk club in New York's East Village that beginning in 1973 was the launching pad for the first wave of American punk acts such as the Ramones, Smiths, Television, Blondie and the Talking Heads, among many others, will take place on Sept. 26 at Under the K Bridge Park in Brooklyn. Also on this year's bill, classic acts Buzzcocks, Bikini Kill, Agnostic Front, Circle Jerks and Haywire, as well as contemporary acts keeping the flame alive such as Upchuck, Militarie Gun, High Vis, Bad Nerves and Panic Shack. A CBGB Festival poster can be viewed on Instagram. - Billboard, 4/22/26...... A legal battle concerning Black Sabbath's early demos has been resolved, with all four original members regaining ownership of the songs they recorded as Earth in 1969. In 2025, it was announced that a compilation of demos recorded by Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward in 1969, when they still went by the name Earth, was to be released under the title Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes. The tracks were recorded in Zella Studios in Birmingham, with a new release said to be overseen by Jim Simpson, the band's manager at the time, with an initial release date of July last year. That release did not materialize, and Sharon Osbourne spoke out against the project at the time, issuing a lengthy social media post in which she outlined the Black Sabbath legal position, which disputes the legal ownership of the recordings. "We settled with Jim Simpson and the band now have their demos back," Sharon said in a new interview. "And all four of them own it, which is where it should be. All of that stuff should be theirs. So it all ended well. So, yeah, they own them." Meanwhile, rapper Yungblud celebrated Ozzy and Black Sabbath at a show in Birmingham, UK on Apr. 23. Yungblud treated the crowd in Birmingham to a particularly poignant rendition of his cover of Sabbath's "Changes." In the intro, the video screen showed some fans holding up a sign that read: "Ozzy would be proud." The audience also chanted Osbourne's name. Yungblud performed at Sabbath's final-ever show, held in Birmingham last summer, where he gifted Osbourne a custom-made gold cross. His Birmingham performance of "Changes" can be streamed on YouTube. - NME, 4/25/26...... On Apr. 23 a Los Angeles judge dismissed Smokey Robinson's defamation counterclaims against former employees suing the Motown legend for sexual abuse. Judge Kevin C. Brazile ruled there isn't sufficient evidence to hold Robinson's former anonymous housekeepers and their lawyers liable for calling the singer a rapist at a press conference in 2025. However the decision is not a ruling on the veracity of the women's underlying sexual assault allegations; it's focused only on the defamation claims, which are subject to a higher pleading standard due to free speech laws. Robinson still has separate counterclaims pending against the housekeepers for allegedly deleting evidence and stealing from his family. Those claims are moving forward through discovery alongside the women's core sexual assault allegations, with a trial scheduled for 2027. A lawyer for the accusers, John Harris, said in a statement that the ruling "stands as a powerful and unequivocal victory for our clients and for survivors everywhere who refuse to be silenced." The legal battle began in May 2025, when the four unnamed women filed a $50 million lawsuit alleging the 85-year-old artist had sexually abused them between 2007 and 2024. Later on, another female housekeeper and a male car mechanic joined the lawsuit anonymously with additional assault claims. obinson vehemently denied all wrongdoing, saying the "vile, false allegations" were merely "an ugly method of trying to extract money." He countersued the accusers within weeks. The plaintiffs also filed police reports after they sued Robinson, leading the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to open a criminal investigation. No charges have been brought to date. - Billboard, 4/23/26...... Bob Dylan has added a dozen dates to his summer "Rough and Rowdy Ways" 2026 US tour in support of his 39th studio album of the same name on the meandering tour that originally kicked off in Nov. 2021. Among the new cities on the routing for this summer are stops in Cincinnati (7/10), Pittsburgh (7/12), Philadelphia (7/14), Boston (7/16), Gilford, N.H. (7/18), Bridgeport, Conn. (7/19), Queens, N.Y. (7/21) and Richmond, Va. (7/23), as well as Raleigh (7/28) and Wilmington, N.C (7/29)., Atlanta (7/31) and Nashville (8/1). The new shows announced will include opening acts Lucinda Williams and Jimmie Vaughn on most of the dates, with country singer Brittney Spencer and X singer/bassist John Doe's John Doe Folk Trio also joining on select dates. Pre-sale for the new shows is open now on ticketmaster.com/bob-dylan-tickets/. - Billboard, 4/22/26...... 
A 5-bedroom home in Benton, Ill., where a young George Harrison visited in Sept. 1963 just before he shot to worldwide fame with the Beatles, is up for sale. Harrison made his unassuming trip, when he shopped for records and bought a guitar from local shops, to visit his sister Louise Harrison Caldwell's home at 113 McCann St., about 100 miles southeast of St. Louis, and the house had a date with the wrecking ball in 1995. However a group of activists including Louise, who moved away in the late 1960s, stepped in to save it. In the mid-1990s, a state agency bought the five-bedroom bungalow built in 1935 from a subsequent owner with plans to flatten it for parking. Beatles mega-fan Robert Bartel of Springfield, a Beatles author and documentarian, alerted the media and Fab Four loyalists. Local investors repurchased it from the state and opened the "Hard Day's Nite Bed and Breakfast," featuring the couch Harrison traded guitar licks on and stacks of other loaned Beatles memorabilia, including a bevy from Bartel. The bed-and-breakfast closed in 2010. Benton resident Grady Adams has since operated it as regular bed-and-bath apartments but now wants to sell, listing it for $105,000. Brian Calcaterra, Benton's director of economic development, suggested the city draft an ordinance to protect the house from demolition by a new owner, but Benton Mayor Lee Messersmith said the city council has not discussed the matter. Harrison never returned to Benton, though, dying in 2001 at 58. Caldwell was 91 when she died in 2023. Meanwhile, Harrison's ex-wife Pattie Boyd has wondered aloud who will play her in the upcoming Beatles biopics directed by Sam Mendes. Boyd, a model and photographer who was married to the guitarist between 1966 and 1977 before she married Eric Clapton (who wrote the song "Layla" for her), posted on X/Twitter earlier in April: "I wonder who will be cast to play me? That's assuming that I get to feature in any of the movies." Based on responses to Boyd's post, it seems as if one actor seems to be a favorite of many: White Lotus - Season 3 cast member Aimee Lee Wood. Mendes said all four Beatles biopics will be released in Apr. 2028, and that they'll be the "first binge-able theatrical experience." - Associated Press/HuffPost.com, 4/17/26...... In other Beatles-related news, Sean Ono Lennon has defended a famous photograph of his father and mother John Lennon and Yoko Ono with a maid, claiming it was not taken with ironic intent. Taking to X/Twitter on Apr. 22, Sean responded to an image of John and Yoko at one of their well-known "bed-ins," standing by a maid in the process of making their bed. The couple held this particular "bed-in" at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel in Mar. 1969 to protest the Vietnam War. In response to a tweet captioning the photo saying "the irony should not be lost," Sean replied: "There is zero irony in letting a maid do her job. Thinking otherwise is a very goofy take. They were not protesting maid service." He went on to say that "many people don't seem to know what irony is," adding: "Protesting a war while being in a honeymoon suite with maid service is not irony, it is absurdity, or comedy. To be ironic they would have to have protested the war while driving a tank. Now THAT would've been ironic. Thank you." When someone pointed out the irony of the "bed-in" itself being a "spoil of capitalism" -- ironic given John and Yoko's complaints of American capitalism pushing back against communism -- Lennon called the opinion a "boring kind of gotcha." "You could make this same kind of argument for anyone wearing jeans at a war protest. Like 'Omg isn't it ironic you used a sharpie marker to write that anti war sign?!'" he explained. - NME, 2/23/26...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, Ringo Starr, who released his 22nd solo album Long Long Road on Apr. 24, has told New Musical Express that he puts his longevity down to simply a "love" of music, and the need to collaborate -- especially with his ongoing supergroup, the All-Starr Band. "I'm a drummer, so you need a few guys around you," Ringo said. "I'd like to go on tour with just me and the drums! [At one point] I thought, 'Now I need all these other guys', and then I thought to put this All-Starr Band together [in 1989]. I had a phone book in those days, and everyone I phoned said yes. "I realized I had to close my book or otherwise there would be 40 people on stage! We got a good band together and I was a little nervous about it as it was the first time. Beyond me and Levon [Helm of The Band] as drummers, I had Jim Keltner, my favourite drummer, up there for security. We had three drummers." After his tour behind the new LP with All-Starrs wraps, Starr says he plans on sitting down with collaborator Bruce Sugar to "write a few more songs," just ahead of an increased spotlight on the Beatles legend thanks to Universal putting together a new "best of" Ringo album, and Sam Mendes' upcoming biopics about each of the Beatles (where Ringo will be played by Saltburn star Barry Keoghan). Starr will embark on a US tour from the end of May throughout the summer, before his annual "Peace & Love" birthday event on July 7. He also features on "Home To Us," a track from Paul McCartney's new album The Boys of Dungeon Lane, due on May 29. - NME, 4/24/26...... 
The first reviews for the new Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, starring his real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson, are in, and critics are apparently not thrilled with the big-screen story of the King of Pop. On Apr. 21, reviews of Michael were allowed to begin on rottentomatoes.com, and the film has a 32% critics score. A score of around 60% is generally considered to be a good rating. The UK critics in particular have not been so kind to the movie, with the BBC calling the film "a bland and barely competent daytime TV movie" and gave it one star, and The Guardian proclaiming that the "clichéd Jackson biopic is bland, bowdlerised and bad," while the Independent dubbed it a "risible biopic" that turns Jacko into "a 20th-century Jesus." But across the pond, the reception was somewhat more favorable, with The Hollywood Reporter writing: "If you're even remotely nostalgic for the time when his songs were ubiquitous on pop charts, at parties and on dance floors worldwide, the movie will be a warm rush of transporting pleasure," it gushed. Also complimentary is USA Today, sharing that, "Jaafar may share his late uncle's megawatt smile, lithe frame and Bambi eyelashes. But his liquid dance moves -- highlighted as he teaches gang members the footwork in the 'Beat It' video -- and soft-spoken cadence are studied to perfection." Meanwhile, Leaving Neverland MJ biopic director Dan Reed has criticized the new MJ biopic, claiming that the musician was "worse than Jeffrey Epstein' -- the notorious late millionaire alleged pedophile. Reed directed the HBO-produced, two-part Leaving Neverland back in 2019, which focused on interviews with Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who alleged that they were sexually abused as children by Jackson. In 2024, Reed slammed the then-upcoming biopic Michael as "startlingly disingenuous," claiming it discredits Robson and Safechuck's experiences with the singer. Now that the film has hit theaters, he's questioned why the new biopic failed to acknowledge the abuse allegations against Jackson. "It says that people don't care that he was a child molester. Literally, people just don't care," Reed said in a new interview with Hollywood Reporter. "I think a lot of people just love his music and turn a deaf ear. And short of having actual video evidence of Michael Jackson engaged in sexual intercourse with a seven-year-old child, I don't know what would be sufficient to change these people's minds. "How can you tell an authentic story about Michael Jackson without ever mentioning the fact that he was seriously accused of being a child molester?" he added. - Music-News.com/NME, 4/22/26...... Kraftwerk have lost one of the longest-running copyright cases in music history over a sample of their song "Metall Auf Metall." The dispute centres around a short excerpt of the 1977 track that was used in the 1997 song "Nur Mir" by German rapper Sabrina Setlur, produced by Moses Pelham and Martin Haas. It began as a domestic German copyright claim in the late '90s, and Kraftwerk members Ralf Hütter and the late Florian Schneider were initially successful in their case that the unlicensed use of their song constituted infringement. However, that ruling was subsequently appealed, overturned and referred on several occasions to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), resulting in a three-decade long legal battle over the regulation of sampling in Europe. A 2019 ruling held that sampling a recognisable section of a recorded song can amount to copyright infringement unless the sample is changed to the point that it becomes no longer identifiable. Now, a ruling on Apr. 14 in the CJEU's court in Luxembourg has ruled that a song can qualify as a "pastiche" if it evokes an existing recording in a recognizable but transformed form, but remains "notably different" from the original and engages in "artistic or creative dialogue" with the original. This represents a defeat for Kraftwerk, as it effectively confirms that Pelham and Haas' use of the sample falls within the "pastiche" category. Kraftwerk's "Multimedia"' UK and Ireland tour is set to kick off in Dublin on May 17 and will take in a total of 17 dates, including three in London's Royal Albert Hall on June 4, 5 and 6. It wraps in Edinburgh on June 9. - NME, 4/21/26...... Ronnie Wood has announced some UK and European headline shows for his 2026 solo tour. The Rolling Stones guitarist confirmed in March that he'd be taking to the stage at the legendary Paradiso in Amsterdam on Sept. 7. He later added a second night at the venue due to demand. Now, he's shared details of two extra gigs in the UK and Germany. Wood will play at the O2 Forum Kentish Town in London on Aug. 21, before heading to E-Werk in Cologne on Sept. 3. Imelda May is set to appear on stage with Wood and his band at the forthcoming concerts. "I'm looking forward to kickin' ass with my back catalogue and some new songs -- look out London!" Wood said in a statement. Wood will also support Eric Clapton at his huge show at the Sandringham Estate this summer. - NME, 4/21/26...... 
Alan Osmond, the eldest singing member of the '70s family singing group The Osmonds, died on Apr. 20 in the group's native state of Utah of as yet undisclosed causes. He was 76. The family revealed that Osmond died surrounded by his wife Suzanne and their eight sons. Osmond -- who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1987 -- and his nine siblings grew up as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ogden, Ut., getting their start in music singing in their church choir. At age nine, he started a barbershop quartet with brothers Wayne, Merrill and Jay Osmond in 1958, with the squeaky clean group quickly picking up gigs at Disneyland in L.A. and frequent guest spots NBC's The Andy Williams Show variety hour from 1962-1967. Alan, referred to as "No. 1" by his younger brothers, took up the mantle as the group's leader, with the family band originally forming as a way to raise money for hearing aids for their hearing impaired older brothers, Virl and Tom Osmond. In 1963, the brothers were joined by younger sibling and future break-out star Donny Osmond, then six-years-old, who made his debut on the Williams show, turning the quartet into a quintet. A few years later, their youngest brother, Jimmy Osmond, joined the band as well. The Osmonds, who were known as "one-take Osmonds" for their efficiency, precision and constant rehearsing, moved on to The Jerry Lewis Show from 1967-1969 and slowly morphed from a vocal group to a pop/rock group, signing to MGM Records and recording at the famed Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama. It was there they recorded their only No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit, 1971's Jackson 5-esque bubblegum pop bop "One Bad Apple." The legendarily clean-cut, family-friendly band followed up with the more R&B-leaning, horn-spiked "Yo Yo" (1971, No. 3 on Hot 100), "Down By the Lazy River" (1972, No. 4), the lush ballad "Love Me For a Reason" (1974, No. 10) and the rocking "Crazy Horses" (1972, No. 14), which were among the 13 songs the group landed on the pop charts. Alan married Suzanne Pinegar, a BYU cheerleader, in 1974 and they had eight sons. In 1980, Alan and brother Merrill founded the Stadium of Fire in Provo, Ut., which now regularly hosts one of the biggest Fourth of July celebrations in the country. Alan, who in addition to singing and playing rhythm guitar was also a producer on the ABC variety program Donny & Marie (1976-1979) and a key songwriter and producer of the family band, retired from performing in 1987 following his MS diagnosis. The singer and his family were also key players behind the Children's Miracle Network Telethon, which raised more than $2 billion for children's hospitals in the U.S. He also helped found the One Heart Foundation, which provided support to orphans. Donny Osmond paid tribute to his brother in a loving Instagram post on Apr. 21 that featured one of the earliest black and white pictures of the pair as children. "Even back then, you can see that he had his arm around me, watching over me. That's who he was. My protector. My guide. The one who quietly carried so much responsibility so the rest of us could shine," Donny wrote. "Alan was our leader in every sense of the word. His tireless work helped build everything we became. I will always be grateful for the sacrifices he made and the love he showed -- not just to me, but to every member of our family. I owe him more than I can ever fully express. I love you, Alan. Thank you for always being there for me. Till we meet again." - Billboard, 4/21/26...... 
Dave Mason, the veteran singer-songwriter and guitarist with Traffic and brief Fleetwood Mac member as well as a successful '70s solo artist, died on Apr. 19 at home in Gardnerville, Nev. He was 79. The news was confirmed in a statement from his publicist, who said: "On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of the passing of Dave Mason. On Sunday, April 19, the Rock & Rock Hall of Fame inductee, celebrated songwriter, musician, singer and author passed away peacefully at his home in Gardnerville, Nevada," the Instagram post reads. "Dave Mason lived a remarkable life devoted to the music and the people he loved," it added. From a prolific career that saw him play with an extensive range of musical legends, Mason is best remembered for his time with the British psych-rock band Traffic, writing and singing lead vocals on two of their biggest songs, "Hole In My Shoe" and "Feelin' Alright?," the latter becoming a hit for Joe Cocker. He was also behind the hit songs "Only You Know And I Know," which became associated with the band Delaney & Bonnie, and "We Just Disagree," a 1977 solo hit for Mason. During his career, Mason played alongside The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney and Wings, Michael Jackson and Fleetwood Mac. Born on May 10, 1946 in Worcester, UK, Mason began playing guitar aged 16, influenced by Buddy Holly, and became a roadie for the Spencer Davis Group in the mid-'60s, where he met Steve Winwood. When Winwood left the band in 1967 and formed Traffic, he hired Mason on guitar and they quickly scored multiple Top Ten hits in the UK. Mason was fired from Traffic in 1968, and he became an in-demand session player, contributing 12-string guitar on Hendrix's "All Along The Watchtower" and playing the Asian instrument the shehnai on the Stones' "Street Fighting Man." He was also a part of the sessions for Harrison's All Things Must Pass, and after relocating to the US, he toured with Clapton on the Delaney & Bonnie & Friends tour in the early '70s. 
Mason also released a string of solo albums in the '70s and '80s, including Alone Together, Headkeeper, and It's Like You Never Left as well as a full-length collaboration with the Mamas & The Papas' Cass Elliot, and he also played guitar on Paul McCartney and Wings' 1975 hit "Listen To What The Man Says," and teamed up with Michael Jackson on "Save Me" in 1980. He later joined Fleetwood Mac in 1993, playing on their album Time two years later, and he would rejoin Traffic a number of times, including for their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. In late 2025, Mason announced his retirement from touring on Instagram, citing health challenges, and "closing the curtain on 60 remarkable years of rock n' roll and marking the end of a significant era in music history." "He retires from touring a happy man with a heart full of gratitude to his band members, business colleagues, and especially his legions of fans who made his life one of deep satisfaction and fulfilment," the statement read. "The immensity of his joy remains solid as he steps back from the stage." He is survived by his wife Winifed Wilson, his daughter Danielle, nephew John Leonard and niece Michelle Leonard. - NME, 4/22/26.
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Favorite Seventies Artists In The News
Thursday, January 29, 2026
Favorite Seventies Artists In The News
Cher has gone viral online after seemingly confusing Luther Vandross with Kendrick Lamar at the 2026 Grammy Awards at L.A.'s Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 1. After being presented with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy by host Trevor Noah, Cher was asked to stick around to announce the Record of the Year category, and handed her an envelope, to which the 79-year-old "Believe" singer confessed that she was told the winner would be "on the prompter." Cher then opened the envelope and read out "Luther" and then said "Vandross" -- seemingly referring to R&B icon Luther Vandross, who died at the age of 54 in 2005. "Oh, the Grammy goes to Luther Vandross... Oh...no... Kendrick Lamar!" she said. Yet, Cher -- who has revealed he struggled with dyslexia as a child -- quickly realized her error and announced the correct winners -- Kendrick Lamar and SZA for their 2024 song "Luther," a track that contains a sample of Vandross and Cheryl Lynn's 1982 track "If This World Were Mine." On Feb. 2, Grammy Awards executive producer Ben Winston spoke with Rolling Stone's Music Now podcast, and shared Cher wasn't upset by the snafu. "I do think that is like, some of the things that you want from great music awards shows," Winston said. "I think if that happened at the Oscars, it'd be like, '[gasps] Oh my goodness! It was a disaster! "But on our show, I loved it. If I could go back in time, I'd want that to happen again. 'Cause she's happy with it. She had a great time! So I just thought it was a really lovely moment. And you want a bit of anarchy, and you don't know what's going to happen. Everything is so rehearsed these days." - Music-News.com/Billboard, 2/3/26...... 
In other Grammy-related news, Sharon Osbourne is calling the 2026 show's tribute to her late husband Ozzy Osbourne "a moment carved into musical history." "Last night was bigger than a performance," Sharon posted on Instagram on Feb. 2. "It was a moment carved into musical history. Reminding everyone that rock isn't nostalgia -- it's alive, evolving, and still the heartbeat of music." Her praise was for a performance during the In Memoriam section of the Grammys in which Post Malone and Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash led a group that also included Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, GNR bassist Duff McKagan and producer Andrew Watt , who was behind the boards for Osbourne's final two studio albums, 2020's Ordinary Man and 2022's Patient Number 9. The band thundered through the 1970 Black Sabbath anti-war song "War Pigs," and Sharon re-posted a shot from the performance that included footage of her getting emotional alongside the couple's adult children Jack and Kelly Osbourne. Sharon was also honored for her monumental impact on the music industry at Billboard's Power 100 event over the Grammys weekend, receiving the Visionary Award. Meanwhile, Sharon has revealed that she is "seriously thinking" about running for mayor of Birmingham, the UK home city of Ozzy, in a brief interview with Billboard while on the red carpet for this year's Grammys. Sharon was told by host Leila Cobo that she was getting praise for how well she spoke at one of the Grammy-related events ahead of the Feb. 1 ceremony. In response, Sharon thanked the host for her compliment and suggested that the skill may come in handy soon as she is "seriously thinking about running for mayor of Birmingham." Due to the quick pace of the interview, there was little time for Sharon to expand on why she wanted to run, or how far along she was into looking at the process. Sharon has previously said that she was thinking of getting involved in politics in Birmingham after learning that someone with a terrorism conviction was allegedly seeking a seat on Birmingham's City Council. "This has nothing to do with racism. I think I'm gonna move to Birmingham and put my name down for the ballot to be on the council. I'm serious," she said. - Billboard/New Musical Express, 2/3/26...... David Byrne has added fresh UK and Ireland shows to his "Who Is The Sky?" world tour. The former Talking Heads frontman will now be heading to Dublin (June 7), (July 18), Edinburgh (July 21), and Cardiff (July 26) alongside his already announced headline slot at Latitude Festival in Suffolk on July 24. Byrne toured Australia and New Zealand in January and is set for his first UK and European leg in 2026 across February and March, before heading to North America in the spring -- including slots at both Coachella Festival weekends. His European shows include a mix of headline gigs and festival slots, with the musician set to appear at the likes of Open'er Festival in Poland (July 1) and Bilbao BBK Live in Spain. Byrne is touring behind his his first solo album in over six years, also titled Who Is The Sky?. - NME, 2/3/26...... In other UK touring news, Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton have added more UK and European dates to their "Radio Soul!: The Early Songs of Elvis Costello" tour in June and July. Due to demand, eight dates have been added to bring the total to 13, including a new show at London's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on June 20 and others in cities including Brighton, Stockholm, Hamburg and Oslo. Costello first announced a five-date tour in December, taking in Birmingham, London, Portsmouth, Newcastle and the TW Classic festival in Werchter, Belgium. He's joined by his band The Imposters, as well as guitarist Sexton, best known for his time in Bob Dylan's band. Sexton joined Costello for the 2021 "Hello Again" tour and has continued to hit the road with him in the time since. Two of The Imposters, keyboardist Steve Nieve and drummer Pete Thomas, were members of his band The Attractions, which formed in 1977. As the tour's name suggests, the shows will see Costello concentrate on playing material from his earlier discography, including the 1977 debut album My Aim Is True and the 1986 record Blood & Chocolate, as well as other surprises. - NME, 2/3/26...... 
The years long legal feud between Linda Cummings Ramone, the widow of Johnny Ramone and the late Joey Ramone's brother Mickey Leigh (real name Mitchel Hyman) over the Ramones' legacy has finally reached a resolution. According to a Feb. 2 court filing from music manager Dave Frey, a former board member of Ramones Productions Inc. (RPI), a settlement in an estate dispute has been reached with Hyman, who was previously the other 50% owner of RPI, transferring his share to Linda Ramone per a binding term sheet agreement dated Nov. 18, 2025. Linda Ramone now owns 100% of the shares of RPI and has free rein to fully control RPI. Joey Ramone (born Jeffrey Hyman) and Johnny Ramone (John Cummings), who were not actual brothers, both died in the early 2000s. A 2005 shareholder agreement split the Ramones' legacy exactly 50-50 between each family, an arrangement that spurred years of bitter infighting between Cummings-Ramone and Leigh. - Billboard, 2/3/26...... As The Guess Who frontman Burton Cummings and guitarist Randy Bachman recently returned to the stage for the first time in decades, the other half of the band, Guess Who founding drummer Garry Peterson and founding bassist James Kale, has launched a new lawsuit. In a new complaint against performing rights management firm BMI, Peterson and Kale claim they suffered millions of dollars in losses when lead singer/songwriter Cummings terminated his entire performing rights agreement with BMI. Cummings owns the publishing rights to the band's biggest hits, including "American Woman," "These Eyes," and "No Time." He reportedly took the step of yanking The Guess Who's songs from the BMI licensing catalogue covering concert venues because he wanted to stop Peterson and Kale staging what he called "fake bullshit shows" using a different singer and guitarist. In the lawsuit, Peterson and Kale claim they had spent months planning a US tour when they were told by BMI that Cummings had terminated his affiliation agreement "effective immediately." Peterson and Kale cancelled their shows as a result. Peterson and Kale now contend that BMI misinterpreted the termination's effective date. They argue the agreement almost certainly remained in effect during a notice period that had not yet expired, meaning their concerts did not need to be cancelled. "It's not just Garry Peterson and Jim Kale who suffered," said the plaintiffs' lawyer, in an interview with Rolling Stone. "In some cases, the venues had no time to find substitute acts and went dark. Some promoters lost a lot of money promoting the shows. What happened doesn't make sense. With most contracts, particularly commercial contracts, you have to give notice." Cummings and Bachman launched their "Takin' It Back" GW reunion tour with a show in Ontario on Jan. 31. - Music-News.com, 2/3/26....... Deep Purple have announced a special live show in the UK for 2026. The band will play a hometown gig at the famed Royal Albert Hall venue in London on Nov. 25, which will see them reconnect with one of the most significant venues in their storied history. In 1969, Deep Purple became the first rock band to premiere a full classical composition with an orchestra at the historic venue -- a landmark moment in British music. The "Smoke On The Water" group's forthcoming return to the Royal Albert Hall is billed as a "one night only" event, following a concert at London's Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith the previous evening, Nov. 24. Per a press release, the new date will be "a full-throttle Deep Purple rock show, showcasing a band that remains creatively unstoppable, musically fearless, and utterly commanding on stage." "In the grandeur of the Royal Albert Hall, the band will once again prove why they remain one of rock's most compelling live forces, making this event an essential moment for fans old and new alike," it adds. Before heading to the capital, Deep Purple are set to take to the stage at Newcastle's Utilita Arena (Nov. 18), Glasgow's OVO Hydro (Nov. 19), Birmingham's BP Pulse Arena (Nov. 21) and Manchester's AO Arena (Nov. 22). Deep Purple will also tour across Europe in the coming year, and play shows in Japan, Indonesia and Mexico. The band released their latest studio album, =11, in the summer of 2024. That year, they played a gig at London's O2 as part of their UK and European tour. Their most recent live performance took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in Nov. 2025. Deep Purple are currently fronted by singer Ian Gillan, alongside bassist Roger Glover, drummer Ian Paice, keyboardist Don Airey and guitarist Simon McBride. =1 marked the band's first album with McBride, who joined the line-up after longtime member Steve Morse left due to personal circumstances. Late last year, Gillan revealed that he was losing his eyesight and said retirement was "not far off." - NME, 2/3/26...... 
In a new interview with the UK paper Daily Mail, Queen's Brian May has said his band is ruling out a tour in the US anytime soon as America has become a "dangerous place." Queen last hit the road in North America in 2023, as part of their ambitious "Rhapsody Tour" with Adam Lambert. However, May now says that "America is a dangerous place at the moment, so you have to take that into account." Reflecting on how the US had changed since Queen first visited in their early days, May continued: "It's very sad because I feel like Queen grew up in America and we love it, but it's not what it was. Everyone is thinking twice about going there at the moment." The guitarist's comments come amid a troubling period in the US under the administration of Pres. Donald Trump. Many artists and figures from the entertainment world have spoken out recently, as protests continue against the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of ICE agents, in particular, have triggered outrage across the States. ICE has described its highly controversial actions in Minnesota as "the largest mass deportation operation in American history." Celebrities who have condemned ICE and Pres. Trump include Neil Young, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, Green Day, Moby, Duran Duran, Dave Matthews, Stranger Things star Joe Keery and Spider-Man actor Yuri Lowenthal. - NME, 1/30/26...... In related news, Bruce Springsteen's anti-ICE song "Streets of Minneapolis" has made a No. 1 sales debut on Billboard Digital Song Sales chart dated Feb. 7. The song, which can be streamed on YouTube, was the highest-selling song in the US in the week ending Jan. 29, even with it being available for just two days of the tracking period. "Streets of Minneapolis," released on Jan. 28, sold 16,000 downloads, according to Luminate. It marks Springsteen's first No. 1 on the all-format Digital Song Sales survey, which began in 2004 following the proliferation of paid downloads on the internet. In fact, it's his first track to reach the ranking's top 20, exceeding the No. 22 peak of Mark Knopfler's Guitar Heroes' "Going Home (Theme From Local Hero)," for which he joined its all-star cast, in 2024. Springsteen wrote and recorded the anti-ICE (United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement) song following the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis in January amid Operation Metro Surge, during which undocumented immigrants have been targeted and apprehended by ICE. Springsteen first performed the song live in Minneapolis Jan. 30 during the Tom Morello-helmed Defend Minnesota benefit concert (the performance can be viewed on X/Twitter). Thanks to its sales plus streams and early radio airplay, "Streets of Minneapolis" also bows at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. In addition to its sales, the song drew 678,000 official U.S. streams and 175,000 in airplay audience in that two-day span. Meanwhile across the pond, The Boss is currently on course to break into the UK Top 20 for the first time in nearly three decades with his stoic new protest song. According to the Official Chart: First Look, which provides an early glimpse of chart activity based on preliminary sales and streaming reports, Springsteen's latest offering is currently sitting at No. 16. If the track maintains its momentum through the Feb. 6 final tally, it will mark a historic milestone for the legendary musician. Springsteen has not graced the UK Top 20 since 1997, when "Secret Garden" captured the nation's attention. - Billboard/NME, 2/2/26...... In more Billboard chart action, Barry Manilow has extended his history on the Adult Contemporary chart dated Feb. 7, with his latest single, the poignant "Once Before I Go," entering the chart at No. 30, up 23% to 94,000 in audience via plays on 25 stations Jan. 23-29, according to Luminate. The song extends the legendary crooner's AC chart history to more than half a century -- 51 years and three months -- since he first appeared on the list dated Nov. 7, 1974, with his breakout ballad "Mandy". The classic ballad also marked his first ranking on any Billboard chart. Manilow boasts 28 AC top 10s, among 53 total entries. Until recently, he last reached the chart with his cover of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You," which hit No. 14 in Dec. 2023. Acclaimed songwriters Peter Allen and Dean Pitchford co-penned "Once Before I Go," which Allen (who died in 1992) recorded in 1983 -- and sent to No. 26 on AC that October. Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Demonte Posey co-produced Manilow's version. Manilow, 82, has shows scheduled between Feb. 27 and April 29, having recently announced six new dates. "Once Before I Go" can be streamed on YouTube. - Billboard, 1/30/26...... 
The first trailer for the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, dropped on Feb. 2 for the new movie that tracks the late King of Pop's growth from child singer to international superstar. "You're confident. You're strong. You're beautiful. You're the greatest of all time," we hear star Jaafar Jackson -- MJ's real-life nephew -- say in a confident pump-up speech to himself at the top of the two-minute preview. Director Antoine Fuqua (Stans, Bullet Train) then zooms out from the period just before Jackson's solo career went meteoric to footage of MJ at his moon-walking, stadium sell-out peak, with the singer's kin effortlessly pulling off the tricky dance moves and Jackson's signature vocal yelps. Fuqua then rewinds all the way back to the beginning, with imperious family patriarch Joe Jackson (Colman Domingo), explaining how things are, and are going to be, to his musically talented family around their Gary, In., dining room table. "Let me tell you somethin'," Joe Jackson says as MJ's 1979 "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" solo hit bubbles up and we see the singer and his brothers in the Jackson Five refining their soon-to-be-chart-topping act. "In this life, you're either a winner or a loser. Y'all want to work in a steel mill like me for the rest of your days?" The $155 million film, two years in the making and originally slated for an Oct. 2025 release, is due out in the US on Apr. 24. The trailer can be watched on YouTube. - Billboard, 2/2/26...... In other rock biopic news, Meryl Streep will play Joni Mitchell in a forthcoming biopic directed by Oscar-winner Cameron Crowe, according to an announcement made by record exec Clive Davis. Streep, a multi-time Oscar winner, has been rumoured to be in contention for the role in the film, which has been in development for some time. However, Rolling Stone has reported that Davis confirmed the casting at his pre-Grammy awards party on Jan. 31 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. Further details about the film have been scarce, although there have been reports that Anya Taylor-Joy had been cast as a younger version of the singer. Crowe, who directed iconic music drama Almost Famous, shared in 2023 that the project was in motion and hoped to be released by the end of 2025, which did not come to pass. About the movie, he told Ultimate Classic Rock: "It's Joni's life, not through anybody else's prism. It's through her prism. It's the characters who impacted her life that you know and a lot that you don't know. And the music is so cinematic." As for the singer herself, Mitchell famously shut down a proposed biopic of her life starring Taylor Swift in 2014, saying she "squelched" the project and that she "didn't know her music." - NME, 2/3/26...... On Jan. 29 Beatles fans got the first look at the Fab Four's look in director Sam Mendes' upcoming four-part Beatles biopic series when The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts -- an arts school co-founded in 1996 by Paul McCartney and British entrepreneur Mark Featherstone-Witty -- rolled out postcards featuring photos of the actors playing each member of the group as part of a promotional stunt in conjunction with Sony Pictures UK. As part of a "postcard hunt" the Institute informed students on Friday (Jan. 30) that it had hidden 20 more of the cards that morning with 20 more to be tucked around by lunchtime, asking them to tag the school and movie studio if they find them. "Another huge thanks to Sony for providing these exclusive, hand-numbered postcards. It's been such an honour to bring the Beatles back home," read the caption to an Instagram post from the school featuring the images. "Paul, George and John all studied in the buildings that now make up LIPA, while Sir Paul remains our Lead Patron." In the previews, Paul Mescal is seen as a mop-topped McCartney, dressed in a classic early look in a suit and bowl haircut. Joseph Quinn's George Harrison is a late-period take, with the Stranger Things actor sporting long hair and a bushy beard, while Harris Dickinson's mid-period John Lennon sports his iconic round glasses, shaggy, shoulder-length hair and a jeans jacket. Meanwhile, Barry Keoghan's Ringo Starr sports a busy mustache, grown-out shag and a polka dot shit accented by a paisley tie. The Beatles -- A Four-Film Cinematic Event, is slated to hit theaters on Apr. 7, 2028, with each Beatle getting their own solo film that will tell the story of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band from their perspective. The first images can be viewed on Sony Pictures' X/Twitter page. - Billboard, 1/30/26...... 
The home security company Ring is aiming to reunite lost dogs with families in a new ad for the upcoming Super Bowl game on Feb. 7 soundtracked by a No. 1 '70s hit ballad, Harry Nilsson's "Without You". "I can't live, if living is without you" is a sentiment Nilsson sang about in the early '70s that many heartbroken pet owners have experienced after a beloved animal dies or goes missing, but Ring is hoping to shorten the length of that pain in the latter scenario. In the emotional commercial that dropped on YouTube on Feb. 2, Ring acknowledges the special bond between pets -- in this case, dogs -- and their families, and how its free "Search Party" feature can help bring lost furry friends home. "Pets are family, but every year, 10 million go missing, and the way we look for them hasn't changed in years -- until now," Ring founder Jamie Siminoff says in the emotional spot. "With Search Party from Ring, one post to the Ring app starts outdoor cameras in the area, looking for a match." In addition to clips of a little girl excitedly greeting her new puppy Milo, to her heartbreak as she puts up missing fliers alongside her dad, to her joy as her beloved pup returns home, the commercial is soundtracked by one of the most recognizable heartbreak ballads of the 1970s: Nilsson's aforementioned cover of Badfinger's "Without You," featuring the heartrending chorus, "Can't live if living is without you/ I can't live, I can't give anymore." Nilsson's version of "Without You" -- which has also been covered by Air Supply, Mariah Carey and others -- peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in Feb. 1972, and retained the top spot for four weeks. In a blog post, Ring also said that the Search Party feature would be available to non-Ring owners through its Neighbors app to help bring lost animals home as quickly as possible. To further its goal, Ring has also announced that it's committing $1 million to equip shelters around the US with Ring cameras to not only reunite families and their missing pets, but also cut down on the time lost pets spend in shelters. - Billboard, 2/2/26...... The upcoming UK Record Store Day 2026 will include the release of an early Fleetwood Mac collection among several other special releases to benefit the RSD's charity partner War Child. Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green-era 1971 compilation The Original Fleetwood Mac will be among the series of titles that will be available to buy at participating shops on the day, with other titles including music from The Cure and Primal Scream. One of every copy sold of the records below will be donated to the charity, which works to protect, educate and support the mental health of children affected by war -- and it comes at a time of conflicts in Palestine, Ukraine, Sudan, Syria and beyond. Other RSD 2026 releases announced so far include two David Bowie releases - a Hallo Spaceboy remixes EP and a half-speed LP of excerpts from 1.OUTSIDE. - NME, 2/2/26...... William "Billy Bass" Nelson, the founding bassist for the George Clinton-led funk acid rock collective Parliament-Funkadelic, died on Jan. 31 of undisclosed causes. He was 75. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Nelson, born William Nelson Jr. on Jan. 28, 1951 in Plainfield, N.J., got his break in music when, as a teenager, he became friendly with Clinton, who was then working in a Jersey barber shop he co-owned, the Silk Palace. While he started out sweeping the floors and dancing for customers according to his official bio on Clinton's site, Nelson parlayed that friendship into a spot in Clinton's doo-wop group, the Parliaments, who charted a handful of singles in the late 1960s, including their breakthrough 1967, the snappy soul jam "(I Wanna) Testify," which rose to No. 3 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 20 on the Hot 100 pop chart. While his steady, thumping bass was a mainstay on Funkadelic's first three albums -- a style that would later serve as one of the foundational bedrocks of rapper/producer Dr. Dre's "G-funk" sound -- Nelson also provided backing vocals and managed to slip into the lead singer spot for at least one track on all three of Funkadelic's first releases. You can hear his vocals on the joyous 8-minute funk burner "Good Old Music" on the band's debut, as well as "Friday Night, August 14th" and the chaotic "I Wanna Know If it's Good For You?" on Free Your Mind. In 1994, Nelson rejoined P-Funk (which were then known as the P-Funk All-Stars, though Clinton was the only remaining original member) and he was among 16 of the group's members inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in 1997. - Billboard, 2/3/26...... 
Chuck Negron, a founding member and lead vocalist of Three Dog Night, died at his home in Studio City, Calif., on Feb. 2. He was 83. Mr. Negron died surrounded by family, according to a statement shared with Billboard. No immediate cause of death was announced, though the singer had been living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for decades and had recently battled heart failure. Born Charles Negron II on June 8, 1942, Mr. Negron grew up in the Bronx, where he sang in doo-wop groups before earning a basketball scholarship that brought him to Los Angeles. In 1967, he joined Danny Hutton and the late Cory Wells to form Three Dog Night, a vocal trio built around harmony-driven arrangements and carefully selected songs from outside writers -- a strategy that helped make the group one of the most commercially successful acts of the late 1960s and early '70s. Negron's unmistakable lead vocals powered many of the band's biggest hits, including "Joy to the World," "Mama Told Me Not To Come," "One," "Easy to Be Hard," "Old Fashioned Love Song" and "The Show Must Go On." Between 1969 and 1975, the trio scored three No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the era's most dominant radio acts. As the band's success escalated rapidly, Mr. Negron struggled with addiction, a battle that contributed to internal fractures and the group's eventual breakup at the height of its popularity. His addiction led to severe personal and financial hardship, including a period of homelessness in Los Angeles. After multiple rehabilitation attempts, he became sober in 1991. He later documented his experiences in the 1999 memoir Three Dog Nightmare, an unflinching account of fame, addiction and recovery. In the years that followed, Mr. Negron released seven solo albums between 1995 and 2017 and became an outspoken advocate for addiction recovery, frequently sharing his story to support others facing similar struggles. Despite long-term health challenges, Mr. Negron continued touring for many years, developing methods to preserve his voice while managing COPD. He remained proud of his vocal ability until his final performances, stepping away from touring during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the risks posed by his condition. Mr. Negron is survived by his wife, Ami Albea Negron; his children Shaunti Negron Levick, Berry Oakley, Charles Negron III, Charlotte Negron and Annabelle Negron; nine grandchildren; and several extended family members. He was predeceased by his parents and his twin sister, Nancy Negron Dean. In 2025, Mr. Negron and fellow Three Dog Night founder Danny Hutton reunited after decades of estrangement to reconcile. - Billboard, 2/3/26...... Actor Demond Wilson, best known for portraying Lamont Sanford on the hit 1972-1977 NBC sitcom Sanford and Son, died on Jan. 29 in Palm Springs, Calif. He was 79. Wilson's son, Demond Wilson Jr., told TMZ.com his father died at home from complications with cancer, but did not disclose what type of cancer his dad had. "I loved him. He was a great man," Demond Jr. told the outlet. Born Grady Demond Wilson on Oct. 13, 1946 in Valdosta, Ga., Wilson grew up in New York City, making his Broadway debut as a child, before joining the US Army and serving in Vietnam, where he was wounded. Upon his return to the states, Wilson appeared in some Broadway and off-Broadway shows before moving to Hollywood. Following his appearance in a 1971 episode of CBS's All in the Family, Wilson won the titular role of Lamont Sanford in Sanford and Son, opposite Redd Foxx's patriarch Fred G. Sanford. The beloved sitcom, adapted by Norman Lear from the British series Steptoe and Son, ran for six seasons on NBC from 1972 to '77. The actor then went on to star as Raymond Ellis in the short-lived 1978 CBS sitcom Baby I'm Back!, playing a compulsive gambler trying to win back his family. He also played Oscar Madison in ABC's The New Odd Couple (1982-'83). His TV credits also include episodes of Mission: Impossible, The Love Boat and Girlfriends, and he appeared in films like Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970), The Organization (1971), Full Moon High (1981) and Hammerlock (2000). Wilson, who was also a Christian evangelist and ordained minister, married model Cicely Johnston in 1974, and they shared six children and multiple grandchildren. - Variety, 1/31/26...... 
Prolific actress Catherine O'Hara, known for her roles in Home Alone, Schitt's Creek and Best in Show, died on Jan. 30 following a brief illness. She was 71. Over a career that spanned more than 50 years, O'Hara left an indelible impression on audiences with her searing wit, subtle eccentricity and fearless pursuit of a good laugh. Born on Mar. 4, 1954, in Toronto, O'Hara's career in Hollywood began with the Canadian sketch comedy series Second City Television. That show earned the beloved actress her first PrimeTime Emmy Award, an accolade that she'd again win in 2020 for her performance in Schitt's Creek. O'Hara's first credited Hollywood movie is 1980's Nothing Personal, she then went on to star in 1980's Double Negative and 1983's Rock & Rule before playing the memorable role of Gail in Martin Scorsese's After Hours, which was released in 1985. Her stardom continued to rise after playing Delia Deetz in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice, released in 1988. Just two years later, she starred as Kevin McCallister's mom, Kate McCallister, in Home Alone. She reprised this role again in the sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Following that, O'Hara voiced Sally in The Nightmare Before Christmas and appeared in movies such as 1994's Wyatt Earp, 1996's Waiting for Huffman, 1997's Pippi Longstocking, 2000's Best in Show, and 2004's Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, among many other titles. Her career had a major renaissance in her 60s when she starred as Moira Rose in the popular Schitt's Creek sitcom alongside Eugene Levy, Dan Levy and Annie Murphy. She recently played Patty Leigh in the first season of Seth Rogen's Hollywood sendup The Studio, and Gail Lynden in Season 2 of HBO's zombie apocalypse drama The Last of Us, both of which earned her 2025 Emmy nominations. Additionally, O'Hara reprised her Delia Deetz character in the Beetlejuice sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and voiced a character in the award-winning The Wild Robot movie released in 2024. "Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more," her Home Alone costar Macaulay Culkin poignantly posted after her death. "I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you. But I had so much more to say." - ComingSoon.net, 1/31/26.
Paul McCartney's forthcoming Wings documentary Man On The Run is set to be screened in cinemas worldwide for one night only on Feb. 17, ahead of its official release on Feb. 27 on Prime Video via Amazon MGM Studios. In addition to the film, each theatrical screening will include a bonus conversation between McCartney and director Morgan Neville. Tickets can be purchased at www.manontherun.film. According to a press release, the documentary captures Sir Paul's "transformative decade in the wake of The Beatles' break-up and the rise of his new band Wings. "Through stunning archival footage, Linda McCartney's exceptional photographs, interviews with Paul, Linda, Mary and Stella McCartney, a number of Wings band members, Sean Ono Lennon, Mick Jagger, Chrissie Hynde, and more, the film examines this time through a uniquely vulnerable lens." Earlier in January, an official trailer for the film was shared which showed McCartney detailing his feelings following his split from The Beatles in 1970, remarking: "I fell very depressed, but I was very lucky, because I had Linda." The trailer also shows the journey of Wings from their rocky start with debut album Wild Life to their acclaimed third album, Band On The Run. Intimate behind-the-scenes footage of Wings touring, along with other rare, unreleased footage and music, will be featured in the documentary. - NME, 1/28/26...... 
As Minneapolis and other locations in America are struggling with the controversial arrest and deportation tactics of the US immigration agency ICE under Pres. Donald Trump's administration, Neil Young has declared he is done with the "fascist Trump regime" -- and all the companies he claims are financially backing it. On Jan. 29, the Canadian-American singer-songwriter took to his Neil Young Archives site to post a fiery essay in which he lambasted several companies for their financial support of the president and his administration, namely Verizon, T-Mobile and Apple. "One idea I have to keep [my flip phone] is just to change services and drop Verizon service like a cold fish. It's the money I give Verizon for my service that's doing the damage! Not my old phone I bought years ago," he began his post, lamenting at his phone company's Trump ties. "What can I do? I'm checking with our office to see if I can get a T-Mobile flip phone. T-Mobile is not a supporter of the Trump fascist regime. But wait. T-Mobile donated to Trump's ballroom, which has gone from $200 million to $400 million, suddenly. Where is that money going? There is no accounting. So T-Mobile is apparently out." Young's most recent post follows comments he made earlier in January when he penned a letter reiterating his distaste for ICE and Trump, and in Oct. 2025 he announced he would be pulling his music from Amazon, citing Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos' Trump ties. Meanwhile, on Jan. 27 Young updated his site with a post announcing that he will be gifting his entire music catalog to the people of Greenland for free. Pres. Trump said at a White House meeting earlier in January that he "may put a tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland", which is a self-governing territory controlled by Denmark. "I'm honoured to give a free year's access to neilyoungarchives.com to all of our friends in Greenland," Young began. "I hope my music and music films will ease some of the unwarranted stress and threats you are experiencing from our unpopular and hopefully temporary government. It is my sincere wish for you to be able to enjoy all of my music in your beautiful Greenland home, in its highest quality. This is an offer of Peace and Love." Greenland citizens can sign up to a free subscription for Young's music archive at neilyoungarchives.com/Greenland. - Billboard, 1/29/26...... In related news, Bruce Springsteen has dropped a searing anti-ICE protest song called "Streets of Minneapolis," a callback to the Boss's Oscar and Grammy-winning 1994 soundtrack anthem "Streets of Philadelphia" from director Jonathan Demme's 1993 AIDS drama Philadelphia. In the tradition of one of his icons, folk legend Woody Guthrie, the song's lyrics plainly and powerfully tell the story of the pitched battles being fought on the streets of the city as citizens stand up and push back on the sometimes violent immigration raids being carried out by the Trump administration. Specifically, he pays tribute to the violent actions by border and ICE agents that so far this month have resulted in the killings of two American citizens: 37-year-old mother of three Renee Good and 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti. Springsteen dedicated the song to the people of Minneapolis, as well as "our innocent immigrant neighbors," and to the memories of Good and Pretti. "Against smoke and rubber bullets/ By the dawn's early light/ Citizens stood for justice/ Their voices ringing through the night," he sings over chiming guitars and a steady drum beat. "And there were bloody footprints/ Where mercy should have stood/ And two dead left to die on snow-filled streets/ Alex Pretti and Renee Good." The song is also a callback to one of the Boss' most intense protest anthems, 2001's "American Skin (41 Shots)," his passionate response to the 1999 NYPD killing of unarmed Amadou Diallo. The song ends with Springsteen lamenting the trampling of rights by officers eager to question or deport anyone with Black or brown skin, while amplifying the frequently shouted cries of "ICE out now" heard at protests around the nation over the past few months. "Streets of Minneapolis" can be streamed on YouTube, along with a powerful lyric video released by the musician the following day featuring footage of the ongoing protests against the agency's immigration enforcement operations in the city. Meanwhile, the movie Philadelpia is among the annual roster of 25 recent additions to the National Film Registry. Also making the list was the 1983 box-office hit The Big Chill, which had a soundtrack brimming with Motown classics, and the 2008 documentary The Wrecking Crew, about the West Coast studio musicians who played on countless hit records in the 1960s. The Library of Congress announced its latest additions to the National Film Registry on Jan. 29. The films were selected because of their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance. The latest 25 selections bring the number of titles in the registry to 925. - Billboard, 1/28/26...... 
Deceased Seventies artists Ozzy Osbourne and Roberta Flack are among the musicians set to be honored at the 2026 Grammy Awards. In honor of late heavy metal pioneer and Black Sabbath frontman Osbourne, Post Malone will join forces with Guns N' Roses members Slash and Duff McKagan, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith for a performance. They will also be joined on stage by renowned producer Andrew WattThey will also be joined on stage by renowned producer Andrew Watt, who worked with the Prince Of Darkness on his last two solo albums: 2020's Ordinary Man and 2022's Patient Number 9. Osbourne died in his family home in Buckinghamshire following a heart attack last July, aged 76. Lauryn Hill will take to the stage to honor R&B/jazz star Flack, who died in Feb. 2025 after battling ALS for the past few years. The Recording Academy announced that there will be special tribute performances held for the late artists, which also include neo-soul icon D'Angelo, during the ceremony. Lifetime Achievement awards will be presented to Carlos Santana and Elton John's lyricist Bernie Taupin will also be honored with the Trustees Award. The 68th annual Grammys are set for Feb. 1 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, and will be broadcast live on CBS at 8 p.m. ET and run until 11:30 p.m. ET. Those without cable subscriptions can watch through services like YouTubeTV and FuboTV. - New Musical Express, 1/29/26...... In other Ozzy Osbourne-related news, Ozzy's widow Sharon Osbourne revealed in a recent interview that she is considering bringing OzzFest back, and it could return as soon as 2027. Speaking to Billboard, Sharon said that she had been "talking to [concert promoter] Live Nation" about having the live music event return. "It was something Ozzy was very passionate about: giving young talent a stage in front of a lot of people," she said. "We really started metal festivals in this country. It was [replicated but] never done with the spirit of what ours was, because ours was a place for new talent. It was like summer camp for kids," she added. Sharon went on to say that while nothing had been set in stone yet, the festival could be launching as soon as 2027. However, the event would now be centering on multiple different music genres, rather than just rock and metal. Ozzy and Sharon began the hard rock and metal festival 30 years ago, with its inaugural edition taking place in Oct. 1996 and spanning two days. The following year it expanded into a full-blown tour rather than a one-time event, and then continued annually almost every year up until 2018 (although it reverted to a single-day event from 2008). - NME, 1/29/26...... 
Leo Sayer has announced plans for what will be his final full UK tour, confirming a major 23-date run for autumn 2026. The "When I Need You" singer, who turns 78 this year, says he's not retiring from live work altogether but is ready to scale back the heavy touring schedule that has defined his five-decade career. "I love performing for my fans and look forward to doing so for many more years, but this will be the last time I play so many dates across the country," Sayer said in a statment, adding that while he still feels "fit as ever," he doesn't expect to take on another nationwide run of the UK of this magnitude as he approaches 80. The ambitious itinerary, which kicks off on Oct. 7 in Bexhill-on-Sea, will see Sayer return to theatres and concert halls across England, Scotland and Wales, including stops at Birmingham Town Hall (Oct. 11) and the London Palladium (Oct. 27) before wrapping at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall on Nov. 6. Sayer, known for such hits as "Thunder In My Heart," "Moonlighting," "One Man Band," "More Than I Can Say," "Have You Ever Been in Love," "The Show Must Go On", and the transatlantic No.1's "When I Need You" and "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing," is promising a high-energy, hit-packed show for what will be his last major UK tour. - Music-News.com, 1/28/26...... Ronnie Wood has been confirmed to be among the supporting acts at Eric Clapton's upcoming Sandringham UK this summer. The Rolling Stones guitarist and former Faces and Jeff Beck Group member will be playing a rare solo show at the huge outdoor event, and also joining Clapton on the bill is Andy Fairweather Low, who rose to prominence as the lead singer in Amen Corner in the '60s -- a group best known for hit songs including "Bend Me Shape Me," "Hello Suzy," and "(If Paradise Is) Half as Nice." The upcoming gig follows on the heels of Slowhand heading out on a headline tour of the US in 2025 behind his latest album Meanwhile. His 22nd studio album, the set featured appearances from the late Jeff Beck along with Van Morrison, Bradley Walker, Judith Hill, Daniel Santiago and Simon Climie. - NME, 1/29/26...... 
Legendary Jamaican musician Lowell "Sly" Dunbar, one-half of the prolific reggae songwriting/producing duo Sly & Robbie, reportedly died at his home in Kingston, Jamaica on Jan. 26. He was 73. Working with longtime partner bassist Robbie Shakespeare (who died in 2021), Dunbar was one half of the dynamic duo that provided the thrumming backbeat to reggae classics from the likes of Black Uhuru, Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, Bunny Wailer, Gregory Isaacs and countless others. Born Lowell Fillmore Dunbar on May 10, 1952 in Kingston, Jamaica, Dunbar got his start playing in a group called the Yardbrooms at age 15, before moving on to the group Skin Flesh and Bones and his first recording session with Lee "Scratch" Perry and the Upsetters' on the 1969 single "Night Doctor." That same year he also played on Dave and Ansel Collins' Double Barrel album, with the title track hitting the top of the U.K. singles chart. His life and career would change forever when he met Shakespeare in 1972, with the pair who shared similar musical sensibilities ranging from homegrown Jamaican riddims to Motown and soul music developing a close relationship with Tosh, with whom they recorded five albums. Sly and Robbie appeared on late great Tosh's beloved 1977 LP Equal Rights, as well as 1978's Bush Doctor and 1983's Mama Africa, which became Tosh's highest-charting album in the U.S. when it hit No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart. The hard-working pair -- who are believed to have appeared on more than 200,000 tracks, including remixes and songs that sampled their work -- also had a long and fruitful working relationship with rock icon Dennis Brown, performing on more than a dozen albums by the "Money In My Pocket" singer and serving time in the Revolutionaries, the house band at Jamaica's legendary Channel One studio. Known as the Riddim Twins, the duo developed a number of signature grooves over their four-plus decade career, including the "rockers" rhythm, which helped them inject some energy into the popular 1970s and 80s "one drop" reggae rhythm. Working with Shakespeare, Dunbar carved a wide path through music, performing on a trio of Bob Dylan albums in the 1980s, as well as playing on albums by Joan Armatrading, Jackson Browne, The Rolling Stones, Joe Cocker, Grace Jones, Yoko Ono, Sinead O'Connor and Carly Simon, among many others. "As one half of Sly & Robbie, Sly helped shape the sound of reggae and Jamaican music for generations," read a statement from his family posted on TMZ.com. "His extraordinary talent, innovation, and lasting contributions will never be forgotten. Sly's music, spirit, and legacy touched people around the world, and we are deeply grateful for the love and support during this difficult time." - Billboard, 1/26/26.
Sunday, November 16, 2025
Favorite Seventies Artists In The News
Deep Purple have announced a five-date arena tour of the UK for Nov. 2026, playing Newcastle, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, and London. The tour kicks off on Nov. 18 at Newcastle's Utilita Arena, before heading to Glasgow's OVO Hydro (11/19), Birmingham's BP Pulse Live Arena (11/21), Manchester's AO Arena (11/22), and wrapping up at London's Eventim Apollo on Nov. 24. Joining Deep Purple on select dates are Mammoth WVH -- the powerhouse project led by bassist Wolfgang Van Halen -- and rising UK outfit Jayler. Mammoth WVH will appear at all shows except London, while Jayler will support across the full run. Deep Purple previously announced a European tour for June and July 2026. The tour news comes after DP frontman Ian Gillan, 80, revealed he is losing his eyesight and admitted retirement is on the horizon, and former DP vocalist David Coverdale announced he's retiring from music. - Music-News.com, 11/18/25...... Cher will be the musical guest for the year's final episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live on Dec. 20. Cher, who performed her 1989 hit "If I Could Turn Back Time" at the "SNL 50" concert in February, will be the musical guest of host Ariana Grande. Cher's last appearance on SNL occurred in 1987, almost four decades ago. In August, Cher performed during a concert by Cyndi Lauper on her final farewell tour. - New Musical Express, 11/17/25...... 
The UK's Royal Mint has honoured Freddie Mercury with a Royal Coin celebrating the 40th anniversary of the legendary 1985 Live Aid benefit concert. The collectible coin, which can be seen on Instagram, is printed with a portrait of the late Queen frontman as well as his signature. The perimeter of the coin's face includes a silver-studded pattern meant to resemble the belt he wore during the 1985 Live Aid concert, which celebrated its 40th anniversary earlier this year. It's completed with a depiction of his four-octave range. "As Freddie died young, he didn't get the chance of being awarded a royal medal for his talents in the music world," says Freddie's sister Kasmira Bulsara. "So to have a royal coin this way is wonderful and very fitting. The coin perfectly captures his passion and the joy he brought to millions through his music. I think the design is very impressive and they managed to catch the most iconic pose of Freddie, which is so recognizable worldwide," she adds. The Royal Mint shop carries multiple variations of the pressing, including a standard uncirculated coin, which is also available in color, as well as gold and silver proof versions. They range in price from £18.50 to £9,350. A special gold proof version will be donated to the Mercury Phoenix Trust. The AIDS charity founded in Mercury's memory will auction the coin at a later date. - Rolling Stone, 11/18/25...... Michael Jackson's daughter Paris Jackson has taken aim at the new MJ biopic Michael in her latest challenge to spending by Jackson's estate. Paris is charging the estate has been designed to "enrich and aggrandize" her late father's executors rather than building long-term wealth for the family. The claims are the latest in a back-and-forth between Paris and the estate's co-executors, A&R executive John McClain and lawyer John Branca. Paris brought a petition this summer challenging the estate's spending on outside attorneys, but a Los Angeles probate referee struck the claims on Nov. 10 -- and ordered Paris to refund the estate for its troubles -- after finding that the petition improperly sought liability for statements in court that are shielded under legal privilege rules. She is now trying a different tactic to air her grievances, submitting an objection to the estate's 2021 account statements on Nov. 18 in probate court. The objection alleges the executors have "completely failed to competently invest cash, while at the same time deploying capital only where it had the potential to compensate them personally." According to Paris, McClain and Branca have let more than $464 million sit idle because they "do not share in the upside" from long-term investments. She says they've "instead focused on funneling as much cash as possible into entertainment-industry related projects," for which she says the executors have received a 15% commission. "Paris is increasingly concerned the estate has become the vehicle for John Branca to enrich and aggrandize himself, rather than serve the beneficiaries' best interests and steadfastly preserve her father's legacy," reads the court filing. "Indeed, it appears that Mr. Branca used his position as an executive producer, a role he has never before performed in connection with any dramatic feature film, to cast the sole A-list actor in the production, Miles Teller, to play himself in the upcoming feature biopic Michael." "The fact is Paris Jackson's lawyers lost their latest case against the estate and have been ordered to pay the estate's attorneys' fees," a source close to the estate said in a statement. "All the beneficiaries are well taken care of by the estate. This is a weak attempt to change the narrative of their loss." - Billboard, 11/19/25...... In other Michael Jackson news, "MJ the Musical" will open for a limited run in Vancouver, B.C, on Nov. 25 and run through Nov. 30. The Tony Award-winning musical puts the audience backstage during the development of the King of Pop's 1992 Dangerous World Tour. It was the late pop star's second world concert tour and was staged around his eighth studio album, Dangerous. With a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and direction and choreography by Tony Award-winning director/choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, "MJ the Musical" was scheduled to premiere on Broadway in mid-2020, however the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to production, which officially opened instead on Feb. 1, 2022. Nominated for 10 Tony Awards (it won four), the production has played Broadway, London's West End, Europe, Asia and Australia. - Canoe.com, 11/20/25...... 
Ozzy Osbourne's eldest son, the normally withdrawn Louis Osbourne, revealed a bizarre, scrapped duet between his late dad and '80s/'90s pop queen Madonna recorded during the height of Ozzy's early 1980s solo fame on Jack Osbourne's latest Trying Not to Die podcast. The brothers were discussing the bands that Ozzy loved and Jack noted that the metal godfather "really loved female vocalists," adding that in the final years of his life wife/manager Sharon Osbourne really wanted Ozzy to do a duets albums with all-female singers. That prompted Louis to note that he has a rare 123 vinyl at home that will blow Ozzy fans' minds. "Was (Not Was) did a duet with Madonna and my dad," Louis said of the truly bizarre song "Shake Your Head" from the Detroit duo's 1983 album Born to Laugh at Tornadoes. When Jack interrupted to remind him that the song actually featured Ozzy and actress Kim Basinger, Louis corrected him and said it "was Madonna originally... and it was written for Madonna and Was (Not Was) and it was when dad was poppin' in the early '80s and so was she, but then she kind of like really f--kin' popped and then didn't give approval on the record." Louis said after Madonna, or her team, allegedly blocked approvals, and Basinger -- then just at the beginning of a decade-long big screen hot streak -- hopped on the song as her team were trying to "make her a pop star as well." Louis said the track -- a banger with a perfectly perfect early 1980s Madonna dance floor vibe overlaid with Ozzy's yearning vocals ("You can't feed the hungry/ Can't talk Shakespeare to a monkey") -- is "somewhere out there." In October, producer Don Was told Rolling Stone that Madonna "did a great job" on the song, but it didn't "sound like Was (Not Was) to me anymore," so they brought in Ozzy to pseudo rap over the electro pop tune. "We realized about eight years later that we had Ozzy and Madonna on parallel tracks," Was said. "So we gave it to a remixer... and he turned it into a Ozzy/Madonna duet." The remix by Steve "Silk" Hurley ended up on the Now Dance '92 compilation after Was "accidentally on purpose" sent him the original Madonna vocal track along with Ozzy's, with Louis noting that the original, never-released version, went top 10 on the U.K. dance charts, topping out at No. 4 in 1992. Louis and Jack's conversation can be viewed on YouTube. - Rolling Stone, 11/20/25...... The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has renamed its movie awards ceremony the "Movies for Grownups Awards," and two films about classic rockers are up for the 2025 awards ceremony, set for Jan. 10 at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, Calif. Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, the biopic about a pivotal period in the life of Bruce Springsteen, is nominated for Best Period Film, while its director, Scott Cooper, is up for Best Director. Becoming Led Zeppelin, a doc about 60's/70's hard rock gods Led Zeppelin is nominated for Best Documentary. Alan Cumming, the Tony- and Emmy Award-winning host of TV's The Traitors, will return to host the show, which will be broadcast by PBS' Great Performances on Feb. 22 at 7/6c. The annual awards show raises funds for AARP Foundation, which works to strengthen older adults' financial resilience. - Billboard, 11/19/25...... 
Two more people have come forward accusing Motown legend Smokey Robinson of sexual battery. The first claims of wrongdoing were raised against the singer and his wife back in March. It was brought forward by four women, who claimed that the 85-year-old committed sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence and creating a hostile work environment during their time working as housekeepers between 2007 to Apr. 2024. These original claims saw both Smokey and his wife Frances sued for a total of $50 million in damages, and through his lawyer Christopher Frost, Robinson denied all claims as "vile," "false" and "an ugly method of trying to extract money." According to a report from People, one of the accusers is identified only as "Jane Doe 5," and claims she faced "constant" sexual harassment from Robinson while she worked as a housekeeper for him between 2005 and 2011. This included instances where he allegedly "grabbed her hand and tried to force her to touch" him inappropriately more than 10 times, groping her, and asking her to enter the bathroom while he was showering. She also claims that the groping instances caused trauma that led to her getting breast reduction surgery in 2015, and that his wife Frances allegedly created a "hostile" environment for her and used "ethnically pejorative" language towards her. The second of the new accusers, a male, is referred to as "John Doe 1," and claims that Robinson touched himself inappropriately in front of him during the time he was hired to do detail work on the Robinson's cars. John Doe 1 also claims that Robinson tried to force him to touch him in 2022, and after being fired, he was asked to return to work by Frances. After doing so, he alleges, he faced "humiliation, emotional distress and ongoing fear for his safety and dignity." In a new statement to People, Robinson's lawyer Christopher Frost once again denied all allegations of wrongdoing, and described the claims as an "organized, avaricious campaign to extract money from an 85-year-old legend." He added that those who have come forward "hide behind anonymity, and their attorneys [to] seek global publicity while making the ugliest of false allegations," and added that "once the public can see the truth, their avaricious motives and fabricated claims will be revealed." A hearing for the new motion is scheduled for Jan. 6. After the first allegations arose this spring, Robinson filed a counterclaim against the four women, and claimed that they "fabricated" instances of sexual assault in a bid to extort money from him and his wife. A trial is set for Oct. 2027, and in September a judge ruled that the accusers are allowed to remain anonymous, despite Robinson's lawyer arguing that it makes it difficult to subpoena witnesses. - NME, 11/20/25...... One of late KISS guitarist Ace Frehley's signature "smoker" guitars is going under the gavel in a rock and roll auction conducted by Gotta Have Rock and Roll. Frehley's signed Sunburst Gibson Les Paul he played on the band's 1999 Psycho Circus tour -- as well as their 2000 farewell tour -- is up for sale with a minimum opening bid of $100,000. "This custom-made Sunburst Gibson Les Paul 'Smoker' guitar was owned and signed by Ace Frehley, featuring modifications for his signature 'Smoking' effects," reads a description on GottaHaveRockandRoll.com. "It was heavily played and used during the 1999 and 2000 'Psycho Circus' and 'Farewell Tour' concerts. The guitar is part of Ace Frehley's personal collection and represents a unique piece of rock history from an influential period of his career." The instrument comes with a letter of authenticity, with the auction slated to end on Dec. 5. The guitarist died in October at age 74, and an autopsy report revealed that his death was caused by blunt trauma injuries to his head after suffering a fall, with the manner of death listed as accidental. - Billboard, 11/19/25...... The operator of a Bob Dylan fan site has claimed he was asked to leave the artist's show in Glasgow, Scotland on Nov. 17, and told he was an "unwanted person" after he posted live photos from Dylan's concert tour. The legendary musician performed at the SEC Armadillo venue as part of his 2025 "Rough And Rowdy Ways" UK and Ireland tour, and Daniel Hildebrand, who launched the website Daily Dylan last year, attended the concert. However, he has since said he was ejected from the event because he had been recirculating live photos and footage from Dylan's tour. The use of video cameras and mobile phones is strictly prohibited at Dylan's gigs, and fans are made to switch off their devices and place them into a Yondr pouch that is locked away at the venues. Hildebrand shared a "personal note" on social media, detailing how he had been "asked to leave the venue before the show began" at Dylan's date in Glasgow. He went on to say that he had been "declared an 'unwanted person'," adding: "It's safe to assume this was because of the Daily Dylan account." He continued: "We want to make it clear that we have never taken any photos or videos ourselves that were posted here -- even though this was mentioned as a reason by staff. Though we did share material from others, which apparently led to this decision. We are, first and foremost, Bob Dylan fans and want to keep attending his concerts, and the idea of being excluded from future shows is truly devastating." As a result, Hildebrand says he "will no longer post any material (photos, videos, audio) from the shows," and is "considering closing the Daily Dylan account(s) entirely, but we need time to process last night's experience and to make this difficult decision." It is currently unclear whether the venue or Dylan's team ejected Hildebrand from the show. - NME, 11/19/25..... 
Ronnie Wood is celebrating 50 years as a member of the Rolling Stones by unveiling four new portraits of him and his bandmates. The four new paintings have been shared as part of a new "Paint It Black" collection, and will be available in a run of signed, limited edition prints. Painted by the rock icon on top of a black background, four new artworks have been made: one of frontman Mick Jagger, one of Keith Richards, one of late drummer Charlie Watts, and a new self-portrait. As the name indicates, their completion coincides with the reissue of Black and Blue -- the 1976 LP that saw Wood become a permanent member of the band. The recording sessions for that album served as auditions following Mick Taylor's exit, and meant that the album had contributions from the likes of guitar greats Harvey Mandel, Wayne Perkins, Jeff Beck and Robert A. Johnson. Wood performed on three tracks and later joined as a full-time member. "It's hard to believe it's been 50 years since I joined the Rolling Stones," Wood said in a statement. "In these portraits, I wanted to capture the spirit of Mick, Keith, me, and our late friend Charlie Watts, and the live shows we've been lucky enough to play together. I'm proud of the journey we've been on, and it felt right to share these prints with the world now. Art has defined my life, and I've been painting even longer than I've been playing music," he added. While globally recognized for his musical talent, Wood clarified that he has actually "been painting and drawing for seven decades, which is even longer than I've been playing music," and even won an award from the BBC's Sketch Club for one of the drawings from his childhood. "I paint to music, and sometimes when I'm playing, in my head I'm doing it to a painting. Art fills my life, art is my life, and art will continue to be my life," he added. The signed, personalised, limited edition 'Paint It Black' prints are available now from The Ronnie Wood Shop, and can be viewed in person at London's Redhouse Originals Gallery. - NME, 11/18/25...... In other Rolling Stones news, Mick Jagger made a surprise visit to his old school, Dartford Grammar in Kent, and the adjacent Mick Jagger Centre, which is currently celebrating its 25th Anniversary. Sir Mick spent time touring the arts venue he opened in 2000, which Headmaster Julian Metcalf called a "very special and the icing on the cake" moment for the anniversary celebrations. The Mick Jagger Centre has flourished over the last quarter-century, providing recording and video studios, rehearsal rooms, and gallery spaces for students. It also serves as a thriving hub for the local community, hosting theatre and music concerts, and is home to both The Dartford Music School and The Dartford Symphony Orchestra. Always a keen sportsman, having played basketball during his school days, the Dartford native was also delighted to present a trophy to the current Dartford Grammar Basketball Team. - Music-News.com, 11/20/25...... Paul McCartney is among the musicians who have contributed silent tracks to a new album designed to protest AI's influence on the music industry. The record is set to be pressed on vinyl and released later in November, and sees some huge names from across the music industry -- including McCartney, Sam Fender, Pet Shop Boys, Hans Zimmer and Kate Bush -- put forward songs -- only instead of instrumentals and vocals, there is only the odd clatter or hint of background noise. Dubbed Is This What We Want?, the album's track listing spells out "the British government must not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies," and the album is done to suggest that there will be no artists left to create new music if AI companies exploit their intellectual property to train AI models. For his contribution, Sir Paul's song comes as a B-side to the album's tracklisting and is simply called "(Bonus Track)." Running for two minutes and 45 seconds, the first minute is simply the sound of hissing from the tape, before there is the odd clatter heard in the background, and what sounds like someone pacing around in an empty room. "Today we're releasing the vinyl of Is This What We Want?, the silent album from 1000+ musicians protesting the UK government's plans on AI & copyright. Incredibly grateful to Paul McCartney for providing a new (silent) bonus track. And to the many UK musicians involved," composer and campaigner Ed Newton-Rex posted on X/Twitter on Nov. 17. Earlier in 2025, McCartney spoke out about the UK government's plans to alter the copyright law and allow AI developers to use creators' content to help develop their models, criticizing the plans as something that would rip off artists and result in a "loss of creativity." The Guardian reports that a new legal system regarding AI is likely to be debated in parliament in 2026, and while it is unlikely to take place sooner than that, the government have signed deals with multiple companies to boost AI adoption. - NME, 11/18/25...... 
David Byrne has shared a new single, "T-shirt," that was co-written by his longtime friend and collaborator Brian Eno. Byrne, who's currently touring North America on his "Who Is The Sky?" tour named for his September album of the same name, has played "T-shirt" live a number of times while touring the US and Canada. The former Talking Heads frontman gave the song -- a bright electropop track about the importance of helping others amid the current political climate -- its live debut in Pittsburgh on Sept. 16 and has now released it on streaming services, including YouTube. "I believe in helping others/ I will sing my freedom song/ I donate to worthy causes/ I go along and get along," sings Byrne on the track's first verse, before the chorus of, "See my t-shirt, take it off/ Dance these shoes off 'till we drop." The cover art features a slightly creased T-shirt with the quote "Well-behaved women seldom make history," first written by historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich in a 1976 article, and the video features a series of T-shirts sporting various slogans. The song itself has become a fan favorite on Byrne's tour, where it's accompanied by slogans including "Make America Gay Again" and "No Kings." Byrne has previously spoken out about US politics, notably sharing a playlist called "The Beautiful Shitholes" in 2018 in response to comments Pres. Donald Trump was reported to have said regarding "shithole countries" in a meeting. Byrne kicked off the tour by playing the Talking Heads' classic "Psycho Killer"' for the first time in 19 years, while Hayley Williams joined him in New York City to play Paramore's "Hard Times"' as well as their recent collaboration, "What Is The Reason For It?"' from Who Is The Sky?. When his North American tour wraps on Dec. 6 in Miami, he's off to Australia and New Zealand in January before coming to Europe in February, including nine UK and Ireland dates. - NME, 11/18/25.
The Eagles have added more 2026 dates to their Sphere residency, extending their run as the artist with the most dates at the Las Vegas immersive venue to 56. The new shows will take place Mar. 20-21 and Mar. 27-28. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees had previously announced eight shows for next year: Jan. 23-24, Jan. 30-31, Feb. 20-21 and Feb. 27-28. The Eagles' Sphere stint started in Sept. 2024, and the band added dates a handful at a time, setting the record for the most shows with the announcement of the February dates in October at 52. The previous record belonged to Dead & Co. at 48 shows. - Billboard, 11/10/25...... 
Styx co-founder Dennis DeYoung has called out the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on social media, saying many artists have to be incapacitated or dead" before they're recognized by the Cleveland-based hall and museum. "It's a shame that Bad Company had to wait so long to get in that it rendered Paul Rodgers unable to perform due to health concerns," DeYoung posted to Facebook on Nov. 13. "Bollocks!! I would have liked to have seen him perform years ago to demonstrate how one of rock's premiere singers ACTUALLY ROCKS. You know, like the name on their institution's logo. I have said this repeatedly for decades, just change the damn name." Rodgers, 75, was unable to attend or perform alongside his band at this year's ceremony, explaining to fans he had to "prioritize his health" foremost after suffering two major strokes and a series of minor strokes. DeYoung charged Rodgers' absence at the event highlighted the "tragic manner in which this joint operates." "Making so many musicians wait until they [are] either incapacitated or dead is shameful," he added. "Joe Cocker, Warren Zevon et al are suddenly eligible decades after their success? Explain that, what's changed except the Hall's inability to let go of their clear prejudices and induct them? They now admit, when it's far too late that they have erred. Have Joe, Warren and others recently become more popular? No, the Hall's initial mission statement about who qualifies was always a ruse and a joke concocted to protect their own personal choices. I'll stop now before I need BP [blood pressure] meds." In addition to Bad Company, Cocker and Zevon, the 2025 RRHOF ceremony also saw the induction of The White Stripes, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast, Soundgarden, Thom Bell, Chubby Checker, Nicky Hopkins, Carol Kaye, Salt-N-Pepa and Lenny Waronker. Styx has never been inducted or nominated for the organization, and DeYoung closed by saying "I have said this before -- as someone whose band has never been considered, whatever I write ends up sounding like sour grapes." - New Musical Express, 11/16/25...... During the opening performance of their three-day "KISS Kruise: Landlocked in Vegas" on Nov. 14, the three surviving original members of KISS paid tribute to their late bandmate Ace Frehley "Obviously, before we get going -- and we're going to have an awesome time -- we just wanted to take a moment to think about about somebody who was at the foundation of this band. And we're talking about Ace," KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley told the crowd at the beginning. Stanley elaborated: "We certainly had differences, but that's what family is about. Why don't we take a moment, little quiet, and think about him looking down on us -- from Jendell, probably -- and let's have a moment for Ace." After a brief silent tribute, the audience outside the Las Vegas Virgin Hotels chanted 'Ace! Ace! Ace!' as Stanley encouraged fans to hold up electric candles in honor of their former bandmate. The "unmasked" concert marked KISS' first show since Frehley's passing on Oct. 16, and their first performance since wrapping their "End of the Road Tour" with a two-night stand at New York City's Madison Square Garden in Dec. 2023. The "Kiss Army Storms Vegas" event was first announced in March. Fan-shot footage of the Frehley tribute can be viewed on X/Twitter. Meanwhile, KISS has announced they will leave a chair free for their late bandmate Ace Frehley's spirit when they enter the Kennedy Center Honors in December to be honored with the prestigious Kennedy Center Award. "In Ace's memory, we're gonna make sure one of the four chairs is empty with Ace's name, because he deserves to be there in spirit, even if he can't be there physically," KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons said during a show with his solo band at the "Love Ride powered by Harley-Davidson" event at the Castaic Lake in Castaic, Calif., on Nov. 9. The star-studded event, set for Dec. 7, will see country superstar Garth Brooks honour KISS with a cover of "Shout It Out Loud," along with the induction of the likes of Gloria Gaynor, Sylvester Stallone, George Strait and Michael Crawford. - Billboard/Music-News.com, 11/15/25...... Elton John's globally beloved Apple Music 1 show, Elton John's Rocket Hour, celebrated its 10th anniversary on Nov. 15 with a special milestone episode recorded at Apple's new LA studios. The show featured Elton alongside Zane Lowe, who originally helped bring Rocket Hour to fruition. Lowe reflected on Elton's impact, calling him "the spiritual North Star of Apple Music Radio," and praised his commitment that "given us confidence to keep going." The Rocket Hour has consistently championed the next generation of musicians, including Billie Eilish, Sam Fender, RAYE and Chappell Roan. The milestone episode featured the likes of Olivia Dean, whose spectacular rise has made her one of Britain's brightest new stars, as well as Dev Hynes of Blood Orange, who John described as a musician "with a brain, and an imagination and musicians with a soul." - Music-News.com, 11/14/25...... 
During a recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Who's Pete Townshend that his band's current farewell tour is indeed their last, and said he's looking forward to revisiting his own songs with the help of artificial intelligence. Townshend, who is promoting a new "Quadrophenia: A Rock Ballet on Broadway" musical, joked that he'd been to multiple farewell tour shows hosted by the band in the '80s. "In '82, I left The Who," Townshend explained to host Stephen Colbert. "It was my farewell. In '89, I pleaded with The Who to come back because I was broke, and we did a 25th anniversary tour. This time," he mused, "the farewell tour is genuine; we are going to end it after we've done as many shows as Elton John." Notably, John's "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour consisted of more than 300 shows and wound up being a five-year undertaking thanks to delays from the COVID pandemic. "He did 330, we've done 22," Townshend quipped. "So we just have another 308 to do." Townshend added that he "really enjoyed this last tour, it was great," noting "I decided I was going to try and make Roger [Daltrey] happy, which isn't easy. Not because he's a nasty guy or anything, but because he sings, and he sings the way he sings, his whole body and life goes into it. I thought, I must forget about myself, and just do this for him, it could be the last thing we ever do together. And it worked." Townshend admitted that he and Daltrey "don't communicate very well" and "have different needs as performers". The musician also said the group felt more like "a Who tribute band" now. "I don't love performing. I don't like being on a stage it doesn't fill my soul," Towshend had said in previous interviews, and Daltrey responded by saying "If Pete doesn't want to tour, I don't want to be back with The Who on the road, at 81, with someone who doesn't want [to] be there if that's what he's saying." Later on in the conversation, the guitarist revealed aims to use AI technology to refine and finish unreleased songs in his vault. "I've got about 350, 450 pieces of music. A lot of it is probably terrible," he said, admitting he'd managed to wade through "about half of it." He continued: "I don't know what to do with it I'm also quite interested in AI. I'm quite interested in getting some of my old songs that didn't quite work because I didn't quite get them right first time round, and put them up on [generative artificial intelligence music creation platform] Suno or some AI music machine and seeing what it can make of it. It might be some hits." As for new music from The Who, it currently seems unlikely that there will ever be a final album. Townshend did express his desire for the band to make another record last year, but said there was "a bit of a river to cross" in convincing Daltrey. Townshend's complete The Late Show interview can be watched on YouTube. - NME, 11/16/25...... It should come as no surprise, but none of the artists who performed at Ozzy Osbourne's all-star final "Back to the Beginning" gig in July were paid to be there -- they did it for the love of the game, and their love of the late metal icon. Wife/manager Sharon Osbourne revealed the generosity of Ozzy's peers in the latest episode of The Osbournes podcast, the family's first sit-down chat since Ozzy's death on July 22 at 76 years old, just weeks after the historic gig. "We paid the cost of bringing everybody in, everybody out, accommodation, everything," said Sharon about the all-day July 5 gig at Villa Park in Ozzy's hometown of Birmingham, England that featured sets from Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Pantera, Alice in Chains Anthrax as well solo and Black Sabbath sets featuring Ozzy. "[And] no one got paid. Nobody asked for a penny. They gave their time, their efforts, everything for free. People were just, oh God, so generous." Sharon added that the show raised around $11 million for charity given the enormous cost of flying everyone in and out, putting them up and mounting the ambitious show that will be the subject of the upcoming 100-minute concert film Back to the Beginning: Ozzy's Final Bow, which is slated for theatrical release in early 2026. During the podcast, Ozzy and Sharon's son Jack Osbourne revealed that Ozzy was hospitalized two week before the big event, and that Ozzy's other closest relatives weren't even aware of that. Jack Osbourne also hit out at comments made by Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Water shortly after Ozzy's death in which he said : "Bless him in his whatever state that he was in his whole life, we'll never know. Although he was all over the TV for hundreds of years, with his idiocy and nonsense. The music, I have no idea. I couldn't give a f---. I don't care about Black Sabbath, I never did. I have no interest in biting the heads of chickens or whatever they do. I couldn't care less, you know." "Hey Roger Waters, f--- you," Jack said. "How pathetic and out of touch you've become. The only way you seem to get attention these days is by vomiting out bullshit in the press. My father always thought you were a c-nt - thanks for proving him right," he said in response. Meanwhile, Sharon is calling for Black Sabbath's first manager Jim Simpson not to release an album of the band's earliest recordings. In June, it was announced that a compilation of demos that Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward recorded in 1969 when they still went by the name Earth was to be released under the title Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes. That release has never materialized however, and now in an Instagram post on Nov. 15, Sharon spoke out against the project, outlining the Sabbath legal position, which disputes the legal ownership of the recordings. he has also shared an email that she claims she sent to Simpson in July. "As you know, the band do not want these tapes released, not least as they haven't heard them despite you saying you would provide copies long ago," she wrote. "You know that, as a band, Black Sabbath don't take things lying down and you can be assured that if you go ahead with this against the Band's wishes we will take any action [when and] where their rights are infringed, both here and in America." - Billboard/NME, 11/14/25...... Veteran musician Chuck Leavell, who is currently handling keyboard duties for the Rolling Stones, has hinted that the a 2026 European tour by "the world's greatest rock & roll band" might be in the works. The Stones wrapped up their most recent "Hackney Diamonds" tour in 2024, which saw them travel across North America in support of their 2023 album of the same name. However, plans for a UK and Europe leg this year were reportedly scrapped due to complications with suitable venues, travel and pre-existing commitments. The Stones were rumoured to visit cities such as Paris, Barcelona, Rome, along with four huge gigs at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Now, Leavell has told the UK paper The Sun's "Bizarre" column that the band may be due to visit the continent soon for some shows. According to news outlet, who attended the band's launch for the reissue of 1976 album Black And Blue, Leavell reportedly said: "They don't want to hang up the rock 'n' roll shoes yet. There's no doubt in my mind. We've done a good bit in the US the last few years, so I think the likelihood would be somewhere else and my best guess would be probably Europe." Leavell also echoed previous comments from guitarist Ronnie Wood, who confirmed that a new album from the band is "done" and due in 2026. "They've been recording," Leavell told The Sun. "I'm sure there's already some new music, and I'm sure it's great. I also am very sure that the band wants to perform." Meanwhile, Hackney Diamonds producer Andrew Watt has confirmed he's producing the new Stones album. Watt has described working with the band as "like working for Batman": "When the tongue is up in the air, you just go," he explained. "I can say we did some recording together, but that's all I can say." Meanwhile, as new album and tour rumors swirl, the band has announced a limited-edition range of Rolling Stones lava lamps. The band is collaborating with lava lamps manufacturer Mathmos, with fans able to buy one of 1000 exclusive red vinyl-designed Astro lava lamps, with a design including artwork from their 1963 single 'I Wanna Be Your Man', a cap with etched grooves reminiscent of vinyl records and the band's iconic "lips" logo. The lamps can be viewed and purchased at mathmos.com. - NME, 11/13/25...... In other Stones-related news, ABKCO, the music company that owns the band's early catalog, has brought a lawsuit against paint manufacturer Behr over an Instagram advertisement that allegedly used an unlicensed version of the band's "Paint It, Black," which ABKCO calls "one of the most valuable copyrights in the history of popular music." The copyright infringement case, filed on Nov. 12 in US federal court, centers on a 2022 Instagram ad for Behr that showed a person spray-painting furniture while "Paint It, Black" played in the background. ABKCO claims Behr didn't pay for the track. "Behr's commercial use of the ABKCO recording has forced a business association upon ABKCO that has harmed its ability to license the ABKCO recording to Behr's competitors that would pay for the use of the ABKCO recording," an attorney for Behr said in the suit. "Clearly, the ABKCO recording is not only iconic, it has unique and particular value to a paint company seeking to promote its paint products... As a result of the aforementioned acts of infringement, ABKCO has suffered significant damages," reads the complaint. - Billboard, 11/13/25...... 
AC/DC has put new meaning into their hit "You Shook Me All Night Long" as their first concert in their native Australia in decades on Nov. 12 was so powerful, it set off earthquake detection equipment. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, chief scientist at the Seismology Research Centre Adam Pascale reported vibrations within the two to five hertz range were registered at their Richmond office, about three-and-a-half kilometres from the concert at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and caused seismic vibrations to be recorded on earthquake equipment. Pascale explained that while the loud music from the show is a large factor into the vibrations recorded, it wasn't the only thing that contributed to the recordings. "The sound waves that people were experiencing nearby and feeling something through their bodies, that's the equivalent to what our seismographs feel," Pascale said. "We're picking up the ground motion, we're not picking up the sound from the air. So you've got speakers on the ground pumping out vibrations and that gets transmitted through the ground, but also the crowd jumping up and down is feeding energy into the ground. If everyone's sort of bouncing in unison, it tends to amplify the signal so we can pick it up a little bit better. Whereas, if it's sort of just general crowd motion, like even at the grand final at the MCG, we can still pick that up," he added. A resident living 10 kilometres away from the ABC that the show was so loud, they could hear the concert, while two others from Hawthorn -- a suburb away from the cricket grounds -- said they could hear the show as well. Earlier in the day, hundreds of bagpipers set a new world record with a cover of the band's "It's a Long Way to the Top." The band's current line-up of Angus Young, Brian Johnson, Stevie Young, Matt Laug and Chris Chaney gathered in Melbourne's Federation Square, where thousands of fans watched as 374 bagpipers squeezed into the square to perform the hard rock classic. The Australian Book of Records then confirmed with the Associated Press that they had indeed broken the world record for most people gathered to play the bagpipes. The oldest performer was 98-years-old. The previous record holder was 333 pipers in Bulgaria back in 2012. The event was called "The Great Melbourne Bagpipe Bash," and paid homage to a scene from AC/DC's 1976 film where they blasted "It's A Long Way To The Top" on a flatbed truck while traveling through traffic. Footage of the band performing "You Shook Me All Night Long" can be viewed on YouTube. AC/DC's return to Oz for the first time in a decade saw them roll out all the hits also including "Back In Black," "Thunderstruck," "Shoot To Thrill" and more, as well as the return of "Jailbreak" for the first time in 34 years. Upcoming dates include Sydney (11/21,25), Adelaide (11/30), Perth (12/4, 8) and Brisbane (12/14, 18). - NME, 11/14/25...... Ringo Starr has announced on Instagram that he'll be heading to North America with his All Starr Band for a string of summer 2026 shows. The Beatles legend will be joined by his regular bandmates -- Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart, Gregg Bissonette and Buck Johnson -- for all of the 12 dates next May and June, beginning on May 28 in Temecula, Calif. Other stops in major markets include San Diego (5/29), Salt Lake City (6/1), Albuquerque (6/8), Denver (6/9) and Phoenix (6/12), eventually wrapping things up with a date at Los Angeles' Greek Theatre on June 14. "I am happy to be touring again in the Spring. See you all in June. Peace and love," Ringo said. - NME, 11/15/25...... Former Deep Purple vocalist and Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale took to Instagram on Nov. 13 to announce that he's retiring from music. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, brothers and sisters of the 'snake, a special announcement for you," Coverdale said. "After 50 years-plus of an incredible journey with you, with Deep Purple, with Whitesnake, Jimmy Page, the last few years has been very evident to me that it's time really for me to hang up my rock 'n' roll platform shoes and my skintight jeans." Coverdale continued: "And as you can see, we've taken care of the lion's wig. But it's time for me to call it a day. I love you dearly. I thank everyone who's assisted and supported me on this incredible journey -- all the musicians, the crew, the fans, the family. It's amazing, but it really is time for me to just enjoy my retirement. And I hope you can appreciate that. Once again, I love you with all my heart. Fare thee well." The video ends with a montage of Coverdale performing with Whitesnake, set to the 2025 remix of "Forevermore." Prior to forming Whitesnake in 1978, Coverdale replaced Ian Gillan in Deep Purple between 1973 to 1996. Whitesnake went on to enjoy a celebrated career in the 1980s through hit singles like "Here I Go Again," "Is This Love" and "Fool For Loving You." In 1993, the singer teamed up with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page for the collaborative project Coverdale-Page. Coverdale faced several health setbacks over the years, most recently suffering two rotator cuff tears in 2023 after a fall. The year prior, he revealed that he was dealing with "a persistent upper respiratory infection that affects my ability to perform." That infection led to the band pulling out of a North American tour with the Scorpions. Whitesnake's last gig took place at Hellfest in June 2022, while their last album was 2019's Flesh & Blood. - NME, 11/14/25...... 
In other Deep Purple-related news, co-founding vocalist Ian Gillan has revealed that he only has "30 per cent vision" left. In an interview with the UK's Uncut magazine, the 80-year-old singer said he finds it "achingly tiresome" trying to work these days because he struggles so much when using his laptop. "It's one of those things," he said. "I've only got 30 per cent vision. That won't get better. It makes life mysterious. The hardest thing is working on my laptop. I can't see anything on the screen unless I use my peripheral vision - I pick up a line by looking at it sideways. But you find a way. You adapt. But it's achingly tiresome. It takes a long time to do the work," he added. Gillan said however not much else has changed as he's entered his ninth decade and is grateful he still has his sense of humor. "It's hilarious this growing old thing. It's a laugh a minute. Well, sometimes yes and sometimes no. I walk down the road and hear something drop off -- clang, there's something else gone. Nothing's changed really apart from I can't pole vault any more. Other than that, things move a little more slowly. But nothing's changed. "If you've got a sense of humour, you can get by with most things," he noted. He suggested retirement from Deep Purple "isn't far off" because he doesn't want to turn into an "embarrassment." He said: "I think if I lose my energy I'm going to stop. I don't want to be an embarrassment to anyone. We're not far off that. It creeps up on you -- you don't really notice. But then this isn't like a normal job. It's all in your mind. The writing certainly is, and the ability. And these guys who I work with just seem to keep improving. The hard thing is to keep them down." - Music-News.com, 11/16/25...... Several of rock's most iconic singers from the 1970s and '80s are teaming up to form a supergroup for one night only later in November. On Nov. 23, retired ice skating legend, Olympian and cancer survivor Scott Hamilton will organize his annual Scott Cares fundraiser for cancer research. On the bill this year are a supergroup consisting of six singers from beloved '70s and '80s rock bands -- including REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin, Journey's Jason Derlatka, Chicago's Jason Scheff, Kansas' John Elefante, Wally Palmar of the Romantics and Mike Reno from Loverboy. Reno's wife Catherine St Germain will also be performing. "It's going to be a big old rock and roll show. We're getting six lead singers or performers from six bands that were just iconic in the late seventies, eighties," Hamilton told People magazine. "So many of these guys are my heroes," he added. "Back in the day, I would've killed to get a backstage pass to see or meet or to be in the same proximity as these guys, and now I'm producing them in my show. It's like, are you kidding me?" While it's unclear what they will perform together as a supergroup, Hamilton added: "You'll hear songs you've heard a million times being performed by the artists that created the music." All funds raised at the event will be donated to cancer research centers, as well as the 4th Angel foundation, which pairs newly diagnosed cancer patients with survivors to aid them on their journey. Hamilton's announcement can be viewed on Instagram. - NME, 11/12/25...... David Byrne has revealed that he recently wed businesswoman Mala Goankar in a recent interview with The New Yorker magazine. "I said I would never get married again, after I got divorced," he shared. "It was just working out really well, so we said, 'Well, let's do this for our friends and family'", he added. Byrne didn't share any further details about the wedding, other than it took place in September. Gaonkar, a musician and hedge fund manager, and the former Talking Heads frontman have lived together in New York for some time but it's unclear when they first started dating. But in August, Byrne divulged his relationship status with Gankar, 56, in an interview with the New York Times by referring to her as his "fiance." - Music-News.com, 11/13/25..... 
Veteran New Zealand new-wave rockers Split Enz have announced they'll kick off their long-awaited reunion tour -- their first in 18 years -- in May 2026. Dubbed "Forever Enz," is due to kick off in Melbourne, Australia at the Rod Laver Arena on May 13, also visiting Sydney (5/18), Perth (5/22) and Adelaide (5/25). Before then, they'll perform at the Electric Avenue Music Festival in Christchurch, N.Z., on Feb. 27, which was announced by members Tim and Neil Finn in September. Split Enz last performed together at a benefit concert in 2009. Prior to that, the band played just four shows in 2008. Apart from their biggest hits, the tour will also see Split Enz celebrate the 50th anniversary of their debut album Mental Notes. "Split Enz was my first band, my initiation into the magic of music and collaboration," Neil Finn said in a statement. "It feels very special to be reuniting with that feeling and reigniting the flame. We'll be in top form I know it, out of respect for the songs and our audience." Formed in New Zealand in 1972 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd before relocating to Australia three years later, Split Enz are widely regarded as one of the most important bands to come out of the region in the last five decades. Neil Finn would join the band in 1977, with the band relocating to London shortly after. The band split in 1984, just months after Tim Finn left the group, with Neil Finn and drummer Paul Hester going on to form Crowded House. Among Split Enz's greatest hits are "I Got You," "I See Red," "Message To My Girl," "History Never Repeats," "Six Months In A Leaky Boat" and more. Their fifth album, 1980's True Colours, served as their biggest breakthrough, being certified multi-platinum in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. - NME, 11/11/25...... Dave Burgess, the guitarist, songwriter, and founding member of the pioneering rock and roll group The Champs, has died at the age of 90.His death was confirmed in an obituary stating he passed away on Oct. 19, 2025, in Dover, Tenn. Mr. Burgess was best known as the driving force behind The Champs, the band that shot to fame with their 1958 instrumental smash hit "Tequila." Though the track was originally released as the B-side to "Train to Nowhere," it quickly eclipsed its A-side counterpart after radio DJs began spinning it heavily. Within weeks, "Tequila" topped the Billboard pop chart and went on to win the first-ever Grammy Award for Best R'n'B Performance. Born on Dec.3, 1934, in Los Angeles, Mr. Burgess began his music career during the early days of rock and roll. He adopted his stepfather's surname and initially recorded as a solo artist before forming The Champs in the late 1950s. The group's lineup included saxophonist Chuck Rio (real name Daniel Flores), who penned "Tequila" and delivered its iconic shouted refrain. The Champs enjoyed a string of hits throughout the late '50s and early '60s, but it was "Tequila" that cemented their place in music history. The song's enduring popularity was further boosted by its memorable use in the 1985 cult classic Pee-wee's Big Adventure, where it soundtracked a now-famous dance scene. Beyond his work with The Champs, Mr. Burgess was a prolific songwriter and producer, credited with over 700 copyrighted compositions. His influence extended across genres, and his contributions helped shape the sound of early American rock and roll. - Music-News.com, 11/14/25...... Sally Kirkland, the effervescent blonde actress who was Oscar-nominated for the independent film Anna in 1987, died on Nov. 11 in Palm Springs, Calif. She was 84. Born in New York City, Ms. Kirkland trained with Lee Strasberg and started her career in off-Broadway productions and avant-garde theater, which led to her joining Andy Warhol's Factory. Her first film appearance came in Warhol's The 13 Most Beautiful Women in 1964. She went on to appear in the Western Blue and in Coming Apart. In the 1970s, she guested on shows including Kojak, Baretta and Three's Company, and had small roles in major films such as The Way We Were, Cinderella Liberty, The Sting and A Star Is Born. In 2024, she starred as herself in Sallywood, an indie film about a writer who gets hired as Ms. Kirkland's personal assistant. Ms. Kirland was put on hospice in early November after suffering a fall in the shower in October that resulted in injuries to her ribs and foot, according to her GoFundMe page. She had previously been diagnosed with a bone infection that had also spread to her bloodstream, as well as dementia. - Variety.com, 11/12/25.